Al-Mg-Si alloys are light weight and have excellent corrosion resistance, and are attracting attention as a liner material for high-pressure hydrogen containers in hydrogen fuel cell vehicles. Because it has excellent plastic hardening properties, it is also applied to car body panel materials, but it is moderate in strength, so research to improve the strength by adding Si-rich or Cu is in progress. So far, the authors have conducted research on the intergranular fracture of alloys with excessive Si addition from the macroscopic mechanical point of view, such as specimen shape. To evaluate their impact tensile properties, the split-Hopkinson bar impact test was performed using thin plate specimens of coarse and fine grain alloys of Al-Mg-X (X = Cr,Si) alloy. The effect of the shape of the specimen on the characteristics was studied through finite element method (FEM) analysis. As a result, it was found that the intergranular fracture of the alloy with excessive Si depended on the specimen width (W)/grain size (d), which can be expressed by the specimen size and grain size. As W/d decreases, the intergranular fracture transforms into a transgranular fracture. As the strain rate increases, the fracture elongation decreases, and the fracture surface of the intergranular fracture becomes more brittle. It was confirmed that intergranular fracture occurred in the high strain rate region even in materials with small grain sizes.

The effects of annealing on the microstructure and mechanical properties of Al–Zn–Mg–Cu–Si alloys fabricated by high-energy ball milling (HEBM) and spark plasma sintering (SPS) were investigated. The HEBM-free sintered alloy primarily contained Mg2Si, Q-AlCuMgSi, and Si phases. Meanwhile, the HEBM-sintered alloy contains Mg-free Si and θ-Al2Cu phases due to the formation of MgO, which causes Mg depletion in the Al matrix. Annealing without and with HEBM at 500oC causes partial dissolution and coarsening of the Q-AlCuMgSi and Mg2Si phases in the alloy and dissolution of the θ-Al2Cu phase in the alloy, respectively. In both alloys, a thermally stable α-AlFeSi phase was formed after long-term heat treatment. The grain size of the sintered alloys with and without HEBM increased from 0.5 to 1.0 μm and from 2.9 to 6.3 μm, respectively. The hardness of the sintered alloy increases after annealing for 1 h but decreases significantly after 24 h of annealing. Extending the annealing time to 168 h improved the hardness of the alloy without HEBM but had little effect on the alloy with HEBM. The relationship between the microstructural factors and the hardness of the sintered and annealed alloys is discussed.

Aluminum alloys, known for their high strength-to-weight ratios and impressive electrical and thermal conductivities, are extensively used in numerous engineering sectors, such as aerospace, automotive, and construction. Recently, significant efforts have been made to develop novel aluminum alloys specifically tailored for additive manufacturing. These new alloys aim to provide an optimal balance between mechanical properties and thermal/ electrical conductivities. In this study, nine combinatorial samples with various alloy compositions were fabricated using direct energy deposition (DED) additive manufacturing by adjusting the feeding speeds of Al6061 alloy and Al-12Si alloy powders. The effects of the alloying elements on the microstructure, electrical conductivity, and hardness were investigated. Generally, as the Si and Cu contents decreased, electrical conductivity increased and hardness decreased, exhibiting trade-off characteristics. However, electrical conductivity and hardness showed an optimal combination when the Si content was adjusted to below 4.5 wt%, which can sufficiently suppress the grain boundary segregation of the α- Si precipitates, and the Cu content was controlled to induce the formation of Al2Cu precipitates.

This study investigated the growth behavior and characteristics of compounds formed at the interface between a liquid Al-Si-Cu alloy and solid cast iron. Through microstructural analyses, it was observed that various AlFe and AlFeSi phases are formed at the interface, and the relative proportion of each phase changes when small amounts of strontium are added to the Al alloy. The results of the microstructural analysis indicate that the primary phases of the interfacial compounds in the Al-Si-Cu base alloy are Al8Fe2Si and Al4.5FeSi. However, in the Sr-added alloys, significant amounts of binary AlFe intermetallic compounds such as Al5Fe2 and Al13Fe4 formed, in addition to the AlFeSi phases. The inclusion of Sr has a slight diminishing effect on the rate at which the interfacial compounds layer thickens during the time the liquid Al alloy is in contact with the cast iron. The study also discusses the nano-indentation hardness and micro-hardness of the interfacial phases.

This study investigates the melting point and brazing properties of the aluminum (Al)-copper (Cu)-silicon (Si)-tin (Sn) alloy fabricated for low-temperature brazing based on the alloy design. Specifically, the Al-20Cu-10Si-Sn alloy is examined and confirmed to possess a melting point of approximately 520oC. Analysis of the melting point of the alloy based on composition reveals that the melting temperature tends to decrease with increasing Cu and Si content, along with a corresponding decrease as the Sn content rises. This study verifies that the Al-20Cu-10Si-5Sn alloy exhibits high liquidity and favorable mechanical properties for brazing through the joint gap filling test and Vickers hardness measurements. Additionally, a powder fabricated using the Al-20Cu-10Si-5Sn alloy demonstrates a melting point of around 515oC following melting point analysis. Consequently, it is deemed highly suitable for use as a low-temperature Al brazing material.

In order to broaden the range of application of light weight aluminum alloys, it is necessary to enhance the mechanical properties of the alloys and combine them with other materials, such as cast iron. In this study, the effects of adding small amounts of Cu and Zr to the Al-Si-Mg based alloy on tensile properties and corrosion characteristics were investigated, and the effect of the addition on the interfacial compounds layer with the cast iron was also analyzed. Although the tensile strength of the Al-Si-Mg alloy was not significantly affected by the additions of Cu and Zr, the corrosion resistance in 3.5 %NaCl solution was found to be somewhat lowered in this research. The influence of Cu and Zr addition on the type and thickness of the interfacial compounds layer formed during compound casting with cast iron was not significant, and the main interfacial compounds were identified to be Al5FeSi and Al8Fe2Si phases, as in the case of the Al-Si-Mg alloys.

Soft magnetic powder materials are used throughout industries such as motors and power converters. When manufacturing Fe-based soft magnetic composites, the size and shape of the soft magnetic powder and the microstructure in the powder are closely related to the magnetic properties. In this study, Fe-Si-Al-P alloy powders were manufactured using various manufacturing process parameter sets, and the process parameters of the vacuum induction melt gas atomization process were set as melt temperature, atomization gas pressure, and gas flow rate. Process variable data that records are converted into 6 types of data for each powder recovery section. Process variable data that recorded minute changes were converted into 6 types of data and used as input variables. As output variables, a total of 6 types were designated by measuring the particle size, flowability, apparent density, and sphericity of the manufactured powders according to the process variable conditions. The sensitivity of the input and output variables was analyzed through the Pearson correlation coefficient, and a total of 6 powder characteristics were analyzed by artificial neural network model. The prediction results were compared with the results through linear regression analysis and response surface methodology, respectively.

This research investigated the effect of Si addition on the microstructure, mechanical properties, electric and thermal conductivity of as-extruded Al 6013 alloys. As the content of Si increased, the area fraction of the second phase increased. As the Si content increased, the average grain size decreased remarkably, from 182 (no Si addition) to 142 (1.5Si), 78 (3.0Si) and 77 μm (4.5Si) due to dynamic recrystallization by the dispersed second particles in the aluminum matrix during the hot extrusion. As the Si content increased, the yield strength and ultimate tensile strength increased. The maximum values of yield strength and ultimate tensile strength were 224 MPa and 103 MPa for the 6013-4.5Si alloy. As the amount of Si added increased, the electrical and thermal conductivity decreased. The electrical and thermal conductivity of the Al6013-4.5Si alloy were 44.0% IACS and 165.0 W/mK, respectively. The addition of Si to Al 6013 alloy had a significant effect on its thermal conductivity and mechanical properties.

Aluminum alloys are extensively employed in several industries, such as automobile, aerospace, and architecture, owing to their high specific strength and electrical and thermal conductivities. However, to meet the rising industrial demands, aluminum alloys must be designed with both excellent mechanical and thermal properties. Computer-aided alloy design is emerging as a technique for developing novel alloys to overcome these trade-off properties. Thus, the development of a new experimental method for designing alloys with high-throughput confirmation is gaining focus. A new approach that rapidly manufactures aluminum alloys with different compositions is required in the alloy design process. This study proposes a combined approach to rapidly investigate the relationship between the microstructure and properties of aluminum alloys using a direct energy deposition system with a dual-nozzle metal 3D printing process. Two types of aluminum alloy powders (Al-4.99Si-1.05Cu-0.47Mg and Al-7Mg) are employed for the 3D printing-based combined method. Nine types of Al-Si-Cu-Mg alloys are manufactured using the combined method, and the relationship between their microstructures and properties is examined.

Immobilization of radioactive borate waste containing a high boron concentration using cement waste form has been challenged because the soluble borate phase such as boric acid reacts with calcium compounds, hindering the hydration reaction in cement waste form. Metakaolin-based geopolymer waste form which has a pure aluminosilicate system without calcium can be a promising alternative for the cement; however, secondary B-O-Si networks are formed by a reaction between borate and silicate, resulting in poor mechanical characteristics such as low compressive strength and final setting retardation. Thus, it is important to optimize the Si/Al molar ratio and curing temperature which are critical parameters of geopolymer waste form to increase borate waste loading and enhance the durability of geopolymer. Here, metakaolin-based geopolymer waste form to immobilize simulant radioactive borate waste was fabricated by varying the Si/Al molar ratio and curing temperature. The 7 days-compressive strength results reveals that the Si/Al molar ratio of 1.4 and curing at 60°C is advantageous to achieving high waste loading (30wt%). In addition, geopolymer waste forms with the highest borate waste loading exceeded the 3.445 MPa after the waste form acceptance criteria such as thermal cycling, gamma irradiation, and water immersion tests. The leachability index of boron was 7.56 and the controlling leaching mechanism was diffusion. The thermal cycling and gamma irradiation did not significantly change the geopolymer structure. The physically incorporated borate waste was leached out from geopolymer waste form during leaching and water immersion tests. Considering these results, metakaolin-based geopolymer waste form with a low Si/Al ratio is a promising candidate for borate waste immobilization, which has been difficult using cement.

The precipitation effect of Al-6%Si-0.4%Mg-0.9%Cu-(Ti) alloy (in wt.%) after various heat treatments was studied using a laser flash device (LFA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Solid solution treatment was performed at 535 oC for 6 h, followed by water cooling, and samples were artificially aged in air at 180 oC and 220 oC for 5 h. The titanium-free alloy Al-6%Si-0.4%Mg-0.9%Cu showed higher thermal diffusivity than did the Al-6%Si-0.4%Mg-0.9%Cu-0.2%Ti alloy over the entire temperature range. In the temperature ranges below 200 oC and above 300 oC, the value of thermal diffusivity decreased with increasing temperature. As the sample temperature increased between 200 oC and 400 oC, phase precipitation occurred. From the results of DSC analysis, the temperature dependence of the change in thermal diffusivity in the temperature range between 200 oC and 400 oC was strongly influenced by the precipitation of θ'-Al2Cu, β'-Mg2Si, and Si phases. The most important factor in the temperature dependence of thermal diffusivity was Si precipitation.

Al-Cr-Si ternary quench ribbons are fabricated using a single roll method and investigated for their structural and thermal properties. In particular, the sinterability is examined by pulse current sintering to obtain the following results. The Al74Cr20Si6 composition becomes a quasicrystalline single phase; by reducing the amount of Cr, it becomes a twophase mixed structure of Al phase and quasicrystalline phase. As a result of sintering of Al74Cr20Si6, Al77Cr13Si10 and Al90Cr6Si4 compositions, the sintering density is increased with the large amount of Al phase; the sintering density is the highest in Al90Cr6Si4 composition. In addition, as a result of investigating the effects of sintering temperature and pressurization on the sintered density of Al90Cr6Si4, a sintered compact of 99% or more at 513 K and 500 MPa is produced. In particular, since the Al-Cr-Si ternary crystal is more thermally stable than the Al-Cr binary quaternary crystal, it is possible to increase the sintering temperature by about 100 K. Therefore, using an alloy of Al90Cr6Si4 composition, a sintered compact having a sintered density of 99 % or more at 613 K and 250 MPa can be manufactured. It is possible to increase the sintering temperature by using the alloy system as a ternary system. As a result, it is possible to produce a sintered body with higher density than that possible using the binary system, and at half the pressure compared with the conventional Al-Cr binary system.

Cr-Si based alloys are not only excellent in corrosion resistance at high temperatures, but also have good wear resistance due to the formation of Cr3Si phase, therefore they are promising as metallic coating materials. Aluminum is often added to Cr-Si alloys to improve the oxidation resistance through which stable alumina surface film is formed. On the other hand, due to the addition of aluminum, various Al-containing phases may be formed and may negatively affect the heat resistance of the Cr-Si-Al alloys, so detailed investigation is required. In this study, two Cr-Si-Al alloys (high-Si & high-Al) were prepared in the form of cast ingots through a vacuum arc melting process and the microstructural changes after high temperature heating process were investigated. In the case of the cast high-Si alloy, a considerable amount of Cr3Si phase was formed, and its hardness was significantly higher than that of the cast high-Al alloy. Also, Al-rich phases (with the high Al/ Cr ratio) were not found much compared to the high-Al alloy. Meanwhile, it was observed that the amount of the Al-rich phases reduced by the annealing heat treatment for both alloys. In the case of the high temperature heating at 1,400 oC, no significant microstructural change was observed in the high Si alloy, but a little more coarse and segregated AlCr phases were found in the high Al alloy compared to the cast state.

We investigate the effects of Yb2O3 and calcium aluminosilicate (CAS) glass as sintering additives on the sintering behavior of AlN. The AlN specimens are sintered at temperatures between 1700oC and 1900oC for 2 h in a nitrogen atmosphere. When the Yb2O3 content is low (within 3 wt.%), an isolated shape of secondary phase is observed at the AlN grain boundary. In contrast, when 3 wt.% Yb2O3 and 1 wt.% CAS glass are added, a continuous secondary phase is formed at the AlN grain boundary. The thermal conductivity decreases when the CAS glass is added, but the sintering density does not decrease. In particular, when 10 wt.% Yb2O3 and 1 wt.% CAS glass are added to AlN, the flexural strength is the highest, at 463 MPa. These results are considered to be influenced by changes in the microstructure of the secondary phase of AlN.

The effect of precipitation and dissolution of Si on the thermal diffusivity in the Al-Si alloy system is reported in this study and solution heat treatment followed by aging treatment is carried out to determine the effects of heat treatment on the thermal characteristics. The solution treatment is performed at 535 oC for 4 and 10 h and then the specimens are cooled by rapid quenching. The samples are aged at 300 oC for 4 h to precipitate Si solute. The addition of 9 wt% silicon contents makes the thermal diffusivity decrease from 78 to 74 mm/s2 in the cases of solid solution treated and quenched samples. After quenching and aging, the Si solute precipitates on the Al matrix and increases the thermal diffusivity compared with that after the quenched state. In particular, the increase of the thermal diffusivity is equal to 10 mm/s2 without relation to the Si contents in the Al-Si alloy, which seems to corresponded to solute amount of Si 1 wt% in the Al matrix.

In this paper, a durability study is presented to enhance the mechanical properties of an Fe-Si-Al powderbased magnetic core, through the addition of graphite. The compressive properties of Fe-Si-Al-graphite powder mixtures are explored using discrete element method (DEM), and a powder compaction experiment is performed under identical conditions to verify the reliability of the DEM analysis. Important parameters for powder compaction of Fe-Si-Algraphite powder mixtures are identified. The compressibility of the powders is observed to increase as the amount of graphite mixture increases and as the size of the graphite powders decreases. In addition, the compaction properties of the Fe-Si-Al-graphite powder mixtures are further explored by analyzing the transmissibility of stress between the top and bottom punches as well as the distribution of the compressive force. The application of graphite powders is confirmed to result in improved stress transmission and compressive force distribution, by 24% and 51%, respectively.

Two different casting speeds of 60 and 80mm/min are adopted to determine the effect of casting speed on the microstructure and mechanical properties of Al-Mg-Si/Al hybrid material prepared by duo-casting. The obtained hybrid material has a uniform and straight macro-interface between the pure Al side and the Al-Mg-Si alloy side at both casting speeds. When the casting speed is increased to 80mm/min, the size of primary α phases in Al-Mg-Si alloy decreases, without change of shape. Although the Al-Mg-Si alloy produced at higher casting speed of 80mm/min shows much higher ultimate tensile strength (UTS) and 0.2 % proof stress and lower elongation, along with higher bending strength compared to the case of the 60mm/min in casting speed, the tensile properties and bending strength of the hybrid material, which are similar to those of pure Al, are the same regardless of the increase of casting speed. Despite the different casting speeds, deformation and fracturing in hybrid materials are observed only on the pure Al side. This indicates that the macro-interface is well-bonded, allowing it to endure tensile and bending deformation in all hybrid materials.

In this study, three kinds of metal chills such as SS400, AC4CH and brass, with different thicknesses of 40 ~ 80 mm, were applied for low pressure casting of Al-Si alloy to control cooling rate. The microstructural characteristics with increasing cooling rate were represented using factors including D1, D2, size of primary α phases and shape factor and size of eutectic Si. The tensile properties were investigated and additionally analyzed based on the microstructural characteristics. As the cooling rate increased, D1, D2, and sizes of primary α phases and eutectic Si apparently decreased and the shape factor of eutectic Si increased to over 0.8. The ultimate tensile strength (UTS) and yield strength (YS) increased with decreasing D1, D2, and size of primary α phases, while elongation increased with decreasing size of eutectic Si and concurrently increasing shape factor of eutectic Si. This indicated that the primary α phases and eutectic Si in Al-Si alloy were refined with increasing cooling rate, resulting in improvement of UTS and YS without sacrificing elongation. After the tensile test, preferential deformation of primary α phases was observed in the Al-Si alloy produced at higher cooling rates of more than 0.1 K/s.

The effect of intercritical annealing temperature on the microstructure and mechanical properties of Fe-9Mn-0.2C- 3Al-0.5Si medium manganese steels containing Cu and Ni is investigated in this study. Six kinds of medium manganese steels are fabricated by varying the chemical composition and intercritical annealing temperature. Hardness and tensile tests are performed to examine the correlation of microstructure and mechanical properties for the intercritical annealed medium manganese steels containing Cu and Ni. The microstructures of all the steels are composed mostly of lath ferrite, reverted austenite and cementite, regardless of annealing temperature. The room-temperature tensile test results show that the yield and tensile strengths decrease with increasing intercritical annealing temperature due to higher volume fraction and larger thickness of reverted austenite. On the other hand, total and uniform elongations, and strain hardening exponent increase due to higher dislocation density because transformation-induced plasticity is promoted with increasing annealing temperature by reduction in reverted austenite stability.