PSI - Issue 68

Available online at www.sciencedirect.com Available online at www.sciencedirect.com ScienceDirect Structural Integrity Procedia 00 (2025) 000–000

www.elsevier.com/locate/procedia

ScienceDirect

Procedia Structural Integrity 68 (2025) 1181–1187

European Conference on Fracture 2024 The effect of salt fluxing during liquid treatment on the dispersion of the tensile properties of an AlSi9Cu3(Fe) alloy V. Milani a *, G. Angella b , G. Timelli a a University of Padua, Department of Management and Engineering, Stradella San Nicola 3, 36100 Vicenza, Italy b Institute of Condensed Matter Chemistry and Technology for Energy (CNR-ICMATE), Department of Chemical Science and Materials Technology, Research Unit of Milan, Via R. Cozzi 53, 20125 Milan, Italy Abstract This study evaluates the impact of melt-cleaning fluxes on the tensile properties of an AlSi9Cu3(Fe) alloy. The melt was stirred using two different salt fluxes and temperatures. Tensile specimens were obtained and tested. Microstructural features and fracture surfaces were analysed. The scattering of the mechanical properties and failure probability were investigated using Weibull statistics. The elongation to fracture was affected by the casting temperature and the flux treatment. The Weibull distributions highlighted the advantages of fluxing on the alloy’s ductility. The microstructural investigations support the statistical results. This study confirmed the importance of fluxing and temperature control to improve the melt cleanliness and the reliability of the mechanical properties. © 2025 The Authors. Published by ELSEVIER B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0) Peer-review under responsibility of ECF24 organizers Keywords: Salt flux; Aluminium alloy; Weibull Analysis; Melt treatment; Casting defects; Tensile properties 1. Introduction The quality of the molten metal before casting is crucial for the mechanical performance of cast aluminium products. Impurities such as inclusions, hydrogen gas, and dissolved chemical elements degrade the melt cleanliness (Gallo, 2017). Inclusions usually consist of non-metallic particles embedded in the aluminium matrix, which a b © 2025 The Authors. Published by ELSEVIER B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0) Peer-review under responsibility of ECF24 organizers

* Corresponding author. Tel.: +39-0444-998769; fax: +39-0444-998889. E-mail address: veronica.milani.2@phd.unipd.it

2452-3216 © 2025 The Authors. Published by ELSEVIER B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0) Peer-review under responsibility of ECF24 organizers

2452-3216 © 2025 The Authors. Published by ELSEVIER B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0) Peer-review under responsibility of ECF24 organizers 10.1016/j.prostr.2025.06.185