Formation of nanostructured weldments in the Al-Si system using electrospark welding

Electrospark welding (ESW) electrodes were manufactured from three binary aluminum-silicon alloys consisting of 12 and 17 wt% silicon, produced using chill and sand casting. The electrodes were used to assess the feasibility of producing aluminum-silicon weldments consisting of nano-sized silicon particles embedded in nanostructured aluminum matrix, using the ESW process. Line tests were performed to determine the optimal processing parameters resulting in a high quality deposit. X-ray diffraction (XRD) as well as optical and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) was performed to determine the composition and microstructure of the depositions. It was determined that a capacitance of 110 μF and a voltage of 100 V resulted in the highest quality deposition. Furthermore it was determined that the ESW process was capable of producing a microstructure consisting of an extremely fine-grained silicon phase ranging from ∼6 to 50 nm for the eutectic composition, and 10-200 nm for the hypereutectic compositions. Finally it was determined that the functional thickness limit of the aluminum-silicon deposit produced under these process parameters was 120 μm.