Abstract
Horizontal directional solidification and precipitation hardening experiments were performed with the Al5.5Si3Cu alloy. Solidification thermal and microstructural parameters such as growth and cooling rates (VL and TR, respectively) and the secondary dendrite arm spacing (λ2) were determined experimentally. As-solidified samples were selected and submitted to the T6-heat treatment (T6-HT). The T6-HT was carried out considering two solution times: 8 and 5 h at 490 ± 2°C, followed by quenching in warm water (60 ± 2°C), aging for 5 h at 155 ± 2°C and air-cooling. Higher HV values were observed for the solution time of 5 h. As highlights of this work, the influence of the processing parameters (VL, TR and λ2) on the distribution, morphology and size of the eutectic Si particles has been investigated.
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