This guide covers all information you’re looking for about ADC12 aluminum alloy.
So, before choosing this aluminum alloy for any application, read this guide.
What Is ADC12 Aluminum Alloy?
ADC12 aluminum alloy is one of the most used materials for die casting globally. This is because of its excellent thermal conductivity, great diecasting properties, less shrinkage, good performance as a filling, and several other elements.
ADC12 aluminum alloy is a type of alloy that works normally when subjected to either high or low pressure and is very easy to cast.
It is the modified version of ADC10 alloy and tends to function well when the casting geometries are complicated.
ADC12 aluminum alloy
What Are the Properties of ADC12 Aluminum Alloy?
Some of the general properties of ADC12 aluminum alloy include:
- Excellent thermal conductivity.
- Electrical conductivity
- Great cutting performance
- Good corrosion resistance
- Oxidation resistance
- Good filling performance
- Great diecasting properties
- Dimensional stability
Physical properties of ADC12 aluminum alloy include:
- The density of ADC12 of about 2.74 g/cm3
- They have a thermal conductivity of 96 W/mK
- Their melting point (average) is 549 ℃
- The coefficient of thermal expansion is 21.1 µm/m°K
- Have an electrical Conductivity of 23.0 % IACS
The mechanical properties of ADC12 aluminum alloy include:
- Their tensile strength for ultimate is 310 MPa while for yield, it is 152 MPa.
- Their elongation at break is 3.5%.
- They have a fatigue strength of 131 MPA.
- Their sheer strength is about 172MPA
- The modulus of elasticity is 71.0 GPA
Which Are The Applications Of ADC12 Aluminum Alloy?
ADC12 aluminum alloy has a wide range of applications some of which include:
- Cylinder headcover
- Motor cover
- Sensor bracket
- Housing
- Electronic equipment
- Motor vehicle components
- Furniture
- Appliances
- LED lighting
- Power tools
- Communications equipment
- Machinery
- Electric vehicles
- Valves
- carpentry
What Is The Chemical Composition Of ADC12 Aluminum Alloy?
The chemical composition of ADC12 aluminum alloy entails the following elements:
Die cast ADC 12 aluminum alloy part
- Cu: 2.0-3.0%
- Ni: ≤0.5%
- Al: 79.3 – 88.4 %
- Zn: ≤3.0 %
- Mn: ≤0.5%
- Sn: ≤0.15 %
- Si: 9.5 – 11.5 %
- Mg: 0.10 – 0.30 %
- Fe: ≤1.3%
- Others: ≤0.5%
What Makes ADC12 Aluminum Alloy So Good?
ADC12 aluminum alloy is a common type of aluminum alloy in die casting due to its great ability to cast and the best thermal and mechanical properties.
It exhibits excellent fluidity, pressure tightness, and resistance to hot cracking, which makes it suitable for the aerospace industry.
What Are The Advantages Of Using ADC12 Aluminum Alloy?
Some of the advantages of ADC12 aluminum alloy include:
- It has the best combination of casting, thermal and mechanical properties.
- Excellent pressure tightness, resistance to hot cracking, and fluidity.
- Possess great tensile strength.
- Relatively light in weight.
- Able to resist hot cracking and corrosion
- Widely used in a variety of products such as engine brackets, hand tools, electronic equipment, and gearbox cases.
- Good filling and fluidity
- Excellent surface treatment characteristics
- It has the strength at temperatures that are elevated. It is also able to function very well at high temperatures during usage.
- Great dimensional accuracy and stable size.
- There is more versatility in the finishing options of ADC12 aluminum alloy.
- Has anti-soldering properties during the process of diecasting, polishing, machining, and ease in finishing.
- Good machinability
Is ADC12 Aluminum Alloy Resistant To Corrosion?
Yes, ADC12 aluminum alloy is resistant to corrosion as it is composed of materials that can withstand extreme changes in weather conditions.
When subjected to weather elements such as UV rays, humidity, and sunlight or even chemicals, ADC12 aluminum alloy which maintain its original properties.
It will function as desired for a very long time.
How Can I Identify The Quality Of ADC12 Aluminum Alloy Part?
Some of the ways you can use to identify the quality of ADC12 aluminum alloy part include:
- Checking its overall performance in terms of its mechanical properties when subjected to heat.
- Analyzing its thickness and ensuring that it is not less than 1.4 mm, and it is uniform.
- Ascertaining that it is firmly fixed using rivets, adhesives, or nails onto the place of usage.
- It should be made from the right product materials of high quality which suit its function.
- Should possess tensile strength and yield strength.
- The thickness of the oxidation film should achieve about 10 microns.
Are There Quality Standards Which ADC12 Aluminum Alloy Should Adhere To?
Some of the quality standards which ADC12 aluminum alloy should adhere to include:
- B209
- B548
- B557M
- B594
- B666/B666M
- B947
- B928/B928M
- E290
- E527
- E1251
- G34
- ISO209-1
- ISO2107
- ISO6361-2
- 1/ H35.1(M)
- AMS 2772
- CEN EN 14242
Which Elements Can You Add To ADC12 Aluminum Alloy For Good Die Soldering Resistance?
There are two classes of ADC12 aluminum alloy, the first one includes silafont-36 and aural-2 which rely on 0.5 percent to 0.8 percent of manganese composition to resist soldering.
The second one is the mercalloy family that is mainly used for marine applications that need high corrosion resistance in environments of salty water, high strain, and high ductility.
What Are The Reasons For ADC12 Aluminum Alloy Die Castings And Which Control Measures Can Be Used?
ADC12 aluminum alloy die casting s are used to achieve parts and products which are cost-effective, of high quality, and very durable.
The diecasting products or parts tend to trim well in presses.
Thus, eliminating the possibility of cracking, splintering, or any other problems which can be found in metals.
Manufacturers tend to apply several finishing services onto ADC12 aluminum alloy to ensure that I meet specific uses and needs.
In addition, the properties of ADC12 aluminum alloy elongate the life of the dies and tools and the overall composition eliminate the downtime and breakage of machines.
How Can ADC12 Aluminum Alloy Exhibit Higher Ductility?
The rate of cooling linked with the high pressure die casting process tends to use pressure to push ADC12 aluminum alloy against dies that are uncoated.
This is much higher.
It produces a microstructure that is fine in terms of its ductility and very high for diecasting.
Metal die casting process
What Is The Thermal Conductivity Of ADC12 Aluminum Alloy?
The thermal conductivity of ADC12 aluminum alloy is 150 W/(m. K).
It is used to determine the heat transfer characteristics of ADC12 aluminum alloy and establishes its ability to transfer heat throughout the material.
It is important to note that the thermal conductivity of ADC12 aluminum alloy tends to vary depending on the temperature.
Why Does Conventional High-Pressure ADC12 Aluminum Alloy Have Inferior Mechanical Property in Castings?
Conventional high-pressure ADC12 aluminum alloy needs approximately 1 percent to 1.3 percent composition of iron content to eliminate die soldering.
However, the iron level tends to spoil mechanical properties especially its ductility as iron needles are created during the solidification phase in the microstructure.
This in turn tends to clog the passageways and prevents feeding which leads to porosity issues. When in a state that is solidified, they produce stress risers which can reduce further the mechanical properties and even the porosity.
What Is The Main Chemistry Difference Between Conventional ADC12 Aluminum Alloy and A Structural ADC12 Aluminum Alloy?
The main difference between these two is the level of iron in the alloy.
Conventional adc12 aluminum alloy has about 1 percent to 1.3 percent content of iron which in turn reduces its mechanical properties.
Structural adc12 aluminum alloy on the other hand has a lower-level content of iron ranging between 0.25 percent and 0.4 percent.
What Are The Heat Sensitivity Considerations Of ADC12 Aluminum Alloy?
It is important to often consider the heat sensitivity of ADC123 aluminum alloy.
Procedures involving heating of ADC12 aluminum alloy tend to be complicated considering it melts first without glowing red.
Therefore, it is not advised as forming operations whereby a blow torch is used may eliminate or reverse the heat treating.
You cannot visually see if the materials of ADC12 alloy are internally damaged.
ADC12 aluminum alloy may at times be subject to internal strains and stresses especially when improperly welded together.
Therefore, it is recommended to avoid the heat altogether by using rivets like the metal composition or adhesives in joining.
You can relieve stress in AD12 aluminum alloy which is overheated by heat-treating the affected parts in an oven and cooling them gradually.
Additionally, the extremely high thermal conductivity of ADC12 aluminum alloy tends to eliminate it from reaching the melting point under a lot of heat thus ensuring its lightweight.
Do Mercalloy ADC12 Aluminum Alloys Possess Advantages Over The Previous Generation Of Structural ADC12 Aluminum Alloys?
Yes, mercalloy ADC12 aluminum alloy tends to rely on strontium for achieving resistance to die soldering.
They do not possess intermetallic compounds which may perform more than the older generation during high tension testing more typical of a crash.
Structural ADC12 aluminum alloy tends to rely on manganese in achieving resistance to die soldering.
It possesses 10 types of intermetallic manganese compounds that are micron-sized due to the solubility of manganese in aluminum alloys that have iron.
What Distinguishes The Composition Of Structural ADC12 Aluminum Alloy From Others?
Silicon and manganese are the main compositions that distinguish structural ADC12 aluminum alloy from others.
Other types of alloys tend to allow for not more than 0.5 compositions of manganese as its intermetallic compounds reduce the mechanical properties.
Initially, structural ADC12 aluminum alloy relied on the composition of manganese above 0.5 percent to achieve soldering resistance.
Currently, structural ADC12 aluminum alloy tends to rely on strontium or mercalloys for resistance of die soldering and have manganese composition below 0.35 percent.
The main difference between structural ADC12 aluminum alloy and others is the composition of silicone.
Structural ADC12 aluminum alloy needs 9 percent silicone to enhance its fluidity while others need much less.
Why Is It Not Recommended To Modify Types Of ADC12 Aluminum Alloys?
During the process of high-pressure die casting, pressure tends to intensify while the die casting alloy solidifies.
Consequently, completely surprising the formation of hydrogen porosity.
Therefore, high levels of strontium are recommended for die soldering resistance strontium does not impact porosity formation in the process of die casting.
What Are The Effects Of Strontium In ADC12 Aluminum Alloy If It Is Held In A Holding Furnace for A Long Period?
Strontium tends to be lost at a similar rate to magnesium in ADC12 aluminum alloy. It is possible to add back strontium into the melt in given proportions to achieve the desired product.
Which Fabrication Features Of ADC12 Aluminum Alloy Should I Be Aware Of?
Some of the fabrication features of ADC12 aluminum alloy which you should be aware of include:
- Resistance to hot cracking
- Die-filling capacity
- Pressure tightness
- Anodizing appearance
- Ant-soldering to die
- Corrosion resistance
- Machining ease and quality
- Ease of polishing and quality
- Electroplating ease and quality
- Strength at elevated temperatures
- Chemical oxide protective coating
Are There Limitations Of Using ADC12 Aluminum Alloy?
There are very few cons of ADC12 aluminum alloy and some of these include:
- Prone to defects of casting such as shrinkage of holes, blisters, slag inclusion, or pores during the manufacturing process.
- The raw materials are relatively costly
- It needs techniques to well and thus entails expensive fabrication.
What Factors Determine The Ultimate Tensile Strength Of ADC12 Aluminum Alloy?
The tensile strength of ADC12 aluminum alloy depends greatly on the materials’ temper.
The ultimate tensile strength of ADC12 aluminum alloy is the maximum on the stress-strain curve by engineers.
It, therefore, corresponds to the maximum stress which can be accommodated by a structure during tension.
Incase this stress is subjected and maintained; it may result in fractures in ADC12 aluminum alloy.
Most often, this value tends to be relatively higher than the yield stress.
When ductile materials reach the maximum strength, they may face necking where there is a local reduction in the cross-sectional area.
The stress-strain curve does not possess higher stress as compared to the ultimate strength. Even though there might be continuity in an increase of deformations, the stress always tends to decrease once it has reached the ultimate strength.
Therefore, the value is not determined by the size of the specimen, the surface defects, the temperature of the test environment, or even the material.
The tensile strength of ADC12 aluminum alloy varies from 50mpa to even 3000mpa depending on its composition.
Which Tests Are Used To Ascertain The Hardness Of ADC12 Aluminum Alloy?
High pressure ADC12 aluminum alloy cast part
Some of the tests which are used to ascertain the hardness of ADC12 aluminum alloy include:
Rockwell Hardness Test
Rockwell hardness test is the most common test that is used in ascertaining the hardness of ADC12 aluminum alloy.
The Rockwell tester is used in measuring the depth of penetration of an indenter under a major load in comparison to penetration which is made by a minor load.
The minor loads determine the zero position, and the major load is subjected then removed while maintaining the minor load’s position.
After that, the difference between the penetration depth before and after the process of application of the major load is ascertained. It is then used in the calculation of the Rockwell hardness number of your ADC12 aluminum alloy.
It is important to be aware that the depth of penetration and hardness tend to be inversely proportional.
Brinell Hardness Test
It is used to determine the hardness of ADC12 aluminum alloys which are too coarse or have a very rough surface hindering the possibility of testing them using other methods.
It uses a very high-test load of about 3000 kgs and a10mm diameter indenter which causes indentation averages on inconsistencies of surfaces and subsurface.
It entails using a predetermined test load to a carbide ball that has a fixed diameter held for a given time and then removed.
The impression which is established is then calculated using an optical system Brinell microscope across two diameters.
Usually, the right angles which are facing each other are established and these results are averaged.
Alternatively, this calculation may be used in determining the Brinell number.
Then a chart used to establish the average measurement of the diameter to a Brinell hardness number.
You should not the Brinell hardness test tends to greatly depend on the temper of the material for ADC12 aluminum alloy.
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