Fabrication and magnetic properties of Sm_3(Fe,Ti)_(29)N_x/α-Fe dual-phase nanocomposite permanent magnetic material

Sm3(Fe,Ti)29Nx/α-Fe dual-phase nanometer magnetic material was fabricated through rapid solidification, crystallization and nitridation of Sm-Fe (Ti) alloy. The effect of combination of rapid solidification and Ti alloy addition on the phase for- mation and microstructure of the Sm-Fe alloy is investigated in this paper. The mi- crostructure of amorphous phase and dual-phase nano-grain crystals before and after crystallization annealing were observed using a high-resolution transmission electron microscope (HREM). The dual-phase nano-grains after annealing were compacted together with a clear interface with the direct exchange-coupling mechanism. Different annealing processes were used to examine the melt-spun alloy. Comparison of the images of SEM showed that annealing at 750 ℃ for 10 min was most suitable to get homogeneous and nano-grains. No obvious kink was de- tected in the second quadrant of the hysteresis loop like a single hard magnet, and strong exchange coupling was found between hard magnets and soft magnets.     

Recalescence Velocity and Microstructure Evolution of Deeplyundercooled Cu65Ni35 Alloy

The Cu65Ni35 alloy liquid was undercooled by the fluxing method,and the rapid solidification structure was obtained by natural cooling.The solidification interface migration information of Cu65Ni35 alloy liquid in rapid solidification stage was photographed with the help of high-speed camera,and the recalescence velocity was calculated.The microstructure evolution of the alloy was systematically studied by observing the microstructure morphology and taking photos on the metallographic microscope...     

Effect of Holding Time on the Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Dual-Phase Steel during Intercritical Annealing

Continuous annealing simulation tests were conducted by using a continuous annealing thermomechanical simulator. Holding times of 5, 60, 180, and 480 seconds for an intercritical annealing temperature of 820 ℃ were adopted to investigate the evolution of the microstructure and mechanical properties of ferrite-bainite dual-phase steel. The ferrite-bainite dual-phase steel was characterized by high strength and low yield ratio due to the presence of the constituents(polygonal ferrite, bainite, martensite and retained austenite) of the steel microstructure. Specimen 3 exhibits the highest value of A50(7.67%) and a product of Rm × A50(10453MPa%) after a 180 s holding. This is likely attributed to the presence of a C-enriched retained austenite in the microstructure. And the effect of martensite islands and carbide precipitate is thought to be able to contribute in strengthening the present steel. It is expected that equilibrium of austenite fraction would be reached for reasonable intercritical holding period, regardless of the heating temperature. The results suggest that long increasing holding times may not be needed because the major phase of the microstructure does not change very significantly. It is favorable for industrial production of DP steels to shorten holding times.     

A free-cutting and ductile CuAlMnZnTiB shape memory alloy

The mechanical properties and cutting performance of the designed Cu Al Mn Zn Ti B shape memory alloy were studied by tensile test and microstructure observation. Using X-ray diffractometry, differential scanning calorimetry(DSC) and semi-quantitative shape memory effect test, the microstructure and shape memory effect were analyzed. It is found that lots of βphase and few α phase are formed in the quenching of Cu-7.5Al-9.7Mn-3.4Zn-0.3Ti-0.14B(mass fraction, %) alloy, a great deal of martensite and few α phase are formed in the aging alloy, while the annealing alloy is composed of a great deal of α phase and few βphase. The tensile strength and elongation of the annealed alloy are 649 MPa and 17.1%, respectively. Some tiny and dispersion distributed second phase particles are generated in Ti and B precipitates, greatly improving the alloy machinability.     

Preparation and electrical properties of BaPbO3 thin film

BaPbO3 thin films were deposited on Al2O3 substrates by sol-gel spin-coating and rapid thermal annealing. The microstructure and phase of BaPbO3 thin films were determined by X-ray diffractometry, scanning electrons microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry. The influence of annealing temperature and annealing time on sheet resistance of the thin films was investigated. The results show that heat treatment, including annealing temperature and time, causes notable change in molar ratio of Pb to Ba, resulting in the variations of sheet resistance. The variation of electrical properties demonstrates that the surface state of the film changes from two-dimensional behavior to three-dimensional behavior with the increase of film thickness. Crack-free BaPbO3 thin films with grain size of 90 nm can be obtained by a rapid thermal annealing at 700 ℃ for 10 min. And the BaPbO3 films with a thickness of 2.5 μm has a sheet resistance of 35 Ω·-1.     

Transient spinodal decomposition during annealing of rapidly solidified Al-10Sr alloy

Rapidly solidified Al-10Sr alloy ribbons were prepared using a single roller melt spinning technique. The annealing process of the rapidly solidified Al-10Sr alloy has been carried out using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The microstructure of as-annealed Al-10Sr alloy has been characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The equilibrium AUSr phase is dominant in the as-annealed alloy. Besides the Al4Sr phase, an AlSr phase is also found in the alloy isothermally annealed at 873 K for 90 min. Furthermore, a modulated nanostructure was observed in the alloy isothermally annealed at 873 K for 90 min. With further prolonged annealing time, however, the AlSr phase disappears in the as-annealed alloy. The dependence of particle size and growth rate on annealing time as well as the modulated structure shows that the occurrence of the AlSr phase may be due to the spinodal decomposition.     

Effect of pressure on the solidification behavior and mechanical properties of SiCp/Al-Mg composites

SiCp/Al-Mg metal matrix composites were manufactured by semi-solid stirring technique. The composites were remelted and then solidified under different pressures to study the solidification behavior of composites by differential thermal analysis, scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. The experimental results show that SiCp reinforcements can not act as heterogeneous nucleation sites for α(Al), and an interfacial layer composed of MgAl2O4 spinel and Si-rich phase existed at Al/SiCp interface. The undercooling of the matrix alloy was improved by the pressure applied, resulting in the grain of matrix alloy refining. The X-ray diffraction pattern of composites testified that the matrix alloy exhibited a certain preferred orientation during solidification. In addition, with increasing the pressure for solidification, the pored defects in the composites decreased, while the relative density, hardness and compressive strength increased. Therefore, the microstructure and mechanical properties of the composites were improved by pressure placed during the solidification of SiCp/Al-Mg composites.     

Effect of continuous annealing parameters on the mechanical properties and microstructures of a cold rolled dual phase steel

A cold rolled dual phase (DP) steel with the C-Si-Mn alloy system was trial-produced in the laboratory,utilizing a Glee-ble-3800 thermal simulator. The effects of continuous annealing parameters on the mechanical properties and microstructures of the DP steel were investigated by mechanical testing and microstructure observation. The results show that soaking between 760 and 820°C for more than 80 s,rapid cooling at the rate of more than 30°C/s from the quenching temperature between 620 and 680°C,and overag...     

Microstructural evolution of ECAPed 1050 alloy under magnetic annealing

Hardness and microstructure evolutions in 1050 aluminum alloy prepared by equal-channel angular pressing （ECAP） were inves- tigated by hardness testing, optical microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy after samples were annealed at different temperatures for 1 h both in the absence and presence of a 12-T magnetic field. The results showed that the hardness of samples after magnetic annealing were lower than that of samples after normal annealing at 150-250℃, but it was higher than that of samples after normal annealing at 〉250℃. During annealing, the rate of softening was faster, and the grains were more homogeneous in 8-ECAPed samples than in 2-ECAPed samples. A rapid grain growth occurred when 2-ECAPed samples were annealed at high temperature （〉300℃）. The magnetic field enhanced the mobility of dislocations and grain boundaries. A more homogeneous grain size was observed in samples prepared under an applied magnetic field.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">In-situ</Emphasis> investigation on the fatigue crack propagation behavior in ferrite-pearlite and dual-phase ferrite-bainite low carbon steels

The purpose of this study was to describe the roles of microstructure types and grain boundary characteristics in fatigue crack propagation behavior in ferrite-pearlite steel and ferrite-bainite steel.The ferrite-bainite dual-phase steel was obtained by intermediate heat treatment conducted on ferrite-pearlite low carbon steel.This paper presents the results from investigation using constant stress-controlled fatigue tests with in-situ scanning electron microscopy(SEM),electron backscattering diffraction(EBSD) and fatigue fractography analysis.Microscopic images arrested by in-situ SEM showed that the second hard bainite phase distributed in the soft ferrite matrix had a significant effect on preventing the cracks opening compared with pearlite,and that the cracks in ferrite-bainite steel were "locked" in the second hard bainite phase while the crack propagation path in ferrite-pearlite steel was more tortuous.Moreover,the fatigue fracture surface analysis and the coincidence site lattice(CSL) obtained by EBSD indicated that low-CSL grain boundaries in ferrite-bainite steel distributed more uniformly,which has a more significant effect on the resistance of crack propagation.It was revealed that ferrite-bainite dual-phase microstructures could inhibit the fatigue crack propagation more effectively than ferrite-pearlite microstructures.     

Glass forming ability, microstructure and magnetic property of NdAlNiCuFe alloys

The glass forming ability (GFA), microstructure and magnetic property in (Nd60Al10Ni10)Cu20-xFex (0≤ x≤ 20) alloys were investigated by using X-ray diffraction (XRD), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), high resolution transmission electron mi- croscopy (HRTEM) and magnetic property measurement. It is shown that the GFA of the alloys decreases with Fe content. The sam- ples for bulk cylinders with x≤10 show a distinct endothermic peak in the DSC traces due to a glass transition in the range of 421-438 K. With further increasing Fe, the glass transition is masked by the crystallization. The microstructure of the Nd-based alloy can change progressively from full glassy state into composite state with nanocrystalline particles in the glassy matrix indicating the glass forming ability degrades with increasing Fe. The average size of nanocrystals increases with Fe and the distribution changes from homogenous to heterogeneous. The magnetic property varies from paramagnetic to hard magnetic when the Fe content increases up to about 4at% indicating that the magnetic property is related to the metastable phases.     

Load Dependence of Nanohardness in Nitrogen Ion Implanted Ti6AI4V Alloy and Fractal Characterization

Three different nitrogen ion doses were implanted into a Ti6A14V alloy to improve its mechanical surface properties for the application of artificial joints. The titanium nitride phase and nitrogen element distribution profile were characterized with X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy （XPS）. Nano-indentation tests were carried out on the surface of the Ti6A14V alloy and implanted samples on a large scale of applied loads. The XPS analysis results indicate that nitrogen diffuses into the titanium alloy and forms a hard TiN layer on the Ti6A14V alloy. The nanohardness results reveal that nitrogen ion implantation effectively enhances the surface hardness of Ti6A14V. In addition, the nanohardness clearly reveals load dependence over a large segment of the applied loads. Thus a concept of nanohardness fractal dimension is first proposed and the dual fractal model can effectively describe nonlinear deformation in indentation areas on the Ti6A14V surface. The fractal dimension shows a decreased trend in two regions of applied loads, indicating a decrease of the self-similarity complexity in surface indentation owing to an increase in nanohardness after nitrogen ion implantation.     

Effects of annealing on microstructure, mechanical and electrical properties of AlCrCuFeMnTi high entropy alloy

The multi-component A1CrCuFeMnTi high entropy alloy was prepared using a vacuum arc melting process. Serial annealing processes were subsequently performed at 590 ℃, 750 ℃, 955 ℃ and 1 100 ℃ respectively with a holding time of 4 h at each temperature. The effects of annealing on microstructure, mechanical and electrical properties of as-cast alloy were investigated by using differential thermal analysis （DTA）, X-ray diffraction （XRD）, scanning electron microscopy （SEM） and transmission electron microscopy （TEM）. The experimental results show that two C14 hexagonal structures remain unchanged after annealing the as-cast A1CrCuFeMnTi alloy specimens being heated to 1 100℃. Both annealed and as-cast microstructures show typical cast-dendrite morphology and similar elemental segregation. The hardness of alloys declines as the annealing temperature increases while the strength of as-cast alloy improves obviously by the annealing treatment. The electrical conductivities of annealed and as-cast alloys are influenced by the distribution of interdendrite re~ions which is rich in Cu element.     

Electrochemical Hydrogen Storage Performances of the Si Added La-Mg-Ni-based A2B7-type Electrode Alloys for Ni/MH Battery Application

The casting and annealing technologies were applied to fabricate the La0.8Mg0.2Ni3.3Co0.2Six(x = 0-0.2) electrode alloys. The effects of Si content and annealing temperature on the structure and electrochemical performances of the alloys were investigated systematically. The analyses of XRD and SEM show that all the alloys possess a multiphase structure, involving two main phases(La, Mg)2Ni7 and La Ni5 as well as a residual phase La Ni3. The addition of Si brings on an evident increase in the La Ni5 phase and a decrease in the(La, Mg)2Ni7 phase, without altering the main phase component of the alloy, which also makes the lattice constants and cell volumes of the alloy enlarged. Likewise, the annealing treatment engenders the same action on the lattice constants and cell volumes as adding Si. Simultaneously, it gives rise to the variation of the phase abundance and the coarsening of the alloy grains. The electrochemical measurements indicate that the addition of Si ameliorates the cycle stability of the as-cast and annealed alloys significantly, but impairs their discharge capacities clearly. Similarly, the annealing treatment makes a positive contribution to the cycle stability of the alloy evidently, and the discharge capacity of the alloy shows a maximum value with annealing temperature rising. Furthermore, the high rate discharge ability(HRD) first augments and then declines with the rising of Si content and annealing temperature.     

Effect of cooling rate on the microstructure of ZA48 alloy

The effect of cooling rate on the microstructure of ZA48 alloy was investigated. The alloy was prepared using a relatively simple technique, i e, rapid cooling of the melt in a steel wedge mould. The dependence of microstructure on the cooling rate (about 40 to 103 K/s) was determined by the secondary dendrite arm space size measurement, optical microscopy(OM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). It is found that the matrix structure over a large cooling rate is composed of α-Al dendrite and eutectoid (α+η), the size of α-Al dendrite decreases with increasing cooling rate. The relationship between the cooling rate and the secondary dendrite arm space size has been established. TEM shows that a large number of small and dispersed precipitations can be seen in the primary α phase of tip region. Electron diffraction pattern shows that the precipitate phase is Zn3Mg2 phase.     

Dynamic Fracture of Ti-5553 Alloy in Taylor Impact Test

The dynamic fracture behavior of a new near-beta Ti-5Al-5Mo-5V-3Cr~(-1)Fe(Ti-5553)alloy under a high strain rate loading was investigated systemically using the Taylor impact test,over the impact velocity ranging from156 ms~(-1) to 256 ms~(-1).An optical microscope(OM)and a scanning electron microscope(SEM)were used to characterize the microstructure evolution.The experimental results have demonstrated that the velocity from deformation to fracture is 256 ms~(-1) for the alloy with anα+βduplex microstructure including more primaryαphase,while the velocity is 234 ms~(-1) for the alloy with a duplex microstructure including less primaryα phase.From the impact fracture morphologies,smooth and smeared surfaces and ductile dimple areas can be observed.The failure mode of the titanium alloy with both microstructures is adiabatic shear banding.According to the fracture analysis,the ductile fracture area with the dimple area in the alloy with much more primaryαphase were more than that with less primaryαphase.Compared to the duplex microstructure with less primaryα phase,Ti-5553 alloy with more primaryαphase exhibited a better capability to resist an adiabatic shear damage.     

Effects of ultrasonic treatment on microstructure and mechanical properties of semisolid Sn-52Bi alloy

The effects of ultrasonic vibration temperature on the microstructure of semisolid Sn-52 Bi alloy and mechanical properties were investigated. The results show that the microstructure and mechanical properties are improved obviously after the ultrasonic treatment. Nearly round and uniformly distributed primary Sn phase particles were obtained under the cavitation and acoustic streaming caused by ultrasonic treatment. The best effects of ultrasonic treatment on microstructure and mechanical properties were obtained with the ultrasonic vibration for 120 s at 140 ℃. The elongation of semisolid Sn-52 Bi alloy treated by ultrasonic vibration for 120 s at 140 ℃ was 42% and increased by 156.09% compared to conventional liquid casting Sn-52 Bi alloy without ultrasonic vibration. It is a feasible and effective method to adopt the semisolid metal forming technology assisted with ultrasonic vibration to improve the ductility of Sn-Bi alloys.     

Effect of trace La addition on the microstructure and mechanical property of as-cast ADC12 Al-Alloy

The effects of addition of La on the microstructure of as-cast ADC12 Al-Alloy were investigated by using optical microscope (OM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), and energy disperse spectroscopy (EDS). The experimental results showed that the a-Al and eutectic Si crystals were modified with the addition of 0.3 wt% La. The eutectic Si crystals showed a granular distribution. At the same time, the alloy possessed the best mechanical property. When more than 0.3 wt% La was added to ADC12 aluminum alloy, the microstructure of as-cast alloy was coarsening gradually with the increase of the content of La and the mechanical property decreased. The effect of rare earth La which was added in ADC12 Al-Alloy for up to 0.9 wt% had been investigated in this study. The dendrites of ADC12 Al-alloy was refined obviously and the morphology of Si crystals showed a particle structure when the addition of La reached 0.3 wt%. Besides, the acicular La-rich intermetallics in the alloy deteriorated the mechanical property of alloy. To avoid this unwanted phase, the amount of added rare earth La must be less than 0.6 wt%.     

Microstructural evolution in a powder metallurgical Ti-7Mo alloy with continuous oxygen gradient

A titanium alloy containing continuous oxygen gradient was prepared by powder metallurgy(P/M) and the composition–property relationship was studied on a single sample. The alloy was sintered with layered powder of different oxygen contents via vacuum sintering and spark plasma sintering(SPS), respectively. After subsequent heat treatments, high-throughput characterizations of the microstructures and mechanical properties by localized measurements were conducted. The Ti-7% Mo(molar fraction) alloy with an oxygen content ranging from 1.3×10~(-3) to 6.2×10~(-5)(mass fraction) was obtained, and the effects of oxygen on the microstructural evolution and mechanical properties were studied. The results show that SPS is an effective way for fabricating fully dense Ti alloy with a compositional gradient. The average width of α′ phase coarsens with the increase of the content of oxygen. The content of α″ martensitic phase also increases with the content of oxygen. At oxygen contents of 3×10~(-3) and 4×10~(-3)(mass fraction), the Ti alloys present the lowest microhardness and the lowest elastic modulus, respectively. The results also indicate that the martensitic phases actually decrease the hardness of Ti-7Mo alloy, and oxygen effectively hardens the alloy by solid solution strengthening. Therefore, the high-throughput characterization on a microstructure with a gradient content of oxygen is an effective method for rapidly evaluating the composition–property relationship of titanium alloys.     

Microstructure evolution of cast Al-Si-Cu alloys in solution treatment

To develop a software to predict the evolution of microstructure and the development of mechanical properties during the heat treatment of cast aluminum alloys, we modeled the redistribution of solute during the solution treatment of multicomponent alloys. The predictions of solidification simulation software or the results of experiment provided the initial microstructure and solute distribution for simulation of heat treatment. Binary through quinary aluminum alloys with silicon, copper, magnesium, and iron were modeled. The basic model assumed local equilibrium （no undercooling due to nucleation or growth） and computed diffusion in the solid constituents during solidification. The evolution of microstructure during solution treatment was followed by qualitative and quantitative metallography. The results of simulation for the ternary alloy Al-7%Si-3.5%Cu were compared to experimental observation.