Design of a mould for the study of the relationship between thermal analysis results and microstructure of aluminium alloy A357 in investment casting

Melt treatment of aluminium alloys is essential for optimizing their mechanical properties. Thermal analysis methods usually used as control are based on the cooling of the metal in metallic or sand cups. In investment casting, however, cooling takes place in a refractory mould at high temperatures (400-700 °C), where parts are characterized by thin thicknesses, so the results given by thermal analysis devices are not really representative of what happens in the parts. As a result of the present work a mould design is obtained, which adjusts itself to the typology of the parts in investment casting, and will make it possible to establish, in future trials, a relationship between thermal analysis results, microstructure in the part and final mechanical properties.