Effect of Temperature on Deformation and Fatigue Behaviour of A356-T7 Cast Aluminium Alloys Used in High Specific Power IC Engine Cylinder Heads

Aggressive downsizing of the internal combustion engines used as part of electrified powertrains in recent years have resulted in increasing thermal loads on the cylinder heads and consequently, the susceptibility to premature thermo-mechanical fatigue failures. To enable a reliable computer aided engineering (CAE) prediction of the component lives, we need more reliable material deformation and fatigue performance data. Material for testing was extracted from the highly loaded valve bridge area of specially cast cylinder heads to study the monotonic and cyclic deformation behaviour of the A356-T7 + 0.5% Cu alloy at various temperatures. Monotonic tensile tests performed at different temperatures indicate decreasing strength from 211 MPa at room temperature to 73 MPa at 300 degrees C and a corresponding increase in ductility. Completely reversed, strain controlled, uniaxial fatigue tests were carried out at 150, 200 and 250 degrees C. A dilatometric study carried out to study the thermal expansion behaviour of the alloy in the temperature range 25-360 degrees C shows a thermal expansion coefficient of (25-30) x 10(-6) degrees C-1. Under cyclic loading, increasing plastic strains are observed with increasing temperatures for similar load levels. The experimental data of the cyclic deformation behaviour are calibrated against a nonlinear combined kinematic-isotropic hardening model with both a linear and non-linear backstress.