Development of a methodology for the determination of local component properties for aluminum casting materials

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Age-hardenable aluminum-silicon alloys are predestined for lightweight applications with high mechanical requirements. Due to the demand for the lowest possible component weights with constant mechanical characteristics, a profound understanding of the material behavior is necessary. Different thermal conditions in the casting process lead to different microstructures locally within a component and thus to different material properties. Therefore influencing the thermal conditions offers the possibility of optimizing components for special applications if the local component properties are sufficiently well known. The aim of this research project is to establish a new test methodology for rapid and precise prediction and validation of the local mechanical properties of cast components. While the determination of these properties is currently carried out by time-consuming casting tests, this project pursues the goal of experimental characterization with reduced experimental effort. A major innovation is the possibility of taking into account influencing variables over the entire production cycle, starting with solidification and extending to ageing during heat treatment. This test methodology is supported by the development of a microstructure simulation. This enables quantification of the microstructure on the one hand and a deeper understanding of the chain of effects of different microstructures on the other.