Effect of Ultrasonic Vibration and Applied Pressure on the Microstructure and Mechanical Property of Al-5.0Cu-0.6Mn-0.6Fe Alloys

Abstract

Al-5.0Cu-0.6Mn-0.6Fe alloy was obtained for the first time using ultrasonic vibration and squeeze casting simultaneously. The effect of ultrasonic vibration and applied pressure on the microstructures and hardness of Al-5.0Cu-0.6Mn-0.6Fe alloy were studied. The results indicated that the ultrasonic vibration and applied pressure promoted the formation of smaller α-Al globular grains. In particularly, with the treatment of ultrasonic vibration or applied pressure during solidification, the brittle Fe-rich imtermetallic compounds in Al-5.0Cu-0.6Mn-0.6Fe alloy became more refined and changed from Chinese script shape to polyhedral shape, which improved the mechanical property. Furthermore, these effects on the grain refinement and Fe-rich intermetallic compounds became more significant by using ultrasonic vibration and applied pressure concurrently during solidification. This process technology is helpful for the development of high performance aluminum alloys with low cost as well as for green casting.