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An integrated computational materials engineering (ICME) methodology was applied in this study to systematically and quantitatively study the second phase dissolution kinetics during the solution treatment process of a high pressure die cast magnesium sample. The study was conducted on Mg-9 wt% Al, Mg-5 wt% Al, and Mg-11 wt% Al binary alloys after isothermal solution treatments ranging from 380 to 420 °C. The experimental measurements revealed an exponential decrease of the volume fraction of the second β-phase (Mg 17 Al 12) during the solution treatment. A CALPHAD-based computational tool (Thermocalc DICTRA Diffusion Module) was used to simulate the dissolution process. In this study, measurements from as-cast samples were used as input parameters to improve the accuracy of the predicted results. An analytical, physics-based micro-model, based on the Johnson-Mehl-Avrami type equation, was also applied to study the dissolution kinetics. Both the simulation and micro-model quantitatively agree with the experimental results at all solution treatment temperatures. Calibration and verification of a few input parameters help to understand the assumptions made in the modeling, improve the accuracy of the prediction, and can be applicable in different Mg-Al binary alloys. Adopting such an ICME methodology for modeling development and verification in predicting the dissolution kinetics during solution treatment will allow for more rapid optimization of solution treatments procedures to be used in industrial applications.

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Solidification rates during laser remelting of solid metals occur under solidification conditions that are far from equilibrium conditions. The microstructural evolution and microsegregation behaviors are affected by these conditions. This study comprised an experimental characterization of the ultra-fine microstructure and microsegregation in laser surface remelted regions of a hypoeutectic Al-Cu alloy. The laser scan speed, which controls the cooling rate within the remelted region, was observed to have a significant effect on microstructural features and microsegregation. Dendrite arm spacing was determined to decrease with increasing scan speed and depended on location within the melt pool. A transition of the dendrite morphology was also observed in the melt pools. This transition, which is attributed to the grain orientation change influenced by the laser beam movement, was experimentally characterized. The measured microsegregation profiles show decreasing microsegregation as cooling rate increases which is typically of increasing undercooling and non-equilibrium solidification.

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