Squeeze casting of aluminum alloy A380: Microstructure and tensile behavior

A380 alloy with a relatively thick cross-section of 25 mm was squeeze cast using a hydraulic press with an applied pressure of 90 MPa. Microstructure and tensile properties of the squeeze cast A380 were characterized and evaluated in comparison with the die cast counterpart. Results show that the squeeze cast A380 possesses a porosity level much lower than the die cast alloy, which is disclosed by both optical microscopy and the density measurement technique. The results of tensile testing indicate the improved tensile properties, specifically ultimate tensile strength (UTS: 215.9 MPa) and elongation (Ef: 5.4%), for the squeeze cast samples over those of the conventional high-pressure die cast part (UTS: 173.7 MPa, Ef: 1.0%). The analysis of tensile behavior shows that the squeeze cast A380 exhibits a high tensile toughness (8.5 MJ·m^-3) and resilience (179.3 kJ·m^-3) compared with the die cast alloy (toughness: 1.4 MJ·m^-3, resilience: 140.6 kJ·m^-3), despite that, during the onset of plastic deformation, the strain-hardening rate of the die cast specimen is higher than that of the squeeze cast specimens. The microstructure analyzed by the scanning electron microscopy (SEM) shows that both the squeeze and die cast specimens contain the primary α-Al, Al2Cu, Al5FeSi phase and the eutectic Si phase. But, the Al2Cu phase present in the squeeze cast alloy is relatively large in size and quantity. The SEM fractography evidently reveals the ductile fracture features of the squeeze cast A380 alloy.