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Energy Efficient Heat Treatment for Linerless Hypereutectic Al-Si Engine Blocks Made Using Vacuum HPDC Process

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Abstract

Heat treatment standards developed by the aluminum industry over the last several decades are often not well optimized when applied to components cast by high cooling rate processes such as High Pressure Die Casting (HPDC), Low Pressure Permanent Mold (LPPM), Squeeze Casting, etc. The inherently finer as-cast structures should not require long solution times for the effective dissolution of intermetallic phases and the adequate thermal modification of structural constituents. Hence, long and expensive T6 and T7 treatments should not be required. Heat treatment studies involving as-cast laboratory samples with SDAS = 13.6 μm (equivalent to a thick-section HPDC casting) were conducted. Traditional and modified solution and aging treatments were compared. These studies suggest that a reduction of up to 92% in thermal processing time is possible while maintaining and/or improving the cast component’s metallurgical characteristics including hardness (≥75 HRB), dissolution of secondary phases, and spheroidization of the eutectic Si as well as overall homogeneity. Vacuum HPDC of an actual hypereutectic Al-20%Si motorcycle engine block confirmed the potential for significantly reduced heat treatment times, energy consumption, and overall costs.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to acknowledge the support of the Advanced Structural Materials for Next Generation Vehicles (ASM-NGV) Program of Natural Resources Canada as well as AUTO21, a member of the Networks of Centres of Excellence of Canada program. Moreover, the authors would like to thank Ms. Ellen Moosberger for her assistance with the preparation of this manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. CANMET Materials Technology Laboratory, 568 Booth Street, Ottawa, ON, K1A 0G1, Canada

    W. Kasprzak & M. Aniolek

  2. Light Metals Casting Technology Group, Department of Mechanical, Automotive and Materials Engineering, University of Windsor, Room 218, Essex Hall, 401 Sunset Avenue, Windsor, ON, N9B 3P4, Canada

    J. H. Sokolowski

  3. Gifu University, Centre for Advanced Die and Mold Engineering, 1-1 Yanagido, Gifu, 501-1193, Japan

    H. Yamagata

  4. R&D Operations, Yamaha Motor Co. Ltd., 2500 Shingai, Iwata, Shizuoka, 438-8501, Japan

    H. Kurita

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  1. W. Kasprzak
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  2. J. H. Sokolowski
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  3. H. Yamagata
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  4. M. Aniolek
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  5. H. Kurita
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Correspondence to W. Kasprzak.

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Kasprzak, W., Sokolowski, J.H., Yamagata, H. et al. Energy Efficient Heat Treatment for Linerless Hypereutectic Al-Si Engine Blocks Made Using Vacuum HPDC Process. J. of Materi Eng and Perform 20, 120–132 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11665-010-9658-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11665-010-9658-5

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