Effect of Heating Temperature and Flux Ratio During In-Situ Casting of AlSi7Mg Machining Chips

The fluxing treatment is currently the most favoured and commonly employed method in the recycling industry to eliminate oxide inclusions from molten aluminium. This research aims to examine the impactImpact of flux ratio and heating temperature on aluminium alloy chips (AlSi7Mg) during in-situ casting, aiming to develop a more straightforward and cost-effective technique for recycling aluminium waste. The chips were subjected to a 30-min heating process in a laboratory furnace at temperatures of 750 °C and 800 °C, with chips and flux ratios of 1:0.1 and 1:0.2. Increasing the temperature and flux ratio resulted in the increased quantity of melted chips. Surface morphology and elemental analyses were conducted on the heated samples using a scanning electron microscope with energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). The EDS analysis revealed the presence of oxygen on the surface of the unmelted Al alloy machining chips. In contrast, X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis indicated that this condition was caused by oxidation and the existence of Aluminium Oxide (Al2O3).