alo Alys and Compounds 683 (2016) 485494 Contents lists available at Science! Journal of Alloys and Compounds Journal homepage: http://www. Isevier.com/locateljalcom Effect of solution time in T6 heat treatment on microstructure and hardness of a directionally solidified Al—Si—Cu alloy Thiago A. Costa *, Marcelino Dias *, Laércio G. Gomes °, Otavio L. Rocha °, Amauri Garcia *" * beperment of Menufacturng and Mater Engineering University of Campinas, UMICAMP. 12082880 Campin SP. Bra "eae inate of Ebacaton. Sone Technology of Park FPA, 68091129 bel, PR Bra ARTICLE INFO ABSTRACT {An experimental investigation onthe role of solution ime dung the Te heat teatment on the scale of 1¢ secondary dendrite am spacing Vy). morphology and distribution of Si particles and ACU in- termetalics andthe resulting effect on microhardness of ALS 5 wW%Si-30 wt8Cu alloy samples is per formed, A directionally solidified (Ds) casting was previously obtained using a water-cooled apparatus, ‘which permitted a wide range of cooling rates (7) fo be associated with samples having quit different ‘microstructural parametic features, An experimental growth law relating i» to T Is proposed, The TS heat treatment was then caried out on the DS samples for different solution times: 8 and 5 b at 490 +2 °C followed by quenching in warm water (60-+2 °C), ageing for Sh at 155 + 2°Cand at-cooling, The thcrostructute characterization (optical and scanning electron microscopes) has shown that ha was only affected (when compared with those of the DS casting samples) when the solution time increased fiom 5 b to § hin contrast, significant influences on the morphology and distribution of both Si and [AnCu particles are shown to occur. The highest hardness is shown 10 be associated with a sample subjected tothe 5 in treatment, having lowest hy and appropriate modification of Si and Alu particles '© 2016 Elsevier BN. All rights reserved, 1. Introduction ‘Aluminum alloys have properties of great industria interest, such as: low density, good corrosion resistance, high thermal and electrical conductivity, good combinations of mechanical proper- ties, good workability in machining processes and mechanical forming [1-19], These alloys can be divided into two groups. One contains those alloys for which the mechanical properties are controlled by work hardening and annealing. Commercial purity aluminum and alloys of the AI-Mg and Al-Mn systems mon examples [7 The second group comprises alloys such as ‘AL-Cu-Mg, AI-Mg-Si, Al-Cu—Si and AI-Zn—Mg-Cu that respond to age or precipitation hardening |7,20), Particulatiy AI-Cu-Si alloys of the ANSI series 3191 and 333.1 (a which compositions lie mostly within the ranges 5.510 Si and 3,0-4.0% Cu) are extremely important considering their applic bility in the automotive and aeronautics industries, in the ep ledtorej¥03016 aeom 201605098 10695-4388/0 2016 Elvever Al is revere, ‘manufacture of components such as cylinders, pistons, engine blocks, ete. Their main characteristics are good castablity and strength at relatively high temperatures, low coefficient of thermal expansion and good wear resistance [3,5~721~24], In general, the {Al=Si-Cu alloys are used for many of the applications listed for the binary alloys but where higher strength is needed [3,5~72122| Increasing demands on such properties have pointed to the need for close microstructural control through tighter specification of composition, casting practice, and subsequent heat treatment. In unmodified Al-Si alloys, the Si particles have a plate-like morphology, which can act as crack initiators and have negative Influence on ductility [3]. The ductility can be improved by changing the morphology ofthe Si particles towards a mare fibrous form. This can be done using high cooling rates (T) during casting, by addition of a chemical modifier, by exposing the casting to high temperature for long periods (heat treatments), or by a combina- tion of these processes |~7.2122.25], For instance, the magnitude ‘of cooling rate during solidification of AL-Si, Cu) alloys, determines the fineness of the microstructure ané other microstructural fea- {ures such as fraction, size and distribution of intermetallic phases and segregation profiles of solute in the interdendritic regions1A, Costa ea Jura flys and Compounds 883 (2015 485-48 Su. % Si TCI) Cooling Rat 2 40 Position, ig. Macrstruture ofthe DS casting and experimental sia ‘cetilet of eerminasen [2.5.5] Large and brittle intermetallic phases can be formed during slow solidification, with deleterious effects to the mechanical properties. Increased cooling rates result in finer microstructures and improved mechanical properties [1.7.5—15] ‘The literature presents both theoretical and experimental studies focusing on the microstructural evolution of binary aluminum-based alloys. Experimental and theoretical laws of cellular and dendritic growth have been proposed and duly vali- dated |7~19]. It has been shown that the dendrite arm spacing is proportional to (T)-* where n = 1/2 and 1/3 for the primary and secondary dendritic arm spacings, respectively. In contrast, this kind of study on multicomponent alloys are scarce inthe literature (21224) Heat treatments of aluminum alloys are used with a view £0 improving the mechanical strength by the well-known precipita- tion-hardening mechanism, which occur during appropriate heat- ing and subsequent cooling. The improvement in mechanical properties depends upon the change in solubility of the alloying constituents with temperature |!~/2—24]. The T6 eat treatmen consists of (5.5 (i) solution heat treatment of as-cast samples for dissolution of certain intermetallic phases such as AljCu and for changing the morphology of the eutectic silicon; (ii) quenching ‘usually to room temperature, to obtain a supersaturated soli R’= 0.95 o @ Pom) cooling ate along te length af the casing isthe psin om the cele sure ofthe casting Rs the solution, and! ii) age hardening: to cause precipitation from the supersaturated solid solution either at room temperature (natural ageing) ot at an elevated temperature (artificial ageing). ‘The aim of the present study is to evaluate the role of the so- lution time during the TS heat treatment of samples having quite different dendritic scales, extracted from a directionally solidified ALS wt%Si-3.0 weiCu alloy casting, considering the secondary ‘dendritic arm spacing, morphology and distribution of Si particles and the final eflect on microhardness. 2. Experimental procedure ‘The casting assembly used in the directional solidification ‘experiment has been detailed in a previous article (10). This so- lidfication set-up was designed in such way that heat was ‘extracted only through the water-cooled bottom, promoting ver tical upward directional solidification, “The directional solidification experiment was cartied out with an Al-S5 wt Si 3.0 ww Cu-alloy, which was prepared using commercially pure metals: Al (99.72 we containing 0.08 wt Fe). ‘Cu (99.92 we) and Si (99.68 wes), During the solidification process, cooling curves at different positions along the length of the DS casting were measured by fine type K thermocouples ané the dataTA Cast Joel of Alos and Compounds 683 (2018) 85484 on AoW NGS SWAT 88h PF ene om a Nes) Fig 2. Experimental secondary dendrite am spacing) 22 function of (2 poston P fom the coeedbatom of the casting fr as-at a heat ete samples 2 () salectoneoaing rate along the length ofthe eating Eis the coeticent of were acquired automatically. These thermocouples were sheathed in 146 mm diameter steel tubes, and positioned in the casting a 5, 10,15, 20, 30, 50 e 70 mm from the heat-extracting surface. The directionally solidified (DS) casting was sectioned along its longitudinal direction, i, parallel to the direction of solidification, ‘mechanically polished with abrasive papers and subsequently etched with an acid solution composed of 5 ml. H:0, 60 mL. HCl 30 mL HNO, and 5 mi HF to reveal the macrostructure. In order for characterize and quantify the dendritic structure, selected longi- tudinal sections ofthe DS casting were polished and etched with an acid solution (NaOH 52) for microstructural analysis. The secondary dendrite arm spacing was measured by averaging the distance between adjacent side branches on longitudinal sections of pri- mary dendrite stalks (10.11) The TS heat treatment, which was performed according to the methodology proposed in the literature (6), consisted of 2) solution heat treatment for 8h and 5 h at 490 +2 °C: 1) quenching in warm water (60 = 2 °C); 6) immediate ageing for 5 h at 158 + 2°C. 6) air cooling. The time for heating the samples to the solution treatment temperature was 20~30 min and was excluded from the presented times. In order to evaluate the effect of solution time on the scale of the secondary dendrite arm spacing and microhardness, two different solution times were used: 8 h and 5 b, These times were sufficiently long to ensure complete dissolution of the alloying el- fements and of the AljCu—intermetalic phase into the Al-matrix, After this treatment, the samples were removed from the furnace and immediately subjected to water quenching, ‘Microhardness tests were conducted in each sample using @ 300 g load and a dwell time of 10 s. The adopted Vickers micro- hhardness values are the average of at least 20 different measure- ‘ments on the transverse section of each sample 3. Results and discussion 3.1. Macrostructure, cooling rate and dendritic spacing The typical mactostructue of the ALS 5#Si-3.02Cu alloy DS casting is shown in Fg. 1. lean be observed that the water-cooled ‘mold imposes higher values of cooling rate close to the casting cooled bottom and a decreasing profile along the casting length fd remains essentially constant for postions P > 50 mm, as shown infig 1 Fromthis position, the microstructure is very lite affected by the cooling rate and this has defied the casting range trom which samples were extracted to be subjected to the TS heat treatment ‘Measurements were made of the secondary dendrite arm spacing (a) on samples extracted from specific positions (5, 10,15 20,25, 30.40 e 50 mam) fom the cooled bottom of the DS casting for both as-cast and heat treated samples, a stout in Fig 2a Tis observed that iz increases with the distance from the heat- extracting surface of the AI~Cu-Si alloy DS casting, and thatthe 2 profile has only been slightly affected (it tends to increase marginally) when the samples were subjected to the T5 treatment fora solution ime of sh. However, can be noted that hy increases, ‘when the solution time is increased from 5 1 8 h {seems thatthe 5 h solution time has been enough to initiate the process of coarsening of dendrite arms. Its worth noting thatthe samples Subjected tothe TS heat-treatment had been solidified in awater- Cooled mold, and consequently have relatively low dente arm spacings relatively low difasion length). Experimental power laws (Fig. 2a) correlate 4s a function of position from where the Samples were exacted from the DS casting for both as-cast and heat treated samples, ie.: by = constant(P}™* Th order to correlate Ma with a solidification thermal parameter, the solidification cooling rate. (7), was determined by considering the thermal data recorded immediately ater the passage ofthe liquidus front by each thermocouple. They results ae potted as a function of Fin Fis, 2b, where average values with the standard varation are presented, with the lites representing an expeti- ‘mental power function ft othe experimental points. [tis observed that the use of a water-cooled mold imposes higher values of cooling rates neat the cooled surface ofthe casting and a decreasing profile toward the casting top due tothe increasing thermal resis- tance of the solidified shel (acording to fiz. 2b solidification cooling ates from 1 30°Cjs)Irean be seen thatthe experimental srowth law is characterized by a power function relating 2, tot ven by by = 41(7)"™. This isin agreement with experimental Fesults reported by Rocha et al, [10, Peres eta. (23) and more recently by Costa eta. [24), in which iy has been reported to vary ‘with T acording to power functions having a 1/3 exponent, that ts, 22 @ 7-1, along the transient solidification of hypoeutectic Al-Gu and AIS alloys and an AL-Swt2Cu-dwt35i alloys.488 TA, Coste a Journal flys and Compounds 885 (2015 485-49 ig. 3. Type peal miostuctues at 5m a) 6 Ms 3.2. Microstructure features: as-cast and heat-treated samples vs. position in casting Fig, 3 presents typical microstructures of longitudinal section of ‘samples at 15 mm from the bottom of the casting inthe following conditions: as-cast and solution treated for 5 and 8 h, respectively. Ie can be seen in the as-cast sample that Si particles in the inter- and AC ley,a4 TA, Cost ea Jura flys and Compounds 883 (2015) 485-484 Metal Mater: Trane A 34 (2003) 995~1006, Int] Mi cunddsE Gser Diectonl soto of iuminism—cepper alloys, Mater Sc Eng’ 227 (2002) 167-185, nz] Da. Carvslho EC Cumataes, AL. 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