Aluminum alloys typically exhibit low to intermediate strength. Heat treatment may improve their strength through precipitation hardening. Al-Cu-based alloys have shown appropriate mechanical properties based on their specific strengthening mechanisms. In this study, the as-cast Al-Cu (Mg-Ag-Ti-B) alloys were prepared at a medium cooling rate of 0.3 mm s−1. All specimens then underwent their specific solution heat treatment and artificial aging cycles. To evaluate the mechanical properties and deformation behavior of each alloy, the tensile test process was conducted at ambient and elevated (250°C) temperatures. For the Al-Cu-Mg-Ag class, the influence of grain size on yield strength (YS) and ultimate tensile strength (UTS) was studied. Fractography, the deformation behavior of each alloy was investigated at fracture surfaces using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Results revealed that according to the precipitation hardening mechanism, the YS and UTS values were promoted after the heat-treatment procedure, while elongation-tofailure values were reduced compared with as-cast alloys. For elevated testing temperatures, the YS and UTS decreased or remained stable. The value of elongation to failure significantly increased compared to ambient temperature. The fine-grain size of the Al-CuMg-Ag alloy indicated higher values of YS and UTS with a ductile behavior. SEM images illustrated that as-cast and heat-treated AlCu-Mg and Al-Cu-Mg-Ag alloys underwent a brittle deformation with intergranular-transgranular fracture mechanisms at ambient temperature. In contrast, at elevated testing temperatures, some dimples were observed to form. For as-cast and heat-treated Al-Cu and A205 alloys at ambient and elevated temperatures, small dimples with high depth were observed, confirming ductile deformation.

The objective of the present study is to evaluate the hot tearing tendency based on the Clyne and Davies model by evaluating the critical times which can be obtained using a newly developed method. A method to determine the critical times required to calculate the crack susceptibility was presented based on the measurement results with Al–Si alloys, and the method to calculate the crack susceptibility coefficient was presented. In the newly developed method named “Signal intensity method,” signals were generated by tapping the edge of a waveguide which is immersed in molten and solidifying sample and the critical solid fractions were obtained from the signal intensity change. The conventional thermal analysis was also performed simultaneously and the corresponding critical points were identified. The method shown in the present study will enable the determination of the crack susceptibility coefficient with higher accuracy.

The aims of the present work are to evaluate the overaging behaviour of the investigated Cu-enriched alloy and to assess its mechanical behaviour, in terms of the tensile and fatigue strength, at room temperature and at 200 °C, and to correlate the mechanical performance with its microstructure, in particular with the secondary dendrite arm spacing (SDAS). The mechanical tests carried out on the overaged alloy at 200 °C indicate that the addition of about 1.3 wt.% Cu to the A357 alloy enables to maintain ultimate tensile strength and yield strength values close to 210 and 200 MPa, respectively, and fatigue strength at about 100 MPa. Compared to the quaternary (Al−Si−Cu−Mg) alloy C355, the A357−Cu alloy has greater mechanical properties at room temperature and comparable mechanical behaviour in the overaged condition at 200 °C. The microstructural analyses highlight that SDAS affects the mechanical behaviour of the peak-aged A357−Cu alloy at room temperature, while its influence is negligible on the tensile and fatigue properties of the overaged alloy at 200 °C. 

The optimisation of heat treatment parameters for Al–Cu–(Mg–Ag) cast alloys (2xxx) having different microstructural scales was investigated. Thermo-Calc software was used to design optimal alloy compositions. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), scanning electron microscopy and wavelength-dispersive spectroscopy technique were employed to determine proper solution heat treatment temperature and homogenisation time as well as incidence of incipient melting. Proper artificial ageing temperature for each alloy was identified using DSC analysis and hardness measurement. Microstructural scale had a pronounced influence on time and temperature required for complete dissolution of Al2Cu and homogenisation of Cu solute atoms in the α-Al matrix. Refined microstructure required only one-step solution treatment and relatively short solution treatment of 10 h to achieve dissolution and homogenisation, while coarser microstructures desired longer time. Addition of Mg to Al–Cu alloys promoted the formation of phases having a rather low melting temperature which demands multi-step solution treatment. Presence of Ag decreases the melting temperature of intermetallics (beside Al2Cu) and improvement in age-hardening response. Peak-aged temperature is primarily affected by the chemical composition rather than the microstructural scale. 

Evolution of microstructure in a binary Al-Cu system (Al-4.3Cu) and a commercially alloyed Al-Cu system (A205) during solution heat treatment was investigated using optical microscopy (OM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), wavelength-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (WDS), and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The diversified coarseness of the microstructure was initiated by controlling the solidification rate. Different solution treatment temperatures were applied to identify a proper solutioning temperature. The larger microstructural scale required an increased solutioning temperature and prolonged holding time to obtain homogenized solutes in the α-Al matrix. The diffusion of Cu primarily controlled the solution heat treatment process. A diffusion-based model was applied and calibrated to determine the dissolution rate of an Al2Cu particle in the matrix. The model operates on a similar time scale with the experimental results for the Al-4.3Cu and A205 alloys with various microstructural scales, different chemical compositions, and at different solution treatment temperatures. Three-dimensional (3D) reconstructed images from SEM images and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) map of elements showed that TiB2 particles shield the Cu-rich phases in the boundaries of α-Al grains, presumably acting as a physical barrier to the diffusion of Cu solutes toward α-Al grains. The model also suggests that the effective diffusion coefficient of Cu in Al, in the presence of TiB2 particles, reduced by a factor of 2.0–2.5 in the A205 alloy compared with the binary Al-Cu alloy.

The flow stress of an as-cast Al-Si based alloy was modeled using a dislocation density based model. The developed dislocation density-based constitutive model describes the flow curve of the alloy with various microstructures at quite wide temperature range. Experimental data in the form of stress-strain curves for different strain rates ranging from 10⁻⁴ to 10⁻¹ s⁻¹ and temperatures ranging from ambient temperature up to 400 °C were used for model calibration. In order to model precisely the hardening and recovery process at elevated temperature, the interaction between vacancies and dissolved Si was included. The calibrated temperature dependent parameters for different microstructure were correlated to the metallurgical event of the material and validated. For the first time, a dislocation density based model was successfully developed for Al-Si cast alloys. The findings of this work expanded the knowledge on short strain tensile deformation behaviour of these type of alloys at different temperature, which is a critical element for conducting a reliable microstructural FE-simulation.

Swedish industry is a global leader in development and manufacture of automotive and aviation components where the usage of aluminium products is remarkable. In addition to manufacturing aluminium components, casting enables low-cost and low-emission production of complex geometry components with a range of sizes. Aluminium with Si as the major alloying element forms a class of alloys representing the most significant fraction of all cast products, for a wide range of applications due to an excellent combination of castability and mechanical properties, as well as good corrosion resistance, wear resistance and recyclability. The microstructure in Al-Si alloys strongly governs their mechanical properties. Several industrial practices such as eutectic modification and alloying are well-known to improve mechanical properties. Al-Si cast alloys generally suffer a lack of ductility and poor high temperature properties due to presence of either brittle or thermally unstable phases. The aim of this work is to study the explicit role of each microstructural constituent on the behaviour of Al-Si cast alloys at room and high temperatures. The results will accordingly highlight the potential for improvement in properties of such alloys.

Casting defects have an immediate and negative effect on the properties of Al-Si alloys and reducing the overall level of defects substantially improves tensile properties. An increased cooling rate refines all microstructural features and reduces volumetric porosity which leads to substantial improvement in tensile properties (e.g. R_m and ε_F) at any test temperature. Modification of eutectic Si-particles (through Sr-addition) generally has a positive effect on alloy ductility. Depression in eutectic growth temperature as a result of eutectic modification was found to be strongly correlated to the level of modification irrespective of coarseness of the microstructure.

Addition of transition metals (Ni-Ti-Zr-Cr-V) to Al-Si improves tensile strength, particularly at temperatures above 200 ºC caused by formation of thermally stable intermetallic compounds. Below 200 ºC however, a substantial potential for improvement through solute-reinforcement was obtained.

A physically-based constitutive model with a wide validity range was successfully developed to describe the flow behaviour of Al-Si alloys at different temperatures, as a reliable input for finite element simulation. 

The principal aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of small additions of several transition metals (Zr, Ni, Ti, V, Cr, La, Y and Nb) on the microstructure, tensile properties and failure mechanisms of as-cast Al-10Si alloys at ambient and elevated temperatures (200 and 250 °C). Transition metal addition led to the formation of (AlSi)₃(TiZr), (AlSi)₃(CrVTi), Al₁₃(FeCrVTi)₄Si₄, (AlSi)₃(CrV), Al₉FeNi AlNbTiZr, AlSiV, AlSiYLa and AlSiZrTiNb phases which are thermally stable until incipient melting of the eutectic compound occurs. Addition of Zr, Ni, Ti, V and Cr gave a substantial improvement in tensile strength at 250 °C, but at the expense of reduced ductility. The strength of transition metals-containing alloys is strongly governed by the size and morphology rather than the volume fraction of the intermetallic phases formed. Large and irregular particles such as (AlSi)₃(TiZr), (AlSi)₃(CrVTi), AlNbTiZr and AlSiV provided inhomogeneity in the α-Al matrix and act as the principal source of stress concentration, playing an active role in crack initiation. Crack propagation was primarily controlled by plastic deformation of high cooling rate-refined dendrites and modified eutectic silicon particles.

This study presents a correlation between the depression in eutectic growth temperature as a result of Sr modification and the tensile properties of Al–Si cast alloys. In order to study the role that Sr exerts on the solidification behavior, modification and mechanical properties, controlled solidification experiments including thermal analysis were performed. Using three mold materials for different cooling rates, tensile testing was conducted on Al–Si alloys with various Sr levels (~35–500 ppm). The gradient solidification technique was used to produce directionally solidified tensile test specimens containing low levels of defects. The depression in eutectic Si growth temperature was correlated with the Sr additions and the tensile properties (elongation to failure and tensile strength).

Ni-Co coatings with various cobalt contents were electrodeposited from modified Watts bath. The effect of cobalt content on electrodeposition mechanism of the coatings was studied by electro-chemical impedance spectroscopy method (EIS). Surface morphology and crystallographic structure of the coatings were investigated by means of SEM and XRD. Mechanical properties of the coatings were determined using Vickers microhardness and tensile tests. It was found that with increasing the Co2+ ions in electroplating bath, the charge transfer resistance (Rct) of Ni-Co film increased whereas the Warburg impedence decreased. This may be due to enhancement in coverage of cathode surface by Co(OH)2 and higher diffusion rate of metal ions towards cathode surface, respectively. Also, with increasing the cobalt content in the bath, cobalt content in the alloy coating increased anomalously and (111) texture consolidated gradually. With increasing the cobalt content up to 45% in alloy coating, the grain size decreased and consequently, hardness and strength of the alloy increased. Further enhancement of cobalt content up to 55% led to a little decrease in hardness and strength. The maximum ductility was observed for Ni-25%Co coating due to relatively small grain size and compact structure. © 2016 The Nonferrous Metals Society of China.