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Secondary Al-Si-Mg High-pressure Die Casting Alloys with Enhanced Ductility

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Abstract

Al-Si-Mg-based secondary cast alloys are attractive candidates for thin-walled high-pressure die castings for applications in the transport industry. The present study investigates the effect of manganese additions at high cooling rates on microstructure, mechanical properties, and on the dominating fracture mechanisms of alloy AlSi10Mg with an elevated iron concentration. Systematic variations of the Mn content from 0.20 to 0.85 wt pct at a constant Fe content of 0.55 wt pct illustrate the key changes in type, phase fraction, and shape of the Fe-containing intermetallic phases, and the corresponding influence on the alloy’s ductility. For high-pressure die casting (HPDC), an optimal range of the Mn content between 0.40 and 0.60 wt pct, equivalent to a Mn/Fe ratio of approximately 1, has been identified. At these Mn and Fe contents, the high cooling rates obtained in HPDC result in the formation of fine and homogeneously distributed α-Al15(Fe,Mn)3Si2 phase, and crack initiation is transferred from AlFeSi intermetallics to eutectic silicon. The study interprets the microstructure–property relationship in the light of thermodynamic calculations which reveal a significant increase in undercooling of the α-Al15(Fe,Mn)3Si2 phase with increased Mn content. It concludes that the interdependence of the well-defined Mn/Fe ratio and the high cooling rate in HPDC can generate superior ductility in secondary AlSi10Mg cast alloys.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank AUDI AG and AMAG Austria Metall AG for their financial support of this research project and for permission to publish the results.

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Author notes

  1. Dominik Bösch (Development Engineer)

    Present address: AUDI AG, 85045, Ingolstadt, Germany

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Institute 1: General Materials Properties, University Erlangen–Nürnberg, 91058, Erlangen, Germany

    Dominik Bösch (Development Engineer), Mathias Göken (Professor) & Heinz Werner Höppel (Senior Scientist)

  2. AUDI AG, 74148, Neckarsulm, Germany

    Marc Hummel (Development Engineer)

  3. Austria Metall AG (AMAG), 5282, Ranshofen, Austria

    Werner Fragner (Head of Corporate Technology)

  4. Laboratory of Metal Physics and Technology, Department of Materials, ETH Zurich, 8093, Zurich, Switzerland

    Stefan Pogatscher (Postdoc) & Peter J. Uggowitzer (Professor)

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  1. Dominik Bösch
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Heinz Werner Höppel.

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Manuscript submitted September 16, 2014.

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Bösch, D., Pogatscher, S., Hummel, M. et al. Secondary Al-Si-Mg High-pressure Die Casting Alloys with Enhanced Ductility. Metall Mater Trans A 46, 1035–1045 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11661-014-2700-8

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