Chapter 5 - Industrial and Perspective Casting Alloys

Abstract

This is a completely new chapter that, in a sense, combines Chapters 5 and 6 of the first edition of ‘Casting Aluminium Alloys’. It describes both the existing industrial foundry alloys and some new perspective materials. Almost 90% of all existing alloys belong to the Al–Si group, so the general characterisation of industrial alloys of this type is given first. Examples considered in this section include Cu-free alloy (such as 356/357 and the 413 type), Cu-bearing Al–Si foundry alloys (354, 355 types and so on) and the relatively new Ni bearing alloys such as 434. In section 2, alloys of the 2xx and 5xx series are discussed (Al–Cu and Al–Mg, respectively). Finally, in the last section of this chapter a broad overview of some novel foundry aluminium alloys is offered. It is based on the original approach to alloying for eutectic multicomponent alloys developed by the authors. Examples include high strength alloys on the basis of the Al–Zn–Mg matrix, alloys for high temperature service (with additions of Zr and Sc), and a new class of alloys of the Al–Ca type. In the latter case such systems as Al–C a–Sc were considered. Some of the supporting thermodynamic/phase equilibria calculations in this chapter were done using ThermoCalc AB software and the excellent light alloy database COST507 (in the public domain; developed with participation of one of the authors, Prof. Dinsdale).