Study of an Al-Si-Cu HPDC alloy with high Zn content for the production of components requiring high ductility and tensile properties

Conventional high-pressure die casting aluminium components present certain limitations in terms of mechanical properties attainable due to the intrinsic porosity of the castings as well as the presence of iron-based brittle intermetallic phases. The present work approaches the increase in ductility and tensile strength through the analysis of the effect of the alloying elements of Al - Si alloys used for high-pressure die casting. The combination of alloying elements providing the best results in terms of ductility and tensile strength were eventually selected to produce a batch of components that were thoroughly tested. The final alloy had a composition of Si 8.21, Fe 0.78, Cu 1.53, Mn 0.64, Mg 0.46, Ni 0.07, Zn 3.37, Pb 0.34, Sn 0.27, Ti 0.18 and Cr 0.04 wt.%. The selected alloy performance was compared to that of the commercial Al - Si9Cu3 and Silafont® 36 alloys.