Microstructure development in Al-Cu-Ag-Mg quaternary alloy

Abstract

The solidification behaviour of multi-component and multi-phase systems has been largely investigated in binary and ternary alloys. In the present study, a quaternary model system is proposed based on the well known Al-Cu-Ag and Al-Cu-Mg ternary eutectic alloys. The quaternary eutectic composition and temperature were determined by EDS (Energy Dispersive Spectrometry) and DSC (Differential Scanning Calorimetry) analysis, respectively. The microstructure was then characterised by SEM (Scanning Electron Microscope). In the DSC experiments, two types of quaternary eutectics were determined according to their phase composition. For each type of eutectic, various microstructures were observed, which result in different eutectic compositions. Only one of the determined eutectic compositions was further studied by the controlled growth technique in a vertical Bridgeman type furnace. In the initial part of the directionally solidified sample, competing growth between two-phase dendrites and three-phase eutectics was obtained, which was later transformed to competing growth between three-phase and four-phase eutectics. Moreover, silver enrichment was measured at the solidification front, which is possibly caused by Ag sedimentation due to gravity and Ag rejection from dendritic and three-phase eutectic growth, and its accumulation at the solidification front.