The effect of Fe-rich intermetallics on the microstructure, hardness and tensile properties of Al–Mg2Si die-cast composite

In present paper, an attempt was made to examine the effect of different concentrations of Fe (0.5, 1, 1.5, 2 and 3 wt.%) on the microstructure and tensile properties of an in situ Al–15wt.%Mg2Si metal matrix composite (MMC). The composite was made by casting process and characterized by optical microscope, scanning electron microscope (SEM) equipped with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. The results depicted that the addition of 2 wt.% Fe to the MMC changes the morphology of primary Mg2Si from irregular to polyhedral shape and reduces its average particle size from 33 μm to 15 μm. The microstructural studies also showed that the addition of Fe leads to the formation of Fe-rich intermetallics with polyhedral, plate-like and star-like morphology. Hardness results demonstrated that Fe addition to Al–15%Mg2Si composite has a positive effect on the hardness improvement. Further investigations on tensile tests revealed optimum Fe (1 wt.%) level for improving tensile properties. In the point of fracture behavior of the composite, Fe-containing specimens showed a brittle mode of failure.