Thixoforming of the Hot Extruded Aluminum AlSi9Cu3(Fe) Machining Chips
Abstract
:1. Introduction
2. Materials and Methods
3. Results and Discussion
3.1. Optical Microscopy
3.2. Scanning Electron Microscopy and Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy
3.3. Mechanical and Physical Properties
3.4. Taguchi Method and Multi-Objective Optimization
3.5. Grey Relation Analysis
4. Conclusions
- Optical and scanning electron microscopy accompanied with energy dispersive spectroscopy showed that a significantly deformed microstructure with extremely refined intermetallic compounds (compared with casted specimens) homogeneously dispersed into the aluminum matrix is obtained utilizing the direct hot extrusion process of the aluminum waste chips.
- Extruded chip-based waste specimens served as thixo (semisolid) feedstock material. During heating in the semisolid temperature range, the feedstock material was able to form a globular microstructure with homogeneously dispersed intermetallic compounds, which preserved the polyhedral and refined appearance after the thixoforming process.
- The mechanical and physical properties of the obtained semisolid recycled specimens are comparable with the as-casted ingot specimen.
- The Taguchi method and multi-objective optimization enabled optimal parameters selection among different thixoforming temperatures, holding times in semisolid temperature range, and aluminum waste chips size. Finally, a 568 °C thixoforming temperature, a 10 min holding time, and smaller-sized aluminum chips resulted in a semisolid recycled specimen that had a tensile strength, electrical conductivity, and hardness of 250 MPa, 29.42%IACS, and 88.68 HV, respectively. The same specimen had a 35.52 µm average globule size and a 0.74 circularity shape factor, which falls into the desirable range.
Author Contributions
Funding
Data Availability Statement
Conflicts of Interest
References
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Cu % | Si % | Fe % | Mn % | Mg % | Zn % | Cr % | Ni % | Pb % | Others % | Al % |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
3.486 | 10.45 | 1.24 | 0.258 | 0.303 | 0.966 | 0.0453 | 0.043 | 0.141 | 0.11 | Bal. |
Electrical Conductivity (%IACS) | ||
---|---|---|
Casted | Extruded | Thixoformed |
23.59 | 31.46 | 27.74 |
Hardness (HV) | ||
Casted | Extruded | Thixoformed |
94.68 | 67.08 | 87.78 |
Tensile Strength (MPa) | ||
---|---|---|
Casted | Extruded | Thixoformed |
161 | 313 | 293 |
Run Order | Chip Size | Temperature (°C) | Time (min) |
---|---|---|---|
1 | small | 575 | 15 |
2 | big | 568 | 15 |
3 | small | 568 | 10 |
4 | big | 575 | 10 |
Run Order | Tensile Strength MPa | Electrical Conductivity %IACS | Average Hardness HV | Globule Size µm | Circularity SF |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 267 | 28.29 | 78.98 | 37.60 | 0.75 |
2 | 174 | 26.37 | 93.3 | 93.59 | 0.82 |
3 | 250 | 29.42 | 88.68 | 35.52 | 0.74 |
4 | 245 | 29.42 | 91.52 | 71.20 | 0.77 |
Run | Tensile Strength MPa | Electrical Conductivity %IACS | Hardness HV | GS µm | SF | Grade | Grey Order |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1 | 0.57 | 0.33 | 0.93 | 0.36 | 0.64 | 3 |
2 | 0.33 | 0.33 | 1 | 0.33 | 1 | 0.60 | 4 |
3 | 0.73 | 1 | 0.61 | 1 | 0.33 | 0.73 | 1 |
4 | 0.68 | 1 | 0.80 | 0.45 | 0.44 | 0.67 | 2 |
Chip Size | Temperature | Time | |
---|---|---|---|
Level 1 | 0.68779 | 0.66734 | 0.70463 |
Level 2 | 0.63728 | 0.65773 | 0.62045 |
max-min | 0.05051 | 0.00961 | 0.08417 |
rank | 2 | 3 | 1 |
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Krolo, J.; Dumanić Labetić, I.; Lela, B.; Bilušić, M. Thixoforming of the Hot Extruded Aluminum AlSi9Cu3(Fe) Machining Chips. Metals 2024, 14, 796. https://doi.org/10.3390/met14070796
Krolo J, Dumanić Labetić I, Lela B, Bilušić M. Thixoforming of the Hot Extruded Aluminum AlSi9Cu3(Fe) Machining Chips. Metals. 2024; 14(7):796. https://doi.org/10.3390/met14070796
Chicago/Turabian StyleKrolo, Jure, Ivana Dumanić Labetić, Branimir Lela, and Martin Bilušić. 2024. "Thixoforming of the Hot Extruded Aluminum AlSi9Cu3(Fe) Machining Chips" Metals 14, no. 7: 796. https://doi.org/10.3390/met14070796