Influence of Modification on Flow Stress Behavior and Corrosive Properties of a Hypoeutectic Al-Si Alloy

The flow stress behavior and corrosive properties of Al-7Si alloy were studied by thermal compression test, electrochemical test, and electron probe microanalysis. The influences of temperatures, strain rates, strains, and morphology of Si particles on stress-strain curves of Al-7Si alloy were analyzed. The peak stress of unmodified-Al-7Si alloy is higher than that of Sr-modified-Al-7Si alloy at the same deformation conditions, and the phenomenon is obviously relevant to the distribution and morphology of Si particles. The morphology of Si particles of unmodified-undeformed-Al-7Si alloy is a typical thick layer, and that of unmodified-deformed-Al-7Si alloy is broken into relatively small particles and the distribution is relatively even in homogeneous deformation zone II. The distribution of Si particles in Sr-modified-deformed-Al-7Si alloy is obviously more even than undeformed alloy. The effect of a small deformation of 20% on the distribution and morphology of Si particles is obviously smaller than that of a large deformation of 50%. The electrochemical self-corrosion potential of Sr-modified-Al-7Si alloy is higher than that of unmodified-Al-7Si alloy, and it proves that the distribution and morphology of Si particles have a certain influence on the corrosive properties of Al-7Si alloy. That is, the even fine Si particles are more conducive to improving the corrosive properties of Al-7Si alloy.