Simulation of the Composition and Cooling Rate Effects on the Solidification Path of Casting Aluminum Alloys

Solidification simulations were carried out for casting aluminum alloy A356 using PanSolidification module of Pandat software which enables consideration of back diffusion in the solid during solidification. The casting microstructure features including the solidified phases, phase fractions, and secondary dendrite arm spacing (SDAS) were simulated. The simulated results explain the experimental observations reasonably well. High throughput calculation was performed to understand the effects of alloy composition and cooling rate on the formation of the intermetallic phases and SDAS in the casting microstructure. The role of Mn in eliminating the formation of detrimental beta-AlFeSi phase was also simulated and discussed.