Microstructural Characteristics of Al-Ti-B Inoculation Wires and Their Addition to the AlSi7Mg0.3 Alloy

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Metallurgy
• Casting Technology

Background:

• Commercial inoculation wires for aluminum alloys lack guaranteed phase size and distribution, crucial for nucleation.
• Understanding intermetallic phase characteristics in AlTiB inoculants is vital for effective grain refinement.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the structural characteristics, specifically phase size and distribution, of commercial AlTi3B1 and AlTi5B1 inoculation alloys.
• To evaluate the grain refinement efficiency of these AlTiB inoculants in AlSi7Mg0.3 alloy and determine the optimal addition amount.

Main Methods:

• Structural analysis of AlTi3B1 and AlTi5B1 alloys to examine intermetallic phase size and distribution.
• Testing the grain refinement effect by adding varying amounts of AlTiB inoculants to AlSi7Mg0.3 alloy.

Main Results:

• The intermetallic phases in AlTi3B1 and AlTi5B1 are sufficiently fine and well-distributed, suitable for successful aluminum alloy inoculation.
• No agglomeration of intermetallic phases was observed, ensuring a high number of potential nucleation sites.
• The optimal addition of AlTiB inoculants to AlSi7Mg0.3 alloy was determined to be 0.01 wt %, achieving approximately 32% grain structure refinement.

Conclusions:

• Commercial AlTi3B1 and AlTi5B1 alloys possess suitable microstructural properties for effective grain refinement of aluminum alloys.
• The addition of 0.01 wt % AlTiB inoculant provides optimal grain refinement for AlSi7Mg0.3 alloy, confirming the importance of phase characteristics.