Influence of Different Parameters on Metallurgical and Mechanical Properties of Aluminum Alloy A356 Formed by Thixoforging Process

Thixoforging is known as a modern process for the production of parts in semi-solid state that has been developed in recent years. Thixoforging involves forging of nondendritic structure ingots in the temperature range of liquid and solid phases. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of primary microstructure¡ Hydraulic Ram speed and heat treatment on metallurgical and mechanical properties of parte in thixoforging process. Microstructural study has been investigated by using optical microscopy¡ scanning electron and image analysis software. Results show that the increase of forming speed from 1 to 5 mm/s cause the decrease of grain size from 85 to 73 micrometer in which case the final compressive strength equal 433 MPa were measured. Also¡ accomplishment of T6 heat treatment causes formation of globular Si eutectic phase and precipitation of Mg2Si hard particles in matrix phase that lead to increasing the compressive strength from 433 to 522MPa and hardness increase from 79 to 88 HV.