Effect of electric current pulses on TiB2 particle dispersion in aluminum alloy melt

Abstract The effect of electric current pulses (ECPs) on the dispersion of TiB2 particles is investigated. The results demonstrate that Joule heating and the Peltier effect can reduce the binding force between TiB2 particles in the melt. The induced magnetic pressure, pinch force gradient and electromagnetic shock wave can disperse loose aggregations of TiB2 particles, thereby decreasing the size of the TiB2 particle clusters. The ECP parameters are found to have a large influence on the TiB2 particle cluster dispersion.