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Effects of Sr-modification, iron-based intermetallics and aging treatment on the impact toughness of 356 Al–Si–Mg alloy

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Abstract

Impact toughness as a property has been acquiring increased importance in recent years, since data regarding this property can provide a means for assessing alloy ductility under high rates of deformation. The main objective of this study is to investigate the effects of Sr-modification, Fe-based intermetallic phases and aging conditions on the impact toughness of widely used 356 alloys. The total absorbed energy was measured using a computer-aided instrumented Instron Charpy impact testing machine. Increasing the level of iron additions decreases the impact energy values of 356 alloys to a noticeable degree (~35–57%). The addition of 0.1 wt% Mn to non-modified 356 alloys seems to have no observable effect on the impact energy, while increasing the Mn addition to 0.4 wt% produces a slight improvement in the impact energy values for non-modified and Sr-modified 356 alloys compared to that of those containing only iron under the same conditions. The application of solution heat treatment in combination with Sr-modification was found to significantly improve the impact energy of as-cast 356 alloys, particularly at low iron additions. Artificial aging of non-modified and Sr-modified 356 alloys at 180 °C diminishes the impact energy values with an increase in the aging time up to 8 h compared to those obtained under the solution heat-treated conditions. On the other hand, aging at 220 °C for 12 h increases the impact energy values of Sr-modified 356 alloy containing 0.12 wt% Fe and combined 0.2 wt% Fe–0.1 wt% Mn to about 20 and 18 J, respectively. The fracture behavior of non-modified 356 alloys containing 0.12 wt% Fe is mainly controlled by the acicular eutectic Si particles whereas β-iron platelets act as crack initiation sites and provide further path for final crack propagation in non-modified 356 alloys containing 0.9 wt% Fe. The β-iron platelets and π-iron phase particles contribute largely to crack initiation and propagation in the Sr-modified 356 alloys containing 0.9 wt% Fe.

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Acknowledgements

Financial and in-kind support received from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), General Motors Power Train Group (USA), and Corporativo Nemak (Mexico), is gratefully acknowledged. The authors would also like to thank Mr. Lang Shi of the Microanalysis Laboratory, Earth and Planetary Science, McGill University for carrying out the EPMA analysis.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Université du Québec à Chicoutimi, Chicoutimi, QC, Canada

    O. Elsebaie, A. M. Samuel & F. H. Samuel

  2. College of Engineering, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

    F. H. Samuel

  3. Center of Excellence for Research in Engineering Materials, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

    F. H. Samuel

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  1. O. Elsebaie
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  2. A. M. Samuel
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  3. F. H. Samuel
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Correspondence to F. H. Samuel.

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Elsebaie, O., Samuel, A.M. & Samuel, F.H. Effects of Sr-modification, iron-based intermetallics and aging treatment on the impact toughness of 356 Al–Si–Mg alloy. J Mater Sci 46, 3027–3045 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10853-010-5181-1

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