Simultaneous effects of boron (B) additions on grain refinement, morphological changes in Fe-intermetallic compounds, and consequent variations in mechanical responses of the cast Al-7.50Si-0.55 Mg (A357) alloys are evaluated in this research work. The contents B are varied from 0.002 to 0.40 wt. % and subsequent changes in the grain size and Feintermetallics morphologies are assessed through polarized light images, optical micrography, and scanning electron microscopy. A small addition of B (0.04 wt. %) yields identical refinement result (620 µm) as noted for commercial grain refiner Al-5Ti-1B (642 µm); whereas, the higher amount (0.40 wt. % of B) reduces the grain size up to 44% (360 µm). In as-cast state, the structure of the π-Fe phase is transmuted from plate/needle-type to Chinese-script particles for increased quantities (0.10 ~ 0.40 wt. %) of B. Contrarily, the heat-treatment (T6) causes the depletion of Mg and B from the π-Fe phase Chinese-script morphologies and disintegrates them by creating segregated regions of Fe particles. These agglomerated areas of Fe particles act as stress concentration points during tensile loading and considerably decrease the ductility values from 6.7 to 1.8%. Therefore, it implies that great care must be taken while developing B containing grain refiners.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.