Aluminum Foundry Products

Abstract

ALUMINUM CASTING ALLOYS are the most versatile of all common foundry alloys and generally have the highest castability ratings. As casting materials, aluminum alloys have the following favorable characteristics: Good fluidity for filling thin sections Low melting point relative to those required for many other metals Rapid heat transfer from the molten aluminum to the mold, providing shorter casting cycles Hydrogen is the only gas with appreciable solubility in aluminum and its alloys, and hydrogen solubility in aluminum can be readily controlled by processing methods Many aluminum alloys are relatively free from hot-short cracking and tearing tendencies Chemical stability Good as-cast surface finish with lustrous surfaces and little or no blemishes Aluminum alloy castings are routinely produced by pressure-die, permanent-mold, green-and dry-sand, investment, and plaster casting. Aluminum alloys are also readily cast with vacuum, low-pressure, centrifugal, and pattern-related processes such as lost foam. Primarily about cast alloys; 6061 mentioned twice.