Investigation of The Effect of Mechanical Vibration Applied During Solidification on The Microstructure and Properties of Aluminum 356 Alloy

Abstract

Manufacturing by casting method in aluminum and its alloys is preferred by different industries today. It may be necessary to improve the mechanical properties of the materials according to different industries and different strength requirements. The mechanical properties of metal alloys are directly related to the microstructure grain sizes. Therefore, many grain reduction methods are used during production or heat treatment. In this study, A356 alloys were molded into molds at 750 °C and exposed to vibration frequency at 0, 8.33, 16.66, 25, and 33.33 Hz during solidification. Optical microscopes images were analyzed in image analysis programs to measure the grain sizes of the samples that solidified after solidification. In addition, microhardness tests of samples were carried out to examine the effect of vibration and grain reduction on mechanical behavior. In the analyzes made, it was determined that the grain sizes decreased from 54.984 to 26.958 μm and the hardness values increased from 60.48 to 126.94 HV with increasing vibration frequency.