Effect of molybdenum on the crystallization, microstructure and properties of silumin 226

The article presents the results of studies of hypoeutectic silumin with a molybdenum addition used for pressure casting. The studies included a thermal-derivative analysis of the crystallization process, a metallographic analysis of the microstructure of casts made in a DTA tester and pressure casts, as well as the determination of the basic mechanical properties of the silumin. For the tests, silumin 226 was selected, which is a typical silumin for pressure casting. The AlMo8 master alloy was introduced into the silumin in an amount allowing the Mo concentration in the alloy to be about 0.1; 0.2; 0.3; 0.4 and 0.5%. The examination of the crystallization process showed an analogous course of the DTA curves of the silumin without the Mo addition and the silumins containing about 0.1; 0.2; 0.3 and 0.4% Mo. A change in the crystallization process of the examined silumin was established, caused by an increase of the Mo concentration to 0.5%. This change consisted in the occurrence of an additional thermal effect on the DTA curves, which did not take place in the silumin without the Mo addition or in the silumins with lower Mo concentrations. The microstructure of the silumin cast into the DTA tester with 0.3-0.5% Mo contained phases which were not observed in the alloys without the examined addition or with its lower concentrations. In the pressure casts, these phases were present in all the examined silumins with the Mo addition. The dimensions of these phases increase with the increase of the Mo concentration in the silumin. The performed studies of the basic mechanical properties of the silumins cast under pressure showed that the highest value of tensile strength Rm and unit elongation A were obtained for silumin 226 with the addition of 0.4% Mo. This constitutes an increase of Rm by 7.6% and of A by 13.8% in relative terms with respect to silumin 226 without the Mo addition. The highest values of yield strength Rp0.2 and hardness HB were obtained for silumin 226 without the Mo addition.

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