Influence of technical parameters on strength and ductility of AlSi9Cu3 alloys in squeeze casting

An orthogonal test was conducted to investigate the influence of technical parameters of squeeze casting on the strength and ductility of AlSi9Cu3 alloys. The experimental results showed that when the forming pressure was higher than 65 MPa, the strength (sigma(b)) of AlSi9Cu3 alloys decreased with the forming pressure and pouring temperature increasing, whereas sigma(b) increased with the increase of filling velocity and mould preheating temperature. The ductility (delta) by alloy was improved by increasing the forming pressure and filling velocity, but decreased with pouring temperature increasing. When the mould preheating temperature increased, the ductility increased first, and then decreased. Under the optimized parameters of pouring temperature 730 degrees C, forming pressure 75 MPa, filling velocity 0.50 m/s, and mould preheating temperature 220 degrees C, the tensile strength, elongation, and hardness of AlSi9Cu3 alloys obtained in squeeze casting were improved by 16.7%, 9.1%, and 10.1%, respectively, as compared with those of sand castings.