Hot tearing represents one of the most detrimental defects in metal castings and it is a key parameter for evaluating alloy castability. Hot tearing in aluminum alloys has gained attention from several research groups over the past century. To date, there are several theories that aim to understand the mechanisms and identify the parameters affecting the formation of hot cracks.
This study aims to evaluate the influence of chemical composition on the hot cracking index of eight commercial wrought alloys of 6xxx series (Al-Mg-Si alloys), produced from recycled scrap. First, a thermodynamic calculation software was used to determine the solidification path of the alloys under non-equilibrium conditions; subsequently, a pure theoretical criterion, the Kou model, was adopted to predict the susceptibility of hot tearing. The results reveal that variations in chemical composition affect the cracking index, and the alloy 6082 shows the higher vulnerability to hot cracking. Furthermore, minimizing the element content yields a minimum value of the hot cracking susceptibility index.