Price, Duncan M.; Thomson, Rachel C.; Near eutectic Aluminum-Silicon alloys: Thermodynamic modelling and DSC characterization. Proc. 30th North American Thermal Analysis Society Conference, September 23-25 (2002) Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA, p. 538
Multicomponent, near eutectic, aluminum-silicon alloys are widely used to fabricate cast components such as pistons for automotive engines. Environmental concerns place greater demands on material's performance which leads to a need to improve the processing, and hence properties, of these alloys. Although binary Al-Si alloys have been widely studied, the development of more complex alloys has largely been empirical. This research is part of a wider program to develop a sophisticated model to enable the microstructure and mechanical properties of these materials to be predicted and improved. This paper will compare thermodynamic estimations of volume fraction of phases, and specific heat capacities, with measurements made by high temperature DSC. The presentation will also place such work within the broader context of microstructural modelling of such materials.