An. Vasilakos et al., THERMODYNAMIC ANALYSIS AND MECHANICAL-PROPERTIES OF COST ALUMINUM-ALLOY A357 WITH CU, AG AND SM ADDITIONS, Metall, 50(9), 1996, pp. 556-560
Computational thermodynamics has been conducted on the aluminum alloy
A357 with additions of Cu, Ag and Sm. The analysis included the determ
ination of isopleth sections and phase fractions as a function of temp
erature, Scheil solidification diagrams were calculated showing the de
velopment of microsegregation. Calculation of precipitation driving fo
rce for the strengthening phases Mg2Si and theta (Al2Cu) were conducte
d as a function of temperature and composition, These calculations est
ablished the recommended ageing temperature of the alloys. The modifie
d ageing treatment (relative to the conventional A357 alloy) resulted
in improved combinations of strength and ductility These improvements
were attributed to the finer particle dispersions produced with the lo
wer temperature ageing treatment.