| Abstract Scope |
This study investigates the impact of Rare Earth (RE) element additions on the microstructure, mechanical properties, and thermal conductivity of Al-Si alloys. Al-Si alloys were cast with RE additions of 0, 0.5, 1.0, and 2.0 wt% using an induction furnace, followed by extrusion. The RE additions led to the formation of AlSi and AlSiRE intermetallic compounds, which were uniformly distributed and increased in area fraction with higher RE content. During extrusion, these compounds were broken down into finer particles and aligned in the extrusion direction. Electrical conductivity, measured using the International Annealed Copper Standard (IACS), showed the highest value of 57.3% at 1 wt% RE. Tensile tests revealed maximum strengths of 90.4, 95.7, 96.7, and 108.1 MPa for 0, 0.5, 1.0, and 2.0 wt% RE, respectively, with elongation increasing up to 1 wt% RE before decreasing. |