Investigation of fatigue behavior of centrifuged series 3000 Al with addition of 26 wt% Cu

Abstract

More than 70% of mechanical parts in a wide range of engineering fields fail by fatigue. In addition, centrifugal casting is identified as the most effective casting technique for production of high performance cylindrical parts. In this regard, the present work aims to investigate the fatigue behavior of series 3000 Al with addition of 26 wt% Cu produced through horizontal centrifugal casting method. Microstructure characterizations are precisely studied using scanning transmission electron microscopy and field emission scanning electron microscopy in conjunction with image analyzer software. Also, compressive behavior, hardness, coefficient of thermal expansion, and wear rate ( Wr) are measured applying Zwick Z100, Vickers hardness, DIL 805A/D, and pin-on-disc machines, respectively. The results indicate that the main intermetallic compound is Al2Cu-based particle, and a volume fraction of 31 vol.% is obtained. Besides, the compressive strength of 460 MPa, elastic modulus of 10.986 GPa, hardness of 152 HV, coefficient of thermal expansion of 1.7 × 10−5 1/°C, and wear resistance of 3.3 × 10−6 g/mm2 are measured. Finally, the four-point bending fatigue test is performed and the fatigue ratio of 0.109 at about 106 cycles to failure is obtained.