The effect of major alloying elements on the size of the secondary dendrite arm spacing in the as-cast Al-Si-Cu alloys

A comprehensive understanding of melt quality is of paramount importance for the control and prediction of actual casting characteristics. Among many phenomenons that occur during the solidification of castings, there are four that control structure and consequently mechanical properties: chemical composition, liquid metal treatment, cooling rate and temperature gradient. The cooling rate and alloy composition are among them most important. This paper investigates the effect of some major alloying elements (silicon and copper) of Al-Si-Cu alloys on the size of the secondary dendrite arm spacing. It has been shown that both alloying elements have reasonable influence on the refinement of this solidification parameter.