The effect of Fe-rich intermetallics on the microstructure, hardness and tensile properties of Al-Mg2Si die-cast composite

In present paper, an attempt was made to examine the effect of different concentrations of Fe (0.5, 1, 1.5, 2 and 3 wt.%) on the microstructure and tensile properties of an in situ Al-15wt.%Mg2Si metal matrix composite (MMC). The composite was made by casting process and characterized by optical microscope, scanning electron microscope (SEM) equipped with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. The results depicted that the addition of 2 wt.% Fe to the MMC changes the morphology of primary Mg2Si from irregular to polyhedral shape and reduces its average particle size from 33 mu m to 15 mu m. The microstructural studies also showed that the addition of Fe leads to the formation of Fe-rich intermetallics with polyhedral, plate-like and star-like morphology. Hardness results demonstrated that Fe addition to Al-15%Mg2Si composite has a positive effect on the hardness improvement. Further investigations on tensile tests revealed optimum Fe (1 wt.%) level for improving tensile properties. In the point of fracture behavior of the composite, Fe-containing specimens showed a brittle mode of failure. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.