It is well known that ultrasonic melt treatment (UST) promotes grain refinement in aluminum alloys. Cavitation-aided grain refinement has been studied for many years; however, it is still not being applied commercially. The current article summarizes the results of experimental work performed on various alloying systems at different stages of solidification. The influence of UST parameters and solidification conditions on the final grain structure is analyzed. It was found that small additions of zirconium and titanium can significantly increase the efficiency of UST, under the stipulation that grain refinement is performed in the temperature range of primary solidification of Al 3 Zr. The possible mechanisms for this effect are discussed.

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Extensive research has been carried out previously in ultrasonic (cavitation) melt treatment. Such treatment can reduce grain size and improve material homogeneity. However, it is still not well understood which of the mechanisms is responsible for cavitation aided grain refinement. For better understanding of the processes which take place during solidification under the influence of ultrasonic vibrations, it is very important to consider the change in the cooling conditions during such treatment and thermal effects which are generated in the cavitation zone and in the bulk of liquid. The current paper presents the results of an experimental work on temperature effects in aluminium alloys and their impact on resultant microstructures. The results are discussed based on heat flow, nucleation and fragmentation during solidification.

It was shown on laboratory and industrial scale that ultrasonic melt treatment (UST) significantly refines structure of aluminium alloys and improves the quality of castings. However, despite considerable efforts which have been made over decades in the field of ultrasonic processing of aluminium melts, quite a few problems remain unclear. One of them is addressed in this project. The aim of the project is to understand which mechanism is responsible for cavitation-aided grain refinement. It is expected that the knowledge gained as a result of this work can be used in directchill, shape and die casting. The paper describes an experimental setup and first results on the correlation between parameters of UST, solidification conditions and degree of structure refinement. In separate experiments, a model Al-Cu alloy with different amount of solidification sites is solidified with and without UST. The final microstructure is analyzed.

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