Synergistically Improved Mechanical Properties and Thermal Conductivity of Hypoeutectic AlSiNiFeMg Alloy Prepared by Ultrasonic-assisted Casting

We employed a melt ultrasonic treatment near the liquidus to prepare a high-thermal-conductivity Al-4Si-2Ni-0.8Fe-0.4Mg alloy. The influences of various ultrasonic powers on its microstructure, mechanical properties, and thermal conductivity were investigated. It is shown that near-liquidus ultrasonication significantly refines the alloy grains and eutectic structure, synergistically improving the alloy’s mechanical properties and thermal conductivity. Specifically, the grain size decreased by 84.5% from 941.4 to 186.2 µm. Increasing the ultrasonic power improved the thermal conductivity of the alloy slightly and significantly enhanced its mechanical properties. At an ultrasonic power of 2 100 W, the tensile strength, yield strength, elongation rate, and thermal conductivity were 216 MPa, 142 MPa, 6.3%, and 169 W/(m·k), respectively.