Update of Al-Fe-Si, Al-Mn-Si and Al-Fe-Mn-Si thermodynamic descriptions

A thermodynamic assessment of the Al-Fe-Mn-Si quaternary system and its subsystems was performed by the Calphad method. First, the Al-Fe-Si ternary description was deeply revised by considering the most recent experimental investigations and employing new models to ternary compounds. Significant improvements were made on the calculated liquidus projection over the entire compositional range, especially in the Al-rich corner. The Al-Mn-Si system was refined in the Al-rich region by adopting new models for the two ternary compounds, α-AlMnSi and β-AlMnSi. The extended solubility of the α-AlMnSi phase into the Al-Fe-Mn-Si quaternary system was modeled to reproduce the phase equilibria in the Al-rich region. Special cares were taken in order to prevent α-AlMnSi from becoming stable in the Al-Fe-Si ternary system. The obtained thermodynamic descriptions were then implemented into the TCAL database, and extensively validated with phase equilibrium calculations and solidification simulations against experimental data/information from commercial aluminum alloys. The updated TCAL database can reliably predict the phase formation in Al-Fe-Si- and Al-Fe-Mn-Si-based aluminum alloys.