The Ductility Variation of High-Pressure Die-Cast AE44 Alloy: The Role of Inhomogeneous Microstructure

In the study, the through-thickness microstructure and its effects on the ductility and strain heterogeneity in high-pressure die-cast AE44 alloy were investigated. The results show that the studied alloy had a gradient microstructure, where two fine-grained skins sandwiched a core with coarse externally solidified crystals (ESCs) embedded in fine grains. In the core, where porosity concentrated, the ultra-coarse ESCs with sizes up to 600 μm were observed. A great amount of Al₁₁RE₃ phase, as the predominant intermetallic phase, was distributed in homogeneously through the thickness. High-resolution digital image correlation (DIC) measurement coupled with electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) was employed to reveal the deformation inhomogeneity and its root cause. It was found that considerable strain localization mainly appeared in the ultra-coarse ESCs with soft orientation for basal slip and the regions where porosity appeared. Unlike the yield strengths and ultimate tensile strengths, the elongations showed a significant variation. Not only defects but also the ultra-coarse ESCs were the primary factors responsible for the variation in ductility.