Effect of age hardening on Aluminum alloys: a study of motorcycle piston

Abstract

This paper reported on the effect of age hardening on the aluminum alloys piston. These studies were carried out to improve the hardness of the aluminum alloys piston by using age hardening method. The AlSiCuMg alloys with 8%Si were used for this purpose. The solution treatment was performed at 500⁰C for 5h and then quenched. The samples have been aged at 130⁰C, 170⁰C and 210⁰C among 1h to 6h to observe the effect of aging condition on hardness properties. Vickers microhardness tests were performed to determine the mechanical properties of the samples. Microstructure analysis of the samples was carried out using optical microscope equipped with digital camera. The results showed that the aging at 170⁰C improves the hardness of the aluminum alloy pistons. It is increase 45% from as received. The microstructure of aging at 170⁰C consist with hardener participate of Mg2Si, Al6Cu3Ni, and β (Al5FeSi).