Grain refining mechanism of Al-3B master alloy on hypoeutectic Al-Si alloys

Al-3B master alloy is a kind of efficient grain refiner for hypoeutectic Al-Si alloys. Experiments were carried out to evaluate the effect of undissolved AlB2 particles in Al-3B master alloy on the grain refinement of Al-7Si. It is found that the number and the settlement of AlB2 particles in the melt all have effect on the grain refining efficiency. On the basis of experiments and theoretical analysis, a new grain refinement mechanism was proposed to explain the grain refinement action of Al-3B on hypoeutectic Al-Si alloys. The formation of ＇Al-AlB2＇ shell structure is the direct reason for grain refinement and the undissolved AlB2 particles is the indirect nucleating base for subsequent α（Al） phase.

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.

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.

Nucleation and growth of eutectic cell in hypoeutectic Al-Si alloy

The nucleation and growth of eutectic cell in hypoeutectic Al-Si alloy was investigated using optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy equipped with electron backscattering diffraction（EBSD）.By revealing the eutectic cells and analyzing the crystallographic orientation,it was found that both the eutectic Si and Al phases in an eutectic cell were not single crystal,representing an eutectic cell consisting of small ＇grains＇.It is also suggested that the eutectic nucleation mode can not be determined based on the crystallographic orientation between eutectic Al phases and the neighboring primary dendrite Al phases.However,the evolution of primary dendrite Al phases affects remarkably the following nucleation and growth of eutectic cell.The coarse flake-fine fibrous transition of eutectic Si morphology involved in impurity elements modification may be independent of eutectic nucleation.

Microstructure and room temperature mechanical properties of NiAl-Cr(Mo)-(Hf,Dy) hypoeutectic alloy prepared by injection casting

The NiA1 Cr（Mo） （Hf, Dy） hypoeutectic alloys were prepared by conventional casting and injection casting techniques respectively, and their microstructure and room temperature mechanical properties were investigated. The results reveal that with the addition of Hf and Dy, the Ni2AIHf Heusler phase and NisDy phase form along the NiAI/Cr（Mo） phase boundaries in intercellular region. By the injection casting method, some Ni2AIHf Heusler phase and NisDy phase transform into Hf and Dy solid solutions, respectively. Moreover, the microstructure of the alloy gets good optimization, which can be characterized by the fine interlamellar spacing, high proportion of eutectic cell area and homogeneously distributed fine Ni2AIHf, NisDy, Hf solid solution and Dy solid solutions. Compared with conventional-cast alloy, the room temperature mechanical properties of injection-cast alloy are improved obviously.

Research on semi-solid slurry of a hypoeutectic Al-Si alloy prepared by low superheat pouring and weak electromagnetic stirring

The semi-solid slurry of a hypoeutectic Al-Si alloy was manufactured by low superheat pouring and weak electromagnetic stirring. The effects of pouting temperature and stirring power on the semi-solid slurry were investigated. The results indicated that the semi-solid slurry to satisfy rheocasting can be manufactured by low superheat pouring and weak electromagnetic stirring. The pouring temperature （or superheat） and the stirring power remarkably affected the morphology of primary α-Al and the size of primary α-Al, and there is no obvious effect of stirring time on primary α-Al. Compared with the samples made by low superheat pouring with no stirring, the nucleation rate, particle morphology and grain size of primary α-Al in A356 were markedly improved by low superheat pouring and weak electromagnetic stirring. On the condition of weak electromagnetic stirring, the pouring temperature with low superheat can be suitably raised to reach the effectiveness obtained from the lower pouring temperature without stirring.

Manufacture technique of semi-solid slurry of hypoeutectic Al-Si alloy by low superheat pouring and weak electromagnetic stirring

The semi-solid slurry of hypoeutectic Al-Si alloy was manufactured by low superheat pouring and weak electromagnetic stirring. The effects of pouring temperature and stirring power on the semi-solid slurry making process were investigated. The results indicate that the semi-solid slurry to satisfy rheocasting requirement can be made by a combination of low superheat pouring and weak electromagnetic stirring. The pouring temperature (or superheat) and the stirring power significantly affect the morphology and the size of primary α-Al, while there is no obvious effect of the stirring time on primary α-Al. Compared with the samples made by low superheat pouring without stirring, the nucleation rate, particle morphology and grain size of primary α-Al in A356 Al alloy are markedly improved by a process of applying both low superheat pouring and weak electromagnetic stirring. Under the condition of weak electromagnetic stirring applied, the pouring temperature with low superheat can be equivalently to reach the effectiveness obtained from the even lower pouring temperature without stirring.

Effect of slow shot speed on externally solidified crystal,porosity and tensile property in a newly developed high-pressure die-cast Al-Si alloy

The effect of slow shot speed on externally solidified crystal(ESC),porosity and tensile property in a newly developed high-pressure die-cast Al-Si alloy was investigated by optical microscopy(OM),scanning electron microscopy(SEM)and laboratory computed tomography(CT).Results showed that the newly developed AlSi9MnMoV alloy exhibited improved mechanical properties when compared to the AlSi10MnMg alloy.The AlSi9MnMoV alloy,which was designed with trace multicomponent additions,displays a notable grain refining effect in comparison to the AlSi10MnMg alloy.Refining elements Ti,Zr,V,Nb,B promote heterogeneous nucleation and reduce the grain size of primaryα-Al.At a lower slow shot speed,the large ESCs are easier to form and gather,developing into the dendrite net and net-shrinkage.With an increase in slow shot speed,the size and number of ESCs and porosities significantly reduce.In addition,the distribution of ESCs is more dispersed and the net-shrinkage disappears.The tensile property is greatly improved by adopting a higher slow shot speed.The ultimate tensile strength is enhanced from 260.31 MPa to 290.31 MPa(increased by 11.52%),and the elongation is enhanced from 3.72%to 6.34%(increased by 70.52%).

In-situ observation of porosity formation during directional solidification of Al-Si casting alloys

In-situ observation of porosity formation during directional solidification of two Al-Si alloys (7%Si and 13%Si) was made by using of micro-focus X-ray imaging.In both alloys,small spherical pores initially form in the melt far away from the eutectic solid-liquid (S/L) interface and then grow and coagulate during solidification.Some pores can float and escape from the solidifying melt front at a relatively high velocity.At the end of solidification,the remaining pores maintain spherical morphology in the near eutectic alloy but become irregular in the hypoeutectic alloy.This is attributed to different solidification modes and aluminum dendrite interactions between the two alloys.The mechanism of the porosity formation is briefly discussed in this paper.

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.

Microstructure evolution and phase transformation of traditional cast and spray-formed hypereutectic aluminium-silicon alloys induced by heat treatment

Microstructural evolution and phase transformation induced by different heat treatments of the hypereutectic aluminium-silicon alloy, Al-25Si-5Fe-3Cu （wt%, signed as 3C）, fabricated by traditional cast （TC） and spray forming （SF） processes, were investigated by differential scanning calorimetry （DSC） and scanning electron microscopy （SEM） combined with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction techniques. The results show that A17Cu2Fe phase can be formed and transformed in TC- and SF-3C alloys between 802-813 K and 800-815 K, respectively. The transformation from β-Al5FeSi to δ-Al4FeSi2 phase via peritectic reaction can occur at around 858-870 K and 876-890 K in TC- and SF-3C alloys, respectively. The starting precipitation temperature of δ-Al4FeSi2 phase as the dominant Fe-bearing phase in the TC-3C alloy is 997 K and the exothermic peak about the peritectic transformation of δ-Al4FeSi2→β-Al5FeSi is not detected in the present DSC experiments. Also, the mechanisms of the microstructural evolution and phase transformation are discussed.

Influence of high pressure and manganese addition on Fe-rich phases and mechanical properties of hypereutectic Al-Si alloy with rheo-squeeze casting

The influence of high pressure and manganese addition on Fe-rich phases(FRPs)and mechanical properties of Al-14Si-2Fe alloy with rheo-squeeze casting(RSC)was investigated.The semi-solid alloy melt was treated by ultrasonic vibration(UV)firstly,and then formed by squeeze casting(SC).Results show that the FRPs in as-cast SC alloys are composed of coarseβ-Al5(Fe,Mn)Si,δ-Al4(Fe,Mn)Si2 and bone-shapedα-Al15(Fe,Mn)3Si2 phases when the pressure is 0 MPa.With RSC process,the FRPs are first refined by UV,and then the solidification under pressure further causes the grains to become smaller.The peritectic transformation occurs during the formation ofαphase.For the alloy with the same composition,the ultimate tensile strength(UTS)of RSC sample is higher than that of the SC sample.With the same forming process,the UTS of Al-14Si-2Fe-0.8Mn alloy is higher than that of Al-14Si-2Fe-0.4Mn alloy.

Semisolid casting with ultrasonically melt-treated billets of Al-7mass%Si alloys

Abstract： The demand for high performance cast aluminum alloy components is often disturbed by increasing impurity elements, such as iron accumulated from recycled scraps. It is strongly required that coarse plate-like iron compound of β-Al5FeSi turns into harmless form without the need for applying refining additives or expensive virgin ingots. The microstructural modification of Al-7mass%Si alloy billets with different iron contents was examined by applying ultrasonic vibration during the solidification. Ultrasonically melt-treated billets were thixocast right after induction heating up to the semisolid temperature of 583 ℃, the microstructure and tensile properties were evaluated in the thixocast components. Globular primary reAl is required to fill up a thin cavity in thixocasting, so that the microstructural modification by ultrasonic melt-treatment was firstly confirmed in the billets. With ultrasonic melt-treatment in the temperature range of 630 ℃ to 605 ℃, the primary α-AI transforms itself from dendrite into fine globular in morphology. The coarse plate-like β-AIsFeSi compound becomes markedly finer compared with those in non-treated billets. Semisolid soaking up to 583 ℃, does not appreciably affect the size of β-AIsFeSi compounds; however, it affects the solid primary reAl morphology to be more globular, which is convenient for thixocasting. After thixocasting with preheated billets, eutectic silicon plates are extremely refined due to the rapid solidification arising from low casting temperature. The tensile strength of thixocast samples with different iron contents does not change much even at 2mass% of iron, when thixocast with ultrasonically melt-treated billets. However, thixocast AI-7mass%Si-2mass%Fe alloy with non-treated billets exhibits an inferior strength of 80 MPa, compared with 180 MPa with ultrasonically melt-treated billets. The elongation is also improved by about a factor of two in thixocastings with ultrasonically melt-treated billets for all iron contents of AI-7mass%Si alloys, for example, the elongation of 11% in thixocast of AI-7mass%Si-0.5mass%Fe alloy with ultrasonically melt-treated billets, 5% in that with non-treated billets.

Effect of holding pressure on density and cooling rate of cast Al-Si alloy during additive pressure casting

The cast Al-Si alloy was fabricated using the Additive Pressure Casting(APC)method.The effects of holding pressure from 50 to 400 k Pa on the density,cooling rate,and mechanical properties of the alloy,and the corresponding mechanism were discussed.The results indicate that the application of high holding pressure(300 k Pa)enhances the feeding ability of the alloy,leading to an increase of the density.Meanwhile,the cooling rate of the alloy is increased by 100%.In addition,the tensile testing results show that the increase of holding pressure from 50 to 300 k Pa improves the tensile strength and elongation of the alloy by 6.2%and 81.3%,respectively.However,excessive holding pressure(400 k Pa)might lower the density and cooling rate of the alloy due to the feeding channels being blocked.

Effects of magnesium and copper additions on tensile properties of Al-Si-Cr die casting alloy under as-cast and T5 conditions

Aluminum high pressure die casting(HPDC)technology has evolved in the past decades,enabling stronger and larger one-piece casting with significant part consolidation.It also offers a higher design freedom for more mass-efficient thin-walled body structures.For body structures that require excellent ductility and fracture toughness to be joined with steel sheet via self-piercing riveting(for instance,shock towers and hinge pillars,etc.),a costly T7 heat treatment comprising a solution heat treatment at elevated temperatures(450℃-500℃)followed by an over-ageing heat treatment is needed to optimize microstructure for meeting product requirement.To enable cost-efficient mass production of HPDC body structures,it is important to eliminate the expensive T7 heat treatment without sacrificing mechanical properties.Optimizing die cast alloy chemistry is a potential solution to improve fracture toughness and ductility of the HPDC components.The present study intends to tailor the Mg and Cu additions for a new Al-Si-Cr type die casting alloy(registered as A379 with The Aluminum Association,USA)to achieve the desired tensile properties without using T7 heat treatment.It was found that Cu addition should be avoided,as it is not effective in enhancing strength while degrades tensile ductility.Mg addition is very effective in improving strength and has minor impact on tensile ductility.The investigated Al-Si-Cr alloy with a nominal composition of Al-8.5wt.%Si-0.3wt.%Cr-0.2wt.%Fe shows comparable tensile properties with the T7 treated AlSi10MnMg alloy which is currently used for manufacturing shock towers and hinge pillars.

Effect of heat treatment on microstructure and tensile properties of A356 alloys

Two heat treatments of A356 alloys with combined addition of rare earth and strontium were conducted.T6 treatment is a long time treatment（solution at 535 ℃ for 4 h ＋ aging at 150 ℃ for 15 h）.The other treatment is a short time treatment（solution at 550 ℃ for 2 h ＋ aging at 170 ℃ for 2 h）.The effects of heat treatment on microstructure and tensile properties of the Al-7%Si-0.3%Mg alloys were investigated by optical microscopy,scanning electronic microscopy and tension test.It is found that a 2 h solution at 550 ℃ is sufficient to make homogenization and saturation of magnesium and silicon in α（Al） phase,spheroid of eutectic Si phase.Followed by solution,a 2 h artificial aging at 170 ℃ is almost enough to produce hardening precipitates.Those samples treated with T6 achieve the maximum tensile strength and fracture elongation.With short time treatment（ST）,samples can reach 90% of the maximum yield strength,95% of the maximum strength,and 80% of the maximum elongation.

铸造Al-Si合金熔体处理——晶粒细化

对亚共晶Ａｌ－Ｓｉ铸造合金进行细化处理已成为一种基本操作。中间合金（Ａｌ－Ｔｉ，Ａｌ－Ｔｉ－Ｂ和Ａｌ－Ｂ合金）在亚共晶Ａｌ－Ｓｉ铸造合金中与在工业纯铝和变形铝合金中的晶粒细化行为存在较大的差异。Ａｌ－３Ｔｉ－３Ｂ，Ａｌ－３Ｂ中间合金在Ａｌ－Ｓｉ铸造合金中表现出优异的晶粒细化效应，Ｓｉ与晶粒细化剂的交互作用在其中扮演着重要的角色。通过炉前对熔体进行快速热分析可以对晶粒细化效果和变质程度进行评价和预测，继而控制熔体处理的质量。对于亚共晶Ａｌ－Ｓｉ铸造合金，归纳起来有四种晶粒细化机理：包晶反应理论、共晶反应理论、硼化物颗粒理论和超形核理论。仅对Ａｌ－Ｓｉ铸造合金细化处理的最新进展。

Microstructural characteristics of Al-20Si-2Cu-0.4Mg-1Ni alloy formed by rheo-squeeze casting after ultrasonic vibration treatment

A swash plate for air conditioning compressor of cars was formed by rheo-squeeze casting with semi-solid Al-Si alloy slurry prepared by ultrasonic vibration process, and the microstructure of this alloy was investigated. Besides the microstructures of primary Si particles and α(Al)+β-Si eutectic phases, non-equilibrium α(Al) particles or dendrites are discovered in the microstructure of the Al-20Si-2Cu-0.4Mg-1Ni alloy. Rapid cooling generated by squeeze casting process rather than the pressure is considered as the main reason for the formation of non-equilibrium α(Al) phase. The sound pressurizing effect of ultrasonic vibration also enables the non-equilibrium α(Al) phases to form above eutectic temperature and grow into non-dendritic spheroids in the process of semi-solid slurry preparation. Non-equilibrium α(Al) phases formed in the hypereutectic Al-Si alloy with ultrasonic vibration treatment, consist of round α(Al) grains formed above the eutectic temperature and a small amount of fine α(Al) dendrites formed under the eutectic temperature. The volume fraction of primary Si particles is decreased significantly by the effect of ultrasonic vibration through increasing the solid solubility of Si atoms in α(Al) matrix and decreasing the forming temperature range of primary Si particles. The average particle diameter and the volume fraction of primary Si particles in microstructure of the swash-plate by rheo-squeeze casting are 24.3 μm and 11.1%, respectively.

变质工艺对亚共晶Al-Si合金共晶硅细化的影响

研究了工业生产Sr变质亚共晶Al-7%Si合金时,变质剂含量、变质温度、变质时间、浇注温度等工艺参数对合金共晶硅细化及其性能的影响。结果表明,在大规模工业化生产中,上述工艺参数严重影响共晶硅的变质效果。采用Al-10%Sr对亚共晶Al-7%Si合金进行变质,在w(Sr)=0.015%时,保温40min后,共晶团内的Si完全成为圆颗粒状,尺寸为5～10μm,达到最佳变质效果。采用Sr变质亚共晶Al-7%Si合金最佳变质温度为700℃,变质后共晶硅组织分布均匀;浇注温度为640℃时的铸件宏观组织最佳,晶粒度可稳定的达到2级,升高浇注温度,晶粒度提高。精炼后,变质时间为30～60min进行浇注,试样针孔度最小,熔体洁净程度高。

SOLIDIFYING STRUCTURES OF Al_2O_3 SHORT FIBER／Al－Si ALLOY MATRIX COMPOSITE PREPARED BY SQUEEZE CASTING

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