eutectic silumin

 

Silumin

Siluminami commonly referred to as a group of aluminum alloys with a relatively high silicon content.

Often, silumin means a narrower group of alloys containing silicon 12-13 %:

• eutectic silumins, which are also called normal or normal silumin..

There are also:

• hypoeutectic silumins (containing silicon 4-10 % with copper, magnesium and manganese),
• wear-resistant hypereutectic silumins (with silicon content up to 20 % with copper, magnesium and nickel), and
• special silumins, for example, zinc silumin.

eutectic silumin

Eutectic silumins have a silicon content in the range of 10 to 13 %, moderate strength properties, but quite high elongation for cast alloys. Their main advantage over other cast aluminum alloys, including other types of silumins - very good casting properties and, first of all, high fluidity. These casting alloys are very suitable for thin-walled casting., complex in shape, sealed, resistant to vibration and shock loads.

Eutectic Silumine Casting

Of all the aluminum-silicon alloys, these alloys, containing about 13 % silicon, have the best fluidity. These alloys have their own technological features..

In the case of free hardening, these alloys form a dense, bell-shaped surface on top of the ingot. In this type of solidification, crystallization begins with the formation of a hard shell, which then grows deeper into the casting. This type of alloy has only two states – “Solid” and “liquid”. The cast hardens completely at a eutectic temperature of about 577 0From.

Modifying silumins

These eutectic silumins can be modified with sodium. Sodium modification is commonly used in sand casting and chill casting., if increased demands are made on castings for elongation of the cast microstructure. Usually, foundry alloys for sand casting and chill casting are always used in a modified chemical composition.

The effect of iron on silumins

Chemical resistance, atmospheric resistance, including, nautical, increases with increasing purity of the alloy used. Therefore, in such applications as the food industry or shipbuilding, only primary aluminum alloys are used. The elongation of the molded microstructure substantially depends on the content of iron and other impurities. therefore, for, to guarantee high strength castings, only primary alloys with a minimum content of iron and other impurities are used.

Heat treatment of silumins

These alloys do not have the ability to heat harden due to the aging mechanism.. However, when casting castings in sand molds and casting in chill molds from cast alloys with a low content of copper and magnesium, sometimes an improvement in ductility can be achieved with . This is achieved by annealing at a temperature 520-530 C for the formation of a solid solution of alloying elements with subsequent cooling in cold water.

Silumin in EN standards 1676 и EN 1706

The chemical composition of cast aluminum alloys is set by two European standards:

• EN 1676 - for cast aluminum alloys in pigs and
• EN 1706 - for cast aluminum alloys in castings.

Basic eutectic silumins according to EN standards 1676 и EN 1706 presented in the figure 1. In EN standards 1676 и EN 1706 and to the digital designation, and to the chemical designation of the alloy are added "prefixes" EN AB- и EN AC-, respectively. for instance, alloy 44200 it looks like this:

• EN AB-44200 and EN AC-44200
• EN AB-Al Si12 (a) and EN AC Al Si12 (a).

Figure 1 – Chemical composition of eutectic silumins according to EN 1676 и EN 1706 [1]

These standards allow a very wide range of the main silicon alloying element - from 10,5 to 13 %. The practical range of silicon content is from 12,5 to 13,5 %, as well as slightly hypereutectic interval from 10,5 to 11,2 %. Important, that alloys from these two intervals exhibit completely different solidification behavior. With an intermediate interval of silicon content from 11,5 to 12,5 % there is a high risk of shrinkage porosity. Therefore, the use of alloys in this interval is not recommended.

Properties of eutectic silumins

Technological, physical and mechanical properties of eutectic silumins, as well as typical technological parameters of their casting are presented in the figures 2, 3, 4 and 5.

Figure 2 - Foundry and other technological properties
eutectic silumins

Figure 3 - Physical properties of eutectic silumins

Figure 4 - Mechanical properties of eutectic silumins

Figure 5 - Typical casting process parameters
eutectic silumins

Source:

Aleris Recycling – 2011