Effect of thick slurry and stepped deformation on mechanical properties of AA6061 alloy

Modification of aluminum (Al)-based components with low porosity is a basic requirement of aluminum industries for various applications. Furthermore, porosity and surface cracking are the most common problems with the components produced by the casting process alone. However, several modifications have been proposed to minimize these problems. A mounting component of motor brackets was produced with the influence of thick mushy-stage slurry as the primary process and stepped angular deformation (SAD) as the secondary process. SAD provides advantage of plastic deformation for the thick slurry cast (between 220 and 360°C) and as a result, a fine microstructure with excellent level density is achieved. The fabricated component was analyzed according to the microstructure pattern along the cross-section, microindentation hardness and wear behavior. The experimental results revealed a dense microstructure, whereas phase analysis confirmed the presence of aluminum oxide (Al₂O₃), magnesium oxide (MgO), Mg₂Si₃ and Al₃FeO₂ intermetallics.