Effect of co-addition of RE, Fe and Mn on the microstructure and performance of A390 alloy

The co-addition effect of RE, Mn and Fe on the microstructure and high-temperature strength of A390 has been conducted. The alloying effect of RE has also been explored. Formation of detrimental long-acicular RE-rich phase is not observed. The AlSiCuCeLa phase, α-Al(Mn,Fe)–Si phase and another complex phase composed of Al, Si, Mn, Fe, Cu and RE are observed to form after addition. RE can decrease the diffusion rates of Cu, Mg in the aging process and the intermetallics nucleate on a localized scale, but could not become coarse during heat-treatment. The electronegativity differences between RE and Al or Si are larger than those between Cu and Al or Si, so the RE-rich intermetallic compounds in Al–Si alloys are more stable. The co-addition of RE, Mn and Fe proves to be an effective method to enhance the high-temperature strength of A390. The high-temperature strength of A390 is increased by 25% in this article using this method.