Design of Oxide Inclusion and Fluidity Measuring Instruments in Aluminum Alloy

Aluminum has widely been used in automotive industries because of its ability to be recycled. It is concerned that the properties of secondary aluminum are not as good as the primary aluminum because there are many impurities and also low fluidity values that can reduce the quality of aluminum products. To determine inclusions and fluidity values, PodFA and Prefil instruments are currently used, but these instruments are still very expensive in the industry. Therefore, in this research, a progressive oxide inclusion and fluidity value measuring instrument will be designed. To verify the instrument can work according to its standards, this research uses an AC8A aluminum alloy to determine the presence of oxide inclusions and fluidity values. The independent variables used are cast temperature variations of 720°C, 740°C, and 760°C. Based on the results of testing and characterization, it is found that this instrument can accurately and precisely measure the fluidity of aluminum alloy, where the sample with the temperature of 760°C provides optimum results, with the mass filtered every 10 seconds is 225.94 grams, 500.45 grams, and 682.36 grams. Impurities found in aluminum alloys are Al2O3, Al3Ti, MgO, Al4C3, and Si (Refractory Brick).