Influence of Electric-Current Pulse Treatment on the Formation of Regular Eutectic Morphology in an Al-Si Eutectic Alloy

This article describes the influence of an electric current pulse (ECP) on the microstructure of an Al-Si eutectic alloy during directional solidification. Experimental results demonstrate that the ECP has a significant effect on the microstructure of the directionally solidified Al-Si eutectic alloy. Application of ECP can increase the number and area percentage of the complex regular structure (CRS). Furthermore, the area of single CRS increases first and then declines with the increase of the ECP density. Analysis results suggest that the change of the CRS is a result of the forced convection caused by Lorentz force and change of temperature gradient induced by the ECP. The growth process of the CRS is discussed.