Effect of extrusion conditions on mechanical properties of Al-20Si-3Cu-1 Mg alloy prepared from rapidly solidified powder

A study on the optimization of extrusion conditions for a prospective Al-20Si-3Cu-1 Mg alloy prepared from rapidly solidified powder was carried out by evaluating tensile properties at room and elevated temperatures. It was found that extrusion conditions influence the asextruded microstructure and mechanical properties of the alloy to a certain extent. The relationship between the as-extruded mechanical properties and such extrusion variables as temperature, reduction ratio and die shape, can be described by using temperature-compensated strain rate, so that the as-extruded properties can be tailored in a certain range by adjusting this process parameter. In addition, the comparison between the as-extruded and as-T6 tempered tensile properties at elevated temperatures has opened the question as to the necessity of applying the heat treatment to the alloy — a normal practice subsequent to the extrusion. The experimental results suggest that for the material used at temperatures at and above 200 °C, the T6 temper treatment can be eliminated.     

Structural characteristics of a nickel-modified Al-20Si-3Cu-1Mg alloy powder

An attempt has been made to characterize a new, complicated Al-20Si-7.5Ni-3Cu-1Mg alloy powder produced by air atomization as a means of rapid solidification and its structural evolutions during continuous heating, in order to provide basic information for further investigations on its deformation behaviour and properties. The characterization consisted of size measurements, morphological observations, structural and thermal analyses of bulk powder, and microstructural examinations of individual powder particles. It was observed that the powder had a wide size distribution and irregular shapes, which were closely related to its varying internal structures. X-ray diffractometry (XRD) showed little shift of the diffraction line from the aluminium matrix of the powder, but a significant broadening, which has been attributed partly to the non-uniformity of supersaturation in the matrix of the powder and partly to the strains caused by the silicon crystals in the material. A differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analysis revealed complex decomposition behaviour of the meta-stable aluminium matrix and transformations of nickel-bearing intermetallic compounds when heat was applied to the powder. XRD also showed that the meta-stable compounds formed in the powder did not match any known phases, and that they were transformed into Al₃Ni, Al₃(NiCu)₂ and Al₇Cu₄Ni intermetallic dispersoids upon heating. The analyses also indicated that, due to the addition of nickel, some copper-containing phases, initially desired to create precipitation strengthening effects, no longer existed. This would diminish the ageing response of the alloy and probably change its category to be non-heat treatable — an important modification that has not yet been recognized by the alloy designers and users. Examinations on the powder particle sections showed variations in microstructure with powder particle size. Transitions in solidification mode within powder particles in accordance with local conditions of undercooling and heat extraction were also observed. The significant inhomogeneities in the microstructure of the powder have raised a problem to which special attention should be paid in both powder production and subsequent processing.     

Characterization of centrifugally atomized Al-12Si-5Fe-3Cu-1Mg(wt%) alloy powder and extruded rod

The Al-12Si-5Fe-3Cu-1Mg(wt%) alloy was rapidly solidified by centrifugal atomization. The microstructural characteristics of rapidly solidified powder and the microstructure changes with heat treatment were investigated in terms and related to powder size. The microstructures of the powder consisted of dendritic -Al, eutectic phase, Cu-rich phase, and needle-like intermetallic compounds. These phases were much finer than that of ingot cast structure and the size decreased with increasing cooling rate. The X-ray diffraction of the atomized powders revealed the presence of non-equilibrium 3-(AlFeSi) intermetallic phase. This phase appeared to transform to an equilibrium -(AlFeSi) phase by heating at temperatures above 470°C. The extruded rod which was hot extruded at 360°C with an extrusion ratio of 40:1 also revealed the presence of the -(AIFeSi) intermetallic phase. Using DSC, the exothermic peak due to precipitation from the supersaturated -Al matrix was observed in the range of 200–250°C during continuous heating of atomized powder, and the size of the peaks increased with decreasing powder size.     

Structural development during the extrusion of rapidly solidified Al-20Si-5Fe-3Cu-1Mg alloy

An investigation concerning the changes of powder structure and microstructure during the extrusion of an important Al-Si-Fe-Cu-Mg alloy prepared from rapidly solidified powder has been carried out. The fragmentation of needle-shaped intermetallics in the alloy has been regarded as one of the main features of the process, which happens concurrently with the interparticle bonding and the shaping of the porous billets. The as-extruded microstructure is found to be mainly composed of the dynamically recovered -Al matrix with numerous microcells, which are retained because of the inhibiting effect exerted by massive, fine second-phase particles on cell wall motion. Some recrystallized grains are also observed but their growth is effectively prevented. The refined intermetallics together with massive silicon particles and precipitates dispersed in the matrix can be expected to improve the thermal stability and high-temperature strength of the alloy to a great extent.     

Mechanical response and structural development during the hot extrusion of a rapidly solidified Al-20Si-7.5Ni-3Cu-1Mg alloy powder

The consolidation of an air-atomized Al-20Si-7.5Ni-3Cu-1 Mg alloy powder was performed utilizing hot extrusion, to determine its extrudability and understand its structural development in relation to process parameters. One of the main features exhibited by the material in this process was a high degree of softening over a peak extrusion pressure, which has been explained by the simultaneous onset of dynamic recovery and recrystallization during deformation. The peak extrusion pressure was shown to be strongly dependent upon the temperature applied, and this dependence has been described with temperature compensated strain rate. It was also observed that the process parameters had a fairly narrow range applicable to the extrusion of the powdered alloy and a significant influence on the deformation behaviour of the powder particles. The combination of heating and deformation, primarily used to convert the loose powder particles into an engineering material, resulted in the decomposition of the meta-stable aluminium matrix and transformations of constituent phases, initially formed in the rapidly solidified powder. Additionally, it was found that the extrusion temperature had an effect on the lattice size and perfection of the as-extruded matrix in the material. Three intermetallic dispersoids containing nickel were detected in the consolidated material, independent of extrusion temperature, and their formation was promoted by hot deformation. The silicon crystal phase in the extruded material was reshaped, and its size was insensitive to the extrusion temperature, which is thought to be caused by a high volume fraction of the coexistent dispersoids. The dispersions of the silicon crystals and intermetallic compounds with various sizes in the matrix substantially modified the deformation mode of the alloy. Evidence of dynamic recrystallization was found, which co-operated with dynamic recovery during deformation, giving rise to a duplex microstructure in the extruded material.     

Microstructural evolution,dislocation density and tensile properties of Al-6.5Si-2.1Cu-0.35Mg alloy produced by different casting processes

Al-Si-Cu-Mg foundry alloys are used in casting process technologies.However,their strength proper-ties remain low due to their microstructural characteristics and porosity.In this work,the microstruc-tural characteristics,dislocation densities,and mechanical properties of Al-Si-Cu-Mg cast alloys prepared through different casting methods were studied experimentally.Four casting processes,namely,gravity casting (GC),rheocasting (RC),thixoforming (Thixo),and Thixo with heat treatment,were used.The GC and RC samples had mainly dendritic α-Al phase microstructures and exhibited coarse Si particles and intermetallic compounds in their interdendritic regions.By contrast,the Thixo and heat-treated Thixo(HT-Thixo) samples exhibited microstructural refinement with uniformly distributed α-Al globules,fine fibrous Si particles,and fragmented intermetallic compounds among α-Al globules.The accumulation of dislocation densities increased in the Thixo sample as the strain was increased due to plastic deforma-tion.Furthermore,the ultimate tensile strength and yield strength of the HT-Thixo sample increased by 87％ and 63％,respectively,relative to those of the GC sample.The cleavage fracture displayed by the GC and RC samples led to brittle failure.Meanwhile,the Thixo and HT-Thixo samples presented dimple-based ductile fracture.     

Characterization of the hot-working behaviour of a P/M Al-20Si-7.5Ni-3Cu-1Mg alloy by hot torsion

Hot torsion tests were performed to investigate the mechanical and microstructural responses of a quinary Al-20Si-7.5 Ni-3Cu-1Mg (wt %) alloy, consolidated from a rapidly solidified powder, to deformation at varying temperatures and strain rates. It was found that, under most of the deformation conditions applied, stress-strain curves were characterized by distinct stress peaks, which are usually absent from the curves shown by conventional aluminium alloys. Temperature and strain rate strongly influenced the stress and ductility of the material. Their combined influence on the peak stress has been expressed with a hyperbolic sine equation. The material also exhibited an extraordinarily high strain rate sensitivity,m, and a largem value variation with temperature. A relatively high value of activation energy for deformation was determined, which clearly reflects additional thermal barriers to metal flow, arising from a high volume fraction of multi-phase particles dispersed in the material. Additionally, the microstructure developed in the course of deformation was examined, which showed evidence of the co-operation of dynamic recovery and recrystallization. The initiation of local dynamic recrystallization is a result of a low level of dynamic recovery achievable in the material, which is again different from conventional aluminium alloys.     

固溶时间对半固态挤压成形Al-17Si-4Cu-0.5Mg合金组织及力学性能的影响

采用半固态挤压成形工艺制备过共晶Al-17Si-4Cu-0.5Mg合金,研究固溶时间对过共晶Al-17Si-4Cu-0.5Mg合金组织及性能的影响.结果表明,随着固溶时间的增加,Si相出现球化,固溶时间为10 h时,共晶Si的圆整度为0.72.铸态下Si相周围富集较高浓度的Cu元素,固溶1 h后,Cu元素快速固溶到基体中.固溶时间从1 h增加到16 h,在XRD曲线上的θ(Al2 Cu)和Q(Al5 Si6 Cu2 Mg8)相的衍射峰强降低,合金基体中的位错密度大量减少.经180℃,时效处理12 h后,组织中析出针状的θ'相和短棒状的Q'相.随着固溶时间的增加,合金强度值呈现"双峰"现象.固溶1h后,合金的抗拉强度为269 MPa,屈服强度为233 MPa,与未热处理合金相比,抗拉强度和屈服强度分别提高了43.3％和42.7％,合金强度的提高是由于在固溶初期基体中仍有较大的位错密度,时效处理后析出相对位错有较强的钉扎阻碍作用.固溶时间为10 h时,合金的抗拉强度为311 MPa,屈服强度为263 MPa,达到第二个强度峰值,Si相的圆整化和细小析出相的弥散强化作用是形成第二个强度峰的主要原因.     

The tribological characteristics of the Al-20Si-3Cu-1Mg alloy reinforced with Al2O3 particles in relation to the hardness of a mating steel

The application of aluminium in automotive engines requires the material to be strong, stiff and, more importantly, wear resistant, which calls for reinforcement with hard ceramic particles. The resultant wear resistance of an aluminium matrix composite is affected not only by the intrinsic properties of the material but also by extrinsic factors involved in the wear process. Few studies have been conducted on the influence of mating material on the wear resistance of aluminium matrix composites and that of the whole friction couple as a system. This paper presents the results of the pin-on-disk wear tests of a potential piston material, the Al-20Si-3Cu-1Mg alloy reinforced with 10 vol.% Al₂O₃ particles, with the variation of the hardness of a steel counterface from 28 to 58 HRC. The work shows that the wear rate of the composite is significantly affected by the hardness of the counter-specimen. For a higher wear resistance of the composite, the mating steel should also be harder. A soft steel counterface would result in increased wear of both the composite and the steel, and thus increased total wear of the friction couple. The observed change in wear rate with the hardness of the counter-specimen is associated with the predominant wear mechanism. The work also shows that the friction coefficient of the composite specimen is also affected by the hardness of the counter-specimen, in addition to the pressure applied in the wear tests.     

Si相尺寸对快凝Al－20Si－1．3Cu－1Mg合金机械性能的影响

研究了快速凝固Ａｌ－２０Ｓｉ－１．３Ｃｕ－１Ｍｇ合金在４００℃热暴露不同时间Ｓｉ相在尺寸上的变化及其对挤压态合金室温、高温性能的影响．试验结果表明，Ｓｉ相尺寸对合金的室温性能有一定影响，经４０℃×１０２４小时暴露后，室温拉伸强度从挤压态的３３５ＭＰａ降到２２０ＭＰａ．热暴露后材料的高温（３００℃）拉伸强度开始急骤下降，但随后σｂ下降速度变缓，说明Ｓｉ相尺寸对材料高温拉伸性能的影响不是高温拉伸强度下降的主要因素．较大的Ｓｉ相颗粒是导致材料室温断裂的主要原因．     

Influence of boron on the microstructure and mechanical properties of Al-11.6Si-0.4Mg casting alloy modified with strontium

Abstract

The influence of the addition of Al-1B master alloy on the microstructure and mechanical properties of Al-11.6%Si-0.4%Mg alloy modified with 0.030%Sr has been investigated. The mechanical properties and fracture behaviour of the alloys as cast and after T6 heat treatment with three different melt treatments (no treatment; 0.030%Sr modifying treatment; and 0.030%Sr + 0.028%B combined melt treatment) were also compared. Al-1B master alloy has a strong action in refining the dendritic structure in near eutectic Al-Si casting alloys modified with Sr. The Sr+B combined melt treatment can improve considerably the mechanical properties of the alloys, both as cast and after T6 heat treatment. Fracture modes of the alloys with the Sr modifying treatment and the Sr+B combined melt treatment are typically ductile. However, fractographs indicate that the alloy with combined melt treatment suffered greater ductile deformation before fracture. The Sr+B combined melt treatment significantly improves the mechanical properties of near eutectic Al-Si casting alloys.     

Microstructure,tensile properties and creep behavior of Al-12Si-3.5Cu-2Ni-0.8Mg alloy produced by different casting technologies

The relationship between the as-cast microstructure and mechanical properties of the Al-12Si-3.5Cu-2Ni-0.8Mg alloys produced by permanent mold casting (PMC) and high pressure die casting (HPDC) is investigated. The alloys in both PMC and HPDC consist of Al, Si, Al₅Cu₂Mg₈Si₆, Al₃CuNi, and Al₇Cu₄Ni phase. However, the microstructure of the HPDC alloy is significantly refined. Compared to the PMC alloy, the ultimate tensile strength of the HPDC alloy is significantly increased from 244 MPa to 310 MPa, while the elongation shows a reverse trend at room temperature. At low stress and temperature range, slight variations of stress exponent and activation energy indicate that the minimum creep rate is controlled by the grain boundary creep. Then the minimum creep rate is higher for the specimen with the smaller grain size, where grain boundary creep is the dominant creep mechanism. At high stress region, the stress exponent for the PMC alloy and HPDC alloy is 5.18 and 3.07, respectively. The different stress exponents and activation energies measured at high stress and high temperature range indicates that the creep mechanism varies with the casting technologies.     

Microstructural evolution and the mechanical properties of an aluminum alloy processed by high-pressure torsion

Processing by high-pressure torsion (HPT) was performed on disks of an Al-7075 alloy at room temperature. The alloy was initially annealed at 753 K and then processed by HPT under a pressure of 6.0 GPa up to a maximum of ten turns. Measurements of the Vickers microhardness showed lower values at the centers of the disks after small numbers of turns but higher numbers of turns led to a reasonable hardness homogeneity across each disk. After five turns, the grain size at the edge of the disk was ~250 nm. It is demonstrated that results from mechanical testing are consistent with the hardness and microstructural data.     

Microstructural features of failure surfaces and low-temperature mechanical properties of Ti-6Al-4V ELI ultra-fine grained alloy

Microstructural regularities of failure surfaces and low-temperature mechanical characteristics in quasistatic uniaxial tension and compression have been studied for ultra-fine grained structural states of Ti-6Al-4V ELI alloy processed by equal channel angular pressing. Values of the yield stress and uniform strain at 300, 77, and 4.2 K have been compared for structural states of the Ti-6Al-4V ELI alloy that differ in the average grain size and the morphology of α and β phases. Statistical distributions of dimple sizes on the failure surfaces have been studied for different structural states and temperatures. __________ Translated from Problemy Prochnosti, No. 1, pp. 81–84, January–February, 2008.     

Preparation of Al-20Si-4.5Cu alloy and its composite from elemental powders

Hypereutectic Al-Si-Cu alloys with a low thermal expansion coefficient and good wear resistance are commonly prepared from pre-alloyed powders using atomization. In the present work, an attempt was made to explore the possibility of fabricating the materials from cheaper elemental powders through sintering the compacts of the mixture of a silicon powder and an Al-4.5Cu elemental powder in the liquid state. Another advantage of taking this fabrication route is that it gives an additional flexibility to incorporate Al₂O₃ particles into the alloys to form aluminium matrix composites with a further improved Young's modulus, dimensional stability and wear resistance. Due to the change in the phase constitution brought about by the silicon addition, the sintering scheme for the Al-Cu elemental powder must be modified. The results show that it is well possible to take advantage of the good sinterability of the Al-4.5Cu elemental powder, to maintain the dimensions of the Al-20Si-4.5Cu compacts and to hold their shape during liquid-phase sintering. After consolidation with hot extrusion and heat treatment, the materials show an improved Young's modulus and a lowered thermal expansion coefficient at the sacrifice of strength and ductility. The success in using the elemental powders to produce the hypereutectic Al-Si-Cu alloys and their composites opens up a new flexible and economic way to tailor the properties of the materials.     

Microstructural features, texture and strengthening mechanisms of nanostructured AA6063 alloy processed by powder metallurgy

Nanostructured AA6063 (NS-Al) powder with an average grain size of ∼100 nm was synthesized by high-energy attrition milling of gas-atomized AA6063 powder followed by hot extrusion. The microstructural features of the consolidated specimen were studied by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) techniques and compared with those of coarse-grained AA6063 (CG-Al) produced by hot powder extrusion of gas-atomized powder (without using mechanical milling). The consolidated NS-Al alloy consisted of elongated ultrafine grains (aspect ratio of ∼2.9) and equiaxed nanostructured grains. A high fraction (∼78%) of high-angle grain boundaries with average misorientation angle of 33° was noticed. Microtexture evaluation by plotting pole-figures and orientation distribution function (ODF) analysis showed Copper and P texture components for both the consolidated Al alloys. Tensile test at room temperature and microhardness measurement revealed that a significant improvement in the strength of AA6063 alloy is obtained through refinement of the grain structure. The strengthening mechanisms are discussed based on the dislocation-based models. The role of high-angle and low-angle grain boundaries on the strengthening mechanisms is discussed.     

Effect of hydrogen on the mechanical properties of a deformation processed Cu-20% Nb composite

The influence of H on the mechanical properties of a deformation processed Cu-20% Nb composite was analysed and compared with the results on similarly processed pure Cu and pure Nb. In this composite the matrix phase (Cu) is relatively resistant to H while the filamentary phase (Nb) is highly susceptible to H embrittlement. The results show that H, in an amount equivalent to that which causes embrittlement of pure Nb, causes no significant deleterious influence on the mechanical properties of Cu-20% Nb. Apparently the ductile Cu matrix creates a favourable stress state for the hydrogenated Nb filaments so that they are constrained from fracturing and continue to deform in a ductile manner.     

Correlation between the mechanical properties and microstructural changes of aged Al-5.8% Mg alloy

Mechanical properties of aged Al-5.8% Mg alloy at 423 and 473 K, over the ageing time range 1–35 h, have been investigated to assess the effect of ageing temperature on deformation in the presence of precipitation. The results indicate that the 0.2% yield strength, ultimate tensile strength, flow stress, work hardening exponent and ductility increase with ageing time reaching a maximum value, and then decrease to minimum value, followed by an increase at longer ageing times. The variation in yield, ultimate tensile strength, work hardening exponent of the flow, as well as the hardness at different degrees of deformation, were recorded as functions of experimental variables. Electron microscopic investigations revealed that the strengthening and loss in ductility of the alloy may be attributed to the precipitation of different shapes of MnAl₆, Mg₂Al₃ and ɛ-Mg₂₃Al₃₀, whose size, quantity and morphology depend on the experimental conditions. An attempt has been made to correlate strength, ductility and structural changes at different ageing times. The Brinell hardness increases and the recrystallization temperature decreases with deformation. From parabolic stress-strain relation, the σ-ɛ^1/2 curves could be divided into two linear parts.     

Microstructural and mechanical stability of Cu-6 wt. % Ag alloy

The microstructural and mechanical stability of Cu-6 wt. % Ag alloy obtained by cold rolling combined with intermediate heat treatments have been investigated. The stress-strain responses and fracture behavior of Cu-6 wt. % Ag alloy were examined and correlated with the microstructural change caused by thermo-mechanical treatments. The deformation bands stabilized by silver precipitates were observed in heavily rolled Cu-6 wt. % Ag alloy. The highly deformed microstructure stabilized by silver filament was observed to be unstable at temperatures above 200 °C. The strength of Cu-6wt.%Ag alloys were found to decrease remarkably if they were heat-treated above 300°C. The fracture surfaces of Cu-Ag two phase alloys showed typical ductile type fracture. The electrical conductivity did not change appreciably up to the aging temperature of 200°C and increased rapidly at temperatures above 300°C. The increase of the conductivity and the decrease of the strength can be associated with the microstructural coarsening of heavily deformed linear band structure. The difference of the UTS and the conductivity between the rolling direction and the direction perpendicular to the rolling direction (on the rolling plane) were found to be relatively small.