The solidification of metallic materials is most often monitored by a simple thermal analysis, which lets us define characteristic temperatures, as well as the development of individual phases during solidification. With the help of metallographic analysis, we verify the correct matching with the cooling curves and determine the size of the microstructural components that compose the alloy. To better define the course of solidification, we can also use other scientific analyses, such as the measurement of specific electrical resistivity or dilatometric analysis.
In this thesis we explain and describe concepts, such as simple thermal analysis, temperature measurements, measurements of specific electrical resistivity and measurement of dilatometric changes of the casting during solidification. The basic sample we present was the AlSi10Mg alloy, to which we added gran refining and modifying agents in the form of AlSr10 and AlSr10 alloys.
We found that the addition of Sr affects both the shrinkage of the sample as well as the specific electrical resistivity. Shrinkage decreases with a greater proportion of the crystallized eutectic βSi phase, but since Sr affects the tendency of the melt to affinity to gassin, the gas porosity in the casting increases, which affects the amount of gas porosity in the microstructure. This, in turn, reduces the total shrinkage of the casting.
By measuring the specific electrical resistivity, we confirmed the solidification process determined on the basis of the cooling curves. Determined the alignment of solidus and liquidus temperatures, and defined the change in electrical resistance during the transition from liquid to solid. We displayed that the specific electrical resistivity increases, if the eutectic βSi particles are larger. However, we found that with the given method, we cannot accurately define the impact of grain refinement on the change in specific electrical resistivity.
Key words: thermal analysis, characteristic temperatures, metallographic analysis, specific electrical resistivity, dilatometric analysis.
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