Solidification Characteristics of Squeeze Cast Al Alloy Composites

Squeeze Cast한 Al기지 금속복합재료의 응고거동

The solidification behavior of the squeeze cast composites of aluminum alloys reinforced with boron fiber($100{\mu}m$) and silicon carbide fibers($140{\mu}m$ and $15{\mu}m$) were investigated. Al-4.5wt%Cu and Al-l0wt%Mg were chosen for the matrix phase of the composites. In the squeeze cast specimen with high thermal difference between fiber and melt, the average secondary dendrite arm spacing(DAS) in reinforced alloy is smaller than that in unreinforced alloy. It was also observed that primary ${\alpha}$ and non-equilibrium eutectic, which seems to be penetrated and solidified at the final stage of the solidification of the matrix, are irregularly distributed around fibers. It is considered that cold fibers serve as heterogeneous nucleation site. While in the remelted and resolidified specimen without temperature difference, the DAS was not changed with reinforcement and microstructure reveals non-equilibrium eutectic with relatively uniform thickness around fibers. It might be evident the nucleation starts at interfiber region. Microsegregation decreases with the decrease in cooling rate and with reinforcement in the as-squeeze cast specimen. Al-10wt% Mg alloy shows less microsegregation than Al-4.5wt%Cu alloy.