Influence of High-Pressure Die Casting Parameters on the Cooling Rate and the Structure of EN-AC 46000 Alloy

The paper presents the results of the research on the impact of process parameters of high-pressure, cold-chamber die casting of an industrial casting made of aluminium alloy on the casting properties assessed macroscopically by measuring the casting average density and microscopically through the characteristics of the casting microstructure. The analysis covers the influence of three selected velocity settings of the pressing plunger, which determine the filling time, and three values of the compression pressure setting characteristic of the third phase of the casting process. The cooling and solidification simulations of the casting were performed using the ProCAST software. During the simulation tests, the impact of the filling rate of the alloy into the die cavity on the cooling rate and the alloy solidification path at selected points were determined. The conducted research allowed linking the process parameters with the parameters of the casting structure with different wall thicknesses. Metallographic examinations of the castings were carried out using a light microscopy, SEM, and EDS analysis. The fraction of the phases α(Al), the size of dendritic cells, and the size of silicon particles, in the cross-sections of the castings with wall thickness of 3, 6, and 11 mm, respectively, were determined.