Refinement of the primary Si particles in hypereutectic aluminum alloy

Al-Si alloys, with such excellent properties as low weight, low thermal expansion coefficient, and high wear-resistance, are ideal materials for the automobile and aerospace industries. However, their applications have been hampered by the coarsening of the primary-Si particles in Al-Si alloys. In this study, simple plastic deformation was used to reduce primary-Si particles and to improve the wear-resistance and mechanical strength of Al-Si alloys. Experimental results showed that mechanical rolling decreased the grain size of primary-Si particles in Al-Si alloys and reduced the variation in silicon particle size. After 60%-roll-reduction, the alloy showed an improved tensile strength of 340 MPa, which is attributed to the work hardening of the aluminum matrix and the dispersion strengthening of the primary-Si particles. Data from wear-resistance testing showed that rolling led to a reduction in wear loss. This improvement in wear resistance is due to the particle size refinement of silicon at a high percentage-roll-reduction.