Iranian Journal of Materials Science and Engineering

The influence of melt superheating treatment on the solidification characteristics and microstructure of Al–20%Mg₂Si in-situ composite has been investigated. The results revealed that melt superheating temperature has a significant effect on solidification parameters and morphology of primary Mg₂Si particles. Solidification parameters acquired using cooling curve thermal analysis method, indicate that both nucleation temperature and nucleation undercooling of primary Mg₂Si particles increase by increasing melt superheating temperature, while recalescence undercooling decrease under the same condition. Also, based on the microstructural evaluations, melt superheating treatment can refine primary Mg₂Si particles and alter their morphology from dendritic shape to more spherical shape and the eutectic microstructure of a-Al + Mg₂Si becomes finer and the distance between eutectic layers becomes smaller.