Polished Section of Aluminum Casting Alloy #356
This is an unetched section showing the aluminum (white)
and the dendritic silicon (dark grey)
patern created as the silicon drops out of solution as the aluminum cools. The
center of this field of view is shown at
higher magnification in attached photograph and a light gray intermediate phase can
be seen.
Reflected Brightfield Illumination
Definition/Function:
Aluminum Alloy #356 is a very common casting alloy. It contains 7% silicon and 0.35%
magnesium with less than 0.25% copper,
less than 0.35% manganese, less than 0.6% iron, and less than 0.35% zinc.
Significance in the Environment:
Characteristic Features:
Associated Particles:
References:
Shackelford, James F. and William Alexander, MATERIALS SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING HANDBOOK,
3rd EDITION, CRC Press, p. 136, 2001
