The effect of high pressure (135 MPa) and the following heat treatment on the microstructure and micro-hardness of the squeezing cast AlSi9CuMg alloy is investigated, using optical microscopy (OM), Vickers tester, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The results indicate that the application of high pressure can increase under-cooling and the cooling rate during solidification and cause the refinement of the microstructure. The enhanced melt flow resulting from high pressure can also break the dendrite to form the spherical and elliptical primary α (Al) grains during the early stage of solidification. The winter-sweet flower-shaped primary α (Al) phases can also be formed through plastic deformation caused by the flow of the partially solidified melt. The ageing treatment results showed that a maximum (peak) micro-hardness value was obtained for each of the three ageing temperatures at different ageing times, and the highest peak value was achieved at 175 °C for 480 min. The micro-hardness change of the sample under different ageing processes was attributed to the variation of type, density, and size of the precipitates.
Keywords: high pressure; melt flow; solid solution; squeezing casting; strengthening.