Evaluation of Al-Ti-C Master Alloys as Grain Refiner for Aluminum and Its Alloys

• Published in: Metallurgical and materials transactions. A, Physical metallurgy and materials science Vol. 42; no. 9; pp. 2862 - 2867
• Main Authors: Doheim, M. A., Omran, A. M., Abdel-Gwad, A., Sayed, G. A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Boston Springer US 01.09.2011; Springer; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Alloys; Aluminum; Aluminum alloys; Aluminum base alloys; Applied sciences; Characterization and Evaluation of Materials; Chemistry and Materials Science; Compacting; Exact sciences and technology; Grain refinement; Intermetallic compounds; Master alloys; Materials Science; Metallic Materials; Metals. Metallurgy; Nanotechnology; Physical metallurgy; Scanning electron microscopy; Structural Materials; Surfaces and Interfaces; Thin Films; Master Alloy; Al3Ti; Refining Efficiency; Molten Aluminum; Pure Aluminum; Aluminium base alloys
• ISSN: 1073-5623; 1543-1940
• DOI: 10.1007/s11661-011-0689-9

Al-Ti-C master alloys have a great potential as efficient grain refiners for aluminum and its alloys. In the present work, the Al-Ti-C master alloys are synthesized via a relatively novel technique through the reaction of a compacted mixture of K 2 TiF 6 and graphite with molten aluminum. The obtained alloys are examined using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction (XRD) methods. The results indicate that the produced Al-Ti-C master alloys contain TiC and TiAl 3 particles within the aluminum matrix. Also, these alloys were evaluated using the KBI test mold. The results indicate that the produced Al-Ti-C master alloy is an efficient grain refiner for pure aluminum and its alloys compared with the Al-Ti-B one. The factors affecting the grain refinement of aluminum and its alloys are studied. The proper conditions for evaluating the efficiency of the produced Al-Ti-C master alloy to obtain a minimum grain size are as follows: temperature, 993 K (720 °C); holding time, 2 minutes; and (Ti/Al) weight ratio, 0.01 pct.