Characterization by thermoelectric power of a commercial aluminum-iron-silicon alloy (8011) during isothermal precipitation

We have characterized a commercial 8011 (Al-Fe-Si) alloy by studying samples under different initial states of strain hardening and iron and silicon supersaturation using thermoelectric power as a measurement technique. Isothermal kinetics of precipitation are obtained in the temperature range between 225-600 deg C. We determine the atom fraction precipitated for each microstructural condition, identifying the dominant alloying additions and evaluating the typical parameters of the precipitated phases, such as, for example, the apparent activation energy. Finally, we determine the time-temperature-transformation (TTT) diagrams. Our results prove that iron is the alloying addition that controls the precipitation kinetics of the 8011 alloy in the temperature range studied.