Feeding and Distribution of Porosity in Cast Al-Si Alloys as Function of Alloy Composition and Modification

Unmodified, Na-modified, and Sr-modified castings of Al-7 pct Si and Al-12.5 pct Si alloys were cast in molds in which it was possible to create different cooling conditions. It is shown how solidification influences the distribution of porosity at the surface and the center of the castings as a function of modification and Si content in sand- and chill-cast samples. Eutectic modification, Si content, and cooling conditions have a great impact on the distribution of porosity. Unmodified and Na-modified castings are more easily fed with porosity tending to congregate near the centerline of the casting, while Sr-modified castings solidify in a mushy manner that creates a more homogeneous distribution of porosity in the casting. The amount of porosity was highest in the Sr-modified alloys, lower in the Na-modified alloys, and lowest in the unmodified alloys. The size of the porosity-free layer and the effectiveness of the feeders were greater in the castings made with the steel chills due to the increased thermal gradients and consequent increase in the directionality of solidification

Chinese Script vs Plate-Like Precipitation of Beta-Al9Fe2Si2 Phase in an Al-6.5Si-1Fe Alloy

The microstructure of a high-purity Al-6.5Si-1Fe(wt pct) alloy after solidification at various cooling rates was investigated. In most of the cases, the monoclinic beta-Al9Fe2Si2 phase was observed as long and thin lamellae. However, at a very slow cooling rate, Febearing precipitates with Chinese script morphology appeared together with lamellae. Further analysis showed all these Chinese script precipitates correspond also to the monoclinic beta phase. This finding stresses that differentiating second phases according to their shape may be misleading

Effect of strontium and phosphorus on eutectic Al-Si nucleation and formation of beta-Al5FeSi in hypoeutectic Al-Si foundry alloys

The present investigation was carried out on hypoeutectic Al-Si alloys containing two levels of Fe, 0.5 and 1.1 wt pct, and Sr in the range of 30 to 500 ppm. The addition of Sr in excess of 100 ppm significantly reduced the number of eutectic grains and also resulted in the formation of polygonal-shaped Al2Si2Sr intermetallics. Transmission electron microscopy studies revealed that the Al2Si2Sr phase surrounded the P-rich particles. This may suggest that the otherwise potent nuclei for the Al-Si eutectic, aluminum phosphide (AlP), become poisoned or deactivated by the formation of the Al2Si2Sr phase around the particles. At the high-Fe level (1.1 wt pct Fe), pre-eutectic formation of β-Al5FeSi platelets further reduced the number of eutectic Al-Si nucleation events. It is proposed that both eutectic silicon and β-Al5FeSi are preferentially nucleated on AlP particles. Nucleation of eutectic silicon, therefore, becomes more difficult when it is preceded by the formation of Al2Si2Sr or β-Al5FeSi, because fewer nuclei are available to nucleate silicon. Addition of up to 60 ppm P to the alloys increased the formation temperature of the β-Al5FeSi platelets but did not significantly alter the size, whereas the addition of Sr decreased the β-Al5FeSi nucleation temperature by reducing the potency of the AlP particles

The effect of iron content on the iron-containing intermetallic phases in a cast 6060 aluminum alloy

The effect of iron content, ranging from 0.1 to 0.5 wt pct, on the formation of Fe-containing intermetallic phases in a cast 6060 aluminum alloy was investigated. Various characterization techniques, including optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were used to examine the identity, morphology, and prevalence of the Fe-Al and Fe-Al-Si intermetallic phases. The predominant phase is found to be β-AlFeSi at lower Fe levels, but this is replaced by α-AlFeSi (bcc structure) with increasing Fe content. The Fe containing intermetallic phases observed are compared to those predicted using the Scheil module of THERMO-CALC software, and the similarities and discrepancies are discussed

Microstructure Formation in AlSi4MgMn and AlMg5Si2Mn High-Pressure Die Castings

Understanding microstructure formation during high-pressure die casting (HPDC) is important for the effective quality control of high-pressure diecast aluminum-alloy components for high-integrity applications. In this study, two HPDC-specific aluminum alloys, AlSi4MgMn and AlMg5Si2Mn, were cast into tensile test bars by cold-chamber (CC) HPDC. The microstructures of the tensile bar specimens were characterized at different length scales, from the scale of the casting to the scale of the eutectic interlamellar spacing. The results show that the salient as-cast microstructural features, e.g., externally solidified crystals (ESCs), defect bands, the surface layer, grain size distribution, porosity, and hot tears were similar for both alloys. The formation of these features can be understood by considering the influence of flow and solidification during each stage of the HPDC process