Materials and Design 36 (2012) 451–458

Contents lists available at SciVerse ScienceDirect

Materials and Design

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

Effect of copper addition on wear and corrosion behaviours of Mg2Si

particle reinforced composites
A. Palta, Y. Sun, H. Ahlatci ⇑
Karabuk University, Engineering Faculty, 78050 Karabuk, Turkey

a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t

Article history: The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect adding Cu has on the wear and corrosion properties
Received 11 October 2011 of ‘‘in situ’’ Mg2Si particle reinforced Al–12Si–20Mg matrix composites, produced with help of the nucle-
Accepted 22 November 2011 ation and growth of the reinforcement from the source matrix, in order to overcome the disadvantages of
Available online 29 November 2011
composites produced by externally reinforcing ceramic particles. Composites known as Al–12Si–20Mg–
XCu were produced by adding Cu, at the rate of 1%, 2%, and 4%, to the Al–12Si–20Mg alloy in order to
Keywords: achieve this purpose. The microstructural characterisation, hardness, wear and corrosion properties of
A. Nonferrous metals and alloys
composites, produced using the casting method, were analysed. Dry environment wear experiments
E. Wear
E. Corrosion
for investigated alloys were conducted using a pin-on-disc type wear device under different loads and
at different sliding distances. The change in weight loss of the solution containing 30 g/l NaCl + 10 ml/l
HCl, and the tafel extrapolation method were used to analyse corrosion behaviour. Results of microstruc-
tural characterisation concluded that as the amount of Cu added to the Al–12Si–20Mg alloy increased, the
size and volume of the Mg2Si particle, formed within the matrix, decreased, and CuAl2 intermetallics
formed within the matrix. Results of wear experiments concluded that adding Cu developed wear resis-
tance under small loads; however, reduced wear resistance under high loads. According to results of cor-
rosion experiment, corrosion resistance increased with the addition of Cu.
Ó 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

1. Introduction
Finding out the tribological behaviour, and investigating the
production of Al–Si–Mg alloys have gradually gained great signifi-
cance ever since Al–Si–Mg alloys have started being used in tribo-
logical applications, such as internal combustion engine, pistons,
liners, clutches, pulleys, and shafts [1]. Controlling their micro-
structure via suitable casting procedures, applying heat treatment,
or adding minor alloying elements allow to improve mechanical,
corrosive and wear characteristics of these alloys. Adding alloying
elements is the easiest and the most efficient method to improve
the mechanical properties of alloys [2,3].
For many commercial Al alloys, the desirable mechanical prop-
erties are developed by adding alloys and applying heat treatment
to heterogeneous microstructures. It is possible that adding alloy-
ing elements has effect on the wear properties of Al–Si–Mg, since it
strengthens them through solid solution and hardening precipita-
tion [4]. Ce, Cu, Cr, Fe, Mn, Ti, Zn, and Zr are some of the alloying
elements that are added to these alloys. The added alloying ele-
ments either dissolve or form compounds within the microstruc-
ture [5].
⇑ Corresponding author. Tel.: +90 370 4332021; fax: +90 370 4333290.
E-mail address: hahlatci@karabuk.edu.tr (H. Ahlatci).
It is a well-known fact that the size of the reinforcement, the vol-
ume ratio, and the nature of the matrix–reinforcement interface con-
trol the characteristics of the metal matrix composites. Optimum
mechanic characteristics are obtained when ceramic particles, rela-
tively thin and thermally stable, are uniformly distributed within
the metal matrix [6]. Efforts made to meet such requirements result
in developing new composites. These new composites are in situ
metal matrix composites produced by the reinforcement formation
within the metallic matrix as a result of chemical reactions that devel-
op between the element and compounds and/or elements during the
process of composite production. As a result, new ‘‘in situ’’ particle
reinforced composites have recently started being produced with
the help of the nucleation and growth of the reinforcement from
the source matrix, in order to overcome the disadvantages of compos-
ite production performed by externally reinforcing ceramic [7,8].
There are numerous studies in literature [9–14] that refer to the
production of in situ composites containing Mg2Si particles as rein-
forcement. However, the number of studies that investigate the
wear and corrosion behaviours of in situ composites is limited.
Hence, this study investigates the production, microstructural char-
acterisation, hardness, wear, and corrosion characteristics of in situ
Mg2Si particle reinforced Al–12Si–20Mg alloy matrix composites,
containing different rates of Cu, produced using modified conven-
tional casting method.

0261-3069/$ - see front matter Ó 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
doi:10.1016/j.matdes.2011.11.052
452 A. Palta et al. / Materials and Design 36 (2012) 451–458

Table 1 polishing process with a diamond solution conducted on the spec-

The chemical composition of the Al–12Si–20Mg alloy.
Alloys Si (%) Mg (%) Fe (%) Cu (%) Mn (%) Zn (%) Ti (%) Al (%)
Al–12Si–20Mg 12.2 19.1 2.1 0.3 0.3 0.1
2. Experimental details
The investigated alloys in the study were produced in an atmo-
sphere controlled 1200 °C capacity electric resistance furnace. Prior
to producing the final alloy containing a high rate of Mg, a master
alloy was produced by adding 1%, 2% and 4% Cu to a 12% Si
weighted commercial Al ingot alloy. The alloy elements added
were pure 20% Mg, 0.05% Strontium, 0.2% red phosphorus, and
0.3% NaCl + 30MgCl2 + 10KCl salt mixtures were added to the fu-
sion created by melting the readymade master alloy at 800 °C that
was pre-heated at 300 °C in order to produce the final alloy. Stron-
tium, red phosphorus, and salt mixture were used to modify the
microstructure of the final alloy. All of the above mentioned addi-
tions were charged over 15% by weight to compensate for the loss
of oxidation. The surface of the melt was coated with a preserva-
tive substance and Ar gas. The degassing process was carried out
using a liquid alloy with a 0.4% C6Cl6 by weight. The melt was
poured into a 300 °C metallic mould in order to produce bar shaped
ingots, with a diameter of 20 mm and a length of 250 mm. Table 1
illustrates the chemical composition, determined using the optical
emission method, of the Al–12Si–20Mg alloy.
In accordance with the standard metallographic procedure,
including a grinding process up to 1200 mesh and a following
imens, microstructural analysis on the prepared specimens was
conducted using light optical microscopy (LOM) and a scanning
0.05 65.9 electron microscope (SEM). XRD analyses were carried out by Phi-
lips PW1710 model X-ray diffractometer using Cu Ka radiation.
Diffraction patterns were obtained over range of Bragg angle from
10° to 90°. The microstructure images were taken using a Leica DM
ILM light optical microscope with a Leica DFC290 camera system,
and a Jeol 6060 SEM. Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS) analy-
ses were carried out on the light and grey coloured spots in the
microstructural images, captured during investigations carried
out using the SEM Jeol 6060.
The mechanical properties of the alloys, at room temperature,
were determined using hardness tests, which were carried out in
a Shimadzu HMV2 microstructure test device where a 1000 g
immersion load was applied using a Vickers indenter. The mean
of 10 successful measurements was taken to establish the hardness
values.
The dry environment wear tests of the investigated alloys
were carried out using a pin-on-disc type wear device. A
10 mm-diameter and 20 mm-long test specimen and a stainless
steel disc with a hardness of 59 HRC was used as the counter
face in the wear tests carried out on the specimens. The speci-
mens were tested under 3 N, 5 N, and 20 N, at a sliding rate of
0.5 m/s, and a sliding distance of 2000 and 4000 m. The weights
of the samples were measured before and after the experiment
using electronic scales with 0.1 mg accuracy, after which the re-
sults of the experiment were evaluated according to the loss in
weight. The surface of the specimens were analysed using LOM

Alloys LOM XRD

1000
Al
Si
800 Mg2 Si
Counts

600
Al-12Si-20Mg

400

200

0
20 40 60 80 100
2

1000
Al
Si
800 Mg 2 Si
Al-12Si-20Mg-4Cu

CuAl2
Counts

600

400

200

0
20 40 60 80 100
2

Fig. 1. LOM micrographs and XRD patterns of the Al–12Si–20Mg and Al–12Si–20Mg–4Cu alloys.
 A. Palta et al. / Materials and Design 36 (2012) 451–458 453

SEM EDS

1 2
Al-12Si-20Mg

Al 72.8 67.0
Si 26.9 12.3
Mg 0.25 11.5
Al-12Si-20Mg-4Cu

1 2 3
Al 0.8 57.7 18.5
Si 55.2 - 33.8
Mg 44.0 - 29.4
Cu - 42.3 18.3

Fig. 2. SEM images and EDS analysis of the homogenization heat treated Al–12Si–20Mg and Al–12Si–20Mg–4Cu alloys.

and a SEM in order to determine the post-experimental wear
mechanisms.
The immersion tests were carried out by suspending the square
shaped samples (20 mm  15 mm  4 mm) in a still solution of
30 g/l NaCl + 10 ml/l HCl in deionized water exposed to atmo-
spheric air. The amount of the solution in the beaker was estimated
by taking the surface area of the specimens as 0.3 ml/mm2 into ac-
count. Evaluation of the corrosion was determined by measuring
weight loss for 165 h. For measurement of the weight loss, the sur-
faces of the samples were ground with 1200 mesh SiC abrasive pa-
per prior to the tests. After the test, these samples were well
cleaned with distilled water and were weighed by an electronic
balance having a resolution of ±0.1 mg. The normalized weight loss
values of the investigated alloys were calculated in the unit of g/
mm2 by dividing the weight loss of the each sample by their initial
total surface area.
For the potentiodynamic polarisation measurement tests, ma-
chined samples (10 mm in length and 15 mm in diameter) were
mounted on copper rod using epoxy resin for electrical connec-
tion, and open surfaces of all samples were polished with up to
1200 grit SiC emery paper. The electrochemical tests were carried
out at room temperature using a Gamry model PC4/300 mA
potentiostat/galvanostat controlled by a computer with DC 105
Corrosion analysis software. The electrochemical cell consisted
of three electrodes: a working electrode, a reference electrode
(a saturated calomel electrode, SCE) and a counter electrode (a
carbon rod). During the electrochemical corrosion test, the
electrode potential was scanned at a scan rate of 1000 mV/min
from 1500 mV towards anodic potential. Experiments were
performed at room temperature in a glass cell containing 30 g/l
NaCl + 10 ml/l HCl solution. Each data point for both immersion
and potentiodynamic polarisation tests represents the average
of three different measurements.
Finally, the cross-sections of the samples were examined with a
LOM after employing the conventional metallographic preparation
procedure in order to examine corrosion penetration through the
thickness.
3. Results and discussion
Fig. 1 illustrates the optical microscope images and XRD pat-
terns of the investigated alloys. In Fig. 1, the microstructure of al-
loys includes dark polygonal particles, intermetallics, and a matrix.
The LOM images prove that the structure of polygonal particles is
distributed homogeneously. Furthermore, a significant decrease
in the amount and size of polygonal shaped particles within the
Al–12Si–20Mg alloy with the addition of Cu is observed. Results
of the XRD analysis indicated that the microstructural constituents
were Si (needle shaped light grey coloured phases), Mg2Si and Al
(white coloured matrix) of cast Al–12Si–20Mg alloy. Adding Cu
led formation of CuAl2 phase in the microstructure.
SEM images and results of EDS analyses, illustrated in Fig. 2, sug-
gest that Al (matrix), Si, and Mg2Si phases formed in the microstruc-
ture of cast Al–12Si–20Mg alloy without Cu. While no needle-like
Si phase was observed in the microstructure of Cu-added cast alloy,
Cu led to the formation of a CuAl2 phase. EDS analyses proved that
the dark polygonal-shaped phase and the Chinese script eutectic
454 A. Palta et al. / Materials and Design 36 (2012) 451–458

XRD analysis. According to quadruple (Al–Mg–Si–Cu) phase dia-

(a)
grams [15], the solid phase distribution for the composite analysed
40 in this study was ‘‘Al + Mg2Si + CuAl2 + CuMg5Si4Al4.’’ The fact that a
Mg2Si Volume Fraction (%)

metallic Si peak was not observed in the XRD patterns, and Al–Mg–
Si–Cu elements were discovered within the dark grey-coloured
amorphous intermetallic during EDS analyses confirms the possibil-
30 ity that this phase is CuMg5Si4Al4 intermetallic. However, no peak
was determined for CuMg5Si4Al4 intermetallic as a result of XRD
analysis (Fig. 1).
Fig. 3 illustrates the change in % volume ratio and size of the
20
polygonal-shaped Mg2Si particles, observed within the microstruc-
tures analysed, according to the contents of the alloying element.
Both the volume ratio of the Mg2Si particle and the size of the par-
ticle decreased with the addition of an alloying element. While a
10
significant decrease in the volume ratio and size of the particle oc-
0 1 2 3 4
curred when 1% Cu was added, there was no significant change in
Cu % Content the particle size and volume ratio when more than 1% Cu was
added.
(b) 30 As compositions of the investigated alloys were hypereutectic
[16–18], it is suggested that the dark polyhedral particles, identi-
Mg2Si Particle Size ( m)

fied as primary Mg2Si particles, formed in situ during the initial

28 stage of the solidification process. Although the forming mecha-
nism of primary Mg2Si particles was not explained clearly, adding
modifiers such as Sr, red phosphorus, and salt mixtures, to the melt
26 may result in increasing the number of nuclei, and changing the
morphology and size of the primary Mg2Si particles [9,19–21], by
suppressing their anisotropic growth through modifying both the
24 solid–liquid interfacial energy and the surface energy of the solid
Mg2Si phase, or by poisoning the surface of the in situ Mg2Si nuclei
owing to the segregation of Na or K at the liquid–solid interface
[7,8,22,23].
22
Fig. 4 illustrates the hardness of the investigated alloys. As
0 1 2 3 4 illustrated in Fig. 4, adding Cu to the alloy increased the hard-
Cu % Content ness. In spite of a decrease in the number and size of polygonal
Mg2Si particles in the microstructure, the hardness of Cu-con-
Fig. 3. The effect of Cu content of the alloy on the (a) volume fraction and (b) size of
taining Al–12Si–20Mg alloys increased due to formation of
the primary Mg2Si particles.
CuMg5Si4Al4 and CuAl2 intermetallics, which have a high hard-
ness value.
Fig. 5 illustrates the change in weight loss of investigated alloys
according to sliding distance under loads of 3 N, 5 N, and 20 N.
140 Weight loss increased linearly with an increase in applied load
and in the sliding distance. The effect alloying elements, added to
130
the Al–12Si–20Mg alloy, had on the wear behaviour changed
according to the applied load. While weight loss decreased at lower
Hardness (HV1)

loads with the addition of Cu, weight loss increased at higher loads
120 (20 N).
The reason why the investigated Al–12Si–20Mg–XCu alloys
had higher wear resistance at lower loads was that they had
110
high hardness values. High hardness means that the alloy loses
nothing of its ductility. The fact that these alloys displayed se-
100 vere wear under higher loads can be attributed to their brittle
behaviour.
Fig. 6 illustrates the SEM images of worn surfaces of samples
90 subjected to wear experiments at different loads. Adhesive wear,
0 1 2 3 4 a slight wear mechanism, was effective at lower loads. Smearing
Cu % Content and very fine cavities formed on the worn surface. On the other
hand, abrasive wear, a severe wear mechanism, was effective at
Fig. 4. The effect of Cu% content on the hardness of the investigated alloys. higher loads. As well as voids and large cavities, which were signs
of fracture formed as a result of formation and proceeding of sur-
face cracks, deep corrugations formed on the worn surface.
were Mg2Si. Unlike optical microscopy analyses, a dark grey-col- Fig. 7 illustrates the change in weight loss of alloys subjected to
oured amorphous phase was observed in the SEM image of the immersion corrosion using a 30 g/l NaCl + 10 ml/l HCl solution
Al–12Si–20Mg–4Cu alloy. EDS analysis results taken from this according to time. While the weight loss of investigated alloys
phase proved that this phase had a complex composition formed was extremely rapid in the first 2 h, it displayed a constant increase
of Al, Mg, Si, and Cu. No peak was determined for this phase during after the first 2 h up to 24 h. Adding Cu to the alloys slightly
 A. Palta et al. / Materials and Design 36 (2012) 451–458 455

(a) 0.05 (b) 0.05

Al-12Si-20Mg Al-12Si-20Mg
Al-12Si-20Mg-1Cu Al-12Si-20Mg-1Cu
0.04 Al-12Si-20Mg-2Cu 0.04 Al-12Si-20Mg-2Cu
Al-12Si-20Mg-4Cu Al-12Si-20Mg-4Cu
Weight Loss (g)

Weight Loss (g)

0.03 0.03

0.02 0.02

0.01 0.01

0.00 0.00
0 1000 2000 3000 4000 0 1000 2000 3000 4000

Sliding Distance (m) Sliding Distance (m)

(c) 0.05
Al-12Si-20Mg
Al-12Si-20Mg-1Cu
0.04 Al-12Si-20Mg-2Cu
Al-12Si-20Mg-4Cu
Weight Loss (g)

0.03

0.02

0.01

0.00
0 1000 2000 3000 4000

Sliding Distance (m)

Fig. 5. The effect of sliding distance on the weight loss of the investigated alloys (a) 3 N, (b) 5 N and (c) 20 N.

reduced the amount of weight loss. However, results were very
similar to each other.
Fig. 8 illustrates the potentiodynamic polarisation curves of
investigated alloys in the solution containing 30 g/l NaCl + 10 ml/
l HCl. Electrode potential/current density curves proved that the
corrosion potential of all investigated alloys were near stable,
and that their corrosion current changed based on the type and
content of the alloying element. The ‘‘Corrosion Current – Alloy
Content’’ graph (Fig. 9), drawn using the polarisation curves in
Fig. 8, illustrates the effect Cu, added to Al–12Si–20Mg at different
ratios, has on the corrosion current measurements for the 30 g/
l + 10 ml/l HCl solution. Al–12Si–20Mg–4Cu alloys had the lowest
corrosion current.
The improvement in the corrosion behaviour of alloys depended
on the added element dissolving within the solid melt [24–26]. In
this study, the Cu elements added to the Al–12Si–20Mg alloy
caused intermetallics to form within the matrix. Under these cir-
cumstances, the state of the corrosion potential and corrosion cur-
rent of these intermetallics according to the corrosion potential
and corrosion current of the Al matrix and Mg2Si intermetallic
determined the corrosion behaviour of the alloy. Birbilis and Buch-
heit [27,28] reported that Mg2Si and Mg2Al3, intermetallics formed
in Al alloys were exposed to more corrosion in comparison to inter-
metallics such as CuAl2 and Al3Ti.
While the Chinese script-eutectic structure of the Mg2Si
phases formed in two types in the matrix of Al–12Si–20Mg alloys
underwent corrosion, the polygonal-shaped particles did not un-
dergo corrosion, and their corrosion surface remained unchanged
(Fig. 10). It is a known fact that the microstructure should stay as
a single phase, in other words alloying additions should not form
secondary intermetallic particles, in order to prevent corrosion
resistance from decreasing when alloying elements are added
to Al alloys [29–32]. Winkler and Flower [33] reported that the
high regional concentration of magnesium, even if it is in solid
solution form, increases the corrosion sensitivity of Al alloys; this
result is similar to that of this study. It is a well-known fact that
the Chinese script-shaped Mg2Si phase, such as MgZn2 and Al2-
CuMg intermetallics, causes the corrosion resistance of Al alloys
to deteriorate significantly [28,34,35]. In this study, the rapid dis-
solution of the Al matrix and the Chinese script-shaped Mg2Si
phase, apart from the primary Mg2Si particles can be based on
the compound of the Chinese script phase. While the primary
Mg2Si particle, the first nucleation during solidification, had a
high purity level, the last nucleation phase (in other words the
Chinese script phase) was rich in terms of solution, in other
words low in purity. Hence, parallel to the decrease in corrosion
resistance together with the decrease in the purity of Al alloys
[26], corrosion is expected to occur in the region of Chinese
script-shaped Mg2Si phase.
The fact that in comparison to the corrosion potential of pure
Al and pure Mg, CuAl2 intermetallic has a more positive corro-
sion potential than Mg2Si intermetallic causes the corrosion
456 A. Palta et al. / Materials and Design 36 (2012) 451–458

3N 20N
Al-12Si-20Mg
Al-12Si-20Mg-4Cu

Fig. 6. SEM micrographs of the worn surfaces of the investigated alloys.

40 nate the disadvantage to be caused by the decrease in the vol-

A1-12Si-20Mg ume ratio and size of the polygonal-shaped Mg2Si particle
A1-12Si-20Mg-1Cu when Cu is added to the alloy.
-3

A1-12Si-20Mg-2Cu
Weight Loss (g/cm2) x10

30 A1-12Si-20Mg-4Cu

4. Conclusion

20 Stated below are the general conclusions obtained from this

10
0 20Mg alloy. While the Si phase was only observed in the
0 5 10 15
Time (h)
Fig. 7. Weight loss of the investigated alloys with respect to test period.
resistance of the Al–12Si–20Mg–XCu alloy to improve [36,37]. It
is thought that converting the Chinese script-shaped Mg2Si inter-
metallic into a copper and silicium rich dark grey-coloured inter-
metallic by adding Cu to the Al–12Si–20Mg alloy helps to
improve corrosion. It is assumed that this situation will elimi-
study, which investigated the effects adding Cu to Al–12Si–20Mg
cast alloys had on their wear and corrosion properties.
1. Microstructure analyses revealed that Al (matrix), Si, and
Mg2Si phases formed in the microstructure of the Al–12Si–
20 25 Al–12Si–20Mg alloy not containing Cu element, it did not
form in microstructure of the other alloy. The dark polygonal
phase and the Chinese script eutectic structure were deter-
mined as Mg2Si. Additionally, adding Cu led to form a CuAl2
phase.
2. Adding Cu to the alloy increased hardness values. Even though
there was a decrease in the number and size of polygonal Mg2Si
particles in the microstructure, the hardness of Cu-containing
Al–12Si–20Mg alloys increased due to the formation of CuMg5-
Si4Al4 and CuAl2 intermetallics, which have a high hardness
value.
 A. Palta et al. / Materials and Design 36 (2012) 451–458 457

(a) 1.0
Electrode Potential (Vvs SCE)

0.5

0.0

-0.5

-1.0
1.0E-5 1.0E-4 1.0E-3 1.0E-2 1.0E-1 1.0E+0

Log Current Density (A/cm2)

(b) 1.0
Electrode Potential (Vvs SCE)

0.5

0.0

-0.5

-1.0
1.0E-5 1.0E-4 1.0E-3 1.0E-2 1.0E-1 1.0E+0

Log Current Density (A/cm2)

Fig. 10. Lom and SEM images obtained from the section after test of Al–12Si–20Mg
Fig. 8. Potentiodynamic polarisation curves for investigated alloys, (a) Al–12Si– alloy subjected to corrosion tests.
20Mg and (b) Al–12Si–20Mg–4Cu.

References

Fig. 9. The change of current concentration values (Icorr) obtained from the
polarisation curves of the investigated alloys.
3. The weight loss of investigated alloys increased after the wear
experiment based on the applied load and the sliding distance.
The effect alloying elements, added to the Al–12Si–20Mg alloy,
had on the wear behaviour changed depending on the applied
load. While weight loss decreased with Cu addition at lower
loads (3–5 N), it increased at higher loads (20 N).
4. The immersion corrosion experiments, conducted using a 30 g/l
NaCl + 10 ml/l HCl solution, proved that the Cu element, added
to the alloy, slightly reduced the amount of weight loss experi-
enced by investigated alloys. Al–12Si–20Mg–4Cu alloys had the
lowest corrosion current in conclusion of potentiodynamic
polarisation experiments, conducted using the same solution.
[1] Reddy TVS, Dwivedi DK, Jain NK. Adhesive wear of stir cast hypereutectic Al–
Si–Mg alloy under reciprocating sliding conditions. Wear 2009;266:1–5.
[2] Sreeja Kumari SS, Pillai RM, Pai BC. A study on the structural age hardening and
mechanical characteristics of Mn and Ca added Al–7Si–0.3Mg–0.6Fe alloy. J
Alloys Compd 2008;453:167–73.
[3] Mustafa Y, Yahya A. The effect of aging heat treatment on the sliding wear
behaviour of Cu–Al–Fe alloys. Mater Design 2009;30:878–84.
[4] Anasyida AS, Daud AR, Ghazali MJ. Dry sliding wear behaviour of Al–12Si–4Mg
alloy with cerium addition. Mater Design 2010;31:365–72.
[5] Weiwei W, Jianmin H, Weijing L, Jinhua W. Study of rare earth element effect
on microstructures and mechanical properties of an Al–Cu–Mg–Si cast alloy.
Rare Earth 2006;25:129–32.
[6] Zhang J, Fan Z, Wang Y, Zhou BL. Hypereutectic aluminium alloy tubes with
graded distribution of Mg2Si particles prepared by centrifugal casting. Mater
Design 2000;21:149–53.
[7] Zhang J, Fan Z, Wang YQ, Zhou BL. Microstructural development of Al-15 wt.%
Mg2Si in-situ composite with mischmetal addition. Mater Sci Eng A 2000;
281:104–12.
[8] Frommeyer G, Beer S, Oldenburg KV. Microstructure and mechanical properties
of mechanically alloyed intermetallic Mg2Si–Al alloys. Z Metallkunde
1994;85:372–6.
[9] Hengcheng L, Yu S, Guoxiong S. Restraining effect of strontium on the
crystallization of Mg2Si phase during solidification in Al–Si–Mg casting alloys
and mechanisms. Mater Sci Eng A 2003;358:164–70.
[10] Zhao YG, Qin QD, Liang YH, Zhou W, Jiang QC. In-situ Mg2Si/Al–Si–Cu
composite modified by strontium. J Mater Sci 2005;40:1831–3.
[11] Zhao YG, Qin QD, Zhou W, Liang YH. Microstructure of the Ce-modified in-situ
Mg2Si/Al–Si–Cu composite. J Alloys Compd 2005;389:1–4.
[12] Tjong XSC, Ma ZY. Microstructural and mechanical characteristics of in-situ
metal matrix composites. Mater Sci Eng R 2000;29:49–113.
[13] Yang B, Chen G, Zhang J. Effect of Ti/C additions on the formation of Al3Ti of in-
situ TiC/Al composites. Mater Design 2001;22:645–50.
[14] Matin AMA, Lu L, Gupta M. Investigation of the reaction between boron and
titanium compounds with magnesium. Scripta Mater 2001;45:479–86.
458 A. Palta et al. / Materials and Design 36 (2012) 451–458
[15] Tan E. The effect of hot-deformation on mechanical properties and age
hardening characteristics of Al–Mg–Si based wrought aluminum alloys. MSc
Thesis. METU; 2006.
[16] Liu YL, Kang SB. The solidification process of Al–Mg–Si alloys. J Mater Sci
1997;32:1443–7.
[17] Usta M, Glicksman ME, Wright RN. The effect of heat treatment on Mg2Si
coarsening in aluminium 6105 alloy. Metall Mater Trans A 2004;35:435–8.
[18] Zhao YG, Qin QD, Zhao YQ, Liang YH, Jiang QC. In situ Mg2Si/Al–Si composite
modified by K2TiF6. Mater Letters 2004;58:2192–4.
[19] Wang HY, Jiang QC, Ma BX, Wang Y, Wang JG, Wang, et al. Modification of Mg2Si in
Mg–Si alloys with K2TiF6, KBF4 and KBF4 + K2TiF6. J Alloys Compd 2005;387:105–8.
[20] Qudong W, Yongjun C, Wenzhou C, Yinhong W, Chunquan Z, Wenjiang D.
Centrifugally cast Zn–27Al–XMg–YSi alloys and their in situ (Mg2Si + Si)/ZA27
composites. Mater Sci Eng. A 2005;394:425–34.
[21] Dedavid BA, Costa EM, Ferreira CRF. A study of precipitates formation in
AA380.0 aluminium alloys modified by the addition of magnesium. J Therm
Anal Calorim 2002;67:473–80.
[22] Bhanuprasad VV, Staley MA, Ramakrishan P, Mahajan YR. Fractography of
metal matrix composites. Key Eng Mater 1995;104–107:495–506.
[23] Ibrahim IA, Mohammed FA, Lavernia EJ. Particulate reinforced metal matrix
composites-a review. J Mater Sci 1991;26:1137–56.
[24] Davis JR. Corrosion of aluminum and aluminum alloys. San Francisco: The
materials Information Society; 1999.
[25] Beffort O. Metal matrix composites: properties applications and machining
EMPA Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Research; 2002.
[26] Sun Y, Ahlatci H. Mechanical and wear behaviours of Al–12Si–XMg composites
reinforced with Mg2Si particles. Mater Design 2011;32:2983–7.
[27] Birbilis N, Buchheit RG. Corrosion damage accumulation on high strength Al-
alloys: some advantages in understanding the role of intermetallics. Corrosion
Mater 2004;29:4–8.
[28] Birbilis N, Buchheit RG. Electrochemical characteristics of intermetallic phases
in aluminium alloys; an experimental survey and discussion. J Electrochem
Soc 2005;152:140–51.
[29] Zhang W, Frankel GS. Localized corrosion growth kinetics in AA2024 alloys. J
Electrochem Soc 2002;149:510–9.
[30] Seah KHW, Krishna M, Vijayalakshmi VT, Uchil J. Corrosion behaviour of garnet
particulate reinforced LM13 alloy MMCs. Corros Sci 2002;44:917–25.
[31] Zhang W, Frankel GS. Transitions between pitting and intergranular corrosion
in AA2024. Electrochemica Acta 2003;48:1193–210.
[32] Rahim SS, Hassan A, Hassan HH, Amin MA. Chronoamperometric studies of
pitting corrosion of Al and Al–Si alloys by halide ions in neutral sulphate
solutions. Corros Sci 2004;46:1921–38.
[33] Winkler SL, Flower HM. Stress corrosion cracking of cast 7xxx aluminium fibre
reinforced composites. Corros Sci 2004;46:903–15.
[34] Scully JR, Peebles DE, Romig AD, Frear DR. Metallurgical factors influencing the
corrosion of Al, Al–Cu and Al–Si alloy thin films in dilute hydro fluoric solution.
Metall Trans A 1992;23:2641–55.
[35] Bhattamishra AK, Lai K. Microstructural studies on the effect of Si and
Cr on the intergranular corrosion in Al–Mg–Si alloys. Mater Design
1997;18:25–8.
[36] Askeland DR. Materials science and engineering. Ankara: Translator: Erdoğan
M. Nobel Publication; 2004.
[37] Ahlatci H. Production and corrosion behaviours of the Al–12Si–XMg alloys
containing in situ Mg2Si particles. J Alloys Compd 2010;503:122–6.