Combined Effect of Electromagnetic Field and Grain Refiner on Microstructure of Φ310 Mm 7050 Aluminium Alloy Ingot

Grain refinement is quite important for producing 7050 alloy ingot especially in large scale. Low frequency electromagnetic casting (LFEC) process was used to make 7050 aluminum alloy Φ310 ingots and study the effect of electromagnetic field and grain refiner on the microstructure of 7050 alloy ingots. The results showed that both grain refiner and low frequency electromagnetic field can result in some grain refinement of 7050 alloy. However, the low frequency electromagnetic field shows more remarkable grain refinement. For the grain refined alloy by grain refiner, further significant grain refinement can be achieved with the application of low frequency electromagnetic field. The finest microstructure was achieved by combining the applications of both grain refiner and electromagnetic field.