Trattamento termico della lega EN AC-42100 all’interno di forni industriali: effetto dei parametri di trattamento sulle proprietà meccaniche

Within the aluminum foundry, the EN AC-42100 alloy is the most extensively employed for high-pressure or low-pressure casting processes due to its remarkable balance between castability and final properties of the castings. The mechanical properties of components intended for structural applications can be enhanced both by specific treatments applied to the melt and through heat treatments on the castings. The goal is to ensure an optimal combination of mechanical properties to meet the defined technical specifications for the end user. Hence, setting the proper heat treatment cycle for new components can be challenging and typically involves an iterative procedure to ascertain the optimal process parameters. Moreover, each furnace exhibits its own technical and operating characteristics resulting in variable outcomes when employing identical treatments across furnaces from different manufacturers. This paper presents the results of an experimental study performed in collaboration with the company HTT – Heat Treatment Torri to investigate the correlation between heat treatment parameters and the mechanical properties of experimental gravity castings treated in industrial furnaces. Specifically, in the first phase, the effect of different so- lution times was examined to identify the optimal solution time through tensile and hardness tests while keeping the aging parameters constant. Based on the results of such experiments, the second phase comprised a constant solution treatment and the analysis of combinations of aging times and temperatures to maximize both performance and productivity by the specified technical requirements defined by the customer.