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Volume 15
Issue 11
10.3390/met15111276
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This is an early access version, the complete PDF, HTML, and XML versions will be available soon.
Article

Evaluation of Microstructure and Tensile Properties of Al-12Si-4Cu-2Ni-0.5Mg Alloy Modified with Ca/P and TCB Complex

by
Yuan Sun
1,
Xiaoming Ren
1,
Xueting Li
1,
Hong Duan
1,
Weiyi Wang
1,
Mengxia Han
1,
Guiliang Liu
1,
Sida Liu
2 and
Xiangfa Liu
1,*
1
Key Laboratory for Liquid-Solid Structural Evolution and Processing of Materials, Ministry of Education, Shandong University, Jinan 250061, China
2
Laboratory for Multiscale Mechanics and Medical Science, SV LAB, School of Aerospace, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710049, China
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Metals 2025, 15(11), 1276; https://doi.org/10.3390/met15111276 (registering DOI)
Submission received: 30 October 2025 / Revised: 18 November 2025 / Accepted: 19 November 2025 / Published: 20 November 2025
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microstructure, Crystallography, and Mechanical Properties of Metallic Materials)
Versions Notes

Abstract

The room-temperature and high-temperature microstructural characteristics and tensile properties of an Al-12Si-4Cu-2Ni-0.5Mg piston alloy modified with calcium (Ca; denoted as AC sample) or phosphorus (P; denoted as AP sample) under different heat treatment conditions were systematically analyzed. Under Ca modification, the second-phase network structure of the alloy was adjusted and strengthened by an Al-TCB master alloy. Eutectic silicon (Si) particles in the AC sample possessed a fibrous structure, whereas the AP sample contained elongated eutectic Si particles, and Ca modification was found to be a potential method for simultaneously enhancing the strength and plasticity of the alloy to a matching degree at high temperatures. The T6 treatment noticeably increased the density of nanoscale precipitates; however, it also disrupted the growth of the second-phase network structure. Micron and submicron C-TiB2 and Al4C3 particles formed by the in-situ reaction of TCB particles acted as bridging phases within the second-phase network structure and enhanced the strength of the piston alloy. The ultimate tensile strength of the alloy at 350 °C increased from 74 to 101 MPa, representing a 36.5% enhancement. A comprehensive analysis revealed that Orowan strengthening was the main strengthening mechanism of the alloy at room temperature, whereas load transfer and network structure strengthening were the dominant strengthening mechanisms at high temperatures.
Keywords: Al-Si-Cu-Ni-Mg alloy; Ca/P modification; tensile property; network structure; Al-TCB master alloy Al-Si-Cu-Ni-Mg alloy; Ca/P modification; tensile property; network structure; Al-TCB master alloy

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MDPI and ACS Style

Sun, Y.; Ren, X.; Li, X.; Duan, H.; Wang, W.; Han, M.; Liu, G.; Liu, S.; Liu, X. Evaluation of Microstructure and Tensile Properties of Al-12Si-4Cu-2Ni-0.5Mg Alloy Modified with Ca/P and TCB Complex. Metals 2025, 15, 1276. https://doi.org/10.3390/met15111276

AMA Style

Sun Y, Ren X, Li X, Duan H, Wang W, Han M, Liu G, Liu S, Liu X. Evaluation of Microstructure and Tensile Properties of Al-12Si-4Cu-2Ni-0.5Mg Alloy Modified with Ca/P and TCB Complex. Metals. 2025; 15(11):1276. https://doi.org/10.3390/met15111276

Chicago/Turabian Style

Sun, Yuan, Xiaoming Ren, Xueting Li, Hong Duan, Weiyi Wang, Mengxia Han, Guiliang Liu, Sida Liu, and Xiangfa Liu. 2025. "Evaluation of Microstructure and Tensile Properties of Al-12Si-4Cu-2Ni-0.5Mg Alloy Modified with Ca/P and TCB Complex" Metals 15, no. 11: 1276. https://doi.org/10.3390/met15111276

APA Style

Sun, Y., Ren, X., Li, X., Duan, H., Wang, W., Han, M., Liu, G., Liu, S., & Liu, X. (2025). Evaluation of Microstructure and Tensile Properties of Al-12Si-4Cu-2Ni-0.5Mg Alloy Modified with Ca/P and TCB Complex. Metals, 15(11), 1276. https://doi.org/10.3390/met15111276

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