Grain refinement of hypoeutectic Al-Si alloy prepared with ELTA by Al-4B master alloy

Electrolytic low-titanium aluminum （ELTA） was produced by adding TiO2 powder to an industrial aluminum electrolyzer. The grain refining effect of Al-4B master alloy in the hypoeutectic Al-Si alloy prepared by using ELTA was investigated, and compared with those of Al-STi, Al-STi-IB and Al-4B master alloys in the similar alloy prepared by using pure Al. The results indicate that when Al-4B is added to the melt of the alloy prepared by using ELTA in terms of the Ti/B mass ratio of S：l, the grain refining effect is better than those ofAl-STi, Al-STi-IB and Al-4B master alloys. Thus, using Al-4B to refine the grain of Al-Si alloys prepared by using ELTA will possibly become a feasible way of obtaining Al-Si alloy with homogeneous and fine microstructure.