Grain Refiner Settling and Its Effect on the Melt Quality of Aluminum Casting Alloys
Grain refiner particles, which are intended to induce the formation of fine equiaxed grain structure during the solidification of aluminum alloys, are prone to settling during the holding of the liquid metal, which phenomenon can affect not only the grain size but the spatial distribution of the dou...
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2022-11-01
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1944/15/21/7679 |
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| author | Gábor Gyarmati Levente Bogoly Marcin Stawarz György Fegyverneki Zoltán Kéri Monika Tokár Tamás Mende |
| author_facet | Gábor Gyarmati Levente Bogoly Marcin Stawarz György Fegyverneki Zoltán Kéri Monika Tokár Tamás Mende |
| author_sort | Gábor Gyarmati |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Grain refiner particles, which are intended to induce the formation of fine equiaxed grain structure during the solidification of aluminum alloys, are prone to settling during the holding of the liquid metal, which phenomenon can affect not only the grain size but the spatial distribution of the double oxide films in the melt. In this study, the settling of Al<sub>3</sub>Ti inoculant particles, as well as its effects on melt quality and grain refinement, were studied. During the experiments, the Ti-concentration of a liquid Al-Si-Mg-Cu alloy was increased to 0.3 wt.% by the addition of Al-10%Ti master alloy at different melt temperatures. Particle settling and grain size evolution were studied by quantitative metallography, while the interactions of grain refiners and bifilms were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The evolution of melt quality was assessed by the computed tomographic (CT) analysis of reduced pressure test (RPT) samples. It was found that effective grain refinement was only realized when the introduced blocky Al<sub>3</sub>Ti particles were dissolved and re-precipitated in the form of (Al,Si)<sub>3</sub>Ti at a lower temperature. Without dissolving at higher holding temperatures, Al<sub>3</sub>Ti particle settling has taken place within 10 min. The settling of (Al,Si)<sub>3</sub>Ti particles improved melt quality by the aided sedimentation of bifilms in the melt. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T18:52:40Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-372e0bf11cd44ca9aa00156831093bc2 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1996-1944 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T18:52:40Z |
| publishDate | 2022-11-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
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| series | Materials |
| spelling | doaj.art-372e0bf11cd44ca9aa00156831093bc22023-11-24T05:39:05ZengMDPI AGMaterials1996-19442022-11-011521767910.3390/ma15217679Grain Refiner Settling and Its Effect on the Melt Quality of Aluminum Casting AlloysGábor Gyarmati0Levente Bogoly1Marcin Stawarz2György Fegyverneki3Zoltán Kéri4Monika Tokár5Tamás Mende6Foundry Institute, University of Miskolc, Miskolc-Egyetemváros, 3515 Miskolc, HungaryFoundry Institute, University of Miskolc, Miskolc-Egyetemváros, 3515 Miskolc, HungaryDepartment of Foundry Engineering, Silesian University of Technology, 7 Towarowa Street, 44-100 Gliwice, PolandFoundry Institute, University of Miskolc, Miskolc-Egyetemváros, 3515 Miskolc, HungaryFoundry Institute, University of Miskolc, Miskolc-Egyetemváros, 3515 Miskolc, HungaryInstitute of Physical Metallurgy, Metalforming and Nanotechnology, University of Miskolc, Miskolc-Egyetemváros, 3515 Miskolc, HungaryInstitute of Physical Metallurgy, Metalforming and Nanotechnology, University of Miskolc, Miskolc-Egyetemváros, 3515 Miskolc, HungaryGrain refiner particles, which are intended to induce the formation of fine equiaxed grain structure during the solidification of aluminum alloys, are prone to settling during the holding of the liquid metal, which phenomenon can affect not only the grain size but the spatial distribution of the double oxide films in the melt. In this study, the settling of Al<sub>3</sub>Ti inoculant particles, as well as its effects on melt quality and grain refinement, were studied. During the experiments, the Ti-concentration of a liquid Al-Si-Mg-Cu alloy was increased to 0.3 wt.% by the addition of Al-10%Ti master alloy at different melt temperatures. Particle settling and grain size evolution were studied by quantitative metallography, while the interactions of grain refiners and bifilms were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The evolution of melt quality was assessed by the computed tomographic (CT) analysis of reduced pressure test (RPT) samples. It was found that effective grain refinement was only realized when the introduced blocky Al<sub>3</sub>Ti particles were dissolved and re-precipitated in the form of (Al,Si)<sub>3</sub>Ti at a lower temperature. Without dissolving at higher holding temperatures, Al<sub>3</sub>Ti particle settling has taken place within 10 min. The settling of (Al,Si)<sub>3</sub>Ti particles improved melt quality by the aided sedimentation of bifilms in the melt.https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1944/15/21/7679aluminum alloygrain refinementinclusionoxide filmbifilmintermetallic compound |
| spellingShingle | Gábor Gyarmati Levente Bogoly Marcin Stawarz György Fegyverneki Zoltán Kéri Monika Tokár Tamás Mende Grain Refiner Settling and Its Effect on the Melt Quality of Aluminum Casting Alloys Materials aluminum alloy grain refinement inclusion oxide film bifilm intermetallic compound |
| title | Grain Refiner Settling and Its Effect on the Melt Quality of Aluminum Casting Alloys |
| title_full | Grain Refiner Settling and Its Effect on the Melt Quality of Aluminum Casting Alloys |
| title_fullStr | Grain Refiner Settling and Its Effect on the Melt Quality of Aluminum Casting Alloys |
| title_full_unstemmed | Grain Refiner Settling and Its Effect on the Melt Quality of Aluminum Casting Alloys |
| title_short | Grain Refiner Settling and Its Effect on the Melt Quality of Aluminum Casting Alloys |
| title_sort | grain refiner settling and its effect on the melt quality of aluminum casting alloys |
| topic | aluminum alloy grain refinement inclusion oxide film bifilm intermetallic compound |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1944/15/21/7679 |
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