U.S. patent application number 15/715907 was filed with the patent office on 2019-03-28 for aluminum iron silicon alloys having optimized properties.
This patent application is currently assigned to GM Global Technology Operations LLC. The applicant listed for this patent is GM Global Technology Operations LLC. Invention is credited to Daad B. Haddad, Zhongyi Liu, Julie A. Swartz.
Application Number | 20190093197 15/715907 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 65638379 |
Filed Date | 2019-03-28 |
United States Patent
Application |
20190093197 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Liu; Zhongyi ; et
al. |
March 28, 2019 |
ALUMINUM IRON SILICON ALLOYS HAVING OPTIMIZED PROPERTIES
Abstract
Al--Fe--Si alloys having optimized properties through the use of
additives are disclosed. In some aspects, mechanical properties are
optimized using mechanical-optimizing additives such as a
combination of boron, zirconium, chromium and molybdenum. In some
aspects, corrosion-inhibiting properties are optimized using
corrosion-inhibiting additives such as chromium, molybdenum, and
tungsten. In some aspects, ductility is optimized by the inclusion
of twinning additives such as any of zinc, copper, vanadium, and
molybdenum.
Inventors: |
Liu; Zhongyi; (Troy, MI)
; Haddad; Daad B.; (Sterling Heights, MI) ;
Swartz; Julie A.; (Commerce Township, MI) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
GM Global Technology Operations LLC |
Detroit |
MI |
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
GM Global Technology Operations
LLC
Detroit
MI
|
Family ID: |
65638379 |
Appl. No.: |
15/715907 |
Filed: |
September 26, 2017 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B22F 2009/043 20130101;
C22C 1/1084 20130101; C22C 33/0278 20130101; B22F 9/04 20130101;
C22C 1/0416 20130101; C22C 21/00 20130101 |
International
Class: |
C22C 21/00 20060101
C22C021/00; C22C 1/10 20060101 C22C001/10 |
Claims
1. An alloy comprising: aluminum in a first amount; iron in a
second amount; silicon in a third amount; and mechanical-optimizing
additives consisting of: boron in a fourth amount, zirconium in a
fifth amount, chromium in a sixth amount, and molybdenum in a
seventh amount.
2. The alloy of claim 1, wherein the fourth amount is at least
twice the fifth amount.
3. The alloy of claim 2, wherein the sixth amount is between about
2 percent by atom and about 6 percent by atom on a basis of all
atoms in the first amount through the seventh amount.
4. The alloy of claim 3, wherein the seventh amount is about 0.2
percent by atom on a basis of all atoms in the first amount through
the seventh amount.
5. The alloy of claim 4, wherein the first amount is between about
59 percent by atom and about 66 percent by atom on a basis of all
atoms in the first amount through the seventh amount.
6. The alloy of claim 5, wherein the second amount is about 24
percent by atom on a basis of all atoms in the first amount through
the seventh amount.
7. The alloy of claim 6, wherein the third amount is between about
9.5 percent by atom and about 15 percent by atom on a basis of all
atoms in the first amount through the seventh amount.
8. An alloy comprising: aluminum in a first amount; iron in a
second amount; silicon in a third amount; and corrosion-inhibiting
additives consisting of: chromium in a fourth amount, molybdenum in
a fifth amount, and tungsten in a sixth amount.
9. The alloy of claim 8, wherein the fifth amount is between about
0.2 percent by atom and about 2 percent by atom on a basis of all
atoms in the first amount through the sixth amount.
10. The alloy of claim 9, wherein the sixth amount is between about
0.2 percent by atom and about 2 percent by atom on a basis of all
atoms in the first amount through the sixth amount.
11. The alloy of claim 10, wherein the fourth amount is between
about 2 percent by atom and about 6 percent by atom on a basis of
all atoms in the first amount through the sixth amount.
12. The alloy of claim 11, wherein the first amount is between
about 59 percent by atom and about 66 percent by atom on a basis of
all atoms in the first amount through the sixth amount.
13. The alloy of claim 12, wherein the second amount is about 24
percent by atom on a basis of all atoms in the first amount through
the sixth amount.
14. The alloy of claim 13, wherein the third amount is between
about 9.5 percent by atom and about 15 percent by atom on a basis
of all atoms in the first amount through the sixth amount.
15. An alloy comprising: aluminum in a first amount; iron in a
second amount; silicon in a third amount; and a twinning additive
in a fourth amount, the twinning additive being configured to
produce a twinned structure within the alloy, wherein the first
amount, second amount, third amount, and fourth amount produce an
alloy with a stoichiometric formula
(Al.sub.1-xM.sub.x).sub.3Fe.sub.2Si where M is the twinning
additive.
16. The alloy of claim 15, wherein x is between about 0.01 and
about 0.1.
17. The alloy of claim 16, wherein the twinning additive is
selected from the group consisting of zinc, copper, vanadium,
molybdenum, and combinations thereof.
18. The alloy of claim 16, wherein the twinning additive is
zinc.
19. The alloy of claim 16, wherein the twinning additive consists
of intermediate-radius atoms.
20. The alloy of claim 19, wherein the twinning additive is a
single element having an atomic radius of about 0.1335 nm.
Description
[0001] The disclosure relates to the field of Aluminum-Iron-Silicon
("Al--Fe--Si") alloys and, more specifically, to compositions and
methods for optimizing properties of Al--Fe--Si alloys.
[0002] Steel and titanium alloys have been used in the
manufacturing of vehicles. These alloys provide high-temperature
strength, but they can be heavy and/or expensive. Components made
of lightweight metals have been investigated in vehicle
manufacturing, where continual improvement in performance and fuel
economy is desirable. Some examples of lightweight metals include
aluminum and/or magnesium alloys. However, requirements for
mechanical performance and limitations during the formation process
may dictate which alloy materials and alloying constituents are
selected. For example, as alloyed components reduce density,
mechanical properties such as strength, malleability, and ductility
may sharply deteriorate.
SUMMARY
[0003] It is desirable to form lightweight Al--Fe--Si alloys with
optimized properties. Beneficially, certain additives can be used
to increase the strength of grain boundaries and the strength of
individual grains (e.g., lattice strength). For example, as
described herein, an Al--Fe--Si alloy including the additives
boron, zirconium, chromium, and molybdenum can optimize mechanical
properties and reduce formation limitations of Al--Fe--Si alloys.
Beneficially, certain additives can be used to inhibit corrosion of
Al--Fe--Si alloys. For example, an Al--Fe--Si alloy including a
combination of chromium, molybdenum, and tungsten as described
herein inhibits corrosion of the Al--Fe--Si alloy. Beneficially,
certain additives can be used to increase ductility of the
Al--Fe--Si alloys through twinning. For example, an Al--Fe--Si
alloy including any of zinc, vanadium, copper, and molybdenum as
described herein reduce formation limitations of Al--Fe--Si
alloys.
[0004] According to aspects of the present disclosure, an alloy
includes aluminum in a first amount, iron in a second amount,
silicon in a third amount, and mechanical-optimizing additives. The
mechanical-optimizing additives consisting of boron in a fourth
amount, zirconium in a fifth amount, chromium in a sixth amount,
and molybdenum in a seventh amount.
[0005] According to further aspects of the present disclosure, the
fourth amount is at least twice the fifth amount.
[0006] According to further aspects of the present disclosure, the
sixth amount is between about 2 percent by atom and about 6 percent
by atom on a basis of all atoms in the first amount through the
seventh amount.
[0007] According to further aspects of the present disclosure, the
seventh amount is about 0.2 percent by atom on a basis of all atoms
in the first amount through the seventh amount.
[0008] According to further aspects of the present disclosure, the
first amount is between about 59 percent by atom and about 66
percent by atom on a basis of all atoms in the first amount through
the seventh amount.
[0009] According to further aspects of the present disclosure, the
second amount is about 24 percent by atom on a basis of all atoms
in the first amount through the seventh amount.
[0010] According to further aspects of the present disclosure, the
third amount is between about 9.5 percent by atom and about 15
percent by atom on a basis of all atoms in the first amount through
the seventh amount.
[0011] According to aspects of the present disclosure, an alloy
includes aluminum in a first amount, iron in a second amount,
silicon in a third amount, and corrosion-inhibiting additives. The
corrosion-inhibiting additives consist of chromium in a fourth
amount, molybdenum in a fifth amount, and tungsten in a sixth
amount.
[0012] According to further aspects of the present disclosure, the
fifth amount is between about 0.2 percent by atom and about 2
percent by atom on a basis of all atoms in the first amount through
the sixth amount.
[0013] According to further aspects of the present disclosure, the
sixth amount is between about 0.2 percent by atom and about 2
percent by atom on a basis of all atoms in the first amount through
the sixth amount.
[0014] According to further aspects of the present disclosure, the
fourth amount is between about 2 percent by atom and about 6
percent by atom on a basis of all atoms in the first amount through
the sixth amount.
[0015] According to further aspects of the present disclosure, the
first amount is between about 59 percent by atom and about 66
percent by atom on a basis of all atoms in the first amount through
the sixth amount.
[0016] According to further aspects of the present disclosure,
second amount is about 24 percent by atom on a basis of all atoms
in the first amount through the sixth amount.
[0017] According to further aspects of the present disclosure, the
third amount is between about 9.5 percent by atom and about 15
percent by atom on a basis of all atoms in the first amount through
the sixth amount.
[0018] According to aspects of the present disclosure, an alloy
includes aluminum in a first amount, iron in a second amount,
silicon in a third amount, and a twinning additive in a fourth
amount. The twinning additive is configured to produce a twinned
structure within the alloy. The first amount, second amount, third
amount, and fourth amount produce an alloy with a stoichiometric
formula (Al.sub.1-xM.sub.x)3Fe.sub.2Si where M is the twinning
additive.
[0019] According to further aspects of the present disclosure, x is
between about 0.01 and about 0.1.
[0020] According to further aspects of the present disclosure, the
twinning additive is selected from the group consisting of zinc,
copper, vanadium, molybdenum, and combinations thereof.
[0021] According to further aspects of the present disclosure, the
twinning additive is zinc.
[0022] According to further aspects of the present disclosure, the
twinning additive consists of intermediate-radius atoms.
[0023] According to further aspects of the present disclosure, the
twinning additive is a single element having an atomic radius of
about 0.1335 nm.
[0024] The above features and advantages and other features and
advantages of the present disclosure are readily apparent from the
following detailed description of the best modes for carrying out
the disclosure when taken in connection with the accompanying
drawings.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0025] As described herein, certain additives may be used to
optimize properties of Al--Fe--Si alloys. For example, certain
additives can be used to increase the strength of grain boundaries
and the strength of individual grains (e.g., lattice strength),
certain additives can be used to inhibit corrosion of Al--Fe--Si
alloys, and certain additives can be used to increase ductility of
Al--Fe--Si alloys through twinning. Beneficially, these
optimizations provide for use of lightweight Al--Fe--Si alloys that
reduce manufacturing burden and product investment as compared to
other lightweight alloys, such as titanium alloys, and overcome
manufacturing inhibitions, such as relatively lower ductility
inhibiting fine-structured components.
[0026] For example, as described herein, additives including a
combination of boron, zirconium, chromium, and molybdenum can
optimize mechanical properties and reduce formation limitations of
Al--Fe--Si alloys. Also, for example, additives including a
combination of chromium, molybdenum, and tungsten as described
herein inhibit corrosion of the Al--Fe--Si alloy. Further, for
example, additives including any of zinc, vanadium, Copper, and
molybdenum as described herein reduce formation limitations of
Al--Fe--Si alloys. Advantageously, as described herein, certain
additives may be used to provide more than one of these benefits to
the resulting Al--Fe--Si alloy.
[0027] According to aspects of the present disclosure, mechanical
properties of Al--Fe--Si alloys are improved through optimizing the
strength of grain boundaries and optimizing the strength of the
crystal lattice of individual grains through the addition of
certain mechanical-optimizing additives. According to aspects of
the present disclosure, the mechanical-optimizing additives include
a combination of boron, zirconium, chromium, and molybdenum. While
not being bound by theory, it is believed that the chromium and
molybdenum are primarily enhancing the lattice strength of
individual grains while the boron and zirconium are primarily
enhancing the grain-boundary strength of the resulting Al--Fe--Si
alloy.
[0028] An alloy having optimized mechanical properties includes a
combination of aluminum, iron, silicon, boron, zirconium, chromium,
and molybdenum. In some aspects, the alloy having optimized
mechanical properties includes aluminum from about 59 atomic
percent ("at %") to about 66 at % on a basis of all atoms within
the alloy, iron at about 24 at % on a basis of all atoms within the
alloy, silicon from about 9.5 at % to about 15 at % on a basis of
all atoms within the alloy, chromium from about 2 at % to about 6
at % on a basis of all atoms within the alloy, molybdenum at about
0.2 at % on a basis of all atoms within the alloy, and boron and
zirconium filling the remaining portion in a ratio of at least two
atoms of boron for every atom of zirconium.
[0029] In some aspects, the alloy may include zirconium at about
0.1 at % on a basis of all atoms within the alloy, and boron in
amounts greater than about 0.2 at % on a basis of all atoms within
the alloy. For example, in some aspects, the amount of zirconium is
about 0.1 at % and the amount of boron is about 0.24 at % on a
basis of all atoms within the alloy. In some aspects, the amount of
zirconium is about 0.1 at % and the amount of boron is about 0.4 at
% on a basis of all atoms within the alloy. In some aspects, the
amount of zirconium is about 0.1 at % and the amount of boron is
about 0.6 at % on a basis of all atoms within the alloy.
Beneficially, the mechanical-optimizing additives may reduce
processing burden because solid-state processing may be implemented
to combine the mechanical-optimizing additives into the Al--Fe--Si
alloy. What is more, manufacturing of the alloy having optimized
mechanical properties may be optimized by reducing or not
increasing the number of processing steps because the
mechanical-optimizing additives can be combined with the aluminum,
iron, and silicon base metals prior to any alloying.
[0030] According to aspects of the present disclosure, corrosion of
Al--Fe--Si is reduced through the addition of certain
corrosion-inhibiting additives. After production, Al--Fe--Si alloys
are passivated through formation of a native oxide layer on exposed
surfaces. The native oxide layer grows based on the reaction rate
at the interface between the alloy and native oxide layer, the rate
that oxygen diffuses through the already-formed oxide, and the rate
that oxygen arrives at the exterior surface of the oxide layer. As
the thickness of the oxide layer increases, rate of oxygen
diffusion slows and limits the overall reaction rate. Accordingly,
after a period of time, the rate of oxidation approaches zero and
the oxide thickness remains relatively stable. Even though oxygen
diffusion is limited when the oxide thickness stabilizes, atoms
such as chlorine ions may still penetrate the oxide layer and
diffuse to the interface between the alloy and the oxide where the
ions promote corrosion of the alloy.
[0031] Exposure of the component to water may provide an
electrolyte at the exterior surface of the native oxide layer. For
example, road spray in areas where the temperature approaches
freezing may be particularly detrimental to the Al--Fe--Si alloy
because solutions are applied to the road that inhibit formation of
ice. These solutions function generally through ionic dissolution,
and the ions carried in the road spray, such as chloride, will be
deposited on the surfaces of Al--Fe--Si alloys that they
contact.
[0032] Penetration of chlorine ions to the interface between the
alloy and native oxide layer promotes pitting of the alloy, which
may induce large-scale failures of the component. Pitting is
particularly an issue with components like turbochargers, which
have a number of intricate components because the relatively high
ratio of surface area to volume exposes more of the alloy to
pitting. Moreover, the number of components within a turbocharger
provides areas where water may accumulate that may take a
substantial amount of time to egress even after exposure to the
road spray has ceased. For example, water may be drawn into spaces
between wastegate pins and vanes via capillary action while removal
of the water from these spaces is relatively slow even in dry
conditions from lack of airflow.
[0033] In some aspects, the corrosion-inhibiting additives include
a combination of chromium, molybdenum, and tungsten. While not
being bound by theory, it is believed that the combination of
chromium, molybdenum, and tungsten inhibits penetration of chlorine
ions into the native oxide layer.
[0034] An alloy having optimized corrosion-inhibiting properties
includes a combination of aluminum, iron, silicon, chromium,
molybdenum, and tungsten. In some aspects, the alloy having
optimized corrosion-inhibiting properties includes aluminum from
about 59 at % to about 66 at % on a basis of all atoms within the
alloy, iron at about 24 at % on a basis of all atoms within the
alloy, silicon from about 9.5 at % to about 15 at % on a basis of
all atoms within the alloy, chromium from about 2 at % to about 6
at % on a basis of all atoms within the alloy, molybdenum from
about 0.2 at % to about 2 at % on a basis of all atoms within the
alloy, and tungsten from about 0.2 at % to about 2 at % on a basis
of all atoms within the alloy. Beneficially, the
corrosion-inhibiting additives may reduce processing burden because
solid-state processing may be implemented to combine the
corrosion-inhibiting additives into the Al--Fe--Si alloy. What is
more, manufacturing of the alloy having optimized
corrosion-inhibiting properties may be optimized by reducing or not
increasing the number of processing steps because the
corrosion-inhibiting additives can be combined with the aluminum,
iron, and silicon base metals prior to any alloying.
[0035] According to aspects of the present disclosure, mechanical
properties of Al--Fe--Si alloys, such as ductility, are optimized
through the addition of certain twinning additives M to produce an
alloy having a twinned structure. Twinning occurs when two crystals
of the same type intergrow such that there is only a slight
misorientation between them. The interface of the twinned boundary
is a highly symmetrical interface where atoms are shared by the two
crystals at regular intervals. The interface of the twinned
boundary is also a lower-energy interface than grain boundaries
formed when crystals of arbitrary orientations grow together.
[0036] Al--Fe--Si alloys with an alloy of Al.sub.3Fe.sub.2Si belong
to NiTi.sub.2-type structure (96 atoms per unit cell) where silicon
occupies the Ti1 sites (16 atoms per unit cell), iron occupies the
Ni sites (32 atoms per unit cell), and aluminum occupies the Ti2
sites (48 atoms per unit cell).
[0037] An alloy having a twinned structure includes a combination
of aluminum, iron, silicon, and a twinning additive M. In some
aspects, the twinning additive M includes or is selected from the
group consisting of intermediate-radius atoms configured to
substitute for aluminum at desired points in the sublattice.
Intermediate-radius atoms, as used herein, are atoms with an atomic
radius that is less than the atomic radius of aluminum (0.143 nm),
but is greater than the atomic radius of iron (0.124 nm). In some
aspects, the intermediate-radius atoms are a single element having
an atomic radius of about 0.1335 nm. In some aspects, the
intermediate radius atoms include a group of more than one element,
and the elements are selected such that the average atomic radius
of the group is about 0.1335 nm.
[0038] The alloy having a twinned structure follows the
stoichiometric formula (Al.sub.1-xM.sub.x).sub.3Fe.sub.2Si where M
is the twinning additive. In some aspects, x is between about 0.01
and about 0.1. In some aspects, the twinning additive M includes
any of or is selected from the group consisting of zinc, copper,
vanadium, molybdenum, and combinations thereof. Zinc has an atomic
radius of 0.133 nm, which is close to the average of 0.1335 nm.
Vanadium has an atomic radius of 0.132 nm, copper has an atomic
radius of 0.128 nm, and molybdenum has an atomic radius of 0.136
nm. In some aspects, the twinning additive M is only zinc, which
provides benefits based on its particular density and atomic
radius. While not being bound by theory, it is believed that any of
zinc, copper, vanadium, and molybdenum improve mechanical
properties, such as ductility, of Al--Fe--Si alloys by substituting
for aluminum at certain points on the aluminum sublattice to
increase the free volume of the crystal lattice. While not being
bound by theory, it is believed that the intermediate-radius atoms
of zinc, copper, vanadium, and molybdenum promote extensive
twinning via the synchroshear mechanism such that there are two
shears in different directions on adjacent atomic planes.
[0039] In some aspects, the alloy includes aluminum from about 40
at % to about 55 at % on a basis of all atoms within the alloy,
iron at about 30 at % to about 36 at % on a basis of all atoms
within the alloy, silicon from about 16 at % to about 17 at % on a
basis of all atoms within the alloy, and a twinning additive
greater than about 0.2 at % on a basis of all atoms within the
alloy. In some aspects, the alloy includes aluminum from about 45
at % to about 49.5 at % on a basis of all atoms within the alloy,
iron at about 33.3 at % on a basis of all atoms within the alloy,
silicon at about 16.7 at % on a basis of all atoms within the
alloy, and a twinning additive from about 0.5 at % to about 5 at %
on a basis of all atoms within the alloy. Beneficially, the
twinning additives M may reduce processing burden because
solid-state processing may be implemented to combine the twinning
additives M into the Al--Fe--Si alloy. What is more, manufacturing
of the alloy having twinning properties may be optimized by
reducing or not increasing the number of processing steps because
the twinning additives M can be combined with the aluminum, iron,
and silicon base metals prior to any alloying.
[0040] According to aspects of the present disclosure, ball milling
is utilized to perform the solid-state reaction. Ball milling
strikes the starting materials together energetically between
rapidly moving milling media (e.g., milling balls), or between a
milling medium and the wall of the milling vessel, in order to
achieve atomic mixing and/or mechanical alloying.
[0041] An example of forming the alloys includes providing
aluminum, iron, silicon, and any desired additives as starting
materials. Each of the starting materials may be in powder form and
may be elemental or alloyed materials. For example, the aluminum
starting material may be elemental aluminum, aluminum alloy
powders, such as aluminum and iron or aluminum and silicon, and the
like. The powders may be separately added to the ball mill or may
be added as combinations and subcombinations of the target alloy.
While the starting elemental or alloy materials may be
substantially pure, the resulting alloys may still include trace
amounts (e.g., .ltoreq.5 at %) of other alloying elements.
[0042] Ball milling may be accomplished using any suitable high
energy ball milling apparatus. Examples of high energy ball milling
apparatuses include ball mills and attritors. Ball mills move the
entire drum, tank, jar, or other milling vessel containing the
milling media and the starting materials in a rotary or oscillatory
motion while attritors stir the milling media and starting
materials in a stationary tank with a shaft and attached arms or
discs. An example of a conventional ball mill includes the SPEX
SamplePrep 8000M MIXER/MILL.RTM.. The drum, tank, jar, or other
milling vessel of the ball milling apparatus may be formed of
stainless steel, hardened steel, tungsten carbide, alumina ceramic,
zirconia ceramic, silicon nitride, agate, or another suitably hard
material. In an example, the ball mill drum, tank, jar, or other
milling vessel may be formed of a material that the starting
materials will not stick to.
[0043] Ball milling may be accomplished with any suitable milling
or grinding media, such as milling balls. The milling media may be
stainless steel balls, hardened steel balls, tungsten carbide
balls, alumina ceramic balls, zirconia ceramic balls, silicon
nitride balls, agate balls, or another suitably hard milling
medium. The milling media may include at least one small ball
(having a diameter ranging from about 3 mm to about 7 mm) and at
least one large ball (having a diameter ranging from about 10 mm to
about 13 mm). In some aspects, the ratio of large balls to small
balls is 1:2. As one example, the grinding media includes two small
balls, each of which has a diameter of about 6.2 mm, and one large
ball having a diameter of about 12.6 mm. The number of large and
small balls, as well as the size of the balls, may be adjusted as
desired. The milling media may be added to the ball mill drum,
tank, jar, or other milling vessel before or after the starting
materials are added.
[0044] Ball milling may be accomplished in an environment
containing a non-reactive gas. In some aspects, the non-reactive
gas is an inert gas, such as argon gas, helium gas, neon gas, or
nitrogen gas. Oxygen-containing gases such as air may not be
suitable due to the fact that these gases can readily form oxides
on the surface of the starting materials, particularly if the
milling is carried out at elevated temperatures.
[0045] Ball milling may be performed at a speed and for a time
sufficient to generate the desired alloy. In an example, the speed
of ball milling may be about 1060 cycles/minute (115 V mill) or 875
cycles/minute (230 V mill). In an example, the time for which ball
milling may be performed ranges from about 8 hours to about 32
hours. The time may vary depending upon the amount of starting
materials used and the amount of alloy to be formed.
[0046] In some aspects, a liquid medium is used during the ball
milling. The liquid medium may be added may be added to the ball
mill with the grinding media and the starting materials or may be
added after either of the grinding media and the starting
materials. The liquid medium may be added to prevent malleable
metals such as aluminum from becoming permanently pressed against
or adhered to the walls of the milling vessel. Suitable liquid
media include non-oxidizing liquids. In some aspects, an anhydrous
liquid medium is used. Examples of the anhydrous liquid medium
include linear hydrocarbons, such as pentane, hexane, heptane, or
another simple liquid hydrocarbon. Anhydrous cyclic or aromatic
hydrocarbons may also be used. Anhydrous liquid media may be
particularly desirable because they are devoid of oxygen atoms.
Other suitable liquid media may include fluorinated solvents or
stable organic solvents whose oxygen atoms will not oxidize the
metal starting materials.
[0047] The use of the liquid medium may also facilitate uniform
mixing and alloying among the aluminum, iron, silicon, and
additives during the formation of the alloy. The liquid medium may
ensure that the desired alloy is formed because starting material
is not lost throughout the process and may also improve the yield
of the desired alloy.
[0048] The ratio of total starting materials to liquid media may
range from 1:5 to 1:10 by volume.
[0049] While the best modes for carrying out the disclosure have
been described in detail, those familiar with the art to which this
disclosure relates will recognize various alternative designs and
embodiments for practicing the disclosure within the scope of the
appended claims.
* * * * *