Preparation of semi-solid billet of magnesium alloy and its thixoforming

Preparation of semi-solid billet of magnesium alloy and thixoforming was investigated by applying equal channel angularextrusion to magnesium alloy.The results show that mechanical properties of AZ91D alloy at room temperature,such as yieldstrength(YS),ultimate tensile strength(UTS)and elongation,are enhanced greatly by four-pass equal channel angularextrusion(ECAE)at 573 K and microstructure of AZ91D alloy is refined to the average grain size of 20μm.Through using ECAE asstrain induced step in SIMA and completing melt activated step by semi-solid isothermal treatment,semi-solid billet with finespheroidal grains of 25μm can be prepared successfully.Compared with common SIMA,thixoformed satellite angle framecomponents using semi-solid billet prepared by new SIMA have higher mechanical properties at room temperature and hightemperature of 373 K.     

Compound fabrication technology of semi-solid billet of A1-Si alloy based on SIMA method

Based on SIMA, the AI-Si alloy semi-solid billets were successfully fabricated by means of strain inducement and isothermal treatment for A1Si9Mg poured in the range of near-liquidus. Through orthogonal test, the effects of combination action of near-liquidus casting, strain inducement and isothermal treatment on the morphology of primary α-Al phase of AISi9Mg close to eutectic point were investigated, and the optimal match relation between the processing parameters of solidification, deformation parameters of strain inducement, processing parameters of isothermal treatment and microstructure parameters of semi-solid alloy was established. The results indicate that compared with the single near-liquidus casting or SIMA, the microstructure of primary a-Al phase in A1Si9Mg alloy prepared by compound fabrication process is more homogeneous, with more globular and finer particles, which has average grain size of 40-50 Brn and shape factor of greater than 0.75. After holding at 605 ℃ for 30-40 min under a certain cooling rate, increased deformation volume in SIMA benefits the refinement of the grain and the improvement of the morphology for primary phase.     

Effect of lithium on the casting microstructure of Cu-Li alloys

The effect of lithium on the casting microstructure of Cu-Li alloys was studied via the Wild MPS 46 Automatic camera, Deitz Diaplan, and scanning electron microscope. The result shows that trace lithium added to copper coarsens the grains of Cu-Li alloys in eqniaxed crystal area because of the excellent purification effect. With the amount of lithium increasing, the average grain size increases sharply. But when the amount of lithium increases more, the average grain size decreases instead. At the same time, the typical dentritic crystal area of copper is diminished when lithium is added to pure copper.     

Microstructure and mechanical properties of Ti44Al6Nb alloys with different cerium contents

Ti44A16 Nb-based alloy ingots with different cerium(Ce) contents(0,0.05,0.10,0.15,0.20;at%) were prepared by non-consumable vacuum arc smelting furnace(WK-Ⅱ).The surface quality,macrostructure,microstructure,compressive properties and fracture morphology of these ingots were studied.The results show that Ce has few influences on the surface quality.Ce can refine grain size and the average grain size decreases from 0.50 to 0.19 mm with the increase of Ce content.Meanwhile,the microstructure morphology of these ingots changes from large lamellar microstructure to dual-phase microstructure.With addition of Ce,CeO and AlCe3 are formed during melting and solidifying,which act as the core of heterogeneous nucleation and refine the grain.The compressive testing results show that Ce can improve strength and ductility.The ultimate compressive strength increases from 1156.2 to 1472.2 MPa with Ce content increasing from 0 at% to 0.20 at%.The compression ratio is improved from 10.2 % to 15.3% with Ce content increasing from 0 at% to 0.10 at%.The refined crystalline strengthening and grain boundary strengthening are the main reasons for the improvement of compressive property.     

Deformation characteristic of semi-solid ZCuSn10 copper alloy during isothermal compression

The compression tests were carried out by Gleeble-1500 thermo-mechanical simulator with samples of semi-solid ZCuSn10 alloy prepared by strain-induced melt activation(SIMA) process. The original microstructure and the deformation temperature of semi-solid ZCuSn10 alloy are different. The strain is 0.2, and the strain rate is 1 s~(-1) for the compression test. The results show that when the semi-solid ZCuSn10 alloy was prepared by SIMA process, the liquid fraction of semi-solid microstructure increases, and the solid grain is smaller,more uniform and more inclined to be round as the rolling pre-deformation increasing. The results also indicate that the deformation resistance of ZCuSn10 alloy in semi-solid state decreases with the deformation temperature increasing or the solid fraction of original microstructure decreasing. The stress–strain curves of the isothermal compression can be divided into quasi-elastic deformation stage and plastic deformation stage, and there are three deformation zones in the samples after isothermal compression, namely the difficult deformation zone, the large deformation zone and the free deformation zone. In the three deformation zones, the main deformation mechanism is flow of liquid incorporating solid particles(FLS)mechanism, plastic deformation of solid particles(PDS)mechanism and liquid flow(LF) combining with FLS mechanism, respectively.     

Solidification structure simulation and casting process optimization of GCr15 bloom alloy

Based on the solidification heat transfer model and CAFémodel,the solidification structure of GCr15 bloom alloy was studied.Using nail shooting and acid etching experiments,the solidification models were verified.The secondary dendrite arm spacing(SDAS)model of GCr15 was obtained by simulation calculation and metallographic observation.With the increase of casting speed,the SDAS,equiaxed crystal ratio(ECR)and average grain size increase.With the rise of superheat,the SDAS increases in the 20-70 mm of thickness and decreases in the 80-160 mm of thickness.The ECR decreases and the average grain size increases with the increase of superheat.With the increase of specific water flow,both the SDAS and ECR decrease.The minimum average grain size is obtained when the specific water flow is 0.20 L·kg^-1.The central carbon segregation index is reduced from 1.11 to 1.075.     

Microstructure evolution of semi-solid 2024 alloy during two-step reheating process

A two-step reheating process was proposed and applied to perform reheating experiments on the semi-solid 2024 alloy billet. In this process, the semi-solid billet was firstly heated over liquidus temperature and then isothermally held at solid-liquid zone temperature. Microstructure evolution of the semi-solid billet during two-step reheating was studied by optical microscope and compared with that during isothermal reheating. The results show that the remelting rate of the semi-solid billet during two-step reheating is faster than that during isothermal reheating. Under the same reheating time, the grains of the semi-solid billet reheated by two-step reheating process are finer and rounder than those by isothermal reheating process. The present experimental results indicate that accelerating the formation of liquid phase during the two-step reheating process can restrain the coalescence of grains to a certain extent, and thus refine the grain size and promote the grain spheroidization.     

SEMI-SOLID MICROSTRUCTURE AND ITS EVOLUTION OF WROUGHT ALUMINUM ALLOY BY DIRECTLY HEATING-ISOTHERMAL TREATMENT

Microstructure evolution of wrought aluminum alloy extruded rods and the mechanism of liquid phase formation during reheating were investigated. And the relation between the volume fraction of liquid phase and the recrystallization microstructure was proposed. The results show that increase in reheating temperature and time can augment the volume fraction of liquid phase and accelerate the grain spheroidization, as a result of which the requirement of semi-solid forming can be satisfied. Due to the higher aberration energy of grain boundary, the melting point is lowered as a result of the easy diffusion of atoms. At higher reheating temperature the grain boundary melts, the growth of the recrystallized grain is inhibited and the grain is refined. The composition of the low melt-point phase along the recrystallized grains was determined using EDS. It can be seen from the experimental results that when the extrusion rod of the wrought aluminum alloy is reheated at 610℃ for 20min, perfect fine equiaxial grains can be obtained, the average grain size is about 66.34μm and the volume fraction of solid phase is about 68%.     

Microstructures of an AlSi7Mg alloy by near-liquidus casting

Semi-solid ingots of an AlSi7Mg alloy were obtained using the method of near liquidus casting. Their micro- structures exhibit the characteristics of fine, equiaxed, and non-dendrite, which are required for semi-solid forming. The in- fluences of casting temperature, heat preservation time, and cooling rate on the microstructure were also investigated. The results show that in the temperature region near liquidus the grain size becomes small with a decrease in casting temperature. Prolonging the heat preservation time makes grain crassitude at the same temperature. And increasing the cooling rate makes grain fine. The microstructure of the alloy cast with iron mould is finer than that with graphite mould.     

Preparation of AZ91D magnesium alloy semi-solid billet by new strain induced melt activated method

1 Introduction AZ91D magnesium alloy has received more attention due to its high specific strength, specific rigidity and good dimensional stability and so on[1]. Thixoforming is one of the best methods with regard to forming AZ91D magnesium alloy compone…     

镁合金ZK60-RE半固态坯的微观组织演变

采用常规铸造法和等径道角挤压分别制备了镁合金ZK60-RE半固态坯;用金相显微镜研究了2种半固态坯料在等温热处理过程中的微观组织演变。结果表明：与传统铸造方法制备的半固态坯相比,采用等径道角挤压制备的半固态坯的晶粒细小、圆整,适合于半固态成形。在等温热处理过程中,2种坯料晶粒粗化的机制是合并长大和Ostwald长大。铸态坯料晶粒液相来源于非平衡凝固时在晶内产生的共晶组织,以及在随后的合并长大过程中晶粒所包裹的液相。随着保温时间的延长,铸态坯料的晶粒尺寸变化情况是：增大、减小然后又增大;而挤压态坯料的晶粒尺寸呈单一增大趋势。     

Microstructure evolution of processed Mg-Al-Zn alloy by equal channel angular extrusion in semi-solid isothermal treatment

1Introduction Thixoforming is one of the best methods regarding manufacture of Mg-Al-Zn alloy components because of its low resistance of deformation compared with solid metal forging and high mechanical properties of formed components compared with liqui…     

Mg-Al系镁合金半固态坯料制备及触变挤压研究

采用拉伸试验机、金相显微镜和等径道角挤压等试验方法对Mg-Al系镁合金半固态坯料制备及触变挤压过程进行了研究.结果表明,等径道角挤压工艺对Mg-Al系镁合金有很好的应变诱导效果.经过等径道角挤压的Mg-Al系镁合金力学性能高,晶粒细小.等径道角挤压+等温处理方法制备的Mg-Al系镁合金半固态坯的微观组织晶粒细小,球化程度高,微观组织非常均匀.生产的AZ61、AZ80、AZ91D和AM60镁合金角框零件的微观组织细小,抗拉强度分别达到306.8、308.3、299.8、321.6MPa.伸长率分别达到21.6%、28.4%、14.6%和29.6%.     

等温处理对挤压态AZ80A镁合金半固态组织的影响

采用应变诱发熔化激活法(SIMA)工艺制备了AZ80A镁合金半固态坯料,研究了保温温度和保温时间对半固态组织的影响。结果表明:随着保温温度的升高和保温时间的增加,AZ80A镁合金的平均晶粒尺寸与液相率都呈上升趋势,形状因子呈先增大后减小的趋势。半固态组织由α-Mg晶粒、Al、Zn元素富集形成的晶界处液相和晶内“小液池”组成,其组织演变分为初始晶粒合并长大,晶粒球化、彼此分离,最终合并粗化3个阶段。采用该种方法制备AZ80A镁合金半固态坯料时合适的保温温度为550 ℃、保温时间为45 min,此时半固态组织的平均晶粒尺寸、形状因子和液相率分别为89 μm、0.795和26.7%。     

变形程度对7A04合金半固态触变组织的影响

获得具有触变特性的均匀的、近球形的显微组织是半固态触变成形工艺的基础和关键。以挤压态7A04合金SIMA法生成触变组织为例．研究变形程度对其半固态触变组织的影响。结果表明：在加热前的变形程度对显微组织的影响很大，随着变形程度的增加，晶粒尺寸减小，晶粒形状越趋于球形；当变形程度超过0．3时，晶粒尺寸及其球形化速度逐渐减慢并趋于稳定值。此外，经过冷变形后，晶粒内及晶粒间的偏析减小，晶界易被低熔点液相浸润．更易获得均匀的、近球形的触变组织。     

挤压速度和电磁铸造锭坯对AZ31镁合金板材组织和性能影响

文章研究挤压条件下挤压速度和电磁铸造锭坯对挤压态AZ31镁合金板材组织和性能的影响。研究结果发现,挤压速度比较低时,板材晶粒尺寸小,板材的表面质量比较好;随着挤压速度的降低,抗拉强度、屈服强度和延伸率都有一定的提高。由于镁合金是HCP的晶体结构,同时对挤压速度非常敏感,对变形均匀性影响比较大,因此造成挤压板材的内外晶粒大小不均。在电磁场的作用下,溶质在晶内的固溶度增大,同时晶粒大小也比常规铸造的细小,因此电磁铸造的锭坯经挤压机挤压后,挤压板材的晶粒尺寸比较细小,且强度和塑性都有所提高。     

A356铝合金半固态成形坯料二次加热工艺的优化

使用多工位电磁感应旋转加热装置对A356圆棒料进行重熔加热。选用不同的加热功率和工位,得到不同的非树枝晶组织,借助晶粒参数(如晶粒平均大小、形状系数、固相率等)对得到的显微组织进行研究,选出综合指标最优的加热工艺,再对该工艺加热的坯料压铸成阶梯试样。通过对阶梯试样性能分析,验证了该工艺的合理性和优越性。结合凝固理论,分析了坯料二次加热的演变规律。