The effect of the additional erbium alloy element on mold casting of Eti̇al 160 aluminum alloy

In the aluminum casting industry, improving alloy properties is important due to developing technological requirements. The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of Erbium element addition to Etial 160 alloy on liquid metal cleanliness, fluidity and mechanical properties through comprehensive experimental studies. Castings were carried out by permanent mold casting method. In the experiments, the interaction of Erbium (Er) element addition to Etial 160 aluminum alloy at different rates on the alloy characteristics was investigated. In the study, castings were made in permanent molds with Er addition rates of 0.03%, 0.05% and 0.1%. In the experiments, reduced pressure test (RPT), K-mold, mechanical test mold, 4-channel fluidity mold with different section thicknesses and spiral fluidity mold were preferred. When the results were examined, it was seen that Er addition had a negative effect on alloy fluidity properties and a decrease in liquid metal advance distances. In terms of mechanical test results, it was determined that Er addition contributed to the improvement of alloy properties. In the experiments, it was determined that the tensile stress, which was 153 MPa in the casting without addition, increased to 236 MPa in the casting with a maximum of 0.1% Er addition. It was determined that the elongation values reached 4.56 levels as a result of Er addition from 3.04% elongation. It was observed that the structure changed as a result of microstructure examinations of Er addition.