Sensitivity of different Al–Si alloys to centrifugal casting effect

This paper is concerned with the sensitivity of different Al–Si alloys to centrifugal effect of the vertical centrifugal casting technique on castings as compared to the traditional gravity casting technique. A comparison of mechanical properties of specimens obtained by both centrifugal casting technique and gravity casting technique is made on three different Al–Si alloys (from a hypoeutectic to a hypereutectic alloy). A microstructure analysis, in order to quantify the phase/constituent distribution along the gradation axis, is made to understand the relationship between constituents and mechanical properties for both casting techniques. It was verified that the centrifugal effect is very alloy dependent and may be substantially well correlated with the eutectic volume fraction of the alloy. It was also found that the centrifugal effect on mechanical properties is more is more pronounced in alloys with high eutectic contents.