Fabrication of novel Al–L12-type Al2.7Fe0.3Ti refiners by spark plasma sintering and their refining performance

Grain refinement plays a vital role in cast and wrought aluminum alloys. The grain refiners introduce particles that heterogeneously nucleate the primary alpha-aluminum. It is well known that Al3Ti particles are commonly used as heterogeneous nucleants for aluminum alloy casting. If a substance with a smaller misfit for aluminum is used as a heterogeneous nucleant, such as L12 intermetallic compounds, it should be possible to achieve a better grain refining performance. In this study, the optimum condition for a grain refiner using Al2.7Fe0.3Ti intermetallic compound particles with the L12 structure was investigated.