Agglomeration and bending of equiaxed crystals during solidification of hypoeutectic Al and Mg alloys

Agglomeration and bending of equiaxed crystals were studied by microstructural characterization of specimens produced by near-static cooling, high-pressure die casting and Thixomolding®, where the solidifying crystals experience different levels of mechanical stresses. EBSD was used to acquire statistical grain misorientation data which is linked to crystal agglomeration and bending behavior during solidification. An aluminum alloy and two magnesium alloys were used to compare grain misorientations for different crystal structures. The length fraction of low-energy grain boundaries in HPDC and Thixomolded samples was substantially higher than in “statically cooled” samples. This is attributed to the high shear stresses and pressure applied on the solidifying alloy, which promote crystal collisions and agglomeration. In-grain misorientations were found to be significant only in branched dendritic crystals which were subjected to significant shear stresses. This is related to the increased bending moment acting on long, protruding dendrite arms compared to more compact crystal morphologies.