Effect of grain refinement on the mechanical properties of Cu–Al–Be–B shape memory alloy

In this work, the mechanical properties of equal channel angular processing (ECAP)-processed fine- and coarse-grained Cu–11.42Al–0.35Be–0.18B shape memory alloys (wt.%) were evaluated using tensile testing. After eight passes of ECAP and subsequently quenching from 600 °C to RT, the mean grain diameter was refined from 227 μm to 42 μm with grain boundaries purified. The fine-grained alloy exhibited good mechanical properties with a high tensile strength (703 MPa) and featured deeper and closer dimples on its fracture surface. The micro cracks were more refined, and the cracks extension along the grain boundaries was improved in the fine-grained alloy. These changes can be attributed to improvement of martensite morphology, structural refinement and grain boundary purification.     

Short communication Low temperature forgeability of Ti–48Al–2Cr–2Nb alloy

Abstract

A two phase (γ + α) titanium aluminide alloy Ti–48Al–2Cr–2Nb, at.-% was isothermally forged along all the three axes in succession at an initial forging temperature of 1273 K, followed by another two sets of forgings at lower temperatures of 1173 and 1123 K. The combined effects of heavy multiaxial strains (? = 2·07, per set of forgings), progressively lower temperatures, and a moderate strain rate (10^-3 s^-1 ) transformed the microstructure to a fine and equiaxed shape. The microstructure developed is suitable for working at a low temperature.     

Effects of homogenisation treatment on microstructure and grain refinement of Al–1.2Mn alloy

The effects of a homogenisation treatment on precipitation, recrystallisation, grain refinement and texture in an Al–1.2Mn alloy were investigated. Based on hardness and electrical conductivity measurements, a precipitation–recrystallisation diagram was generated, which described the sequence of recrystallisation and precipitation. The results showed that recrystallisation was significantly retarded during the annealing treatment for the cold-rolled alloys with a supersaturated solid solution or with dense pre-existing dispersoids. If precipitation occurred prior to recrystallisation, the precipitates caused a strong resistance to recrystallisation, resulting in a coarse and elongated grain structure with a dominant normal direction-rotated cube texture. In contrast, when recrystallisation was completed before precipitation, recrystallisation was little affected by the precipitates, leading to a fine-grained structure with a weak cube texture.     

Influence of C/Ti stoichiometry in TiC_x on the grain refinement efficiency of Al–Ti–C master alloy

TiC_x contained Al–Ti–C is a kind of grain refiner for Al alloys. In this work, the influence of C/Ti stoichiometry, i.e. the x value in TiC_x on grain refinement efficiency was investigated. TiC_x particles have been obtained in five Al–5Ti–m C(m = 0.1, 0.5, 0.8, 1, 1.25) master alloys and the x values were measured to be0.72, 0.75, 0.79, 0.81 and 0.8, respectively. It was found that the refinement performance of the master alloys had a close relationship with the x value of TiC_x . The Al–5Ti–m C alloy with lower-x TiC_x shows better refinement efficiency and anti-fading capability. It is supposed that TiC_x particles with lower x are more preferred to release Ti atoms during nucleating process and have a better Ti-absorbing capability.This contributes to the Ti-rich zone formation at TiC_x /melt interface, thus enhancing the refinement and anti-fading capability.     

Effect of Cr addition on microstructures and nanohardness of rapidly solidified Ti–48Al alloy

Abstract

In this present work, the microstructure and nanohardness of rapidly solidified Ti–48 at-%Al alloy with various Cr additions were experimentally investigated using the single roller melt spinning technique. Ti–48Al alloy with various Cr additions were prepared by arc melting for comparison. In the arc melted alloy, the volume fraction of the interdendritic γ phase decreases, and the lamellar structure and the B2 phase increase with the increase in Cr addition. After rapid solidification, the Ti–48Al alloy consists of the γ phase and α₂ the phase, with the γ phase as the matrix. The α₂ phase exists as particles or in lamellar structure, which embed in the matrix. With 2 at-%Cr addition, the alloy ribbons mainly consist of equiaxial α₂ grains and small particles of the B2 phase, with few lamellar structures occasionally found at the triple grain boundary. Increasing Cr content to 4 at-%, the grain size of the B2 phase increases, and lamellar structures disappear. The change in nanohardness was discussed based on the microstructural observations. It shows a certain increase in the nanohardness as Cr content increases to 4 at-%. This can be attributed to the changes in the microstructures.     

Study on the grain refinement of A356 alloy by Al–3 wt-% VN master alloy

ABSTRACT

A novel Al–3?wt-% VN master alloy, mainly consisting of α-Al and VN phases, was successfully prepared by stir casting. The grain refinement performance of the master alloy on A356 alloy was then investigated. The results showed that the α-Al grain size of A356 alloy refined by Al–3?wt-% VN master alloy was 350?±?95?µm while that of A356 alloy treated by traditional Al–5Ti–B master alloy was 570?±?105?µm. Moreover, for A356 alloy with Al–3?wt-% VN addition, the good grain refining efficiency did not fade significantly within 30?min. The effectiveness of grain refinement might be attributed to VN particles, which acted as the heterogeneous nuclei of α-Al grains. Owing to the refinement strengthening, the yield strength, ultimate tensile strength and elongation of A356 alloy were improved.     

Effect of heat treatment on microstructure and mechanical properties of Cr–Ni–Mo–Nb steel

Abstract

The microstructure and mechanical properties of a medium carbon Cr–Ni–Mo–Nb steel in quenched and tempered conditions were investigated using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray analysis, and tensile and impact tests. Results showed that increasing austenitisation temperature gave rise to an increase in the tensile strength due to more complete dissolution of primary carbides during austenitisation at high temperatures. The austenite grains were fine when the austenitisation temperature was <1373 K owing to the pinning effect of undissolved Nb(C,N) particles. A tensile strength of 1600 MPa was kept at tempering temperatures up to 848 K, while the peak impact toughness was attained at 913 K tempering, as a result of the replacement of coarse Fe rich M₃C carbides by fine Mo rich M₂C carbides. Austenitisation at 1323 K followed by 913 K tempering could result in a combination of high strength and good toughness for the Cr–Ni–Mo–Nb steel.     

The effect of SMAT-induced grain refinement and dislocations on the corrosion behavior of Ti–25Nb–3Mo–3Zr–2Sn alloy

A nanocrystalline layer, which consists of pure β phase with high density of dislocations on Ti–25Nb–3Mo–3Zr–2Sn alloy, was fabricated by surface mechanical attrition treatment (SMAT). The corrosion behavior of the as-SMATed sample, together with the solution-treated coarse-grained and 200 °C annealed SMATed samples, was investigated by potentiodynamic polarization and electrochemical impedance spectroscope (EIS) techniques in physiological saline and simulated body fluid (SBF) solutions. The results demonstrate that the corrosion resistance of the studied alloy in both of the solutions considerably increased as the grain size decreased from microscale to nanoscale, which is ascribed to the dilution of segregated alloying elements at grain boundaries and the formation of more stable and much thicker passive protection films on the nanograined samples. Although the SMAT-induced grain refinement and dislocations both have positive effects on the corrosion behavior of the studied alloy, our post annealing experimental results indicate that the improved corrosion resistance is mainly due to the grain refinement.     

Effect of notch root radius on fracture toughness of Ti–18Al–8Nb alloy

Abstract

The effect of notch root radius on the mode I fracture toughness of Ti–18Al–8Nb alloy in beta solution treated and water quenched condition was investigated. The apparent fracture toughness K _IA was found to be independent of the notch root radius below a critical notch root radius ρ ₀ and subsequently increase linearly with the square root of notch root radius ρ^1/2 beyond ρ ₀. The critical notch root radius in this alloy was found to be ～50 μm. The results were explained on the basis of strain controlled fracture model.     

Effect of heat treatment with the mould on the super-elastic property of Ti–Ni alloy castings for dental application

Tensile property of Ti–50.85Ni (mol %) alloy castings was investigated quantitatively in relation to the thermal behavior accompanied with phase transformation to evaluate the effect of heat treatment after casting with the mould in air. The heat treatment temperature was 713 or 773 K, and the period was 0.9, 1.8, or 3.6 ks. Apparent proof stress of the castings decreased with increasing period of heat treatment, and the decrease was larger with the treatment at 773 K. Residual strain also decreased by the heat treatment, however, it was low with the treatment for relatively short period, i.e. 713 K-0.9 and 1.8 ks, and 773 K-0.9 ks treatments. From the thermal behavior measured by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), the ascent in the transformation temperatures and the increase in the thermal peak height appeared to influence the changes in the tensile property. These changes by heat treatment were believed to be effective to utilize more flexibility, less stress and less permanent deformation in dental castings.     

Effect of the alpha grain size on the deformation behavior during isothermal compression of Ti–6Al–4V alloy

The effects of alpha grain size on the flow stress, the apparent activation energy for deformation (Q) and the processing maps of Ti–6Al–4V with an equiaxed microstructure are thoroughly investigated using isothermal compression tests, and detailed explanation is given based on the microstructure observation and quantitative analysis. The shapes of flow curves are dependent on the microstructure characteristic of the alloy before deformation and during the deformation process. The flow stress increases with increasing equiaxed alpha phase, but decreases with increasing alpha grain size. The Q-values for d_r1 and d_r2 are smaller than those for d_r3 and d_r4, respectively, which is possibly attributed to that Ti–6Al–4V alloy for d_r1 and d_r2 which exhibits a very strong grain-boundary sliding (GBS) mode besides dominant dislocation glide/climb mechanism. The local efficiency maxima and unstable regions in processing maps change with the alpha grain size, which implies that proper hot-working domains should be modified in different grain size range so as to meet the precision forging process.     

Laser shock peening effect on the dislocation transitions and grain refinement of Al–Mg–Si alloy

This paper systematically investigates the effect of laser shock peening without coating parameters on the microstructural evolution, and dislocation configurations induced by ultra-high plastic strains and strain rates. Based on an analysis of optical microscopy, polarized light microscopy, transmission electron microscopy observations and residual stress analysis, the significant influence of laser shock peening parameters due to the effect of plasma generation and shock wave propagation has been confirmed. Although the optical microscopy results revealed no significant microstructural changes after laser shock peening, i.e. no heat effect zone and differences in the distribution of second-phase particles, expressive influence of laser treatment parameters on the laser shock induced craters was confirmed. Moreover, polarized light microscopy results have confirmed the existence of well-defined longish grains up to 455 μm in length in the centre of the plate due to the rolling effect, and randomly oriented smaller grains (20 μm × 50 μm) in the surface due to the static recrystallization effect. Laser shock peening is reflected in an exceptional increase in dislocation density with various configurations, i.e. dislocation lines, dislocation cells, dislocation tangles, and the formation of dense dislocation walls. More importantly, the microstructure is considerably refined due to the effect of strain deformations induced by laser shock peening process. The results have confirmed that dense dislocation structures during ultra-high plastic deformation with the addition of shear bands producing ultra-fine (60–200 nm) and nano-grains (20–50 nm). Furthermore, dislocation density was increased by a factor of 2.5 compared to the untreated material (29 × 10¹³ m^− 2 vs. 12 × 10¹³ m^− 2).     

Effect of ball-milling time on the structural characteristics of biomedical porous Ti–Sn–Nb alloy

The structural characteristics of biomedical porous materials are crucial for bone tissue to grow into a porous structure and can also influence the fixation and remodeling between the implant and the human tissues. The current study has been investigating the effect of the ball-milling variable of time on the structural characteristics and pore morphology of a biomedical porous Ti–16Sn–4Nb (wt.%) alloy. The alloy was synthesized using high-energy ball milling for different periods of time, and the porous Ti–16Sn–4Nb alloy was fabricated by using a space holder sintering process. The resultant powder particles, bulk, and porous samples were characterized using a scanning electron microscope (SEM), laser particle-size analyzer, chemical analysis, X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD), and the Vickers hardness test. The results indicated that the inner pore surface, pore wall architecture, degree of porosity, pore size and the inter-pore connectivity of the sintered porous alloy are all considerably affected by ball-milling time.     

Effect of heat treatment on the tribological properties of Al–Cu–Mg/nanoSiC composites

In this study, the effect of heat treatment on the tribological properties of Al–Cu–Mg alloy reinforced with 4 wt.% SiC particles with 650 nm average particle size has been investigated. The age hardening process consists of solution treatment at 540 °C for 6 h, followed by water quenching and ageing at different temperatures of 175, 200 and 225 °C with soaking times of 3, 6 and 9 h. Hardness measurements were applied to monitor the precipitation effect and the aged samples were then subjected to wear tests under dry sliding conditions against steel and alumina counterfaces. The results showed that the reinforced material exhibits an enhanced ageing response compared to the unreinforced material in the same heat treatment conditions. The rate of ageing increases with increasing temperature; however, ageing at 200 and 225 °C for more than 6 h resulted in over-ageing. The best combinations for the enhanced tribological properties for the composite material were selected as 6 h ageing at 225 °C. The precipitation effect for this alloy can be enhanced by the small addition of SiC nanoparticles. Having a small amount of nanoSiC particles with fine precipitates inside the matrix further increases the hardness and wear properties.     

Effect of grain size on strain rate sensitivity of cryomilled Al–Mg alloy

Al–Mg alloy powder was cryomilled to achieve a nanocrystalline (NC) structure having an average grain size of 50 nm with high thermal stability, and then consolidated by quasi-isostatic forging. The consolidation resulted in a bulk material with ultrafine grains of about 250 nm, and the material exhibited enhanced strength compared to conventionally processed Al–Mg alloy. The hardness of as-cryomilled powder, the forged ultrafine-grained (UFG) material, and the conventional coarse-grained (CG) alloy were measured by nanoindentation using various loading rates, and the results were compared with strain rate sensitivity (SRS) from uniaxial compression tests. Negative SRS was observed in the cryomilled NC powder and the forged UFG material, while the conventional alloy was relatively insensitive to strain rate. The dependence on loading rate was stronger in the NC powders than in the UFG material.     

Effect of growth rate on microstructure parameters and microhardness in directionally solidified Ti–49Al alloy

Intermetallics Ti–49Al (at.%) alloy was directionally solidified with different growth rates (V = 5 μm/s–30 μm/s) at a constant temperature gradient (G = 12.1 K/mm) by using a Bridgman type directional solidification furnace. The primary dendritic spacing (λ), interlamellar spacing (λ_L), and microhardness (HV) were measured. Effect of V on HV, λ and λ_L was experimental investigated. The dependencies of λ, λ_L and HV on the growth rate were determined by using linear regressing analysis. According to the result, the values of λ and λ_L decrease with the increasing of V, and the values of HV increase with the increasing of V and with the decreasing of λ and λ_L. The results were compared with previous similar experimental results for TiAl-based alloys.     

Effect of heat treatment on microstructure and microhardness evolution in a Ti–6Al–4V alloy processed by high-pressure torsion

A Ti–6Al–4V alloy was heat-treated to give two types of microstructures with different volume fraction of equiaxed α phase and lamellar (α + β) microstructure. Disks were cut from the heat-treated rods and processed by quasi-constrained high-pressure torsion (HPT) at room temperature with an applied pressure of 6.0 GPa and torsional straining from 1/4 to 20 turns. The results show that there is a gradual evolution of homogeneity in microhardness and grain size with increasing numbers of revolutions in HPT such that the microhardness values attain a maximum constant value across the disk after processing by HPT for 10 turns and the measured equilibrium grain sizes after 20 turns are ~130 nm in Ti64-1 and ~70 in Ti64-2. The results show also that a larger fraction of lamellar (α + β) in the microstructure of Ti–6Al–4V leads to a higher hardenability after processing by HPT.     

Effect of high pressure torsion on the microstructure evolution of a gamma Ti–45Al–2Nb–2Mn–0.8 vol% TiB2 alloy

The technique of high pressure torsion (HPT) has been widely used to refine the microstructure of many metallic materials, especially pure metals and disordered alloys. Comparatively fewer studies have, however, been carried out in intermetallics. γ-TiAl alloys are envisioned as high potential materials to replace Ni superalloys in some turbine components due to their good performance at high temperatures and light weight. Exploring the potential beneficial effects of severe plastic deformation techniques in these materials is now timely. In this work, a γ-TiAl alloy with a lamellar microstructure has been processed by HPT using pressures ranging from 1 to 6 GPa and 0 to 5 anvil turns at room temperature. Significant refinement of the microstructure via twin formation, bending of the lamella and the accumulation of a high dislocation density upon the application of shear give rise to a drastic hardness increase.     

Influence of heat treatment on stress–strain behaviour and lattice parameters of Sn–In alloy

Abstract

Sn based alloys have important industrial applications specially as pewters and soldering materials. One of these alloys, Sn–5·2 wt-%In alloy, is designed to be examined in the present work. The differential thermal analysis of this alloy gives a melting temperature value of 493 K. An empirical equation that can be used to determine the melting temperature of some Sn–In alloys is derived. Two different heat treated groups of samples, slowly cooled and quenched, are prepared. The phases present in these two groups of samples are determined from their X-ray diffraction patterns. The isothermal tensile stress–strain tests of all samples are reported at temperatures between 343 and 403 K. The changes of the work hardening parameters and also of the lattice parameters of the β-Sn phase with the deformation temperature are discussed. The values of the activation energy characterise a dislocation fracture mechanism.