The effect of dissolved titanium on the primary α-Al grain and globule size in the conventional and semi-solid casting of 356 Al–Si Alloy

Abstract

The chemistry of molten alloy plays an important role on grain refining. Small addition of alloying elements reduces the grain size of the as-solidified structures to some degree depending on the alloy efficiency. The effect of dissolved Ti has been studied on the microstructure of Al–Si foundry alloys cast conventionally and by semi-solid casting routes. It is shown that Ti in solution could restrict the grains and globules size in both processes. A parallel plate compression test machine was employed to study the effect of dissolved Ti on the rheological behavior of the billets. It was confirmed billets with higher dissolved Ti-content have superior flow.