Materials Science & Engineering A 597 (2014) 237–244

Contents lists available at ScienceDirect

Materials Science & Engineering A

journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/msea

Effects of rare earth elements addition on microstructures, tensile

properties and fractography of A357 alloy
Wenming Jiang a,b,n, Zitian Fan a, Yucheng Dai a, Chi Li a
a
State Key Lab of Materials Processing and Die & Mould Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, PR China
b
School of Mechanical & Electrical Engineering, Wuhan Institute of Technology, Wuhan 430073, PR China

ar t ic l e i nf o a b s t r a c t

Article history: The effects of rare earth (RE) containing Ce and La elements addition on the microstructures
Received 10 December 2013 characteristics, tensile properties and fracture behavior of A357 alloy under as-cast and T6 conditions
Received in revised form were systematically investigated in this study. Obtained results showed that the addition of RE obviously
1 January 2014
reduced the sizes of the α-Al primary phase and eutectic silicon particles as well as SDAS value and
Accepted 3 January 2014
improved the morphology of eutectic silicon particles. The optimum level of added RE content were
Available online 10 January 2014
0.2 wt%, and the aspect ratio of eutectic silicon particles of the A357 modified alloy under as-cast and T6
Keywords: conditions decreased 142% and 174%, respectively, compared with the unmodified alloy. In addition, the
A357 aluminum alloy addition of RE greatly improved the tensile properties of A357 alloy as result of the significant
Rare earth
improvement in microstructure, especially in elongation under T6 condition. The fracture surfaces of
Microstructure characteristics
the A357 unmodified alloy tensile samples showed a clear brittle fracture nature, and its fracture path
Tensile properties
Fractography passed through the eutectic silicon particles and displayed a transgranular fracture mode, leading to
poorer ductility. The fracture path of the A357 modified alloys passed through the eutectic phase along
the grain boundaries of the α-Al primary phase, and the fracture generated by dimple rupture with
cracked eutectic silicon particles, and it showed an intergranular fracture mode, resulting in superior
ductility.
& 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

1. Introduction particles exhibit coarse acicular needles. As a result, the mechan-

Currently, the aluminum–silicon (Al–Si) cast alloys are exten-
sively used in the aerospace and automotive industries because of
its many advantages including excellent castability, corrosion
resistance, high strength to weight ratio as well as low coefficient
of thermal expansion, etc [1–3]. The mechanical properties of
aluminum–silicon cast alloys mainly depend on the chemical
composition and microstructure, etc [4,5]. And the microstructure
of the Al–Si cast alloys mainly consists of α-Al primary phase, Al–Si
eutectic, intermetallics and other precipitate phases. The morphol-
ogy and size of α-Al primary phase and Al–Si eutectic have a
significant effect on mechanical properties of the Al–Si cast alloys.
The tensile properties of the Al–Si cast alloys, especially in the
ductility, are mainly controlled by the dendrites cell size of α-Al
primary phase. Moreover, the eutectic silicon particles also play an
important role in the fracture behavior and tensile ductility of Al–
Si cast alloys [6]. Generally, in the normal casting condition, α-Al
primary phases grow coarse dendrites, and the eutectic silicon
n
Corresponding author at: Huazhong University of Science and Technology, State
Key Lab of Materials Processing and Die & Mould Technology, Luoyu, Wuhan
430074, PR China. Tel.: þ 86 27 87540094; fax: þ 86 27 87558252.
E-mail address: jwenming@163.com (W. Jiang).
ical properties of Al–Si cast alloys are remarkably weaken. There-
fore, there are many methods to improve the morphology and size
of α-Al primary phase and eutectic silicon particles, such as
chemical modification [7–9], outfield modification [10,11] as well
as thermal modification [12–14], etc.
The chemical modification is regarded as an economical and
effective modification method for the improvement of the mor-
phology and size of α-Al primary phase and eutectic silicon
particles. Generally, many chemical elements are known to be
used in the chemical modification method, such as Ti, B, Sr, Na,
Sb and rare earth (RE) elements including Ce, La, Yb, Eu and Sc [15–
18], etc. However, many chemical elements are only responsible for
the modification of α-Al primary phase from coarse dendrites to fine
grains, such as Ti, B, etc, or for the modification of eutectic silicon
particles from coarse acicular needles to fine fibrous structure, such
as Sr, Na, Sb, etc. The RE elements containing Ce and La not only can
fine α-Al primary phase, but also can fine eutectic silicon particles
[1,19]. Furthermore, the hydrogen content in the aluminum molten
metal can also be decreased. Nevertheless, few literatures system-
atically reported that the effects of RE addition containing Ce and La
elements on the microstructures characteristics, tensile properties
and fracture behavior of A357 alloy, especially in investigations of the
quantitative metallography of microstructure including α-Al primary

0921-5093/$ - see front matter & 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.msea.2014.01.009
238 W. Jiang et al. / Materials Science & Engineering A 597 (2014) 237–244
Table 1
The nominal chemical composition of experimental alloys (wt%).
Alloy Si Mg Ti Fe
Alloy 1 (unmodified) 6.75 0.63 0.14 0.084
Alloy 2 6.75 0.63 0.14 0.084
Alloy 3 6.75 0.63 0.14 0.084
Alloy 4 6.75 0.63 0.14 0.084
Fig. 1. Shape and dimensions of tensile specimens (unit: mm).
phase, secondary dendrite arm spacing (SDAS) and eutectic silicon
particles as well as the correlation of microstructure with mechanical
properties and fracture behavior of A357 alloy.
In this study, the mixed RE containing Ce and La elements were
added into A357 Al–Si alloy. The aim of present work at system-
atically investigated the effects of mixed RE elements addition on
the microstructures characteristics including the morphology and
size of α-Al primary phase and eutectic silicon phase as well as
SDAS, tensile properties and fracture behavior of A357 Al–Si alloy
under as-cast and T6 conditions. Moreover, the correlation of
microstructure with mechanical properties and fracture behavior
of A357 alloy were also studied.
2. Experimental procedures
The chemical composition of A357 Al–Si alloy used in this study
is shown in Table 1, named Alloy 1. The RE containing 65 wt% Ce
and 35 wt% La elements was added as Al-10%RE master alloy.
Firstly, the A357 aluminum ingot was placed inside a graphite
crucible and melted at 730 1C by using the electrical resistance
furnace. The Al-10%RE master alloys with different additions (0.1,
0.2 and 0.3) were then added into the molten melt at 740 1C,
named Alloy 2, Alloy 3 and Alloy 4, respectively. Subsequently, the
molten metal was refined using argon gas for 15 min using a
rotary graphite degasser when the temperature reached 750 1C,
and the slag was then skimmed. When the melting temperature
was 720 1C, the molten metal was finally poured into a metal
mould, which was preheated for 250 1C.
The metallographic samples were etched using 0.5% hydrofluoric
acid solution after polishing. Microstructures were observed using
the OLYMPUS-MG3 metallographic microscope. The secondary
dendrite arm spacing (SDAS), average length of silicon particles as
well as average width of silicon particles were measured by using
the ImageTool metallographic analysis software. The measurement
was done on 50 different areas of each microstructure in order to
minimize the errors. The aspect ratio of silicon particles was
calculated according to the ratio of the average length of silicon
particles to the average width of silicon particles. The grain size of
the α-Al primary phase was defined according to the following
equation [20]:
pffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi
D ¼ 2 A=π ð1Þ
where A is the average area of the α-Al primary phase, which was
measured using the ImageTool software.
The as-cast and T6 heat treatment specimens were subjected to
investigate in this study. Fig. 1 depicts the shape and dimensions of
tensile specimens, which were prepared according to the ASTM E-
8 standard. The solution treatment was firstly performed at 540 1C
for 8 h, and then quenched into hot water at 80 1C. The aging
RE Al
treatment was then carried out at 165 1C for 6 h, and the samples
0 Bal. were finally cooled in air.
0.1 Bal. The tensile tests were carried out by using the AG-IC100KN
0.2 Bal. universal testing machine at a crosshead speed of 1.5 mm/min. The
0.3 Bal.
hardness of A357 alloy was measured using a HB-3000 hardness
test machine. The fractured surfaces of tensile samples were
observed and analyzed using the JSM-7600F scanning electron
microscope (SEM) equipped with facilities for energy dispersive
spectroscopy (EDS). Phases analyses were performed using a X-ray
diffraction (XRD) analysis with Cu Kα radiation.
3. Results and discussion
3.1. Microstructural characterization
Fig. 2 shows the optical microstructures of A357 alloys with
different additions of RE under as-cast and T6 heat treatment
conditions, and the optical microstructures of the eutectic zone are
also exhibited in order to demonstrate a substantial microstruc-
ture difference in the morphology and size of eutectic silicon
particles.
In the microstructures of the A357 unmodified alloys under as-
cast and T6 conditions, it is evident that the coarse dendrite are
observed, as shown in Fig. 2(a and e). Meanwhile, it can also be
seen from Fig. 2(a and e) that the plate-like silicon particles are
showed. In contrast, the microstructures are significantly
improved when the A357 alloys are modified with the addition
of RE, and the coarse dendrites are fined and the plate-like silicon
particles become fine fibrous structure. Because the spheroidiza-
tion efficiency of eutectic silicon particles mainly depends on the
initial size of eutectic silicon particles [1], the eutectic silicon
particles of the A357 modified alloys are obviously spheroidized
and homogeneously distributed in the grain boundary after T6
heat treatment, as shown in Fig. 2(f–h). Nevertheless, when the RE
addition is 0.1 wt%, some the plate-like silicon particles can also be
seen in microstructure. With the addition of Re up to 0.2 wt%, the
morphology and size of α-Al primary phase and eutectic silicon
particles are further improved, and the α-Al primary phases
display a finer structure, and the eutectic silicon particles exhibit
a granular and globular structure, as shown in Fig. 2(g). With the
further increase of addition of RE content, the morphology and
size of α-Al primary phase and eutectic silicon particles are
deteriorated, and some eutectic silicon particles with acicular
needles morphology are observed, as shown in Fig. 2(h).
Table 2 depicts the quantitative metallography results of
microstructure features including α-Al primary phase, eutectic
silicon particles as well as SDAS of A357 alloys with different RE
additions. According to the results obtained from the microstruc-
tural parameters in Table 2, it is clear that the addition of RE
remarkably reduces the size of α-Al primary phase and SDAS value.
Meanwhile, the average length, average width and aspect ratio of
eutectic silicon particles are also greatly decreased compared to
the unmodified condition, and the morphology of eutectic silicon
particles looks more round. With the 0.2 wt% addition of RE, the
reductions under as-cast and T6 heat treatment conditions in the
size of α-Al primary phase and SDAS value are 48.1%, 162.2%, and
26.6%, 84.4%, respectively, compared to the unmodified condition.
Furthermore, the aspect ratio of eutectic silicon particles of the
A357 modified alloy under as-cast and T6 conditions decrease
142% and 174%, respectively, compared with the unmodified alloy.
 W. Jiang et al. / Materials Science & Engineering A 597 (2014) 237–244 239

Fig. 2. Optical microstructures of A357 alloys with different additions of RE: (a and e) unmodified, Alloy 1; (b and f) 0.1 wt% RE, Alloy 2; (c and g) 0.2 wt% RE, Alloy 3; (d and
h) 0.3 wt% RE, Alloy 4; (a–d) As-cast condition and (e–h) T6 heat treatment condition.

It can be noted that the T6 heat treatment has a profound effect on The mechanism of RE modification on the α-Al primary phase
the spheroidization of eutectic silicon, and it is consist with the can be explained by follows. The eutectic reaction of RE occurs
previous studies [21–23]. at 637–642 1C, and the reaction equation is presented in the
240 W. Jiang et al. / Materials Science & Engineering A 597 (2014) 237–244

Table 2
Quantitative metallography results for the microstructures of A357 aluminum alloy with different RE additions.

Sample Alloy Grain size of α-Al SDAS (μm) Average length Average width Aspect ratio
primary phase (μm) of silicon particles (μm) of silicon particles (μm) of silicon particles

as-cast Alloy 1 (unmodified) 118.82 7 7.1 37.65 7 2.8 39.517 3.6 3.79 7 0.7 10.4 7 1.8
Alloy 2 100.05 7 4.1 23.16 7 2.0 24.777 3.1 3.17 0.2 8.0 7 1.4
Alloy 3 80.22 7 2.8 14.36 7 1.1 14.86 7 1.4 3.42 7 0.3 4.3 7 0.5
Alloy 4 97.81 7 3.5 23.78 7 2.0 19.95 7 2.0 3.667 0.4 5.5 7 0.6
T6 Alloy 1 (unmodified) 117.89 7 6.8 38.78 7 2.5 23.717 2.8 3.79 7 0.7 6.3 7 0.9
Alloy 2 110.277 4.7 31.97 7 2.9 17.067 1.7 4.517 0.8 3.8 7 0.3
Alloy 3 93.157 3.9 21.03 7 2.0 10.707 1.2 4.65 7 0.7 2.3 7 0.2
Alloy 4 106.107 4.2 25.83 7 2.8 15.09 7 1.9 4.677 0.8 3.2 7 0.4

Fig. 3. SEM microstructure and EDS analysis of the A357 modified alloy with 0.2 wt% RE: (a) morphology and (b) EDS of the intermetallic compound containing Al, Si and RE.

following: restricted. Thereby, the morphology of the eutectic silicon phases

L-ðα  AlÞ þ Al4 ðLa; CeÞ
The precipitation phases of α-Al due to the eutectic reaction
supply a large number of nucleation cores for the α-Al primary
phases. Meanwhile, the intermetallic compounds containing Al
and Re have a very high melting point, above 1200 1C, and the
lattices constant of the intermetallic compounds are similar with
α-Al. The EDS analysis and X-ray diffraction patterns of the A357
modified alloy also confirm the reaction products of above eutectic
reaction, and the intermetallic compounds containing Al and RE
are observed, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, especially in higher
addition content of RE. Consequently, the intermetallic compounds
can also supply some nucleation cores for the α-Al primary phases.
As a result, the grain size of α-Al primary phase and SDAS are
greatly decreased because of the large number of nucleation cores
in the Al liquid.
It is well known that the Sr also has a remarkable effect on the
morphology and size of the eutectic silicon particles [1]. However,
the Sr cannot modify the size and morphology of the α-Al primary
phase as well as SDAS. The mechanism of RE modification on the
eutectic silicon phases is might attributed to the concentration of
RE elements on the surface of eutectic silicon particles, and it is
similar to the mechanism of Sr modification on the eutectic silicon
phases because of their adjacently diagonal relationship in the
Periodic Table of the elements, and the widely accepted recent
theory is the impurity-induced twinning theory [24]. In general,
the Ce and La elements hardly dissolve in the α-Al or eutectic
silicon phases because the atomic radius of the Ce and La elements
are much larger than that of α-Al and silicon. As a result, the Ce
and La elements mainly concentrate on the surface of eutectic
silicon phases, and the growths of eutectic silicon phases are then
presents fine fibrous structure. The modified silicon fibers contain
ð2Þ
more twins than the unmodified silicon particles and have a rough
microfaceted surface [25]. Therefore, the silicon fibers are crystal-
lographically very imperfect, and each surface imperfection is a
potential site to occur branching. In this case, the silicon fibers in
the modified eutectic are prone to bend, curve and split to give rise
to a further finer structure. As a consequence, the morphology and
size of α-Al primary phase and eutectic silicon particles are
evidently improved with the addition of RE.
3.2. Tensile properties
Table 3 presents the tensile properties including tensile
strength, yield strength, elongation and hardness of A357 alloys
with different additions of RE under as-cast and T6 conditions. It is
evident that the tensile strength, yield strength, elongation and
hardness of A357 modified alloys in both as-cast condition
and T6 condition show a significant improvement compared to
the unmodified alloy. With the addition of 0.2% RE, the tensile
strength, yield strength, elongation and hardness of the A357
modified alloy reach 228.1 MPa, 160.2 MPa, 2.97% and 80 HB in as-
cast condition, 349.1 MPa, 312.2 MPa, 3.89% and 120 HB in T6
condition, respectively. They are respectively 15.4%, 4.5%, 25.9%
and 6.3% higher than those of the unmodified alloy under as-cast
condition, and 11.2%, 8.4%, 34.2% and 8.3% higher than that of the
unmodified alloy under T6 condition, in particularly, elongation,
and it is agreement with the previous study [23]. The advantages
of morphology and size of the α-Al primary phase and eutectic
silicon particles as well as SDAS are responsible for the improve-
ment of tensile properties of the A357 modified alloys [22,26].
 W. Jiang et al. / Materials Science & Engineering A 597 (2014) 237–244
3.3. Fractography
Fig. 5 exhibits the SEM fractographs of A357 alloys tensile
samples with different additions of RE under as-cast and T6 heat
treatment conditions. As can be seen, the fracture surfaces of the
A357 unmodified alloy tensile samples in both as-cast and T6
conditions show a clear brittle fracture nature, and the quasi-
cleavage feature can be observed, as shown in Fig. 5(a and e),
leading to lower elongation value. After T6 heat treatment, few
dimples exhibit in the fracture surfaces of the A357 unmodified
alloy tensile samples. It is noted that the addition of RE obviously
increases the number of dimples, and the fracture surfaces of the
A357 modified alloy tensile samples with the addition of 0.1 wt%
RE display a mixed quasi-cleavage and dimple morphology. With
the RE addition increasing, the number of dimples sharply
increase. When the addition of RE reach 0.2 wt%, the SEM
fractographs of the A357 modified alloy tensile tested samples
exhibit an obvious morphology of dimple fracture, and the
dimples are very deep and distributed uniformly with high
density, as shown in Fig. 5(c and g), resulting in a significant
improvement of elongation. In addition, the fracture surface of the
T6 heat treated alloy also indicates a much more ductile failure
mode compared to that of the as-cast alloy. With the addition of
RE up to 0.3 wt%, the SEM fractographs give rise to deterioration.
The EDS spectra in Fig. 6(b), presenting the presence of alloying
elements in the intermetallic compounds, implies the existence of
the intermetallic compounds containing Al and RE in the fracture
surface of the modified alloy. The intermetallic compounds
Fig. 4. X-ray diffraction patterns of the A357 alloys with different additions of RE:
(a) unmodified; (b) 0.1 wt% RE; (c) 0.2 wt% RE; (d) 0.3 wt% RE.
Table 3
Tensile properties of the A357 alloys with different additions of RE under as-cast and T6 heat treatment conditions.
Sample Alloy Tensile strength (MPa)
as-cast Alloy 1 (unmodified) 1937 9.2
Alloy 2 208.5 7 10.5
Alloy 3 228.17 11.6
Alloy 4 226.0 7 10.8
T6 Alloy 1 (unmodified) 3107 13.7
Alloy 2 322.3 7 14.1
Alloy 3 349.17 15.2
Alloy 4 324.2 7 14.5
241
containing Al and RE are prone to act as crack initiators and
weaken the mechanical properties of the A357 modified alloy
[4,23].
Fig. 7 shows the optical micrographs of side views of fractured
A357 alloys tensile tested samples with and without modification.
It can be evidently seen from Fig. 7(a) that many elongated
eutectic silicon particles present in the microstructure of the
A357 unmodified alloy. The eutectic silicon phases as a brittle
phase are easily to crack and separate from Al matrix under
applied loads, particular the elongated eutectic silicon particles,
as they are the main sources of stress concentration [27–29]. For
the A357 unmodified alloy, the elongated eutectic silicon particles
are prone to rupture compared to the modified alloy with finer
eutectic silicon particles, as indicated by the arrows in Fig. 7(a).
On the other hand, the A357 unmodified alloy has larger SDAS
value than that of the A357 modified alloy. The elongated eutectic
silicon particles cluster along both cell and grain boundaries so
that there is a nearly continuous wall of eutectic silicon particles
around the dendrite cell. The dendrite cells behave similar to
grains and strong interaction between particles and slip bands
giving rise to at the cell boundaries when the plastic deformation
generates. The final fracture paths then tend to pass through the
eutectic silicon particles. As a consequence, the tensile sample
without modification shows a transgranular fracture mode.
For the A357 modified alloy, the smaller SDAS value and
finer eutectic silicon particles make the grain cell boundaries more
discontinuous, compared with the A357 unmodified alloy.
Thereby, a stronger interaction between slip bands and plastic
flow produces in the grain boundaries. The fracture of eutectic
silicon particles generates in the grain boundaries, and the final
fracture path tends to pass through the eutectic phase along the
grain boundaries of the α-Al primary phases [27,30]. Thereby, the
fracture take places mostly by dimple rupture with cracked
eutectic silicon particles, and it exhibits an intergranular fracture
mode, leading to superior ductility [31].
4. Conclusions
In the present work, the effects of RE addition on the micro-
structures characteristics, tensile properties and fracture behavior
of A357 alloy under as-cast and T6 conditions were investigated.
Based on the experimental results obtained, the following conclu-
sions were drawn:
(1) The addition of RE greatly reduced the sizes of the α-Al primary
phase and eutectic silicon particles as well as SDAS value. And
the morphology of eutectic silicon particles was also clearly
improved, especially in T6 heat treatment. When the addition of
RE up to 0.2 wt%, compared with the unmodified alloy under as-
cast and T6 conditions, the reductions in the size of α-Al primary
Yield strength (MPa) Elongation (%) Hardness (HBS)
1537 10.6 2.2 7 0.2 75 78
1527 10.3 2.75 7 0.3 78 77
160.2 7 10.9 2.977 0.4 80 79
1537 10.2 2.83 7 0.3 79 75
286 7 11.5 2.56 7 0.2 110 710
290 7 11.7 3.127 0.4 115 711
312.2 7 12.0 3.89 7 0.6 120 712
287 7 11.3 3.36 7 0.5 116 710
242 W. Jiang et al. / Materials Science & Engineering A 597 (2014) 237–244

Fig. 5. SEM fractographs of A357 alloy tensile samples with different additions of RE: (a and e) unmodified, Alloy 1; (b and f) 0.1 wt% RE, Alloy 2; (c and g) 0.2 wt% RE, Alloy 3;
(d and h) 0.3 wt% RE, Alloy 4; (a–d) as-cast condition and (e–h) T6 heat treatment condition.

phase and SDAS value were 48.1%, 162.2%, and 26.6%, 84.4%, (2) The addition of RE significantly improved the tensile proper-
respectively, and the aspect ratio of eutectic silicon particles ties of A357 alloy owing to the remarkable improvement in
decreased 142% and 174%, respectively. microstructure. Compared to the unmodified A357 alloy, the
 W. Jiang et al. / Materials Science & Engineering A 597 (2014) 237–244
Fig. 6. SEM fractograph and EDS analysis of the intermetallic compound in the A357 modified alloy with 0.3 wt% RE: (a) fractograph and (b) EDS of the intermetallic
compound.
Fig. 7. Optical micrographs of side views of fractured A357 alloy tensile samples with different additions of RE: (a) unmodified and (b) 0.2 wt% RE.
corresponding tensile strength, yield strength, elongation and
hardness of the A357 modified alloy with the addition of
0.2 wt% Re increased 15.4%, 4.5%, and 6.3%, 25.9% in as-cast
condition, and 11.2%, 8.4%, 34.2% and 8.3% in T6 condition,
respectively.
(3) The fracture path of the tensile samples of the A357 unmodi-
fied alloy passed through the eutectic silicon particles, and its
fracture surfaces exhibited a clear brittle fracture nature as a
transgranular fracture mode. For the A357 modified alloy, the
fracture path passed through the eutectic phase along the
grain boundaries of the α-Al primary phases, and the fracture
took place by dimple rupture with cracked eutectic silicon
particles, and finally showed an intergranular fracture mode.
Acknowledgments
The authors gratefully acknowledge the financial support
received from the National Natural Science Foundation of China
(No. 51204124), the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (No.
2012M511610) and the Analytical & Testing Center of Huazhong
University of Science and Technology (HUST).
References
[1] O. ElSebaie, A.M. Samuel, F.H. Samuel, H.W. Doty, Mater. Sci. Eng. A 480 (2008)
342–355.
243
[2] N. Chomsaeng, M. Haruta, T. Chairuangsri, H. Kurata, S. Isoda, M. Shiojiri, J.
Alloys Compd. 496 (2010) 478–487.
[3] Y.C. Tsai, C.Y. Chou, S.L. Lee, C.K. Lin, J.C. Lin, S.W. Lim, J. Alloys Compd. 487
(2009) 157–162.
[4] G.S. Mousavi, M. Emamy, J. Rassizadehghani, Mater. Sci. Eng. A 556 (2012)
573–581.
[5] P.S. Mohanty, J.E. Gruzleski, Acta Mater. 44 (1996) 3749–3760.
[6] C.H. Cáceres, C.J. Davidson, J.R. Griffiths, Mater. Sci. Eng. A 197 (1995) 171–179.
[7] J.Y. Chang, G.H. Kim, I.G. Moon, C.S. Choi, Scr. Mater. 39 (1998) 307–314.
[8] K. Nogita, S.D. McDonald, A.K. Dahle, Mater. Trans. 45 (2004) 323–326.
[9] B. Li, H.W. Wang, J.C. Jie, Z.J. Wei, J. Alloys Compd. 509 (2011) 3387–3392.
[10] S. Zhang, Y. Zhao, X. Cheng, G. Chen, Q. Dai, J. Alloys Compd. 470 (2009)
168–172.
[11] Z. Zhang, J. Li, H. Yue, J. Zhang, T. Li, J. Alloys Compd. 484 (2009) 458–462.
[12] O. Uzun, F. Yilmaz, U. Kolemen, N. Basman, J. Alloys Compd. 509 (2011) 21–26.
[13] C.T. Rios, M.M. Peres, C. Bolfarini, W.J. Botta, C.S. Kiminami, J. Alloys Compd.
495 (2010) 386–390.
[14] W. Jie, Z. Chen, W. Reif, K. Müller, Metall. Trans. A 34 (2003) 799–806.
[15] H.S. Kang, W.Y. Yoon, K.H. Kim, M.H. Kim, Y.P. Yoon, I.S. Cho, Mater. Sci. Eng. A
449–451 (2007) 334–337.
[16] K. Nogita, H. Yasuda, M. Yoshiya, S.D. McDonald, K. Uesugi, A. Takeuchi,
Y. Suzuki, J. Alloys Compd. 489 (2010) 415–420.
[17] W. Prukkanon, N. Srisukhumbowornchai, C. Limmaneevichitr, J. Alloys Compd.
477 (2009) 454–460.
[18] D. Emadi, A.K.P. Rao, M. Mahfoud, Mater. Sci. Eng. A 527 (2010) 6123–6132.
[19] R. Sharan, N.P. Saksena, AFS Trans. 3 (1978) 29–33.
[20] W.M. Jiang, Z.T. Fan, D.J. Liu, D.F. Liao, X.P. Dong, X.M. Zong, Mater. Sci. Eng. A
560 (2013) 396–403.
[21] M. Ravi, U.T.S. Pillai, B.C. Pai, A.D. Damodaran, E.S. Dwarakadasa, Metall. Mater.
Trans. A 27A (1996) 1283–1292.
[22] J. Campbell, Complete Casting Handbook, first Ed., Elsevier Press, UK, 2011.
[23] M. Zhu, Z.Y. Jian, G.C. Yang, Y.H. Zhou, Mater. Des. 36 (2012) 243–249.
[24] L. Lasa, J.M. Rodriguez-Ibabe, Scr. Mater. 46 (2002) 477–481.
[25] S.Z. Lu, A. Hellawell, Metall. Trans. A 18 (1987) 1721–1733.
[26] S. Tahamtan, A. Fadavi Boostani, H. Nazemi, J. Alloys Compd. 468 (2009)
107–114.
244 W. Jiang et al. / Materials Science & Engineering A 597 (2014) 237–244

[27] Q.G. Wang, C.H. Caceres, J.R. Grifiths, Metall. Mater. Trans. A 34 (2003) [29] A. Fadavi Boostani, S. Tahamtan, J. Alloys Compd. 481 (2009) 220–227.
2901–2912. [30] Y.F. Bai, H.D. Zhao, Mater. Des. 31 (2010) 4237–4243.
[28] A.M. Gokhale, M.D. Dighe, H. Horstemeyer, Metall. Mater. Trans. A 29 (1998) [31] A. Thirugnanam, K. Sukumaran, U.T.S. Pillai, K. Raghukandan, B.C. Pai, Mater.
905–907. Sci. Eng. A 445 (2007) 405–414.