Provided are maraging steel alloys having improved microstructures. Some variations provide maraging steel alloys including a base maraging steel alloy, a grain refiner, and optionally, a strengthening element. The base maraging steel alloy is surface-functionalized with the grain refiner. Other variations provide a method of method of manufacturing maraging steel including mixing a base maraging steel alloy with a grain refiner resulting in a maraging steel mixture, melting the maraging steel mixture, and solidifying the maraging steel mixture forming an equiaxed microstructure.

Provided are maraging steel alloys having improved microstructures. Some variations provide maraging steel alloys including a base maraging steel alloy, a grain refiner, and optionally, a strengthening element. The base maraging steel alloy is surface-functionalized with the grain refiner. Other variations provide a method of method of manufacturing maraging steel including mixing a base maraging steel alloy with a grain refiner resulting in a maraging steel mixture, melting the maraging steel mixture, and solidifying the maraging steel mixture forming an equiaxed microstructure.

A process for producing a solder product and a copper product from a first lead-tin based metal composition having at least 40% wt of copper and at least 5.0% wt together of tin and lead. The process includes the steps of partially oxidizing a first liquid bath having the first lead-tin based metal composition, thereby forming a first dilute copper metal composition and a first solder refining slag, followed by separating the slag from the metal composition, and partially oxidizing a second liquid bath having the first dilute copper metal composition, thereby forming a first high-copper metal composition and a third solder refining slag, followed by separating the third solder refining slag from the first high-copper metal composition,
whereby the solder product is derived from the first solder refining slag.

A process for producing a solder product and a copper product from a first lead-tin based metal composition having at least 40% wt of copper and at least 5.0% wt together of tin and lead. The process includes the steps of partially oxidizing a first liquid bath having the first lead-tin based metal composition, thereby forming a first dilute copper metal composition and a first solder refining slag, followed by separating the slag from the metal composition, and partially oxidizing a second liquid bath having the first dilute copper metal composition, thereby forming a first high-copper metal composition and a third solder refining slag, followed by separating the third solder refining slag from the first high-copper metal composition,
whereby the solder product is derived from the first solder refining slag.

The present invention provides a high thermal conductivity aluminum alloy, which comprises the following components in percentage by weight: Al: 80%-90%; Si: 6.5%-8.5%; Fe: 0.2%-0.5%; Zn: 0.8%-3%; V: 0.03%-0.05%; Sr: 0.01%-1%; graphene: 0.02%-0.08%. In the high thermal conductivity aluminum alloy of the present invention, alloying elements including Si, Fe, and Zn are optimized; Sr, V, graphene, among others are added. The amount of each component is controlled so that they coordinate to ALLOW high thermal conductivity, good casting performance and excellent semi-solid die-casting property. Graphene is introduced to the high thermal conductivity aluminum alloy of the present invention to exploit the good thermal conductivity of graphene, allowing the formation of a high thermal conductivity aluminium alloy.

The present invention provides a high thermal conductivity aluminum alloy, which comprises the following components in percentage by weight: Al: 80%-90%; Si: 6.5%-8.5%; Fe: 0.2%-0.5%; Zn: 0.8%-3%; V: 0.03%-0.05%; Sr: 0.01%-1%; graphene: 0.02%-0.08%. In the high thermal conductivity aluminum alloy of the present invention, alloying elements including Si, Fe, and Zn are optimized; Sr, V, graphene, among others are added. The amount of each component is controlled so that they coordinate to ALLOW high thermal conductivity, good casting performance and excellent semi-solid die-casting property. Graphene is introduced to the high thermal conductivity aluminum alloy of the present invention to exploit the good thermal conductivity of graphene, allowing the formation of a high thermal conductivity aluminium alloy.

The invention relates to a method for preparing titanium alloys based on aluminothermic self-propagating gradient reduction and slag-washing refining, and belongs to the technical field of titanium-aluminum alloys. The method comprises the following steps of pre-treating raw materials, weighing the raw materials in the mass ratio of rutile or high-titanium slags or titanium dioxide to aluminum powder to V.sub.2O.sub.5 powder to CaO to KClO.sub.3 being 1.0:(0.60-0.24):(0.042-0.048):(0.12-0.26):(0.22-0.30), performing an aluminothermic self-propagating reaction in a gradient feeding manner to obtain high-temperature melt, performing a gradient reduction melting, performing heat insulation and separating the melt after the feeding is completed, then adding CaF.sub.2CaOTiO.sub.2V.sub.2O.sub.5 based refining slags into the high-temperature melt, performing slag washing refining, and finally removing slags to obtain titanium alloys. This method has the advantages including short flow, low energy consumption, easy operation, easy control on Al and V contained in alloys, and so on.

The invention relates to a method for preparing titanium alloys based on aluminothermic self-propagating gradient reduction and slag-washing refining, and belongs to the technical field of titanium-aluminum alloys. The method comprises the following steps of pre-treating raw materials, weighing the raw materials in the mass ratio of rutile or high-titanium slags or titanium dioxide to aluminum powder to V.sub.2O.sub.5 powder to CaO to KClO.sub.3 being 1.0:(0.60-0.24):(0.042-0.048):(0.12-0.26):(0.22-0.30), performing an aluminothermic self-propagating reaction in a gradient feeding manner to obtain high-temperature melt, performing a gradient reduction melting, performing heat insulation and separating the melt after the feeding is completed, then adding CaF.sub.2CaOTiO.sub.2V.sub.2O.sub.5 based refining slags into the high-temperature melt, performing slag washing refining, and finally removing slags to obtain titanium alloys. This method has the advantages including short flow, low energy consumption, easy operation, easy control on Al and V contained in alloys, and so on.

An alloying-element additive for adding an alloy element to a copper melt formed by melting a base material including a copper in manufacturing a copper alloy. The alloying-element additive includes a wire-shaped or plate-shaped core including an alloy element, and an outer layer material including a copper and covering the core. A weight ratio of the copper in the outer layer material and the alloy element in the core is in a range of weight ratio where the alloying-element additive has a liquid phase in a temperature range of not more than a melting point of the copper in a copper-alloy element phase diagram.

An alloying-element additive for adding an alloy element to a copper melt formed by melting a base material including a copper in manufacturing a copper alloy. The alloying-element additive includes a wire-shaped or plate-shaped core including an alloy element, and an outer layer material including a copper and covering the core. A weight ratio of the copper in the outer layer material and the alloy element in the core is in a range of weight ratio where the alloying-element additive has a liquid phase in a temperature range of not more than a melting point of the copper in a copper-alloy element phase diagram.