Study Hot Cracking Susceptibility of Critical AA6111 Aluminum Alloys during Direct Chill Casting

AA6111 aluminum alloys possess a combination of excellent strength, good formability and good corrosion resistance that are widely use in the car panel manufacture. Direct chill (DC) casting process is typically employed for producing such alloy ingots. Despite its advantages, AA6111 alloys are considered as “hard-to-cast” alloy among 6xxx alloys because of high susceptibility to hot cracks. The present project will investigate the effect of chemical composition and grain refinement on hot crack susceptibility. Preventing one of the major cast defects, hot cracks, in aluminum ingot production not only increases the productivity of DC casting but also significantly reduce the production cost. This project will provide the best guideline to the industrial partner for improving the industrial production of aluminum alloys. The knowledge gained through this study would be highly beneficial for all aluminum industry in Quebec and Canada.

Faculty Supervisor:

X-Grant Chen

Student:

Hamid Khalilpoor

Partner:

Rio Tinto Alcan

Discipline:

Engineering - other

Sector:

Manufacturing

University:

Université du Québec à Chicoutimi