Abstract
Heat-treated aluminum-silicon (Al-Si)-based alloys have dominated the cast lightweight alloy industry for several decades. However, in the last decade, Al-Ce-based alloys have shown promise in replacing Al-Si alloys due to their ability to remove the need for costly heat treatments. Since the properties of Al-Ce alloys depend on the as-cast microstructure, it is important to characterize the solidification kinetics of these alloys. Previous work on the interplay between cooling rate, microstructure, and tensile strength of a near eutectic Al-Ce alloy with additions of Ni and Mn showed promise for elevated-temperature applications. That study focused on a wedge mould casting which produced cooling rates between 0.18 and 14.27 °C/s. Optical microscopy, SEM, and EDS were used to characterize the cooling rate, phase morphology, and composition of phases. The phases identified were blocky proeutectic Al23Ce4Ni6 and Al11Ce3, lamellae eutectic Al-Al23Ce4Ni6 and Al11Ce3, Al10CeMn2, and Al20CeMn2. Three main zones composed of different ratios and sizes of these phases were found within the wedge mould; however, that is as far as the study went on solidification kinetics. To further understand the Al-Ce-based alloy's solidification kinetics, this current study adds differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) of the critical zones within the cast wedge mould. Adding DSC thermal experimentation provides more insight into novel Al-Ce-Ni-Mn alloys and where their potential lies in industrial applications.