Abstract
In this investigation, aluminium Al-2.5% Mg cast alloy was modified by adding 0.5 Ti and 0.1 B wt % modifiers to investigate their impact on the dynamic behaviour, as well as the mechanical and microstructure properties. The dynamic properties were analysed experimentally using a free vibration impact test and predicted using finite element methods. This study used a high-resolution polarised optical microscope to analyse the microstructure of the studied alloys and X-ray Powder Diffraction (XRD) analysis to determine the developed phases. Microstructure and mechanical properties were mostly enhanced as a result of grain refining during solidification and through the metal segregation process. The microstructure analysis of the modified alloy showed a significant improvement in the grain refinement; hence, the grains were 10 times finer than the cast alloy. The modified Al-2.5% Mg/Ti-B alloy demonstrated reduced inter-granular corrosion (IGC) than the Al-2.5% Mg standard cast alloy. By incorporating Ti-B modifiers into the composition of the cast Al-Mg alloy, the ultimate tensile strength (UTS), strain (ε), and hardness values (HV) were increased by 30.5%, 100%, and 18.18%, respectively. The dynamic properties of the modified alloy showed an enhancement in the resonant (fn) and damping ratio (ζ) by 7% and 68%, respectively. The predicted resonance frequencies of the investigated alloys showed results close to the experimental dynamic tests.
Highlights
Due to their low weight and high deformability, aluminium alloys are the foundation of the automotive and aerospace industries
Standard Al-2.5% Mg cast alloy was modified using Ti-B modifier elements; the following results were concluded from this investigation
The presence of titanium and boron in Al-Mg alloys produced excellent grain refinement that causes an improvement in the mechanical properties: the enhancement in tensile strength by 30.5% and elongation by 100%
Summary
Due to their low weight and high deformability, aluminium alloys are the foundation of the automotive and aerospace industries. These alloys are frequently utilised in the food industry, as well as in automotive and chemical equipment. Modifying Ti, B, and B4 C has significantly affected the microstructure of grain refinement [5] These modifiers play an essential role in reducing grain size and displaying the dendritic structure during manufacturing. They enhance the mechanical properties of the material. These dynamic properties have not been investigated in the literature
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