Date of Award

2009

Publication Type

Master Thesis

Degree Name

M.A.Sc.

Department

Mechanical, Automotive, and Materials Engineering

Keywords

Applied sciences

Supervisor

Derek O. Northwood

Supervisor

Jerry H. Sokolowski

Rights

info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess

Abstract

The B206 alloy (up to 5 wt% Cu) is the strongest aluminum foundry alloy in current use. B206 alloy can be used in a number of automotive applications, e.g. suspension knuckles and vehicle control arms, to reduce vehicle weight. Elimination of hot tearing has reawakened the interest in the 206 alloy family. However, the B206 alloy is susceptible to intergranular/pitting corrosion which restricts its current applications.

A heterogeneous distribution of Cu-containing intermetallic precipitates in the as-cast condition resulted in severe intergranular corrosion. The improved 3-step ST + 2-step AA provides better corrosion resistance compared to 2-step ST + 1-step AA. Longer first step AA time eliminated intergranular corrosion but resulted in low level pitting corrosion. The elongation was found to decrease with the increase in AA temperature and time. It is difficult to obtain both excellent corrosion resistance and elongation (≥10%) for the overaged condition.

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