Effects of Cooling Conditions Immediately after Solution Treatment on Microstructures and Mechanical Properties of JIS AC4CH Aluminum Casting Alloy

The objective of this study was to optimize the cooling conditions after solution treatment of the JIS AC4CH aluminum casting alloy, and the effects of the temperature range cooled at 0.5°C/s on the microstructure and mechanical properties were investigated. The temperature range of the cooling and cooling rate were simultaneously adjusted by heating using a high-frequency induction heating apparatus and cooling by blowing air. In particular, cooling at 10°C/s (CR10) was used as the basic cooling rate, with a rate of 0.5°C/s (CR0.5) used for a portion of the temperature range. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) observations of the specimens after cooling revealed that rod-like precipitates formed in the specimens that were cooled at CR0.5 in the range of 400–250°C. In the specimen that was cooled at CR0.5 from 500 to 450°C, granular or rod-shaped precipitates with a small aspect ratio were observed. From the results of a scanning transmission electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (STEM-EDS) investigation, the former were identified as the Mg2Si intermediate phase, and the latter were composed mainly of Si. An electron probe micro analyzer (EPMA) was used to measure the Mg and Si concentrations in the primary α-Al phase. In the case of the temperature range for CR0.5 cooling above 350°C, the Si concentration decreased significantly as the temperature range of CR0.5 cooling increased. Considering the Si concentration distribution and diffusion distance in the primary α-Al phase, this decrease in the Si concentration could have been caused by the diffusion of Si atoms to the eutectic region. The 0.2% proof stress and tensile strength values after the artificial aging of a specimen that was cooled at CR0.5 from 400 to 350°C, where a coarse Mg2Si intermediate phase precipitated during cooling, were approximately 10% lower than those of a specimen that was cooled at CR10 over the whole temperature range.