SCALING LAW OF IRREGULAR EUTECTIC IN DIRECTIONAL SOLIDIFICATION

The profile features of the solidifying interface of the irregular Al-Si eutectic during directional solidification are studied by numerically solving a nonlinear coupling equation of directional solidification of this eutectic.The critical splitting point of the solidifying interface coincides with the maximum value of its position and corresponds to the marginal stability point.Argument is presented that the interlamellar spacing for local regular structure selects the critical splitting state of the α(Al)-liquid interface as its operating point,and the oper- ating point of the average interflake spacing for the irregular structure is the critical splitting state of the β(Si)-liquid interface.The scaling laws derived,which have the more general forms than the classic Jackson-Hunt scaling,gained support from the experimental results.

Modeling of aluminum-silicon irregular eutectic growth by cellular automaton model

Due to the extensive application of Al-Si alloys in the automotive and aerospace industries as structural components, an understanding of their microstructural formation, such as dendrite and(Al+Si) eutectic, is of great importance to control the desirable microstructure, so as to modify the performance of castings. Since previous major themes of microstructural simulation are dendrite and regular eutectic growth, few efforts have been paid to simulate the irregular eutectic growth. Therefore, a multiphase cellular automaton(CA) model is developed and applied to simulate the time-dependent Al-Si irregular eutectic growth. Prior to model establishment, related experiments were carried out to investigate the influence of cooling rate and Sr modification on the growth of eutectic Si. This CA model incorporates several aspects, including growth algorithms and nucleation criterion, to achieve the competitive and cooperative growth mechanism for nonfaceted-faceted Al-Si irregular eutectic. The growth kinetics considers thermal undercooling, constitutional undercooling, and curvature undercooling, as well as the anisotropic characteristic of eutectic Si growth. The capturing rule takes into account the effects of modification on the silicon growth behaviors.The simulated results indicate that for unmodified alloy, the higher eutectic undercooling results in the higher eutectic growth velocity, and a more refined eutectic microstructure as well as narrower eutectic lamellar spacing. For modified alloy, the eutectic silicon tends to be obvious fibrous morphology and the morphology of eutectic Si is determined by both chemical modifier and cooling rate. The predicted microstructure of Al-7Si alloy under different solidification conditions shows that this proposed model can successfully reproduce both dendrite and eutectic microstructures.

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.

Solidification structure of eutectic Al-Si alloy under a high magnetic field-aid-electromagnetic vibration

An electromagnetic vibration was generated by simultaneously imposing a strong static magnetic field （up to 10 T） and an alternative electricity current to the metal. Its effects on the solidification structure of eutectic Al-Si alloy have been investigated experimentally. It is found that the eutectic structure has been refined by solely imposing high magnetic field while it is coarsened under the electromagnetic vibration. Furthermore, polyhedral Si grains and non-dendritic α-Al appeared when the electromagnetic vibration strength was strong enough. The refining of eutectic structure is attributed to the decrease of diffusion coefficient caused by the strong magnetic field. The coarseness of eutectic structure may be attributed to the convection caused by electromagnetic vibration. Strong convection may break co-operative growth of eutectic phases to form polyhedral Si grains and non-dendritic α-Al.

A NUMERICAL MODEL OF LAMELLAR SPACING OF Al-Si EUTECTIC

A numerical model is established to simulate the concentration field in irregular lamel- lar eutectic of Al-Si system. Both the undercooling and spacing are dependent on the growth rate and the temperature gradient, and increasing growth rate causes an in- crease of undercooling but a decrease of lamellar spacing, while increasing temperature gradient Leads to a decrease of Lamellar spacing. The computed results are in good agreement with experimental observations.

NONSTABLE GROWTH OF Al-Si EUTECTIC IN CONSTRAINED CONDITION

Nonstable growth of Al-Si eutectic in constrained condition has been investigated by means of change of the withdrawing rate in an unidirectional solidification system,In constant acceleration growth,a retarded effect of response of eutectic interflake spacing on the growth rate has been observed.The response mechanisms are cluster-branching and local termination extension of Si-phase.In constant deceleration growth,the cluster-branching and termina- tion mechanisms of silicon still control adjustment of the interflake spacing,but the spacing is determined by the initial growth rate and does not respond to the decreasing growth rate.

Interlamellar spacing and average interface undercooling of irregular eutectic in steady-state growth

The average lamellar spacing and interface undercooling in steady-state irregular eutectic growth were estimated based on the Jackson and Hunt’s analysis by relaxing the isothermal interface assumption.At low growth rates,the average lamellar spacing and average interface undercooling are dependent only on the characteristic thermo-physical properties of a binary eutectic system. For a general Al-Si eutectic,it is found that the eutectic characteristic length based on the present non-isothermal analysis is consistent with that obtained from isothermal analysis;however,the average interface undercooling is remarkably different between them,and such discrepancy in average interface undercooling increases with increasing of growth rate.The measured interface undercooling obtained from literature is reasonably interpreted by present non-isothermal analysis.

Effects of individual and combined additions of phosphorus,boron and cerium on primary and eutectic silicon in an Al-30Si alloy

The modification of silicon in an Al-30Si alloy was studied using optical microscopy, electron probe micro-analysis, transmission electron microscopy and differential scanning calorimetry. It is found that phosphorus master alloys combined with boron master alloys have good modification effect on primary silicon but no evident modification effect on eutectic silicon, while boron combined with cerium has good modification effect on eutectic silicon. The results of differential scanning calorimetry show that phosphorus, boron or cerium addition and their combined addition have different undercooling effects on eutectic silicon. Many scholars thought that AlP particles were the nuclei of eutectic silicon when phosphorus was enough in the alloy. Our results show that β-（Al,Si,Fe） can still be the nucleus of plate-like entectic silicon while AlP is the nucleus of primary silicon when there is enough phosphorus in the melt. In addition, the mechanism about the modification was also discussed.

An Al-12Si/ZnS powder inoculant for eutectic silicon in Al-12Si alloy

To obtain high-performance Al-Si-based cast alloys,refinement and modification of Si phases are required.An Al-12Si/ZnS powder inoculant was designed and fabricated using a chemical bath deposition method.The efficiency of the inoculant for modifying the eutectic Si phase in as-cast Al-12Si alloy was studied.Results show that Al-12Si/ZnS powder can significantly refine the eutectic Si in Al-Si cast alloys.The best refinement effect for eutectic Si is achieved with 17.5wt.%Al-12Si/ZnS powder.Coarse long needle-shaped eutectic Si with a length of 18μm was modified into approximately spherical shape with a diameter of 6.53μm,which is evenly distributed throughout the alloy.The E2EM model calculation indicates that the inter-plane misfit(F_(p))and inter-atomic spacing misfit(F_(r))between ZnS and Si are all less than 0.5%,which confirms that ZnS is a potential nucleation site for Si phase.The hardness,tensile strength,and elongation of Al-12Si alloys modified with 17.5%Al-12Si/ZnS powder increase 6.30%,16.18%and 55.45%,respectively,compared to the unmodified Al-12Si alloy.The fracture behavior of the alloy with 17.5wt.%Al-12Si/ZnS powder is dominated by transgranular fracture supplemented by intergranular fracture.

Si-RICH LAYER FORMATION DURING DIRECTIONAL SOLIDIFICATION OF AI-Si EUTECTIC ALLOY IN ELECTROMAGNETIC FIELD

The formation of a special Si-rich layer on the periphery of Al-Si eutectic alloy specimen during directional solidification in rotary electromagnetic field has been investigated.This layer seems due to the migration of some Si grains onto the crucible wall,then stagnating and coarsening further.

Mechanism of fracture toughness property of aging-hardening eutectic Al-Si alloys

The micro structures and fracture toughness properties of the aged Al-12.5Si-0.7Mg alloy plate were studied by transmission electron microscopy(TEM),optical microscopy(OM),tensile,and fracture toughness(the fracture toughness value,K_(IC))testing.The mechanism of fracture toughness properties of the alloys was discussed for different sizes of silicon particle and aging precipitates.The results show that the refined and rounded silicon particles will improve the fracture toughness property of the alloys.However,the silicon particles size is no longer the main factor to affect the fracture toughness property when the silicon particles are small and they have no sharp corners.The morphology and distribution of the precipitates play an important role in the fracture toughness property of the aged alloys.Their fracture toughness decreases gradually as the aging time increases.

Effect of electric current on the cast micro-structure of Al-Si alloy

Effect of electric current on the cast microstructure of Al-Si alloy was investigated. It was found that themicrostructure of Al-Si alloy was refined as the electric current was applied during solidification. When DC (Direct Current)was applied in solidification, the eutectic Si flakes are similar to those solidified without current, but its length was shortenedand its distribution was changed ,with most of the Si flakes arrange in the radial direction, because of the electromagneticforce that resulted from the DC. On the other hand, when AC (Alternating Current) was applied during the solidification ofAl-Si alloy, most of the minute hooks on the silicon flakes that were found under DC or without any applied current werebroken into small silicon particles. Through silicon concentration measurement by electron microprobe, it was found that thesilicon content in the α-AI matrix increased with the current application during solidification, and the effect is more obviouswhen AC was applied.

Eutectic Solidification in Near-eutectic Al-Si Casting Alloys

Eutectic solidification in near-eutectic Al-13 wt pct Si casting alloys and the effect of trace addition of boron or strontium on it have been investigated using thermal analysis and microstructural characterization. In unmodified alloy, dual eutectic structure has been observed. The coarse eutectic （dendrite-like Al＋ coarse Si flakes） is formed above the equilibrium temperature of eutectic （Al＋Si） reaction （577℃）. The coarse eutectic （CE） grains nucleate from the primary silicon particles formed earlier due to local enrichment of silicon solute and grow in a divorced mode between the dendritic Al phase and large silicon flakes. The fine eutectic （FE） grains nucleate later on other potential sites activated by melt undercooling and grow in coupled-growing mode with the silicon crystals as fine flakes. The formation of the FE grains is favored in the alloys containing boron because of a great number of potential nucleation sites being added from boron-containing particles. Addition of strontium to the alloys restrains completely the formation of primary silicon particles and hence limits the nucleation of the CE. This is because the eutectic point has moved far enough to make the alloy, at this composition （Al-13 wt pct Si）, hypo-eutectic. Local cooling rate during solidification has an important influence on competition formation of these two eutectics.

Effect of addition of Al-Si eutectic alloy on microstructure and mechanical properties of Mg-12wt%Li alloy

Mg-12 Li, Mg-12 Li-3（Al-Si）, Mg-12 Li-7（Al-Si） and Mg-12 Li-9（Al-Si） alloys（all in wt%） were fabricated by high frequency vacuum induction melting in a water cooled copper crucible. After subsequently hotrolling and annealing, their microstructure and mechanical properties were investigated. Experimental results show that mechanical properties of Mg-12 Li alloy were significantly improved by the addition of Al-Si eutectic alloy. Mg-12 Li-7（Al-Si） alloy shows the highest strength of 196 MPa of the investigated alloys, which is about 1.8 times of the strength of Mg-12 Li alloy, and maintains high elongation of 27%.The improved mechanical property with addition of Al and Si in the eutectic proportion into Mg-12 Li alloy was attributed to the solution strengthening effect of A1 and precipitation hardening effect from AlLi and Mg_2 Si precipitates.

Effect of erbium on properties and microstructure of Al-Si eutectic alloy

Eutectic Al-12.6 wt.%Si alloys with various contents of the rare earth element Er were prepared by the conventional casting technique. The effect of Er on the microstructure and properties of the eutectic Al-Si alloys was investigated using optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy as well as the friction and wear tests. It was found that the addition of Er obviously improved the anti-wear properties, and reduced the friction coefficient of the alloys. The appropriate addition of Er would change the size and shape of the eutectic silicon, and thereby refine the microstructure of the Al-Si alloys. The refinement mechanism was also discussed.

Effects of Strontium,Magnesium Addition,Temperature Gradient,and Growth Velocity on Al-Si Eutectic Growth in a Unidirectionally-solidified Al-13 wt%,Si Alloy

Al-Si eutectic growth mechanism was investigated in a directionally-solidified AI-1 3 wt% Si alloy with different strontium （Sr） and magnesium （Mg） additions, growth velocities and temperature gradients. Macro- and micro- scale metallographic analyses revealed that addition level of Sr and Mg, temperature gradient and growth velocity are important factors affecting stability of solidifying AI-Si eutectic front and the final morphology of eutectic grains in the solidified A1-13 wt% Si alloys. By varying （tailoring） these factors, a variety of eutectic grain structures and morphologies such as planar front, cellular structure, a mix of cellular and columnar, or equiaxed dendrites, can be obtained. Increasing temperature gradient, reducing growth velocity, or decreasing Sr and Mg contents is beneficial to stabilizing planar growth front of eutectic grains, which is qualitatively in accordance with constitutional supercooling criterion for binary eutectic growth. In contrast, adding more Sr and Mg, increasing growth velocity, or decreasing temperature gradient produces large constitutional supercooling, leading to columnar-equiaxed transition （CET） of eutectic structure, which can be interpreted on the basis of Hunt＇s Model. It is also found that both solute concentration and solidification variables have significant impact not only on eutectic growth, but also on gas porosity formation.

非规则共晶定向凝固结构的标度律

数值求解了Al-Si共晶定向凝固耦合方程,讨论了凝固界面形态作为共晶相间距函数的变化规律共晶凝固界面临界分叉态对应于边缘稳定点和界面位置的极大值点。α-液相界面临界分叉是局域规则层状结构相间距选择点。

定向凝固Fe—C共晶合金的组织参数与拉伸特性

研究了凝固速度对Fe—C共晶合金的固/液界面形貌、组织及拉伸性能的影响,提出石墨片混乱度参数,并给出了混乱度。

非规则共晶凝固理论研究的进展

通过各国学者数十年的不懈努力,现已建立了比较完善的规则共晶凝固理论模型,人们对共晶间距的选择机制及其形态转变有了较深刻的理解。有关非规则共晶凝固理论的研究工作虽有许多,但这些模型仍极不完善。本文中,在综合评述规则共晶凝固理论研究的基础上,着重阐述了近年来非规则共晶凝固理论的研究进展,提出了非规则共晶凝固理论研究的发展方向。