Excellent Castability Research Articles

Semi-Solid Forging of Mg Alloy AZX1311 and Mechanical Properties

This paper describes basic property in semi-solid forging method of magnesium alloy AZX1311. In the semi-solid forging process, an arbitrary fraction of solid is selected at a temperature between the liquidus and the solidus line and rapidly cooled and coagulated simultaneously with deformation of the material in a die to obtain a product. In addition, the magnesium alloy AZX1311 has excellent castability and mechanical properties. In recent years, the use of magnesium alloys for home electric appliances and automotive parts has been increasing because weight reduction can be achieved. These main manufacturing methods are casting and forging. However, these manufacturing methods have disadvantages such as large forming load and poor dimensional accuracy. Therefore, the semi-solidification forging method can improve these disadvantages. In this study, a forged semi-solid material and air cooled semi-solid material were produced using a servo press machine. Focused on impurities, porosity and microstructure. A forged semi-solid material could be produced. A semi-solid structure could be observed.

Effect of process parameters on flexure strength and gas permeability of 3D printed sand molds

3D printed sand molds for the casting industry play a vital role in manufacturing intricate parts using a computer model. The possibility of producing fairly significant structural castings using a small job-box 3D sand mold printer is another advantage compared to the direct metal 3D printing processes. It is important to identify the relationship between the process parameters and the properties of the sand mold to produce a mold with the required strength, permeability and stiffness; to reduce gas emissions during casting and minimize the mass of combustible materials in the mold. Hence, it is possible to create an excellent casting by improving the design of such molds for liquid alloy filling and solidification. The relationship between the printing parameters and the properties of the mold can be a great tool for foundrymen, primarily to optimize the strength and permeability properties of these molds and therefore to provide exact boundary conditions for the solidification simulation prior to a casting trial. This paper reports on a study of a basic outline to quantify the role of the sand mold printing process parameters, particularly the recoater speed and print resolution, on the mold strength and permeability, and their impacts on the anisotropic behavior of the printed sand molds.

Experimental research on high-speed dry milling performance of large-area nodular cast iron

Nodular cast iron was with excellent casting performance, abrasion resistance, strength, and toughness, and successfully applied in large components with high requirements of complex load, strength, etc. While high-efficiency precision machining of large-size plane nodular cast iron was difficult in actual production. In this study, the influence of cutting parameters on cutting performance in the precision milling of large size nodular cast iron was systematically investigated. The spindle peak-power ratio increased linearly as the increase of cutting speed and cutting depth, while it was the lowest at a feed rate of 0.10 mm on account of the minimum cutting depth effect. The surface roughness Ra was decreased linearly as the increase of cutting speed, while the change trend of Ra was not significant as feed rate and cutting depth. As the cutting speed increased, the flaky chips shortened and the helical chip crimped intensity; as the increase of feed rate or longitudinal cutting depth, the length of the foil or ribbon chips increased and the crimp of the helical chip increased. The results could be the guide of the actual machining process of nodular cast iron engine box and cover to improve the machining efficiency and surface quality.

The Effect of Microstructure on Nitriding Mechanism of Cast Iron

Cast irons are widely used in the automotive industry for engine parts due to their excellent casting properties, low cost, high thermal conductivity and mechanical properties. However, the increasingly demanding expectations on an engine necessitate improved mechanical properties and corrosion resistance of cast-iron engine parts. Therefore, the nitriding of cast irons can be considered as a promising surface modification technique. In this paper, the effect of matrix microstructure and graphite morphology on the nitriding mechanism for cast irons was investigated. In the first part; in order to determine the effect of nitriding time, EN-GJV-450 compacted graphite iron samples were gas nitrided at 525 °C, with a nitriding potential value (KN) of 2 atm−1/2 at different periods of nitriding duration of 1, 3 and 6 h. The resultant microstructure characterizations show that with increasing nitriding time, the thickness of the compound layer and nitriding depth increase monotonically. In the second part, the effect of microstructure and graphite morphology on nitriding was examined on three types of cast iron (EN-GJS-500 Nodular, EN-GJV-450 Compacted and EN-GJL-250 Gray) by nitriding at the same temperature and nitriding potential as the first part, but at a nitriding duration of 6 h. The resultant microstructural characterization for the second part revealed that iron nitrides were formed at grain boundaries and around graphite particles, in addition to the surface layer. Nitrogen diffusion paths in cast irons are as follows: grain itself, grain boundaries and graphite boundaries. However, it was observed that nitrogen atoms primarily follow grain boundaries and graphite boundaries. Furthermore, the compacted graphite and gray cast-iron samples have higher nitriding depth than that of nodular cast-iron sample due to 3-D network structure of graphite. Thus, it was concluded that the graphite boundary diffusion was the differentiating factor for the nitriding mechanism in cast irons.

The Tempest

Reviewed by: The Tempest Loren Cressler The TempestPresented by Seattle Shakespeare Company at the Center Theatre, Seattle. 10 12- 11 10, 2019. Directed by Annie Lareau. Designed by Julia Hayes Welch. Composition and music direction by Malex Reed. Costume design by Kelly McDonald. Lighting design by Thorn Michaels. Projection design by Tristan Roberson. Sound design by Erin Bednarz. With Mari Nelson (Prospero), Allyson Lee Brown (Miranda), Benjamin Neil McCormack (Ferdinand), Gloria Lee Alcalá, Sydney Maltese, Sidney Rakowiecki, and Malex Reed (Ariel), Christopher Morson (Caliban), Amy Escobar (Trinculo), Peter Dylan O'Connor (Stephano), Eleanor Moseley (Alonso), Betsy Schwartz (Antonio), Laurence Hughes (Sebastian), Marvin Grays (Gonzalo), and others. [End Page 274] Director Annie Lareau's Tempestfor the Seattle Shakespeare Company benefitted from numerous excellent casting decisions. The most prominently billed of these—the casting of Mari Nelson as Prospero—felt like a familiar choice following a decade in which several female actors have taken on the role, but nevertheless offered an invigorating central performance. The roles of the principal nobles were all played by women, with solid performances by Betsy Schwartz as Antonio and Eleanor Moseley as Alonso. But the two standout casting choices were Allyson Lee Brown as Miranda and the quartet of Gloria Lee Alcalá, Sydney Maltese, Sidney Rakowiecki, and Malex Reed as Ariel. Brown's performance was by turns charming, insolent, naive, generous, and cruel. Paired with Mari Nelson's wry and domineering Prospero, who was infectiously gleeful as a plot manipulator, Brown's Miranda displayed clear family resemblances. Brown played so well against Benjamin Neil McCormack's earnest portrayal of Ferdinand that I began to suspect that The Tempestis, indeed, a romantic comedy. For all the strength of Nelson and Brown's commanding performances, however, it was the Ariel quartet and Malex Reed's musical composition and direction that most distinguished the production. Alcalá, Maltese, Rakowiecki, and Reed grounded the play in musicality and strangeness. Reed's original compositions gave most of the main characters a leitmotif and set the majority of Ariel's lines as four-part harmony. Like the rest of the cast, Ariel appeared in Edwardian-era clothing. Their costumes, musical numbers, and choreography were subtle homages to the music hall. Their four bodies on stage, sometimes clustered together and sometimes frenetically carrying out commands in different areas, made Ariel the most enchanting and unnerving presence of the performance. Reed's compositions for Prospero were similarly haunting, as Nelson chanted incantations that muted the gentler music of Ariel's song. The company has produced a Youtube video, "Song Sorcery," that gives Reed's composition work a deserved spotlight. It is worth commenting on the generally high quality of the production. The Tempestincorporated technologically advanced sound design and projection effects that skewed toward cinematic without becoming distracting. The stage design was elegant and appropriate to the Edwardian period costumes worn. Julia Hayes Welch's set featured an oversized, distressed wooden frame canted at 45º and suggesting atmospheric decay on a titanic scale. Stage lighting was cleverly diegetic, taking the form of a dozen or more chandeliers that flashed and flickered during enchantment scenes. The projection effects during Prospero's masque, coupled [End Page 275]with the ministrations of the four Ariels, created persuasive pageantry. Several gauze scrims allowed Ariel and Prospero to observe and influence downstage action while silhouetted. Combined with the portrait frame that encompassed the entire stage area, these partially occluded backstage vantage points suggested constant surveillance and spectatorship from multiple angles. Only in the opening scene were the technical effects overwhelming—the haze and strobing effects, the piped-in thunder, and the actors pitching themselves across the stage while shouting rendered the first five minutes basically unintelligible. Small matter. It was clearly a shipwreck. Because the four-bodied Ariel was such an excellent feature of the performance, I found myself wishing that this production had thought more critically about the bodies under Prospero's control. Rather than the usual, and unsettling, party of two bodies held in Prospero's thrall, Seattle Shakespeare's Tempestpresented five. This had the unintended effect of sometimes encircling Prospero entirely with bodies she commanded. For example, when Prospero narrated Ariel's and Caliban...

Architecture of high-strength aluminum\u2013matrix composites processed by a novel microcasting technique

As important lightweight structural materials, cast aluminum alloys have been largely used in the transportation and aerospace industries. In general, Al–Si-based alloys comprise more than 90% of all castings due to their excellent castability and corrosion resistance. However, even though various reinforcements have been introduced, the strength of these alloys is not that high, which severely limits their use for certain high-performance applications. Here, we report on a new strategy and technology to reinforce Al–Si alloys to increase their yield strength into the ~400–660 MPa range, a level that is 29–113% higher than that of all current cast Al–Si alloys, laboratory or commercial, and comparable to that of many high-strength steels but with ~40% lower density. By introducing continuous Ti–6Al–4V reinforcements into the Al–Si matrix through a novel microcasting process, the yield strength of the resulting alloy can be enhanced to between 4 and 6 times higher than that of the pure Al–Si alloy. The extraordinary reinforcing effect originates from the occurrence of multiscale strengthening mechanisms, including macroscale compound strengthening (the rule of mixtures amended by crack arrest mechanism), mesoscale strain-gradient strengthening, and microscale interface-affected-zone and nanoparticle strengthening. The core principle of our material design is to make all components of the composite fully participate in plastic (compatible) deformation, and thus, continuous reinforcements, instead of discrete reinforced structures (e.g., particles, whiskers, and short fibers), were introduced into the Al–Si alloy. Combined with 3-D printing technology, the present microcasting process can realize strengthening at the designed position by architecting specific reinforcements in the matrix.

Effect of SiC Particulate Reinforcement in A356 / LM25 Alloy Composites and in their Hybrids

LM25/A356 Aluminium Silicon alloy is characterized by high mechanical strength, corrosion resistance, machinabilty and excellent castability. Its prominent usage is found in high performance applications like in the automotive piston, cylinder blocks and heads, valve lifters, alloy wheels, brake pads and also in turbine blades. The prospects in applications of A356 are improved by heat treatment processes. Moreover the production of A356 Aluminium alloy composites renders provision for effectively tailoring the mechanical properties of the material by reinforcing the particulates of different ceramic materials at varying propositions. Although there are wide ranges of ceramic materials that could be potentially reinforced into A356 aluminium alloys, this paper exclusively reviews on SiC particulate reinforced A356 alloy composites and also its hybrid composites fabricated by strir casting method. This paper brings out the researches performed with A356/SiC composites under various experiment conditions to make this aluminium alloy available for other wide applications.

Research and Analysis of the Effect of Heat Treatment on Damping Properties of Ductile Iron

Abstract With the continuous development of metal manufacturing technology, high-strength and high-hardness ductile iron materials have excellent comprehensive performance. Many performance indexes are comparable to those of alloy steels, and they have excellent casting properties. Many large-scale parts produced by cast steel are slowly being replaced by this material. Ductile iron is obtained by a spheroidizing treatment and inoculation to obtain spheroidal graphite. The mechanical properties of cast iron have been effectively improved, especially plasticity and toughness, and the strength obtained is higher than that of carbon steel. Ductile iron has the properties of iron and the properties of steel. It is a new type of engineering material with high plasticity, strength, corrosion resistance, and wear-resistance. Because of its excellent performance, it has been successfully used to cast parts with high-stress conditions, high strength, toughness and wear resistance. Due to the small splitting effect of ductile iron on the metal matrix, the stress concentration is effectively eliminated. Therefore, the matrix structure of ductile cast iron is changed by heat treatment, thereby improving its mechanical properties and the damping performance of the material itself. Through a heat treatment process experiment of ductile iron, the related process and technical measures of damping performance in the heat treatment production process are obtained.

Measurement and interrelation of length scale of dendritic microstructures, tensile properties, and machinability of Al-9 wt% Si-(1 wt% Bi) alloys

Al-Si alloys are increasingly being employed in the aerospace industry, satellite bearings, and inertial navigation systems. Hypoeutectic compositions are more attractive because of the low material cost and excellent castability. The addition of alloying elements to these alloys is generally used to modify the morphology of Si particles with a view to meeting mechanical strength requirements. Considering manufacturing requirements, to efficiently predict the quality of the machining process, it is essential to analyze the machinability of the material to be used, which depends on several factors, including microstructural features. In the present study, the effects of solidification cooling rate and Bi addition to Al-Si alloys on microstructural features, tensile properties, and rate of heat generation during necking processes are analyzed in samples of directionally solidified Al-9 wt% Si-(1.0 wt% Bi) alloy castings. The microstructure is composed of α-Al dendrites characterized by measured primary, secondary, and tertiary dendritic arm spacings, with a eutectic mixture of α-Al and Si-(Bi) particles. The addition of Bi is shown to attenuate the sharp tips of Si crystals. The dendritic length scale of the Al-rich matrix is correlated with the solidification cooling rate through experimental equations, and the evolution of the ultimate tensile strength with the primary dendritic spacing is experimentally represented by a single Hall-Petch-type equation for both examined alloys. Considering a same primary dendritic arm spacing, the addition of 1 wt% Bi to the Al-9 wt% Si alloy is shown to have the following effects: similar ultimate tensile strength, the elongation to fracture is improved, higher machinability based on significant decrease in the heating rate.

Effect of Microstructure and Hardness on Slurry Erosion Behaviour of A356 Alloy Using Slurry Pot Test Rig

A356 alloy is used in pump impeller, casing and pipes in power plant, naval, petrochemical and other applications where slurry erosion occurs. A356 hypoeutectic Al–Si Mg alloy has excellent castability and weldability with good resistance to wear and corrosion properties. The present study focuses on the effect of microstructure and hardness on slurry erosion wear behaviour of A356 alloy. The experiments were carried out on unalloyed A356 without stirring (WS), with stirring A356 (STIR) and the addition of strontium-modified A356 (SR) surface using slurry pot test rig. The indigenous-made laboratory-scale developed test rig was used for present investigation. Experiments were conducted at a constant velocity and constant concentration of solid particles of sample slurry under the impact angle ranging from 15° to 90° with high increment. A high-precision electronic weight balance was used to measure mass loss of the wear sample. The metallographic and material removal analyses were studied by using an optical microscope and scanning electron microscope. It was found that A356 (STIR and SR) alloys exhibited improved properties in terms of hardness and slurry erosion wear resistances than the A356 WS alloy.

Research on Cost-effective New Alloy Cast Iron

Cast iron is the basic material of the manufacturing industry. It has excellent casting processability and good shock absorption and wear resistance, so it is widely used. With the awareness of energy conservation and environmental protection, the defects of low energy and high consumption of traditional materials are gradually revealed. They are gradually being replaced by new alloy cast iron. This paper introduces the latest developments in new alloy cast iron production technology in recent years in detail, involving iron purification, furnace selection, melt ratio, chemical composition control, inoculant type and application, and stress relief annealing. And this paper analyzes the strengthening mechanism of cast iron, puts forward the problems and solutions in the production process, and expounds the development trend of cast iron production technology and the prospect of China’s cast iron industry.

Effect of SiC particle additions on the corrosion resistance, thermodynamic stability and surface morphology of Mg–Al alloy in sulphate and chloride media

Application of magnesium materials continues to grow due to their high specific strength and excellent castability. However, low corrosion resistance limits their application in aqueous electrolytes. Understanding their corrosion behaviour is key to the improvement of their corrosion resistance. The effect of SiC at specific weight content on the corrosion polarization behaviour, surface morphology and thermodynamic stability of Mg–Al alloy in 0.05 M H2SO4 and 3.5% NaCl electrolytes was studied through potentiodynamic polarization, optical microscopy and open circuit potential measurement techniques. Results showed SiC additions significantly and progressively decreased the corrosion rate of Mg–Al alloy in both electrolytes due to decrease in the exposed area for the formation of porous Mg(OH)2 on the alloy surface. At 0% SiC wt content the corrosion rate values are 4.930 mm y−1 and 0.259 mm y−1 while at 10% SiC wt content the corresponding values have decreased to 0.429 mm y−1 and 0.090 mm y−1. Anodic potential displacement occurred in H2SO4 at all SiC% wt contents leading to rapid destruction of the protective oxide and absence of passivation characteristics. Mg–Al alloy demonstrated sufficient passivation after anodic polarization in NaCl solution due to the localized electrochemical action of chlorides. Morphological representations showed severe general surface deterioration on Mg–Al specimens from H2SO4 and visible localized deterioration on specimens from NaCl in the absence of SiC. The extent of deterioration on the morphology of Mg–Al alloy decreased at 2.5% and 10% SiC wt Without applied potentials Mg–Al alloy in H2SO4 with SiC was relatively more electropositive due to stability of its protective oxide compare to specimens with SiC. In NaCl solution, the reactivity of chlorides hindered the formation of the protective oxide resulting in more electronegative potential plots. However, the plots of Mg–Al at 2.5% and 10% SiC wt content where thermodynamically unstable due to visible potential transients.

Effect of the multiphase layer produced on surface of ZL205A aluminum alloy thin-wall barrel on quenching deformation

Aluminum-Copper alloys are widely utilized in military, aerospace and aircraft industries for its light weight, excellent castability, superior corrosion resistance, as well as high specific strength after solution, quenching and age hardening treatments. However, the distortion occurring in the quenching process limits its application, especially for the large scale complicated workpieces. In this study, a novel duplex treatment combining the coating and nitriding is applied to the sections of the thin-wall barrel that easy to deform during quenching. The results show that a gradient multiphase layer, consisting of two different regions, is shaped on the thin-wall sections easy to deform. The phase compositions of the surface and subsurface layer are dominated by TiN0.3 and Al3Ti, respectively. The Young's modulus of the TiN0.3 and Al3Ti are 199 GPa and 196 GPa respectively. While, the microhardness for both the two phases are 6.19 GPa and 4.24 GPa respectively, which are much higher than that for the aged ZL205A alloy substrate. The finite element method (FEM) simulation results show that the maximum temperature difference, thermal stress, residual stress as well as deformation of the thin-wall barrel workpiece are reduced due to the multiphase layer. Consequently, the maximum radial deformation of the workpiece can be reduced 96% due to the superior strength and hardness as well as heat conduction of the gradient multiphase layer.

Single Crystal Castability and Undercoolability of PWA1483 Superalloy

Both of the single crystal (SX) castability and undercoolability of PWA1383 superalloy were investigated during the directional solidification and isothermal cooling. In all the six SX parts of a casting cluster, no stray grains were found, revealing a defect-free SX structure. This excellent SX castability of the superalloy was attributed to its good undercoolability. The melting point (TL) and the critical nucleation temperature (TN) of the alloy were measured to be 1327 °C and 1306 °C, respectively. The statistic average of the critical nucleation undercooling ΔTN = TL − TN of the alloy was determined to be about 21 K, exhibiting a relatively great capacity to be deeply cooled to a temperature below the melting point without the onset of solidification.

Novel in situ synthesized carbide reinforced Ni base composite for structural castings with high creep resistance

Ni base superalloys for structural castings of aero engines demand higher service temperatures and lower costs while retaining their processing characteristics. To achieve these properties, alloying with the rare precious metals inevitably leads to a decrease in the castability and a marked increase in the raw material cost. In this work, we develop a novel Ni base composite (MC/IN718C) with a high creep resistance, excellent microstructure stability and excellent castability by optimizing the chemistry and microstructure of the commercial IN718C superalloy. In this work, both tensile strengths at room temperature and at 704 °C were obviously improved, while the steady-state creep rate of the MC/IN718C composite at 704 °C was reduced by one order of magnitude. The rupture life of MC/IN718C at 704 °C/620 MPa was enhanced by one order of magnitude compared to the IN718C alloy due to the load bearing effect of the MC carbide, the elimination of the metastable strengthening precipitation phase γ″ and a decrease in the harmful Laves and δ phases. MC/IN718C Ni base composite presents a new strategy for the design and preparation of high-temperature materials potentially for critical structural castings.

Cavitation Damage Characteristics of Shot Peened ALBC3 Alloy.

Copper alloys have widely used for marine plants, ship building equipment, and renewable energy facilities under marine environment due to its excellent castability, durability, and corrosion resistance. In this study, the surface of ALBC3 alloy was modified with shot peening time to improve the strength and cavitation characteristics. For evaluation of cavitation resistance, cavitation experiments for the non-shot peened and shot-peened specimens were performed to investigate the extent of damage and determine the weight loss. As a result, the shot peened ALBC3 alloys improved cavitation resistance. In particular, the shot peening time of 3.5 min was considered to be the optimum shot peening condition since it presented an improvement of 35.7% in cavitation resistance.

Effect of nano SiC particles on properties and characterization of Magnesium matrix nano composites

Abstract The increasing demand and diverse design requirements with significant weight savings as well as high strength-to-weight ratio as compared to conventional materials have all raised a growing interest towards the field of composites. Ceramic silicon carbide has received wide attention because of its excellent oxidation resistance, corrosion resistance and low density and even at high temperatures. In recent years, Magnesium (Mg) matrix composites have been used in the automotive industry owing to their lightweight property. Mg matrix composites compromise a very high specific strength, excellent castability, good damping capacity and greater machinability. Nanoparticle reinforcements can considerably improve the mechanical properties of the matrix by more successfully stimulating the particle hardening mechanisms than micron-sized particles. The present paper deals with the fabrication and characterization of magnesium matrix reinforced with different wt % (0,0.5 and 1) of nano SiC particles prepared by solidification combined with ultrasonic cavitation process. Mechanical properties such as micro hardness and density and microstructure of the composites were observed. Microstructure of nano SiC composites were investigated by scanning electron microscope (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Energy Dispersive X-ray (EDX). The results showed that the increase in weight % of nano SiC improve the mechanical properties.

Tool Life and Surface Roughness of A390 Aluminum Alloy in Milling Process Under Dry and Cryogenic Conditions

Aluminum alloy is a lightweight material with high strength-to-weight ratio, low thermal expansion, excellent castability and is applied for heavy wear applications. Recent trends in machining research aimed for improving process and product performance by understand the effect of different cooling/lubrication techniques on machining execution. The milling of A390 Al-Si alloy under dry and cryogenic conditions was investigated and liquid nitrogen (LN2) was used as the cryogenic media. The experimental trial were performance with cutting speeds at 250-350 m/min, feed rates at 0.02-0.04 mm/tooth, radial depth of cut at 12.5-25 mm, and the axial depth of cut was kept constant at 0.3 mm using a coated carbide cutting insert. The results outcomes indicate, an application of cryogenic machining had improved the surface roughness, and there was higher tool life as compared to dry cutting condition. The utilization of cryogenic cooling technique had increased the tool life more than 50% and improved the surface roughness more than 40% as compared with dry condition. It is suggested to the machining industry to consider the application of LN2 as the cryogenic media to have better machinability in machining A390 Al-Si alloy.

Isothermal fatigue damage mechanisms at ambient and elevated temperature of a cast Al-Si-Cu aluminium alloy

Cast aluminium alloys have a key position as structural materials for the automotive industry combining good mechanical performance, excellent castability and thermal conductivity, making them a suitable choice for engine parts such as cylinder heads. In this paper, the low-cycle fatigue behaviour of a cast aluminium alloys is investigated at ambient and elevated temperatures by the use of in situ optical surface crack monitoring, secondary electron microscopy and X-ray tomography which are combined to study the fatigue mechanisms. The observations highlight the effect of defect distribution and temperature on the crack propagation path and in particular the change of the role of eutectic regions as the temperature increases. In addition, based on the defects population analyses by tomography, a fatigue crack initiation model is proposed to consider both temperature and defect effects on the total low-cycle fatigue life and fatigue crack growth rates.

Grain Refinement of B319 Alloy Using Spark Plasma Sintered Al–Ti–C Grain Refiners

The B319 aluminum alloy is a candidate material for automotive applications, where engineers and material designers are seeking to improve vehicle efficiency through vehicle weight reduction. Although the alloy has many desirable properties, such as excellent castability and moderate strength-to-weight ratio, efforts to further enhance the alloy’s strength via the grain refinement approach play a key role to a wider adaptation of the alloy. However, there remain challenges related to the efficient dispersion of inoculating particles in the liquid alloy during casting. The present research has focused on examining the grain refining ability of various novel grain refiners produced via the spark plasma sintering powder metallurgy process. Two novel grain refiners [aluminum–titanium carbide (Al–TiC) and aluminum–titanium–carbon black (Al–Ti–Cb)] were produced at high and low concentrations and then added to the molten B319 alloy. The grain refiners got dispersed within the melt, thus overcoming the need for external melt stirring or treatment. The high concentration formulations for both Al–TiC and Al–Ti–Cb achieved a reduction in the average grain size by 31% and 25%, respectively.