Abstract
In this paper, the effect of heat treatment (solution treatment and artificial aging) on the microstructure and properties of as-cast Al5Si1Cu0.5Mg aluminum alloy and its composite reinforced with 1.5 wt.% SiC particles was studied. The results showed that at 520 °C the optimal solution time for the aluminum alloy and its composite is 9 h and 6 h, respectively. After solution treatment, the microstructure of these two materials consists of a uniform distribution of nearly spherical eutectic Si and skeletal γ phase, furthermore, the composite eutectic Si phase is smaller and γ phase is more dispersed. After artificial aging at 175 °C for 6 h, the microstructure of the composite is more dispersed and finer than that of the aluminum alloy on the whole and Al2Cu is precipitated. After heat treatment, the microhardness, ultimate tensile strength, and elongation of the aluminum alloy and its composite are higher than those of the as-casts. At the same time, the morphology of tensile fracture surface changes very much from a large area of cleavage plane to a large number of dimples and the tearing ridges become thicker for both the aluminum alloy and its composite.
Highlights
Aluminum alloys are primary materials for potential applications such as aerospace precision instruments because of their excellent properties, which include low density, high specific strength, and good hot workability
The aim of this paper was to evaluate the effect of T6 heat treatment on the microstructure and mechanical properties for Al5Si1Cu0.5Mg aluminum alloy and its composite reinforced with 1.5 wt.%
Al5Si1Cu0.5Mg alloy is mainly composed of the coarse primary α-Al solution treatment, the elements of Si, Cu, Mg, and others would be dissolved and diffused to a dendrites, the longdegree acicular
Summary
Aluminum alloys are primary materials for potential applications such as aerospace precision instruments because of their excellent properties, which include low density, high specific strength, and good hot workability. The castings are preferred in aircraft manufacturing industries, and their hardness, strength, and elongation can be improved greatly by heat treatment [1,2]. In order to further improve mechanical properties of aluminum alloys, the particles of SiC or Al2 O3 Al5Si1Cu0.5Mg belongs to Al-Si-Cu-Mg series cast alloys with good casting performance and little linear shrinkage and can be strengthened through heat treatment. Al5Si1Cu0.5Mg aluminum alloy is widely used in aircraft engines and airframes to mainly manufacture thin-walled, complex, and high load-bearing casting. T6 heat treatment is usually employed to improve comprehensive mechanical properties of materials and consists of [5,6,7,8,9]: (i) solution heat treatment of as-cast samples for dissolution of certain
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