A new approach to grain refinement of an Mg-Li-Al cast alloy

Crystallographic calculation based on the edge-to-edge matching model predicted that both TiB2 and Al3Ti intermetallic compounds have strong potential to be effective grain refiners for beta phase in the Mg-14Li-1Al alloy due to the small atomic matching misfit across the interface between the compounds and beta phase. Experimental results showed that addition of 1.25 wt%Al-5Ti-1B master alloy reduced grain size of beta phase in the alloy from 1750 to 500 mu m. The possible grain refining mechanisms were also discussed. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.