Abstract
The purpose of the present article was to test, for the first time, the potential of the NanoSIMS for quantifying the microscale spatial distribution of trace elements in aluminum alloys. As a suitable test case, two variants of an as-cast industrial A356 alloy have been chosen and analyzed quantitatively. The results show that Sr segregates preferentially to the α-Si particles rather than to the Al matrix. The Na segregates preferentially to α-Si, but in contrast to Sr, Na is inhomogeneously distributed in the particles and tends to accumulate at parts of their surfaces. The Ca segregates preferentially to the Al matrix and was not found in α-Si. This suggests that impurity-induced twinning is probably not the mechanism responsible for the flake-to-fibrous transition observed in Ca-modified Al-Si-alloys. The P was difficult to analyze as the 31 P-peak was close to the peak of the molecule fragment 31 Si + 1 H. The complication can probably be resolved in future studies. The present work demonstrated that NanoSIMS is a tool with great potential for providing new insight into microscale trace element segregation in Al alloys.
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