The effect of grain refining and oxide inclusion on the fluidity of Al4.5Cu-0.6Mn and A356 alloys

Abstract

The effect of grain refinement and oxide inclusion on the fluidity of Al alloy was investigated with a test casting with eight thin flow channels. Pouring in air increased the amount of oxide in the A356 melt. The fluidity compared between normal A356 melt and contaminated melt. The amount of oxide was evaluated qualitatively by ultrasonic treatment. The flow length varied linearly with the pouring temperature. By adding Ti and Al-5Ti-B, fluidity increased. The grain size decreased by adding grain refiner. The fluidity depended on the degree of grain refining. It was noticed that pouring in air increased the amount of oxides in the melt by ultrasonic treatment. The fluidity of contaminated melt was decreased comparing to the normal one especially in lower temperature. (C) 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.