Distribution of Phosphorus and Its Effects on Precipitation Behaviors and Tensile Properties of IN718C Cast Superalloy

The effect of phosphorus on the precipitations of γ",γ' and δ phases and associated tensile properties in IN718C alloy are investigated in this study.It is revealed that P atoms are dissolved in the grain interior to a relatively high degree and hence influence the precipitation behaviors in the grain interior and improve the tensile strength of IN718C alloy.γ" and γ' phases did not precipitate in the alloy without P addition during air cooling,while γ" and γ' phases precipitated in the grain interior during air cooling in the alloys with P addition,and the amounts of γ" and γ' phases increased with increasing P content.Therefore,the Vickers micro-hardness in the as-cast state increased gradually with increasing P content.In double-aging state,the sizes of γ" and γ' phases in the alloys with P addition were larger than that in the alloy without P addition,while the sizes were invariable when the P content(wt%)was higher than 0.015.Therefore,the micro-hardness and tensile strength of IN718C alloy treated by double aging increased first and then kept invariable with increasing P content.The precipitations of δ phases both in the grain interior and on grain boundaries were inhibited by P markedly.The inhibitory effect of P on δ phase enhanced gradually with increasing content of P,but the plasticity increased first and then decreased.What is more,the crack tended to propagate into the matrix around the particles(Laves phases and NbC carbides)in the alloys without P addition at the beginning of the tensile fracture,while it tended to propagate along the interfaces between the matrix and those particles in the alloys with P addition,which resulted from the synthetical effect of P on γ" γ' and δ phases.     

Effect of pre-deformation on aging characteristics and mechanical properties of Mg-Gd-Nd-Zr alloy

The effect of plastic deformation prior to artificial aging on the aging characteristics and mechanical properties of a Mg-I lGd-2Nd-0.5Zr （mass fraction, %） alloy was investigated. After solution treatment at 525 ℃ for 4 h, the alloy was subjected to cold stretching deformation of 0%, 5% and 10%, respectively. The as-deformed specimens possess high density of dislocations and mechanical twins, which increase with elevated deformation. As compared with non-stretched alloy, the stretched alloy shows accelerated age-hardening response and slightly enhanced peak hardness when aged at 200 ℃. Comparison of the microstructures in undeformed and deformed specimens after 200 ℃, 24 h aging reveals that pre-deformation induces the heterogeneous nucleation of precipitations at dislocations and twin boundaries in addition to the homogeneous precipitation in the matrix. Room and high temperature tensile test results show that pre-deformation enhances the strength of the alloy, especially at room temperature, though the ductility declines. The improvement in strength of deformed and aged alloy is attributed to the combined strengthening effect of precipitates, deformation structures and grain boundaries.     

Effect of Zr addition on precipitates in K4169 superalloy

In order to investigate the effect of Zr addition on the precipitations of K4169 superalloy,a manual electric arc furnace was used to prepare the superalloy with different Zr addition from 0.03wt.% to 0.07wt%.After standard heat treatment and long-time aging,the microstructures of the alloys were observed using XRD,SEM and TEM.The results show that Zr not only inhibits the precipitation of Laves phase at the grain boundary,but also significantly promotes the precipitation of earlobe-like γ’ and γ″ phases.After long time aging at 680℃ for 500 h,the γ″ phase grows up obviously and forms a γ’/γ’’ clad microstructure when the Zr addition is 0.03 wt.%.A large number of fine orbed γ’ particles precipitate in the grains and some γ″ phase transforms to disk-like δ phase when the Zr addition increases to 0.05wt.%.The nano-polycrystalline γ’ phase precipitates in the grains and there is a little δ phase when the Zr addition is 0.07wt.%.As the Zr addition increases,the amount of Laves phase at the grain boundary decreases at first,and then increases and forms flaky morphology.     

Computer simulation of γ＇ and θ phase precipitation of Ni-Al-V alloy using microscopic phase-field method

The precipitation processes of γ‘ and θ phases in Ni75Al6.5 V18.5 alloy were simulated at different temperatures and the precipitation sequence of two phases and morphological evolution were investigated. The simulation demonstrates that the two phases precipitate simultaneously at high temperature and γ‘ phase precipitates earlier than θ phase at 1000 K and 1120 K. With the temperature decreasing, the velocity of precipitation quickens, the quantity of θ phase increases and the size reduces; but the volume fraction increases, the quantity of phase increases and the size reduces as well. The two phases nucleate and grow independently at high temperature and the θ phase precipitates from the boundaries of γ‘ phase at 1000 K and 1120 K. We also find that there are many kinds of domain boundaries between the same and different phases. The results of average deviation of composition and average absolute long range order parameter show that the ordering and compositional clustering of γ‘ phase happen simultaneously at high temperature, the congruent ordering occurs prior to spinodal decomposition at 1 000 K and 1 120 K and the ordering advances and quickens as the temperature decreases. Ordering and compositional clustering of θ phase occur simultaneously at each temperature and are quickened with temperature decreasing.     

Microstructure and creep properties of Mg-4Al-2Sn-1 （Ca,Sr） alloys

The effects of Ca and Sr addition on the microstructure and creep properties of Mg-4Al-2Sn alloys were examined.Tensile tests at 25℃ and 200℃ and creep tests at 150℃ and 200℃ were carried out to estimate the room temperature and high temperature mechanical properties of these alloys.The microstructure of the Mg-4Al-2Sn alloy showed dendriticα-Mg,Mg17Al12 and Mg2Sn phases.The latter two phases precipitated along the grain boundaries.The addition of Ca and Sr resulted in the formation of ternary CaMgSn and SrMgSn phases within the grain.The grain size was reduced slightly with the addition of Sr and Ca.The tensile strength was decreased by the addition of Ca and Sr at room temperature.However,the high temperature tensile strength was increased.The creep strength was improved by the addition of Ca and Sr.     

Effect of Nb and Mo on the Microstructure,Mechanical Properties and Ductility-Dip Cracking of Ni–Cr–Fe Weld Metals

A series of Ni–Cr–Fe welding wires with different Nb and Mo contents were designed to investigate the effect of Nb and Mo on the microstructure, mechanical properties and the ductility-dip cracking susceptibility of the weld metals by optical microscopy(OM), scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction as well as the tensile and impact tests. Results showed that large Laves phases formed and distributed along the interdendritic regions with high Nb or Mo addition. The Cr-carbide(M_(23)C_6) was suppressed to precipitate at the grain boundaries with high Nb addition. Tensile testing indicates that the ultimate strength of weld metals increases with Nb or Mo addition. However, the voids formed easily around the large Laves phases in the interdendritic area during tensile testing for the weld metal with high Mo content. It is found that the tensile fractographs of high Mo weld metals show a typical feature of interdendritic fracture. The high Nb or Mo addition, which leads to the formation of large Laves phases, exposes a great weakening effect on the impact toughness of weld metals. In addition, the ductility-dip cracking was not found by OM in the selected cross sections of weld metals with different Nb additions. High Nb addition can eliminate the ductility-dip cracking from the Ni–Cr–Fe weld metals effectively.     

Influence of Ce on microstructure and mechanical properties of LA141 alloys

LA141-（0-1.2）Ce alloys were prepared with vacuum induction melting method. The effects of Ce addition on the microstructure and mechanical properties of LA 141 alloys were studied. The microstructure and phases composition of these alloys were analyzed by optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and X-ray diffractometry. The mechanical properties of these alloys were measured with tensile tester. The results show that Ce has refining effect on the alloys. In the alloys, some Al2Ce compounds exist, which make the A1 content dissolved in a and β phases decrease and the hard brittle Mg17Al12 phase refined. The refining effect improves the mechanical properties of alloys. When Ce content is 0.9%（mass fraction）, the tensile strength reaches 206.8 MPa and the elongation is two times as high as that of LAl41 alloy. Due to the generation of Al2Ce, the content of Al solid soluted in β phase decreases resulting in the decrease of alloy hardness with the addition of Ce.     

Effects of Combined Pre-straining and Pre-aging on Natural Aging and Bakehardening Response of an Al-Mg-Si Alloy

For a series of Al-0.34%Mg-1.05%Si-0.08%Cu alloys, the effects of pre-treatment on natural aging, bake hardening response and plasticity were investigated using Vickers hardness test and tensile test. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analysis was conducted to reveal corresponding precipitation mechanisms. The results showed that pre-straining and pre-aging alone couldn’t completely suppress natural aging and improve bake hardening response simultaneously. The sensitivity of the pre-straining and pre-aging on the mechanical properties was evaluated. It was found that pre-aging was the main factor which greatly improved bake hardening response and pre-treatment had a weak influence on plasticity in pre-treated samples. DSC analysis showed that the dissolution trough of clusters disappeared in pre-treated samples, both β’’ and β’ precipitation peak shifted to lower temperature and were reduced in pre-strained and pre-aged samples. It was concluded that the formation of Mg/Si clusters was replaced by the accelerated precipitation of β’’ and β’ phases, which caused the suppression of natural aging and the improvement of bake hardening response (BHR).     

Effect of microstructure on tensile properties and fracture behavior of intermetallic Ti2AlNb alloys

The tensile properties and fracture behaviors of Ti-22Al-27Nb and Ti-22Al-20Nb-7Ta alloys were investigated in the temperature range of 25-800℃ Three typical microstructures were obtained by ifferent thermomechanical processing techniques.The results indicate that the duplex microstructure has an optimum combination of tensile yield strength and ductility both at room and elevated temperatures.Adding Ta to Ti2AlNb alloy can improve the yield strength,especially at high temperature while retain a good ductility.The study on crack initiation and propagation in dedformed microstructure of Ti2AlNb alloys indicates that microstructure has ikmportant effect on the tensile fracture mechanism of the alloys.The cracks initiate within primary O/α2 grains along O/B2 boundaries or O phase laths in B2 matrix,and propagate along primary B2 grain boundaries for the duplex microstructure.The fracture mode is transgranular with ductile dimples for the duplex and the equiaxed microstructures,but intergranular for the lath microstructure.     

Oxidation process of lanthanum hexaboride ceramics

Oxidation process of lanthanum hexaboride (LAB6) ceramic powder was investigated. The LaB6 powder sampies were heated continually fTom room temperature to 1 473 K at a heating rate of 10 K/min by differential scanning calorimetry. The oxidation tests were conducted at different exposure temperatures. The phases and morphologies of the samples before and after exposure were analyzed by XRD and SEM. It was pointed out that before 1 273 K, LaB6 has high oxidation resistant ability, which was due to that the oxide layer hinders the oxygen diffusion fTom outer to the surface of LaB6 grains. The oxide layer was composed of the transition phases, which were composed of La203 and B2O3 formed fi‘om the initial oxidation; when the oxidation temperature exceeded 1 273 K, protective layer was destroyed due to the vaporization of liquid B2O3. Based on the results of X-ray diffraction analysis, oxidation process of LaB6 ceramicpowder can be described as follows: Before 1 273 K, lanthanum borate, La(BO2)3 was formed on the surface of samples,then lanthanum oxide (La2O3) and boron oxide (B2O3) were present on the surface of samples oxidized when the tempera-ture reached to 1 473 K.     

Evolution of TCP Phase During Long Term Thermal Exposure in Several Re-Containing Single Crystal Superalloys

The application and component designs of single crystal superalloys are restricted by the precipitation of topologically closed packed(TCP) phases,which can deteriorate the microstructural stability of the alloys severely.Limited researches concerning the type and morphology evolution of TCP phases under elevated temperature conditions have been reported previously.In the present work,three Re-containing single crystal alloys were designed to investigate TCP phase evolution via long term isothermal exposure tests at 1120℃ while the effects of Re on the microstructural characteristic and elements segregation were also clarified.The results showed that the addition of Re increased the instability of the alloys and the volume fraction of the TCP phases exceeded 5 vol% when the Re content reached 3 wt%.The increasing Re content had also raised the precipitation temperature of TCP phases but it did not change the type of them after long term aging;all the TCP particles were identified as μ phase in this study.Moreover,the elements segregation became considerably serious as Re addition increased constantly,which brought about various morphologies of the μ phase in the experimental alloys.In particular,the rod-like and needle-like μ phases demonstrated the typical orientation within γ matrix while the blocky μphase was dispersedly distributed in the space.No specific orientation relationship could be observed in the μ phase when the addition of Re exceeded certain threshold value.     

Oxidation protection of NiCoCrAIY coatings on γ-TiAl

Abstract: The effect of NiCoCrAlY overlay coatings on the oxidation resistance of γ-TiAl was studied at 900℃ in static air. To hinder the interdiffusion of the elements, the Al/Al2 O3 layer was added between the coating and the alloy. The results show that the TiAl alloy exhibits poor oxidation resistance. NiCoCrAlY coating can not effectively protect the γ-TiAl substrate from high temperature oxidation because of the serious interdiffusion between the coating and the substrates. With Al/Al2O3 diffusion barrier, the NiCoCrAlY coating exhibits excellent oxidation protection on γ-TiAl alloy.     

γ/γ＇ interface strengthening of Re in single crystal superalloys

Based on analysis of three alloys with various Re contents, the effects of Re on the interfacial structure characteristic and interracial dislocations of γ/γ＇ in single crystal superalloys were investigated. A high resolution transition electron microscopy （I-IRTEM） technique was used to detect the structure characteristic of γ/γ＇ interface. The interfacial dislocations of γ/γ＇ were analyzed with TEM. The results show that as Re content increases, the interfaces of γ/γ＇ become orderly, the atomic arrangements at interfaces are more uniform, the number of mismatch dislocations increases and transition areas between γ, and γ＇ phases become narrow. That Re changes the interracial structure promotes the formation of dense., regular and homogeneous interfacial dislocation networks in short time during creep at 1 100 ℃ and 140 MPa, which results in strengthened γ/γ＇ interface at elevated temperature.     

CREEP CRACK GROWTH BEHAVIOR OF ALLOY 718 DURING HIGH TEMPERATURE EXPOSURE

Alloy 718 is a precipitation strengthened nickel-hased superalloy based on the precipitation of γ’’-Ni3Vb(DO22 structure) and γ‘-Ni3(Al, Ti) (Ll2 structure) phases. Creep crack growth rate (CCGR) was investigated after high temperature exposure at 593, 650 and 677℃ for 2000h in Alloy 718. In addition to the coalescence of γ‘/γ‘‘ and the amount increasing of 6 phase, the existence of a bcc chromium enriched α-Cr phase was observed by SEM, and the weight fraction of α-Cr and other phases were determined by chemical phase analysis methods. The CCGR behavior and regulation have been analyzed by means of strength and structure analysis approaches. The experimental results show higher the exposure temperature and longer the exposure time, lower the CCGR. This is probably attributed to the interaction of material softening and brittling due to complex structure changes during high temperature exposure. Therefore,despite α-Cr phase formation and amount enhancement were run in this test range. It seems to us a small amount of α-Cr will be not harmful for creep crack propagation resistance, which is critical for disk application in aircraft and land-based gas turbine.     

Tensile Behavior of SiC Fiber-Reinforced γ-TiAl Composites Prepared by Suction Casting

The process of preparing SiC fiber-reinforced y-TiAl composites by the conventional methods is difficult and complicated due to the high reactivity,high melting point and poor deformability of y-TiAl alloys.In this work,suction casting,a promising method for preparing SiC_f/TiAl composite,had been attempted.In the process,y-TiAl alloy melt was introduced rapidly into a mold within pre-arranged fibers that were coated with additional layer of titanium alloy.This simple method successfully prevented serious reactions between the alloy melt and the fibers which remained intact during the solidification process.The interfacial reaction layer was observed by optical microscopy,scanning electron microscopy(SEM).The interfacial reaction products were identified by transmission electron microscopy(TEM).Tensile tests of the matrix alloy and composites were performed at room temperature and 800 ℃.The results exhibited that the tensile strength of SiC_f/γ-TiAl composite was higher than that of the matrix alloy at both room temperature and 800 0 C.At room temperature,tensile strength of SiC_f/γ-TiAl composite was increased by about 7%(50 MPa),whereas a double increase in tensile strength 14%(100 MPa)was obtained at 800 ℃.The titanium alloy coating on the fiber not only prevented the serious interfacial reaction between the y-TiAl alloy melt and the SiC fiber,but also played a role in delaying the propagation of cracks in the matrix to the fiber at 800 ℃.The fracture mechanism of the composite was analyzed by fracture metallographic analysis.     

Microstructure and improved mechanical properties of Mo-12Si-8.5B alloys with lanthanum oxide addition

Mo-12 Si-8.5 B alloys with different La_2 O_3 contents were fabricated by mechanical alloying and then hot pressing.The effects of La_2 O_3 on microstructure,room and elevated temperature mechanical properties of Mo-12 Si-8.5 B alloys were studied.The microstructure of Mo-12 Si-8.5 B alloy with La_2 O_3 additions exhibits a continuous α-Mo matrix,where the spherical Mo_3 Si and Mo_5 SiB_2 intermetallic phases are distributed inside the grains and along the grain boundaries.The detailed microstructure shows that some nanoscale La_2 O_3 particles are dispersed mainly in the a-Mo grains and partially in the intermetallics.These La_2 O_3 particles can refine the grain sizes of a-Mo matrix and intermetallic,but the refining effect is limited with the La_2 O_3 addition further increasing.The mechanical testing results show that the La_2 O_3 addition simultaneously improves the compression strength and fracture toughness of Mo-12 Si-8.5 B alloy,due to that theα-Mo matrix is strengthened and toughened at ambient temperature and intermetallics are strengthened at elevated temperatures.The enhancing effect is sensitive to the amount of La_2 O_3 additions,and the Mo-12 Si-8.5 B alloy can obtain a better combination of strength and toughness when the content of La_2 O_3 is 0.9 wt%.     

Study on improvement of conductivity of Cu-Cr-Zr alloys

The influence of alloying, heat treatment, and plastic working on the performance of Cu-Cr-Zr alloys was investigated. The precipitated phases were characterized as Cr, Cu51Zr14 and Cu5Zr. Cu-Cr-Zr alloys demonstrate combination properties of high strength and high conductivity after solution treatment, aging treatment, and plastic deformation. Precipitation course of Cr is the main factor that influences the conductivity of Cu-Cr-Zr alloys, while adding Zr in the alloys adjusts the orientation relationship between Cr and matrix, and tends to increase the conductivity of aged Cu-Cr-Zr alloys after deformation.     

Effect of Y203 on microstructure and oxidation of γ-Ni＋γ′-Ni3Al coatings transformed from electrodeposited Ni-Al films at 1 000℃

The electrodeposited Y2O3-dispersed γ-Ni＋γ-Ni3Al coatings on Ni substrates were developed by the conversion of electrodeposited Ni-Al-Y2O3 films with dispersed AI microparticles in Ni matrix into Ni3Al by vacuum annealing at 800 ℃ for 3 h. For comparison, Y2O3-free γ-Ni＋γ＇-Ni3Al coatings with a similar AI content were also prepared by vacuum annealing the electrodeposited microparticle-dispersed composite coatings of Ni-AI under the same condition. SEM and TEM characterizations show that the electrodeposited Y2O3-dispersed γ＋γ＇ coatings exhibit finer grains, a more homogeneous distribution of γ＇, and a narrowed γ＇ phase spacing compared with the electrodeposited Y2O3-free γ-γ＇ coatings. The oxidation at 1 000 ~C shows that the addition of Y2O3 significantly improves the oxidation resistance of the electrodeposited γ＋γ＇coatings. The effect of Y2O3 particles on the microstructure and oxidation behavior of the electrodeposited γ＋y＇ coatings was discussed in detail.     

As-cast microstructure of Al-Zn-Mg and AI-Zn-Mg-Cu alloys added erbium

The effects of different contents of rare earth element, and erbium, on the as-cast microstructures of Al- 8Zn-2Mg and Al-6Zn-2Mg-1.8Cu alloys were studied by optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffractometry, transmission electron microscopy and EDS analysis. The results show that the netlike structure of as-cast alloys can be remarkably refined, and the distance of dendritic structure decreases, with Er addition. How- ever, the improvement results on Al-Zn-Mg-Cu are not better than that of Al-Zn-Mg. Er and Al can interact to form AlsEr phase, which is coherent with a（Al） matrix, with trace Er addition to the Al-Zn-Mg alloy. The refinement effect of Al-Zn-Mg alloys is familiar with the formation and precipitation of coherent AlsEr phases. The ternary compound AlCuEr, similar with AlCuSc phase, will form when Er is added to Al-Zn-Mg-Cu alloy, which suppresses the formation of Al3Er phase and doesn＇t solve in the following heat treatment.     

Microstructure and mechanical properties of hot-rolled Mg-Zn-Y-Zr magnesium alloy

Fine-grained magnesium alloys strengthened by quasicrystalline particles were easily developed by thermomechanical process for Mg-Zn-Y-Zr alloys. The microstructure evolution of Mg-Zn-Y-Zr alloys hot rolled with different reductions at different temperatures was studied. Tensile tests and fracture observation were carried out to study the mechanical properties of this alloy. The thin magnesium sheets hot rolled at 380 ℃ exhibit better combination of high strength and ductility than that hot rolled at lower temperature. The results show that the grains become equiaxed and uniform as compared with those of the extruded materials because of recrystallization and repeated heating between rolling passes. It is also found that with the increasing rolling temperature and strain the I-phase particles become much smaller and are homogeneously distributed in the matrix, which enhances both strength and ductility.