Modern methods for investigating hot cracking susceptibility in metallic materials
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.51301/ejsu.2026.i5.01Keywords:
aluminium alloy, eutectic, hot-cracking indices, alloying, casting, hot cracks, effective solidification intervalAbstract
The development of modern science and technology has shown that ensuring high product quality depends not only on the operational characteristics of materials, but also on their technological properties. In the production of aluminum alloys, ingots are most commonly used as the initial material for wrought alloys, while shaped castings are used for casting alloys. One of the most widespread defects occurring during the production of castings and ingots is hot cracking, which is the tendency of a material to form crystallization cracks during solidification. The problem of hot cracking is particularly relevant in the development and production of new high-strength and heat-resistant aluminum alloys, since the ranges of their chemical compositions often coincide with regions of increased hot cracking susceptibility. A pronounced tendency of alloys to hot cracking during casting and fusion welding significantly complicates, and in many cases makes practically impossible, their introduction into mass production despite their valuable service properties. As a rule, reducing hot cracking susceptibility in the development of new alloys is achieved through lengthy and labor-intensive experimental studies. This paper considers a method for evaluating the hot cracking susceptibility of aluminum alloys using the pencil test. The physical nature of the hot cracking phenomenon is described, the principle of the method is presented, and the testing procedure and analysis of the results are outlined. In addition, a schematic representation of the hot cracking test according to the pencil test method and a list of references are provided.
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