Plasma sprayed ceramic coatings serve as protective layers and are frequently exposed to aggressive wear, corrosion, or high-temperature environment. Currently, alumina and alumina-titania are some of the most popular protective ceramic composite coatings used in the industry. The present work deals with the investigation of the influence of TiO₂ content in the feedstock powder on the resulting microstructure and properties of Al₂O₃, Al₂O₃ + 3 wt% TiO₂, Al₂O₃ + 13 wt% TiO₂ and Al₂O₃ + 40 wt% TiO₂ coatings developed via atmospheric plasma spraying (APS). Specifically, the phase composition, morphology, and microstructure, as well as the mechanical and tribological performance of the coatings were examined. Results revealed that higher content of TiO₂ induced the transformation of phases, leading to the formation of intermediary Al₂TiO₅ and Al₂- xTi₁- xO₅ phases. Also, the dominant α–Al₂O₃ to γ–Al₂O₃ transformation confirmed the formulation of well-melted lamellas within the coating structure. It was also shown that the increase in TiO₂ content decreased the micro-hardness of the coatings due to the formation of the intermediary phases as mentioned above and thus, affected their tribological performance. The lowest volumetric wear, equal to 7.2×10⁻⁵ mm³/(N ∙ m), was reported for Al₂O₃ + 13 wt% TiO₂ coating.

This article deals with the fatigue properties of newly used AlZn10Si8Mg aluminium alloy where the main aim was to determine the

fatigue strength and compare it with the fatigue strength of AlSi7Mg0.3 secondary aluminium alloys which is used in the automotive

industry for cyclically loaded components. AlZn10Si8Mg aluminium alloy, also called UNIFONT 90, is self-hardening (without heat

treatments), which contributes to economic efficiency. This is one of the main reasons why is compared, and may be an alternative

replacement for AlSi7Mg0.3 alloy which is heat treated to achieve required mechanical properties. The experiment results show that the

fatigue properties of AlZn10Si8Mg alloy are comparable, if not better, than AlSi7Mg0.3 alloy. Fatigue properties of AlZn10Si8Mg alloy

are achieved after seven days of natural ageing, immediately after casting and achieving value of fatigue strength is caused by structural

components formed during solidification of the melt.

Secondary or multiple remelted alloys are common materials used in foundries. For secondary (recycled) Al-Si-Cu alloys, the major problem is the increased iron presence. Iron is the most common impurity and with presence of other elements in alloy creates the intermetallic compounds, which may negatively affect the structure. The paper deals with effect of multiple remelting on the microstructure of the AlS9iCu3 alloy with increased iron content to about 1.4 wt. %. The evaluation of the microstructure is focused on the morphology of iron-base intermetallic phases in caste state, after the heat treatment (T5) and after natural aging. The occurrence of the sludge phases was also observed. From the obtained results can be concluded that the multiple remelting leads to change of chemical composition, changes in the final microstructure and also increases sludge phases formation. The use of heat treatment T5 led to a positive change of microstructure, while the effect of natural aging is beneficial only to the 3rd remelting.

The paper deals with problems related to application of aluminum-silicon alloys for combustion engine cylinder liners

The main reason of a cavitational destruction is the mechanical action of cavitation pulses onto the material’s surface. The course

of cavitation destruction process is very complex and depends on the physicochemical and structural features of a material. A resistance

to cavitation destruction of the material increases with the increase of its mechanical strength, fatigue resistance as well as hardness.

Nevertheless, the effect of structural features on the material’s cavitational resistance has been not fully clarified. In the present paper,

the cavitation destruction of ZnAl4 as cast alloy was investigated on three laboratory stands: vibration, jet-impact and flow stands.

The destruction mechanism of ZnAl4 as cast alloy subjected to cavitational erosion using various laboratory stands is shown in the present

paper.

The high mechanical properties of the Al-Li-X alloys contribute to their increasingly broad application in aeronautics, as an alternative forthe aluminium alloys, which have been used so far. The aluminium-lithium alloys have a lower specific gravity, a higher nucleation andcrack spread resistance, a higher Young’s module and they characterize in a high crack resistance at lower temperatures. The aim of theresearch planned in this work was to design an aluminium alloy with a content of lithium and other alloy elements. The research includedthe creation of a laboratorial melt, the microstructure analysis with the use of light microscopy, the application of X-ray methods to identify the phases existing in the alloy, and the microhardness test.

The aim of this paper was to determine the effect of heat treatment for the corrosion resistance of the ZnAl40Ti2Cu alloy under “acid rain” conditions. ZnAl40TiCu alloy after supersaturation and after supersaturation and aging was studied. Potentiodynamic studies, potentiostatic studies and studies on structure of the alloy top layer of samples after corrosion tests were carried out. These investigations indicated a significant influence of heat treatment on corrosion resistance of the ZnAl40Ti2Cu alloy. The highest increase in corrosion resistance comparing to the alloy in the as-cast condition may be obtained by supersaturation. A significant influence of the aging temperature and time on corrosion resistance was proved.

An understanding of the fundamental correlation between grain size and material damping is crucial for the successful development of structural components offering high strength and good mechanical energy absorption. With this regard, we fabricated aluminum sheets with grain sizes ranging from tens of microns down to 60 nm and investigated their tensile properties and mechanical damping behavior. An obvious transition of the damping mechanism was observed at nanoscale grain sizes, and the underlying causes by grain boundaries were interpreted.

Manganese is an effective element used for the modification of needle intermetallic phases in Al-Si alloy. These particles seriously

degrade mechanical characteristics of the alloy and promote the formation of porosity. By adding manganese the particles are being

excluded in more compact shape of “Chinese script” or skeletal form, which are less initiative to cracks as Al5FeSi phase. In the present

article, AlSi7Mg0.3 aluminium foundry alloy with several manganese content were studied. The alloy was controlled pollution for achieve

higher iron content (about 0.7 wt. % Fe). The manganese were added in amount of 0.2 wt. %, 0.6 wt. %, 1.0 wt. % and 1.4 wt. %. The

influence of the alloying element on the process of crystallization of intermetallic phases were compared to microstructural observations.

The results indicate that increasing manganese content (> 0.2 wt. % Mn) lead to increase the temperature of solidification iron rich phase

(TAl5FeSi) and reduction this particles. The temperature of nucleation Al-Si eutectic increase with higher manganese content also. At

adding 1.4 wt. % Mn grain refinement and skeleton particles were observed.

This paper deals with influence on segregation of iron based phases on the secondary alloy AlSi7Mg0.3 microstructure by chrome. Iron is

the most common and harmful impurity in aluminum casting alloys and has long been associated with an increase of casting defects. In

generally, iron is associated with the formation of Fe-rich phases. It is impossible to remove iron from melt by standard operations, but it is

possible to eliminate its negative influence by addition some other elements that affect the segregation of intermetallics in less harmful

type. Realization of experiments and results of analysis show new view on solubility of iron based phases during melt preparation with

higher iron content and influence of chrome as iron corrector of iron based phases. By experimental work were used three different

amounts of AlCr20 master alloy a three different temperature of chill mold. Our experimental work confirmed that chrome can be used as

an iron corrector in Al-Si alloy, due to the change of intermetallic phases and shortening their length.

Al-enriched layer was formed on a magnesium substrate with use of casting. The magnesium melt was cast into a steel mould with an

aluminium insert placed inside. Different conditions of the casting process were applied. The reaction between the molten magnesium and

the aluminium piece during casting led to the formation of an Al-enriched surface layer on the magnesium substrate. The thickness of the

layer was dependent on the casting conditions. In all fabricated layers the following phases were detected: a solid solution of Mg in Al,

Al3Mg2, Mg17Al12 and a solid solution of Mg in Al. When the temperature of the melt and the mould was lower (variant 1 – 670o

C and 310 o

; variant 2 – 680o

C and 310o

C, respectively) the unreacted thin layer of aluminium was observed in the outer zone. Applying higher

temperatures of the melt (685o

C) and the mould (325o

C) resulted in deep penetration of aluminium into the magnesium substrate. Areas

enriched in aluminium were locally observed. The Al-enriched layers composed mainly of Mg-Al intermetallic phases have hardness from

187-256 HV0.1.

In this work, the effect of the microstructure on corrosion behavior of selected Mg- and Al-based as cast alloys, was evaluated. The electrochemical examinations were carried out, and then a morphology of corrosion products formed due to local polarization on materials surface, was analyzed. It was documented that the presence of Mg2Si phase plays an important role in the corrosion course of Mg-based alloy. A selective etching was observed in sites of Mg2Si precipitates having “Chinese script”- like morphology. Analogous situation was found for Al-based alloy, where the key role was played by cathodic θ-CuAl2 phase.

Iron is presented as an impurity in Al-Si alloys and occurs in the form of the β-Al5FeSi phase formations. The presence of iron and other elements in the alloy causes the formation of large intermetallic phases. Due to the high brittleness of this phase, it reduces the mechanical properties and increases the porosity. Manganese is used to inhibit the formation of this detrimental phase. It changes the morphology of the phase to polyhedral crystals, skeletal formations, or Chinese script. The present article deals with the influence of various amounts of manganese (0.1; 0.2; 0.4; 0.6 wt. %) on the formation of iron-based intermetallic phases in the AlSi7Mg0.3 alloy with different levels of iron content (0.4; 0.8, 1.2 wt. %). The increase of iron content in each alloy caused the creation of more intermetallic compounds and this effect has been more significant with higher concentrations of manganese. In alloys where the amount of 1.2 wt. % iron is present, the shape of eutectic silicon grain changes from angular to short needle type.

Metal alloys with matrix based on an Fe-Al system are generally considered materials for high-temperature applications. Their main advantages are compact crystallographic structure, long-range ordering and structural stability at high temperatures. These materials are based on an intermetallic phase of FeAl or Fe3Al, which is stable in the range from room temperature up to the melting point of 1240°C. Their application at high temperatures is also beneficial because of the low cost of production, very good resistance to oxidation and corrosion, and high mechanical strength. The casting alloy the structure of which includes the FeAl phase is, among others, highaluminium cast iron. This study has been devoted to the determination of the effect of vanadium and titanium on the transformation of the high-aluminium cast iron structure into an in-situ FeAl-VC composite.

The present research was conducted on thin-walled castings with 5 mm wall thicknesses. This study addresses the effect of the influence of

different master alloys, namely: (1) Al-5%Ti-1%B, (2) Al-5%Ti and (3) Al-3%B, respectively on the structure and the degree of

undercooling (ΔTα = Tα-Tmin, where Tα - the equilibrium solidification temperature, Tmin - the minimum temperature at the beginning of

α(Al) solidification) of an Al-Cu alloy. The process of fading has been investigated at different times spent on the refinement treatment ie.

from 3, 20, 45 and 90 minutes respectively, from the dissolution of master alloys. A thermal analysis was performed (using a type-S

thermocouple) to determine cooling curves. The degree of undercooling and recalescence were determined from cooling and solidification

curves, whereas macrostructure characteristics were conducted based on a metallographic examination. The fading effect of the refinement

of the primary structure is accompanied by a significant change in the number (dimension) of primary grains, which is strongly correlated

to solidification parameters, determined by thermal analysis. In addition to that, the analysis of grain refinement stability has been shown

with relation to different grain refinements and initial titanium concentration in Al-Cu base alloy. Finally, it has been shown that the

refinement process of the primary structure is unstable and requires strict metallurgical control.

This study presents an analysis of aluminium cast iron structure (as-cast condition) which are used in high temperatures. While producing casts of aluminium iron, the major influence has been to preserve the structure of the technological process parameters. The addition of V, Ti, Cr to an Fe-C-Al alloy leads to the improvement of functional and mechanical cast qualities. In this study, a method was investigated to eliminate the presence of undesirable Al4C3 phases in an aluminium cast iron structure and thereby improve the production process. V and Ti additions to aluminium cast iron allow the development of FeAl - VC or TiC alloys. In particular, V or Ti contents above 5 wt.% were found to totally eliminate the presence of Al4C3. In addition, preliminary work indicates that the alloy with the FeAl - VC or TiC structure reveals high oxidation resistance. The introduction of 5 wt.% chromium to aluminium cast iron strengthened the Al4C3 precipitate. Thus, the resultant alloy can be considered an intermetallic FeAl matrix strengthened by VC and TiC or modified Al4C3 reinforcements.

The paper deals with the influence of manganese in AlSi7Mg0.3 alloy with higher iron content. Main aim is to eliminate harmful effect of intermetallic – iron based phases. Manganese in an alloy having an iron content of about 0.7 wt. % was graded at levels from 0.3 to 1.4 wt. %. In the paper, the effect of manganese is evaluated with respect to the resulting mechanical properties, also after the heat treatment (T6). Morphology of the excluded intermetallic phases and the character of the crystallisation of the alloy was also evaluated. From the obtained results it can be concluded that the increasing level of manganese in the alloy leads to an increase in the temperature of the β-Al5FeSi phase formation and therefore its elimination. Reducing the amount of β-Al5FeSi phase in the structure results in an improvement of the mechanical properties (observed at levels of 0.3 to 0.8 wt. % Mn). The highest addition of Mn (1.4 wt.%) leads to a decrease in the temperature corresponding to the formation of eutectic silicon, which has a positive influence on the structure, but at the same time the negative sludge particles were also present

The paper deals with squeeze casting technology. For this research a direct squeeze casting method has been chosen. The influence of process parameters variation (casting temperature, mold temperature, pressure) on mechanical properties and structure will be observed. The thicknesses of the individual walls were selected based on the use of preferred numbers and series of preferred numbers (STN ISO 17) with the sequence of 3.15, 4.00, 5.00, 6.00 and 8.00 mm. The width of each wall was 22 mm with a length of 100 mm. As an experimental material was chosen the AlSi12 and AlSi7Mg0.3 alloys. The mechanical properties (UTS, E) for individual casting parameters and their individual areas of different thicknesses were evaluated. In the structure the influence of pressure on the change of the eutectic morphology, the change of the volume of eutectic and the primary alpha phase, the effect of the pressure on the more fine-grain and the regularization of the structure were evaluated.

The chosen, typical causes of quality defects of cast-iron „alphin” rings embedded in aluminum cast are being presented in this paper.

Diffusive joint of those inserts with the pistons casts is being used, due to extreme work conditions of destructive influence of the fuel mix

and variable thermo-mechanical loads, which reign in the combustion motor working chamber.

The paper presents an analysis of the effect of shape of primary silicon crystals on the sizes of stresses and deformations in a surface layer

of A390.0 alloy by Finite Elements Method (FEM). Analysis of stereological characteristics of the studied alloy, performed based on a

quantitative metallographic analysis in combination with a statistical analysis, was used for this purpose. The presented simulation tests

showed not only the deposition depth of maximum stresses and strains, but also allowed for determining the aforementioned values

depending on the shape of the silicon crystals. The studied material is intended for pistons of internal combustion engines, therefore the

analysis of the surface layer corresponded to conditions during friction in a piston-cylinder system of an internal combustion engine having

power of up to 100 kW. The obtained results showed important differences in the values of stresses and strains up to 15% between various

shape of the silicon crystals. Crystals with sharp edges caused higher stresses and deformation locally than those with rounded shapes.

Experimental Mg-Al-RE type magnesium alloys for high-pressure die-casting are presented. Alloys based on the commercial AM50

magnesium alloy with 1, 3 and 5 mass % of rare earth elements were fabricated in a foundry and cast in cold chamber die-casting

machines. The obtained experimental casts have good quality surfaces and microstructure consisting of an α(Mg)-phase, Al11RE3,

Al10RE2Mn7 intermetallic compound and small amount of α+γ eutectic and Al2RE phases.

The paper presents the cellular automaton (CA) model for tracking the development of dendritic structure in non-equilibrium solidification conditions of binary alloy. Thermal, diffusion and surface phenomena have been included in the mathematical description of solidification. The methodology for calculating growth velocity of the liquid-solid interface based on solute balance, considering the distribution of the alloy component in the neighborhood of moving interface has been proposed. The influence of solidification front curvature on the equilibrium temperature was determined by applying the Gibbs Thomson approach. Solute and heat transfer equations were solved using the finite difference method assuming periodic boundary conditions and Newton cooling boundary condition at the edges of the system. The solutal field in the calculation domain was obtained separately for solid and liquid phase. Numerical simulations were carried out for the Al-4 wt.% Cu alloy at two cooling rates 15 K/s and 50 K/s. Microstructure images generated on the basis of calculations were compared with actual structures of castings. It was found that the results of the calculations are agreement in qualitative terms with the results of experimental research. The developed model can reproduce many morphological features of the dendritic structure and in particular: generating dendritic front and primary arms, creating, extension and coarsening of secondary branches, interface inhibition, branch fusion, considering the coupled motion and growth interaction of crystals.

In the dissertation it has been shown, that so called “time-thermal treatment” (TTT) of the alloy in liquid state as overheating the metal

with around 250o

C above Tliq. and detailing it in temperature for 30 to 40 minutes has the influence on changing the crystallization

parameters (Tliq., TEmin.

, TEmax., TE(Me), TSol.). It was ascertained, that overheating the AlSi17Cu5Mg alloy substantially above Tliq. results

with microcrystalline structure. Evenly distributed in the eutectic warp primeval silicon crystals and supersaturated with alloying additives

of base content (Cu, Mg, Fe) of α(Al) solution, ensures not only increase durability in ambient temperature, but also at elevated

temperature (250o

C), what due to it’s use in car industry is an advantage.