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Crystals
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Advances of Aluminum Alloys: Innovation and Application Potential
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Advances of Aluminum Alloys: Innovation and Application Potential

A special issue of Crystals (ISSN 2073-4352). This special issue belongs to the section "Crystalline Metals and Alloys".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2023) | Viewed by 6415

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Zdenka Zovko Brodarac

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Faculty of Metallurgy, University of Zagreb, Aleja narodnih heroja 3, 44000 Sisak, Croatia
Interests: foundry alloys; alumuminum alloys; microstructure; properties; casting technologies; numerical simulation; recycling
Dr. Mitja Petrič

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Faculty of Natural Sciences and Engineering, University of Ljubljana, Aškerčeva 12, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
Interests: foundry technologies; foundry alloys; aluminium alloys; alloy production and testing; thermal analysis; electrical properties measurements; control methods

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

High market demands related to material and property quality strongly influence the redesigning of common aluminium alloys. The quality of aluminium alloy components and associated obtained mechanical properties are strongly dependent on the casting process and its parameters, as well as chemical composition. Therefore, the (re)designing of the chemical composition of high-strength aluminium alloys has become significant for safety-critical structural components in numerous industries. Aluminium alloys are widely used in the automotive, aircraft, and aerospace industries, as well as for electronic technology, renewable energy management and body structure, food industry packaging, etc., due to their low density, high specific strength, high processability, predominantly anti-erosion and -corrosion properties, increased conductivity, eco-friendly nature, and recyclability.

Common aluminium alloys represent a frequent choice for complex geometry castings/products with high property demands due to their excellent castability and favourable relations between strength and weight in as-cast state and especially in a heat-treated state. The synergy of alloying and trace elements contributes to the wide range of intermetallic phases’ evolution. The addition of secondary elements, melt treatment, and solidification conditions have a synergy effect on the crystallization kinetics and therefore property development. The coexistence of a number of complex intermetallic phases and their solidification sequences in combination with the cooling/solidification conditions influence the final properties.

Recycling potential is of high importance due to the reliability and sustainability of casting processes, the availability of raw materials, and energy saving of up to 95% when compared to primary aluminium production. Since aluminium and its alloys belong to the group of green materials, the potential of its use as a secondary raw material is enormous.

The implementation of new strategies and concepts such as "near-net shape casting" and "right the first time" represent an imperative for modern foundry production. High material utilization with a minimal number of forming operations and defect avoidance is the main goal for casting producers. Therefore, numerical simulation as part of CAD/CAE technologies represents an indispensable tool for achieving competitiveness in the global market. Numerical simulation of cast pouring and solidification represents a description of physical phenomena based on a mathematical model. The solidification process is a very complex process that involves knowledge related to material and technology behaviour and interactions. The complexity of metal casting consists of element interactions and mass transfer during solidification and technological development, including heat transfer.

The goal of this Special Issue is to highlight trends in (re)designing the chemical composition and solidification sequence with reference to advanced properties, investigation, and simulation, including the multi-scale approach, process parameters, and new opportunities in innovative aluminium alloys’ application.

It is our pleasure to invite you to submit a manuscript to this Special Issue. Full papers, communications, and reviews are all welcome.

Prof. Dr. Zdenka Zovko Brodarac
Dr. Mitja Petrič
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Crystals is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • aluminum alloys
  • chemical composition
  • solidification
  • simulation
  • properties
  • microstructure
  • recycling
  • casting technologies

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

13 pages, 52535 KiB  
Article
The Influence of Foundry Scrap Returns on Chemical Composition and Microstructure Development of AlSi9Cu3 Alloy
by Jan Šmalc, Maja Vončina, Primož Mrvar, Tilen Balaško, Vladimír Krutiš and Mitja Petrič
Crystals 2023, 13(5), 757; https://doi.org/10.3390/cryst13050757 - 03 May 2023
Viewed by 1164
Abstract
Recycling is now, more than ever, an important part of any foundry process due to the high cost of energy. The basis of the work presented here is a study of the addition of foundry scrap returns to the melt in order to [...] Read more.
Recycling is now, more than ever, an important part of any foundry process due to the high cost of energy. The basis of the work presented here is a study of the addition of foundry scrap returns to the melt in order to reduce material and energy costs. The most important issue in such a process is the quality of both the prepared melt and final product. In this work, scrap returns were added to the AlSi9Cu3 base alloy in different proportions. Chemical composition was monitored, the solidification path was predicted by CALPHAD calculations and monitored by thermal analysis, and the formed microstructure was studied. The mechanical properties were also determined. The results showed that as the amount of scrap returns increased, elements such as Fe, Ni, Pb, Sr, etc. were more built up and elements such as Mg, Mn, Cr, etc. were decreased due to oxidation. The different chemical composition led to a reduced Mn:Fe ratio, resulting in the formation of needle-like Fe-rich phases and a decrease in mechanical properties. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances of Aluminum Alloys: Innovation and Application Potential)
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11 pages, 3671 KiB  
Article
Growth Mechanism of Eutectic Si in Super-Gravity Solidified Al-Si Alloy during Annealing
by Yuehui Lu, Chuandong Wu, Hao Wu, Jiamin Wang, Yin Su, Zhanghua Gan and Jing Liu
Crystals 2023, 13(4), 684; https://doi.org/10.3390/cryst13040684 - 17 Apr 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1224
Abstract
Herein, we report that the influence of annealing time on the microstructure and mechanical properties of Al-14.5Si alloys solidified under a super-gravity field. The results indicate that the coarsening of metastable eutectic Si and formation of precipitated Si could be observed at the [...] Read more.
Herein, we report that the influence of annealing time on the microstructure and mechanical properties of Al-14.5Si alloys solidified under a super-gravity field. The results indicate that the coarsening of metastable eutectic Si and formation of precipitated Si could be observed at the early stage of annealing. A slight increase in yield strength and tensile strength could be observed in the sample annealed for 0.25 h, which can be ascribed to the formation of precipitated Si with limited size during the early stage of annealing. The intensified diffusion of Si atoms during annealing led to the coarsening and coalescence of the eutectic Si, as well as the coarsening of precipitated Si with further extension of the annealing time. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances of Aluminum Alloys: Innovation and Application Potential)
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18 pages, 11276 KiB  
Article
Influence of Ni on the Microstructures and Mechanical Properties of Heat-Treated Al-Cu-Ce-Mn-Zr Alloys
by Xiang Su, Hongjie Qu, Yuan Lei, Rui Hou, Yuede Cao, Suniya Siddique, Zhixiang Qi, Guoyan Shen and Xueyi Fan
Crystals 2023, 13(3), 380; https://doi.org/10.3390/cryst13030380 - 23 Feb 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1505
Abstract
In order to enhance the high-temperature mechanical performance to meet service requirements, the microstructures and tensile properties of heat-treated Al-8.4Cu-2.3Ce-1.0Mn-0.2Zr-xNi (x = 0, 0.5, 1.0, 2.0, 4.0 wt.%) were investigated. The metallographic analysis techniques have been used to examine the microstructural changes with [...] Read more.
In order to enhance the high-temperature mechanical performance to meet service requirements, the microstructures and tensile properties of heat-treated Al-8.4Cu-2.3Ce-1.0Mn-0.2Zr-xNi (x = 0, 0.5, 1.0, 2.0, 4.0 wt.%) were investigated. The metallographic analysis techniques have been used to examine the microstructural changes with different Ni contents. Results show that after adding 0.5% Ni to the Al-8.4Cu-2.3Ce-1.0Mn-0.2Zr alloy, the spheroidized Al7Cu4Ni phase is formed. With Ni content further increasing, the Al8CeCu4 and Al24MnCu8Ce3 phases disappear, and the nano-sized Al20Cu2Mn3 and Al2Cu phases decrease gradually. When Ni content reaches 4.0%, the Al3CuNi phase appears. It turns out that the addition of 0.5% Ni has significantly improved the tensile properties at 400 °C. The ultimate tensile strength, yield strength, and elongation of Al-8.4Cu-2.3Ce-1.0Mn-0.2Zr-0.5Ni alloy at 400 °C reach 103 MPa, 93 Mpa, and 18.0%, respectively, which makes the alloy possible to be employed at 400 °C. The intermetallic micro-skeleton, composed of thermostable Al8CeCu4, Al24MnCu8Ce3, Al16Cu4Mn2Ce, and Al7Cu4Ni phases at the grain boundaries as well as nano-sized Al20Cu2Mn3 and Al2Cu precipitates in the grains, contributes to the good elevated-temperature tensile strength. The fracture mechanism is changed from quasi-cleavage at ambient temperature to coexistence of quasi-cleavage and dimple at 400 °C. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances of Aluminum Alloys: Innovation and Application Potential)
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14 pages, 4468 KiB  
Article
The Electrochemical Performance of Al-Mg-Ga-Sn-xBi Alloy Used as the Anodic Material for Al-Air Battery in KOH Electrolytes
by Yueying Wang, Hongliang Liu, Zhiming Jia, Binglin Yang and Lizi He
Crystals 2022, 12(12), 1785; https://doi.org/10.3390/cryst12121785 - 08 Dec 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1381
Abstract
The effects of Bi content (0–0.12 wt.%) on the self-corrosion properties, the open-circuit potential, the electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, the potentiodynamic polarization curves, and the battery performances of Al-0.4Mg-0.05Sn-0.015Ga alloys were investigated; meanwhile, the microstructures and the post-discharge surfaces of the alloy were also [...] Read more.
The effects of Bi content (0–0.12 wt.%) on the self-corrosion properties, the open-circuit potential, the electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, the potentiodynamic polarization curves, and the battery performances of Al-0.4Mg-0.05Sn-0.015Ga alloys were investigated; meanwhile, the microstructures and the post-discharge surfaces of the alloy were also examined by SEM. The results show that Bi can increase the amount of the precipitated phase containing Bi. The Al-0.4Mg-0.05Sn-0.015Ga-0.10Bi alloy exhibits the optimum electrochemical properties; it has the greatest negative open circuit potential of −1.780 V, the highest constant current discharge voltage of 1.287 V, and a minimum self-corrosion rate of 0.132 mL cm−2 min−1; a uniform corrosive surface is obtained after discharge. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances of Aluminum Alloys: Innovation and Application Potential)
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