Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: http://bura.brunel.ac.uk/handle/2438/7006
Title: Mechanisms of enhanced heterogeneous nucleation during solidification in binary Al-Mg alloys
Authors: Li, HT
Wang, Y
Fan, Z
Keywords: Aluminium alloys;Grain refinement;Heterogeneous nucleation;Solidification microstructure;Oxide particles
Issue Date: 2012
Publisher: Elsevier
Citation: Acta Materialia, 60(4): 1528 - 1537, Feb 2012
Abstract: The mechanisms involved in the grain refinement of Al–Mg alloys through varying the Mg content and applying intensive melt shearing were investigated. It was found that the oxide formed in Al–Mg alloys under normal melting conditions is MgAl2O4, which displays an equiaxed and faceted morphology with {1 1 1} planes exposed as its natural surfaces. Depending on the Mg content, MgAl2O4 particles exist either as oxide films in dilute Al–Mg alloys (Mg < 1 wt.%) or as naturally dispersed discrete particles in more concentrated Al–Mg alloys (Mg > 1 wt.%). Such MgAl2O4 particles can act as potent sites for nucleation of α-Al grains, which is evidenced by the well-defined cube-on-cube orientation relationship between MgAl2O4 and α-Al. Enhanced heterogeneous nucleation in Al–Mg alloys can be attributed to the high potency of MgAl2O4 particles with a lattice misfit of 1.4% and the increased number density of MgAl2O4 particles due to either natural dispersion by the increased Mg content or forced dispersion through intensive melt shearing. It was also found that intensive melt shearing leads to significant grain refinement of dilute Al–Mg alloys by effective dispersion of the MgAl2O4 particles entrapped in oxide films, but it has marginal effect on the grain refinement of concentrated Al–Mg alloys, where MgAl2O4 particles have been naturally dispersed into individual particles by the increased Mg content.
Description: This is the post-print version of the Article. The official published version can be accessed from the link below - Copyright @ 2012 Elsevier
URI: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1359645411008342
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.actamat.2011.11.044
http://bura.brunel.ac.uk/handle/2438/7006
ISSN: 1359-6454
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Brunel Centre for Advanced Solidification Technology (BCAST)

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