Solidification state diagrams showing the movement of solidification fronts were constructed from multipoints temperature measurements in a casting to predict the anticipated locations of shrinkage together with the specific gravity distribution diagram. The prediction well agrees with the location of shrinkage porosities in practical castings. The solidification state diagrams of AC2B plate castings at solid fractions 0.75 and 1.0 are different from those at 0.25 and 0.5. The area in which coarse shrinkage porosities are formed corresponds to the area surrounded by a closesloop isochronic line in the solidification state diagram at the solid fraction 0.5. Enlargement of the riser neck is succesfully applicable to open the closed-loop line and to prevent the shrinkage porosities without changing the riser weight.
Scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersion spectroscopy were made on the fracture of Al-8%Mg alloy failed under tensile loading after stress corrosion testing. When the alloy is faillured imediately after stress corrosion testing, a wide range of intergranular cracking area is observed which consists of two zones with and without the corrosion trace of chloride. The latter disappears when the alloy is aged at room temperature after stress corrosion testing, because the permeated hydrogen is diffused out. The former region corresponds to the SCC zone and the latter does to the hydrogen embrittled zone. The propagation of stress corrosion cracks is attended with forming the pre-existing hydrogen embrittled zone.
Hardness measurements and electron microscopies were made on the cill cast Al-2 to 3% Hf alloys containing 0.1 to 0.5% Si isothermally aged at 350° to 500°C. Si in the alloys accelerates precipitation considerably. The acceleration of age hardening is attributed to the acceleration of nucleation of spherical metastable particles by Si atoms within a grain. Si in the alloys also suppresses entirely the grain boundry reaction. A new kind of intermediate (H) phase is found in the precipitating course from a metastable phase having L12 structure to equilibrium one.
Effects of aging treatment, Si contents and Ti addition on the fracture toughness of Al-5%Si-1.3%Cu-0.5%Mg alloy castings were studied by a double torsion-bend test. The fracture toughness is appreciably affected by the aging treatment. The casting aged for 10h at 142°C has the highest fracture toughness over the range of test temperatures. Increasing Si contents from 5% to 9% results in decrease of fracture toughness by 28%. Addition of 0.1% Ti has little effect fracture toughness. The fracture toughness varies according to the variation of parameter n√σy derived from the tensile test when aged under different conditions.
Wet cutting tests of wrought and cast aluminum alloys 7075-T6 and AC3A were carried out using P10 and K10 carbide tools. Eelctron probe microanalyses were made on the tool face worn at different stages of cutting. The face of P10 and K10 tools near the tool edge worn by cutting 7075-T6 and the face of a P10 tool grooving worn by cutting AC3A lie wast and reduce the Co concentration. When the built-up edge-like deposits on the tool edge fall off in cutting 7075-T6, the pressure welding wear acting to carry away the sintered particles and Co results in dilution of Co on the worn tool face. The crater on both tools which have cut 7075 and the grooving wear face on the K10 tool which has cut AC3A are smoothened and rich in Co, probably because of the scratching wear acting. The K10 tool is stronger than P10 in cutting aluminum alloys.
Acoustic emission behaviors during plastic and cyclic deformation were investigated for the commercial 5052 alloys heated at 400°C for 4h and furnace cooled, air cooled and water quenched. A high acoustic emission activity is observed during the deformation near the yield point. It reduces with the increment in plastic strain. The acoustic activity in plastic deformation intensifies as the cooling rate slowers. The same tendency is also found in fatigue tests. The difference of the activity between the specimens during fatigue crack growth is attributed to a microscopic mechanism in the stage where a plastic zone forms at crack tip.