Abstract
The purpose of the present study is to model and analyze heat treatment process of Al-Si-Mg alloy prepared by indirect squeeze casting. The combined effects of whole heat treatment process, including solution treatment temperature, solution treatment time, ageing temperature and ageing time, on Vickers hardness, were investigated. The non-linear mathematical model has been developed through Box-Behnken design based on response surface methodology. The results of ANOVA tests have proven the model is capable of making accurate predictions and statistically adequate. The significance tests show all four process parameters significantly affect response value and the relationship might be non-linear in nature. The dimensional response surface and matching contour plots are drawn, establishing an evaluation of the interaction effects of process parameters. The optimum heat treatment process is found as solution treatment temperature of 540.28ºC, solution treatment time of 7.55h, ageing temperature of 174.23ºC, and ageing time of 8.61h.
Highlights
In recent years, there is a large demand for lightweight components with high mechanical capacity
Average HV reaching 129.3 increases more than 71%
Average HV reaching 129.3HV increases more than 71%
Summary
There is a large demand for lightweight components with high mechanical capacity. The density of aluminum is one-third of the steel or cast iron, and the trend is to substitute cast iron components with aluminum components produced by squeeze casting. Squeeze casting (SC) is an advanced special casting technique that the molten metal is filled into the mold slowly and solidified under highpressure. The applied pressure in squeeze casting leads to an obvious decrease of the secondary dendrite arm spacing and disappearance of micro-porosity in the casting, which are the main reasons for the improvement of mechanical properties. Due to the low porosity rate in the squeeze casting parts, heat treatment can be applied, which can further improve the mechanical performance. The heat treatment of Al-Si-Mg alloys prepared by squeeze casting involves the following procedures: solution treatment, quenching, and ageing
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