Microstructure evolution and mechanical property of quaternary Cu-7%Al-4%Ni-2.5%Mn alloy solidified within ultrasonic field

Highlights: • Ultrasound promotes α(Cu) nucleation rate by three orders of magnitude. • Ultrasound transforms α(Cu) growing orientation from preferred (111) plane to isotropy. • Ultrasound enhances the yield strength of Cu-7%Al-4%Ni-2.5%Mn alloy by three times. • Dislocation and grain strengthening are mechanisms of the alloy reinforcement. -- Abstract: An intensive field of 20 kHz power ultrasound with various amplitudes was applied during the solidification process of quaternary Cu-7%Al-4%Ni-2.5%Mn single-phase alloy to investigate its dynamic solidification mechanism and mechanical performance improvement. It is found that α(Cu) phase nucleates at small undercoolings and mainly grows along (111) crystalline plane direction into coarse dendrites with developed secondary arms. With the rise of amplitude, ultrasonic wave increases the nucleation rate by improving the wetting effect between alloy melt and impurities and also breaks some growing dendrites into fragments. Once the ultrasonic amplitude reaches the maximum of 15.2 µm, the prominent cavitation effect further increases the nucleation rate by three orders of magnitude, and also leads to the symmetrical distribution of temperature field, solute field and flow field in the solidification front, eventually resulting in the formation of tiny equiaxed α(Cu) grains without any obvious preferred growth orientation, inside which the solute distribution also tends to become uniform. Meanwhile, the compressive yield strength of Cu-7%Al-4%Ni-2.5%Mn alloy is significantly increased by 3 times after ultrasonic solidification. Theoretical analysis indicates that grain strengthening and dislocation strengthening are the two main reinforcement factors induced by power ultrasound.