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.

Corrosion of Cast Aluminum Alloys: A Review

Research on corrosion resistance of cast aluminum alloys is reviewed in this article. The effect of the main microstructural features of cast aluminum alloys such as secondary dendrite arm spacing (SDAS), eutectic silicon morphology, grain size, macrosegregation, microsegregation, and intermetallic compounds is discussed. Moreover, the corrosion resistance of cast aluminum alloys obtained by modern manufacturing processes such as semi-solid and additive manufacturing are analyzed. Finally, the protective effects provided by different coatings on the aluminum cast alloys—such as anodized, plasma electrolytic oxidation (PEO), and laser—is reviewed. Some conclusions and future guidelines for future works are proposed.

Cooling Rate, Hardness and Microstructure of Aluminum Cast Alloys

This experiment investigated the cooling curve behavior, hardness and microstructure of two aluminum alloys produced by casting process. There are Al-1.37Zn-1.19Si and Al-1.66Si-1.35Zn derived from melting and alloying a pure aluminum with ADC12 (Al-Si) ingot. Cooling curve recorded from both those two alloys with pouring temperature at 710 oC and the mold temperature kept constant at 220 oC. The result shows, a freezing range of Al-1.37Zn-1.19Si alloy is 643–348 oC and Al-1.66Si-1.35Zn alloy is 621–401 oC. Then cooling rate obtained for Al-1.37Zn-1.19Si is 55.56 oC/S, and Al-1.66Si-1.35Zn is 30.09 oC/S. TThe higher hardness is 40.42 BHN at Al 1.66 Si-1.35Zn, while the lower value is 34.62 BHN on Al-1,37Zn-1,19Si alloy. The hardness value found higher when cooling rate is shorted. The number of silicon present on microstructure is highest in Al-1.37Zn-1.19Si alloy but the hardness value decreases. This is caused by the distribution of the silicon content in the alloy is irregular. It was found that the solidification rate had an effect on hardness, where the freezing rate obtained a high hardness value.

Cooling Rate, Hardness and Microstructure of Aluminum Cast Alloys

This experiment investigated the cooling curve behavior, hardness and microstructure of two aluminum alloys produced by casting process. There are Al-1.37Zn-1.19Si and Al-1.66Si-1.35Zn derived from melting and alloying a pure aluminum with ADC12 (Al-Si) ingot. Cooling curve recorded from both those two alloys with pouring temperature at 710 oC and the mold temperature kept constant at 220 oC. The result shows, a freezing range of Al-1.37Zn-1.19Si alloy is 643–348 oC and Al-1.66Si-1.35Zn alloy is 621–401 oC. Then cooling rate obtained for Al-1.37Zn-1.19Si is 55.56 oC/S, and Al-1.66Si-1.35Zn is 30.09 oC/S. TThe higher hardness is 40.42 BHN at Al 1.66 Si-1.35Zn, while the lower value is 34.62 BHN on Al-1,37Zn-1,19Si alloy. The hardness value found higher when cooling rate is shorted. The number of silicon present on microstructure is highest in Al-1.37Zn-1.19Si alloy but the hardness value decreases. This is caused by the distribution of the silicon content in the alloy is irregular. It was found that the solidification rate had an effect on hardness, where the freezing rate obtained a high hardness value.