Fabrication of porous FeAl-based intermetallics via thermal explosion

Porous FeAl-based intermetallics were fabricated by thermal explosion (TE) from Fe and Al powders. The effects of sintering temperature on phase constitution, pore structure and oxidation resistance of porous Fe-Al intermetallics were systematically investigated. Porous Fe-Al materials with high open porosity (65%) are synthesized via a low-energy consumption method of TE at a temperature of 636 °C and FeAl intermetallic is evolved as dominant phase in sintered materials at 1000 °C. The porous materials are composed of interconnected skeleton, large pores among skeleton and small pores in the interior of skeleton. The interstitial pores in green powder compacts are the important source of large pores of porous Fe-Al intermetallics, and the in-situ pores from the melting and flowing of aluminum powders are also significant to the formation of large pores. Small pores are from the precipitation of Fe-Al intermetallics particles. In addition, the porous specimens exhibit high resistance to oxidation at 650 °C in air.     

Melting,Processing, and Properties of Disordered Fe-Al and Fe-Al-C Based Alloys

This article presents a part of the research work conducted in our laboratory to develop lightweight steels based on Fe-Al alloys containing 7 wt.% and 9 wt.% aluminum for construction of advanced lightweight ground transportation systems, such as automotive vehicles and heavy-haul truck, and for civil engineering construction, such as bridges, tunnels, and buildings. The melting and casting of sound, porosity-free ingots of Fe-Al-based alloys was accomplished by a newly developed cost-effective technique. The technique consists of using a special flux cover and proprietary charging schedule during air induction melting. These alloys were also produced using a vacuum induction melting (VIM) process for comparison purposes. The effect of aluminum (7 wt.% and 9 wt.%) on melting, processing, and properties of disordered solid solution Fe-Al alloys has been studied in detail. Fe-7 wt.% Al alloy could be produced using air induction melting with a flux cover with the properties comparable to the alloy produced through the VIM route. This material could be further processed through hot and cold working to produce sheets and thin foils. The cold-rolled and annealed sheet exhibited excellent room-temperature ductility. The role of carbon in Fe-7 wt.% Al alloys has also been examined. The results indicate that Fe-Al and Fe-Al-C alloys containing about 7 wt.% Al are potential lightweight steels.     

Microstructure,Mechanical Properties and Corrosion Behavior of Porous Mg-6 wt.% Zn Scaffolds for Bone Tissue Engineering

Porous Mg-based scaffolds have been extensively researched as biodegradable implants due to their attractive biological and excellent mechanical properties. In this study, porous Mg-6 wt.% Zn scaffolds were prepared by powder metallurgy using ammonium bicarbonate particles as space-holder particles. The effects of space-holder particle content on the microstructure, mechanical properties and corrosion resistance of the Mg-6 wt.% Zn scaffolds were studied. The mean porosity and pore size of the open-cellular scaffolds were within the range 6.7-52.2% and 32.3-384.2 µm, respectively. Slight oxidation was observed at the grain boundaries and on the pore walls. The Mg-6 wt.% Zn scaffolds were shown to possess mechanical properties comparable with those of natural bone and had variable in vitro degradation rates. Increased content of space-holder particles negatively affected the mechanical behavior and corrosion resistance of the Mg-6 wt.% Zn scaffolds, especially when higher than 20%. These results suggest that porous Mg-6 wt.% Zn scaffolds are promising materials for application in bone tissue engineering.     

孔结构对Ni3Al金属间化合物多孔材料抗腐蚀性能的影响（英文）

采用元素粉末反应合成的方法并用尿素作为造孔剂制备Ni3Al金属间化合物多孔材料。用电化学和浸泡实验表征Ni3Al金属间化合物多孔材料在6 mol/L KOH溶液中的抗腐蚀行为。系统研究孔结构对材料抗腐蚀性能的影响。研究结果表明:孔隙率较大的Ni3Al金属间化合物多孔材料较孔隙率较小的样品腐蚀更严重,这是由于孔隙率较大的样品具有复杂的联通孔结构以及较大的比表面积。然而,材料的腐蚀速率与比表面积并不成正比,这是因为随着孔隙率的增大,材料的孔径大小、孔径分布以及孔隙形状都随之变化。不同孔隙率大小的Ni3Al金属间化合物多孔材料在碱溶液中均表现出较好的抗腐蚀性能。     

Fe-Al、Ti-Al和Ni-Al系金属间化合物多孔材料的研究进展

总结Fe-Al、Ti-Al、Ni-Al 3大系金属间化合物的物相结构和基本特性,论述Fe-Al、Ti-Al和Ni-Al 3大类金属间化合物多孔材料的制备方法、孔结构表征以及耐腐蚀性能,并指出孔结构参数的可控性研究、复合材料的制备和焊接性能的提高是金属间化合物多孔材料未来的研究重点.     

Microstructure Evolution and Pore Formation Mechanism of Porous TiAl_3 Intermetallics via Reactive Sintering

Porous TiAl_3 intermetallics were fabricated through vacuum reactive sintering from Ti–75 Al at.% elemental powder mixture. The phase compositions, expansion behaviors, pore characteristics and microstructure evolution of TiAl_3 intermetallics were investigated, and the pore formation mechanism was also proposed. It was found that the actual temperature of compacts showed an acute climb from 668 to 1244 °C in 166 s, while the furnace temperature maintained the linear growth of 5 °C/min, which indicated that an obvious thermal explosion(TE) reaction occurred during sintering,and only single-phase TiAl_3 intermetallic was synthesized in TE products. The open porosity increased from 22.2(green compact) to 32.8% after reactive diffusion sintering at 600 °C and rised to 58.7% after TE, then decreased to 51.2% after high-temperature homogenization at 1100 °C. Therefore, TE reaction is the dominated pore formation mechanism of porous TiAl_3 intermetallics. The pore evolution in porous TiAl_3 intermetallics occurred by the following mechanisms:certain intergranular pores remained among powder particles of green compact, then low-temperature sintering resulted in a further increase in porosity due to the Kirkendall effect. Moreover, TE reaction gave rise to a dramatic volume expansion because of the rapid increase in temperature, and high-temperature sintering caused densification and a slight shrinkage.     

Microstructures and properties of porous TiAl-based intermetallics prepared by freeze-casting

Preparation of porous TiAl-based intermetallics with aligned and elongated pores by freeze-casting was investigated. Engineering Ti−43Al−9V−1Y powder (D₅₀=50 μm), carboxymethyl cellulose, and guar gum were used to prepare the aqueous-based slurries for freeze-casting. Results showed that the porous TiAl was obtained by using a freezing temperature of −5 °C and the pore structure was tailored by varying the particle content of slurry. The total porosity reduced from 81% to 62% and the aligned pore width dropped from approximately 500 to around 270 μm, with increasing the particle content from 10 to 30 vol.%. Furthermore, the compressive strength along the aligned pores increased from 16 to 120 MPa with the reduction of porosity. The effective thermal conductivities of porous TiAl were lower than 1.81 W/(m·K) and showed anisotropic property with respect to the pore orientation.     

反应合成法制备FeAl金属间化合物多孔材料的曲折因子(英文)

以Fe、Al元素粉末为原料,采用反应合成方法,利用Kirkendall效应造孔制备的FeAl金属间化合物多孔材料是继陶瓷和金属多孔材料之后发展的一种新型多孔材料。曲折因子是表征多孔材料孔隙特征的重要参数。基于Darcy原理和 Hagen-Poiseuille方程研究FeAl多孔材料的曲折因子。结果表明,FeAl多孔材料的曲折因子小于具有相同孔结构的不锈钢多孔材料的曲折因子。在本研究范围内,根据 Hagen-Poiseuille方程计算得知,FeAl多孔材料的曲折因子为2.26,而具有相同孔结构的不锈钢多孔材料的曲折因子为2.92。并由造孔机理探讨了FeAl多孔材料曲折因子较小的原因。     

Effects of porosity on tensile mechanical properties of porous FeAl intermetallics

Uniaxial tensile tests and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) experiments were carried out on the porous FeAl intermetallics (porosities of 41.1%, 44.2% and 49.3%, pore size of 15–30 μm) prepared by our research group to study the macroscopic mechanical properties and microscopic failure mechanism. The results show that the tensile σ–ɛ curves of the porous FeAl with different porosities can be divided into four stages: elasticity, yielding, strengthening and failure, without necking phenomenon. The elastic modulus, ultimate strength and elongation decrease with the increase of porosity and the elongation is much lower than 5%. A macroscopic brittle fracture appears, and the microscopic fracture mechanism is mainly intergranular fracture, depending on the Al content in the dense FeAl intermetallics. In addition, the stochastic porous model (SPM) with random pore structure size and distribution is established by designing a self-compiling generation program in FORTRAN language. Combined with the secondary development platform of finite element software ANSYS, the effective elastic moduli of the porous FeAl can be determined by elastic analysis of SPM and they are close to the experimental values, which can verify the validity of the established SPM for analyzing the elastic properties of the porous material.     

渗流法制备高孔隙率多孔铝

采用负压渗流铸造法,通过控制铝熔体浇铸量,制备了高孔隙率(70%～90%)、高通孔度(25%～50%)的多孔铝;研究了渗流驱动压力、铝熔体浇铸温度及模具预热温度对渗流过程的影响;测试了多孔铝的渗透系数,并分析了孔结构对渗透系数的影响.结果表明:通过正交实验选择渗流参数,可以降低多孔铝在渗流方向上的孔隙率梯度;多孔铝的渗透系数与其孔结构密切相关:对于相同孔径的多孔铝,渗透系数随孔隙率增大而提高;在孔隙率相同的条件下,随着孔径增大,表面积减小,摩擦阻力减小,渗透系数相应增大.     

Determination of thermal diffusivity and thermal conductivity of Fe-Al alloys in the concentration range 22 to 50 at.% Al

The thermal diffusivity of Fe-Al alloys in the concentration range 22 to 50 at.% Al was measured within a temperature range of 20 to 600 °C. The thermal diffusivity of the Fe-25 and 28 at.% Al alloys decreases with increasing temperature up to the Curie temperature, and then it increases up to the temperature when the D0₃ ↔ B2 transformation occurs. The thermal diffusivity of Fe-22 at.% Al alloys increases with rising temperature up to the temperature when D0₃ ↔ B2 transformation occurs, and then it decreases. A further decrease in thermal diffusivity follows up to the Curie temperature. The thermal diffusivity of Fe-34 and Fe-40 at.% Al increases monotonically with the rising temperature. The thermal diffusivity of Fe-50 at.% Al alloys decreases only up to 100 °C, and does not change any further with increasing temperature. Thermal conductivity is the highest for Fe-25 and Fe-50 at.% Al alloys at room temperature. Thermal conductivity rises for all studied alloys with increasing temperature. The smallest increase was registered for Fe-25 at.% Al alloys.     

Determination of thermal diffusivity and thermal conductivity of Fe-Al alloys in the concentration range 22 to 50 at.% Al

The thermal diffusivity of Fe-Al alloys in the concentration range 22 to 50 at.% Al was measured within a temperature range of 20 to 600 °C. The thermal diffusivity of the Fe-25 and 28 at.% Al alloys decreases with increasing temperature up to the Curie temperature, and then it increases up to the temperature when the D0₃ ↔ B2 transformation occurs. The thermal diffusivity of Fe-22 at.% Al alloys increases with rising temperature up to the temperature when D0₃ ↔ B2 transformation occurs, and then it decreases. A further decrease in thermal diffusivity follows up to the Curie temperature. The thermal diffusivity of Fe-34 and Fe-40 at.% Al increases monotonically with the rising temperature. The thermal diffusivity of Fe-50 at.% Al alloys decreases only up to 100 °C, and does not change any further with increasing temperature. Thermal conductivity is the highest for Fe-25 and Fe-50 at.% Al alloys at room temperature. Thermal conductivity rises for all studied alloys with increasing temperature. The smallest increase was registered for Fe-25 at.% Al alloys.     

The influence of alloying elements on the chlorine-induced high temperature corrosion of Fe-Cr alloys in oxidizing atmospheres

The effect of the alloying elements Al, Cr, Mn, Mo, Si and Ti on the corrosion behaviour of ferritic Fe-15Cr model alloys was studied in a N₂/He-5 vol.% O₂ gas mixture with and without additions of 500–1500 vppm HCl at 600°C. The main corrosion mechanism is “active oxidation”, characterized by the formation of volatile metal chlorides at the metal/oxide interface. Volatilization and subsequent conversion of the chlorides into oxides results in the formation of porous and poorly adherent oxide scales. Large mass gains were observed for Fe-15Cr, Fe-35Cr and Fe-15Cr with additions of 5 wt.% Ti, 10 wt.% Mn or 10 wt.% Mo. The specific morphology of the corrosion products depends strongly on the alloying elements. For the Fe-Cr alloys, a model for the formation of the scales, which are characterized by alternating dense and porous layers, is presented. The addition of 5 wt.% Si or Al to Fe-15Cr leads to much better corrosion resistance by the formation of protective Cr₂O₃/Al₂O₃-layers, however in the case of Al addition the behaviour depends strongly on the experimental conditions, as surface treatment and flow velocity. In Fe-15Cr-10Mo preferential removal of the more reactive metals Fe and Cr was observed resulting in a Mo-enriched porous metal zone underneath the metal-oxide interface. The effect of carbon on the corrosion behaviour was examined by addition of 0.3–0.8 wt.% C to the model alloys. Cr-rich M₂₃C₆-carbides were attacked preferentially while Mo-rich M₆C-carbides are very stable relative to the matrix and the attack occurs in regions surrounding the carbides.     

Mechanical Properties of Lightweight Porous Magnesium Processed Through Powder Metallurgy

Porous magnesium (Mg) samples with various overall porosities (28.4 ± 1.8%, 35.5 ± 2.5%, 45.4 ± 1.9%, and 62.4 ± 2.2%) were processed through powder metallurgy and characterized to study their mechanical properties. Different porosities were obtained by utilizing different mass fractions of space holder camphene. Camphene was removed by sublimation before sintering and contributed to processing porous Mg with high purity and small average pore size. The average pore size increased from 5.2 µm to 15.1 µm with increase of the porosity from 28.4 ± 1.8% to 62.4 ± 2.2%. Compressive strain–stress data showed that the strain hardening rate, yield strength, and ultimate compressive strength decreased with increase of the porosity. The theoretical yield strength of porous Mg obtained using the Gibson–Ashby model agreed with experimental data.     

Oxidation of Fe-xCr-10Al (x=0, 5, 10) Alloys at 900 ℃: A Novel Example of the Third Element Effect

通过研究Ee-10Al，Fe-15Cr-10Al和Fe-10Cr-10Al(原子分数，％)合金在900℃的氧化行为，分析了二元Fe-Al合金形成选择性氧化铝膜所需的临界铝浓度．讨论了三元Fe-Cr-Al合金形成保护性氧化膜的机理，对于不发生Al的内氧化的情况，提出合金中第三组元Cr的作用机制的新解释．     

Highly porous open cellular TiAl-based intermetallics fabricated by thermal explosion with space holder process

High porosity TiAl-based intermetallics were prepared through thermal explosion (TE) from Ti–50Al at.% powders with NaCl as soluble template. The results showed that the space holder particles of NaCl were removed completely in green compacts, and porous Ti–Al materials were synthesized via a low-energy consumption method of TE at a temperature of 600 °C. TiAl was evolved as dominant phase in sintered materials at 1100 °C. With adding 80 vol.% NaCl to Ti–50Al at.% powders, the open porosity was significantly elevated up to 84%. Moreover, the porous materials exhibited a bimodal pore size distribution: large pores (200–500 μm) replicating NaCl particles and small pores (<50 μm) embedded in pore walls. The interconnected small and large pores make open cellular porous TiAl materials, which prescribe them promising for a wide range of applications in separation, heat insulation and catalysis.     

Criteria for the formation of protective Al2O3 scales on Fe-Al and Fe-Cr-Al alloys

The conditions for the formation of external alumina scales on binary Fe-Al alloys and the nature of the third-element effect due to chromium additions have been investigated by studying the oxidation at 1000 °C in 1 atm O₂ of a binary Fe-10 at.% Al alloy (Fe-10Al) and of two ternary Fe-Cr-10 at.% Al alloys containing 5 and 10 at.% chromium (Fe-5Cr-10Al and Fe-10Cr-10Al, respectively). An Al-rich scale developed initially on Fe-10Al was subsequently replaced by a multi-layered scale containing mixtures of Fe and Al oxides plus a large number of Fe-rich oxide nodules: internal aluminum oxidation was essentially absent from this alloy. Addition of 5 at.% chromium to Fe-10Al did not suppress the formation of nodules, but they were eventually healed by the growth of an alumina layer at their base, resulting in a significant reduction of the oxidation rate. Finally, the alloy with 10 at.% Cr formed continuous external alumina scales without any Fe-rich nodule. Thus, the addition of sufficient amounts of chromium to Fe-10Al produces a third-element effect as expected. However, the process found in this alloy system does not involve a prevention of the internal oxidation of Al. Instead, it shows a transition from the growth of mixed Fe- and Al-rich external scales directly to an external Al₂O₃ scale formation. An interpretation of this kind of mechanism involving a third-element is presented along with a prediction of the critical Al contents required to produce the various possible scaling modes on binary Fe-Al alloys.     

轧制压下量对Fe-8Al合金板材耐蚀性的影响

采用真空电磁感应熔炼制备了Fe-8Al合金,采用80%、70%、63%和50%轧制压下量制成合金板材,最后对4种Fe-8Al合金板材进行900℃退火保温10min后水冷的热处理。采用扫描电子显微镜(SEM),拉伸试验和电化学试验对4种Fe-8Al合金板材的性能进行分析。结果表明:随着轧制压下量的增大,Fe-8Al合金板的晶粒尺寸逐渐减小;轧制压下量为80%时Fe-8Al合金板材的综合力学性能最好;轧制压下量为63%时Fe-8Al合金在5%(质量分数)Na2SO4溶液中的耐蚀性最好。80%为Fe-8Al合金轧制工艺制度的最佳轧制压下量。     

Influence of Cu Addition on the Structure,Mechanical and Corrosion Properties of Cast Mg-2%Zn Alloy

Effects of different concentrations of Cu on the structure, mechanical and corrosion properties of Mg-2%Zn alloy were studied by the use of x-ray diffraction, optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy, standard tensile testing, polarization and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) measurements. The average grain size of the alloy decreased from above 1000 μm to about 200 μm with 5 wt.% Cu addition in as-cast condition. Microstructural studies revealed that Mg-2Zn-xCu alloys matrix typically consists of primary α-Mg and MgZnCu and Mg(Zn,Cu)₂ intermetallics which are mainly found at the grain boundaries. The results obtained from mechanical testing ascertained that Cu addition increased the hardness values significantly. Although the addition of 0.5 wt.% Cu improved the ultimate tensile strength and elongation values, more Cu addition (i.e., 5 wt.%) weakened the tensile properties of the alloy by introducing semi-continuous network of brittle intermetallic phases. Based on polarization test results, it can be concluded that Cu eliminates a protective film on Mg-2%Zn alloy surface. Among Mg-2%Zn-x%Cu alloys, the one containing 0.1 wt.% Cu exhibited the best anti-corrosion property. However, further Cu addition increased the volume fraction of intermetallics culminating in corrosion rate enhancement due to the galvanic couple effect. EIS and microstructural analysis also confirmed the polarization results.     

Deformation behaviour of iron-rich iron-aluminium alloys at high temperatures

The deformation behaviour of binary monocrystalline and polycrystalline Fe-Al alloys with Al contents up to 18 at.% and only low unavoidable impurity contents—in particular less than 100 wt.ppm C—has been studied above room temperature up to 800 °C. The effects of quenching and annealing treatments on the behaviour of as-cast materials were investigated in order to clarify the dependence of strength and ductility on Al content and possible short-range ordering. Besides solid-solution hardening by Al, serrated yielding and deformation twinning were observed at high temperatures. Yielding is affected by quenched-in excess vacancies.