Effect of Cooling Rate and Modification by Strontium on the Thermal Conductivity of Al-8Si Alloy

Cooling rate plays a critical role in determining the thermal conductivity of Al-Si alloys. Although the effect of morphology and size of Si (changed by heat treatment) on its thermal conductivity has been investigated, the effect of cooling rates on thermal conductivity has not been well studied. In this study, we investigated the microstructure of an Al-8Si (with and without modification by Strontium (Sr)) alloy with cooling rates from 46.2 °C/s to 234 °C/s. It was found that the effect of cooling rate on thermal conductivity of Sr modification and Sr-free samples are opposite from each other. As a result, while the cooling rate increased from 46.2 °C/s to 234 °C/s, the calculated thermal conductivity increased from 145.3 MS/m to 151.5 MS/m for Sr-free Al-8Si alloy, and the calculated thermal conductivity was reduced from 187.5 MS/m to 176.7 MS/m for the Sr-modified Al-8Si alloy. By discussing how thermal conductivity correlates with eutectic silicon morphology and secondary dendrite arm spacing, the relationship between cooling rate and thermal conductivity were explained. This work suggests a new design strategy for improving the thermal conductivity of Al-Si hypoeutectic alloys.

Automatic Determination of Secondary Dendrite Arm Spacing in AlSi-Cast Microstructures

A new procedure for the automatic measurement of the secondary dendrite arm spacing (SDAS) from microscopic images is presented. The individual primary and secondary dendrite arms are identified through suitable segmentation techniques and clustered in such a way that dendritic structures are obtained suitable for SDAS measurement. The algorithms are applied to two different hypoeutectic aluminum cast alloys, and the quality of the measurements obtained is assessed through a comparison to manually measured SDAS values. A good agreement between the automated measurements and the distribution of manual measurements is found for both cast structures considered. In addition, a decrease in computation time is observed which allows for an increase in measurement density that is used to characterize the microstructures.

Influence of some Chemical Elements on SDAS of A357 Alloy

A solidification model of coarsening coefficient for the criterion of secondary dendrite arm spacing has been established in this paper. When the model is applied to aluminum cast alloy, it is found that the model is in good agreement with the experiment results. Experiments and analysis show that addition of some chemical elements is conducive to the refinement of the secondary dendrite arm spacing under the same solidification condition. Different chemical elements have different refining effects, and Zr and Ti have better refining effect on A357 aluminum cast alloy than Cu.

Simulation and Experimental Validation of Secondary Dendrite Arm Spacing for AlSi7Mg0.3 Chassis Parts in Low Pressure Die Casting

The structural properties of cast aluminum parts are strongly affected by the solidification in the production process. The solidification dynamics determines the Secondary Dendrite Arm Spacing (SDAS), directly affecting the structural strength of the alloy. Simulation techniques enable the integrated design of chassis parts and their production equipment. However, in order to effectively predict the SDAS formation, the simulation models need to be investigated and calibrated. The present research investigates the SDAS formation models and identifies a robust relation to be used in Design by Simulation phases for AlSi7Mg0.3 parts.

Multi-Refinement Effect of Rare Earth Lanthanum on α-Al and Eutectic Si Phase in Hypoeutectic Al-7Si Alloy

The effect of La addition on primary α-Al and the eutectic Si phase of Al-7Si alloy is investigated systematically in this work. The results indicate that La addition causes a multi-refining efficiency on the microstructure of Al-7Si alloy, including refinement of α-Al grains and secondary dendrite arm spacing as well as eutectic Si particles. The grain size, secondary dendrite arm spacing and area of eutectic Si particles are decreased by 26.8%, 7.7% and 26.7%, respectively, with the addition of 0.1 wt.% La. It is also found that La-rich phases of Al2Si2La form and distribute in the vicinity of the eutectic Si phase. The crystal structure and lattice parameter of Al2Si2La phase are determined to be hexagonal (a = b = 0.405 nm, c = 6.944 nm) based on the TEM analysis results. The multi-refinement effects are mainly attributed to the increased constitutional undercooling caused by the low solubility of La in Al alloy and the growth-restricting factor caused by the Al2Si2La phase.

Determination of Secondary Dendrite Arm Spacing for In-738LC Gas-Tungsten-Arc-Welds

Microstructure and defect development in the gas tungsten arc weld process is influenced by the solidification and melt-pool dynamics. Melt-pool geometrical parameters which depend mainly on heat input have profound influence on the dendrite growth velocity and growth pattern in the melt pool. Temperature magnitude and history during the process directly determine the molten pool dimensions and surface integrity. However, due to the transient nature and small size of the molten pool, the temperature gradient and the molten pool size are very challenging to measure and control. The proposed research aims to establish a methodology for characterizing direct energy deposited metals by linking processing variables to the resulting microstructure and subsequent material properties. Secondary Dendrite Arm Spacing (SDAS) optical metallographic measurements of equiaxed solidified IN-738LC gas tungsten arc welds were conducted to find a new expression that links the cooling rate that is imposed on the welding during solidification, and the resultant scale of the grain substructure.