Aluminum master alloys with rare earth metals are widely studied by many scientists around the world, but research on the production of Al-Er master alloys is still limited. The purpose of this work is to study the microstructure parameters of aluminum-erbium master alloys obtained by metallothermic reduction of salt mixtures containing erbium oxide or fluoride. The structural features were investigated by optical and scanning electron microscopy, and the dependence of the microhardness of the eutectic and solid solution fields of obtained master alloys on the content of erbium in the master alloy was determined. Studies have shown that master alloys obtained by metallothermic reduction of erbium compounds from chloride–fluoride melts are characterized by a uniform distribution of Al3Er intermetallic compounds in the volume of double eutectic [(Al) + Al3Er] and have a strong grain refinement effect. The analysis of the microstructure showed that the structure of the master alloys varies depending on the content of erbium. When the content of erbium in the master alloy is up to 6 wt.%, the eutectic structure is preserved. When the content of erbium in the master alloy is 8 wt.% or more, the structure becomes a solid solution with individual inclusions of various shapes and intermetallic compounds.
Abstract. A novel Al-Er master alloy has been prepared through situ metallothermic reactions of NaErF 4 and aluminium melts. The compound NaErF 4 is formed as a result of the interaction of NaF and ErF 3 in the melt medium KCl. The metallothermic reactions produce erbium, which through low solubility in molten aluminium and forms intermetallic compound Al 3 Er. The microstructures of the Al-Er master alloy with different contents of the alloying metal has been investigated. The results showed that the Al-Er master alloy mainly consisted of phases of α-Al and Al 3 Er, that confirmed by the results of X-ray diffraction. Backscattered electron imaging of the Al-Er master alloy under a scanning electron microscope (SEM) revealed the presence of phase Al 3 Er, which crystallized in the eutectic composition [Al+Al 3 Er]. The observed microstructure is explained according to the eutectic reaction in an Al-Er phase diagram. The preparation of Al-Er master alloy by the metallothermic reduction method will allow to reduce energy consumption for master alloy production and to reduce the cost of aluminium alloys alloyed with Er through the novel master alloy.
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