Influence of high-intensity ultrasound on grain refining performance of Al–5Ti–1B master alloy on aluminium

The microstructure and grain refinement of an Al–Ti–B master alloy treated with high-intensity ultrasound in fabrication and remelting process have been investigated. The high-intensity ultrasound applied in remelting of commercial Al–5Ti–1B improves the microstructure and grain refinement performance of the master alloy. The reaction among halide salts and aluminium is accelerated when the melt is treated with ultrasound. With united ultrasonic treatments in fabrication and solidification of the master alloy, not only the morphology of TiAl3 phase is improved, but also the particles in the agglomeration are in spawn-like form instead, which further improves the performance of the master alloy. The effects of acoustic cavitation and streaming on the Al–5Ti–1B master alloy are also discussed.