Microstructural evolution and mechanical properties of multi-directionally forged SiP/ZA22 composite

The effect of multi-pass multi-directional forging (MDF) on the microstructure and mechanical properties of Zn–22Al–xSi (X = 4 and 8 wt. %) alloy, also known as SiP/ZA22 composite, was investigated. MDF process was applied at 100 °C for one, three, and five passes with the strain of 0.47 per pass. According to the results, MDF refined and homogenized the composites microstructure so that the average size of primary Si (SiP) particles reduced from 25.0 µm and 30.4 µm in as-cast ZA22-4Si and ZA22-8Si composites to about 6.2 µm and 7.3 µm in five-pass MDFed condition, respectively, and their distribution shifted to the smaller size range. Mechanical properties tests revealed that multi-pass MDF has softened the investigated composite. For instance, the hardness, tensile strength, and shear strength of ZA22-4Si composite reduced from 83 HV, 280 MPa, and 165 MPa in as-cast condition to about 58 HV, 160 MPa, and 118 MPa in the five-pass MDFed sample, respectively. This is while its fracture strain increased from 15% to about 40% with the strain rate of 1.2 × 10–3 s−1.