Microstructural characterization of a rapidly solidified Al-10Sb alloy

In the present work, the microstructure of a melt-spun Al-10 Sb alloy has been characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The results show that rapid solidification has no influence on the phase constitution of the Al-10 Sb alloy. Moreover, the phase constitution does not change with increasing quenching rate (wheel speed). However, rapid solidification has a significant effect on the microstructure of the Al-10 Sb alloy. The microstructure of the melt-spun Al-10 Sb alloy dominantly comprises equiaxed primary AlSb dendrites and nanoscale alpha-Al/AlSb eutectic, different from that of the ingot-cast alloy consisting of coarse primary AlSb plates within the alpha-Al/AlSb eutectic matrix. Some epitaxial orientation relationships were found between AlSb particles and alpha-Al matrix in the melt-spun Al-10 Sb alloy as follows: alpha-Al [310] parallel to AlSb [110] and alpha-Al (002) parallel to AlSb (2 (2) over bar0). (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.