INCLUSION DETECTION IN MOLTEN ALUMINUM: CURRENT ART AND NEW AVENUES FOR IN SITU ANALYSIS

In order for light metals to meet the demands for critical applications in the automotive and aerospace industries, tight control over the composition and cleanliness of the metal must be achieved before casting. Melt cleanliness manifests primarily in the amount of inclusions present. A review of the state of the art in detecting and quantifying solid particle inclusions is given. Quick analysis of melt composition and quality, carried out in situ, is of great value in casting operations. Such quick measurements in the liquid alleviate analyzing samples in the solid state and thus increase productivity. The use of laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy as a new tool for quantifying melt cleanliness in situ is discussed.