Abstract
The current study aimed to investigate the effect of fluidized sand bed (FB) quenching on the mechanical performance of B319.2 aluminum cast alloys. Traditional water and conventional hot air (CF) quenching media were used to establish a relevant comparison with FB quenching. Quality charts were generated using two models of quality indices to support the selection of material conditions on the basis of the proposed quality indices. The use of an FB for the direct quenching-aging treatment of B319.2 casting alloys yields greater UTS and YS values compared to conventional furnace quenched alloys. The strength values of T6 tempered B319 alloys are greater when quenched in water compared with those quenched in an FB or CF. For the same aging conditions (170°C/4h), the fluidized bed quenched-aged 319 alloys show nearly the same or better strength values than those quenched in water and then aged in a CF or an FB. Based on the quality charts developed for alloys subjected to different quenching media, higher quality index values are obtained by conventional furnace quenched-aged T6-tempered B319 alloys. The modification factor has the most significant effect on the quality results of the alloys investigated, for all heat treatment cycles, as compared to other metallurgical parameters. The results of alloys subjected to multi-temperature aging cycles reveal that the optimum strength properties of B319.2 alloys, however, is obtained by applying multi-temperature aging cycles such as, for example, 240 °C/2 h followed by 170 °C/8 h, rather than T6 aging treatments. The regression models indicate that the mean quality values of B319 alloys are highly quench sensitive due to the formation of a larger percent of clusters in Al-Si-Cu-Mg alloys. These clusters act as heterogeneous nucleation sites for precipitation and enhance the aging process.