Porosity is one of the significant internal defects of pressure castings and can negatively affect their mechanical properties. One of the methods for reducing the amount of air and gases trapped in the die cavity during filling is die vacuuming. This study aims to experimentally evaluate the effect of die vacuuming on the porosity of pressure castings. The experiment was carried out on a CLH 250 horizontal cold chamber die casting machine equipped with a FONDAREX vacuum system. An automotive component made of AlSi10Mg alloy was evaluated. During the experiments, the technological parameters of the process were kept constant, while castings produced without die vacuuming and with die vacuuming were compared. A total of 32 castings were analysed, including 16 produced without vacuuming and 16 produced using die vacuuming. Porosity was determined from metallographic sections using image analysis in ImageJ software. The average porosity of the castings produced without vacuuming was 2.633%, whereas the value determined for the castings produced with vacuuming was 0.912%. The experimental results indicate a significant difference in porosity between castings produced without die vacuuming and those produced with die vacuuming.
Science Journal 