Superplasticity of Al–Mg–Li alloy prepared by thermomechanical processing

Abstract

Grain refinement of Al–Mg–Li alloys for superplasticity prepared by thermomechanical processing has been a difficult task due to the cracking of these alloys when rolled at low temperatures. Raising the rolling temperature resulted in enhanced rollability of these sheets with no cracks but very coarse grains after recrystallisation. To solve this problem, a cross rolling schedule was developed to hinder fracture and simultaneously provide enough stored energy for following recrystallisaiton coupled by lowering the reheating temperature. Fine, equiaxed grains of ～7 μm was achieved by this new approach and maximum total elongation of about 915% was obtained when deformed at a temperature of 525°C and an initial strain rate of 1×10^?3 s^?1.     

Compressive creep behaviour of Mg–Li–Al alloy

Abstract

The compressive creep behaviour of as cast Mg–14Li–1·3Al (wt-%) alloy was investigated in the temperature range of 20?85°C and under different compressive stress in the range of 37·3–74·6 MPa with special apparatus. Primary creep deformation and steady creep rate increase with temperature and applied stress. The compressive creep behaviour obeys an empirical equation ln t=C?nln σ + Q/RT, where t is the time to a selected creep strain, σ is the applied stress, T is the absolute temperature, R is the gas constant, and C, n, and Q are constants for the experimental alloy. The average values of the exponent n and the creep activation energy Q are 4·33 and 101·13 kJ mol^?1 respectively. The creep rate controlling mechanism is the dislocation climb and the lattice diffusion of Li in the experimental alloy under the testing conditions.     

Atomic bonding and mechanical properties of Al–Li–Zr alloy

The atomic bonding of Al–Li alloy with minor Zr is calculated according to the “Empirical Electronic Theory in Solids”. The result shows that the stronger interaction between Al and Zr atoms, which leads to form the Al–Zr segregation regions, promotes the precipitation of Al₃Zr particles and produces a remarkable refinement of Al₃Li grains in the alloy. Because there are the strongest covalent Al–Zr bonds in Al₃Zr and Al₃(Zr, Li) particles, these covalent bonds can cause a great resistance for dislocation movement, and is favorable to strengthen the alloy. On the other hand, with precipitating the Al₃(Zr, Li) particles, it causes the coherent interphase boundary energy of Al/Al₃Li to decrease, and atomic bonding is well matched in between the interface of two phases.     

Short transverse fracture of Al–Li–Cu–Mg–Zr extrudate

Abstract

The short transverse fracture toughness of an Al–Li–Cu–Mg–Zr extrudate was determined as a function of aging condition and testing temperature. To elucidate the underlying micromechanisms, the short transverse fracture surfaces of the extrudate were characterised via scanning electron microscopy, grain boundary precipitates and precipitation free zones were identified via transmission electron microscopy, and segregation of elements to grain boundaries was analysed using secondary ion mass spectrometry. Three principal observations were made as follows. First, with increasing aging time, the short transverse toughness of the extrudate increased when tested at room temperature, but decreased at liquid N₂ temperature, whereas with decreasing testing temperature, it remained essentially constant for the underaged condition, and decreased sharply for the peak aged and overaged tempers. Second, in addition to regions exhibiting shallow dimples, smooth ‘featureless’ zones were revealed on the short transverse fracture surfaces, which are intergranular in nature for all the specimens tested. The area fraction of the featureless regions decreased noticeably with increasing aging time when tested at room temperature, and increased markedly with decreasing testing temperature for the peak aged and overaged conditions. Third, segregation of Li, Si, Na, and H was detected for both the underaged and overaged specimens, and also of K for the underaged specimens only. In general, the enhancement of the room temperature short transverse toughness with aging and the negative effect of cryogenic temperature on fracture toughness are in obvious contrast to the in plane toughness behaviour reported in the literature, the featureless character of the short transverse fracture and its connection with poor toughness seldom having been emphasised. Based upon the present study, segregation induced brittleness is proposed as the critical micromechanism responsible for grain boundary weakness, and thus for the poor short transverse fracture toughness.

MST/1829     

Development of a high strain rate superplastic Al–Mg–Zr alloy

Abstract

For superplastic forming of aluminium to break out of the niche market that it currently occupies, alloys will be required to possess a higher strain rate capability, appropriate in service properties, and a significantly lower price and to be capable of volume production. This paper describes an approach that has been developed in an attempt to address these fundamental requirements. A series of Al–Mg–Zr alloys with increasing levels of zirconium (0–1 wt-%)has been prepared via extrusion consolidation of cast particulate (solidification rate ～10³ K s^-1). The superplastic properties of the resultant cold rolled sheet have been evaluated as a function of thermomechanical treatment and zirconium addition. It has been found that increasing the level of zirconium has the twofold effect of improving the superplastic properties of the alloy while significantly decreasing the concomitant flow stress. At present the optimum superplastic behaviour has been obtained at strain rates of 10^-2 s^-1, with the 1%Zr material exhibiting ductilities in excess of 600%. The manufacturing route produces a bimodal distribution of Al₃Zr comprising >1 µm primary particles in combination with nanoscale solid state precipitates. The current postulation is that this high strain rate superplasticity is conferred by a combination of particle stimulated and strain induced recrystallisation.     

Extrusion of AI–Zn–Mg–Cu–Zr alloys

Abstract

Four aluminium alloys of different zinc/magnesium ratio have been studied under various extrusion conditions. The alloys were cast in steel book moulds and subjected to initial thermomechanical treatments. Studies were made of hot extrusions and cold hydrostatic extrusions and in each case the changes in the extrusion parameters were analysed. An attempt has been made to explain some of the extrusion defects which appeared in various extruded sections. The extrusion speed was found to be crucial, since sections developed surface cracks at higher speeds. The extrusion speed was also found to vary inversely with the extrusion ratio, with higher speeds at low ratios. A well defined solute–depleted weld zone was observed on each of the four faces of a square tube extruded using a porthole die. Thermal treatment was not found to improve this weak weld zone. Tubes extruded using a floating-mandrel die withstood pressure testing up to 550 MPa.

MST/43     

Effect of thermomechanical processing on superplasticity in Ti–Al–Mo–Zr alloy

Abstract

Superplasticity in terms of total tensile elongation was studied in a titanium alloy of nominal composition Ti–6·5Al–3·3Mo–1·6Zr (wt-%) for three strain rates (1·04 × 10^?3, 2·1 × 10^?3, and 4·2 × 10^?3s^?1) and in the temperature range 1123–1223 K for microstructures obtained by different processing schedules. Fine equiaxed microstructure with a low aspect ratio of 1·15 was accomplished in this alloy by combining two types of deformation. While the first step consists of heavy deformations for refining and intermixing the phases, a second step, consisting of light homogeneous reductions in several stages, was necessary to remove the banding that developed during the first step. The resulting microstructure underwent enormous tensile elongation (1700–1725%), even under relatively high strain rates (1·04 × 10^?3 and 2·1 × 10^?3s^?1), making this alloy most suitable for commercial superplastic forming. The present investigation also revealed that the usual sheet rolling practice of heavy reductions to refine the microstructure leads to localised banding which could not be removed by annealing; therefore, the tensile elongation was limited to 770% only. The reason for this may be attributed to the resistance in grain boundary sliding and rotation encountered in microstructures with shear bands and grains with high aspect ratio. Strain enhanced grain growth was also greater in these microstructures.

MST/555     

Thermal properties of Mg–Li and Mg–Li–Al alloys

Abstract

The present work is a study of the thermal properties of Mg–xLi–y Al with x= 4, 8 and 12 wt-% and y= 0, 3 and 5 wt-% as a function of temperature in the range 20–375°C. The thermal diffusivity and coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) have been measured and the thermal conductivity calculated. The thermal diffusivity of all alloys decreases with an increasing content of lithium. The CTE of the single phase alloys Mg–4Li and Mg–12Li has a linear character, and the CTE of Mg–12Li is higher than that of Mg–4Li. The influence of thermal stresses in the two phase alloy Mg–8Li is perceptible in terms of temperature dependence of the CTE. In Mg–4Li–3Al and Mg–4Li–5Al, an influence of the solution of AlLi phase on all the studied thermal properties has been found.     

Al–5.5Mg–1.5Li–0.5Zn–0.07Sc–0.07Zr alloy produced by gravity casting and heat treatment processing

Al–5.5Mg–1.5Li–0.5Zn–0.07Sc–0.07Zr alloy was produced by gravity casting and heat treatment processing. After gravity casting based on the melting processing scheme designed specifically for the studied alloy, there was no obvious porosity and slag. In as-cast alloy, there were many network-shaped second phase particles enriched along the grain boundaries, most of which integrated into the α-Al matrix after solution heat treated at 500°C for 10?h. The grain growth was inconspicuous, which means low grain boundary stress concentration resulted by planar slip. To meet the requirement for industrial actuality, avoid the excessively detrimental effect of PFZs and utilize the order hardening effect of δ′ (Al₃Li) phases sufficiently, 175°C/8?h was preferred as the aging regime. Optimal comprehensive mechanical properties were obtained after solid solution heat treated process (500°C/10?h) and subsequent aging treatment (175°C/8?h) with elongation, yield strength, and ultimate tensile strength reaching 8.7%, 270.5?MPa, and 435.5?MPa, respectively.     

Yield strength of twin-belt cast Al–Mg–Sc–Zr alloy after annealing

AA5xxx aluminium alloys are used in the automotive and packaging industries owing to their high strength and ductility. The addition of Sc and Zr to these alloys has shown promise for improving high temperature stability and therefore broadening the range of applications. This high temperature stability is due to the formation of fine Al₃(Sc, Zr) precipitates during aging. In this work, two twin-belt cast Al–3%Mg alloys, one with 0·4% Sc and the other without Sc, were annealed at 300 and 400°C. Hardness, tensile yield stress and electrical resistivity measurements were used to examine the evolution of microstructure and strength of the alloys. These results were then utilised to develop a yield stress–precipitation model to describe simultaneous precipitation hardening and recovery.     

Thermal behaviour of gas atomised Al–20Mg–2Zr alloy powder

A novel ternary alloy with the composition of Al–20Mg–2Zr (wt-%) was prepared by close coupled gas atomisation. The thermal oxidation behaviour of the powder was examined by thermogravimetry–differential thermal analysis. The results showed that the oxidation proceeded in single step, and the violent exothermic reaction occurred after 900°C was almost complete. The activation energy of the oxidation was ～250?kJ?mol^??1, and the frequency factor was ～1.47?×?10¹¹?s^??1 and 3.36?×?10¹¹?s^??1 using the Kissinger and Ozawa method respectively. The special feature of the pulsed oxidation was explained by the melt dispersion oxidation mechanism. The excellent thermal reactivity exhibited by the Al–20Mg–2Zr powder suggested that this novel alloy could become one of the most promising materials in energetic applications.     

Effects of germanium on quench sensitivity in Al–Zn–Mg–Zr alloy

Effects of the trace element germanium (Ge) on the quench sensitivity of an Al–Zn–Mg–Zr alloy were investigated in the present work. The results showed that the Ge-bearing alloy exhibited lower quench sensitivity as compared to the Ge-free alloy. This phenomenon could be reasonably interpreted in terms of the stability of supersaturated solid solution of alloys after quenching from an elevated temperature. The apparent vacancy formation energies for the Ge-free and Ge-bearing alloys were determined to be 0.49 and 0.58 eV respectively. This suggested that the addition of a small amount of Ge was able to trap excess vacancies, leading to a decrease in the amount of coarse dispersoids and resultant low quench sensitivity in Ge-bearing alloys. Therefore, Ge could be used in alloy productions, which require a slow cooling rate to reduce the residual stresses and distortions.     

Effect of Zr addition on properties of Al–Mg–Si aluminum alloy used for all aluminum alloy conductor

The effects of Zr addition on mechanical property in the aged Al–Mg–Si alloy exposed to thermal-resistant treatment (180–250 °C) have been studied by using both Brinell Hardness tests and tensile tests. The softening process at 180 °C and 230 °C has been investigated by transmission electron microscope (TEM). The Arrhenius Model is introduced to simulate the strength evolution in the thermal-resistant treatment. The results show that tensile strength and thermal-resistant property are improved by addition of Zr, and both the Brinell Hardness and Tensile Strength could maintain no less than 90% of their initial values when the alloy is exposed to heat treatment at 180 °C for 400 h and 230 °C for 2 h. The presence of rod-shaped phases and coarsening particles results in decreasing the hardness of the sample. The relationship between thermal-resistant life and temperature is derived by the Arrhenius Model. When the Al–Mg–Si–Zr alloy is heated at 130 °C, the duration described in the Arrhenius plot could reach to 40 years.     

Thermodynamic characterization of Al–Cr,Al–Zr,and Al–Cr–Zr alloy systems

Abstract

The equilibrium phase diagrams of Al–Cr, Al–Zr, and Al–Cr-Zr, with particular reference to aluminium-rich alloys, have been critically reviewed. On the basis of these, and consistent with measured thermodynamic values, the binary systems have been thermodynamically characterized. Using these characterizations, phase equilibria have been extrapolated in the ternary, with the intention of augmenting the sparse experimental information concerning the equilibrium liquidus (0–10 at.%Cr, Zr) and solid solution range of aluminium in Al–Cr–Zr. Using the same parameters that define the equilibrium phase relationships, metastable phase relationships can also be extrapolated into the ternary.

MST/418     

Effect of predeformation on microstructure and mechanical properties of Al–Cu–Li–Zr alloy containing Sc

Abstract

The effects of prior cold deformation on the microstructures and the room temperature mechanical properties of an Al–3·5Cu–1·5Li–0·22(Sc + Zr) alloy have been observed by using TEM and tensile test at room temperature. The results show that the alloy has the character of aging hardening, and the major phase of precipitation and strengthening is T₁ phase. The result also show that prior cold deformation leads to more dispersive and uniform distribution of T₁ precipitations. It accelerates aging response, causes earlier aging peak occurrence, and enhances strength greatly. However, the plasticity of the alloy is declined with prior cold deformation. In contrast, excessive prior cold deformation causes coarsening and heterogeneous distribution of T₁ phase. It also reduces the strength of the alloy, therefore, influences the composite properties of the alloy. The favourable prior cold deformation is about 3·5% under the experimental condition.     

Influence of Sc and Zr additions on microstructure and properties evolution of Al–Zn–Mg alloy

Journal of Materials Science - In this study, the effects of different Sc?+?Zr compound addition on the tensile properties, impact toughness, stress corrosion cracking (SCC) properties,...     

Effect of consolidation temperature on mechanical properties of rapidly solidified Al–7Mg–1 Zr alloy

Abstract

The mechanical properties achieved via the extrusion of non-degassed billets prepared from an inert gas atomised powder of nominal composition Al–7Mg–lZr are reported. The alloy was extruded over the temperature range 350–550°C and the tensile mechanical properties and plane strain fracture toughness were evaluated. It was found that the yield strength remained fairly constant over the entire temperature range, with only a small decrease in strength observed at the highest extrusion temperature. The strength could be related to microstructure using standard models for solid solution, dispersoid, and substructural strengthening mechanisms, and the last was found to make the greatest contribution. The sensitivity of strength to subgrain size was found to be nearly three times higher than that for pure Al. The optimum combination of strength and fracture toughness was obtained for extrusion at 500°C (yield strength 400 MN m^?2; T–L K_Iv 21 MN m^?3; elongation 20%). The poor values of K_lv obtained at other temperatures were attributed to coarse dispersoids (highest extrusion temperature), undeformed powder particles (lowest extrusion temperature), and inhomogeneous dispersoid distributions (intermediate temperatures). It is concluded that extrusion process control plays an important role in determining the mechanical properties of consolidated rapidly solidified powders. Considering the excellent ductility and toughness obtained, vacuum degassing before extrusion may not be essential in the processing of inert gas atomised powders of a non heat treatable composition.

MST/1721     

Microstructure and mechanical properties of laser beam welded Al–Li alloy 2060 with Al–Mg filler wire

Alloy 2060-T8 is a newly developed high-strength Al–Li alloy for applications in aircraft industry. Crack-free welds were obtained in laser beam welding with 5087 filler wire under optimized welding conditions. In this paper, fusion zone microstructure and joint mechanical properties were investigated. Microstructure typical for the weld metal consists of α-Al matrix with a few nanoscale precipitates inside and a coarse icosahedral quasicrystalline T₂ phase at the dendritic and grain boundaries. The quasicrystalline occurred normally in Al–Li–Cu alloys with higher Li contents. Our investigations show that the icosahedral quasicrystalline phase T₂ phase forms in the laser-welded Al–Li alloy 2060 with lower Li content as a result of segregation and replacement of Mg element. The joint tensile strength in as-welded condition is around 317 MPa, about 63% of that of the base metal, and fracture occurs within the fusion zone.