3D characterization of ultrasonic melt processing on the microstructural refinement of Al-Cu alloys by synchrotron X-ray tomography
Yuliang Zhao, Dongfu Song, Bo Lin, Chun Zhang, Donghai Zheng, Zhi Wang, Weiwen Zhang - School of Mechanical Engineering, Dongguan University of Technology, Dongguan, China; National Engineering Research Centre of Near-net-shape Forming for Metallic Materials, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, China; School of Engineering & Computer Science, University of Hull, East Yorkshire, UK; Guangdong Institute of Materials and Processing, Guangzhou, China; School of Mechanical Engineering, Guizhou University, Guiyang, China; School of Aeronautics, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi’an, China
The effect of ultrasonic melting processing on three-dimensional architecture of intermetallic phases and pores in two multicomponent cast Al-5.0Cu 0.6Mn-0.5 Fe alloys is characterized using conventional microscopy and synchrotron X-ray microtomography. (…) The results show that ultrasonic melt processing (USP) significantly reduce the volume fraction, grain size, interconnectivity, and equivalent diameter of the intermetallic phases in both alloys. The volume fraction of pores in both alloys is reduced due to the USP degassing effect. The refinement mechanism of USP induced fragmentation of primary and secondary dendrites via acoustic bubbles and acoustic streaming flow were discussed.