Influence of Equal Channel Angular Pressing Processing on the Microstructure, Hardness and Corrosion Resistance of Al-Si Alloy

In this study, the impact of heat treatment and Equal Channel Angular Pressing (ECAP) processing routes on refining the microstructure, hardness, and corrosion resistance of Al-7.5% S alloy in a 3.5% NaCl solution was examined. The alloy underwent T5 and T6 heat treatments, followed by ECAP processing via routes A and Bc in a mold with a channel angle of 120° at room temperature. The results indicate that dendritic α-Al grains transformed to globular and fiber shapes after processing routes Bc and A, respectively. Both processing routes fragmented coarse and brittle Si particles into smaller sizes in the eutectic phase. The use of a combination of heat treatment and the Equal Channel Angular Pressing (ECAP) process significantly improved the hardness and corrosion resistance of the samples. The hardness of the heat-treated samples increased considerably from 68 to 116 and 129 HV after three and four passes, respectively. Reducing the area ratio between the noble silicon particles and the less noble eutectic aluminum phase greatly enhances the resistance of alloy to pitting corrosion.