Microstructural refinement of Al-Si alloy upon ultrasonic nanocrystalline surface modification treatment

In this work, an Al-7 wt.% Si alloy, which is widely used as the structural materials in the automotive and aerospace industries for their high specific strength, was subjected to ultrasonic nanocrystalline surface modification (UNSM) treatment. After UNSM treatment, the effect of UNSM on the microstructural evolution of both Al grain and the dispersed Si particles was studied by using scanning electron microscope (SEM) and transmission electron microscope (TEM). Experimental results show that the ultra-fine grain (UFG, - 400 nm in size) structure is developed in the top surface layer (up to - 15 μm in depth). The coarse Si particles were refined and well dispersed in the UFG Al matrix. Cross-sectional TEM observation revealed that the grain refinement mechanism involved the formation of new grain boundaries dividing the coarse grain into UFG structure. Nanotwin and nanosize Si were formed within the original coarse Si particles. The presence of dispersed Si particles in the Al matrix accelerated the Al grain refinement process.