Unlocking Sustainability Potentials in Heat Treatment Processes

Energy consumption, greenhouse gas emissions, environmental impact levels, and the availability of materials as well as their sustainable usage are all topics of high current interest. The energy intensive processes of casting production such as heat treatment are particularly affected by the pursuit of sustainability. It has been estimated that up to 20% of the total energy demand in a non-ferrous foundry is required to provide the heat energy necessary during heat treatment processes. This paper addresses the application-oriented development of a sustainable configuration of the heat treatment process at the example of the aluminium-casting alloy A356 (AlSi7Mg0.3). Based on calculations of the physically necessary operating modes and under investigation of previous parameter recommendations, experimental studies were carried out to investigate the effects of various heat treatment parameters on the ultimate mechanical properties of the alloy. Since the achievable mechanical properties of the finished casting are decisive, the static and dynamic casting properties resulting from the heat treatment with optimized process parameters were compared with those of conventional process control. Significant optimization potential is shown for reducing the treatment time and thus lowering the energy consumption.