Characterization of Aluminium Iron Intermetallic Produced by Stir Casting

Abstract

Iron is the most common impurity found in aluminium. It has a high solubility in molten aluminium and is therefore easily dissolved in the liquid state of aluminium, however its solubility in the solid state is very low. The low solubility of iron in the solid state is accompanied by decreased ductility as a result of the formation of intermetallic phases like AlFe and/or AlFe3. These intermetallic phases increase the strength of the aluminium alloy. They also enhance corrosion resistance. Intermetallic phases based on the high activity of aluminium have very attractive properties such as low density, high melting point, high thermal conductivity, excellent oxidation, hot corrosion resistance and good mechanical properties. In the present work, the formation of intermetallic of Aluminium and Iron is obtained by preparing the intermetallic by stir casting route. The tensile properties, hardness and topography are explored. The ultimate tensile strength was found to be enhanced by around 30% when the volume fraction of Iron in the intermetallic increases from zero to 6%. The average hardness was found to be increased from 62VHN to 69 VHN.