Morphological characterization of a modified QC-forming Al alloy during tensile testing

Zaky, Adam (author), Naglič, Iztok (author), Markoli, Boštjan (author)

In this work, the morphology of fractured surfaces and mechanical properties of four icosahedral quasicrystal (IQC) forming alloys from the Al-Mn-Si-Cu-Mg system were evaluated by tensile tests. The synthesized alloys contained varying amounts of TiC, a modifier with inoculant properties that promote heterogeneous nucleation of the primary IQC phase. This allowed us to synthesize alloys with different IQC phase fractions as well as other accompanying intermetallic compounds—mainly the β-AlMnSi phase—and thus obtain a correlation between the different phase fractions and the measured mechanical properties. Our results show that the ultimate tensile strength (UTS) of the gravitationally cast alloys mainly depends on the phase fraction of the hexagonal plate-like β-AlMnSi intermetallic compound, with high β-AlMnSi phase fractions leading to lower UTS and strain values. The fracture surfaces were analyzed by electron scanning microscopy (SEM) to determine possible decohesion between the IQC or other intermetallic phases and the surrounding aluminum matrix, all aiming to obtain a general impression of the morphology of the fracture regarding the matrix, IQC and β-AlMnSi phases. SEM images show an intact interface between both the IQC and β-AlMnSi phases and the surrounding matrix after tensile testing.

• Language: English
• Keywords: icosahedral quasicrystals, IQC, Al-Mn-Si-Cu-Mg alloys, TiC inoculant
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: NTF - Faculty of Natural Sciences and Engineering
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2026
• Number of pages: Str. 3098-3106
• Numbering: Vol. 78, no. 4
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-181055
• UDC: 669
• ISSN on article: 1047-4838
• DOI: 10.1007/s11837-025-07988-7
• COBISS.SI-ID: 260977667
• Publication date in RUL: 24.03.2026

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: JOM : the journal of The Minerals, Metals & Materials Society (TMS)
• Shortened title: JOM
• Publisher: Springer Nature, The Minerals, Metals & Materials Society
• ISSN: 1047-4838
• COBISS.SI-ID: 6745605

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.

Projects

• Funder: ARIS - Slovenian Research and Innovation Agency
• Funding programme: Young researchers