Effect of Ablation Casting Process on the Microstructural Parameters and Tensile Properties of A413 and A356 Alloys

The process of ablation casting (AC) is a novel sand casting technique that not only offers the benefits of conventional sand casting (CSC), but also offers opportunities to overcome some of its shortcomings. In this research, A413 and A356 alloys were cast via CSC and AC processes. The CSC simulation process showed that the solid fraction parameter at different times indicated A413 to be more suitable than A356 for the AC process. The experimental results showed that AC process increased the cooling rate of both alloys (4–6% times for A413 and 9–10 times for A356), compared to CSC. Moreover, prolonging water spray delay time led to decrease in the cooling rate. Indeed, the AC has a more significant impact on reducing SDAS in A413 (60–75%) compared to A356 (45–61%). Moreover, decreasing the Si content in hypo-eutectic Al–Si binary systems limits the water spray delay time at a similar superheat. Besides, the reduction of eutectic silicon aspect ratio is nearly equal in both A413 (77–81%) and A356 (80–83%) alloys, through the AC compared to CSC. Furthermore, through the use of AC, the UTS of A413 and A356 increased by 112–130% and 78–100%, the YS of A413 and A356 increased by 8–21% and 31–42%, and the elongation of A413 and A356 increased by 333–620% and 110–252%, respectively, compared to CSC. These experimental results confirmed the simulation results. Finally, the transition of fracture from cleavage plane to dimple form occurred through AC for both A413 and A356 alloys, compared to CSC. In sound casting, it was found that the role of eutectic silicon in fracture was more prominent than Fe-containing intermetallic compounds.