Creep- and coarsening properties of Al–0.06 at.% Sc–0.06 at.% Ti at 300–450 °C

Upon aging at 300–450 °C, nanosize, coherent Al₃(Sc_1−xTi_x) precipitates are formed in pure aluminum micro-alloyed with 0.06 at.% Sc and 0.06 at.% Ti. The outstanding coarsening resistance of these precipitates at these elevated temperatures (61–77% of the melting temperature of aluminum) is explained by the significantly smaller diffusivity of Ti in Al when compared to that of Sc in Al. Furthermore, this coarse-grained alloy exhibits good compressive creep resistance for a castable, heat-treatable aluminum alloy: the creep threshold stress varies from 17 MPa at 300 °C to 7 MPa at 425 °C, as expected if the climb bypass by dislocations of the mismatching precipitates is hindered by their elastic stress fields.     

Microstructure and mechanical behaviour of Nb–Al–V alloys with 10–25 at.% Al and 20–40 at.% V—I: microstructural observations

The microstructures of three Nb–Al–V alloys with nominal compositions Nb–10Al–20V, Nb–15Al–20V and Nb–25Al–40V (in at.%) have been investigated. It is shown that the alloys each exhibit an A2 or B2 matrix and often contain A15 and/or σ phase precipitates depending on thermal history. Both the A15 and σ phase precipitates exhibit two different well-defined orientation relationships and for the former these correspond to minimisation of elastic strain energy. ALCHEMI data from the B2 phase indicate that this is more stable for higher Al concentrations, and this is consistent with measurements of A2/B2 order-disorder transformation temperatures. In the alloy Nb–15Al–20V, the precipitation of the A15 phase in a supersaturated B2 matrix is preceded by the separation of the B2 phase into Al-rich domains in an Al-lean matrix.     

Internal Oxidation of an Ag–1.3 at.% Te Alloy

The internal oxidation of Ag–1.3 at.% Te was studied at 750, 800, and 830°C in pure oxygen (1 atm). The internal oxidation under such high oxygen pressure resulted in formation of two different types of oxide particles and two different fronts of internal oxidation in the internal oxidation zone. The coarser Ag₂TeO₃ particles were formed through the in situ internal oxidation of Ag₂Te particles and the tiny oxide precipitates (most probably also Ag₂TeO₃) were formed through internal oxidation of tellurium from solid solution. Considering the mechanism of internal oxidation, both diffusionless and diffusive modes were found to be present simultaneously in the oxidation of Ag–1.3 at.% Te alloy. These results were examined with regard to the solubility of tellurium in silver, which was found to be 0.1 at.% Te at 750°C and 0.26 at.% Te at 830°C, as well as the presence and dissolution of Ag₂Te particles.     

Dislocation processes during the deformation of NiAl–0.2at.%Ta

Macroscopic compression tests and in situ straining experiments in a high-voltage electron microscope were performed on NiAl–0.2at.%Ta at room temperature and at elevated temperatures. At room temperature in soft orientations, dislocations of a〈100〉 Burgers vectors bow out between jogs. In contrast to pure NiAl, the dislocations move in a viscous way between the pinned configurations. At 475°C in a hard orientation, dislocations with a〈110〉 Burgers vectors move in a viscous way in configurations strongly depending on the respective slip plane. Preferred orientations of dislocations are of mixed character, most pronounced as very straight dislocations oriented along 〈111〉 directions on {110} planes. These configurations cannot be explained on the basis of the existing atomistic theories. The flow stress is interpreted in terms of the back stress of the dislocations bowing out between jogs at room temperature, the statistical theory of solid solution hardening, and the formation of atmospheres containing Ta atoms at elevated temperatures.     

Microstructure and mechanical behaviour of Nb–Al–V alloys with 10–25 at.% Al and 20–40 at.% V—II: mechanical behaviour and deformation mechanisms

The mechanical behaviour of three Nb–Al–V alloys with nominal compositions Nb–10Al–20V, Nb–15Al–20V and Nb–25Al–40V (in at.%) have been investigated. Both conventional constant strain rate deformation and compressive creep tests have been performed and the deformation microstructures have been examined by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). At room temperature all three alloys deform by planar slip, with dislocation/particle interactions giving significant strengthening for the two phase alloys. Deformation at higher temperatures occurs by a combination of dislocation glide and climb processes, giving more homogeneous microstructures. All of the dislocations in the B2 phase of these alloys are uncoupled superpartial dislocations with b=1/2<111>. The influence of dislocation/domain boundary interactions on the formation of slip bands and uncoupled superpartials is discussed.     

The Oxidation of Two Ternary Ni–Cu–5 at.%Al Alloys in 1 atm of Pure O2 at 800–900°C

The oxidation of a Ni-rich and a Cu-rich single-phase ternary alloy containing about 5at.% aluminum has been studied at 800 and 900°C under 1atm O₂. The behavior of the Ni-rich alloy is similar to that of a binary Ni–Al alloy with a similar Al content at both temperatures, with formation of an external NiO layer coupled to the internal oxidation of aluminum. The Cu-rich ternary alloy shows a larger tendency to form protective alumina scales, even though its behavior is borderline between protective and non-protective. In fact, at 800°C, after an initial stage of fast reaction during which all the alloy components are oxidized, this alloy is able to develop a continuous layer of alumina at the base of the scale which prevents the internal oxidation of aluminum. On the contrary, at 900°C the innermost alumina layer undergoes repeated rupturing followed by healing, so that internal oxidation of Al is only partly eliminated. As a result, the corrosion kinetics of the Cu-rich ternary alloy at 900°C are much faster than at 800°C and very similar to those of pure copper and of Al-dilute binary Cu–Al alloys. Possible reasons for the larger tendency of the Cu-rich alloy to form external alumina scales than the Ni-rich alloy are examined.     

Precipitation-hardenable Mg–2.4Zn–0.1Ag–0.1Ca–0.16Zr (at.%) wrought magnesium alloy

A new precipitation-hardenable wrought magnesium alloy based on the Mg–Zn system with an excellent combination of high tensile yield strength, good ductility and low tensile-compression anisotropy has been developed. The Mg–2.4Zn–0.1Ag–0.1Ca(–0.16Zr) (at.%) alloys show significantly higher age-hardening responses compared to that of the binary Mg–2.4Zn alloy due to the increased number density and refinement of rod-like MgZn₂ precipitates. The addition of Zr to the Mg–2.4Zn–0.1Ag–0.1Ca alloy resulted in a significant refinement of the grain size. A high number density of precipitates was observed in the Mg–2.4Zn–0.1Ag–0.1Ca–0.16Zr alloy in both the as-extruded condition and following isothermal ageing at 160 °C. The tensile yield strength of the as-extruded and aged alloys was 289 and 325 MPa, with an elongation of 17% and 14%, respectively. These alloys show relatively low compression and tensile anisotropy. The origins of these unique mechanical properties are discussed based on the detailed microstructural investigation.     

Effect of Zn Additions on the Oxidation of Cu–2 at.% Al and Cu–4 at.% Al Alloys in 1 atm O2 at 800 °C

Four ternary Cu–Zn–Al alloys containing 5 or 10 at.% Zn and 2 or 4 at.% Al plus an alloy containing 2 at.% Al and 15 at.% Zn have been oxidized at 800 °C in 1 atm O₂, and their behavior has been compared with that of the corresponding binary Cu–Zn and Cu–Al alloys. For the alloy containing 4 at.% Al, which is already able to form external alumina scales, the addition of Zn is only effective in reducing the mass gain during the fast, initial-oxidation stage. Conversely, the addition of 15 at.% Zn to Cu–2Al is able to prevent the formation of external scales containing mixtures of the Cu and Al oxides, resulting in the formation of external alumina scales after an initial stage of faster rate, producing a limited third-element effect. Finally, the addition of Al to both Cu–5Zn and Cu–10Zn is able to prevent the internal oxidation of Zn, producing a kind of reversed third-element effect. Possible mechanisms for these effects are examined on the basis of general treatments concerning the scaling behavior of ternary alloys.     

Oxidation behaviour of Fe–40 at.-% Al intermetallics with Li or Cu additions at high temperature

Fe–40?at.-% Al intermetallics with the addition of Li (1 and 3?at.-%) and Cu (3 and 5?at.-%) were produced using standard casting techniques. The oxidation behaviour was obtained using thermogravimetric analyses in an atmosphere of 99.99% oxygen at 800, 900, 1000, and 1100°C. The oxidation product layers on the top and cross-sectional views were characterised using SEM and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy mapping. The different alumina phases can produce a double layer with different mechanical and chemical properties. The results showed that the addition of 1% Li assisted the activation of the oxide production at 1000 and 1100°C, while the rest of the third element additions slightly modified the oxidation resistance.     

Selective dissolution of nanolamellar Ti–41 at.% Al alloy single crystals

The selective dissolution behavior of Ti–41 at.% Al single crystals having a α₂/γ-lamellar structure with a lamellar thickness in the range 20 nm to 1 μm have been investigated in 0.5 M NaCl aqueous solution focusing on the effect of lamellar thickness on the dissolution of γ-lamellae. In the case where γ-lamellae were thicker than ～100 nm on average, γ-lamellae were selectively dissolved and, as a result, crevasses whose widths were close to the γ-lamellae thicknesses were formed. However, not all γ-lamellae were dissolved and the distribution of crevasses was much less uniform compared with that of the γ-lamellae. On the other hand, when the average γ-lamellae thickness was <100 nm relatively thick γ-lamellae were preferentially dissolved, but the distribution of the crevasses was relatively uniform compared with that obtained from the coarse lamellar structure. The reasons for this difference are discussed from the viewpoint of the absence of misfit dislocations in nanoscaled lamellae and the difference in ion transport through crevasses of different width formed by dissolution of γ-lamellae.     

Metastable phase formation during the decomposition of Fe–20 at.% Mo

The early stages of the isothermal decomposition of an Fe–20 at.% Mo alloy at 500°C have been studied by means of atom-probe (AP) and field-ion microscopy (FIM), as well as high-resolution (HREM) and conventional (CTEM) transmission electron microscopy. CTEM reveals a characteristic modulated structure oriented along the 〈100〉-type directions of the b.c.c. matrix. Electron diffraction patterns show satellite-like intensities close to the fundamental reflections in 〈100〉-type directions, indicating an approximate 6 nm characteristic length scale of the decomposition microstructure. FIM and HREM reveal precipitates about 2 nm in size with a b.c.c. structure formed coherently within the matrix. AP analyses show these precipitates to consist of almost pure Mo. The size misfit between the Mo-rich precipitates and the Fe-rich matrix causes large coherency strains, resulting in precipitate alignment along 〈100〉-type directions. The Mo-rich b.c.c. solid solution precipitates in a metastable equilibrium with the Fe-rich b.c.c. matrix, whereas the formation of the equilibrium intermetallic phases is kinetically suppressed. A coherent metastable miscibility gap between the Fe-rich and the Mo-rich b.c.c. solid solution is assessed by incorporating a continuum elasticity strain-energy term into the Gibbs free energy.     

Phases and evolution of microstructures in Ti–60 at.% Al

The formation and stability of Al-rich Ti–Al phases is reviewed and the kinetics of the phase transformations and evolution of lamellar TiAl + r-TiAl₂ microstructures is discussed. For this a couple of Ti–60 at.% Al alloys were processed by different techniques to generate different initial microstructures. The kinetics were studied by annealing the differently processed alloys for 1, 10, 100 and 1000 h at temperatures between 800 and 1000 °C and then analysing the quenched microstructures by optical, scanning electron, and transmission electron microscopy. In addition, in situ heating and cooling experiments using differential thermal analysis and transmission electron microscopy were performed to verify the results obtained for the quenched samples. The results conclusively show why the metastable phases h-TiAl₂ and Ti₃Al₅ form. The stability and transformation of the metastable phases have been determined in dependence on time and temperature and the kinetics of the two different mechanisms by which the stable phase r-TiAl₂ forms have been established. The effects of differing initial microstructures on the evolution of the microstructure with time and temperature are discussed.     

Effect of Nb on the high temperature oxidation of Ti–(0–50 at.%)Al

The oxidation behavior of Ti–Nb, Ti₃Al–Nb and TiAl–Nb (Nb: 0–30 at.%) has been investigated at 1173 K in air. When Nb is in solid solution with TiO₂, the addition of Nb can improve the oxidation resistance of the alloys by impeding mass transfer in TiO₂. However, Nb decreases the oxidation resistance when the amount of Nb is too high and forms TiNb₂O₇ or AlNbO₄ phases in the scale.     

Accelerated Corrosion of Fe–xCr–10Al Alloys Containing 0–20 at.% Cr Induced by Sulfur and Chlorine in a Reducing Atmosphere at 600 °C

The corrosion behavior of five Fe–xCr–Al alloys with a constant Al content of 10 at.% and Cr contents ranging from 0 at.% to 20 at.% was examined at 600 °C in a H₂–HCl–H₂S–CO₂ gas mixture providing 3.7 × 10⁻²² atm O₂, 2.4 × 10⁻¹⁴ atm Cl₂ and 3.9 × 10⁻⁹ atm S₂. All the alloys formed duplex scales containing an outermost layer of iron oxide plus an inner layer composed of mixtures of the oxides of all the alloy components. Besides, a region of internal attack of Al or Al + Cr, whose depth decreased with increasing Cr content, formed in all the alloys. The simultaneous presence of chlorine and sulfur in the gas mixture significantly accelerated the corrosion of all the alloys with respect to their oxidation in a simpler H₂–CO₂ mixture providing the same oxygen pressure, by forming thick and cracked scales. The effect was particularly large for the high-Cr alloys due to their inability to form external protective alumina scales in the present gas mixture.     

Microstructure and high-temperature mechanical behavior of the NiAl–27 at.% Cr intermetallic composite

A NiAl–27 at.% Cr composite material was prepared by a powder metallurgical route, involving argon atomization and consolidation by hot isostatic pressing at 1350°C for 4 h at 400 MPa. The consolidated material exhibited a fine-grained microstructure consisting of a fine dispersion of Cr particles of about 1.7 μm in a NiAl matrix. The mechanical behavior at temperatures ranging from 650 to 1100°C was investigated by tensile-strain-rate-change tests. Analysis of the strain–stress data with both power law creep and Garofalo’s hyperbolic sine relation shows the transition to a low stress exponent creep regime with decreasing stress and/or increasing testing temperature. The measured activation energy for deformation of 300 kJ/mol is consistent with the activation energy for Ni self-diffusion in Ni–50Al. Experiments with coarse grain sizes established that the creep rate is independent of grain size which suggests that the deformation mechanisms must be associated with the motion of lattice dislocations.     

Electron backscattered diffraction study on superplastic coarse-grained Fe–27 at.%Al: processing effects

An electron backscattered diffraction technique has been used to investigate detailed crystallographic features of a superplastic coarse-grained Fe–27 at.%Al alloy. Alloy samples studied have been tensile tested to failure at 800°C in air under an initial strain rate of 1×10⁻⁴ s⁻¹. To examine processing effects, the hot isostatic pressing (HIP) has been applied prior to the superplastic deformation. The HIPed sample shows no observable pores in the fracture region while the sample without HIP reveals an elongated pore fracture structure. Nevertheless, HIP is shown to have no beneficial effects on the superplastic elongation, suggestive of the fact that the alleviation of cavity formation alone is insufficient in achieving better superplastic properties. After the superplastic deformation and the refined grains are formed, the presence of numerous small angle subboundaries in the large grain interior indicates the continuous event of recovery and recrystallization that occurs throughout the course of superplastic deformation. The post-deformation annealing yields a classic recrystallized large-grain structure, resulting from the surface-tension-induced boundary migration that reduces the grain surface-area. Conversely, the superplastic deformation of Fe–27 at.%Al involves a strain-induced boundary migration that causes the grain surface-area increase and results in a refined grain structure. The dynamic nature of recovery and recrystallization is therefore confirmed.     

X-ray study of the short-range order structure in Cu–24.3 at.% Mn alloy

The diffuse X-ray scattering from a single crystal of Cu–24.3 at.% Mn aged within the fcc phase at 770 K was measured at room temperature. Diffuse peaks were found at 2n₁+0.2, 2n₂+0.2, 0 and equivalent positions (n₁ and n₂ are integers) in reciprocal space. The Warren–Cowley short-range order parameters were derived from the separated short-range order scattering and used to generate the corresponding local atomic arrangements on a computer. The generated arrangements indicated that Mn atoms form clusters. A set of effective pair interaction energies obtained using an inverse Monte Carlo method showed that the interaction between the first nearest neighbors mainly affects the clustering of like atoms.