Effect of Trace Be and Sc Additions on the Mechanical Properties of A357 Alloys

The effect of the addition of Be and Sc on the microstructure and mechanical properties of A357 alloy were systematically investigated. The results show that the addition of small amounts of Be and Sc could change the acicular structure of iron-bearing intermetallic compounds to harmless compact Al-...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inMetals (Basel ) Vol. 8; no. 3; p. 194
Main Authors Tzeng, Yu-Chih, Nieh, Jo-Kuang, Bor, Hui-Yun, Lee, Sheng-Long
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Basel MDPI AG 19.03.2018
Subjects
A357 alloy
Acicular structure
Alloys
Aluminum
Aluminum base alloys
Bearing
Fracture toughness
Intermetallic compounds
Iron
Mechanical properties
Microstructure
scandium
Shrinkage
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Summary:The effect of the addition of Be and Sc on the microstructure and mechanical properties of A357 alloy were systematically investigated. The results show that the addition of small amounts of Be and Sc could change the acicular structure of iron-bearing intermetallic compounds to harmless compact Al-Fe-Si and Sc-Fe iron-bearing intermetallic compounds. Compact iron-bearing intermetallic compounds could improve fluidity, causing a reduction in interdendritic shrinkage during solidification. The addition of 0.05 wt % Be enhanced the quality index of the A357 alloy by 11% and increased the notch-yield ratio of fracture toughness by 4.5%. In contrast, the addition of 0.05 wt % Sc increased the quality index and the notch to yield ratio of fracture toughness up to 17% and 9%, respectively. Therefore, the microstructure and mechanical properties of the A357 alloy could be improved by substituting Be with Sc.
ISSN:2075-4701
2075-4701
DOI:10.3390/met8030194