A method of producing an article selected from a titanium article and a titanium alloy article comprises melting feed materials with a source of hydrogen to form a molten heat of titanium or a titanium alloy, and casting at least a portion of the molten heat to form a hydrogenated titanium or titanium alloy ingot. The hydrogenated ingot is deformed at an elevated temperature to form a worked article comprising a cross-sectional area smaller than a cross-sectional area of the hydrogenated ingot. The worked article is dehydrogenated to reduce a hydrogen content of the worked article. In certain non-limiting embodiments of the method, the dehydrogenated article comprises an average -phase particle size of less than 10 microns in the longest dimension.

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.

Processes for the production of platinum group metal (PGM)-enriched alloys are described. The PGM enriched-alloys can have 0 to 60 wt.-% of iron and 20 to 99 wt.-% of one or more PGMs selected from the group consisting of platinum, palladium and rhodium. The described processes exhibit remarkably low PGM losses during production of PGM-enriched alloys therefore yield alloys having considerably high PGM levels.

Processes for the production of platinum group metal (PGM)-enriched alloys are described. The PGM enriched-alloys can have 0 to 60 wt.-% of iron and 20 to 99 wt.-% of one or more PGMs selected from the group consisting of platinum, palladium and rhodium. The described processes exhibit remarkably low PGM losses during production of PGM-enriched alloys therefore yield alloys having considerably high PGM levels.

The present invention relates to a method for preparing an aluminum-copper-iron quasicrystal and silicon carbide mixed reinforced aluminum matrix composite, where the aluminum-copper-iron quasicrystal and silicon carbide mixed reinforced aluminum matrix composite is prepared with an aluminum alloy serving as a matrix and with aluminum-copper-iron quasicrystal and silicon carbide serving as reinforcement agents via smelting in an intermediate-frequency induction melting furnace through the process of intermediate-frequency induction heating, vacuumizing, bottom blowing argon, and casting molding in view of low hardness and low tensile strength of aluminum matrix materials. The prepared aluminum-copper-iron quasicrystal and silicon carbide mixed reinforced aluminum matrix composite has a hardness of 80.3 HB which is improved by 50.64% and tensile strength of 285 Mpa which is improved by 60.42%, and corrosion resistance thereof is improved by 40%.

The present invention relates to a method for preparing an aluminum-copper-iron quasicrystal and silicon carbide mixed reinforced aluminum matrix composite, where the aluminum-copper-iron quasicrystal and silicon carbide mixed reinforced aluminum matrix composite is prepared with an aluminum alloy serving as a matrix and with aluminum-copper-iron quasicrystal and silicon carbide serving as reinforcement agents via smelting in an intermediate-frequency induction melting furnace through the process of intermediate-frequency induction heating, vacuumizing, bottom blowing argon, and casting molding in view of low hardness and low tensile strength of aluminum matrix materials. The prepared aluminum-copper-iron quasicrystal and silicon carbide mixed reinforced aluminum matrix composite has a hardness of 80.3 HB which is improved by 50.64% and tensile strength of 285 Mpa which is improved by 60.42%, and corrosion resistance thereof is improved by 40%.

An aluminum alloy that is not sensitive to quenching, for the production of high-strength forged pieces that are low in inherent tension, and high-strength extruded and rolled products, consisting of: 7.0-10.5 wt. % zinc, 1.0-2.5 wt. % magnesium, 0.1-1.15 wt. % copper, 0.06-0.25 wt. % zirconium, 0.02-0.15 wt. % titanium, at most 0.5 wt. % manganese, at most 0.6 wt. % silver, at most 0.10 wt. % silicon, at most 0.10 wt. % iron, at most 0.04 wt. % chrome, and at least one element selected from the group consisting of: hafnium, scandium, strontium and/or vanadium with a summary content of at most 1.0 wt. %. The alloy can also contain contaminants at proportions of at most 0.05 wt. % per element and a total proportion of at most 0.15 wt. %, wherein the remaining component includes aluminum.

An aluminum alloy that is not sensitive to quenching, for the production of high-strength forged pieces that are low in inherent tension, and high-strength extruded and rolled products, consisting of: 7.0-10.5 wt. % zinc, 1.0-2.5 wt. % magnesium, 0.1-1.15 wt. % copper, 0.06-0.25 wt. % zirconium, 0.02-0.15 wt. % titanium, at most 0.5 wt. % manganese, at most 0.6 wt. % silver, at most 0.10 wt. % silicon, at most 0.10 wt. % iron, at most 0.04 wt. % chrome, and at least one element selected from the group consisting of: hafnium, scandium, strontium and/or vanadium with a summary content of at most 1.0 wt. %. The alloy can also contain contaminants at proportions of at most 0.05 wt. % per element and a total proportion of at most 0.15 wt. %, wherein the remaining component includes aluminum.

A method for controlling a microstructure of a recycled aluminum alloy includes steps of: degassing and removing inclusions from the molten aluminum alloy, refining grains and controlling the deformed microstructure. Good microstructures of the deformed aluminum alloy can be obtained after degassing by gas flushing, removing the inclusions by filtering, refining the grains by adding a modifier, and extruding or rolling or forging. The present invention provides desirable results of degassing and impurity removal. Contents of hydrogen and inclusions in the refined recycled molten aluminum alloy are 0.02-0.26 ml/100 g Al and 0.4-0.7 area % metallographic field respectively.

In an aluminum alloy billet, an average grain size is 25-50 m and a short rod-shaped or elliptical second phase is 10-100 nm. In the deformed aluminum alloy, a grain aspect ratio is 10:1-100:1 and short rod-shaped or elliptical particles are 5-80 nm.