Hipping Evaluation in Cast Aluminum Alloys: Quality Index-Based Approach

Abstract

Cast aluminum alloys find widespread application in the automotive and aircraft industries on account of their good castability, corrosion resistance, and high strength to weight ratio. Use of quality indices to rank cast aluminum alloys in terms of their quality has been in vogue since 1980s. Quality indices enable design engineers to select appropriate alloy condition by comparing the changes in quality with the changes in processing parameters like aging temperature and aging time. They also enable design engineers to select an appropriate alloy by way of comparing the quality obtainable with different alloy compositions. The present article highlights the effect of hot isostatic pressing (Hipping) on the quality of cast aluminum alloy 354 by using quality indices Q0, Q, and QC put forth in published literature. It has been observed that material in Hipped condition has higher value of these indices as compared to non-Hipped condition. This behavior is consistent across different aging conditions of the alloy. It is concluded that improvement accruing through Hipping of cast aluminum alloy 354 can be satisfactorily rated by using these quality indices.