Aluminium-Silicon Casting Alloys

R. Cornell and H. K. D. H. Bhadeshia

A discussion of solidification and its effects can be found in a set of lectures available online. Information on the friction stir
welding of these alloys is also available.
Aluminium alloys are grouped according to the major alloying elements they contain. The 4XXX group is alloyed with silicon for
ease of casting.Silicon is good in metallic alloys used for casting. This is because it increases the fluidity of the melt, reduces the
melting temperature, decreases the contraction associated with solidification and is very cheap as a raw material.
Silicon also has a low density (2.34 g cm
-3
), which may be an advantage in reducing the overall weight of the cast component.
Silicon has a very low solubility in aluminium; it therefore precipitates as virtually pure silicon, which is hard and hence improves
the abrasion resistance.
Phase diagram reproduced with permission from Mikael
Schalin, Royal Institute of Science and Technology,
Stockholm.
Aluminium-silicon alloys form a eutectic at 11.7 wt% silicon, the eutectic temperature being 577
o
C. This represents a typical
composition for a casting alloy because it has the lowest possible melting temperature. Al-12Si wt% alloys are therefore
common.
Al-12Si (low magnification, unetched).
The dark, semi-circular feature is a casting defect (a pore) caused by the shrinkage of liquid during
solidification. The microstructure otherwise consists of grey plates of silicon in a white matrix which
is rich in aluminium. Although the alloy is slightly hypoeutectoid in composition, there is evidence
that solidification started with primary aluminium dendrites (sections of aluminium dendrite arms
are visible). This is because the sample did not solidify under equilibrium conditions. Equilibrium
solidification would require painfully slow cooling rates, not achievable in industrial practice.
Al-12Si (high magnification, unetched).
Shows the coarse silicon plates in an aluminium matrix. The dark feature is a shrinkage pore, a
casting defect. Silicon has a diamond crystal structure and is consequently very brittle. Large
plates of silicon are, therefore, detrimental to the mechanical properties.
Silicon has a diamond crystal structure and is consequently very brittle. Large plates of silicon are, therefore, detrimental to the
mechanical properties. Silicon nucleates on aluminium phosphide particles present in the melt as impurities. The addition of a
small amount of sodium to the melt getters the phosphorus, making the nulceation of silicon more difficult. Solidification is
therefore suppressed to lower temperatures where the nucleation rate is large. This leads to a remarkable refinement of
microstructure.
Al-12Si-0.02Na (low magnification, unetched).
The dark feature is a casting defect (a pore) caused by the shrinkage of liquid during solidification.
The microstructure of this sodium modified alloy is much finer than that of the Al-12Si sample. The
silicon particles are hardly visible at this magnification. Notice again the primary dendrites of
aluminium, attributed to non-equilibrium solidification.
Al-12Si-0.02Na (high magnification, unetched).
Greatly refined particles of silicon as the microstructure is modified with sodium.
Alloys for Automobile Castings
A typical chemical composition (wt%) for an alloy used in the manufacture of an engine-block is as follows:
Si Cu Mg Fe Mn Ti Sr Zr
7-8 3-4 0.25-0.35 0.0-0.4 0.5 0.00-0.25 trace 0.25
The copper is used for precipitation hardening (Al
2
Cu, Al
5
Mg
8
Cu
26
), should that be necessary. Iron is to be avoided if possible,
since it can form plate-like precipitates (Al
5
FeSi) which embrittle the casting and can block the flow of liquid metal in the mould.
The strontium, when added delibrately, helps to modify the shape of the silicon, rather as does sodium.
Strontium is preferred to silicon, because the effects of sodium fade relatively rapidly when the liquid metal is held at temperature
for a prolonged period before solidification. On the other hand, strontium, by a variety of mechanisms, introduces a greater
degree of porosity in the final casting [Tynelius and Major, AFS Transactions 101 (1993) 401].
The following images are of cast aluminium automobile components, provided by the Institute of Cast Metals Engineers.

Car steering-knuckle made by Hydro
Aluminium Fundo.

Cast aluminium engine-block made by
Hydro Aluminium

V6 engine-block made from cast
aluminium and designed by Hydro
Aluminium.
Alloys ideal for electronics
A new range of Si/Al alloys containing up to 70 wt% silicon has been developed using spray forming technology. The alloys are
15% lighter than pure aluminium; they have a low, controlled thermal expansion coefficient, a high stifness and high thermal
conductivity. They are non-toxic, readily machinable, easily plated with nickel, gold, silver or copper.
For more details, see Materials World, May 1999, page 261.
Al-Si Coatings: Hot-Press Forming Steels
Very strong steel (1 GPa) can be shaped by hot-press forming. In this, the steel in sheet form is heated to temperatures in the
range 900-950C for 3-10 min in order to induce it into the austenitic state. It is then formed using a press with water-cooled dies,
which simultaneously shape and quench the component to martensite.
The formation of oxide scale during this process is mitigated by applying protective coatings. The micrographs below illustrate
what happens to an Al-Si alloy coating containing 7-11 wt% silicon (approximately eutectic composition), as a consequence of
the heating associated with hot-press forming. Interdiffusion and reaction between iron, silicon and aluminium leads to the
formation Kirkendall voids.
The micrographs have kindly been provided by Dr Dong Wei Fan and Professor Bruno De Cooman. Further details are available
in a paper entitled Coating Degradation in Hot Press Forming, D. W. Fan, H. S. Kim, J. K. Oh, K. G. Chin and B. C. De
Cooman, ISIJ International 50 (2010) 561-568.
Field emission scanning electron micrographs showing the formation and growth of Kirkendall voids at the coating/steel interface
following heat treatment as indicated in the figure captions.
After 2 min at 930C After 5 min at 930C
After 8 min at 930C
Links
Annealing Twins
Precipitate-free zones
Decarburization
Recrystallisation of Austenitic Stainless Steel
Kirkendall Effect
Dendritic Solidification
Excellent example of application of solidfication theory (PDF file, 4 Mb)
Recrystallised grain size
Cast Iron
An example of diffusion in action
Superalloys Titanium Bainite Martensite Widmansttten ferrite
Cast iron Welding Allotriomorphic ferrite Movies Slides
Neural Networks Creep Mechanicallly Alloyed Theses Retained Austenite
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