In this study T6 heat treated 6063 aluminum alloys were used as substrate material. In order to form a bond between the substrate and the

main coating, all samples were coated with Ni-Cr-Al powders. 8 wt% Yttria Stabilized Zirconia powders (YSZ) were coated with plasma

spray technique. Thickness of YSZ was 150 m and bond coating was 36 m. XRD and SEM-EDS analyses were performed to characterize

the coating layers. These YSZ coated and uncoated samples were subjected to wear testing under different spindle speed, loading and

working distance. Wear test results were compared with the kinetic friction coefficients and weight loss values. Wear marks on YSZ

coated and uncoated samples were investigated by SEM analysis. By coating with plasma spray technique, the wear resistance of Al alloys

was increased without changing the friction coefficient. It was found that spindle speed had significant effect over the wear properties than

the load applied. By YSZ coating, wear properties were increased 10 times.

Recyclability is one of the great features of aluminium and its alloys. However, it has been typically considered that the secondary aluminium quality is low and bad. This is only because aluminium is so sensitive to turbulence. Uncontrolled transfer and handling of the liquid aluminium results in formation of double oxide defects known as bifilms. Bifilms are detrimental defects. They form porosity and deteriorate the properties. The detection and quantification of bifilms in liquid aluminium can be carried out by bifilm index measured in millimetres as an indication of melt cleanliness using Reduced Pressure Test (RPT). In this work, recycling efficiency and quality change of A356 alloy with various Ti additions have been investigated. The charge was recycled three times and change in bifilm index and bifilm number was evaluated. It was found that when high amount of Ti grain refiner was added, the melt quality was increased due to sedimentation of bifilms with Ti. When low amount of Ti is added, the melt quality was degraded.

Aluminium alloys are one of the preferred materials especially for land and air transportation because of their high strength and lowdensity properties. Although production using casting method is economical yet it has some disadvantages. Shrinkage which is occurred due to the density difference between the solid and liquid metal is prevented by feeders which need to be calculated. Liquid metal should be transferred to the mould without any turbulence. As a result, sprues are needed to be designed precisely. On the other hand, aluminium alloys can also be shaped by forging at semi-solid temperatures. There are some advantages compared to the traditional forging methods of improving die life due to the lower tonnage values. In this study, semi-solid produced 7075 aluminium alloy die filling capabilities were investigated. To achieve semisolid structure strain induced melt activated method (SIMA) was used. The desired structure was achieved at 635 °C and 30 minutes of duration of heat treatment. After determining the optimum parameters, metallographic analysis, density calculations, porosity distribution and tensile tests were carried out. It was found that the reproducibility of SIMA produced 7075 alloy was quite low. A proper tensile test result was achieved only 7 of the total 15 tests and the mean value was 386 MPa. The main reason for this scattered in mechanical properties could be the chemical composition of the alloy and the rapid solidification of the liquid eutectic phases. It is important to define the best fitting process parameters and controlling them precisely will be the most important factors for future studies.

Al-4.5Cu alloys are widely used in aerospace industries due to their low weight and high mechanical properties. This group of aluminium alloys is known as 2xx series and exhibits the highest mechanical properties however this alloy is known to suffer from feedability and high tendency for hot tearing. Al-Si alloys (3xx) have improved fluidity and better feedability particularly by several modifications such as Ti, B or Sr. Eutectic temperature is decreased and mechanical properties can be enhanced. Yet, the strength values of this alloy group cannot reach the values of 2xx series. Therefore, in this study, the effect of Ag addition on the fluidity of Al-4.5Cu alloy has been investigated. Standard size spiral mould was used. The casting temperature was selected to be 770oC. Five castings were made and Weibull statistical approach was used to evaluate the results. In addition, coating of the die with BN was also investigated. It was found that Ag addition and BN coating of the die revealed the most reproducible, reliable and high fluidity values.

A356 is one of the widely used aluminium casting alloy that has been used in both sand and die casting processes. Large amounts of scrap

metal can be generated from the runner systems and feeders. In addition, chips are generated in the machined parts. The surface area with

regard to weight of chips is so high that it makes these scraps difficult to melt. Although there are several techniques evolved to remedy

this problem, yet the problem lies in the quality of the recycled raw material. Since recycling of these scrap is quite important due to the

advantages like energy saving and cost reduction in the final product, in this work, the recycling efficiency and casting quality were

investigated. Three types of charges were prepared for casting: %100 primary ingot, %100 scrap aluminium and fifty-fifty scrap

aluminium and primary ingot mixture were used. Melt quality was determined by calculating bifilm index by using reduced pressure test.

Tensile test samples were produced by casting both from sand and die moulds. Relationship between bifilm index and tensile strength were

determined as an indication of correlation of melt quality. It was found that untreated chips decrease the casting quality significantly.

Therefore, prior to charging the chips into the furnace for melting, a series of cleaning processes has to be used in order to achieve good

quality products.