A Study of the use of Secondary Silumin in the Production of Castings for the Automobile Industry

AbstractThis presentation describes a programme designed to investigate the practicability of using worn scrap pistons made from Al Si 12Cu Mg Ni alloy as the raw material for the manufacture of new pistons. The experimental work consisted of a series of carefully-planned processes, including alloy melting, modification, refining and degassing, and subjecting the cast components to an appropriate heat-treatment regime. The aim was to produce castings of excellent quality which would meet all international standards for pistons. An original material, known as ‘Vidasil’, was used to line the feeder-head cavities. The results demonstrated the apparent economic viability of the process technology involved.