Microstructural features and heat flow analysis of atomized and spray-formed Al-Fe-V-Si alloy

Microstructural features of rapidly solidified powders and preforms of Al80Fe10V4Si6 alloy produced by spray forming process have been studied. The atomization and spray deposition were carried out using a confined gas atomization process and the microstructural features were characterized using scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) techniques. The microstructure of a wide size range of atomized powders invariably revealed cellular and dendritic morphology. The extent of dendritic region and the dendritic arm spacing were observed to increase with powder particle size. The TEM investigations indicated the presence of ultrafine second-phase particles in the intercellular or interdendritic regions. In contrast, the spray deposits of the alloy showed considerable variation in microstructure and size and dispersion of the second-phase particles at specific distances from the deposit-substrate interface and the exterior regions of the deposit. Nevertheless, considerable homogeneity was observed in the microstructure toward the center of the spray deposit. The formation and distribution of a cubic phase alpha-Al(Fe, V)Si has been characterized in both atomized powders and spray deposits. A one-dimensional heat flow model has been used to analyze the evolution of microstructure during atomization and also during spray deposition processing of this alloy. The results indicate that thermal history of droplets in the spray on deposition surface and their solidification behavior considerably influence the microstructural features of the spray deposits.