Precipitation Kinetics and Evaluation of the Interfacial Mobility of Precipitates in an AlSi7Cu3.5Mg0.15 Cast Alloy with Zr and V Additions

Recent environmental restrictions constrained car manufacturers to promote cast aluminum alloys working at high temperatures (180 °C–300 °C). The development of new alloys permits the fabrication of higher-strength components in engine downsizing. Those technologies increase internal loadings and specific power and stretch current materials to their limits. Transition metals in aluminum alloys are good candidates to improve physical, mechanical, and thermodynamic properties with the aim of increasing service life of parts. This study is focused on the modified AlSi7Cu3.5Mg0.15 alloy where Mn, Zr, and V have been added as alloying elements for high-temperature applications. The characterization of the cast alloy in this study helps to evaluate and understand its performance according to their physical state: As-cast, as-quenched, or artificially aged. The precipitation kinetics of the AlSi7Cu3.5Mg0.15 (Mn, Zr, V) alloy has been characterized by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) observations, and micro-hardness testing. The Kissinger analysis was applied to extract activation energies from non-isothermal DSC runs conducted at different stationary heating rates. Finally, first-order evaluations of the interfacial mobility of precipitates were obtained.