Preparation of Al<sub>3</sub>Ti-Al<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub>/Al Inoculant and Its Inoculation Effect on Al-Cu-Mn Alloy

The grain size plays a pivotal role in determining the properties of the alloy. The grain size can be significantly decreased by adding inoculants. Aiming to address the shortcomings of existing inoculants, the Al<sub>3</sub>Ti-Al<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub>/Al inocu...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Jinhua Ding, Chao Wang, Cheng Lu, Guangming Zhu, Nana Guo, Xujie Gao, Xin Wang, Chunxiang Cui
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2023-07-01
Series:Materials
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1944/16/15/5264
Description
Summary:The grain size plays a pivotal role in determining the properties of the alloy. The grain size can be significantly decreased by adding inoculants. Aiming to address the shortcomings of existing inoculants, the Al<sub>3</sub>Ti-Al<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub>/Al inoculant was successfully prepared using Al-Ti master alloy and Al<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> whiskers as raw materials. With the aid of ultrasonic energy, the Al<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> whiskers were uniformly dispersed within the inoculants. Under the combined action of ultrasonic and titanium, the Al<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> whiskers were broken into small particles at high temperature. To enhance the morphology of Al<sub>3</sub>Ti and achieve even particle dispersion throughout the matrix, vacuum rapid quenching treatment was applied to the inoculant. The SEM test results indicated a significant reduction in particle size after vacuum rapid quenching. The Al<sub>3</sub>Ti-Al<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub>/Al inoculants exhibited excellent grain refinement effects on the weldable Al-Cu-Mn alloy. Crystallographic calculations and HRTEM analysis revealed that Al<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> and Al have orientation relationships, indicating their potential as effective heterogeneous nucleation sites. The mechanical properties of the Al-Cu-Mn alloy were obviously improved after the Al<sub>3</sub>Ti-Al<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub>/Al inoculant was added.
ISSN:1996-1944