Al-Si-P master alloy and its modification and refinement performance on Al-Si alloys

An Al-Si-P master alloy has been developed by an in-situ reaction and the electron probe microanalyzer （EPMA） results show that there are many pre-formed AlP particles contained in the master alloy. Silicon introduced into the system plays an important role in remarkably improving the distribution and content of AlP particles due to their similar crystal structure and lattice parameters. ZL109 alloys have shown fast modification response to the addition of 0.5% Al-15Si-3.5P master alloy at 720℃, with a mass of primary Si precipitating in size of about 15 μm. Also, coarse primary Si grains in AI-30Si alloy can be refined dramatically from 150 μm to 37 μm after the addition of 2.0% Al-15Si-3.5P master alloy at 850℃. The P recovery of the Al-15Si-3.5P master alloy is much higher than that of a Cu-8.5P master alloy due to the pre-formed AlP particles.

Refining Effect of a New Al3Ti1B1RE Master Alloy on Al Sheets Used for Can Manufacture and Behavior of Rare Earths in Master Alloy

The refining effect of Al3Ti1B1RE master alloy on Al sheets used for pressure can manufacture and the behavior of mixed rare earths in master alloy were investigated with XRD, OM, SEM and EDAX. It is found that the refining effect of the refiner on the material has superiority over foreign or domestic Al5Ti1B refiner, and the refiner still retains its refining ability for 6 h after adding it to molten Al, thus improving the strength and plasticity of the material remarkably. The excellent refining effect and stability of AlTiBRE refiner result from that RE can lower the surface energy of molten Al and improve the wetting characteristics of molten Al on refinement nuclei such as TiAl 3, TiB 2, etc., thus giving full play to the effect of heterogeneous nucleation and impeding the congregating tendency of TiB 2 phase in molten Al. At the same time, RE gathering in front of solid/liquid interface are also easy to cause composition supercooling in molten Al, thus impeding the growth of α Al grains and promoting α Al nucleation on refinement nuclei. In addition, RE also play certain role in purification and grain refinement, or modification, especially their effect of purification can improve the metallurgical quality of AlTiBRE master alloy.

Role of C and Fe in Grain Magnesium Alloy by Al-C Refinement of an AZ63B Master Alloy

In this study, grain refining effect of Al-1.5℃ master alloy was examined on an AZ63B magnesium alloy, and the refining mechanism was studied through investigating the role of C and Fe in this process. The results show that addition of Al-1.5℃ master alloy leads to significant decrease of the mean grain size from about 270μm to 50μm at the center of the AZ63 alloy ingot. Grain refinement by carbon addition is mainly due to the heterogeneity nucleation on the Al-, C-, O-, Fe- and Mn-rich particles, but not constitutional undercooling caused by the carbon solute element. Fe plays an important role in the formation of the nucleating particles, but not acts as an inhibiting element.

Preparation of Al-Sr Master Alloy in Aluminum Electrolysis Cell

Al Sr master alloy was prepared by using liquid aluminum cathode and a mixture of Na 3AlF 6 - SrCO 3 as the basic molten salt electrolyte in a laboratory electrolysis cell.The effects of electrolyte composition,electrolysis temperature,cathodic current density and the electrolytic duration on Sr content of Al Sr alloy were studied.Through laboratory experiments,the parameters for smooth electrolytic reaction were proposed.

Improvement in grain refinement efficiency of Mg-Zr master alloy for magnesium alloy by friction stir processing

Previous studies have proved that the zirconium(Zr)alloying and grain refining performance of a Mg-Zr master alloy on Mg alloy is closely related to the distribution of Zr particle size,and a Mg-Zr master alloy with more Zr particles in size range of 1-5μm exhibits a better refining efficiency.In this paper,friction stir processing(FSP)was used to modify the Zr particles size distribution of a commercially available Mg-30 wt.%Zr master alloy,and the subsequent grain refinement ability was studied by trials on a typical Mg-3Nd-0.2Zn-0.6Zr(wt.%,NZ30K)alloy.It is found that plenty of large Zr particles in the as-received Mg-30%Zr master alloy are broken by FSP.Grain refinement tests reveal that the refining efficiency of Mg-30%Zr alloy is significantly improved by FSP,which is attributed to the better distribution of Zr particles.The refinement effect by adding 0.6%FSP-ed Mg-30%Zr is approximately equivalent to that by adding 1.0%as-received Mg-30%Zr.Due to the easy and convenient operation of FSP,this study provides a new method to develop a more efficient Mg-Zr refiner.

Refinement of primary Si in Cu-50Si alloys with novel Al-Zr-P master alloy

In this article, a novel Al-6Zr-2P master alloy with ZrP particles was successfully synthesized, and the refining performance of this novel master alloy for the primary Si in Cu-50Si alloys was also investigated. By means of the fracture plane observation, it is found that the ZrP phase would precipitate first in the solidification pro- cess, and then, the ZrAl3 phase grows around them. Fur- thermore, it is observed that the refining effect can be remarkably improved by changing the addition sequence of the raw materials. After the melting of commercial Cu, the 2.0 wt% Al-6Zr-2P master alloy and crystalline Si were added in sequence, and the mean size of the primary Si in Cu-50Si alloy can be significantly refined from 255.7 to 75.3 gm. Meanwhile, the refining mechanism was dis- cussed in detail.

Influences of Preparation Conditions and Melt Treatment Procedures on Melt Treatment Performance of Al-5Ti-B and Al-10Sr Master Alloys

The influences of preparation conditions of Al-5Ti-B （as-cast and hot-rolled） and Al-10Sr （as-cast and hotextruded） and melt treatment procedures on the grain refinement and modification performance of A356 alloy are experimentally studied. For the two master alloys, the 50% reduction is sufficient to meet the demands of the efficient grain refinement and modification of A356 alloy. When Al-STi-B is introduced into the melt prior to degassing, the grain refinement efficiency of Al-5Ti-B will be greatly increased due to the better dispersity of TiB2 particles. Al-5Ti-B master alloy is less prone to affect the modification effect of Al-10Sr when they are used together.

Influence of Al-5Ti-1B master alloy addition on the grain size of AZ91 alloy

The mechanical properties of castings depend on the grain size.There is evidence that titanium and boron(Al-5Ti-1B master alloy)affect the grain size of magnesium alloys.Here,the influence of the addition of 0-1 wt.%of Al-5Ti-1B master alloy on the grain size of AZ91 magnesium alloy was investigated.Melting of the alloy was performed in steel and corundum crucibles.To study the effect of cooling rate on grain size,cylindrical samples were cast in steel and fireclay molds.The Al-5Ti-1B master alloy addition did not change the phase composition of the AZ91 alloy.This study demonstrates that the addition of Al-5Ti-1B did not contribute to the grain refinement of the AZ91 alloy,but rather led to its coarsening for samples cast in both the steel and fireclay molds.Increasing the holding time after the addition of the Al-5Ti-1B master alloy from 15 to 110 minutes also did not lead to significant grain coarsening.The mechanical properties of the AZ91 alloy samples slightly improved after Al-5Ti-1B addition.

Grain refinement of AZ31 magnesium alloy by Al-Ti-C-Y master alloy

Al-Ti-C-Y master alloy was prepared by combining SHS technique and melting-casting method. The microstructure of master alloy and its grain-refining effect on AZ31 alloy were investigated by means of OM, XRD, SEM and EDS. Experimental results indicated that the prepared master alloy consisted of α-Al, TiAl3, TiC and Al3Y phases, and exhibited good grain-refining performance of AZ31 alloy. Morphology of α-Mg changed from coarse dendritic to free equiaxed and the average grain size of α-Mg matrix reduced from the original 580 to 170 μm after adding 1.0 wt.% master alloy. The grain refining efficiency of Al-Ti-C-Y master alloy on AZ31 alloy was mainly attributed to heterogeneous nucleation of TiC particles and grain growth restriction of Al-Y compound or TiC at grain boundaries.

STUDY OF THE NUCLEATION MECHANISM OF α-Al GRAINS AFTER ADDITION OF Al-Ti-B MASTER ALLOYS

Nucleation sites of α-Al grains after addition of an Al-Ti-B master alloy into pure aluminium have been investigated using EPMA. The results show that either TiAl3 or boride particales can nucleate α-Al grains. But the number of TiAl3 nucleants is reduced with the holding time prolonged and the boride-nuclei are increasing gradually. Based on these results, a new refining method, adding molten Al-Ti-B into commercially pure aluminium, which has a quicker and better refining efficiency is presented.

Effect of Y Addition on Microstructure and Constituent Phases of Al-Ti-C Master Alloy

Al-Ti-C master alloy was prepared by SHS (Self-propagating High temperature Synthesis)-melting technique. Effect of yttrium addition level on the microstructures of the master alloy was studied by XRD, SEM and EDS. The experimental results show that the addition of 1.0% Y is beneficial to the formation of TiC particles; Al-Ti-C-1.0Y consists of rod-like and blocky TiAl3, TiC, Al3Y and α-Al matrix. Y is found around TiC particles in Al-Ti-C-0.5Y master alloy while blocky (AlTiY) phase appears in Al-Ti-C-1.0Y master alloy. Al3Y with dendritic morphology and small blocky Al2Y except for TiC are found in Al-Ti-C-2-0Y master alloy.

Grain reinement limit of commercial pure Al inoculated by Al-Ti-C(B) master alloys

The grain refi nement limits of commercial pure Al inoculated by Al-5Ti-1B, Al-5Ti-0.25C and Al-5Ti-0.3C-0.2B master alloys were studied, and the infl uence of melting temperature on the grain refi ning performance of these three master alloys was investigated using a high scope video microscope(HSVM), a fi eld-emission scanning electron microscope(FESEM), an electron probe micro-analyzer(EPMA) and X–ray diffraction(XRD) method. Results show that there is a grain refi nement limit of commercial pure Al refi ned by these three master alloys; with the same addition level of 1.5% under the present experimental conditions, the grain refi nement limits(smallest average grain size) of commercial pure Al refi ned by Al-5Ti-1B, Al-5Ti-0.25C and Al-5Ti-0.3C-0.2B master alloys are 50 μm, 80 μm and 80 μm, respectively. In addition, with an increase in the melting temperature of the pure Al, the grain refi ning performance of Al-5Ti-1B and Al-5Ti-0.25C master alloys decreases, but the grain refi ning performance of Al-5Ti-0.3C-0.2B changes little.

Preparation of Master Alloy Cu－Sr by Molten Salt Electrolysis with Copper Consumable Cathode

The influence of electrolyte composition and temperature. cathodie current density as well as someadditives on preparation process of alloy Cu-Sr by molten salt electrolysis with consumable cathode was stu-died in laboratory. Under optimum conditions determined experimentally. the current efficiency amountedto 70% and the master alloy contained 61% Sr After vacuum distillation or the cathodic product, metallicSr of 98% purity was obtained.

Effect of AlP master alloy on grain refinement of primary silicon in eutectic Al-Si alloys

To obtain the finer primary silicon crystals, the proprietary Al-P masteralloy was adopted to modify the eutectic Al-Si alloys and the most suitable modification process wasmade in the experiments. The SEM (Scanning Electron Microscope) and DSC (Differential ScanningCalorimeter) analysis indicate that the Al-P modifier has more advantages over Cu-P and Fe-Pmodifier in easily addition, no elemental alteration and less undercooling of primary silicon'ssolidification, which suggests the Al-P master alloy is an effective modifier of eutectic Al-Sialloys.

Efects of Al-Mn-Ti-P-Cu master alloy on microstructure and properties of Al-25Si alloy

To obtain a higher microstructural refining efficiency,and improve the properties and processing ability of hypereutectic Al-25Si alloy,a new environmentally friendly Al-20.6Mn-12Ti-0.9P-6.1Cu(by wt.%)master alloy was fabricated;and its modification and strengthening mechanisms on the Al-25Si alloy were studied.The mechanical properties of the unmodified,modified and heat treated alloys were investigated.Results show that the optimal addition amount of the Al-20.6Mn-12Ti-0.9P-6.1Cu master alloy is 4wt.%.In this case,primary Si and eutectic Si as well asα-Al phase were clearly refined,and this refining effect shows an excellent long residual action as it can be heat-retained for at least 5 h.After being T6 heat treated,the morphology of primary and eutectic Si in the Al-25Si alloys with the addition of 4wt.%Al-20.6Mn-12Ti-0.9P-6.1Cu alloy changes into particles and short rods.The average grain size of the primary and eutectic Si decreases from 250μm(unmodified)to 13.83μm and 35μm(unmodified)to 7μm;theα-Al becomes obviously finer and the distribution of Si phases tends to be uniform and dispersed.Meanwhile,the tensile properties are improved obviously;the tensile strengths at room temperature and 300 oC reach 241 MPa and127 MPa,increased by 153.7%and 67.1%,respectively.In addition,the tensile fracture mechanism changes from brittle fracture for the alloy without modification to ductile fracture after modification.Modifying the morphology of Si phase and strengthening the matrix can effectively block the initiation and propagation of cracks,thus improving the strength of the hypereutectic Al-25Si alloy.

Grain Refinement of Aluminium by Master Alloy AlTi6C1

For the grain refinement of super pure aluminium and commercial pure aluminium,Al-Ti-C master al- loy is better than Al-Ti alloy.It was shown by scanning electron microscope(SEM)and electron-probe mi- croanalyser(EPMA)that when the amount of titanium added is less than 0.15%,grain refinement of super pure aluminium is due to TiC particles rather than peritectic reaction.In addition,the presence of impurity elements in commercial pure aluminium plays an important role in grain refinement.The process of grain re- finement of aluminium by TiC is discussed in light of the TiC thesis.

Effect of A1P master alloy on grain refinement of primary silicon in eutectic Al-Si alloys

To obtain the finer primary silicon crystals, the proprietary Al-P master alloy was adopted to modify the eutectic Al-Si alloys and the most suitable modification process was made in the experiments. The SEM (Scanning Electron Microscope) and DSC (Differential Scanning Calorimeter) analysis indicate that the Al-P modifier has more advantages over Cu-P and Fe-P modifier in easily addition, no elemental alteration and less undercooling of primary silicon’s solidification, which suggests the Al-P master alloy is an effective modifier of eutectic Al-Si alloys.

Preparation of Scandium Bearing Master Alloys by Aluminum Magnesium Thermoreduction

The new preparation method of scandium bearing master alloys, in which scandium oxide was fluorinated by reaction with NH 4HF 2 and then reduced by aluminum magnesium in fused salt containing alkali and alkaline fluoride under atmosphere, was studied. The effect of sorts of metallic reductive and technique conditions such as reducing temperature and time on the recovery of Sc was discussed. When the liquid aluminum magnesium was used as the reductive agent, the all recovery exceeds 80% and the concentration of Sc in master alloy prepared exceeds 1.9%. The best reducing reaction temperature and time are 1100 K and 40 min respectively. The newly produced Sc from reduction combines with Al to produce the stable compound Al 3Sc, so the reduction progress is sustained and the recovery of Sc is increased.

Effects of Si Content and the Addition Amount of Al-3B Master Alloy on the Solidification Structures of Hypoeutectic Al-Si Alloys

Effects of Si content and the addition amount of Al-3B master alloy on the solidification structures of hypoeutectic Al-Si alloys were studied. The addition amounts of the master alloy were 0.2%, 0.4%, 0.7% and 1% (mass fraction, so as the follows), respectively. The Si content of Al-Si binary alloys investigated varied from 1% to 11%. The observation of macrostructures of non-refined samples showed that 3% Si constitutes a transition point at which the minimum grain size can be obtained. It was also found that Al-3B master alloy can shift the transition point towards a higher Si value when its addition amount increases, making this point appear at 4%, 5% and 6% Si as its addition amount increases up to 0.4%, 0.7% and 1%, respectively.

Preparation of AI-Ca Master Alloy by Electrolysis of Chloride-Fluoride Melts

Al-Ca master alloy was prepared in a labora- tory electrolysis cell.The operating parameters used were:temperature range 680-720℃,cathodic cur- rent density 0.76-1.10 A/cm^2,bath composition in wt-% 75-85 CaCl_2+2-5 KCl+2-5 CaF_2.Un- der optimal conditions the current efficiency reached 70-80% and the Ca-content 10-14 wt-%.