Microstructure and elevated-temperature mechanical properties of dispersoid-strengthened Al-Mg-Si-Mn alloys produced by twin roll casting

The microstructure and elevated-temperature mechanical properties of dispersoid-strengthened Al-Mg-Si-Mn alloys produced by twin roll casting(TRC) and conventional mold casting(MC) were studied. A specific heat treatment at 430℃ for 6 h was applied, followed by rolling. Tensile tests were carried out at 300℃. The results show that in the as-cast microstructures, equiaxed grains formed in the MC sample while elongated grains with substructures formed in the TRC sample. The eutectics in the TRC sample were much finer than those in the MC sample. Upon heat treatment, large numbers of α-Al(Fe, Mn)Si dispersoids precipitated, and the TRC sample had a greater number density of dispersoids than those in the MC sample. During the tensile test after rolling, the TRC samples exhibited higher strength than the MC samples, which resulted from the combination of the strengthening effect of the stronger dispersoids and the greater substructure hardening effect in the TRC sample; the TRC sample exhibited better ductility due to its finer initial eutectic than that in the MC sample, which depressed the stress concentration and delayed the occurrence of microcracks and fracture in the TRC sample.