Novel grain refiner for hypo- and hyper-eutectic Al-Si alloys

A novel effective grain refiner for hypo and hyper-eutectic Aluminium-Silicon alloys has been developed. The composition of the grain refiner has been optimized to produce a fine grain structure and finer eutectic. Effectiveness of grain size under various cooling conditions has also been investigated to simulate various practical casting conditions. For comparative purposes, a wide range of Al alloys have been produced with the addition of commercially available Al-5Ti-B master alloys. The results show that the addition of novel grain refiner reduces the grain size significantly. As a result of fine grains, the porosity in the solidified alloys is remarkably lower. A notable improvement in mechanical properties has also been observed.