Journal of Advanced Materials in Engineering

Journal of Advanced Materials in Engineering

Comparison of the Effect of Al-5Zr Inoculant on the Microstructure of Al-13.8wt.% Mg₂Si Eutectic Alloy by Gravity and Centrifugal Casting Methods

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
Masomeh Ghayebloo 1
Ahad Samadi 2
1 Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Bonab, Bonab, Iran
2 Advanced Materials Research Institute, Faculty of Materials Engineering, Sahand University of Technology, Tabriz, Iran
10.47176/jame.46.1.1208
Abstract
Introduction and Objectives: Functionally graded materials are an advanced class of composites which their microstructure change continuously in a specific direction. The main purpose of this paper is to study the microstructure of the Al-13.8 wt.% Mg2Si eutectic alloy produced by centrifugal and gravity casting methods and comparison the effect of addition of Al-5Zr inoculant on the changes in their casting microstructure.
Materials and methods: In this research, with gravity and centrifugal casting of Al-13.8wt.% Mg2Si alloy and adding an appropriate amount of Al-5Zr inoculant, microstructural changes in the radial direction of the casting cylinder were compared with gravity casting samples. The chemical composition and microstructural characteristics of the samples were studied using energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and optical microscopy, respectively.
Results: The microstructure of the centrifugally cast Al-5Zr inoculant-free cylinder exhibited columnar Al/Mg2Si eutectic cells along the radial direction, accompanied with an accumulation of primary Mg2Si particles in the inner layer of the cylinder. Upon the addition of Al-5Zr inoculant, the morphology of Mg2Si secondary phases changed from cubic to Chinese script shape. However, the microstructure of the conventional gravity casting sample containing and without zirconium showed Al/Mg2Si eutectic cells without a specific targeted distribution, an accumulation of primary and light Mg2Si particles in the upper layer of the casting cylinder, which is due to the separation of these particles against the upward direction of gravity.
Conclusion: The microstructure of the cast cylinder processed by centrifugal casting containing Al-5Zr inoculant showed a targeted distribution of Al/Mg2Si eutectic cells and aggregation and reduction in the size of Mg2Si particles in the inner radial layer of the cast cylinder.
Keywords
Functionally graded materials
Centrifugal casting
Gravity casting
Al-13.8wt.% Mg2Si eutectic alloy
Segregation of particles
Al-5Zr inoculant
Subjects
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Journal of Advanced Materials in Engineering
Volume 46, Issue 1
Winter 2027
Pages 85-96

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