Impact of Chromium Addition on the Mechanical Properties of A356 Alloy

Abstract

A significant problem in the modern day automotive and aerospace industries is to manufacture more fuel-efficient components to reduce energy usage. A356 is a material that could meet the demand for an automotive industry in the manufacturing of machine components because of their high strength-to-weight ratio, high toughness and good cast ability. However the existing properties of A356 alloy can be improved by blending it with additive elements in order to meet the modern requirements of various industries. Chromium is selected for the alloying process because of its increased resistance to oxidation at high temperature and higher wear resistance. The project deals with the fabrication of A356 alloy blended with Chromium particles and the determination of impact strength, hardness, and tensile strength of the fabricated alloy. The compositions of 0.15 wt. % Cr, 0.17 wt. % Cr and 0.20 wt. % Cr with A356 are taken for conducting the experiment. The stir casting method is the most suitable method for mixing the chromium particles into the metal matrix. It is a liquid-phase fabrication method that uses mechanical agitation approach to produce the required alloy. Impact testing and hardness testing are to be conducted on the specimen by using Charpy method and Rockwell hardness tester respectively. The tensile strength of the alloy can be analyzed with the help of a universal testing machine (UTM). The results are compared with the existing properties of A356 to analyze the improvements in mechanical properties.