Enhancing Liquid Metal Quality in Aluminum Alloys: A Study on Refining Techniques

In this study, the effects of refining processes used in the production of aluminum alloys on the quality of liquid metal were investigated. The impact of oxide compounds encountered during aluminum processing on the quality of the liquid metal and the effectiveness of refining processes aimed at removing these oxide compounds were examined. The study involved four different casting samples made from 6060 alloy, where the effects of flux amounts, cleaning times, and nitrogen gas pressure on the quality of the liquid metal were explored. To assess the quality of the liquid metal, the density index (DI%), bifilm index (BI), and hydrogen level (ml/100 g Al) were analyzed using the solidification under vacuum (RPT) method. Microstructural investigations including parameters such as grain size, grain number, and homogeneity ratio were provided with optimized parameters for the best liquid metal quality. These results emphasize the importance of optimized refining process improving the quality of liquid metal in aluminum production.