The Influence of Production Technology and Subsequent Deformation Treatment on the Microstructure and Properties of the Al–0.5Fe Alloy

Abstract

Two alloys with similar chemical composition—Al–0.5 wt % Fe were produced via two different production technology being casting into electromagnetic mold (EMC) and continuous casting and rolling (CCR), respectively. Production methods provided different cooling rates resulting in different structure formation and sets of properties, such as mechanical strength, elongation to failure and electrical conductivity. Samples of the alloys were subjected to the combination of the equal-channel angular pressing by the “Conform” scheme and cold drawing (ECAP-С + CD), as well as cold drawing (CD) only. It was demonstrated that the difference in production process provided distinct structural states, mainly different in size and distribution of the intermetallic particles. Differences in the morphology of the intermetallic particles notably affected the physical and mechanical properties of the alloys, mainly electrical conductivity. Thermal stability of the alloys, measured according to the international standard for thermal-resistant aluminium alloy wire for overhead line conductor, differs as well, depending on the particle morphology—EMC alloy retains 94–98% of its ultimate tensile strength after annealing, while CCR alloy only 60–83%.