The Impact of Stirring Model on Aluminum Alloys ADC12's Microstructure and Mechanical Properties

Abstract

Replacing automotive components made of iron alloys with aluminum alloys is one of the strategies to reduce vehicle weight and increase fuel efficiency in the automotive sector. Semisolid casting is a metalworking process that combines casting and forming processes. In this process, the raw material being processed is in a mixture of liquid and solid phases, and the processing method uses a casting or forming method. This research aims to study the influence of mechanical agitation models on the aluminum alloy ADC12 to microstructure and mechanical properties. By using a metal mold, gravity casting has been used as the research methodology. Mechanical stirrers (round rod stirrers, straight plate stirrers, and twist plate stirrers) have been used to mix the aluminum ADC12 slurry for 60 seconds at a speed of 300 rpm. Additionally, the ADC12 aluminum slurry has been poured into a metal mold at a temperature of 600 °C. Optical microscopy, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), secondary α-Al phase dendritic arm spacing, and Si eutectic phase have been used to observe directly the microstructure features. The hardness and the tensile tests have been used to examine the mechanical properties. ADC12 aluminum alloy with mechanical characteristics of 89.7 HB, tensile strength of 249.96 MPa, and strain of 4.33 percent have been produced by using the straight plate stirrer. A lower particle size value (31.6 mm) and a Shape Factor (SF) of 0.56 corroborate this mechanical quality. More research can be done on various types of aluminum alloys, higher stirring rotation speeds, and the size, quantity, and spacing of stir blades.
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