Production of aluminum-titanium-boron master alloy by aluminothermic process
10.1515/HTMP.2001.20.2.137
Onuralp Yücel and Filiz ?inar Sahin investigate the production of Al-Ti-B master alloys using an aluminothermic reduction process. The study aims to determine optimal parameters for producing these alloys from titanium oxide (TiO2) and boron oxide (B2O3). The authors found that adding a thermite mixture of potassium chlorate and aluminum significantly affected the titanium (Ti), boron (B), and aluminum (Al) content of the alloy, as well as their recoveries. At a B2O3/TiO2 ratio of 0.22 and with a 50% thermite mixture by weight, they produced an alloy containing 49.8% Ti, 5.7% B, and 24.7% metallic Al, with 46.9% Ti and 47.7% B recoveries. Increasing the B2O3/TiO2 ratio to 0.33 and maintaining a 50% thermite mixture resulted in an alloy with 51.2% Ti, 7.9% B, and 28.1% Al, with 55.6% Ti and 50.7% B recoveries. The study also explored the effects of adding CaO as a flux, which did not improve metal recoveries but significantly decreased them at higher ratios due to its high heat sink effect. The results indicate that the aluminothermic process can effectively produce Al-Ti-B alloys with suitable compositions and high recoveries of Ti and B, making it a viable method for industrial applications.