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Microstructural Morphology and Mechanical Properties of Cooling Slope Rheocast A380 Al Alloy

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Abstract

The present study reports microstructure and mechanical properties of A380 Al alloy, rheocast using cooling slope. The cooling slope rheocasting technique yields rosette-shaped and near-spherical primary Al (α-Al) grains, in spite of dendritic ones observed in case of conventional cast (as-received) state of the alloy. Further improvement in microstructural morphology is noticed for the said alloy, when rheocast after individual and combined addition of grain refining (Al-5Ti-1B master alloy) and modifying agents (Al-10Sr master alloy). Moreover, cooling slope rheocasting technique facilitates formation of α-type Al15(Fe,Mn)3Si2 polyhedrons within the rheocast alloy, despite highly brittle platelet-shaped β-type Al5FeSi intermetallics observed in case of conventional liquidus cast state of the alloy. Cooling slope processing also ensures uniform distribution of iron-based intermetallics (α-type Al15(Fe,Mn)3Si2 polyhedrons) within the matrix of the rheocast alloy, along with the generation of fine fibrous morphology of eutectic Si and eutectic Al2Cu particles. The above reasons govern the noticeable improvement observed in mechanical properties of the rheocast alloy compared to its conventional cast counterpart. Best set of mechanical properties, i.e., the highest tensile strength, hardness, and impact toughness, has been achieved in the combined melt-treated (grain refined + modified) rheocast alloy, among other rheocast alloys studied here. This is attributed to the minimum presence of iron-based intermetallics, finer eutectic morphology, as well as spheroidal primary Al grains, in case of refiner and modifier added rheocast alloy.

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Acknowledgments

The author would like to thank SERB, DST, Government of India, and CSIR, Government of India, for their financial support to this work vide Grant No. SB/EMEQ-449/2014 and OLP121212, respectively. The author would also like to thank the personnel of the erstwhile NNMT group and Central Research Facility, CSIR-CMERI, for their cooperation and cordial help toward successful completion of this research work. The author would like to thank the Metallurgy Dept., NIT Durgapur, for extending mechanical characterization facilities. Finally, the author would like to express his gratitude to Director, IISc, for his encouragements.

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Das, P. Microstructural Morphology and Mechanical Properties of Cooling Slope Rheocast A380 Al Alloy. J. of Materi Eng and Perform 32, 8120–8139 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11665-022-07709-0

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