高剛性鋳物用アルミニウム合金の開発と工作機械分野への実用化

抄録

  This paper discusses the development of high-rigidity aluminum alloy for industrial machinery, including machine tools that require higher productivity and precision. Traditional materials such as flake graphite cast iron lack sufficient specific stiffness, increasing the need for exploring lightweight and high-stiffness alternatives to meet the required equipment speed and precision. Although magnesium and aluminum alloys are frequently nominated for these applications, their lower Young’s modulus relative to cast iron requires significantly increased component sizes to achieve comparable stiffness. In this study, we successfully produced an aluminum alloy casting with Young’s modulus equivalent to traditional cast iron, and with improved castability, recyclability, and economic efficiency. Using Thermo-Calc, the chemical compositions of experimental samples were determined and the effects of composition and microstructure on Young’s modulus were assessed by tensile test. Additionally, we constructed a machine learning model using Huber regression to predict Young’s modulus from the experimental data. The model exhibited high predictive accuracy and played a key role in determining the optimal alloy composition. The developed alloy was successfully applied to the drive components of machine tools, achieving material lightness and stiffness retention, and significantly reducing energy consumption and environmental impact. This material shows potential to fulfill the stringent performance requirements of diverse industrial machinery applications.