Effects of Sn on microstructure and mechanical properties of as-rolled Mg–5Zn–1Mn alloy

Effects of Sn on microstructure and mechanical properties of Mg–5Zn–1Mn alloy subjected to high strain rate rolling (9.1?s^-1), 300°C and 80% pass reduction are investigated. With higher Sn content, the dynamic recrystallisation (DRX) grain size gradually decreases due to the stronger pinning of nano-scale precipitates at grain boundaries and the DRX fraction first increases due to the enhanced effect on DRX by decreasing stacking fault energy and then decreases due to more precipitates at grain boundaries. Ultimate tensile strength (UTS) and elongation to rupture (Er) of as-rolled alloys increase and then decrease. Alloy with 0.9 mass% Sn exhibits the highest DRX fraction (95?vol.-%), the finer DRX grain size (1.22?µm), UTS of 358?MPa and Er of 20.4%.     

Effect of cooling aging on microstructure and mechanical properties of an Al–Zn–Mg–Cu alloy

In the present work, Al–Zn–Mg–Cu alloy was aged by non-isothermal cooling aging treatment (CAT). At high initial aging temperature (IAT), the hardness was decreased with the decreased cooling rate. However, when IAT was lower than 180 °C, the hardness was increased with the decreased cooling rate. Conductivity was increased with the decreased cooling rate regardless of IAT. The tensile strength, yield strength and conductivity of Al alloy after (200–100 °C, 80 °C/h) CAT were increased 2.9%, 8.1% and 8.3% than that after T6 treatment, respectively. With an increase of IAT and decrease of cooling rate, the fine GP zone and η′ phase were transformed to be larger η′ and η precipitates. Moreover, continuous η phase at grain boundary was also grown to be individual large precipitates. Cooling aging time was decreased about 90% than that for T6 treatment, indicating cooling aging could improve the mechanical properties, corrosion resistance and production efficiency with less energy consumption.     

Effects of samarium content on microstructure and mechanical properties of Mg–0.5Zn–0.5Zr alloy

Effects of samarium (Sm) content (0, 2.0, 3.5, 5.0, 6.5 wt%) on microstructure and mechanical properties of Mg–0.5Zn–0.5 Zr alloy under as-cast and as-extruded states were thoroughly investigated. Results indicate that grains of the as-cast alloys are gradually refined as Sm content increases. The dominant intermetallic phase changes from Mg₃Sm to Mg₄₁Sm₅ till Sm content exceeds 5.0 wt%. The dynamically precipitated intermetallic phase during hot-extrusion in all Sm-containing alloys is Mg₃Sm. The intermetallic particles induced by Sm addition could act as heterogeneous nucleation sites for dynamic recrystallization during hot extrusion. They promoted dynamic recrystallization via the particle stimulated nucleation mechanism, and resulted in weakening the basal texture in the as-extruded alloys. Sm addition can significantly enhance the strength of the as-extruded Mg–0.5Zn–0.5 Zr alloy at room temperature, with the optimal dosage of 3.5 wt%. The optimal yield strength (YS) and ultimate tensile strength (UTS) are 368 MPa and 383 MPa, which were enhanced by approximately 23.1% and 20.8% compared with the Sm-free alloy, respectively. Based on microstructural analysis, the dominant strengthening mechanisms are revealed to be grain boundary strengthening and dispersion strengthening.     

Effect of nickel on the microstructure and mechanical property of die-cast Al–Mg–Si–Mn alloy

The effect of nickel on the microstructure and mechanical properties of a die-cast Al–Mg–Si–Mn alloy has been investigated. The results show that the presence of Ni in the alloy promotes the formation of Ni-rich intermetallics. These occur consistently during solidification in the die-cast Al–Mg–Si–Mn alloy across different levels of Ni content. The Ni-rich intermetallics exhibit dendritic morphology during the primary solidification and lamellar morphology during the eutectic solidification stage. Ni was found to be always associated with iron forming AlFeMnSiNi intermetallics, and no Al₃Ni intermetallic was observed when Ni concentrations were up to 2.06 wt% in the alloy. Although with different morphologies, the Ni-rich intermetallics were identified as the same AlFeMnSiNi phase bearing a typical composition of Al_[100–140](Fe,Mn)_[2–7]SiNi_[4–9]. With increasing Ni content, the spacing of the α-Al–Mg₂Si eutectic phase was enlarged in the Al–Mg–Si–Mn alloy. The addition of Ni to the alloy resulted in a slight increase in the yield strength, but a significant decrease in the elongation. The ultimate tensile strength (UTS) increased slightly from 300 to 320 MPa when a small amount (e.g. 0.16 wt%) of Ni was added to the alloy, but further increase of the Ni content resulted in a decrease of the UTS.     

Effect of Cu/Zn on microstructure and mechanical properties of extruded Mg–Sn alloys

In this paper, the effect of Cu and Zn addition on mechanical properties of indirectly extruded Mg–2Sn alloy was investigated. Mg–2Sn–0.5Cu alloy exhibits a moderate yield strength (YS) of 225?MPa and an ultimate strength of 260?MPa, which are much higher than those of the binary Mg–2Sn alloy, and the elongation (EL) evolves as ～15.5%. Mechanical properties of the Mg–2Sn–0.5Cu alloy are deteriorated with more 3 wt-% Zn addition, and YS and EL are reduced as 160?MPa and ～10%. The detailed mechanism is discussed according to the work-hardening rate and strengthening effect related to the grain sizes, second phases and macro-textures. Grain refinement and proper texture are believed to play a critical role in both strength and ductility optimisation.     

Effect of trace additions of Sn on microstructure and mechanical properties of Al–Cu–Mg alloys

The work is aimed at investigating the influence of trace additions of Tin (Sn) on the microstructure, mechanical properties and age-hardening behavior of Al–6.2%Cu–0.6%Mg alloy system. Al–6.2%Cu–0.6%Mg alloys containing varying weight percentages (from 0 to 0.1 wt.%) of Sn were prepared by casting technique. The mechanical properties and microstructure of these alloys were investigated in the as-cast as well as different heat treated conditions. The composition of the different phases present in the microstructure was determined by energy dispersive X-ray (EDS) analysis. The average grain size of the annealed alloy was found to be maximum with trace content of 0.06 wt.% Sn. The hardness and strength of the alloy increased but the ductility reduced with increase in Sn content up to 0.06 wt.%. Precipitation hardening behavior of the alloys was investigated by analyzing the aging time required to attain the peak hardness value. Addition of trace percentage of Sn was observed to have no significant influence on the peak ageing time of the investigated alloy system.     

Effect of Al on the microstructure and properties of Sn–0.7Cu solder alloy

Effect of Al on the microstructure and mechanical properties were investigated. The results showed that Al could depress the formation of eutectic phase in Sn–Cu–Al solder alloy. The intermetallic compounds of Sn–0.7Cu–0.03Al were refined compared with that of Sn–0.7Cu–0.015Al. Segregated CuAl intermetallic compound was observed in Sn–0.7Cu–0.15Al and Sn–0.7Cu–0.5Al solder alloy. Sn-whisker was observed on the polished surface of Sn–0.7Cu–0.15Al and Sn–0.7Cu–0.5Al. The ultimate tensile strength of Sn–0.7Cu–0.03Al and Sn–0.7Cu–0.5Al was found to be higher than that of Sn–0.7Cu–xAl (x = 0, 0.015 and 0.15). The elongation of Sn–0.7Cu–0.015Al was the highest. The creep performance of Sn–0.7Cu–0.03Al and Sn–0.7Cu–0.5Al was similar and higher than that of Sn–0.7Cu and Sn–0.7Cu–0.15Al.     

Effects of Cu content on microstructure and mechanical properties of Al–14.5Si–0.5Mg alloy

This study elucidates how Cu content affects the microstructure and mechanical properties of Al–14.5Si–0.5Mg alloy, by adding 4.65 wt.% and 0.52 wt.% Cu. Different Fe-bearing phases were found in the two alloys. The acicular β-Al₅FeSi was found only in the high-Cu alloy. In the low-Cu alloy, Al₈Mg₃FeSi₆ was the Fe-bearing phase. Tensile testing indicated that the low-Cu alloy containing Al₈Mg₃FeSi₆ had higher UTS and elongation than the high-Cu alloy containing the acicular β-Al₅FeSi. It is believed that the presence of the acicular β-Al₅FeSi in the high-Cu alloy increased the number of crack initiators and brittleness of the alloy. Increasing Cu content in the Al–14.5Si–0.5Mg alloy also promoted solution hardening and precipitation hardening under as-quenched and aging conditions, respectively. The hardness of the high-Cu alloy therefore exceeded that of low-Cu alloy.     

Effects of processing parameters on microstructure and mechanical properties of squeeze-cast Mg–12Zn–4Al–0.5Ca alloy

In this paper, a new magnesium alloy Mg–12Zn–4Al–0.5Ca (ZAX12405) was prepared by squeeze casting. The effects of processing parameters including applied pressure, pouring temperature and dwell time on the microstructure and mechanical properties of squeeze-cast ZAX12405 alloy were investigated. It was found that squeeze-cast ZAX12405 alloy exhibited finer microstructure and much better mechanical properties than gravity casting alloy. Increasing the applied pressure led to significant cast densification and a certain extent of grain refinement in the microstructure, along with obvious promotion in mechanical properties. Lowering the pouring temperature refined the microstructure of ZAX12405 alloy, but deteriorated the cast densification, resulting in that the mechanical properties firstly increased and then decreased. Increasing the dwell time promoted cast densification and mechanical properties just before the solidification process ended. A combination of highest applied pressure (120 MPa), medium pouring temperature (650 °C) and dwell time (30 s) brought the highest mechanical properties, under which the ultimate tensile strength (UTS), yield strength (YS) and elongation to failure (E_f) of the alloy reached 211 MPa, 113 MPa and 5.2% at room temperature. Comparing with the gravity casting ZAX12405 alloy, the UTS and E_f increased 40% and 300%, respectively. For squeeze-cast Mg–12Zn–4Al–0.5Ca alloy, cast densification was considered more important than microstructure refinement for the promotion of mechanical properties.     

Effect of CeLa addition on the mechanical properties of Al–Cu–Mn–Mg–Fe alloy

The rapid development of new energy automobiles leads to an increasing demand for high-strength lithium battery shell alloy. The microstructures, electrical conductivity and mechanical properties of CeLa-containing Al–Cu–Mn–Mg–Fe alloys were investigated with scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction, Eddy Current conductivity tester, tensile testing and Erichsen cup testing. Experiment results indicate that Al₆(Mn, Fe) particles could be refined by CeLa alloying and AlCuCeLa phase nucleates and grew up at the surface of Al₆(Mn, Fe) particle. Major texture of the CeLa-containing alloys was different from that of the CeLa-free alloy. The electrical conductivity decreased with increase of the CeLa content. CeLa addition could greatly enhance the tensile strength of the alloy at temperatures ranging from –40°C to 300°C.     

Effect of the Zn content on the microstructure and mechanical properties of indirect-extruded Mg–5Sn–xZn alloys

Mg–5Sn–xZn alloys with varying Zn contents were subjected to indirect extrusion and the effects of the Zn content on the microstructure and mechanical properties of the as-extruded alloys were investigated. It was found that, the grain size and the basal texture are basically similar, however, the amount of fine particles consisting of Mg₂Sn and MgZn phases increases markedly as the Zn content increases. A higher number of these particles would be responsible for the better comprehensive mechanical properties as well as a lower degree of yield asymmetry.     

Effects of trace Er addition on the microstructure and mechanical properties of Mg–Zn–Zr alloy

The effects of trace Er addition on the microstructure in Mg–9Zn–0.6Zr alloy during casting, homogenization, pre-heating, and hot extrusion processes were examined. The mechanical properties of alloys with and without Er were compared. The results showed that Er exhibited a lower solubility in solid magnesium and formed thermally stable Er- and Zn-bearing compounds. The Er-bearing alloy exhibited a considerably improved deformability, as well as a fine and uniform microstructure. Moreover, dynamic precipitation of fine MgZn₂ particles with a modified spherical morphology occurred during hot extrusion, resulting in a tensile yield strength of 313 MPa and a high elongation to failure value of 22%. Further aging of the Er-bearing alloy led to an increment of another 30 MPa in yield strength. In addition, Er markedly increased the thermal stability of the alloy structure.     

The influences of rare earth content on the microstructure and mechanical properties of Mg–7Zn–5Al alloy

The influences of rare earth (RE) on the microstructure and mechanical properties of Mg–7Zn–5Al alloy were studied. The results indicate that both the dendrite and grain size of the alloy can be refined by low RE addition. The Al₂REZn₂ phase will be formed with increasing the RE content, however the high RE addition results in the grain coarsening in the alloy due to the decrease of the contribution of Al and Zn solutes on the grain refinement. The strengthening and weakening mechanisms caused by RE addition only lead to the obviously improve on the room temperature ultimate tensile strength. The mechanical properties of the studied alloys can be improved by aging treatment, and the aged Mg–7Zn–5Al–2RE alloy exhibits optimal mechanical properties at room temperature.     

Effect of rolling strain on microstructure and tensile properties of dual-phase Mg–8Li–3Al–2Zn–0.5Y alloy

This study was conducted to discuss the effect of rolling strain on microstructure and tensile properties of dual-phase Mg–8Li–3Al–2Zn–0.5Y (wt%) alloy, which was prepared by casting, and then homogenized and rolled at 200?°C. The rolling process was conducted with 10% reduction per pass and five different accumulated strains, varying from 10% to 70%. The results indicate that the as-cast and as-rolled Mg–8Li–3Al–2Zn–0.5Y alloys are composed of α-Mg, β-Li, AlLi and Al₂Y phases. After rolling process, anisotropic microstructure was observed. α-Mg phase got elongated in both rolling direction and transverse direction with the addition of rolling strain. Consequently, the strength of the alloy in both directions was notably improved whereas the elongation declined, mainly caused by strain hardening and dispersion strengthening. The tensile properties of the as-rolled alloys in the RD, no matter the YS, UTS or the elongation, are higher than those of the TD due to their larger deformation strain and significant anisotropy in the hcp α-Mg phase. In addition, the fracture and strengthening mechanism of the tested alloys were also investigated systematically.     

Microstructure and mechanical properties of as aged Mg–3Sn–1Al and Mg–3Sn–2Zn–1Al alloy

Effect of Zn on the microstructure, age hardening response and mechanical properties of Mg–3Sn–1Al alloy which is immediately aged at 180°C after extrusion process (T5) was investigated. It was found that the Zn can refine the microstructure, remarkably improve the aging response with the peak hardness increases to 75 HV and the time to peak hardness reduces from ～110 to ～60 h, which is attributed to the solid solution hardening of Al, Zn and an amount of finer Mg₂Sn precipitates. The as aged Mg–3Sn–2Zn–1Al alloy exhibits better mechanical property at room temperature or 150°C than that of Mg–3Sn–1Al alloy, which is ascribed to the fine grained microstructure and thermally stable Mg₂Sn particles dispersed at grain boundaries and in the matrix.     

Effects of solution treatment on the microstructure and mechanical properties of Al–Cu–Mg–Ag alloy

The effects of solution treatment on the microstructure and mechanical properties of Al–Cu–Mg–Ag alloy were studied by optical microscopy (OM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray (EDX), differential scanning calorimeter (DSC), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and tensile test, respectively. The results show that the mechanical property increases and then decreases with increasing the solution temperature. And the residual phases are dissolved into the matrix gradually, the number fraction of the precipitation and the size of recrystallized grains increase. Compared to the solution temperature, the solution holding time has less effect on the microstructure and the mechanical properties of Al–Cu–Mg–Ag alloy. The overburnt temperature of Al–Cu–Mg–Ag alloy is 525 °C. The yield strength and the elongation get the best when the alloy is solution treated at 515 °C for 1.5 h, is 504 MPa and 12.2% respectively. The fracture mechanism of the samples is ductile fracture.     

Effect of Si content on microstructure and mechanical properties of Al–Si–Mg alloys

Microstructure and mechanical properties of as-cast and as-extruded Al–Si–Mg alloys with different Si content are investigated by tensile test, microstructure observation. High density of Si particles in the Al alloys can induce dynamic recrystallization during hot extrusion and it becomes more matured with an increase in the density of Si particles. The tensile strength of as-cast and as-extruded alloys can be improved with the increase of Si content and hot extrusion make the elongation of alloys increase dramatically. Considerable grain refining effect caused by recrystallization occurred during hot extrusion of S2 (equivalently commercial A356 alloy) and S3 (near eutectic alloy) alloys plays an important role in the improvement of elongation. A good combination of strength and elongation for the as-extruded S3 alloy indicates that near eutectic Al–Si alloys can be hot-extruded to produce aluminum profiles with high performance.     

Effect of Ce on microstructures and mechanical properties of rapidly solidified Mg–Zn alloy

Abstract

The rapidly solidified (RS) Mg–Zn based alloys with Ce addition were produced via atomising the alloy melt and subsequent splat quenching on the water cooled copper twin rollers in the form of flakes. The effects of Ce additions on the microstructures, phase compositions, thermal stability and isochronal age hardening behaviour of the RS Mg–Zn alloy were systematically investigated. The RS Mg–6Zn alloy is characterised by fine grains in the size of 6–10 μm and is composed of α-Mg, Mg₅₁Zn₂₀ and a small quantity of MgZn₂ and Mg₂Zn₃ phases. With the increment of Ce, the microstructures of the alloys are refined, and the volume fractions of dispersions are increased remarkably. The stable intermetallic compounds, i.e. the Mg_xZn_yCe_z ternary phases, are formed in the RS Mg–Zn–Ce alloys at the expense of the Mg₅₁Zn₂₀ phases, which leads to the enhanced thermal stability of the alloys, especially for the Mg–6Zn–5Ce alloy. In the alloy, the atomic percentage ratio of Zn/Ce in the Mg_xZn_yCe_z phase is close to two, and the maximum hardness is 91·5±7 HV after annealing at 200°C for 1 h. However, the age hardening behaviour of the alloys decreases with the increment of Ce, and the main reason is discussed.     

Influence of equal channel angular extrusion processing parameters on the microstructure and mechanical properties of Mg–Al–Y–Zn alloy

An as-cast Mg–Al–Y–Zn alloy was successfully processed by equal channel angular extrusion (ECAE) in the temperature range of 225–400 °C, and the influences of processing temperature on the microstructure and mechanical properties were investigated. The use of back pressure during one-pass ECAE of Mg–Al–Y–Zn alloy was favorable for eliminating the undeformed area in the billet. At the processing temperature below 250 °C, the microstructures were characterized by unrecrystallised structure and the precipitated phase Mg₁₇Al₁₂ was elongated along the extrusion direction. With increasing processing temperature to 350 °C, a large number of recrystallised grains were obtained. Increasing processing temperature promoted workability but led to decrease in the strength of Mg–Al–Y–Zn alloy. Then billets of as-cast Mg–Al–Y–Zn alloy were extruded at different numbers of ECAE passes. It was found that the microstructure was effectively refined by ECAE and mechanical properties were improved with numbers of ECAE passes increasing from one-pass to four passes. However, strengths decreased slightly after five passes though the grain size decreased considerably.     

Effects of Ti addition on the microstructures and mechanical properties of the Al–Mn–Mg–RE alloy

The effects of higher Ti addition (near peritectic point) on microstructures and mechanical properties of a designed Al–Mn–Mg–RE alloy were investigated by optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy and tensile tests, respectively. The results show that the addition of Ti refined grains evidently, meliorated the morphology and distribution of iron-rich phase, and hence improved the mechanical properties of the Al–Mn–Mg–RE alloy. The fracture mechanisms changed from brittle fracture to ductile fracture after extruding. The addition of Ti refined the constituent particles and resulted in deeper and more homogenized dimples of the tensile fracture surfaces.