Influence of heat treatment parameters on Machinability of Al-Si-Cu Casting Alloys

In this work, Al-Si-Cu cast alloys were selected for a machinability study, due to the high demand of these alloys in the automobile industry. Any metallurgical adjustment that can be made to the aluminum alloys which allows them to enhance the effectiveness of the coolant or reduce the amount of heat generated can be considered an improvement in the overall machinability of the product. Although all aluminum materials tend toward difficult chip formation and material sticking to the tool, the demand on the cutting tool of soft deformable alloys for the electrical industry is very different to the demands of high strength alloys and Al-Si cast alloys for the aerospace and automotive industries. A range of drilling and tapping tools for aluminum machining, which contend with these difficulties are available to cover all applications. General purpose tools, high performance tools as well as special tools are available for both drilling and tapping operations. Machinability, by definition, is a system property that indicates how easily material can be machined at low cost and without tools breakage. Many factors can influence the outcome of the machinability. However, chemical composition, inclusions and heat treatment parameters are main factors that effect to machinability of the industrial parts like automotive cylinder head. In this paper, these factors especially heat treatment parameters are investigated.

Keywords:

machinability , Al-Si-Cu , heat treatment , cutting tools , cylinder head