The effect of solute on ultrasonic grain refinement of magnesium alloys

An experimental study has been conducted to assess the structural refinement of magnesium and its alloys by ultrasonic irradiation during solidification. It is shown that (i) ultrasonic irradiation leads to significant refinement only in the presence of adequate solute, which is alloy dependent; (ii) the attendant grain density increases linearly with increase in solute content at a given irradiation level; (iii) increasing the solute content at a low irradiation level above the cavitation threshold is more effective than substantially increasing the irradiation intensity; and (iv) the difference in the grain size between two ultrasonicated magnesium alloys is mainly determined by the solute content rather than the irradiation intensity. In view of these, the effect of ultrasonic irradiation on solute redistribution in a solidifying magnesium alloy seems rather limited even at a substantial intensity level such as 1700 W cm(-2). The implications of these findings are discussed and a mechanism is proposed to account for the experimental observations.