The Role of Alloy Composition and T7 Heat Treatment in Enhancing Thermal Conductivity of Aluminum High Pressure Diecastings

The thermal conductivity of some common and experimental high pressure diecasting (HPDC) Al-Si-Cu alloys is evaluated. It is shown that the thermal conductivity of some compositions may be increased by more than 60 pct by utilizing T7 heat treatments. This may have substantial performance and cost benefits for applications where thermal management is a key design parameter.