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The Effect of Chilling and Ce Addition on the Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Al-23Si Alloy

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The present work involves the study of the effect of varying concentration of Ce addition on microstructure and mechanical properties of Al-23%Si alloys. Melt-treated alloys were solidified in copper, brass, stainless steel molds to assess the effect of cooling rate. The effect on microstructure was assessed by measuring the fineness of primary silicon and eutectic silicon particle characteristics. The Ce melt treatment transformed the coarse and irregular primary silicon into refined polyhedral silicon crystals, and the effect was more significant at higher cooling rates. Although the melt treatment had refined the eutectic silicon at lower cooling rates, it did not show any considerable effect on the eutectic silicon at higher cooling rates. The mechanical properties of the alloy increased significantly with increase in cooling rates and cerium concentration. Analysis of the results and literature reveals that the refined primary silicon was formed as a result of an invariant reaction between Ce compounds and primary silicon at higher temperatures.

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Acknowledgments

One of the authors (VV) thanks National Institute of Technology Karnataka for the Research Scholarship.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Mechanical Engineering, Sree Buddha College of Engineering Pattoor, Alappuzha, Kerala, 690529, India

    V. Vijeesh

  2. Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering, National Institute of Technology Karnataka (NITK), Surathkal, Srinivasnagar, Mangalore, 575025, India

    K. Narayan Prabhu

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  1. V. Vijeesh
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Correspondence to K. Narayan Prabhu.

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Vijeesh, V., Narayan Prabhu, K. The Effect of Chilling and Ce Addition on the Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Al-23Si Alloy. J. of Materi Eng and Perform 26, 343–349 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11665-016-2415-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11665-016-2415-7

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