Effect of iron content on the microstructure and the fatigue behaviour of GK-AlSi12CuMgNi

During recycling, iron can be accumulated in aluminium alloys. The limits at which an enlarged iron content in cast aluminium-silicon alloys of type GK-AlSi12CuMgNi can become detrimental for high cycle fatigue at room temperature, 150 degC and 250 degC and the reasons for these limits are evaluated. The mechanisms by which iron containing micro-structural features (large primary platelets of β-Al5FeSi) contribute to crack initiation are discussed on the basis of scanning electron fractography. These mechanisms are shown to be different for low and high temperatures involving oxide inclusions at room temperature and 150 degC and favourably oriented precipitation-free zones in the surrounding Al matrix at 250 degC. Due to the fact that crack initiation at β-Al5FeSi is a rare event, fatigue fracture becomes a statistical function of sample size which explains the excessive scatter of fatigue data when small samples are tested