Synergistic Effects of High-Speed Directional Solidification on the Mechanical Properties of Zn–Al–Cu Eutectic Alloy

Ümit Bayram; Mevlüt Şahin; Necmettin Maraşlı

doi:10.17776/csj.1944524

Synergistic Effects of High-Speed Directional Solidification on the Mechanical Properties of Zn–Al–Cu Eutectic Alloy

Abstract

The Zn–5.0Al–0.5Cu (wt.%) eutectic alloy was produced using melting and casting furnaces operating under vacuum during the production stage. The prepared alloy was subjected to unidirectional solidification in a Bridgman-type directional solidification apparatus under a constant temperature gradient (G = 3.67 K/mm) and a wide range of growth rates (V = 8.45–2087.15 μm/s). The resulting microstructures were examined using a field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM). Experimental results indicate that the acceleration in solidification kinetics directly modifies the microstructure, leading to a superior mechanical combination of mechanical properties in terms of both microhardness and tensile strength. This correlation provides a new perspective for optimizing Zn–Al–Cu alloy systems for high-performance engineering applications. The obtained data were comprehensively evaluated by comparing them with Zn-Al based alloys in the literature.

Keywords

Directional solidification, High growth rate, Mechanical synergy, Microstructural refinement, Zn-Al-Cu alloys.

Supporting Institution

Erciyes University Scientific Research Projects Unit

Project Number

FDK-2013-4741

Thanks

This work was supported by the Erciyes University Scientific Research Projects Unit (Project No: FDK-2013-4741). The authors gratefully acknowledge this financial support.

References

Lu, Y., Dong, Y., Jiang, H., Wang, Z., Cao, Z., Guo, S., Wang, T., Li, T., & Liaw, P. K. (2020). Promising properties and future trend of eutectic high entropy alloys. Scripta Materialia, 187, 202–209. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scriptamat.2020.06.022
Glicksman, M. E. (2010). Principles of solidification: An introduction to modern casting and crystal growth concepts, Springer New York.
Yue, S., Li, H., Huang, Z., Wen, D., Kong, F., Gao, M., Li, Q., & Wang, A. (2025). Confined boron diffusion enables the prominent structure stability and processability of Fe83B17 eutectic alloy at high temperatures. Journal of Alloys and Compounds, 1042, 184148. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jallcom.2025.184148
Kakitani, R., Reyes, R. V., Garcia, A., Spinelli, J. E., & Cheung, N. (2018). Relationship between spacing of eutectic colonies and tensile properties of transient directionally solidified Al-Ni eutectic alloy. Journal of Alloys and Compounds, 733, 59–68. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jallcom.2017.10.288
Zhou, K., Tang, Z., Lu, Y., Wang, T., Wang, H., & Li, T. (2017). Composition, microstructure, phase constitution and fundamental physicochemical properties of low-melting-point multi-component eutectic alloys. Journal of Materials Science & Technology, 33(2), 131–154. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jmst.2016.08.022
Liu, C., Liu, A., Su, Y., Chen, Y., Zhou, Z., & Liu, C. (2022). Ultrasonically enhanced flux-less bonding with Zn-5Al alloy under ambient condition for high-temperature electronics interconnects. Journal of Manufacturing Processes, 73, 139–148. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmapro.2021.10.065
Ajibola, O. O., Adebayo, A. O., Borisade, S. G., Owa, A. F., & Ige, O. O. (2021). Characterisation and tribological behaviour of zinc-aluminium (Zn-Al) alloy under dry sliding reciprocating ball on disk tribometer. Materials Today: Proceedings 38(Part2), 1140–1146. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matpr.2020.07.135
Michalik, R., & Tomaszewska, A. (2016). An influence of ageing on the structure, corrosion resistance and hardness of high aluminum ZnAl40Cu3 alloy. Archives of Metallurgy and Materials, 61(1), 289–294. https://doi.org/10.1515/amm-2016-0055
Kang, N., Na, H. S., Kim, S. J., & Kang, C. Y. (2009). Alloy design of Zn–Al–Cu solder for ultra high temperatures. Journal of Alloys and Compounds, 467, 246–250. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jallcom.2007.12.048
Wang, F., Xiong, B., Zhang, Y., Liu, H., Li, Z., Li, X., & Qu, C. (2012). Effect of Cu addition on microstructure and corrosion behavior of spray-deposited Zn–30Al alloy. Materials Science and Engineering A, 532, 100–105. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.msea.2011.10.069

Costa, E. M., Costa, C. E., Vecchia, F. D., Rick, C., Scherer, M., Santos, C. A., & Dedavid, B. A. (2009). Study of the influence of copper and magnesium additions on the microstructure formation of Zn–Al hypoeutectic alloys. Journal of Alloys and Compounds, 488(1), 89–99. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jallcom.2009.08.125
Bajcicak, M., & Suba, R. (2018). Study of porosity distribution in spin cast zinc alloy castings. Research Papers Faculty of Materials Science and Technology in Trnava Slovak University of Technology In Bratislava, 26(42), 151–158. https://doi.org/10.2478/rput-2018-0018
Jie, Z., Zhang, J., Huang, T., Su, H., Li, Y., Liu, L., Yang, W., & Fu, H. (2016). Enhanced grain refinement and porosity control of the polycrystalline superalloy by a modified thermally controlled solidification. Advanced Engineering Materials, 18(10), 1785–1791. https://doi.org/10.1002/adem.201600320
Ding, R., Deng, J., Liu, X., Wu, Y., Geng, Z., Li, D., Zhang, T., Chen, C., & Zhou, K. (2023). Enhanced mechanical properties and thermal stability in additively manufactured Al-Ni alloy by Sc addition. Journal of Alloys and Compounds, 934, 167894 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jallcom.2022.167894
Cui, C., Lai, Y., Liu, W., Wang, P., Liu, Y., Wang, C., & Su, H. (2019). Tensile and fatigue properties of the Bridgman directionally solidified Fe-Al-Ta eutectic. Materials Science & Engineering: A, 765, 138257. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.msea.2019.138257
Long, Q., Hu, L., Wan, Z., & Wei, B. (2026). Eutectic growth and strengthening mechanism of directionally solidified Mg-2.36 at.%La alloy. Materials Letters, 405, 139685. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matlet.2025.139685
Liang, H., Chang, Y. A. (1998). Thermodynamic description for the Al-Cu-Zn system. Journal of Phase Equilibria and Diffusion 19, 25–37. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11669-006-5002-z
Wang, H., Liu, F., Wang, K., & Zhai, H. (2011). Oscillatory morphological stability for rapid directional solidification: Effect of non-linear liquidus and solidus. Acta Materialia, 59, 5859–5867. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actamat.2011.05.062
Kurz, W., Fisher, D. J., & Rappaz, M. (1992). Fundamentals of solidification, third ed., Trans Tech Publication, Switzerland.
Cao, Y., Cheng, H., Song, L., Wei, L., Shi, L., Li, J., Jia, L., Li, M., & Zhu, D. (2025). Unraveling anomalous eutectic formation in Ni-Sn alloys during directional solidification with transition variable speed. Materials, 18(21), 4933. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18214933
Sylwestrowicz, W., & Hall, E. O. (1951). The deformation and ageing of mild steel. Proceedings of the Physical Society. Section B, 64, 495–502. https://doi.org/10.1088/0370-1301/64/6/305
Petch, N. J. (1953). The cleavage strength of polycrystals. Journal of Iron and Steel Research International, 174, 25–28.
Bayram, Ü., Maraşlı, N. (2018). Influence of growth rate on eutectic spacing, microhardness, and ultimate tensile strength in the directionally solidified Al-Cu-Ni eutectic alloy. Metallurgical and Materials Transactions B 49, 3293–3305. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11663-018-1404-7
Kaygısız, Y., Maraşlı, N. (2017). Microstructural, mechanical, and electrical characterization of directionally solidified Al–Cu–Mg eutectic alloy. Physics of Metals and Metallography 118, 389–398. https://doi.org/10.1134/S0031918X17040123
Bleckmann, M., Gleinig, J., Hufenbach, J., Wendrock, H., Giebeler, L., Zeisig, J., Diekmann, U., Eckert, J., & Kühn, U. (2015). Effect of cooling rate on the microstructure and properties of FeCrVC. Journal of Alloys and Compounds, 634, 200–207. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jallcom.2015.02.004
Obara, T. J., Minei, R. O., Kakitani, R., Spinelli, J. E., Garcia, A., & Cheung, N. (2023). Solidification microstructure and mechanical properties of an Al-11wt%Si alloy modified with Nb and Sb. Journal of Physics and Chemistry of Solids, 181, 111521. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpcs.2023.111521
Wei, B., Ma, C., Peng, P., Xu, Y., Ma, Z., Zhang, X., & Wang, L. (2025). Investigating element segregation and micromechanical heterogeneity in a directionally solidified Co25Fe25Mn20Ni25Ti5 high-entropy alloy. Journal of Materials Research and Technology, 37, 3434–3447. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmrt.2025.06.233
Sales, R. C., Junior, P. F., Paradela, K. G., Garçao, W. J. L., & Ferreira, A. F. (2018). Effect of solidification processing parameters and silicon content on the dendritic spacing and hardness in hypoeutectic Al-Si alloys. Materials Research, 21(6), 1-8. http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/1980-5373-MR-2018-0333
Patil, M. A., Ghara, T., Das, B., & Kulkarni, D. M. (2025). Influence of cooling rate on microstructure, dislocation density, and associated hardness of laser direct energy deposited Inconel 718. Surface & Coatings Technology, 495, 131575. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.surfcoat.2024.131575
Kim, S. J., Kim, K. S., Kim, S. S., Kang, C. Y., & Suganuma, K. (2008). Characteristics of Zn-Al-Cu alloys for high temperature solder application. Materials Transactions, 49(7), 1531–1536. https://doi.org/10.2320/matertrans.MF200809
Kostolny, I., & Kolenak, R. (2016). Investigation of the influence of alloying elements in Zn-Al alloy on thermal and mechanical properties. Branko Katalinic (Ed.) 26th Daaam International Symposium on Intelligent Manufacturing and Automation (pp. 0699-0703), DAAAM International.
Zhai, Y., Wang, T., Liu, M., Zhou N., & Li, X. (2024). Effect of Al content on the microstructure and properties of Zn-Al solder alloys. Metals, 14(6), 689. https://doi.org/10.3390/met14060689
Medeiros, M. D., Paixao, T. A., Septimio, R., Spinelli, J. E., Cheung, N., Garcia, A., & Silva, B. L. (2025). Zn–Al–Cu alloys: Exploring the correlations between microstructure, copper content, and wear. Advanced Engineering Materials, 27(17), 2500775. https://doi.org/10.1002/adem.202500775
İhsan, A. Z., Fathalla, S., & Sandfeld, S. (2025). Modeling dislocation dynamics data using semantic web technologies. Neural Computing and Applications, 37, 11737–11753. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00521-024-10674-5
Chen, J., Feng, G., Zheng, Y., Lin, P., Wang, L., & Li, Y. (2024). Effect of cooling rate on microstructure evolution and mechanical properties of SCM435 steel. Metals, 14(2), 140. https://doi.org/10.3390/met14020140
He, B. B., Hu, B., Yen, H. W., Cheng, G. J., Wang, Z. K., Luo, H. W., & Huang, M. X. (2017). High dislocation density–induced large ductility in deformed and partitioned steels. Science, 357(6355), 1029–1032. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aan0177
Kolenak, R., Kostolny, I., Drapala, J., Babincova P., & Sahul, M. (2021). Characterizing the soldering alloy type Zn–Al–Cu and study of ultrasonic soldering of Al7075/Cu combination. Metals, 11(1), 27. https://doi.org/10.3390/met11010027
Dinita, A., Neacşa, A., Portoaca, A. I., Tanase, M., Ilinca, C. N., & Ramadan, İ. N. (2023). Additive manufacturing post-processing treatments, a review with emphasis on mechanical characteristics. Materials, 16(13), 4610. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma16134610
Jandrlic, I., Reskovic, S., Brlic T., & Furlan, V. (2019). Effect of deformation rate on low carbon steels mechanical properties. IOP Conf. Series: Materials Science and Engineering, (pp. 1-6).
Uddin, S., Gafur, Md. M. A., & Rahman, M. O. (2023). Effect of strain rate on tensile behavior of Sn-9Zn-xAg-ySb; {(x, y) = (0.2, 0.6), (0.2, 0.8), (0.6, 0.2), (0.8, 0.2)} lead-free solder alloys. Materials Sciences and Applications, 14, 273–283. https://doi.org/10.4236/msa.2023.144016

Details

Primary Language

English

Subjects

Material Physics, Metrology, Applied and Industrial Physics

Journal Section

Research Article

Authors

Ümit Bayram ^*
0000-0001-8760-8024
Türkiye

Mevlüt Şahin
0009-0007-8941-7177
Türkiye

Necmettin Maraşlı
0000-0002-1993-2655
Türkiye

Publication Date

October 27, 2026

Submission Date

May 5, 2026

Acceptance Date

October 10, 2026

Published in Issue

Year 2026 Volume: 47 Number: 5

DOI

https://doi.org/10.17776/csj.1944524

IZ

https://izlik.org/JA83KK33KT

APA

Bayram, Ü., Şahin, M., & Maraşlı, N. (2026). Synergistic Effects of High-Speed Directional Solidification on the Mechanical Properties of Zn–Al–Cu Eutectic Alloy. Cumhuriyet Science Journal, 47(5), 1010-1021. https://doi.org/10.17776/csj.1944524

AMA

1.Bayram Ü, Şahin M, Maraşlı N. Synergistic Effects of High-Speed Directional Solidification on the Mechanical Properties of Zn–Al–Cu Eutectic Alloy. CSJ. 2026;47(5):1010-1021. doi:10.17776/csj.1944524

Chicago

Bayram, Ümit, Mevlüt Şahin, and Necmettin Maraşlı. 2026. “Synergistic Effects of High-Speed Directional Solidification on the Mechanical Properties of Zn–Al–Cu Eutectic Alloy”. Cumhuriyet Science Journal 47 (5): 1010-21. https://doi.org/10.17776/csj.1944524.

EndNote

Bayram Ü, Şahin M, Maraşlı N (October 1, 2026) Synergistic Effects of High-Speed Directional Solidification on the Mechanical Properties of Zn–Al–Cu Eutectic Alloy. Cumhuriyet Science Journal 47 5 1010–1021.

IEEE

[1]Ü. Bayram, M. Şahin, and N. Maraşlı, “Synergistic Effects of High-Speed Directional Solidification on the Mechanical Properties of Zn–Al–Cu Eutectic Alloy”, CSJ, vol. 47, no. 5, pp. 1010–1021, Oct. 2026, doi: 10.17776/csj.1944524.

ISNAD

Bayram, Ümit - Şahin, Mevlüt - Maraşlı, Necmettin. “Synergistic Effects of High-Speed Directional Solidification on the Mechanical Properties of Zn–Al–Cu Eutectic Alloy”. Cumhuriyet Science Journal 47/5 (October 1, 2026): 1010-1021. https://doi.org/10.17776/csj.1944524.

JAMA

1.Bayram Ü, Şahin M, Maraşlı N. Synergistic Effects of High-Speed Directional Solidification on the Mechanical Properties of Zn–Al–Cu Eutectic Alloy. CSJ. 2026;47:1010–1021.

MLA

Bayram, Ümit, et al. “Synergistic Effects of High-Speed Directional Solidification on the Mechanical Properties of Zn–Al–Cu Eutectic Alloy”. Cumhuriyet Science Journal, vol. 47, no. 5, Oct. 2026, pp. 1010-21, doi:10.17776/csj.1944524.

Vancouver

1.Ümit Bayram, Mevlüt Şahin, Necmettin Maraşlı. Synergistic Effects of High-Speed Directional Solidification on the Mechanical Properties of Zn–Al–Cu Eutectic Alloy. CSJ. 2026 Oct. 1;47(5):1010-21. doi:10.17776/csj.1944524

As of 2026, Cumhuriyet Science Journal will be published in six issues per year, released in February, April, June, August, October, and December

Synergistic Effects of High-Speed Directional Solidification on the Mechanical Properties of Zn–Al–Cu Eutectic Alloy

Abstract

Keywords

Supporting Institution

Project Number

Thanks

References

Details

Primary Language

Subjects

Journal Section

Authors

Publication Date

Submission Date

Acceptance Date

Published in Issue

DOI

IZ

Cite