The first volume in a series which aims to take stock of the research, development and applications of metallic alloys, this monograph describes research into the structure of charge materials, melt treatment and casting technologies, and their influence on the properties of melts and ingots. This research has confirmed theoretical concepts about the microheterogenous constitution of metallic melts and has made it possible to manage the quality of castings and ingots of various alloys by their special treatment in the liquid state.;The four chapters of the book give theoretical and experimental evidence of the effect of the melt constitution on the structure and properties of the solid metal, and common features of structure formation in aluminium alloys are considered for a wide range of solidification conditions, including ultrasonic and thermal melt treatments. The technological problems of these treatments are also discussed.