Abstract:
The addition of manganese(Mn) to aluminum alloys has the potential to induce the formation of strengthening phases, such as Al
6Mn. However, in aluminum alloys fabricated via conventional casting techniques, the Al
6Mn phase is generally characterized by coarse morphology and non-uniform distribution, thereby impeding its full utilization of the reinforcing effect. The double-melt mixing approach was employed to blend the melts of the Al-Mn alloy and the A356 alloy at various proportions, with the aim of manufacturing a cast aluminum alloy material featuring high strength and superior wear resistance. The results reveal that upon the double melt mixing of Al-Mn/A356, a ternary strengthening phase, namely Al-Mn-Si, is formed within the aluminum alloy matrix. As the mixing ratio of the two melts progressively decreases from 1∶6 to 1 ∶10, the distribution pattern of the Al-Mn-Si phase transitions from an initial state of enrichment to uniform dispersion.Concurrently, the average sizes of both the α-Al grains and the eutectic Si display a trend of initially decreasing followed by increasing. Moreover, with the reduction in the mixing ratio, the tensile strength of the aluminum alloy exhibits a trend of initially increasing and subsequently decreasing, whereas the elongation and the wear rate initially decrease and then increase.Specifically, when the mixing ratio is set at 1 ∶8, the fabricated cast aluminum alloy exhibits outstanding performance. Its as-cast tensile strength reaches 218.54 MPa, with an elongation of 2.18% and a wear rate of 1.17 ×10
-3mm
3·N
-1·m
-1.Compared with the as-cast A356 alloy, its tensile strength is enhanced by 34.02%, the elongation is increased by 4.81%, and the wear rate is reduced by 74.45%.