Effect of Manganese and Iron Content on Morphology of Iron Intermetallic Phases in AlSi7Mg0.3 Alloy

Iron is presented as an impurity in Al-Si alloys and occurs in the form of the β-Al5FeSi phase formations. The presence of iron and other elements in the alloy causes the formation of large intermetallic phases. Due to the high brittleness of this phase, it reduces the mechanical properties and increases the porosity. Manganese is used to inhibit the formation of this detrimental phase. It changes the morphology of the phase to polyhedral crystals, skeletal formations, or Chinese script. The present article deals with the influence of various amounts of manganese (0.1; 0.2; 0.4; 0.6 wt. %) on the formation of iron-based intermetallic phases in the AlSi7Mg0.3 alloy with different levels of iron content (0.4; 0.8, 1.2 wt. %). The increase of iron content in each alloy caused the creation of more intermetallic compounds and this effect has been more significant with higher concentrations of manganese. In alloys where the amount of 1.2 wt. % iron is present, the shape of eutectic silicon grain changes from angular to short needle type.