Aluminum has been used as an alternative material for copper, due to its good electrical and thermal conductivities. However, small quantities of transition elements such as Ti and V affect the conductivities of aluminum. Therefore, in this study, the influence of B addition to reduce the effects of Ti and V on the conductivities of aluminum was investigated. Both the electrical and thermal conductivities of aluminum were improved with addition of B up to 0.05 wt%, while the conductivities were gradually reduced with an excess amount of B. SEM-EDS and XRD results exhibited that B reacted with Ti and V element to form diborides, such as $TiB_2$ and $VB_2$ phase, and those diborides tended to settle down to the bottom of the crucible because their densities were higher than that of aluminum melt. As a result, B reduced the deleterious effects of Ti and V, and the electrical and thermal conductivities of aluminum were improved.

The lost foam casting process was used to fabricate Al-Si-Mg cast specimens, and the effects of the chemical composition and process variables on the tensile properties and the mold filling ability were investigated. Some porosity formation was observed in thick sections of the casting and better tensile properties were obtained for thin sections, presumably because of their lower porosity and the higher cooling rate. Tensile properties were not clearly enhanced by grain refining treatment with Ti; however, the elongation was significantly improved by Sr modification of the Al-Si-Mg alloy. The mold filling distance was generally proportional to the pouring temperature of the melt, and the distance was also increased by the addition of Ti.

The microstructural evolution of a cast Ni base superalloy, IN738LC, has been investigated after long term exposure at several temperatures. Most of the fine secondary ${\gamma}^{\prime}$ particles resolved after 2000 hour exposure at $816^{\circ}C$. At higher temperatures of $871^{\circ}C$ and $927^{\circ}C$, secondary ${\gamma}^{\prime}$ resolved after 1000 hours of exposure, and cuboidal primary ${\gamma}^{\prime}$ grew with exposure time. During the thermal exposure, ${\sigma}$ phase formed at all tested temperatures, and ${\eta}$ phase was observed around interdendritic regions due to carbide degeneration. The influence of microstructural evolution during thermal exposure on the mechanical properties has been analyzed. The effects of ${\gamma}^{\prime}$ particle growth are more pronounced on the high temperature creep properties than on the room temperature tensile properties.

The effect of various types of heat-treatment on the mechanical properties of cast Alloy 718 has been investigated. Cast Alloy 718 bars were subjected to 'standard heat-treatment'_(SHT), 'HIP (Hot Isostatic Pressing) heat-treatment'_(HHT), and 'HIP-simulated heat-treatment'_(HS). In the absence of long time high temperature heat-treatment, a small amount of Laves phase remained in the 'SHT' specimen, and needle shaped ${\delta}$ precipitated in the vicinity of the Laves phase. Due to the formation of the Laves and ${\delta}$ phases in the 'SHT' specimen, it exhibited lower tensile properties than those of the others_specimens. On the other hand, the Laves phase was completely dissolved into the matrix after 'HHT' and 'HS' treatments. It is known that isostatic pressure reduces the self-diffusion coefficient, because of the lower self-diffusivity under HIP conditions in the interdendritic region, Nb segregation and the high amount of ${\gamma}^{{\prime}{\prime}}$ precipitation that occurs. Due to the higher fraction of coarse ${\gamma}^{{\prime}{\prime}}$ phases, the 'HHT' treated Alloy 718 showed excellent tensile strength.