Al-Si-P master alloy and its modification and refinement performance on Al-Si alloys

An Al-Si-P master alloy has been developed by an in-situ reaction and the electron probe microanalyzer （EPMA） results show that there are many pre-formed AlP particles contained in the master alloy. Silicon introduced into the system plays an important role in remarkably improving the distribution and content of AlP particles due to their similar crystal structure and lattice parameters. ZL109 alloys have shown fast modification response to the addition of 0.5% Al-15Si-3.5P master alloy at 720℃, with a mass of primary Si precipitating in size of about 15 μm. Also, coarse primary Si grains in AI-30Si alloy can be refined dramatically from 150 μm to 37 μm after the addition of 2.0% Al-15Si-3.5P master alloy at 850℃. The P recovery of the Al-15Si-3.5P master alloy is much higher than that of a Cu-8.5P master alloy due to the pre-formed AlP particles.

Functions and mechanism of modification elements in eutectic solidification of Al-Si alloys:A brief review

Being used more and more widely in engineering,AlSi alloys comprise about 80%of all kinds of aluminum alloys,which are the most widely utilized nonferrous alloys.Although most Al-Si alloys consist of multiple components,the eutectics in the structure accounts for 50%-90%of the sum volume of such alloys.Therefore,understanding the modification mechanism and function rules of the AlSi eutectic solidification is the technical key in controlling the structures and properties of such casting alloys.The present paper chiefly reviews recent investigation developments and important conclusions along the lines of the functions of modification elements and their modification mechanism in the eutectic solidification of Al-Si alloys.

Effects of P+Cr complex modification and solidification conditions on microstmcture of hypereutectic Al-Si alloys by wedge-shaped copper mould casting

Large and segregated primary Si particles may drastically decrease the mechanical properties of Al-Si alloys. To solve this problem, a P-Cr complex modif ier was added into the alloy, and the effects of P-Cr complex modification and solidification conditions on the microstructure of hypereutectic Al-Si alloys casting produced in wedge-shaped copper mould were studied. The thermal analysis technique was applied to calculate the cooling rate during solidification. The microstructures were observed by means of optical and scanning electron microscopies. Results showed that the primary Si segregates in the as-cast hypereutectic Al-Si alloys. The segregation of primary Si can be inhibited by adding a P+Cr complex modif ier and increasing the cooling rate during solidif ication. The ref inement of primary Si particles by P+Cr complex modif ication is due to the formation of CrS i2 and AlP particles which act as the heterogeneous nuclei for the primary Si phase. The segregation of Si was also inhibited through the adherence of heavier CrS i2 particles to the primary Si particles.

Influence of Al-B grain refiner on porosity formation of directionally solidified Al-Si alloys

This work aims to present a perspective for porosity formation in three different alloys:A356,A413 and A380.1 by taking into account the addition of Al-B grain refiners:AlTi5B1 and Al3B.The directional solidification method was used,and microstructural changes of the alloys and its correlation with porosity formation were investigated.Pore size,number of pores,average pore length and distribution of pores were statistically analyzed.Also,external shrinkage was examined,and the volume of external shrinkage was calculated.It was found that there was a relationship between external shrinkage and the size and number of pores.As the size and number of pores internally decrease,external shrinkage increases.Additionally,porosity is decreased in all the three Al-Si alloys when Al-B grain refiners are used.The distribution of pore diameters is low when AlTi5B1 is used.Grain refiners have a different effect on porosity formation of Al-Si alloys with regard to their solidification morphology.

Refining Effect of Boron on Hypoeutectic Al-Si Alloys

Several concepts of the grain refinement mechanism of B on hypoeutectic Al-Si alloys have been adopted: the refining effect of B on the a-AI and eutectic Si with the different additions of Al-B master alloys made at 850℃ was investigated; and the Al-B master alloys formed under different temperature conditions have been studied to explore the morphologies of AIB2 particles; slowly cooled sample with addition of Al-B was made to explore the refinement mechanism. AI-B master alloy can refine not only a-AI, but eutectic Si. Theoretical analysis indicates that, although AIB2 does not take part directly in the nucleation process in pure Al in the presence of Si, it provides a substrate for precipitation of a small content of Si from which a-At will grow without any undercooling. When the temperature decreases to eutectic line, AIB2 subsequently nucleates eutectic Si; AIB2 particles appear in two different morphologies, namely, hexagonal platelet and tetradehedron morphology which depend on the processing temperature conditions.

Structural Characteristics of Rapidly Quenched Al-Si Alloys

The structure of rapldly quenched Al-Si alloys (1 and 4 wt-%Si) was systematically studied by optical and transmission electron microscopy (TEM ) as welI as X-ray djffractjon (XRD). ExperimentaIresults show that rapid solidification refines the grain size. extends the solid solubility of Si in Al and Introduces a high density ot defects which exist in the forms of vacancies, dislocations and dislocation loops. etc.. The decomposition process of the alloys was fol lowed by using differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) and the activation energy for precipitation of Si was obtained through Kissinger analysis. The precipitation behaviour of Supersaturated Si in both samples was further examined by TEM. It was found that Si mainly precipitated inside the grains in Al-1 wt-%Si alloy. while in Al-4 wt-%Si alloy. nearly all the Si precipitates distributed along the grain boundaries. This may be due to the structure difference between the alloys in as-quenched state

Application of CX-type modifiers in Al-Si alloys

The modification effect of CX-type (CX means the modifiers that have longeffective term) modifiers applied in ZL108 and ZL104 Al-Si alloys has been studied in detail. Theresults show that the morphologies of the eutectic silicon and the primary silicon can be modifiedand refined simultaneously. The modification effect acts quickly and can maintain a period of 8 h bythe CX-type modifiers. The CX-type modifiers increase the mechanical properties of Al-Si alloys andimprove the service properties of machine parts made of Al-Si alloys (such as piston and cylinderetc.). In modifying processes, the amount of the addition of CX-type modifiers is smaller than thatof any other modifiers, and the modifying procedures are simple. There are no smoke, no dust, and noirritant smell in modifying processes using CX-type modifiers. Therefore, the CX-type modifiershave advantages in economy and environment protection.

Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Hyper-eutectic Al-Si Alloys Fabricated by Spray Casting

Microstructure and mechanical properties of hyper-eutectic Al-Si alloy fabricated by spray casting were in- vestigated and then these results were compared with those by squeeze cast.The spray-cast specimen was found to have finer Si particles （～5μm） compared to the squeeze-cast specimen （10-25μm）.The tensile strength and elongation of the spray-cast specimen are also higher than those of the squeeze cast one.It was considered that the increased mechanical properties of the spray-cast specimen were mainly due to finer size of the Si particles distributed in Al matrix.

INFLUENCES OF TRACE ADDITIONS OF STRONTIUM AND PHOSPHORUS ON ELECTRICAL RESISTIVITY AND VISCOSITY OF LIQUID Al-Si ALLOYS

The electrical resistivity and viscosity of liquid hypoeutectic Al 7%Si and hypereutectic Al 18%Si alloys, and the influences of trace strontium and phosphorus on them were investigated. The trace additions of the two elements increase the electrical resistivity. At the precipitation temperatures of primary phase, the electrical resistivity exhibits a discontinuity for all experimental Al Si alloys. In the discontinuity the electrical resistivity, respectively, decreases and increases abruptly for Al 7%Si alloys and Al 18%Si alloys. Phosphorus and strontium both have some effects on the discontinuity temperature and the jump value of electrical resistivity of Al 18%Si alloys, but strontium hardly has effect on them in Al 7%Si alloys. The trace additions of strontium and phosphorus increase the viscosity of the experimental alloy.

Effect of AlP master alloy on grain refinement of primary silicon in eutectic Al-Si alloys

To obtain the finer primary silicon crystals, the proprietary Al-P masteralloy was adopted to modify the eutectic Al-Si alloys and the most suitable modification process wasmade in the experiments. The SEM (Scanning Electron Microscope) and DSC (Differential ScanningCalorimeter) analysis indicate that the Al-P modifier has more advantages over Cu-P and Fe-Pmodifier in easily addition, no elemental alteration and less undercooling of primary silicon'ssolidification, which suggests the Al-P master alloy is an effective modifier of eutectic Al-Sialloys.

Assessment of modification level of hypoeu- tectic Al-Si alloys by pattern recognition of cooling curves

Most evaluations of modification level are done according to a specific scale based on an American Foundry Society (AFS) standard wall chart as qualitative analysis in Al-Si casting production currently. This method is quite dependent on human experience when making comparisons of the microstructure with the standard chart. And the structures depicted in the AFS chart do not always resemble those seen in actual Al-Si castings. Therefore, this qualitative analysis procedure is subjective and can introduce human-caused errors into comparative metallographic analyses. A quantization parameter of the modification level was introduced by setting up the relationship between mean area weighted shape factor of eutectic silicon phase and the modification level using image analysis technology. In order to evaluate the modification level, a new method called "intelligent evaluating of melt quality by pattern recognition of thermal analysis cooling curves" has also been introduced. The results show that silicon modification level can be precisely assessed by comparison of the cooling curve of the melt to be evaluated with the one most similar to it in a database.

Degassing effect of ultrasonic vibration in molten melt and semi-solid slurry of Al-Si alloys

In the process of semi-solid slurry preparation with direct ultrasonic vibration (UV) by dipping the horn into the melt, one of the questions is whether the gas content in the melt would be increased or not by the cavitation effect of ultrasonic vibration. By application of quantitative gas content measurement technique, this paper investigated the effect of the ultrasonic vibration on the gas content of both the melt and the semi-solid slurry of Al-Si alloys, and the variations of the gas contents in two kinds of aluminum alloys, i.e., A356 alloy and Al-20Si-2Cu-1Ni-0.6RE alloy (Al-20Si for short). The results show that ultrasonic vibration has an obvious degassing effect on the molten melt, especially on the semi-solid slurry of Al-Si alloy which is below the liquidus temperature by less than 20 ℃. The ultrasonic degassing efficiency of the A356 alloy decreases with the reduction of the initial gas content in the melt, and it is nearly unchanged for the Al-20Si alloy. The gas content of both alloys decreases when the ultrasonic vibration time is increased. The best vibration time for Al-20Si alloy at the liquid temperature of 710 ℃ and semi-solid temperature of 680 ℃ is 60 s and 90 s, respectively; and the degassing efficiency is 48% and 35%, respectively. The mechanism of ultrasonic degassing effect is discussed.

Formation of hypereutectic silicon particles in hypoeutectic Al-Si alloys under the influence of high-intensity ultrasonic vibration

The modification of eutectic silicon is of general interest since fine eutectic silicon along with fine primary aluminum grains improves mechanical properties and ductilities. In this study, high intensity ultrasonic vibration was used to modify the complex microstructure of aluminum hypoeutectic alloys. The ultrasonic vibrator was placed at the bottom of a copper mold with molten aluminum. Hypoeutectic Al-Si alloy specimens with a unique in-depth profile of microstructure distribution were obtained. Polyhedral silicon particles, which should form in a hypereutectic alloy, were obtained in a hypoeutectic Al-Si alloy near the ultrasonic radiator where the silicon concentration was higher than the eutectic composition. The formation of hypereutectic silicon near the radiator surface indicates that high-intensity ultrasonic vibration can be used to influence the phase transformation process of metals and alloys. The size and morphology of both the silicon phase and the aluminum phase varies with increasing distance from the ultrasonic probe/radiator. Silicon morphology develops into three zones. Polyhedral primary silicon particles present in zoneⅠ, within 15 mm from the ultrasonic probe/radiator. Transition from hypereutectic silicon to eutectic silicon occurs in zoneⅡ about 15 to 20 μm from the ultrasonic probe/radiator. The bulk of the ingot is in zoneⅢ and is hypoeutectic Al-Si alloy containing fine lamellar and fibrous eutectic silicon. The grain size is about 15 to 25 μm in zoneⅠ, 25 to 35 μm in zoneⅡ, and 25 to 55 μm in zoneⅢ. The morphology of the primary α-Al phase is also changed from dendritic (in untreated samples) to globular. Phase evolution during the solidification process of the alloy subjected to ultrasonic vibration is described.

Effect of hot extrusion process on microstructure and mechanical properties of hypereutectic Al-Si alloys

The hypereutectic Al-Si alloy was fabricated by hot extrusion process after solidified under electromagnetic stirring,and the microstructure and mechanical properties of the alloy were studied.The results show that the ultimate tensile strength and elongation of the alloy reached 229.5 MPa and 4.6%,respectively with the extrusion ratio of 10,and 263.2 MPa and 5.4%,respectively with extrusion ratio of 20.This indicates that the mechanical properties of the alloy are obviously improved with the increase of extrusion ratio.After hot extruded,the primary Si,eutectic Si,Mg2Si,AlNi,Al7Cu4Ni and Al-Si-Mn-Fe-Cr-Mo phases are refined to different extent,and the efficiency of refinement is obvious more and more with the increase of extrusion ratio.After T6 heat treatment,the sharp corners of these phases become passivated and roundish,and the mechanical properties are improved.The ultimate tensile strength of the extruded alloy after T6 heat treatment reaches 335.3 MPa with extrusion ratio of 10 and 353.6 MPa with extrusion ratio of 20.

EFFECT OF Ti ON MICROSTRUCTURE OF RAPIDLY SOLIDIFIED Al-Si ALLOYS

An addition of Ti as alloying element to Al-Si binary alloy will reduce the undercooling-abili- ty on rapid solidification of the melt-spun ribbon.The microstructure will be encoarsened even at initiation of its solidification,so as to aggravate the eellular segregation of Si in the alloy ribbon.

Effect of A1P master alloy on grain refinement of primary silicon in eutectic Al-Si alloys

To obtain the finer primary silicon crystals, the proprietary Al-P master alloy was adopted to modify the eutectic Al-Si alloys and the most suitable modification process was made in the experiments. The SEM (Scanning Electron Microscope) and DSC (Differential Scanning Calorimeter) analysis indicate that the Al-P modifier has more advantages over Cu-P and Fe-P modifier in easily addition, no elemental alteration and less undercooling of primary silicon’s solidification, which suggests the Al-P master alloy is an effective modifier of eutectic Al-Si alloys.

Grain refinement of primary silicon in hypereutectic Al-Si alloys by different P-containing compounds

The grain refinement behavior of Si-3 P,Si-25 Mn-10 P,and Al-10 Si-2 Fe-3 P master alloys on hypereutectic Al-24 Si alloy was studied.Microstructure analysis indicates that the P-containing compounds in the three master alloys are Si P,Mn P,and Al P,respectively.The coarse flower-like primary silicon in the Al-24 Si alloy transforms into smaller,well-distributed blocks with the addition of various master alloys.When pouring at 840°C,the average grain size of the primary silicon refined by Si-25 Mn-10 P master alloy with a holding time of 30 min is about 18μm,which is significantly smaller than those refined by Si-3 P and Al-10 Si-2 Fe-3 P master alloys.The grain size shows an increasing trend when the holding time is further prolonged.Higher holding temperature has a positive effect on the grain refinement of Si-25 Mn-10 P master alloy.The grain refinement mechanism of the three master alloys was also discussed.

MODIFICATION EFFECT OF Sr ON Al-Si ALLOYS

By inserting the single crystal silicon seeds into Sr modified Al-22wt-% Si alloy melts,the fact that nucleation and growth of Si-phase are affected by Sr addition has been confirmed.It is suggested that this effect is caused by the adsorption of Sr on{111}_(si),and the modification of eutectic structure results from the variation of leading phase in the eutectic from Si to α-Al.

STRUCTURE OF LIQUID Al-Si ALLOYS

In the light of DSC, electronic microprobe and X-ray diffration analyses of the melt-spinning ribbons and the structures of liquid hypoeutectic Al-7%Si, euteclic Al-12.7%Si and hypereutectic A1-18%Si alloys have been investigated. The results show that the Al-Si clusters in liquid hypoeutectic Al-Si alloy, the Si-Si clusters in liquid eutectic and hypereutectic Al-Si alloys exist at low temperatures, however, the size of clusters decreases gradurally with increasing temperature. This process in which inhomogeneous liquid turns into homogeneous one happens in a range of temperatures.

Effects of Si Content and the Addition Amount of Al-3B Master Alloy on the Solidification Structures of Hypoeutectic Al-Si Alloys

Effects of Si content and the addition amount of Al-3B master alloy on the solidification structures of hypoeutectic Al-Si alloys were studied. The addition amounts of the master alloy were 0.2%, 0.4%, 0.7% and 1% (mass fraction, so as the follows), respectively. The Si content of Al-Si binary alloys investigated varied from 1% to 11%. The observation of macrostructures of non-refined samples showed that 3% Si constitutes a transition point at which the minimum grain size can be obtained. It was also found that Al-3B master alloy can shift the transition point towards a higher Si value when its addition amount increases, making this point appear at 4%, 5% and 6% Si as its addition amount increases up to 0.4%, 0.7% and 1%, respectively.