Studies on the dissolution of Al-Ti-C master alloy using LiMCA II

The dynamics of grain refiner dissolution and agglomeration in aluminium melts is under investigation. The main emphasis is on gaining a better understanding of the dissolution and dispersion of grain refiner particles added to molten aluminium. An important part of the project is to evaluate the quantity of insoluble particles larger than 20 mu m released from different types of master alloys when added to molten aluminium. To test this, small pieces of the master alloy are dissolved in the melt held in a crucible, and the change in the number of particles with time is monitored with a LiMCA II device. With the LiMCA device it is also possible to monitor changes in particle size distributions with time. Results from these experiments with an AI-Ti-C master alloy are described and briefly analysed in terms of particle agglomeration and volume conservation.