Aluminothermal reaction to prepare Al-Ti-C master alloy

An investigation was carried out on the reaction process and mechanism between K 2TiF 6, graphite powder and aluminum melt with the common Ti concentration of 5%～7% in the grain refiner Al Ti C master alloys and the reaction temperature of 750～950 ℃, aiming at understanding their reaction mechanism and putting forward the aluminothermal reduction reaction method to practical use. During experimental investigation, K 2TiF 6 and graphite wrapped in aluminum foils were introduced into the aluminum melt at 850 ℃. Samples of alloy and slag were investigated by chemical analysis, XRD examination, SEM observation, and EDS analysis as well. It was found that the reaction was very vigorous at the beginning of the process and then reached a dynamic equilibrium. There were 3 particular reactions during the aluminothermal reaction process. At the beginning stage of the reaction, there emerged the phases of TiC and one type of metastable intermetallic phase TiAl 9 as well as TiAl 3 in aluminum melt. At the late stage of the reaction, the metastable phase TiAl 9 disappeared and another phase of Al 4C 3 emerged.

Effect of magnesium on the aluminothermic reduction rate of zinc oxide obtained from spent alkaline battery anodes for the preparation of Al–Zn–Mg alloys

The aluminothermic reduction of zinc oxide（ZnO） from alkaline battery anodes using molten Al may be a good option for the elaboration of secondary 7000-series alloys. This process is affected by the initial content of Mg within molten Al, which decreases the surface tension of the molten metal and conversely increases the wettability of ZnO particles. The effect of initial Mg concentration on the aluminothermic reduction rate of ZnO was analyzed at the following values： 0.90wt%, 1.20wt%, 4.00t%, 4.25wt%, and 4.40wt%. The ZnO particles were incorporated by mechanical agitation using a graphite paddle inside a bath of molten Al maintained at a constant temperature of 1123 K and at a constant agitation speed of 250 r/min, the treatment time was 240 min and the ZnO particle size was 450？500 mesh. The results show an increase in Zn concentration in the prepared alloys up to 5.43wt% for the highest initial concentration of Mg. The reaction products obtained were characterized by scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction, and the efficiency of the reaction was measured on the basis of the different concentrations of Mg studied.

The Role of Preliminary Mechanical Activation in the Process of Obtaining Pow-der-Like Ferrosilicium from Metallurgical Slags

Powder iron monosilicide with certain structure exhibits magnetic properties and can be used as an alloying additive in the production of electrical steels and silicon alloys with special physical and chemical properties. From this point of view, development of the energy-saving technology for receiving such a valuable alloying agent with the disposal of secondary waste is an urgent task. For this purpose, the method of joint aluminothermic reduction of preliminary mechanically activated metallurgical waste is offered. Recently, a method for combining the self-propagating high-temperature synthesis and preliminary mechanical activation for obtaining metal powders with certain phase composition and structure is considered as one of the efficient ones. As the initial materials for obtaining iron monosilicide, the waste (or converter) slags of the Alaverdi copper-smelting plant and molybdenum slags of the Yerevan Pure Iron Plant are used. Besides the mentioned slags, NaNO3 and CaO are added. Properties and structure of the received silicide depend on the contents, quantity of components, and the mass relation of two wastes in the burden. Therefore, the processes of structure formation of the iron monosilicide received from metallurgical waste are investigated. Studies have shown that the best results are obtained in case of waste and molybdenum slag relation of 4:1, when the 60-minute grinding in the vibromill leads to a significant increase in the mechanical activation of the burden. At this relation of FeO and SiO2, a condition is created for receiving iron monosilicide showing magnetic properties. On the whole, those transformations lead to a decrease in the reaction activation power of the interacting substances, an increase of the reactivity capacities, as well as to a new original course of reactions and new modified materials.

Preparation of Composites by Nitro Aluminothermic Processes, over β–SiAlON Matrix in the SiAlON-SiC-Al2O3 System

Goal: The goal of the research is preparation of SiAlON-containing composite through nitro aluminothermic processes, by the methods of reactive sintering and hot compaction. Method: The composite CH-6 was obtained by the method of reactive sintering, with further grinding and hot compression in vacuum furnace at 16000°C, under 30 MPa pressure and 10-12 min standing at the final temperature. Precursor was prepared in a thermostat at 150°C temperature by double compression. Pressure equaled to 20-25 MPa. Results: Physical-technical properties of specimens prepared via hot compaction were investigated. Mechanical strength at compression is 1940 MPa;mechanical strength at bending is 490 MPa;elastic module is 199.5 GPa, HV-11.6 GPa. X-Ray diffraction analysis, electron microscopic and X-ray diffraction Microspectral analysis were used to investigate composite microstructure and phase composition. Composite formulation was defined, the main phases of which were: β-SiAlON, corundum and silicium carbide. Conclusion: Composite CH-6 has been selected from the obtained composites, which is characterized by relatively high physical-technical properties: strength, density and hardness. Materials can be used for making high refractory articles, such as jackets to secure thermocouples, furnace bedding, cutting tools for metal and wood treatment, in rocket spatial technology and others.

Synthesis of substitutional hexaboride of lanthanum and cerium La_(1-x)Ce_(x)B_(6) via aluminothermic reduction

Rare-earth hexaborides(REB_(6))are vital raw materials for cathode materials and high temperature structural ceramics that are widely applied as high-frequency electron tubes and ceramics adaptive for extreme environment,respectively.In this work,single phase substitutional solid solution REB_(6)(LaB_(6),La_(0.75)Ce_(0.25)B_(6).La_(0.5)Ce_(0.5)B_(6),La_(0.25)Ce_(0.75)B_(6) and CeB_(6))powders were prepared with the raw materials of La_(2)O_(3),CeO_(2),B_(4)C and Al powders,after calcining at 1773 K for 4 h and the following alkaline leaching.All substitutional solid solution products have homogeneous distributions of La and Ce in particles.Through microscopic morphology analysis,it is discovered that the formation of solid solution is beneficial for reducing the particle size of product,relative to LaB_(6) and CeB_(6).Moreover,Al flux plays an important role in decarbonizing reaction,and C contents of all products are below 0.4 wt%.

From sand to fast and stable silicon anode:Synthesis of hollow Si@void@C yolk-shell microspheres by aluminothermic reduction for lithium storage

As an alloying type anode material, silicon is a promising alternative of graphitic carbon due to its high theoretical capacity and natural abundance. Developing an industrially viable silicon anode, however, is still a huge challenge because of several problems: First of all, the common process to synthesize a silicon anode is complicated, costly, and energy-intensive. Besides, the huge volume expansion, inevitable side reactions with the electrolyte, and low intrinsic conductivity of silicon are eventually responsible for the poor cyclability and unsatisfactory rate capability. Herein, we aim to address these issues by proposing synthesis of hollow Si@void@C yolk-shell microspheres from sand by low-temperature aluminothermic reduction, which energetically combines a cost-effective silicon source with an energy-efficient, highyield methodology. The hollow Si@void@C yolk-shell microspheres effectively accommodate the diffusion-induced stress by providing the hollow interior and the void space. Moreover, the carbon shell not only functions as an electrolyte-blocking layer to protect the silicon yolk from undesirable side reactions and SEI formation, but also acts as a conductive framework to reduce the resistance to electron and Li^+ ion transport. Benefiting from these synergistic effects, the hollow Si@void@C yolk-shell microspheres exhibit superior long-term cyclability and rate capability.

Self-propagating High-temperature Synthesis of Al_2O_3-TiB_2 Coatings by Aluminothermic Reactions

The Al2O3-TiB2 coatings were fabricated on Q235 steel by self-propagating high-temperature synthesis(SHS)process using aluminothermic reactions with aluminum,titania,boron oxide and ferric oxide powders.The effect of the content of excessive aluminum in the reactants on Al2O3-TiB2 coatings was studied when only Al-TiO2-B2O3 system was used for preparation of the coatings.The results indicate that the combustion reaction cannot occur when excessive aluminum is over 40wt%and the coating has good quality when excessive aluminum is 20wt%.In order to improve the bonding of the coating and substrate and optimize the ratio of Al2O3/TiB2,composite reaction systems Al-TiO2-B2O3 and Al-Fe2O3 were used for the preparation of Al2O3-TiB2 coatings.The XRD result shows that the coatings contain FeAl intermetallic compound which can improve efficiently the interface bonding of the coating and substrate.The percentage of Al-Fe2O3 system in reactants has only a small effect on the hardness of Al2O3-TiB2 coating,which is about 22000 MPa(Hv),but has an obvious effect on the morphology and interface bonding of the coatings.

Spatial phase structure and oxidation process of Al-W alloy powder with high sphericity

In this study,Al-30W(wt.%)alloy powder was prepared by Aluminothermic reduction and hightemperature gas atomization.We then studied the phase composition,surface morphology,spatial phase structure,and thermal oxidation process using XRD,SEM/EDS,TEM,DSC,and DTA/TG analysis.The results showed that the Al-30W alloy powder exhibited high sphericity,and the interior presented a special spatial phase structure in which the Al/W amorphous alloy phase and the metastable Al/W intermetallic compound phase were distributed in the pure Al matrix.When the Al-30W alloy powder was stabilized in a vacuum tube furnace,the spatial phase structure of the alloy powder changed,and a small amount of pure Al was embedded in the Al_(12)W matrix.The resulting Al-30W alloy powder products,treated in air at different temperatures,were collected in situ and characterized.The results presented that with an increase in temperature,the types and morphologies of the Al/W intermetallic compounds in the Al-30W alloy powder changed.Furthermore,the Al-30W alloy powder began to undergo intense oxidation reactions at about 900℃,accompanied by a concentrated energy release and rapid weight gain.The volatilization of WO_(3)produced in the oxidation process promoted the complete oxidation of the Al-30W alloy powder,and the Al-30W alloy powder was completely oxidized at 1300℃.At this stage,all W atoms were transformed into gaseous WO_(3),and only a large number of small Al_(2)O_(3)fragments remained in the oxidation product.Thus,the Al-30W alloy powder exhibited excellent thermal reactivity and oxidation integrity,and may offer excellent application prospects in the field of energetic materials.

Effects of Different Substrates on Microstructures and Mechanical Properties of a Bulk Nanocrystalline Structure Pure Iron Prepared by Aluminothermic Reaction Casting

A simple method was developed to produce the nanocrystalline pure iron by aluminothermic reaction cast- ing. The mierostructure of the iron was investigated by optical microseope （OM）, transmission electron microscope （TEM）, electron probe micro-analyzer （EPMA）, scanning electron microscope （SEM） and X-ray diffraction （XRD）. The mechanical performances of nanoerystalline pure iron were tested. It is found that the pure iron consists of nanoerystalline ferrite. For different substrates of eopper and glass, the average grain size of the ferrite was 38 and 35 nm, respectively, which is larger on copper substrate than that on glass. The hardness, compressive strength, tensile strength, and total elongation are 167 and 137 HB, 400 and 500 MPa, 243 and 185 MPa, 16% and 10% on copper substrate and glass suhstrate, respectively. The hardness, tensile strength and total elongation are all larger on copper substrate than those on glass substrate, while the eompressive strength is lower. The large supercooling in the product solidification provides the condition for high nucleation rate and thus leads to nano-grained austenite and final nano-grained ferrite transformed from those small austenite grains.

Preparation of Al-Hf master alloy by aluminothermic reduction of HfO_(2)

The Al-Hf alloy was prepared by open aluminothermic reduction of HfO_(2) using CaF_(2) and Na F as the flux. The influence of the slag composition, the amount of aluminum, and the heat energizer was studied detailly to establish optimum conditions for the sufficient recovery of the alloy and the complete slag-alloy separation. The Al-Hf alloy with 40 wt% Hf was obtained by this method, and the maximum recovery was 70.7%. The microstructure of the alloy was observed by scanning electron microscope(SEM). Moreover, X-ray diffraction(XRD) analysis and energy-disperse spectrometry(EDS) were applied to characterize the formation of the phases. The results show that the alloy consists of Al and Al_(3)Hf phases and the oxygen content is about 0.2 wt%.