Effect of arc re-melting on microstructure, mechanical and tribological properties of commercial 390A alloy

Abstract

To investigate the effect of the arc re-melting on the microstructure, mechanical and tribological properties of the 390A alloy, its ingot produced by the conventional induction melting method was subjected to the arc re-melting process. The microstructure of the 390A alloy was examined by OM and SEM. Mechanical properties of the 390A alloy were determined by the Brinell method and tensile tests. Tribological properties were investigated with a ball-on-disc type tester. It was observed that the microstructure of both conventional induction melted and arc re-melted 390A alloys consisted of α(Al), eutectic Al–12Si, primary silicon particles, θ-CuAl2, β-Al5FeSi, δ-Al4FeSi2, and α-Al15(FeMnCu)3Si2 phases. Re-melting with the arc process caused grain refinement in these phases. In addition, after this process, the α(Al) phase and primary silicon particles were dispersed more uniformly, and sharp edges of primary silicon particles became round. The arc re-melting process resulted in an increase in the hardness of the 390A alloy produced by the conventional method from 102 HB to 118 HB and the tensile strength from 130 to 240 MPa. It also caused an increase in the wear resistance of the 390A alloy and a decrease in the friction coefficient.