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Casting defects in low-pressure die-cast aluminum alloy wheels

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Abstract

Defects in automotive aluminum alloy casting continue to challenge metallurgists and production engineers as greater emphasis is placed on product quality and production cost. A range of casting-related defects found in low-pressure die-cast aluminum wheels were examined metallographically in samples taken from several industrial wheel-casting facilities. The defects examined include macro- and micro- porosity, entrained oxide films, and exogenous oxide inclusions. Particular emphasis is placed on the impact of these defects with respect to the three main casting-related criteria by which automotive wheel quality are judged: wheel cosmetics, air-tightness, and wheel mechanical performance.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. the Department of Materials Engineering, the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada

    B. Zhang, S. L. Cockcroft, D. M. Maijer, J. D. Zhu & A. B. Phillion

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  1. B. Zhang
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  2. S. L. Cockcroft
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  3. D. M. Maijer
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  4. J. D. Zhu
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  5. A. B. Phillion
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Additional information

For more information, contact B. Zhang, the University of British Columbia, Department of Materials Engineering, #401B, 6350 Stores Road, Vancouver, BC, Canada V6T 1Z4; (604) 827-5345; fax (604) 822-3619; e-mail bzhang@cmpe.ubc.ca.

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Zhang, B., Cockcroft, S.L., Maijer, D.M. et al. Casting defects in low-pressure die-cast aluminum alloy wheels. JOM 57, 36–43 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11837-005-0025-1

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