INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF METALCASTING, cilt.13, sa.1, ss.137-145, 2019 (SCI-Expanded)
Systematic work was performed in the present study to investigate the effect of V and Zr additions on microstructural evolution and mechanical properties of the gravity die-cast AlSi9Cu2 alloy in T6 temper. The equiaxed dendritic structure typical of AlSi9Cu2 alloy is replaced by a much finer columnar dendritic network when modified with V and Zr additions. This remarkable structural refinement is believed to be linked with the formation of the V- and Zr-containing phases that form during solidification. The co-addition of V and Zr affects the tensile properties and hardness more significantly than individual additions. While the increase in strength is accompanied by a decrease in elongation, the penalty to be paid, particularly in the case of co-addition of V and Zr, is rather small and thus could be tolerated for the superior strength in some applications.