Weibull Analysis of the Effect of Interrupted Aging Treatments on the Fatigue Life of Components Made of Cast Aluminium Alloy 354

Cast aluminum alloy 354 is widely used in the automobile industry due to its attractive set of mechanical properties and excellent castability. The compressor wheel in turbochargers, for example, is used for the production of this alloy. Apart from mechanical properties like fracture toughness and tensile strength, the fatigue life of the component is also a critical issue while considering the performance. This study makes an attempt to improve the fatigue life of a component made out of this alloy by subjecting it to interrupted aging cycles similar to T6I4 and T6I6 (discussed in the published literature) instead of the normally used T61 standard aging treatment. Results show that subjecting the material to these interrupted aging treatments gives lower fatigue life than that obtained after subjecting it to standard T61 conditions.Also, T6I4 treatment yields better fatigue life as compared to T6I6.