Study on microstructure and mechanical properties of ZL107 alloy added with yttrium

The effects of Y on the microstructure and mechanical properties of ZL107 alloy were investigated using optical microscope, scanning electron microscope (SEM), Brinell hardometer, and MTS 810-22M tensile testing machine in this paper. The results showed that after Y was added to ZL107 alloy, the size of α-Al dendritie reduced, the acicular eutectic Si became short rod-shaped or granular, and the number and size of the blowholes obviously reduced. The mechanical properties of ZL107 alloy firstly increased and then decreased with Y content increasing. When Y content was 0.1 wt.%, the tensile strength and hardness of the alloy were maximum.