Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Al-Si Alloys Produced by Rapid Solidification and Hot Extrusion

Abstract

The paper presents the results of tests of rapid solidification (RS) aluminum alloys with the addition of silicon (5%, 11%, and 20%). Casting by melt-spinning on the surface of an intensively cooled copper cylinder allowed to obtain a metallic material in the form of flakes, which were then consolidated in the process of pressing and direct extrusion. The effect of refinement on structural components after rapid solidification was determined. Rapidly solidified AlSi materials are characterized by a comparable size of Si particles, regardless of the silicon content, and the shape of these particles is close to spheroidal. Not only Si particles are fragmented, but also the Al-Si-Fe phase, which also changed its shape from irregular with sharp edges to regular and spherical. The melt-spinning process resulted in a fine-grained structure compared to materials obtained by gravity-casting and extrusion. The influence of the high-temperature compression test on the mechanical properties of rapidly solidified materials was analyzed, and the results were compared with those of gravity-cast materials. An increase in strength properties was found in the case of the AlSi5 RS alloy by 20%, in the case of AlSi11RS by 25%, and in the case of the alloy containing 20% Si by as much as 86% (tensile test). On the basis of the homogeneity of the particle distribution determined by the SEM method, it was found that rapid solidification is an effective method of increasing the strength properties and improving the plastic properties of Al-Si alloys.