Analysis of precipitates in aluminium alloys with the use of high-resolution electron microscopy and computer simulation

Abstract

This paper presents the results of the tests using high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) with both transmission and scanning modes, as well as energy-dispersive-spectroscopy (EDS) investigation of the AlSi9Cu alloy after laser surface remelting. The possibility of using a computer simulation to identify precipitates in the analysed alloy was also explored. The obtained results and computer simulations were compared. Moreover, this article presents the advantages of the computer aid in solving the diffraction patterns and precipitates in supercell simulations. Keywords: precipitation, crystallography, TEM, computer simulations V prispevku so predstavljeni rezultati preiskave AlSi9Cu zlitine z laserskim pretaljevanjem povr{in z uporabo transmisijske elektronske mikroskopije z visoko lo~ljivostjo (angl. HRTEM) na dva na~ina: s transmisijskim skeniranjem, kot tudi z energijsko disperzijsko spektroskopijo (angl. EDS). Z uporabo ra~unalni{ke simulacije je bila preiskana mo`nost identifikacije delcev v analizirani zlitini. Dobljeni rezultati in ra~unalni{ke simulacije so bili primerjani. Poleg tega~lanek predstavlja prednosti ra~unalni{ke simulacije pri {tudiji vzorcev difrakcije in oborin v posameznih stanjih celic.