Mechanical Properties of a Structural Component Processed in High-Pressure Die Casting (HPDC) with a Non-Heat-Treated Aluminum Alloy

This industrial research focuses on the implementation and development of a productive process for an automotive structural component (Shock tower) manufactured by a high-pressure die casting (HPDC) process made of aluminum alloy Aural^TM-5. This aluminum alloy has been considered in diverse automotive and aerospace components that do not require heat treatment due to its mechanical properties as cast material (F temper). On the other hand, Aural^TM-5 has been designed for processing as HPDC because it is an alloy with good fluidity, making it ideal for large castings with thin-wall thicknesses, like safety structural components such as rails, supports, rocker panels, suspension crossmembers, and shock towers. The mechanical properties that were evaluated for the evaluated components were yield strength, ultimate tensile strength, and elongation. Eight samples were taken from different areas of each produced shock tower for evaluating and verifying the homogeneity of each casting. The samples were evaluated from the first hours after they were manufactured by casting until eight weeks after being produced. This was performed to understand the behavior of the alloy during its natural aging process. Two groups of samples were obtained. One set of components was heat-treated by a water quench process after the castings’ extraction and the other set of components was not quenched. Results demonstrated that both sets of components, quenched and not quenched, achieved the expected values for the Aural^TM-5 of yield strength ≥ 110 MPa, ultimate tensile strength ≥ 240 MPa, and elongation ≥ 8%. Additionally, this is very important for industry since by not treating the structural components by quenching, there are savings in terms of infrastructure and energy consumption, together with benefits in the environmental aspect by avoiding CO₂ emissions and being sustainable.