Siberian Federal University, Krasnoyarsk, Russia

A. I. Bezrukikh, Lead Researcher of the Office for Development of Research, Candidate of Technical Sciences, e-mail: ai@bezru.ru
I. L. Konstantinov, Associate Professor of the Metal Forming Department, Candidate of Technical Sciences, e-mail: ilcon@mail.ru
V. A. Matyushentsev, postgraduate student of the Biront Department of Metal Science and Heat Treatment of Metals, e-mail: matyushentsev.v.a@gmail.com
N. S. Dombrovsky, Master’s student of the General Metallurgy Department, e-mail: dns0802@mail.ru

Studies on efficiency of applying SATA-GF-M15, SCOT-MAG fluxes and RI-Flux to clean aluminum alloy 5052 from hydrogen, sodium and calcium were carried out in production at a Russian metallurgical plant. Molten metal preparation and subsequent semi-continuous casting of the alloy were carried out in compliance with the industrial regulatory documentation, using the HD-2000 (SNIF®) refining system, the Mitsui final metal refining chamber (cartridge type is Rc) and a filtration chamber with two parallel installed ceramic foam filters with a density of 50 ppi. Large-size slabs, 560×1310 mm in size, were cast with the Combo-Bag molten metal distributor, and modified with delivering AlTi5B1alloy rods to entry and exit openings of the Mitsui final metal refining chamber. The alloy flow rate is 1kg/t. Every flux was used in three heats, whose results were statistically processed. The experiments carried out on the Wagstaff continuous casting facility resulted in developing technical solutions applied for efficient refining of the molten alloy under study from hydrogen, calcium and sodium during semi-continuous casting of large-size slabs used for rolling. SCOT-MAG was found to be the most efficient refining flux agent among the fluxes under study to decrease impurities of hydrogen, sodium and calcium in molten metal, and PoDFA has showed that purity of the alloy corresponds to the technical specification. Therefore, the use of this flux is considered to be preferable for refining alloy 5052 and recommended for testing to determine feasibility of its application for other aluminum alloys of 5ххх series.

The research was conducted by the Laboratory of Low-Carbon Metallurgy and Power Engineering as part of the state assignment to Siberian Federal University, a participant of Research and Educational Center Yenisei Siberia, as part of the national project “Science and universities”, project No. FSRZ-2024-0004.

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