A Study of Improvement of Mechanical Properties of Aluminum by Conventional Casing and Deformation Process

Abstract

Nowadays, Aluminum-Zinc alloy system are the major and rapid development in the field of automotive and aerospace industries for  growing demand of efficient vehicles and aircrafts to reduce energy consumption and air pollution. Aluminum is a very soft metal by nature. Different alloying elements were added in the past to increase its strength and toughness. Zinc is considered as a major alloying element in aluminum to increase its strength and toughness. Present experimental work was conducted to determine the appropriate amount of zinc to be added in pure aluminum to increase its mechanical properties. A wide range of experimental work was conducted on pure aluminum to determine the appropriate amount of zinc to be added to develop Al-Zn alloy using conventional foundry method. Pure aluminum was mixed with different percentages of zinc with constant percentage of magnesium and copper. The molten alloys were cast in metal mold. Wrought alloys have high strength as compared to cast alloy so after casting, the alloy was subjected to mechanical rolling. Standard samples were prepared for tensile tests and a number of samples were age hardened. Various characterization techniques were used to investigate the chemical composition, tensile strength, ductility (elongation), and hardness. It has been observed that the alloy containing 5% Zn and 2% Mg, gives highest strength, and have good ductility in heat-treated condition.

Keywords: Aluminum-Zinc alloy, foundry method, mechanical rolling