MICROSTRUCTURAL STUDIES OF Ti-REFINED Al2014 ALLOY PREPARED BY SIMA PROCESS

In this study, Al2014 alloy refined with Al-5%Ti-1%B master alloy was prepared by strain-induced melt activated (SIMA) process. The main variables of the SIMA process were cold working, holding time and temperature in semi-solid state. Cold working was applied on specimens by upsetting technique to achieve 10%, 20% and 30% height reduction. Cold worked specimens were heat treated in semi-solid state at 585 °C, 595 °C, 605 °C, 615 °C, 625 °C and 635 °C and were kept in these temperatures for different times (20 and 30 min). Observations through optical and scanning electron microscopy were used to study the microstructural evaluation. The results revealed that fine and globular microstructures are obtained by applying 30 % height reduction percentage and heat treating in 625 °C for 30 min. Comparison between refined and unrefined Al2014 alloy after applying SIMA process showed that Al-5%Ti-1%B master alloy has no significant effect on average globule size but makes the final structure more globular.