Spheroidization of Eutectic Silicon in Direct-Electrolytic Al-Si Alloy

The spheroidization process of direct-electrolytic Al-Si alloy (DEASA) containing Si content in the range of 7 to 12 pct heated at temperatures of 778 K to 803 K (505 A degrees C to 530 A degrees C) was studied. The width, length, and aspect ratio of Si particles were measured to quantitatively analyze the microstructural variety of Si phase during the heating process in terms of chemical composition and remelting. Compared to existing Al-Si alloy, the lower soaking temperature of 778 K to 783 K (505 A degrees C to 510 A degrees C) is required to obtain the full spheroidization of the Si phase of DEASA. When remelting DEASA, a satisfactory granulation rate can be achieved at a higher soak temperature of 788 K to 803 K (515 A degrees C to 530 A degrees C). The origin of the high spheroidizaton rate is attributed to the microstructural characteristic relative to the electrolysis process. It would be expected that high crystallographic defects of Si grain result in the complete spheroidization of Si phase at lower temperatures for a short period.