| 1. |
- Bogdanoff, Toni, et al.
(author)
-
On the combined effects of surface quality and pore size on the fatigue life of Al–7Si–3Cu–Mg alloy castings
- 2023
-
In: Materials Science & Engineering. - : Elsevier. - 0921-5093 .- 1873-4936. ; 885
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- This study has aimed to determine the effects of surface quality and pore size, obtained by different levels of hydrogen content of the liquid metal, on the fatigue behavior of an Al–7%Si–3%Cu–Mg casting alloy. Three surface conditions have been studied: as-cast rough, as-cast smooth, and standard machined and polished surface. The S–N curves have shown that surface roughness and hydrogen content individually impact fatigue strength. Surprisingly, the fatigue strength of machined and polished samples, which aligns with standard testing practices, is significantly reduced, compared to other conditions. Fatigue cracks have been observed to initiate at the pores just below the as-cast surface or on the machined surfaces. In all cases, pores have been observed to be surrounded by bifilms. Moreover, hydrogen content and roughness of the as-cast surface have been found to interact to determine the fatigue performance. These findings necessitate a re-evaluation of fatigue testing procedures for cast aluminum components.
|
|
| 2. |
- Bogdanoff, Toni, et al.
(author)
-
On the Effectiveness of Rotary Degassing of Recycled Al-Si Alloy Melts : The Effect on Melt Quality and Energy Consumption for Melt Preparation
- 2023
-
In: Sustainability. - : MDPI. - 2071-1050. ; 15:6
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The effectiveness of rotary degassing on the defect formation and mechanical properties of the final casting of aluminium alloy EN AC 46000 was investigated, along with its impact on the energy consumption in the casting furnace. In the melt preparation prior to casting, the molten metal is usually transported from the melting furnace to the casting furnace with rotary degassing as a cleaning procedure. Under the conditions of this specific study, negligible degradation was observed in the mechanical properties of the final cast component in an aluminium EN AC 46000 alloy after removing the rotary degassing step in the process. Furthermore, removing the rotary degassing step led to a reduced temperature drop in the melt, thus minimizing the need for reheating (energy consumption) by up to 75% in the casting furnace. The reduced energy consumption was up to 124,000 kWh in yearly production in a 1500 kg casting furnace. The environmental impact showed a similar to 1500 kg reduction in CO2 for one 1500 kg electrical casting furnace in a year.
|
|
| 3. |
- Bogdanoff, Toni, et al.
(author)
-
On the secondary cracks during crack propagation in an Al-Si-Cu-Mg alloy : An in-situ study
- 2023
-
In: Materials Characterization. - : Elsevier. - 1044-5803 .- 1873-4189. ; 203
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- During in situ cyclic testing of hot isostatically pressed and heat-treated Al-5Si-0.5 Mg-1Cu alloy castings, cracks were observed to open up in places far away from the area of stress concentration. Cyclic testing was interrupted to assess these cracks. Analysis showed that these cracks originated from oxide bifilms that were entrained in the liquid state. Moreover, Si and Fe-rich intermetallics were observed to have precipitated on these bifilms. These finding makes it necessary to re-evaluate how damage is interpreted in mechanical studies. Entrainment damage, which takes place in the liquid state, may remain invisible in non-destructive inspection and can significantly affect fatigue properties when bifilms open up under low tensile stresses and present the propagating crack a path of low resistance during propagation.
|
|
| 4. |
- Bogdanoff, Toni
(author)
-
The effect of microstructural features, defects and surface quality on the fatigue performance in Al-Si-Mg Cast alloys
- 2023
-
Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Global warming is driving industry to manufacture lighter components to reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. Promising candidates for achieving this are aluminium-silicon (Al-Si) cast alloys, which offer a high weight-to-strength ratio, excellent corrosion resistance, and good castability. However, understanding variations in the mechanical properties of these alloys is crucial to producing high-performance parts for critical applications. Defects and oxides are the primary reasons cast components in fatigue applications are rejected, as they negatively impact mechanical properties.A comprehensive understanding of the correlation between fatigue performance and parameters such as the α-aluminium matrix, Al-Si eutectic, surface roughness, porosities, hydrogen content, oxides, and intermetallic phases in Al-Si castings has not been reached.The research presented in this thesis used state-of-the-art experimental techniques to investigate the mechanical properties and crack-initiation and propagation behaviour of Al-Si-Mg cast alloy under cyclic loading. In-situ cyclic testing was conducted using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) combined with electron back-scattered diffraction (EBSD), digital image correlation (DIC), and focused ion beam (FIB) milling. These techniques enabled a comprehensive study of parameters affecting fatigue performance, including hydrogen content, surface roughness, oxides, and intermetallic phases. More specifically, we investigated the effect of melt quality, copper (Cu) content, oxide bifilms, surface quality, and porosity.The increased Cu concentration in heat-treated Al-Si alloys increased the amount of intermetallic phases, which affected the cracking behaviour. Furthermore, oxide bifilms were detected at crack-initiation sites, even in regions far away from the highly strained areas. Si- and Iron (Fe)-rich intermetallics were observed to have precipitated on these bifilms. Due to their very small size, these oxides are generally not detected by non-destructive inspections, but affect mechanical properties because they appear to open at relatively low tensile stresses. Finally, Al-Si alloy casting skins showed an interesting effect in terms of improving fatigue performance, highlighting the negative effect of surface polishing for such alloys.
|
|
| 5. |
- Bogdanoff, Toni, et al.
(author)
-
The impact of HIP process and heat treatment on the mechanical behavior of an Al-Si-Mg alloy component
- 2023
-
Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Castings generally contain pores and defects that can have a detrimental impact on mechanical properties. The hot isostatic pressing (HIP) process is usually applied to reduce internal porosities, which improves the mechanical properties because of the closed porosities. Therefore, this study investigates the effect of the HIP process on the mechanical properties of sand casting A356 aluminum alloys. This investigation was performed in collaboration with Unnaryd Modell, Quintus Technologies, and IAC Ankarsrum. Investigation of the complex interaction between the microstructural features on mechanical properties before and after the HIP process was examined using computed tomography scanning, in-situ cyclic testing, and scanning electron microscope. In the absence of large defects, the fatigue performance was improved. However, a significant variation in the result was found between the different conditions, whereas the coarser microstructure with larger porosities before the HIP process showed decreased ultimate tensile strength and elongation to failure. The samples tested under high cycle fatigue showed a reduced fatigue propagation zone in that the coarser microstructure. Moreover, large cleavage areas containing oxides in the fracture surfaces indicated that the HIP process closes all the porosities, but the oxide films are not creating a strong bonding. Furthermore, the samples tested under low cycle fatigue showed a difference in the crack propagation, whereas the coarser microstructure showed large cracks opened up away from the notch that assists the propagation leading to reduced fatigue life.
|
|
| 6. |
|
|
| 7. |
- Di Egidio, G., et al.
(author)
-
Dry sliding behavior of AlSi10Mg alloy produced by Laser-based Powder Bed Fusion : influence of heat treatment and microstructure
- 2023
-
In: Wear. - : Elsevier. - 0043-1648 .- 1873-2577. ; 516-517
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The L-PBF AlSi10Mg alloy is widely used in the production of structural parts in the transportation sector. However, the high stresses caused by the severe operating conditions require an optimal combination of mechanical and tribological properties. This paper reports on the effect of optimized T5 heat treatment (direct artificial aging: 4 h at 160 °C) and novel T6 heat treatment (rapid solution: 10 min at 510 °C, followed by artificial aging: 6 h at 160 °C) on the tribological behavior of the L-PBF AlSi10Mg alloy. Dry sliding tests (ball-on-disk) were carried out using AlSi10Mg samples as rotating disks against an Al2O3 stationary ball. The optimized T5 led to the formation of a stable protective oxide layer well adherent on the worn surface, increasing the wear resistance of the alloy. In addition, the novel T6 improved wear resistance compared to conventional T6 due to microstructural refinement induced by shorter solutionizing. The sub-surface analysis of the wear tracks highlighted the higher cohesion between the more homogeneous and finer Si particles and the α-Al matrix, as well as the improved load-bearing support compared to the coarser microstructure induced by conventional T6. Therefore, the new T6 could be the optimal solution for high-performance components.
|
|
| 8. |
- Di Egidio, Gianluca, et al.
(author)
-
Influence of Microstructure on Fracture Mechanisms of the Heat-Treated AlSi10Mg Alloy Produced by Laser-Based Powder Bed Fusion
- 2023
-
In: Materials. - : MDPI. - 1996-1944. ; 16:5
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Few systematic studies on the correlation between alloy microstructure and mechanical failure of the AlSi10Mg alloy produced by laser-based powder bed fusion (L-PBF) are available in the literature. This work investigates the fracture mechanisms of the L-PBF AlSi10Mg alloy in as-built (AB) condition and after three different heat treatments (T5 (4 h at 160 °C), standard T6 (T6B) (1 h at 540 °C followed by 4 h at 160 °C), and rapid T6 (T6R) (10 min at 510 °C followed by 6 h at 160 °C)). In-situ tensile tests were conducted with scanning electron microscopy combined with electron backscattering diffraction. In all samples the crack nucleation was at defects. In AB and T5, the interconnected Si network fostered damage at low strain due to the formation of voids and the fragmentation of the Si phase. T6 heat treatment (T6B and T6R) formed a discrete globular Si morphology with less stress concentration, which delayed the void nucleation and growth in the Al matrix. The analysis empirically confirmed the higher ductility of the T6 microstructure than that of the AB and T5, highlighting the positive effects on the mechanical performance of the more homogeneous distribution of finer Si particles in T6R.
|
|
| 9. |
|
|
| 10. |
|
|
