Investigation of the Effect of Heat Treatment on the Microstructures and Mechanical Properties of Al-13Si-5Cu-2Ni Alloy
Abstract
:1. Introduction
2. Experimental Procedure
2.1. Fabrication and Heat Treatment of Al-13Si-5Cu-2Ni Alloy
2.2. Characterization
2.3. Performance Testing
3. Results
3.1. Microstructure of As-Cast Al-13Si-5Cu-2Ni Alloy
3.2. Effect of Solid Solution Treatment on Microstructure and Tensile Properties of Al-13Si-5Cu-2Ni Alloy
3.3. Effect of Aging Treatment on the Microstructure and Tensile Properties of Al-13Si-5Cu-2Ni Alloy
4. Discussion
5. Conclusions
- After solid solution treatment, the Al2Cu phase and a part of the Al7Cu4Ni phase at the dendrite boundary are solid-dissolved into the α-Al matrix. As the solid solution treatment temperature increases until 510 °C, the sharp corners of the primary silicon are passivated, and the strip-shaped eutectic silicon melts and spheroidizes. Beyond 520 °C, a coarsening of the eutectic silicon occurs. The optimum tensile strength and fracture strain for an Al-13Si-5Cu-2Ni alloy solid solution treated at 510 °C is 383 MPa and 5.7%, respectively.
- Different aging treatment times affect the amount and size of the θ′ precipitation phase, which then affects the properties of the materials. As the aging treatment time increases, the volume fraction, diameter, and length of the θ′ phase increases. The optimized T6 heat treatment involves solid solution treatment at 510 °C for 8 h followed by aging at 165 °C for 8 h, and the tensile strength and fracture strain of Al-13Si-5Cu-2Ni alloy processed to this heat treatment is 385 MPa and 6.0%, respectively.
- After T6 heat treatment, the size and amount of silicon phases and θ′ phases determine the performance of the Al-13Si-5Cu-2Ni alloy. The size of the eutectic silicon is the smallest when the solution treatment is 8 h, which effectively reduces stress concentration, wakens crack propagation, and elevates the performance of the alloy. A smaller diameter and greater number density for the θ′ precipitated phases can produce a more significant Orowan strengthening. The solid solution treatment and aging treatment improve the mechanical properties of the Al-13Si-5Cu-2Ni alloy through passivation and spheroidization of the silicon phase and Orowan strengthening.
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Conflicts of Interest
References
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Composition | Si | Cu | Ni | Fe | Al |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Content (wt.%) | 12.87 | 5.03 | 1.94 | 0.16 | Balance |
Element | Al | Si | Cu | Ni | Phase |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
C | 70.25 | 2.7 | 26.67 | 0.39 | Al2Cu |
D | 76.27 | 1.03 | 13.51 | 9.19 | Al-Cu-Ni |
Sample | Temperature (°C) | Yield Strength (MPa) | Tensile Strength (MPa) | Elongation (%) | Fracture Strain (%) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
a | 480 | ||||
b | 490 | ||||
c | 500 | ||||
d | 510 | ||||
e | 520 |
Sample | Time (h) | Yield Strength (MPa) | Tensile Strength (MPa) | Elongation (%) | Fracture Strain (%) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
a | 2 | ||||
b | 4 | ||||
c | 6 | ||||
d | 8 | ||||
e | 10 | ||||
f | 12 | ||||
g | 14 |
Alloys | Reinforcement | UTS (MPa) | FS (%) | Reference |
---|---|---|---|---|
Our work | 385 | 6.0 | ||
Al-11.3Si-1.79Cu-0.79Zn-0.04Sr | Alloys of Sr | 157.8 | 1.29 | [40] |
Al-13Si-4Cu-2Ni-0.8Mg-0.02Sr | Alloys of Sr | 249 | 0.97 | [41] |
Al-10.56Si-1.91Cu-0.21Mg-0.28Mn | Extruded | 233 | 6.4 | [42] |
Al-13.86Si-0.14Fe-0.005Cu | Strain-induced melt activation | 189.79 | 9.72 | [43] |
Al-13.86Si-0.14Fe-0.005Cu | 139.29 | 4.18 | [43] | |
Al-18Si | 1.0 wt.%SiCp | 172 | 6.8 | [44] |
Al-11.5Si-1.1Cu-1.2Mg-1.5Ni | T5 | 318 | 5.6 | [45] |
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Wang, Z.-F.; Miao, T.-J.; Kou, S.-Q.; Zhang, S.; Qiu, F. Investigation of the Effect of Heat Treatment on the Microstructures and Mechanical Properties of Al-13Si-5Cu-2Ni Alloy. Metals 2021, 11, 688. https://doi.org/10.3390/met11050688
Wang Z-F, Miao T-J, Kou S-Q, Zhang S, Qiu F. Investigation of the Effect of Heat Treatment on the Microstructures and Mechanical Properties of Al-13Si-5Cu-2Ni Alloy. Metals. 2021; 11(5):688. https://doi.org/10.3390/met11050688
Chicago/Turabian StyleWang, Zhi-Fa, Tian-Jing Miao, Shu-Qing Kou, Shuang Zhang, and Feng Qiu. 2021. "Investigation of the Effect of Heat Treatment on the Microstructures and Mechanical Properties of Al-13Si-5Cu-2Ni Alloy" Metals 11, no. 5: 688. https://doi.org/10.3390/met11050688