Enhancement in Microstructure and Impact Characteristics of Al-7Si-Mg Alloy by Substitution of Novel Combination of K and CeO2 Modifiers
摘要
The microstructure, tensile strength (TS), impact strength and hardness of Al-7Si-Mg alloy amalgamated with grain refiner (GR) Al-5Ti-B and modified by novel combination of modifiers K or/and CeO2 have been examined in this study. The results demonstrated that the addition of 0.1% Al-5Ti-B grain refiner and 2 wt.% K and 0.5 wt.% CeO2 improved the tensile strength, impact strength, and hardness of the Al-7Si-Mg alloy by 26.5%, 31%, and 18% as compared to those obtained for base alloy. The synergic effect of grain refiner, modifier(s), and heat treatment (HT) led to significant increment in tensile strength, impact strength, and hardness of the alloy. Tensile and impact test fractography microstructures revealed that the Al-7Si-Mg alloy containing grain refiner, 2 wt.% K and 0.5 wt.% CeO2 exhibited a more dimpled structure, indicating its ductile nature.