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Advantages and Disadvantages of Aluminum Alloy Forgings and Castings

Aluminum alloy forgings are objects in which metal is plastic deformed and compressed into the desired shape or compressive force. Forging is one of the important methods for metal plastic processing. This force is usually achieved through a hammer or pressure. Through forging, loose porous structures in castings can be compressed, and large cast structures (dendritic crystals) can be crushed into small particles to form fibrous structures. When the fiber structure is reasonably distributed along the shape of the part, the mechanical properties of the part can be improved. Therefore, it has high forging strength and can withstand large impact loads. The forging process can produce a fine grain structure and improve the physical properties of the metal.

The main purpose of forging is to form and improve (enhance mechanical properties and internal structure). The latter is difficult to achieve with other technical methods. In addition, forging production also has the advantages of saving metal, high production efficiency, and great flexibility.

Casting is a metal form obtained through various casting methods, such as casting, pouring, injection, suction, or other methods, with a certain shape, size, and properties. Commonly used materials include gray cast iron, malleable cast iron, ductile iron, cast steel, etc. Non ferrous metals include cast copper alloys, aluminum alloys, zinc alloys, etc.

Casting is the process of pouring molten metal into a mold and cooling it to obtain the desired shape and properties. Casting is a commonly used manufacturing method with low manufacturing costs, flexible processes, complex shapes, and large castings, which account for a large proportion in mechanical manufacturing. Normalization is the difference between normalizing and annealing cooling rates. Annealing cooling rate is faster than annealing cooling rate, so the normalized structure is finer than the annealed structure, and its mechanical properties are improved. In addition, external cooling does not occupy equipment, resulting in high production efficiency. Normalization is preferred over annealing during production. The main application of normalizing is: for low carbon steel, normalizing has slightly higher hardness than annealing, good toughness, and can be used for pre-treatment before cutting. For medium carbon steel, quenching treatment can replace heat treatment and can also be used to prepare induction heating surface quenching. Tool steel, bearing steel, and carburizing steel can reduce or suppress the formation of network carbides, thereby obtaining the good microstructure required for spheroidization annealing. Cast steel structure can improve cutting performance. Advantages and disadvantages of casting. Forging: Hammer plastic metal materials into workpieces with a certain shape and size, changing their physical properties.

Casting: The process of melting metal into a liquid, then casting it into shape, followed by cooling, solidification, and cleaning to obtain the desired shape. It can be made into objects of various shapes and complex shapes. Different production processes: Forging: One of the two parts of forging (forging and stamping). During the forging process, the blank is pressed into plastic deformation by the forging machine to obtain forgings with certain mechanical properties, shape, and size. Casting: Casting liquid metal into a casting chamber that fits the shape of the part, and then cooling and solidifying it into the part. Purpose of forging and casting: Forging is generally used to process forging of a certain shape and size. Casting is an economical blank forming method commonly used for parts with complex shapes.

Advantages and disadvantages of forging and casting:

Advantages of forging: Through forging, defects such as casting pores during the melting process can be eliminated, and the microstructure and structure of forging can be optimized. Due to the preservation of complete metal flow lines, the mechanical properties of forging are usually superior to casting of the same material. For important components with high mechanical loads and poor working conditions, forging methods are often used, except for rolled plates, profiles, or welded components.

Advantages of casting: It can produce parts with complex shapes, especially blank spaces with complex inner cavities. Widely adaptable, commonly used industrial metal materials can be cast from several grams to hundreds of tons.