Investigation of phosphorus-containing compounds in aluminum alloys with emphasis on the formation mechanism

It is well known that the presence of phosphorus in hypoeutectic Al-Si alloys causes coarsening of Al-Si eutectic even when the phosphorus concentration is as low as a few ppm. The reason is that phosphorus reacts with aluminum to form AlP, the particles of which serve as potential nuclei for silicon due to a very similar lattice parameter with Si. The purpose of this study is to investigate the possibilities for reducing the nucleation potency of AlP by changing the alloy chemistry. The experiments include melting and solidification of a number of aluminum alloys under different conditions. After that, the samples are examined using SEM and TEM microscopy to elucidate the presence of phosphorus-containing compounds and to explain their formation mechanism. The experimentally obtained data are discussed on a systematic basis of thermodynamic calculations and compared with the corresponding data from the relevant literature. Particularly, the results reveal that such elements as Mg, Ca and Sr are potentially capable of neutralizing the nucleation activity of AlP although their effect is dependent on the presence of other chemical elements in the aluminum alloy.