The Investigation on Aluminium Alloys Automobile Wheel with Low-Titanium Content Produced by Electrolysis

The in-situ Ti alloying of aluminium alloys was fulfilled by electrolysis, and the material was made into A356 alloy and used in automobile wheels. The results show that the grains of the A356 alloy was refined and the second dendrites arm was shortened due to the in-situ Ti alloying. Trough 3-hour solution treatment and 2-hour aging treatment for the A356 alloy, the microstructures were homogeneous, and Si particles were spheroid and distribute in the matrix fully. The outstanding mechanical properties with tensile strength (σb≥300Mpa) and elongation values (δ≥10%) have been obtained because the heat treatment was optimized. Compared with the traditional materials, tensile strength and elongation were increased by 7.6~14.1% and 7.4~44.3% respectively. The qualities of the automobile wheels were improved remarkably.