Figure 1. Yield strength (YS) and elongation to failure (ETF) of the A356 alloy achieved by various strengthening strategies: foreign particle reinforcement (blue closed squares4–6), grain refinement (black closed circles7,8), alloying (open squares11,12), and optimized casting (green closed triangles11,12). YS and ETF of A356 alloys obtained by combining the RS + PHT route with T6 heat treatment (red stars, the red arrow marks the direction of increasing cooling rate upon RS, the data point marked by the red circle represents the best combination of YS and ETF.). The black and red circles mark the best combination of YS and ETF obtained by rapid solidification at a cooling rate of 100 K/s and the subsequent T6 heat treatment8, and that achieved by combination of the current RS + PHT route with T6, respectively.

Figure 1. Yield strength (YS) and elongation to failure (ETF) of the A356 alloy achieved by various
strengthening strategies: foreign particle reinforcement (blue closed squares4–6), grain refinement (black
closed circles7,8), alloying (open squares11,12), and optimized casting (green closed triangles11,12). YS and
ETF of A356 alloys obtained by combining the RS + PHT route with T6 heat treatment (red stars, the red arrow
marks the direction of increasing cooling rate upon RS, the data point marked by the red circle represents the
best combination of YS and ETF.). The black and red circles mark the best combination of YS and ETF obtained
by rapid solidification at a cooling rate of 100 K/s and the subsequent T6 heat treatment8, and that achieved by
combination of the current RS + PHT route with T6, respectively.