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Study of fluxing temperature in molten aluminum refining process

Article  in  Journal of Materials Processing Technology · February 2007

DOI: 10.1016/j.jmatprotec.2006.09.003

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O. Majidi S.G. Shabestari

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 Journal of Materials Processing Technology 182 (2007) 450–455

Study of fluxing temperature in molten aluminum refining process

O. Majidi, S.G. Shabestari ∗ , M.R. Aboutalebi
Department of Materials and Metallurgical Engineering, Iran University of Science and Technology (IUST),
Narmak, Tehran 16844, Iran
Received 22 November 2005; received in revised form 15 August 2006; accepted 5 September 2006

Abstract
Aluminum melts are often contaminated with non-metallic inclusions. Large amounts of these inclusions and oxides accelerate the trend of
porosity formation in casting parts. They significantly decrease the corrosion resistance and mechanical properties of the aluminum castings.
Fluxing is one of the conventional methods for removing inclusions from melts. Efficiency of this process is affected by several parameters, such
as: chemical composition, morphology, granulation, the amount of flux, fluxing temperature, fluxing time, and the fluxing method.
In this paper, the effect of fluxing temperature on the refining process of molten aluminum alloy has been studied. They have been investigated
using tensile test, reduced pressure test (RPT), K-mould test, metallography, SEM, radioscopy, and the optimum temperature of fluxing has been
determined.
© 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Keywords: Aluminum melts; Fluxing; Inclusions; Refining; Recycling

1. Introduction
Recycling of scraps and aluminum chips of machining is
very important because of the wide applications of this metal,
particularly in automotive industry. Recycling of aluminum
turnings and chips is a complicated process because of the curl
shape, fine size, and their contaminated surfaces with oxides
and machining oils. Aluminum melt easily reacts with oxygen
and moisture of the atmosphere because of its high reactivity
and forms oxide inclusions (often Al2 O3 ) [1]. Molten aluminum
often contains various non-metallic inclusions, which they
have weak wettability with aluminum melt. Therefore, they
are suspended in the melt and act as the nucleation sites for
the formation of porosity [2]. The presence of inclusions and
intermetallic particles influence the melt fluidity and reduces the
performance of the riser [3]. Inclusions also reduce significantly
the corrosion resistance and toughness of the casting parts
[1].
There are various types of inclusions in aluminum melts,
such as: oxides, nitrides, carbides, borides, chlorides, fluorides,
and molten salts [3,4]. Oxide films can either float on the melt
surface or engulf inside the melt because of the melt turbulence.
∗ Corresponding author.
E-mail address: shabestari@iust.ac.ir (S.G. Shabestari).
Although the density of the oxide inclusions is more than the
density of molten aluminum, but it floats on the melt surface
because of its high area to volume ratio. Oxide inclusions tend to
be agglomerated in the melt because they have a little wettability
with molten aluminum. Al2 O3 inclusions can float to the melt
surface by adsorption to gas bubbles [3].
Most of salt fluxes have been made based on the equi-molar
composition of NaCl–KCl. They have the eutectic temperature
of about 660 ◦ C [5,6]. The most important reasons for fluxing
treatment are [5,7]:
• preventing melt oxidation;
• accelerating inclusions removal;
• recycling metallic aluminum from dross;
• removing oxide build-up from the furnace wall.
Generally, salt fluxes increase the removing efficiency of
inclusions from the melts, because they have an appropriate
wettability with oxides and inclusions. Most of fluxes contain
fluoride compounds, such as Na3 AlF6 , CaF2 , Na2 SiF6 that
accelerate the wettability [8]. Heterogeneous nucleation of
pores on inclusions is very probable [9]. High interfacial
energy between inclusions and molten aluminum causes
the concentration of solute hydrogen and then formation of
hydrogen molecules (H2 ) in the melt [10].

0924-0136/$ – see front matter © 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
doi:10.1016/j.jmatprotec.2006.09.003

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