Investigation on Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Solution Heat-Treated and Multi Directional Forging-Processed LM-25 Aluminium Alloy

Abstract

The experimental study of hypoeutectic Al-7.3Si alloy on microstructure and mechanical properties processed by MDF at room temperature was reported in this paper. A commercial LM-25 aluminium alloy ingot was melted in an electric casting furnace and poured into a preheated rectangular casting die. The samples were then solutionized for 10 h at 535 °C and quenched in water for MDF processing. Microstructure analysis of the samples was done with the help of optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. Microstructural observation of MDF processed up to six passes sample showed that coarse eutectic silicon particles with an average length of 16 µm are effectively broken into fine particles with an average length of 4 µm and uniformly distributed in aluminium phase. After six passes, UTS of as-cast specimen is increased from 177 to 441 MPa and microhardness is increased from 75 to 127 Hv. XRD analysis of the samples confirmed the presence of Al phase and eutectic Si phase. Therefore, modification of eutectic Si particle with Al phase refinement has been demonstrated to be a very important factor for enhancing mechanical properties of aluminium–silicon alloy. © 2020, The Indian Institute of Metals - IIM.