Faculty Publications

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    Modification of eutectic silicon in Al-Si alloys
    (2008) Hegde, S.; Prabhu, K.N.
    The mechanical properties of Al-Si alloys are strongly related to the size, shape and distribution of eutectic silicon present in the microstructure In order to improve mechanical properties, these alloys are generally subjected to modification melt treatment, which transforms the acicular silicon morphology to fibrous one resulting in a noticeable improvement in elongation and strength. Improper melt treatment procedures, fading and poisoning of modifiers often result in the structure which is far from the desired one. Hence it is essential to assess the effectiveness of melt treatment before pouring. A much investigated reliable thermal analysis technique is generally used for this purpose. The deviation from the standard curve in thermal analysis helps in assessing the level of refinement of the Si structure. In the present review an attempt is made to discuss various aspects of modification, including mechanism, interaction of defects and non-destructive assessment by thermal analysis. © 2008 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC.
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    Influence of Ti, B and Sr on the microstructure and mechanical properties of A356 alloy
    (2011) Mallapur, D.G.; Kori, S.A.; Udupa, K.R.
    In the present investigation, the microstructural and mechanical properties study of A356 alloy have been discussed. The microstructural aspect of cast A356 alloy employed in the present study is strongly dependent on the grain refinement (Ti and B) and modification (Sr). The mechanical properties such as PS, UTS, %E, %R, YM and VHN have been investigated. This paper deals with the combined effect of grain refinement and modification, which improves the overall mechanical properties of the alloy. It is also a well-known fact that the mechanical properties of cast A356 alloy were improved by subjecting suitable melt treatment such as grain refinement, modification and mould vibration, etc. The quality of castings and their properties can be achieved by refining of ?-Al dendrites in A356 alloy by means of the addition of elements such as Ti and B which reduces the size of a-Al dendrites, which otherwise solidifies with coarse columnar a-Al dendritic structure. In addition, modification is normally adopted to achieve improved mechanical properties. Metallographic studies reveal that the structure changes from coarse columnar dendrites to fine equiaxed ones on the addition of grain refiner and further, plate like eutectic silicon to fine particles on addition of 0.20% of Al-10Sr modifier. The present result shows that a reduction in the size of a-Al dendrites, modification of eutectic Si and improvement in the mechanical properties were observed with the addition of grain refiner Al-3Ti, Al-3B and modifier Al-10Sr either individual addition or in combination. The change in the microstructure from coarse columnar ?-Al dendrites to fine equiaxed dendrites and plate like eutectic silicon to rounded particles leads to improved mechanical properties. © Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2010.
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    Effect of modification melt treatment and chilling on eutectic arrest temperature and time during solidification of A357 alloy
    (2011) Prabhu, K.N.; Hegde, S.
    Thermal analysis technique has been recognised as an efficient non-destructive tool to assess the degree of modification in Al-Si alloys. Apart from chemical modification, chilling refines the microstructure. This is particularly significant as majority of Al-Si alloys are cast in metallic moulds. In the present study, the interaction between chilling and modification melt treatment is investigated to assess their effect on thermal analysis parameters using computer aided cooling curve analysis. For modified alloys, the depression of the eutectic arrest temperature was significant at higher cooling rates. The eutectic arrest temperature and time were correlated with the cooling rate using a power law. High cooling regime in thermal analysis plots was attributed to the combined effect of chilling and modification melt treatment on heat transfer. © 2011 Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining.
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    The effect of the addition of strontium and cerium modifiers on microstructure and mechanical properties of hypereutectic Al-Si (LM30) alloy
    (ASTM International, 2013) Vijayan, V.; Ravi, M.; Prabhu, K.
    The present work deals with the melt treatment of LM30 hypereutectic Al-Si alloy using cerium and strontium and the assessment of its effect on microstructure and properties of the alloy. The addition of cerium simultaneously modified both primary and eutectic silicon, leading to an increase in ultimate tensile strength, as well as the wear resistance of the alloy. It was found that the coefficient of thermal expansion of the alloy decreased on modification of the microstructure. © 2013 by ASTM International.
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    Effect of chilling and cerium addition on microstructure and cooling curve parameters of Al-14%Si alloy
    (Maney Publishing maney@maney.co.uk, 2015) Vijayan, V.; Prabhu, K.
    Al-14%Si alloys, with and without cerium, were cast at varying cooling rates by solidifying them in a crucible and against chills. The effect of melt treatment and chilling on microstructure and cooling curve parameters of the alloy was assessed. Ce treated alloys solidified in clay graphite crucible at a slow cooling rate showed refinement of primary silicon and the formation of Al-Si-Ce ternary intermetallic compound. The addition of Ce to the alloy solidified against chills resulted in simultaneous refinement and modification of primary and eutectic silicon. Nucleation temperatures of both primary and eutectic silicon decreased on addition of cerium. The formation of the intermetallic compound decreased with increase in cooling rate, leading to the modification of the eutectic silicon. The increase in the degree of modification of the eutectic Si was associated with the decrease in the volume fraction of the intermetallic compound formed. © 2015 Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum Published by Maney on behalf of the Institute.
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    The influence of the addition of 4.5 wt.% of copper on wear properties of Al-12Si eutectic alloy
    (Hashemite University huniv@hu.edu.jo, 2015) Channappagoudar, S.; Kiran Aithal, K.; Sannayallappa, N.; Desai, V.; Mukunda, P.G.
    The influence of 4.5 wt.% copper addition on wear behavior of as-cast Al-12Si alloy prepared by gravity casting is investigated in dry sliding against a steel counterface using a pin-on-disk apparatus. The microstructures of test alloys and worn surfaces were examined by scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersing X-ray spectroscopy. The addition of copper to the binary Al-12Si alloy led to the precipitation of CuAl2 phase. Copper addition resulted in a refinement of ?-Al and a minor modification of eutectic Si. The Al-12Si-4.5Cu alloy showed a higher wear resistance as compared to Al-12Si binary eutectic alloy. © 2015 Jordan Journal of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering. All rights reserved.
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    Effect of combined grain refinement and modification on microstructure and mechanical properties of hypoeutectic, eutectic and hypereutectic Al-Si alloys
    (Inderscience Publishers, 2015) Shivaprasad, C.G.; Kiran Aithal, K.; Narendranath, S.; Desai, V.; Mukunda, P.G.
    The effect of melt treatment owing to the combined addition of grain refiner and modifier on the microstructure and mechanical properties of Al-Si alloys having 7% (hypoeutectic), 12% (eutectic) and 15% silicon (hypereutectic) is studied. 1 wt. % of Al-1Ti-3B Master alloy was used as grain refiner. For modification of eutectic Si, 0.2 wt. % of Al-10Sr Master alloy was added to hypoeutectic alloy and 0.4 wt. % is added to eutectic alloy as well as hypereutectic alloy. Furthermore, refinement of primary Si in hypereutectic alloy was achieved by addition of 0.04 wt. % of phosphorus. The goal of this investigation is to determine the influence of combined addition of grain refiner and modifier on mechanical properties and qualitatively correlate with the microstructural changes. © 2015 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd.
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    The effect of simultaneous refinement and modification by cerium on microstructure and mechanical properties of Al-8% Si alloy
    (Taylor and Francis Ltd. maney@maney.co.uk, 2016) Vijayan, V.; Prabhu, K.N.
    The effect of cerium melt treatment on microstructure and mechanical properties of gravity die cast Al-8% Si alloy was studied. The addition of Ce transformed the large columnar ?-Al grains into fine equiaxed grains and modified the acicular eutectic Si into fine fibrous form. The addition of Ce resulted in the formation of needle-shaped complex Ce intermetallic along the grain boundaries. Electrical conductivity measurements are used for the first time to reveal the effect of Ce addition on modification of the eutectic Si. The electrical conductivity of the alloy increased with Ce melt treatment. Scanning Electron Microscopy results suggests that the Ce particles did not heterogeneously nucleate the ?-Al grains, instead the fine equiaxed grains were formed through an invariant reaction between the liquid melt and Ce phase. The ultimate tensile strength, % elongation and hardness of the alloy significantly improved due to simultaneous modification and refinement. © 2016 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.
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    The Effect of Chilling and Ce Addition on the Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Al-23Si Alloy
    (Springer New York LLC barbara.b.bertram@gsk.com, 2017) Vijayan, V.; Prabhu, K.
    The present work involves the study of the effect of varying concentration of Ce addition on microstructure and mechanical properties of Al-23%Si alloys. Melt-treated alloys were solidified in copper, brass, stainless steel molds to assess the effect of cooling rate. The effect on microstructure was assessed by measuring the fineness of primary silicon and eutectic silicon particle characteristics. The Ce melt treatment transformed the coarse and irregular primary silicon into refined polyhedral silicon crystals, and the effect was more significant at higher cooling rates. Although the melt treatment had refined the eutectic silicon at lower cooling rates, it did not show any considerable effect on the eutectic silicon at higher cooling rates. The mechanical properties of the alloy increased significantly with increase in cooling rates and cerium concentration. Analysis of the results and literature reveals that the refined primary silicon was formed as a result of an invariant reaction between Ce compounds and primary silicon at higher temperatures. © 2016, ASM International.