This study develops an innovative low energy pulsed electromagnetic (LE-PEM) approach to enhance grain refinement in direct-chill (DC) cast 2A12 aluminium alloys. Through systematic investigation of electromagnetic parameter effects on microstructural evolution and microstructural optimisation expected to enhance mechanical properties, we reveal that under the most effective magnetic field conditions employed in this work (20A, 20 Hz, Bmax = 154 mT), the grain size is significantly reduced from 126.6 mu m to 71.2 mu m, corresponding to a grain refinement efficiency of 43.8%. The LE-PEM treatment demonstrates dual-phase modulation capability: it accelerates Cu diffusion to promote precipitation of the theta (Al2Cu) and S (Al2CuMg) phases, while suppressing the formation of coarse Al-Mn intermetallic compounds by constraining Mn mobility.
