Analysis of eutectic silicon modification during solidification of Al-6Si using in-situ neutron diffraction

Aluminum-silicon alloys contain coarse, acicular Si plates that are detrimental to material properties. However, trace additions of Sr have been found to modify the eutectic Si to have a fine, fibrous structure, which improves elongation, strength, and thermal conductivity. In this study, in-situ neutron diffraction was conducted during the solidification of unmodified and Sr-modified binary Al-6 wt.% Si to obtain a novel view of the …