Optimized Segmentation of the 3D Microstructure in Cast Al-Si Piston Alloys
- Resource Type
- Authors
- Thomas Steffens; Fabian Wilde; Holger Germann; Katrin Bugelnig; Elodie Boller; Guillermo Requena; Bernhard Plank
- Source
- Subject
- 0301 basic medicine
Materials science
Silicon
Alloy
Intermetallic
chemistry.chemical_element
02 engineering and technology
engineering.material
law.invention
03 medical and health sciences
Piston
law
Etching (microfabrication)
3D Characterization
Composite material
Tomography
Eutectic system
Metals and Alloys
021001 nanoscience & nanotechnology
Condensed Matter Physics
Microstructure
Electronic, Optical and Magnetic Materials
Characterization (materials science)
030104 developmental biology
chemistry
Mechanics of Materials
Cast Al-Si Alloys
engineering
0210 nano-technology
- Language
The thermomechanical behavior of cast Al-Si piston alloys is highly dependent on the condition of the highly interconnected hybrid 3D network which is composed of primary and eutectic silicon and intermetallic phases which are found embedded in the α-Al matrix. The very similar X-ray absorption of silicon and the α-Al matrix is problematic for the local identification of these phases and thus for the accurate segmentation and characterization of all rigid phases in the network when laboratory X-ray tomographs are used. A combination of conventional X-ray computed tomography, synchrotron computed tomography, and chemical deep etching performed on the same alloy and at the same position allows for an automatic segmentation and a more accurate characterization of phases across large representative volumes and thus provides the information necessary for a quantification of the whole 3D microstructure of the alloys.