Effect of La addition on semi-solid microstructure evolution of Mg-7Zn magnesium alloy

Semi-solid billets of Mg-7Zn and Mg-7Zn-0.3La alloys were prepared by semi-solid isothermal heat treatment. The effects of the La element on the as-cast and semi-solid microstructures of Mg-7Zn alloy were investigated. Meanwhile, the effects of isothermal temperature and holding time on the evolution of the semi-solid microstructure of Mg-7Zn-0.3La alloy were also studied. Results indicate that the addition of a small amount of La can significantly refine the as-cast and semi-solid microstructure. During the semi-solid thermal transformation, the size and shape factor of solid particles decrease at first and then increase with the increase of isothermal temperature and holding time. The semi-solid microstructure of Mg-7Zn-0.3La alloy obtained by holding at 605 °C for 30 min is the optimal. The average size of solid particles, shape factor, and solid fraction are 42 µm, 1.45 and 61.8%, respectively. At the same time, a comparative study on the coarsening process of particles in the semi-solid billets of Mg-7Zn and Mg-7Zn-0.3La alloys reveals that the addition of La effectively decreases the coarsening rate of solid particles and restricts the growth of solid particles.

     

Effects of trace Cr on as-cast microstructure and microstructural evolution of semi-solid isothermal heat treatment ZC61 magnesium alloy

The content and kind of trace elements in magnesium alloys have important effects on their ascast and semi-solid microstructures. In this research work, effects of trace Cr on as-cast and semi-solid microstructures of ZC61 magnesium alloy were investigated by metal mold casting and semi-solid isothermal heat treatment. The results show that the addition of Cr can refine the α-Mg phase without generating a new phase, noticeably change the eutectic phase, and decrease the average size of solid particles at the same isothermal heat treatment conditions. Non-dendritic microstructures of all alloys are constituted of α_1-Mg phases, α_2-Mg phases and eutectic phases after water quenching. With isothermal temperature increased or holding time prolonged, the eutectic microstructure(α-Mg+MgZn_2+CuMgZn) at the grain boundaries in as-cast alloy is melted preferentially and then turned into semi-solid non-dendritic microstructure by processes of initial coarsening, microstructure separation, spheroidizing and final coarsening. Especially when the ZC61-0.1 Cr alloy was treated at 585 ℃ for 30 min, the ideal non-dendritic microstructure can be obtained, and the corresponding solid particle size and shape factor were 37.5 μm and 1.33, respectively. The coarsening process of solid α-Mg phase at higher temperature or longer time, which is affected by both combining growth and Ostwald ripening mechanism, is refrained when Cr is added to the ZC61 alloy.     

Micromechanisms of serrated flow in a Ni50Pd30P20 bulk metallic glass with a large compression plasticity

Serrated flow is a characteristic feature of plastic deformation of bulk metallic glasses (BMGs) with a large compression strain. However, the underlying mechanisms of the discrete plasticity in the disordered solids have been debated for many years. Here, we report mechanical behavior and microstructural evolution of a Ni₅₀Pd₃₀P₂₀ BMG subjected to uniaxial compression testing. Extensive nanocrystallization within shear bands and in the vicinity of fracture surfaces was observed and various crystal defects, including dislocations, twins and kink bands, were detected in the resultant nanocrystals. These observations suggest a microscopic mechanism of the serrated flow of the BMG, i.e. the stress drop is caused by local strain-softening and the arrest of shear bands is associated with in situ nanocrystallization.     

Plastic deformability of metallic glass by artificial macroscopic notches

This paper reports that the plasticity of Zr-based metallic glass can be improved by creating two symmetrical semi-circular notches. Unlike the experimental findings of the samples without notches, a steady shear deformation can be created by the large-scale stress gradient around the two symmetrical notches and the plasticity of metallic glass can be enhanced to a high value of ～10% under compression tests. The improved plasticity may be due to the easy initiation of shear bands around the notches, and the consequent blocking effect of notches on the propagation of shear bands, similar to the dislocation mechanism in crystalline materials. To reveal the particular plastic deformation behavior of metallic glass, Ti₃SiC₂ ceramic and high-strength steel specimens with two symmetrical semi-circular notches were also conducted under compressive loadings; however, no enhancement in plasticity was found. It is suggested that creating a stress gradient is a particular strategy for designing metallic glasses in order to improve their plasticity.     

Effect of heat treatment on microstructure and properties of semi-solid squeeze casting AZ91D

Semi-solid AZ91D magnesium alloy billets were prepared by near-liquidus heat holding. Semi-solid squeeze casting was conducted at 575, 585 and 595 ℃, respectively, with 1 mm·s~(-1) squeeze speed. The semisolid squeeze casting AZ91D samples were heat treated by T4(solution at 415 ℃ for 24 h) and T6(solution at 415 ℃ for 24 h + 220 ℃ for 8 h) processes, respectively. The microstructure and mechanical properties of the alloy in different states were investigated by means of OM, SEM and tensile testing machine. The results show that compared to as-cast alloy, the grain size of the semi-solid squeezed AZ91D decreased significantly, and with the increase of semi-solid squeeze temperature, the grain size of AZ91D increased. The grains of the alloy were refined by T4 treatment, and further refined by T6 treatment. T6 treatment greatly improved the tensile strength, elongation, and hardness, but did not significantly improve yield strength. After 575 ℃ squeeze casting and T6 treatment, the ultimate tensile strength(UTS) reached 285 MPa, the elongation reached 13.36%, and the hardness also reached the maximum(106.8 HV), but the yield strength(YS) was only 180 MPa. During the process of semi-solid squeeze casting and heat treatment, the matrix grain was refined and a large number of precipitated and secondary precipitated phases of Mg_(17)Al_(12) appeared. Both the average size of matrix grain and secondary precipitated phase decreased, while the volume fraction of secondary precipitated phase increased. All these resulted in high tensile strength, elongation and hardness.     

Indentation plastic work and large compression plasticity in in situ nanocrystallized Zr62Cu18Ni10Al10 bulk metallic glass

Large plasticity is observed during uniaxial macroscopic compression of Zr₆₂Cu₁₈Ni₁₀Al₁₀ bulk metallic glass. Nanoindentation experiments, performed on the as-cast and compressed specimens, confirm the enhanced plasticity after compression. Indeed, the ratio between the plastic and the total indentation energies, U_pl/U_tot, is larger in the compressed sample than in the as-cast alloy. Furthermore, in both samples, U_pl/U_tot tends to progressively increase with the maximum indentation applied load, thus confirming the tendency towards enhanced plasticity as deformation proceeds. Transmission electron microscopy reveals that deformation (induced either by macroscopic compression tests or nanoindentation) causes partial nanocrystallization of the glass. This effect is likely to play a crucial role in the observed plasticity and also results in mechanical hardening.     

Study of mechanical property and crystallization of a ZrCoAl bulk metallic glass

The mechanical property of Zr₅₆Co₂₈Al₁₆ bulk metallic glasses (BMGs) under compression test at room temperature was investigated. The alloy exhibited high fracture strength of approximately 2136 MPa and a pronounced plastic strain of 10.2%. No strain-hardening behavior was observed. The evolution of the morphology of the shear bands on the lateral surface of the as-cast samples was studied using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The plasticity can be attributed to the formation and interaction of multiple shear bands during deformation. The crystallization behavior was studied by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) at different heating rates. The activation energies of the glass transition (E_g), the onset of the crystallization (E_x) and the two stages of the crystallization (E_p1 and E_p2) were calculated to be E_g = 303.2 ± 13.5, E_x = 316.4 ± 37.9, E_p1 = 336.2 ± 36.2 and E_p2 = 362.0 ± 29.5 kJ/mol, respectively. The crystallization behavior research of this alloy indicates that the precipitation of the B2-ZrCo phase may be further utilized to promote the ductility of the ZrCoAl BMG composites.     

半固态等温处理对Cu-Ca合金组织的影响

通过对比Cu-Ca合金铸态组织,研究了半固态等温处理主要工艺参数对半固态Cu-Ca合金组织的影响,得出了其半固态组织的演变规律。结果表明,在半固态等温处理工艺参数中,影响组织的主要参数为等温温度和保温时间。在一定选择范围内,随着等温温度的升高和保温时间的延长,组织将发生由树枝晶组织到非枝晶组织的一系列转变。研究发现,保温温度为957～967℃,等温时间为45～60min时,合金的球化效果最好,圆整度最高。     

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.     

Effects of characteristics of Mo dispersions on the plasticity of Mg-based bulk metallic glass composites

The Mg₅₈Cu_28.5Gd₁₁Ag_2.5 bulk metallic glass composites (BMGCs) dispersion strengthened by porous Mo particles with different volume fractions and particle sizes were synthesized by casting and characterized. The presence of porous Mo particles could restrict the shear band propagation. It was found for a given volume fraction of Mo particles, smaller particles would lead to more interfacial areas, shorter inter-particle free spacings, smaller confinement zone sizes than the larger particles, and consequently the improvement of compression plasticity from 10% up to 27%. Also, for a given Mo particle size, higher volume fraction would lead to larger compression plasticity. The inter-particle free spacing, as well as the confinement zone size (mean free path of shear bands), appears to be the controlling factor in limiting the propagation of shear bands which in turn affecting the plasticity of BMGCs.     

Microstructure evolution of semi-solid SiCp/AZ91D nanocomposite during isothermal heat treatment process

ABSTRACT

The microstructure evolution of semi-solid SiC_p/AZ91D nanocomposite during isothermal heat treatment process in the mushy-zone was investigated. The results indicate that the nano-size SiC particles in composite are distributed uniformly and the grains are refined significantly by the addition of nano-size SiC particles. The semi-solid microstructure evolution experiences four stages during isothermal heat treatment process: the initial coarsening, structural separation, spheroidization and final coarsening. The grain size of the primary α-Mg phase decreases with the increasing of holding temperature. With the prolongation of holding time, the grain size of the primary α-Mg phase decreases at first and then increases. The optimum isothermal heat treatment parameter is 575℃ for 30min, under which the average grain diameter is 58μm and shape factor is 1.25.     

Enhancement of plasticity in Zr-based bulk metallic glasses electroplated with copper coatings

Electrodeposition was used to coat copper films on the surface of the BMG pillars (bulk metallic glasses) of Zr_52.5Cu_17.9Ni_14.6Al₁₀Ti₅ (Vit. 105) with the film thicknesses of 71.5 and 161.1 μm. The experimental results of the compression tests of the bare Vit. 105 pillars and the coated Vit. 105 pillars revealed that the copper costing increased the density of shear bands in the Vit. 105 pillars formed during the tests, resulting in the improvement of plasticity. The plastic strain was 6.1% for the coated pillars with a coating thickness of 161.1 μm, which is 3.59 times of 1.7% of the bare Vit. 105 pillars. The deformation of the copper films dissipated the strain energy and limited the propagation of shear bands, which led to the initiation and formation of multiple shear bands. The technique developed in this work provides an effective way to enhance the plasticity of BMGs at room temperature.     

Influence of niobium and yttrium on plastic deformation energy and plasticity of Ti-based amorphous alloys

Many amorphous alloys have been developed to date,but the low plasticity has limited their application.To achieve an amorphous alloy with high plasticity,a series of(Ti₄₀Zr₂₅Cu₉Ni₈ Be₁₈)_100-xTM_x(x=0,1,2,3,4 at.%,TM=Nb,Y)alloys were designed to study the influence of Nb and Y addition on the plasticity.The amorphous samples were prepared using the vacuum melting and copper mold casting process.The microstructures,glass forming ability and mechanical properties of the alloys were investigated by X-ray diffractometry(XRD),scanning electron microscopy(SEM),high-resolution transmission electron microscopy(HRTEM),depth-sensitive nanoindentation,and uniaxial compressive test.The plasticity of different bulk amorphous alloys was investigated by measuring the plastic deformation energy(PDE)during loading.The relationship between the PDE value and plasticity in bulk amorphous alloys was explored.Results show that Nb addition decreases the PDE value and promotes the generation of multiple shear bands,which significantly increases the fracture strength and plasticity,while the addition of Y element reduces the fracture strength and plastic strain of the alloy.     

Microstructure evolution of semi-solid Mg- 14A1-0.5Mn alloys during isothermal heat treatment

A new Mg-14Al-0.5Mn alloy that exhibits a wide solidification range and sufficient fluidity for semi-solid forming was designed. And the rnicrostructure evolution of semi-solid Mg-14Al-0.5Mn alloy during isothermal heat treatment was investigated. The mechanism of the microstructure evolution and the processing conditions for isothermal heat treatment were also discussed. The results show that the microstructures of cast alloys consist of α-Mg,β-Mg17Al12 and a small amount of Al-Mn compounds. After holding at 520 ℃ for 3 min, the phases of β-Mg17Al12 and eutectic mixtures in the Mg-14Al-0.5Mn alloy melt and the microstructures of α-Mg change from developed dendrites to irregular solid particles. With increasing the isothermal time, the amount of liquid increases, and the solid particles grow large and become spherical. When the holding time lasts for 20 min or even longer, the solid and liquid phases achieve a state of dynamic equilibrium.     

Role of nanocrystals on the plasticity of amorphous alloy

The role of nancocrystals on the plasticity of the Cu₆₄Zr₃₆ amorphous alloy was studied in terms of the initiation of shear bands and the propagation of cracks. The plastic deformation behaviors of the fully amorphous and the partially crystallized samples with various degrees of crystallinity were compared. The partially crystallized alloys with an adequate amount of nanocrystals showed a considerable enhancement in their plasticity. Finite element calculations were conducted to qualitatively examine the role of the nanocrystals on the formation of the shear bands, while high-resolution electron microscopy was used to directly observe the crack propagation behavior through the matrix with (or without) nanocrystals.     

Significant tensile ductility induced by cold rolling in Cu47.5Zr47.5Al5 bulk metallic glass

Significant tensile plasticity up to 0.7 ± 0.1% together with work-hardening and larger fracture strength was obtained in Cu_47.5Zr_47.5Al₅ bulk metallic glass (BMG) upon cold rolling with only 2.9 ± 0.3% thickness reduction. The good deformability could be attributed to the multiple pre-existing shear bands and structural inhomogeneity induced by rolling. The distributions of shear bands upon rolling can be predicted by a simplified rolling model. The underlying mechanism for the tensile plasticity was further discussed in the frame of potential energy landscape theory (PEL).     

Dynamic response of a Pd40Ni40P20 bulk metallic glass in tension

Tensile behavior of a bulk metallic glass Pd₄₀Ni₄₀P₂₀ was characterized under both quasi-static and dynamic strain rate conditions. No major difference was observed. Multiple shear bands formed in samples tested at the dynamic strain rate. However, shear band interaction appears to have an insignificant effect on the plasticity of the alloy.     

Shear band evolution and hardness change in cold-rolled bulk metallic glasses

A systematic investigation of the shear band evolution and hardness change with deformation was performed on cold-rolled Zr_64.13Cu_15.75Ni_10.12Al₁₀ and Zr_46.5Cu₄₅Al₇Ti_1.5 bulk metallic glasses. It was found that primary shear bands reach saturation after 7% in thickness reduction and only primary shear bands exist below 20% in thickness reduction, based on statistical analyses of primary shear band spacing, angle and offset. Rolling creates more free volume, and deformation-induced residual stress distribution in a heavily rolled specimen relative to the as-cast specimen has been determined. Larger tensile residual stresses are generated on the side surface as compared with those on the top surface, while compressive residual stresses in the middle are induced. Such residual stresses strongly influence the hardness measured. It is also revealed that after stress relief, the hardness does not decrease considerably in heavily rolled/annealed specimens here as compared to as-cast/annealed specimens, probably due to low shear band density.     

Effects of Cu Content on Thermal Stability and Wear Behavior of Al-12.5Si-1.0Mg Alloy

This study investigates how Cu content affects thermal stability and wear behavior of Al-12.5Si-1.0Mg alloy, by adding 2.55 and 4.53 wt.% Cu. The low-Cu and high-Cu alloys were isothermally heat-treated at 300 °C for 100 h. The results indicated that the amount of eutectic Al₂Cu and Al₅Cu₂Mg₈Si₆ particles in the high-Cu alloy was more than that in the low-Cu alloy. These hard particles retained in the Al matrices during isothermal heat treatment, maintaining a relatively stable hardness. Therefore, the hardness of the high-Cu alloy was superior to that of the low-Cu alloy in as-cast condition and after isothermal heat treatment. For wear behavior, both isothermal heat-treated alloys showed the same wear rate with 10 N normal load. The wear rate of Al-12.5Si-1.0Mg alloy was independent on the copper content under 10 N load, but the wear rate at a load of 40 N decreased with increasing Cu content in Al-12.5Si-1.0Mg alloy.     

等温热处理对Mg-Gd-Zn-Zr合金半固态组织的影响

选择稍高于共晶反应温度作为等温热处理温度,对铸态Mg-15Gd-2Zn-0.6Zr合金进行等温热处理,获得了半固态球化组织。研究了热处理温度和保温时间对半固态组织的影响,探讨了半固态组织演变机制及适用于低温等温热处理的半固态Mg-Gd-Zn-Zr合金成分设计。结果表明,液相组织具有低的温度敏感性,其组织演变主要机制为α-Mg表面熔化和α-Mg动态再析出,而固相颗粒球化机制为:α-Mg树枝晶→枝晶臂粗化→枝晶臂合并、不规则多边形化→球化。