Separation of primary Si and impurity boron removal from Al-30%Si-10%Sn melt under a traveling magnetic field

Separation of primary Si phase and removal of boron in the primary Si phase during the solidification process of the Al-30%Si-10%Sn melt under a traveling magnetic field(TMF) were investigated. The results showed that the agglomeration layer of the primary Si can be formed in the periphery of the ingot while the inner microstructures mainly consist of the eutectic α-Al+Si and β-Sn phases. The intense melt flow carries the bulk liquid with higher Si content to promote the growth of the primary Si phase which is first precipitated close to the inner wall of crucible with a relatively lower temperature, resulting in the remarkable segregation of the primary Si phase. The content of impurity B in the primary Si phase can be removed effectively with an increase in magnetic flux intensity. The results of electron probe microanalysis(EPMA) clearly indicated that the average intensity of the B Ka line in the α-Al phase region of Al-Si-Sn alloy is higher in the case of solidification under TMF than that of normal solidification condition, suggesting that the electromagnetic stirring can promote the B removal from the primary Si phase.

Effects of cerium addition on solidification structure and mechanical properties of 434 ferritic stainless steel

Effects of Ce refiners on the solidification structure and the mechanical property of ferritic stainless steel were investigated, the corresponding mechanisms were also discussed. The results showed that the solidification of the ferritic stainless steel was remarkably refined with 0.011 wt.% Ce and 0.023 wt.% Ce refiners. Ce played a great role of inclusion modification and the shape and size of the inclusions were changed by adding Ce. And after adding rare earth Ce, great amounts of high-melting point rare earth Ce inclusions（Ce2O3 and Ce2O2S） were formed. The fracture mode of 434 ferritic stainless steel was typical cleavage fracture, however, the ductility and the toughness of ferritic stainless steel was remarkably enhanced with 0.011 wt.% Ce and 0.023 wt.% Ce refiner. But the solidification structure and the mechanical property of 434 ferritic stainless steel could not be improved with 0.034 wt.% Cerefiner.

A Review on Grain Refinement of Aluminum Alloys:Progresses,Challenges and Prospects

Aluminum becomes the most popular nonferrous metal and is widely used in many fields such as packaging,building transportation and electrical materials due to its rich resource, light weight, good mechanical properties, suitable corrosion resistance and excellent electrical conductivity. Grain refinement, which is obtained by changing the size of grain structure by different techniques, is a preferred method to improve simultaneously the strength and plasticity of metallic materials. Therefore, grain refining of aluminum is regarded as a key technique in aluminum processing industry.Up to now, there have been a number of techniques for aluminum grain refining. All the techniques can be classified as four categories as follows： grain refining by vibration and stirring during solidification, rapid solidification, the addition of grain refiner and severe plastic deformation. Each of them has its own merits and demerits as well as applicable conditions, and there are still some arguments in the understanding of the mechanisms of these techniques. In this article, the research progresses and challenges encountered in the present techniques and the future research issues and directions are summarized.

Structural evolution of Al–8%Si hypoeutectic alloy by ultrasonic processing

High intensity power ultrasound was respectively introduced into three different solidification stages of Al–8%Si hypoeutectic alloy, including the fully liquid state before nucleation, the nucleation and growth process of primary α（Al） phase and L →（Al） ＋（Si） eutectic transformation period. It is found that both the primary α（Al） phase and（Al ＋ Si） eutectic structure were refined by different degrees with various growth morphologies depending on the ultrasonic treatment stage. Based on the experimental results,the cavitation-induced nucleation due to the high undercooling caused by the collapse of tiny cavities was proposed as the major reason for refining the primary α（Al） phase. Meanwhile, obvious eutectic morphological change was observed only when ultrasound was directly introduced in the eutectic transformation stage, in which typical divorced eutectics and（Al ＋ Si） eutectic cells with symmetrical flower shape were formed at the top of the alloy sample. The introduction of ultrasound in each solidification stage also improves the yield strength of Al–8% Si alloy to a diverse extent.