Influence of introducing Zr, Ti, Nb and Ce elements on externally solidified crystals and mechanical properties of high-pressure die-casting Al-Si alloy

High pressure die casting (HPDC) AlSi10MnMg alloy castings are widely used in the automobile industry. Mg can optimize the mechanical properties of castings through heat treatment, while the release of thermal stress arouses the deformation of large integrated die-castings. Herein, the development of non-heat treatment Al alloys is becoming the hot topic. In addition, HPDC contains externally solidified crystals (ESCs), which are detrimental to the mechanical properties of castings. To achieve high strength and toughness of non-heat treatment die-casting Al-Si alloy, we used AlSi9Mn alloy as matrix with the introduction of Zr, Ti, Nb, and Ce. Their influences on ESCs and mechanical properties were systematically investigated through three-dimensional reconstruction and thermodynamic simulation. Our results reveal that the addition of Ti increased ESCs' size and porosity, while the introduction of Nb refined ESCs and decreased porosity. Meanwhile, large-sized Al3(Zr,Ti) phases formed and degraded the mechanical properties. Subsequent introduction of Ce resulted in the poisoning effect and reduced mechanical properties.