MANUFACTURE AND CHARACTERIZATION OF AN Al-Mg-RE ALLOY APPLIED TO AN ALUMINUM A-356

• DOI: https://doi.org/10.22533/at.ed.317482406036

• Palavras-chave: Cerium incorporation; Metallothermic reduction; Mechanical properties

• Keywords: Cerium incorporation; Metallothermic reduction; Mechanical properties

• Abstract: We present a study of cerium (Ce) recovery in a liquid aluminium (Al) bath through the metallothermic reduction of cerium oxide (CeO2), using the mechanical agitation technique with inert gas protection. The conditions were as follows: 80 g of CeO2 added every 10 min; a flow of 6 L Ar/min; a pressure of 1 atm; and a treatment time of 1 h. The variables were the temperature of the liquid (750, 800 and 850 °C) and the magnesium content (0.5, 3.0 and 4.0 wt %). The induction power of the oven ranged from 8 to 10 kW. The results indicate that the cerium oxide (RE) was reduced through a metallothermic mechanism because the amount of cerium present in the liquid bath increased with agitation time. Phases were identified by XRD and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and by the complementary energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) and electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) techniques. The results of these tests allowed the products and stages of the reaction to be determined. In the end, the addition of CeO2 led to a 3.90% increase in the amount of cerium after 60 min of stirring. Therefore, this technique offers an alternative method for the fabrication of Al-Mg-Ce master alloys. Which was used in an A-356 aluminum as a modifier, obtaining better mechanical properties when performing its characterization.