한국주조공학회

Aluminum alloy permanent mold castings often exhibit in as-cast or T5-heat treated state an inverse distribution of hardness, i.e. thinner sections have lower hardness than thicker sections. This phenomina is explained by measuring the cooling curves in a test casting in an Aluminum piston alloy (AC8A or A332). Thinner sections solidify faster but later cooles down more slowly than thicker sections in temperature range where coarse precipitation of supersaturated elements can take place. The precipitation rate of Mg_2Si phase in A332 alloy seems to be maximum at around 490℃.