Effects of Aging Time on Mechanical Properties of Sand Cast AL-4.5CU Alloy

Abstract

An investigation was carried out to understand the effects of aging time of a cylindrical specimen on hardness, tensile strength and % elongation of sand cast Aluminium alloy (Al-4.5Cu). The alloy was melted in an electric furnace and the molten alloy was poured into sand moulds. The cast rods were tested for Vickers micro-hardness, ultimate tensile strength and % elongation. The aging time was varied from 4 to 40 hours in steps of 4 hours and the maximum hardness was achieved when the specimen was aged for 36 hours. It was found that the hardness of the alloy decreases when further aging was done. Moreover, it was observed that the tensile strength increases with increase in hardness, whereas the % elongation decreases.