Spray Casting of Aluminum Magnesium Alloys

This project investigates the optimization of spray casting for aluminum-magnesium (Al-Mg) alloys, focusing on enhancing their mechanical properties for lightweight applications in the automotive and aerospace industries. The study explores three alloy compositions—Al-5Mg, Al-7Mg, and Al-9Mg—selected for strength optimization. Induction melting under an argon atmosphere ensures alloy purity, while a rotary impeller degassing process removes impurities, ensuring high-quality casting. Key spray casting parameters, including melt temperature, gas pressure, and spray distance, was systematically varied to optimize the microstructure and mechanical properties of the alloys. The results show that increasing magnesium content enhances tensile strength (up to 310 mpa for Al-9Mg), though elongation decreases with higher magnesium content. Microstructural analysis reveals refined grain sizes (down to 20 μm) and reduced porosity (below 1%), improving the material's integrity. Uniform distribution of Mg2Si particles, confirmed through SEM, TEM, and XRD, further enhances the alloys' strength. Challenges such as oxidation and hot cracking were encountered, but mitigation strategies, including improved shrouding and substrate preheating, were effective in addressing these issues. Future work will focus on optimizing ductility without compromising strength, investigating substrate preheating impacts, and exploring the scalability of the spray casting process. This research provides valuable insights into producing high-performance, lightweight aluminum-magnesium alloys for advanced manufacturing applications.