Solidification microstructures and mechanical properties of high-vanadium Fe–C–V and Fe–C–V–Si alloys

Fe–C–V and Fe–C–V–Si alloys of various C, V and Si compositions were investigated in this work. It was found that the phases present in both of these alloy systems were alloyed ferrite, alloyed cementite, and VC_x carbides. Depending on the alloy composition the solidified microstructural constituents were granular pearlite-like, lamellar pearlite, or mixtures of alloyed ferrite + granular pearlite-like or granular pearlite-like + lamellar pearlite. In addition, it is shown that in Fe–C–V alloys the C/V ratio influences (a) the type of matrix, (b) the fraction of vanadium carbides, f_v and (c) the eutectic cell count, N_F. In Fe–C–V alloys, a relationship between the alloy content corresponding to the eutectic line was experimentally determined and can be described by where C_e and V_e are the carbon and vanadium composition of the eutectic. Moreover, in the Fe–C–V alloys (depending on the alloy chemistry), the primary VC_x carbides crystallize with non-faceted or non-faceted/faceted interfaces, while the eutectic morphology is non-faceted/non-faceted with regular fiber-like structures, or it possesses a dual morphology (non-faceted/non-faceted with regular fiber-like structures + non-faceted/faceted with complex regular structures). In the Fe–C–V–Si system, the primary VC_x carbides solidify with a non-faceted/faceted interface, while the eutectic is non-faceted/faceted with complex regular structures. In particular, spiral eutectic growth is observed when Si is present in the Fe–C–V alloys. In general, it is found that as the matrix constituent shifts from predominantly ferrite to lamellar pearlite, the hardness, yield and tensile strengths exhibit substantial increases at expenses of ductility. Moreover, Si additions lead to alloy strengthening by solid solution hardening of the ferrite phase and/or through a reduction in the eutectic fiber spacings with a decrease in the alloy ductility.     

Phase diagram calculation and experimental research on Fe–12Cr–B–Al–alloys

The vertical sections of Fe–12%Cr–B–xAl–C system with different aluminum contents have been calculated by use of Thermo‐Calc software and the influence of aluminum content on the phase regions and the parameters of eutectic point have been analyzed. Fe–12.0%Cr–1.0%B–2.0%Al–0.3%C and Fe–12.0%Cr–1.0%B–4.0%Al–0.3%C alloy were chosen to be studied by experiment. The phase transition temperatures were measured by differential scanning calorimetry and the microstructure and the phase type was detected by scanning electrone microscope‐energy dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy and X‐ray diffraction. The results indicate that calculated phase diagrams agree well with the experimental results and further prove the thermodynamics database of Thermo‐Calc software is reliable and it can be used to help design the alloy composition and heat treatment process.     

Macromechanics study of stable fatigue crack growth in Al–Cu–Li–Mg–Ag alloy

This study was made on a fresh variety of Al–Li base alloy to investigate the role of ageing precipitates and microstructure dimensions in the fatigue crack growth resistance. The fatigue crack growth rate was measured in three different states of the material (i.e. base metal in T8 condition, friction stir weld and laser beam weld in full‐aged condition). Metallurgical analysis showed that the base metal in T8 temper is precipitation hardened by an equivalent amount of δ′ (AL₃Li), T₁ (AI₂CuLi) and θ′ (AI₂Cu) precipitates. The friction stir weld retained the morphology of strengthening precipitate; however, coarsening of Cu containing precipitates has occurred. On the other hand, laser beam weld showed a different type of CuAl phase morphology, which is characteristic of cast metal. The results of fatigue tests confirmed that fatigue crack growth resistance largely depends on microstructural features, specifically the strengthening phases. The fatigue crack resistance was in the order of base metal > laser beam weldment > friction stir weldment. The CuAl phase played a vital role in the crack closure of the laser beam weldment, thus enhancing the fatigue life as compared with the friction stir weldment, which was evident from the plot between log of da/dN (crack growth in each cycle) and log of ΔK (stress intensity range).     

Hot compressive deformation behavior and microstructure evolution of Ti–6Al–2Zr–1Mo–1V alloy at 1073 K

Hot compressive behaviors of Ti–6Al–2Zr–1Mo–1V alloy at 1073 K, as well as the evolution of microstructure during deformation process, were investigated in this paper. The results shows that flow stress increases up to a peak stress, then decease with increasing strain, and forms a stable stage at last. The grain size also shows an decrease at first and increase after a minimum value. Dislocations are observed to produce at the interface of α/β phase, and the phase interface and dislocation circle play an important role in impeding the movement of dislocation. As strain increase, micro-deformation bands with high-density dislocation are founded, and dynamic recrystallization occurs.     

A study of tensile properties in Al–Si–Cu and Al–Si–Mg alloys: Effect of β-iron intermetallics and porosity

The effect of β-iron intermetallics and porosity on the tensile properties in cast Al–Si–Cu and Al–Si–Mg alloys were investigated for this research study, using experimental and industrial 319.2 alloys, and industrial A356.2 alloys. The results showed that the alloy ductility and ultimate tensile strength (UTS) were subject to deterioration as a result of an increase in the size of β-iron intermetallics, most noticeable up to β-iron intermetallic lengths of 100 μm in 319.2 alloys, or 70 μm in A356.2 alloys. An increase in the size of the porosity was also deleterious to alloy ductility and UTS. Although tensile properties are interpreted by means of UTS vs. log elongation plots in the present study, the properties for all sample conditions were best interpreted by means of log UTS vs. log elongation plots, where the properties increased linearly between conditions of low cooling rate–high Fe and high cooling rate–low Fe. The results are explained in terms of the β-Al₅FeSi platelet size and porosity values obtained.     

Flow behavior and microstructural evolution of Al–Cu–Mg–Ag alloy during hot compression deformation

The flow behavior of Al–Cu–Mg–Ag alloy and its microstructural evolution during hot compression deformation were studied by thermal simulation test. The flow stress increased with increasing the strain rate, and decreased with increasing the deforming temperature, which can be described by a constitutive equation in hyperbolic sine function with the hot deformation activation energy 196.27 kJ/mol, and can also be described by a Zener–Hollomon parameter. The dynamic recrystallization only occurred at low Z values, which must be below or equal to a constant of 5.31 × 10¹³ s⁻¹. With decreasing Z value, the elongated grains coarsed and the tendency of dynamic recrystallization enhanced. Correspondingly, the subgrain size increased and the dislocation density decreased. And the main soften mechanism of the alloy transformed from dynamic recovery to dynamic recrystallization.     

Crystallization of an amorphous B–C–N precursor with a Li–B–N catalyst at high pressures and temperatures

An orthorhombic B–C–N compound was synthesized using an amorphous B–C–N precursor and a Li–B–N catalyst at 6 GPa and 1773 K. The results of energy dispersive spectrometry and electronic energy loss spectrometry suggest a stoichiometry of B:C:N = 1:3.3:1. In addition, the Li–B–N catalyst improves the crystallizations of the B–C–N compound, graphite and BN and therefore might be a profitable catalyst in ultrahigh pressure experiments.     

Self‐Catalyzed Growth of Co–N–C Nanobrushes for Efficient Rechargeable Zn–Air Batteries

Highly efficient and stable bifunctional electrocatalysts for oxygen reduction and evolution are essential for aqueous rechargeable Zn–air batteries, which require highly active sites as well as delicate structural design for increasing effective active sites and facilitating mass/electron transfer. Herein, a scalable and facile self‐catalyzed growth strategy is developed to integrate highly active Co–N–C sites with 3D brush‐like nanostructure, achieving Co–N–C nanobrushes with Co,N‐codoped carbon nanotube branches grown on Co,N‐codoped nanoparticle assembled nanowire backbones. Systematic investigations suggest that nanobrushes deliver significantly improved electrocatalytic activity compared with nanowire or nanotube counterparts and the longer nanotube branches give the better performance. Benefiting from the increase of accessible highly active sites and enhanced mass transfer and electron transportation, the present Co–N–C nanobrush exhibits superior electrocatalytic activity and durability when used as a bifunctional oxygen catalyst. It enables a rechargeable Zn–air battery with a high peak power density of 246 mW cm^?2 and excellent cycling stability. These results suggest that the reported synthetic strategy may open up possibilities for exploring efficient electrocatalysts for diverse applications.     

Microstructure and texture of rolled and annealed β titanium alloy Ti–10V–4.5Fe–1.5Al

This work describes the evolution of texture during cold rolling and annealing of a hot rolled and solution treated sheet of a low cost β titanium alloy Ti–10V–4.5Fe–1.5Al. The alloy was cold rolled up to 60% reductions and then annealed in β phase field at different temperatures to study the re-crystallisation textures. The rolling and re-crystallisation textures obtained in this study are compared with those of other β titanium alloys and bcc metals and alloys such as tantalum and low carbon steel.     

Experimental Study on the Effect of Cooling Rate on the Secondary Phase in As‐Cast Mg–Gd–Y–Zr Alloy

The effect of cooling rate on the composition, morphology, size, and volume fraction of the secondary phase in as‐cast Mg–Gd–Y–Zr alloy is investigated. In the study, a casting containing five steps with thickness of 10–50 mm is produced, in which cooling rate ranging from 2.6 to 11.0 K s^?1 is created. The secondary phase is characterized using optical microscope (OM), scanning electron microscope (SEM), and electron probe micro‐analyzer (EPMA). The volume fraction of the secondary phase is determined using OM and quantitative metallographic analysis, and Vickers hardness test is conducted to verify the analysis results. The effect of the cooling rate on the volume fraction of the secondary phase is discussed in detail. The result shows that with the increase of the cooling rate, the size of the secondary phase decreases. The effect of the cooling rate on the volume fraction of the secondary phase is complicated somewhat. A comprehensive analysis on the experimental data shows that a critical cooling rate may exist, over which the volume fraction of the secondary phase decreases with the increase of the cooling rate, however under which the volume fraction increases with the increase of the cooling rate.

     

Metallurgical assessment of an emerging Al–Zn–Mg–Cu P/M alloy

The objective of this work was to conduct a detailed assessment of the microstructure and mechanical properties of an emerging Al–Zn–Mg–Cu powder metallurgy (P/M) alloy known as Alumix 431D. A variety of techniques were considered including optical microscopy, X-ray diffraction, electron-probe micro-analysis, thermal dilatometry, and differential scanning calorimetry as well as apparent hardness, tensile testing, and bending fatigue. Alumix 431D exhibited many of the same attributes found in wrought counter parts such as 7075. A sintered density of approximately 99% of theoretical was achieved, indicating that the alloy was highly responsive to sintering. Once heat treated, a T6 hardness of 86 HRB and a room temperature ultimate tensile strength of 448 MPa were noted. Thermal analyses implied that the precipitation behaviour of Alumix 431D closely mimicked comparable 7XXX series wrought alloys and was largely premised on the precipitation of η-phase variants. Tensile properties of the alloy in a T1 temper were found to be relatively stable at temperatures up to 150 °C and 1000 h of exposure time. Those of T6 specimens degraded under the same exposure conditions to the point where equivalency with the T1 product was noted.     

The tensile deformation behavior of Ti–3Al–4.5V–5Mo titanium alloy

The tensile deformation behavior of Ti–3Al–4.5V–5Mo titanium alloy was studied. The results show that there are obvious yield points on true stress–true strain curves of annealing structures, then a stress drop occurs. The curves show linear work-softening after yielding at annealing temperature of 720–780 °C and linear work-hardening at annealing temperature of 800–840 °C. Elastic energy stored in the α-phase is dramatically released after plastic deformation of the β-phase, which leads to the stress drop.     

Effect of quenching on microstructure and wear‐resistance of Fe–10Cr–1.5B–2Al Alloy

Cast Fe–10Cr–1.5B–2Al alloy was quenched at different temperatures. The effects of quenching temperature on microstructure and hardness and wear‐resistance of Fe–10Cr–1.5B–2.0Al alloy were investigated by means of the optical microscopy, the scanning electron microscope, X‐ray diffraction, energy dispersive spectrometer, Vickers hardness and Rockwell hardness tester, and the MM‐200 block‐on‐ring wear testing machine under dry friction condition. The results indicate that the as‐cast microstructure of Fe–10Cr–1.5B–2.0Al alloy consists of ferrite, pearlite and netlike eutectics which are distributed in the grain boundary. The eutectics mainly include herringbone M₂B and chrysanthemum M₇(C, B)₃. The matrix gradually turns into single martensite with the increase of the quenching temperature. The type of borocarbides has no obvious change after quenching. The netlike boride almost totally fractures and transforms from the fish‐bone structure to the graininess. There is some retained austenite in the quenched structures when the quenching temperature is more than 1100 °C. When the quenching temperature is in a range of 1000 °C to 1100 °C, the hardness and wear resistance show a sharp increase with an increase of temperature, and show a slight decrease after surpassing 1100 °C.     

The influence of microstructure on dwell sensitive fatigue in Ti–6.5Al–3.5Mo–1.5Zr–0.3Si alloy

The fatigue behaviour of titanium alloy Ti–6.5Al–3.5Mo–1.5Zr–0.3Si (TC11) was examined at 520°C to study the effects of microstructural variation on the dwell sensitivity. Three microstructures (equiaxed, tri-modal and basketweave) were used in this study. When a 3-min dwell time was imposed at the peak of each cycle a significant fatigue life reduction was observed for all microstructures tested. Among the three microstructures, equiaxed microstructure showed the strongest fatigue life reduction. The basketweave microstructure had a little higher dwell-time fatigue life than tri-modal microstructure at low maximum stress levels. In all cases, extensive quasi-cleavage facets and planar slips with track-like dislocations have been intimately linked with the dwell sensitive fatigue response. The amount of quasi-cleavage facets and planar slips decreased with a decrease of the α phase content. A rationalization for planar slip was proposed based on the mechanism of dislocations shearing α₂ particles. It is believed that α₂ particle formation and oxidization effects played an important role in dislocation planar slip.     

High-temperature stability of the mechanical and optical properties of Si–B–C–N films prepared by magnetron sputtering

Quaternary Si–B–C–N materials are becoming increasingly attractive due to their possible high-temperature and harsh-environment applications. In this work, amorphous Si–B–C–N films with two compositions (Si₃₄B₉C₄N₄₉ and Si₃₆B₁₃C₇N₄₀) and low contamination level (H + O + Ar < 4 at.%) were deposited on silicon substrates by reactive dc magnetron co-sputtering using two different targets and gas mixtures. Thermal stability of these films was investigated in terms of composition, bonding structure, as well as mechanical and optical properties after annealing in helium up to a 1300°C substrate limit. Films with a high nitrogen content (Si₃₄B₉C₄N₄₉, i.e. N/[Si + B + C]~ 1.0) were found to be stable up to 1300°C. After annealing, the hardness and elastic recovery of those films slightly increased up to 27 GPa and 84%, respectively, and the reduced Young's modulus remained practically constant (~ 170 GPa). The refractive index and the extinction coefficient at 550 nm were evaluated at 2.0 and 5 × 10^− 4, respectively, and the optical band gap was approximately 3.0 eV. In contrast, films with a lower nitrogen content (Si₃₆B₁₃C₇N₄₀, i.e. N/[Si + B + C]~ 0.7) were stable only up to 1200°C. Both Si–B–C–N materials studied here exhibited extremely high oxidation resistance in air up to the 1300°C substrate limit.     

Fast exact linear and non‐linear structural reanalysis and the Sherman–Morrison–Woodbury formulas

Several exact fast static structural reanalysis techniques, introduced by researchers mostly for truss structures and some for frames and plate structures, are reviewed. Most utilize the property that the solution of a system of linear equations can be updated inexpensively when the matrix is changed by a low‐rank increment. This paper shows that these methods are variants of the well‐known Sherman–Morrison and Woodbury (SMW) formulas for the update of the inverse of a matrix. In addition, the paper extends the low‐cost linear reanalysis in the spirit of the SMW formulas to some non‐linear reanalysis problems. For a linear reanalysis, the extension reduces to the SMW formulas. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Co Nanoislands Rooted on Co–N–C Nanosheets as Efficient Oxygen Electrocatalyst for Zn–Air Batteries

Developing non‐precious‐metal bifunctional oxygen reduction and evolution reaction (ORR/OER) catalysts is a major task for promoting the reaction efficiency of Zn–air batteries. Co‐based catalysts have been regarded as promising ORR and OER catalysts owing to the multivalence characteristic of cobalt element. Herein, the synthesis of Co nanoislands rooted on Co–N–C nanosheets supported by carbon felts (Co/Co–N–C) is reported. Co nanosheets rooted on the carbon felt derived from electrodeposition are applied as the self‐template and cobalt source. The synergistic effect of metal Co islands with OER activity and Co–N–C nanosheets with superior ORR performance leads to good bifuctional catalytic performances. Wavelet transform extended X‐ray absorption fine spectroscopy and X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy certify the formation of Co (mainly Co⁰) and the Co–N–C (mainly Co²⁺ and Co³⁺) structure. As the air‐cathode, the assembled aqueous Zn–air battery exhibits a small charge–discharge voltage gap (0.82 V@10 mA cm^?2) and high power density of 132 mW cm^?2, outperforming the commercial Pt/C catalyst. Additionally, the cable flexible rechargeable Zn–air battery exhibits excellent bendable and durability. Density functional theory calculation is combined with operando X‐ray absorption spectroscopy to further elucidate the active sites of oxygen reactions at the Co/Co–N–C cathode in Zn–air battery.     

Fast BEM–FEM mortar coupling for acoustic–structure interaction

A coupling algorithm based on Lagrange multipliers is proposed for the simulation of structure–acoustic field interaction. Finite plate elements are coupled to a Galerkin boundary element formulation of the acoustic domain. The interface pressure is interpolated as a Lagrange multiplier, thus, allowing the coupling of non‐matching grids. The resulting saddle‐point problem is solved by an approximate Uzawa‐type scheme in which the matrix–vector products of the boundary element operators are evaluated efficiently by the fast multipole boundary element method. The algorithm is demonstrated on the example of a cavity‐backed elastic panel. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.