On the effect of Nb-based compounds on the microstructure of Al-12Si alloy

Cast Al alloys are important structural materials for the lightweighting of cars and, consequently, reduction of greenhouse gases emission and pollution. The microstructure and properties of cast Al alloys could be further improved by means of grain refinement, practise which cannot efficiently be performed with common Al-Ti-B grain refiners used for wrought Al alloys. In this work we proposed the employment of Nb+B inoculation as an alternative for the refinement of the primary α-Al dendrites of cast Al-Si alloy by studying the grain refinement induced by the Nb+B inoculants as a function of key aspects such as cooling rate, fading behaviour and simulated recyclability tests. It is found that the grain size of the Nb+B inoculated material is noticeably less sensitive to the cooling rate. Nb+B inoculants are still present and promote the refinement of the Al-12Si alloy even after few hours of contact time, although some fading is detected. Furthermore, Nb+B inoculants are also still effective for enhancing heterogeneous nucleation after three remelting of the inoculated alloy. The fading behaviour and ability to retain grain refining potency after remelting are highly relevant to industrial scale applications.