A novel Zn-Cu-P master alloy and its modification performance on primary Si of A390 alloy

Abstract

The requirement of modification on primary Si particles at low temperature has restricted the development of inoculants in low pressure casting industries. In this paper, by dissolving Cu-14P master alloy into Zn melt and utilizing the diffusion of Zn atoms into Cu3P phase, a novel Zn-8.6Cu-1.4P master alloy has been synthesized. Except for η-Zn matrix, ε-CuZn5 and α-Zn3P2 are the main intermetallics. After introducing into A390 melt at a relatively low temperature (≤720 °C), the α-Zn3P2 phase evolves to AlP, and the in-situ formed AlP nucleus exhibits attractive modification performance on primary Si. The Zn-Cu-P master alloy may be a promising candidate for application in low pressure casting industries. Keywords: Casting, Microstructural characterization, Al-Si alloy, Zinc-based alloys