Influence of die and casting temperatures and titanium and strontium contents on the technological properties of die-cast A356 in the as-cast and T6 condition

Abstract

Automobile manufacturers demand downsized components manufactured from materials possessing increased technological properties. To fulfill this, the processing of existing materials must be optimized. In the present study, the individual effects and interactions of the melt’s treatment and process parameters on the mechanical and metallographic properties were investigated in the as-cast and T6-states. This was carried out with the help of the Taguchi method to optimize the technological properties of this much used die-cast A356 alloy. The interaction effects of the parameters considered in this study are hardly addressed in the literature. However, the results of the present investigation show that this aspect is fundamental for optimizing the technical properties of a die-cast A356 alloy. For example, the titanium content of 0.20 wt.%, conventionally used for grain refinement, can be reduced by up to 75 % when the die temperature is relatively low (here: 190 °C). This leads to increased as-cast technological properties and cost savings.