Grain Refinement in Aluminum Alloys by Acoustic Cavitation Phenomena

Abstract

In this article, ultrasonic method of transmitting forced vibrations to solidifying aluminum-alloy melts is presented. In the presence of well developed cavitation situations, a fine and homogeneous microstructure has been observed throughout the irradiated ingots. The effects produced when high-intensity sonic or ultrasonic waves are propagated through molten metals can be listed under three main categories: grain refinement, dispersive effects, and degassing resulting in reduced porosity. It has been found that vibrations of a mechanical origin are effective in increasing fluidity by as much as a factor of three and consequently, favorably influence the mold-filling ability of aluminum alloys. There appear to be two distinct views regarding the mechanism, which may be explained by the cavitation effects and the influence of the fluid-flow phenomena.