Abstract
The growing interest in aluminum alloys is due to the excellent ductility and mechanical strength, especially in relation with their lightness. These properties make aluminum alloys one of the most used and competitive materials in the automotive sectors. In fact, at the present day, automotive components must guarantee high mechanical and thermal properties in order to ensure low emissions of the vehicle. Despite that, harsh operating conditions can lead to a rupture in aluminum components, especially if subjected to both thermal and mechanical loads. In this panorama, aluminum functionally graded materials (FGMs) could be introduced, in order to produce a single piece with different properties that fulfill all the piece requirements. In this work, considering the typical application of the aluminum alloys as engine pistons, FGMs are realized by sequential gravity casting with the piston alloy EN AB 48000 and the alloy EN AB 42100. Tensile tests on these bi-metal parts give good results in terms of mechanical strength, elongation rates and alloys bonding.
Highlights
Graded materials (FGMs) are advanced engineering composite materials that exhibit a spatial gradient in composition and/or morphology with the aim to satisfy specific requirements
In the the were observed with the scanning electron microscope (SEM), Leo specimens, inclusions and gas porosities that appear white were observed, as well as reported in [35], in the EN AC 48000
The elapsing time between the casting of the two alloys was chosen as a priority parameter in order to optimize the process obtaining effective bonding between the two compositions
Summary
Graded materials (FGMs) are advanced engineering composite materials that exhibit a spatial gradient in composition and/or morphology with the aim to satisfy specific requirements. The microstructure gradient FGMs are characterized by a microstructural variation into the same material: the microstructure is tailored with the aim to obtain the required properties in certain parts of the piece. In the porosity gradient FGMs, the porosity changes with the space position into the material, changing pore shape and/or their size. These materials found applications in a variety of field, such as aerospace, nuclear, electrical, biomedical, defense and automotive sectors [1,2,3]
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