Abstract:
The present study focused on preparation and characterization of 60Al-40V master
alloy which was produced via aluminothermic process. The study assessed the production in
order to provide the optimum Al requirement for maximum recovery of the V. V2O5 (Vanadium
pentoxide) and Al metal were mixed in the proportion of producing 60Al-40V and Al2O3 (slag)
through an exothermic reaction. Microstructural analysis and phase identification were done
using Optical Microscopy (OM), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) equipped with Energy
Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDX) and X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) analyses. The XRD revealed
diffraction peaks mainly of the Al3V phase and some peaks of slightly homogenized Al8V5
intermetallic compounds. The chemical composition was found to be 65 ± 0.03 and 35 ± 0.03
wt. % Al and V respectively. Good agreement between the experimental results and the predicted
phases using Thermo-Calc. Software was observed.
