Generation of quality maps to support material selection by exploiting the quality indices concept of cast aluminum alloys

The use of quality indices of cast aluminum alloys to support material selection by means of generation of quality maps was investigated. The quality indices are methods for quality evaluation of cast aluminum alloys that evaluate the material on the basis of its mechanical performance. Quality maps were generated to support the material selection, on the basis of all proposed quality indices, devised for the evaluation of cast aluminum alloys to be used in aircraft applications. Produced quality maps provide the design engineer a tool to estimate a quality plateau, where lies all the candidate materials to be used for the specific application. Quality maps allow for comparison with all aluminum alloy systems. They also allow for a systematic assessing of the effect of chemical composition, solidification rate and heat treatment on the mechanical performance of the material. Use of such quality maps enables the design engineer to quick select the candidate materials of high quality (optimized mechanical performance) in order to maximize the quality of the structure.