Semisolid slurry of 7A04 aluminum alloy prepared by electromagnetic stirring and Sc, Zr additions

Slurry preparation is one of the most critical steps for semisolid casting, and its primary goal is to prepare slurry with uniformly distributed fine globules. In this work, electromagnetic stirring(EMS) and the addition of Sc and Zr elements were used to prepare semisolid slurry of 7A04 aluminum alloy in a large diameter slurry maker. The effects of different treatments on the microstructure, composition and their radial homogeneity were investigated. The results show that, compared to the slurry without any treatment, large volume slurry with finer and more uniform microstructure can be obtained when treated by EMS, Sc, or Zr additions individually. EMS is more competent in the microstructural and chemical homogenization of the slurry while Sc and Zr additions are more excellent in its microstructural refinement. The combined treatment of EMS, Sc and Zr produces premium 7A04 aluminum alloy slurry with uniformly distributed fine α-Al globules and composition. The interaction mechanism between EMS and Sc and Zr additions was also discussed.

Effect of Silicon and Aluminum Addition on Corrosion Behavior of ODS Iron-Based Alloys in Liquid Lead–Bismuth Eutectic

The long-term corrosion behaviors of four variants of oxide dispersion strengthened(ODS)iron-based alloys in the stagnant oxygen-saturated lead–bismuth eutectic(LBE)at 550℃ were studied herein.The effects of silicon and aluminum content on the thickness,morphology and composition of the oxide scale were explored with the aid of X-ray diffraction(XRD),scanning electron microscopy(SEM),electron probe micro-analyzer(EPMA)and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS).The addition of 1.5 wt%silicon is not able to contribute to forming a protective external silicon oxide film on the surface of aluminum-free ODS iron-based alloy,while the addition of aluminum promotes the formation of a thin and continuous alumina oxide scale.In the meantime,an appropriate amount of silicon becomes the heterogeneous nucleation site for alumina during the initial stage of oxidation,giving rise to the rapid formation of a protective alumina scale.However,excessive silicon has a negative impact on the formation of continuous alumina scale,because it may compete with aluminum to absorb more oxygen.The result of oxidation kinetics in ODS iron-based alloy shows that the parabolic rate constant of the alumina oxide scale is 3–4 orders of magnitude lower than that of the scale mainly composed of iron and chromium oxide.

Effects of aluminum additive on diamond crystallization in the Fe-Ni-C system under high temperature and high pressure conditions

In this paper, we investigate diamond crystallization in Fe-Ni-C with an aluminum additive and the capability of aluminum for converting graphite to diamond in a series of experiments at 4.9-5.5 GPa and 1240-1500℃. Our experimental results show that the growth habits of diamond crystal have been significantly influenced by the addition of aluminum as a catalyst. The crystal color changes from yellow to nearly colorless. The morphology of the synthesized diamond crystals gradually changes from cubic-octahedron to octahedron in the Fe-Ni-C systems with increasing aluminum additive. The lowest synthesis conditions fell first and then rose with increasing aluminum. We found a suitable addition of aluminum is very effective in lowering the synthesis conditions while an excessive aluminum additive may have a suppressive effect on the diamond nucleation.