Studies on the mechanisms of heterogeneous nucleation of grains and pores in aluminum castings

In the present study, a fundamental theoretical and experimental investigation has been carried out on the mechanisms of heterogeneous nucleation of grains and pores in aluminum castings. A direct addition technique has been developed to introduce known types and quantities of inoculants into liquid aluminum alloys, irrespective of their wettability and chemical reactivity while preserving the surface characteristics and melt chemistry. Many different types of inoculants such as: $ rm Al sb2O sb3$, SiC, MgO, $ rm Mg sb2AlO sb4$, TiB$ sb2$, TiC, SrO and Sr(OH)$ sb2$ have been successfully added into liquid aluminum alloys, yielding single particulate distributions while avoiding incorporation of naturally occuring oxide films.The commercial grain refining practice of Al and its alloys has been experimentally simulated by introducing synthetic TiB$ sb2$ and TiC crystals into melts containing dissolved Ti. Experimental findings indicate that in the absence of dissolved Ti, TiB$ sb2$ crystallites alone do not nucleate $ alpha$-Al. TiC particles which are generally believed to be the nucleating substrate are unstable and form various complex carbides. In the presence of dissolved Ti even below the peritectic level, an interfacial layer of TiAl$ sb3$ is formed at the TiB$ sb2$/melt interface which subsequently nucleates the $ alpha$-Al. A 'duplex' nucleation mechanism is proposed based on the solute segregation phenomenon to the substrate/melt interface. In the case of hypoeutectic Al-Si alloy, this interfacial layer was found to be a ternary compound of Al-Si-Ti, however, a drastic drop in the peritectic solidification temperature presumably reduces its grain refining potency at higher Si content.Particles which do not nucleate the solid phase and/or do not get engulfed by the growing solid, are continuously rejected by the solid/liquid (S/L) interface until the end of local solidification. These substrates act as a barrier to the fluid flow as well as to the diffusion field at the S/L interface, giving rise to enhanced gas segregation and viscous pressure drop. A novel theoretical mechanism for the heterogeneous nucleation of pores has been proposed, based on this behaviour of foreign particles at the advancing S/L interface. Mathematical analyses have been employed to predict the gas segregation and pressure drop in the gap between the particle and the S/L interface. An order of magnitude analysis is done, and it is shown that pressures in the range of the activation barrier can be obtained in normal castings. To substantiate the mechanism further, experimental studies were carried out by introducing various possible inclusions into liquid aluminum. The experimental findings are in line with the theoretical predictions