Influence of super-gravity coefficient on spatial distribution of solidification structure in Al-14.5Si alloys

Abstract

We reported the influence of super-gravity field on spatial distribution of eutectic structure in Al-14.5Si alloys. The Al-14.5Si alloys were solidified under normal gravity (1 g) and various super-gravity fields (1000 g, 2000 g, 3000 g, 4000 g and 5000 g, g = 9.8 m/s2), respectively. The results indicated that the homogeneous distribution of eutectic Si could be observed in the core region of the samples solidified under super-gravity field. As the coefficient of gravity increased, the eutectic Si was significantly refined, resulting in the significant enhancement of the mechanical properties. Noted that several iron-rich phases could be observed in the core region under higher super-gravity coefficient. With the formation of the iron-rich phase, the elongation of the alloy decreased slightly. The refinement mechanism of the eutectic structure and the formation mechanism of the iron-rich phase under super-gravity field were discussed in detail.

Keywords

• Microstructure
• Solidification
• Metals and alloys
• Super-gravity field