A Model for Gas Microporosity in Aluminum and Magnesium Alloys

A quantitative prediction of the amount of gas microporosity in aluminum and magnesium-alloy castings is performed with a continuum model of dendritic solidification. The distribution of the pore volume fraction and pore size is calculated from a set of conservation equations that solves the transport phenomena during solidification at the macroscale and the hydrogen diffusion into the pores at the microscale. A technique based on a pseudo-alloy solute that is transported by the melt is used to determine the potential sites of pore growth, subject to considerations of mechanical and thermodynamic equilibrium. The modeling results for aluminum alloy A356 are found to agree well with published studies. In view of the limited availability of experimental data for Mg-alloy gravity-poured castings, the formation of porosity in AZ91 is studied qualitatively, assuming that casting conditions are similar to A356. In particular, the minimum initial hydrogen content that leads to the formation of gas porosity was compared for both alloys. It is found that the initial hydrogen content necessary for forming porosity is much higher in AZ91 than in A356. This is attributed to significant differences in the solubility of the hydrogen in both alloys.