Fatigue Characteristics and Quality Index of A357 Type Semi-Solid Aluminum Castings Used for Automotive Application

The present work aims to investigate the fatigue characteristics of automotive lower suspension arm made of semi-solid A357 aluminum castings using metallurgical and analytical approaches. The fatigue life calculations of analytical model are used to identify and introduce the model parameters based on the suspension arm material followed by analyzing the load-number of cycles fatigue curve. The critical stress areas capable of initiating cracks during fatigue tests are detected using ABAQUS software followed by the installation of strain gages on the suspension arm to calculate maximum stress. The fatigue experiments are carried out to compare the results of the analytical method with the experimental endurance curves traced by lower suspension arm samples. Microstructure characteristics of the semi-solid A357 under T6 heat treatment conditions are examined using scanning electron microscope. The results show that the fatigue life and the quality index of alloys investigated are affected by casting technique, castings design, microstructural characterization, and heat treatment condition.