Effect of Sc and Sr on the Eutectic Si Morphology and Tensile Properties of Al-Si-Mg Alloy

To study the effect of Sc and Sr additions on modifying eutectic silicon particles and mechanical properties for Al-Si-Mg casting alloy, they were added with different amounts in F357 alloy without beryllium addition in the present work. It was found that (0.4 wt.% Sc and 0.04 wt.% Sr)-modified F357 alloy presented the optimal tensile properties when compared with the individual addition of Sc or Sr. This was mainly attributed to the synergic modification of eutectic Si in F357 alloys due to the combined additions of Sc and Sr. The silicon modification mechanisms via Sc and Sr were emphasized to be examined in this paper, and the fracture mechanism of the obtained alloys was also discussed.