Thermal Analysis of Solidifying Secondary Phases in the Eutectic Al-Si Alloy and the Effect of Sr and Fe

The effect of Fe and Sr on the evolution of the Fe intermetallic and eutectic phases in the Al-Si eutectic (Al-12.6 wt%Si) alloy was studied. Two different amounts of Sr (0.02 and 0.1 wt%) and three levels of Fe (0.5, 1 and 2 wt%) were introduced in the alloy; thermal analysis during solidification coupled with optical microscopy was carried out. It was observed, from the thermal data, that the nucleation temperature of the Fe intermetallic …