Production Features of Magnesium-Neodymium Master Alloy Synthesis

Abstract

The article is devoted to studying synthesis of magnesium master alloys with neodymium for smelting ferrous and nonferrous metals. A salt composition is selected based on analysis of composition diagrams and flux requirements for melting magnesium alloys. Differential thermal analysis (DTA) is used to determine temperature ranges of thermal effects during melting components of a salt mixture KCl–NaCl–CaCl₂ –MgCl₂ –CaF₂ –NdF₃ and during reduction of neodymium compounds by magnesium. The result is a series of experimental melts revealing the main features of magnesium-neodymium master alloy synthesis, and the main factors of the metallothermal process affecting the degree of neodymium recovery. Metallographic study of the resulting magnesium-neodymium master alloys shows that a sample consists of colonies of Mg + Mg₁₂Nd eutectic composition located at the boundaries of α –Mg dendrite cells. The method proposed for recovering neodymium from fluoride-chloride melts provides up to 99.6% extraction of neodymium.