Effective inhibition of anomalous grain coarsening in cast AZ91 alloys during fast cooling via nanoparticle addition

Abstract

In this work, the effects of TiCN and γ-Al2O3 nanoparticle (NP) addition on the microstructural evolution of cast AZ91 alloys at the cooling rate ranging from 15 to 120 K/s have been systematically investigated. Experimental results reveal that grain coarsening occurs in cast AZ91 alloys when the cooling rate exceeds 90 K/s, while it can be effectively inhibited upon addition of NPs. The marked inhibition effect may originate from the formation of TiCN or γ-Al2O3 NP-induced undercooling zone ahead of solid/liquid (S/L) front of α-Mg, which not only can restrict grain growth effectively, but also can reactivate the native nucleants that are inactive in AZ91 melts to participate in nucleation events. And if possessing high nucleation potency, NPs can also promote further nucleation events and lead to significant grain refinement. An analytical model has been established to quantitatively account for the restriction effect of NPs on grain growth. The present work may shed a new light on the grain coarsening of cast alloys during fast cooling and provide an effective approach to circumvent it.