The microstructure and mechanical properties of 2219 alloy during ultrasonic treatment

Abstract

High-intensity ultrasonic melt treatment technique plays a key role in improving the performance of large-scale 2219 alloy ingot (Φ630 mm × 4500 mm). In this current paper, ultrasonic treatment-assisted casting techniques were developed and applied to manufacture large-scale 2219 aluminium (Al) alloy ingot in direct chill casting (DC). The industry-level experiments revealed that the α-Al grains of the ingot with ultrasonic (USDC) were refined, the area fraction of the coarse Al2Cu eutectic phase showed a decreasing trend, and the mechanical properties were lightly improved than without ultrasonic ingot (DC). Based on the present results and previous proposed hypotheses, the synergistic effects of cavitation and acoustic streaming were considered as the dominant mechanisms of USDC.