Influence of trace elements on secondary die-cast aluminium alloys

Recycling play a key role on saving of natural resources and on reducing pollution. The recycling of aluminium alloys is also cost-effective, since it reduce the material cost and creates a considerable energy-saving. The use of recycled Al alloys (usually called secondary) has improved in recent years also because of their comparable mechanical properties with primary aluminium alloys. During the production of secondary aluminium alloys, the scrap are mixed regardless of their specific chemical composition, and then master alloys or pure elements are added to the molten metal. Furthermore, certain impurity elements are either difficult or expensive to remove, and their role in mechanical properties can be important. Due to the presence of these additional trace elements, a number of complex intermetallic phases can therefore form in multi-component Al-Si alloys. Mechanical and physical properties of alloys and castings are strongly related to sizes, morphologies and distribution of these intermetallic phases, which are in turn a function of alloy composition and cooling rate. The Al–Si based alloys are transversally used in different foundry processes. Among all the technologies, high-pressure die-casting (HPDC) represents the most common process to produce automotive components by secondary Al–Si alloys because it allows one to increase the production by lowering the cycle time and to obtain economically components with complex geometries and high quality surface. The effects of trace elements and intermetallics phases on features of aluminium castings are still not fully understood, especially when components are made by means of HPDC process. The motivation of the research presented in this doctoral thesis was, therefore, to fill this gap in knowledge. The study has aimed at understanding the influence of various trace elements on the microstructure and mechanical properties of secondary die-cast aluminium alloys and, in particular, on secondary AlSi9Cu3(Fe) die-cast alloys. A literature review and a sufficient background of previously reported results on the influence of trace elements on the features of aluminium alloys as well as the formation of intermetallic phases were carried out. It was found that the mechanical and microstructural analysis generally referred to primary cast Al alloys with low concentration of trace elements outside of those studied. Furthermore the samples were usually produced on gravity die-cast, while some intermetallics phases were frequently observed in high-pressure die-casting, where higher cooling rates and different feeding conditions exist. Special attention has been given to: The effects of Bismuth addition on secondary die-cast aluminium alloys: Bismuth substitute the lead in free-cutting wrought Al alloys, and this is leading to a steady increase of Bi content in secondary Al alloys due to the recycling process. The nucleation temperature of primary Fe-rich intermetallic compounds, as function of Fe, Mn and Cr content and cooling rate: Fe-rich phases have a high specific gravity and tend to segregate to the bottom of aluminium melts and holding furnaces. These phases form primary solid particles, generally called sludge, thus reduce the effective capacity of the furnace. The influence of Fe, Mn and Cr addition, separately or in combination, on the microstructural and mechanical characteristics of secondary die-cast aluminium alloys: sludge crystals are hard and brittle compact inclusions which can compromise the machining operations, with a considerable effects on the cutting tool life, and even more degrade the mechanical and physical properties of the component. As recycling of aluminium alloys becomes more common, sludge will be a problem of increasing importance due to the concentration of Fe, Mn and Cr in the scrap cycle.