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Characterization of a Cast Al-Cu Alloy for Automotive Cylinder Head Applications

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Abstract

In this study, the influences of solidification rate and grain refinement on the microstructure, hardness and electrical conductivity of a novel Al-Cu alloy for automotive cylinder heads were investigated. The influence of solution heat treatment temperature on the microstructure and hardness was also investigated. Thermal analysis, optical microscopy, SEM-EDX, Rockwell hardness and eddy current tests were conducted to provide a comprehensive characterization of the Al-Cu alloy. The results showed microstructural refinement with increasing solidification rate and with TiBor addition. Increased cooling rate through mold temperature control and the addition of TiBor had a synergistic effect on the solidification rate, resulting in a 28% increase in hardness. The predominant phase in this alloy was found to be Al2Cu. As well, Al-Zr and Al-Fe-Cu-Mn phases were also observed exhibiting a blocky morphology. The conductivity measured from the castings was approximately 28% IACS. The electrical conductivity of the alloy was not influenced by solidification rate; however, TiBor additions reduced the conductivity slightly. Preliminary solution heat treatment experiments demonstrated that the maximum temperature can be increased to 540 °C, without incipient melting. The correlations developed in this study elucidate opportunities for further enhancement of materials for automotive applications.

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Acknowledgments

The authors are thankful to the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) for financial support of this project (RGPIN-2020-06096). The first three authors acknowledge NSERC-Canada Graduate Scholarships. The authors are thankful to Nemak Linz and Nemak Canada for supporting this project and for in-kind contributions. The authors thank Dr. Anthony Lombardi and Dr. Robert MacKay of Nemak Canada for technical discussions. The authors thank Dr. Raiden Acosta of the University of Toronto for the use of Differential Scanning Calorimeter. The authors also thank Mr. Alan Machin, Mr. Qiang Li, Dr. Raja Roy, and Michael Rinaldi for assistance with experiments and discussions. They are also grateful to the members of the Center for Near-net-shape Processing of Materials for assistance with casting experiments.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for Near-net-shape Processing of Materials, Ryerson University, Toronto, ON, M5B 2K3, Canada

    Bernoulli Andilab, Eli Vandersluis, Payam Emadi & Comondore Ravindran

  2. Nemak USA/Canada, Windsor, ON, N9C 4G5, Canada

    Glenn Byczynski

  3. Nemak Linz GmbH, 4030, Linz, Austria

    Ricardo Fernández-Gutiérrez

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  1. Bernoulli Andilab
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  2. Eli Vandersluis
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  3. Payam Emadi
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  4. Comondore Ravindran
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  5. Glenn Byczynski
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  6. Ricardo Fernández-Gutiérrez
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Correspondence to Bernoulli Andilab.

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Andilab, B., Vandersluis, E., Emadi, P. et al. Characterization of a Cast Al-Cu Alloy for Automotive Cylinder Head Applications. J. of Materi Eng and Perform 31, 5679–5688 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11665-022-06632-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11665-022-06632-8

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