Effects of a novel refiner Al-3Ti-4.35La combined with Sr on microstructure and mechanical properties of as-cast A356 alloy

摘要

It is a practically significant issue to refine and modify industrial Al-Si casting alloy to improve its properties.In the present study,a novel refiner Al-3Ti-4.35La alloy,prepared by a melt-reaction method,was used,combined with Sr to refine the as-cast A356 alloy.Their effects on the as-cast microstructures and mechanical properties of A356 alloy were investigated.The results indicate that the combined addition of Al-3Ti-4.35La intermediate alloy and Sr can improve the microstructure and enhance the mechanical properties of A356 alloy.After adding 0.3wt.%Al-3Ti-4.35La and 0.03wt.%Sr to the as-cast A356 alloy,the average grain size ofα-Al decreases from 693.47μm to 264.13μm(a decrease of 61.91%),the secondary dendrite arm spacing(SDAS)is decreased by 47.8%from 32.09μm to 16.75μm,and the eutectic Si is transformed from an acicular structure to short rods and a granular structure.The ultimate tensile strength(UTS)and elongation(EL)of the as-cast A356 alloy modified by Al-3Ti-4.35La and Sr reach 216.3 MPa and 10.6%,which are enhanced by 29.54%and 134.66%compared with the unmodified alloy,respectively.The fracture mode is transformed from transgranular fracture to intergranular fracture,and the ductile toughness of the alloy is improved.After adding the Al-3Ti-4.35La and Sr,the undercooling for the nucleation ofα-Al and eutectic Si increases,leading to an accelerated nucleation rate and an increased number of nuclei,which shortens the duration of the eutectic reaction and consequently inhibits grain growth.