Determination of usage rate of secondary aluminum in A356 casting process by verification with mechanical and metallurgical tests

In this thesis, it is aimed to investigate the effect of secondary aluminum on the mechanical (tensile strength, elongation, etc.) and metallurgical (microstructure, macrostructure, phase analysis, etc.) properties of the products obtained by using it in different proportions in the casting process. Although secondary aluminum ingots suppliers keep chemical compositions under control during production, these ingots can have a negative impact on production quality when used with primary aluminum due to the contamination they contain. The aim is to scientifically demonstrate that secondary aluminum, which comes readily available from ingot suppliers, will not pose a mechanical and metallurgical risk when used together with primary aluminum in the production process. In addition, this work has a very important place in terms of green energy and sustainability. The use of secondary aluminum, in particular, is part of the green production approach in terms of reducing energy consumption and lowering environmental impacts. In this study, in the findings obtained by adding 10%, 20% and 30% of secondary aluminum alloys by weight to the primary aluminum alloy, respectively, it was found that the trials with 30% secondary aluminum added; It has been observed that the elements Mg, Ti, Sr are approaching the lower limits. It is thought that the increase in the Fe and Cu ratio may cause the material to be adversely affected in terms of mechanical and corrosion resistance. In the trials with the addition of 30% secondary aluminum, the material rose to a high pollution level, and accordingly, the decrease in the % elongation values in the fluidity test and tensile test result confirms all these findings. It has been revealed that the addition of 30% secondary aluminum in the production process of A356 alloy by casting method carries mechanical and metallurgical risks of the material. Mechanical limit values were evaluated according to the non-heat treated acceptance decisions in the aluminum wheel production facility by low pressure casting method. Keywords: Primer aluminum alloy, secondary aluminum alloy, sustainability, microstructure, A356