Microstructural Characteristics of Al-Ti-B Inoculation Wires and Their Addition to the AlSi7Mg0.3 Alloy.

Commercially supplied inoculation wires have a guaranteed chemical composition but not the size and distribution of individual phases, which are very important for nucleation. Therefore, two commercial alloys used for the inoculation of Al-Si alloys (AlTi3B1 and AlTi5B1) are investigated in this paper. The emphasis is placed on their structural analysis and the size and distribution of individual intermetallic phases. Furthermore, the grain refinement effect will be tested by adding these alloys to the AlSi7Mg0.3 alloy and testing the optimal amount of added inoculation wires. The results showed that the size and distribution of the individual phases in AlTi3B1 and AlTi5B1 meet the requirements for the successful inoculation of aluminum alloys, the intermetallic phases based on the TiAl3 phase are fine enough, and there is no agglomeration that would reduce the number of nuclei. This assumption was confirmed by adding these inoculants to the AlSi7Mg0.3 alloy, and it was found that the most ideal amount of inoculants added is 0.01 wt % when the structure was refined by approximately 32%.

Chemical and Structural Analysis of Newly Prepared Co-W-Al Alloy by Aluminothermic Reaction.

This article is devoted to the characterization of a new Co-W-Al alloy prepared by an aluminothermic reaction. This alloy is used for the subsequent preparation of a special composite nanopowder and for the surface coating of aluminum, magnesium, or iron alloys. Due to the very high temperature (2000 °C-3000 °C) required for the reaction, thermite was added to the mixture. Pulverized coal was also added in order to obtain the appropriate metal carbides (Co, W, Ti), which increase hardness, resistance to abrasion, and the corrosion of the coating and have good high temperature properties. The phase composition of the alloy prepared by the aluminothermic reaction showed mainly cobalt, tungsten, and aluminum, as well as small amounts of iron, titanium, and calcium. No carbon was identified using this method. The microstructure of this alloy is characterized by a cobalt matrix with smaller regular and irregular carbide particles doped by aluminum.

Comprehensive Research and Analysis of a Coated Machining Tool with a New TiAlN Composite Microlayer Using Magnetron Sputtering.

The application of thin monolayers helps to increase the endurance of a cutting tool during the drilling process. One such trendy coating is TiAlN, which guarantees high wear resistance and helps to "smooth out" surface defects. For this reason, a new type of weak TiAlN microlayer with a new composition has been developed and applied using the HIPIMs magnetron sputtering method. The aim of this study was to analyze surface-applied micro coatings, including chemical composition (EDX) and microstructure in the area of the coatings. Microstructural characterization and visualization of the surface structures of the TiAlN layer were performed using atomic force microscopy. To study the surface layer of the coatings, metallographic cross-sectional samples were prepared and monitored using light and electron microscopy methods. The microhardness of the test layer was also determined. Analyses have shown that a 2-to-4-micron thick monolayer has a microhardness of about 2500 HV, which can help increase the life of cutting tools.