Tensile Properties of Cast Alloy IN625 in Relation to d Phase Precipitation

The relationship between the tensile properties and δ (delta) phase precipitation in cast alloy IN625 was investigated in this paper. Although the influences of δ phase on the mechanical properties have been pointed out in our previous work, the relationship is still not directly determined due to the coexistence of γ″ (gamma double prime) and δ precipitates. In order to exclude the effect from γ″ phase, various fractions of δ precipitates with few γ″ precipitates were obtained by a set of experimental alloys aging at 750 °C, and tensile tests were conducted in parallel. The results showed that both yield strength and ultimate tensile strength increased nearly in linear with increasing δ phase fraction, while the elongation was relatively and limitedly affected by δ precipitation when the area fraction of δ phase was above 10%.     

Zn对Mg-10Gd-2Y-0.5Zr镁合金组织和性能的影响

通过在Mg-10Gd-2Y-0.5Zr合金中添加Zn,采用SEM、XRD及万能拉伸试验机,研究了Zn添加对其铸态组织和力学性能的影响。结果表明,Mg-10Gd-2Y-0.5Zr合金的铸态组织主要由α-Mg、Mg₅(Gd,Y)和Mg₂₄(Y,Gd)5相组成,而添加质量分数为0.5%~1.5%的Zn后,合金的铸态组织主要由α-Mg、Mg₅(Gd,Y,Zn)、Mg₂₄(Y,Gd,Zn)₅及Mg₁₂(Gd,Y)Zn相组成。添加0.5%的Zn后,合金的室温力学性能明显提高,当Zn含量高于1.0%后,镁合金的室温力学性能开始逐步降低。当Zn含量为0.5%时,合金具有较佳的综合力学性能,其抗拉强度、屈服强度和伸长率分别为197 MPa、160 MPa和4.37%。Zn对Mg-10Gd-2Y-0.5Zr合金铸态力学性能的影响与其铸态组织中Mg₅(Gd,Y,Zn)、Mg₂₄(Y,Gd,Zn)₅和Mg₁₂(Gd,Y)Zn第二相及其数量有关。     

Microstructure of a Ti–50wt% Ta alloy produced via laser powder bed fusion

Ti-Ta alloys have been widely studied for biomedical applications due to their high biocompatibility and corrosion resistance.In this work,nearly fully dense and in situ alloyed Ti-50 wt% Ta samples were fabricated by the laser powder bed fusion(LPBF) of mechanically mixed powders.With increased exposure time,and thereby increased laser energy density,insoluble Ta particles were almost dissolved,and a Ti-50 wt% Ta alloy was formed.Cellular and dendritic structures were formed due to constitutional undercooling,which was caused by the high cooling rate of LPBF process.Both retained βphases and α " phases were observed in the LPBFed Ti-50 wt% Ta alloy.The α" phase was found at the boundary of the cellular structures,where the tantalum content was not high enough to suppress the bcc lattice transition completely but could suppress the β phase→α' phase transition.     

Effect of Zn Addition on the Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Cast Mg-10Gd-3.5Er-xZn-0.5Zr Alloys

In this work, the effects of Zn content (0-2 wt%) on microstructural evolution and mechanical properties of cast Mg-10Gd-3.5Er-0.5Zr alloys are studied. The results show that the as-cast Mg-10Gd-3.5Er-xZn-0.5Zr alloys are mainly composed of Mg matrix and secondary (Mg, Zn)₃(Gd, Er) phases distributed along grain boundaries. With the increase in Zn content, the volume fraction of secondary (Mg, Zn)₃(Gd, Er) phases increases and the grains get refined. In the process of solid solution treatment, Zn addition can lead to the formation of long-period stacking ordered (LPSO) structures and the volume fraction of LPSO structures increases with Zn content. In addition, the Zn addition can reduce the vacancy formation energy and accelerate the diffusion rate of RE elements in Mg matrix. Because of the comprehensive effect of secondary phases and the accelerated diffusion rate, the base alloy and 2Zn alloy have less grain growth after solid solution treatment than that of the 0.5Zn alloy and 1Zn alloy. The precipitation process is also accelerated by enhanced diffusion rate. At room temperature (RT), the strengthening effect of β^'+ β₁ precipitates is more effective than that of LPSO structures, so the peak-aged 0.5Zn alloy exhibits the most excellent mechanical performance at RT, with yield strength of 219 MPa, ultimate tensile strength 296 MPa and elongation of 6.4%. While LPSO structures have stronger strengthening effect at elevated temperature than that of β^'+ β₁ precipitates, so the 1Zn alloy and 2Zn alloy have more stable mechanical performance than that of the base alloy and 0.5Zn alloy with the increase in tensile temperature.     

Effect of Different Scale Precipitates on Corrosion Behavior of Mg–10Gd–3Y–0.4Zr Alloy

A large amount of directional and willow-like β' phase was precipitated in Mg-10 Gd-3 Y-0.4 Zr(GW103 K) alloy after solution treatment and subsequently aged treatment(T6). In order to explore the effect of the precipitates on the corrosion behavior of the GW103 K alloy, the alloy was subjected to solution treatment(T4) at 773 K for 4 h at first, subsequently aged at 498 K for 193 h(T6). The microstructure evolution of the GW103 K alloy after this treatment was investigated by scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The high-angle annular detector dark-field scanning transmission electron microscopy was used to observe the typical corrosion morphologies of the nanoscale precipitation phases(β') in the T6-treated alloy. The corrosion rate was measured by potentiodynamic polarization test. Combining with the potential measurement results by scanning Kelvin probe force microscopy, the effects of the skeleton-like Mg_(24)(Gd,Y)_5 andf precipitates on the corrosion behavior of GW103 K alloy were explored. The results showed that the corrosion rate of the GW103 K alloy in different conditions was ranked as: as-cast alloy T4-treated alloy T6-treated alloy,attributing to the fact that the relative potential differences of skeleton-like Mg_(24)(Gd,Y)_5 were lower than those of the matrix, therefore Mg24(Gd, Y)5 phase formed micro-galvanic coupling with the matrix and corrosion dissolution occurred.The nanoscale β' precipitates in T6-treated alloy can retard the cathodic process.     

Re-recognition of the Effects of Phosphorus and Boron on the γ’’ and γ’ Phases in IN718 Alloy

The effects of P and B on the matrix strength and precipitations of γ’ and γ’’ phases in the grain interior were re-recognized in this study. The combination addition of P and B markedly accelerated the precipitations of γ’ and γ’’ phases and strengthened the matrix of IN718 alloy when air-cooled from high temperature, while made no difference when waterquenched from high temperature. The effect of single addition of P on the precipitations of γ’’ and γ’ phases was the same with that of the combination addition of P and B, while the single addition of B had no effect on the precipitations of the two phases. Therefore, it was P rather than B which accelerated the precipitations of γ’ and γ’’ phases. P could take part in the precipitations of γ’ and γ’’ phases, which was revealed by electrochemical extraction and quantitative analysis of chemical composition. It also revealed that P atoms were dissolved in the c matrix to a relatively high degree at the temperature that γ’ and γ’’ phases began to precipitate, and consequently the precipitations of γ’ and γ’’ phases were accelerated. The first-principle calculation indicated that P decreased the formation enthalpies of γ’ and γ’’ phases when it occupied the Ni lattice sites in the two phases, which explained the effect of P on the γ’ and γ’’ phases.     

Effect of Heat Treatment on the Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of the Modified 718 Alloy

M718 alloy with an extra high Mo content of 7.50 wt% which reduced Nb addition and increased Al and Ti additions within the composition specifications of 718 alloy has been designed to increase the service temperature of 718 alloy. And the effect of the heat treatment on the microstructure and mechanical properties of M718 alloy has been investigated in this study. The results showed that Laves phase precipitated on the grain boundaries of M718 alloy instead of d-Ni_3 Nb phase in718 alloy, and y'and y'phases precipitated in the matrix of M718 alloy as that in 718 alloy. Increasing the solution temperature from 960 to 1050 ℃ noticeably reduced the intergranular precipitation of Laves phase. The precipitation of Laves phase was appropriate at 1020 ℃ for improving the grain boundary cohesion. Increasing the two-stage aging temperatures markedly increased the sizes of y' andy'phases. As a result, the strength of M718 alloy increased.     

Effect of δ Phase on Microstructure and Hardness of Heat-Affected Zone in TIG-Welded GH4169 Superalloy

The GH4169 superalloy with different content of δ-Ni₃Nb phase was welded by tungsten inert gas welding. A detailed study of microstructure and hardness of heat-affected zone (HAZ) was performed in both as-welded and aged state. The results show that the precipitation of δ phase, especially the intergranular δ phase, can lead to the enrichment of Nb and Mo elements, which promote the formation of γ/Laves eutectic constituent at grain boundaries in HAZ. In as-welded state, the hardness decreases first and then increases (exhibiting a “V” shape) with distance away from fusion line in HAZ, which is governed by grain size. After aging treatment, however, the γ″ phase plays a key role in hardness and leads to the “Λ” shape profiles of hardness in HAZ.     

Mg-(11-13)Gd-1Zn变形镁合金的组织和力学性能

制备了3种成分的Mg-Gd-Zn三元合金,并对其显微组织和力学性能进行了较系统的研究.结果表明,Mg-（11-13）Gd-1Zn（质量分数,%）三元合金的铸态组织由α-Mg,（Mg,Zn）₃Gd和具有14H结构的长周期堆垛有序相（14H-LPSO）组成;（Mg,Zn）₃Gd呈现典型的网状共晶形貌,其体积分数随Gd含量的增加而增大.热挤压过程中（Mg,Zn）₃Gd相破碎,其颗粒沿挤压方向排列,而14H-LPSO相则分布于条状分布的（Mg,Zn）₃Gd颗粒之间.铸态和挤压态合金在高温固溶处理后,14H-LPSO相的体积分数增加,大部分（Mg,Zn）₃Gd相溶入基体.挤压态合金经固溶和时效（T6）处理后,显微组织中14H-LPSO相的体积分数大幅度增加,而且出现了β′和β₁沉淀颗粒.对挤压后的合金直接进行时效处理（T5）过程中也形成了β′和β₁沉淀,但14H-LPSO相没有显著增加.3种合金中Mg-11Gd-1Zn合金在T6态的性能最好,抗拉强度高达416 MPa.     

Microalloying Effect of Sn on Phase Transformation During Heat Treatment in Mg–Y–Zn–Zr Alloys

The microstructure and mechanical properties of the as-cast and heat-treated Mg-4.6 Y-2.5 Zn-0.6 Zr-x Sn(x = 0, 0.2 and0.5 wt%) alloys were investigated in this work. The results showed that the eutectics have been refined with 0.2% Sn addition and it has no effect on the phase category of the alloys. However, Sn3 Y5 phase was found in 0.5% Sn-added alloy.After heat treatment at 520 °C, the transformation of the long-period stacking ordered(LPSO) phase takes place in the Mg-Y-Zn-Zr alloy, but the transition is not completed in the alloys containing Sn. In addition, during the heat treatment, the mechanical properties of Sn-free alloys are significantly improved, and the strength of alloys containing Sn does not change much. Through observation and analysis of the microstructure and mechanical properties, it is found that Sn addition hinders the process of a0-Mg ? a-Mg ? 14 H and the process is the key to the transition of 18 H-LPSO to 14 H-LPSO.     

Hot Deformation Behavior and Microstructural Characteristics of Ti–46Al–8Nb Alloy

Hot deformation behavior,microstructural evolution and flow softening mechanism were investigated in Ti–46Al–8Nb alloy via isothermal compression approach.The true stress–strain curves exhibited typical work hardening and flow softening,in which the dependence of the peak stress on temperature and strain rate was obtained by hyperbolic sine equation with Zener–Hollomon(Z)parameter,and the activation energy was calculated to be 446.9 k J/mol.The microstructural analysis shows that the alternate dark and light deformed ribbons of Al-rich and Nb-rich regions appeared and were associated with local flow involving solute segregation.The Al segregation promoted flow softening mainly arising from the recrystallization of γ phase with low stacking fault energy.The coarse recrystallized γ and several massive γ phase were observed at grain boundaries.While in the case of Nb segregation,β/B2 phase harmonized bending of lamellae,combined with the growth of recrystallized γ grains and α+β+γ→α+γ transition under conditions of temperature and stress,leading to the breakdown of α_2/γ lamellar colony.During the hot compression process,gliding and dissociation of dislocations occurred in γ phase that acted as the main softening mechanism,leading to extensive c twins and cross twins in α/γ lamellae and at grain boundaries.In general,homogeneous microstructure during the hot deformation process can be obtained in Ti Al alloy with high Nb addition and low Al segregation.The deformation substructures intrinsically promote the formability of Ti–46Al–8Nb alloy.     

Creep-Induced Phase Instability and Microstructure Evolution of a Nearly Lamellar Ti-45Al-8.5Nb-(W,B,Y)Alloy

Microstructure degradation and stress-induced transformation of a high Nb-containing TiAl alloy with nearly lamellar microstructure during creep were investigated. Tensile creep experiments were performed at 800, 850 and 900 °C under 150 MPa in air. Microstructures before and after creep tests were examined using scanning and transmission electron microscopy (SEM and TEM). Dislocations within the lamellar structure and β_o(ω) region and twin intersection in massive γ grains were investigated. Dislocation sliding played a critical role in the deformation of ω_o phase, which preferentially occurred on the (0002)ω_o plane. Possible deformation mechanisms were revealed. A stress-induced γ→α₂ phase transformation took place during the creep test at 850 and 900 °C. α₂ lamella could directly decompose into the ω_o phase at 850 °C. The instability of high-temperature microstructure can weaken the creep resistance and promote the plastic deformation of the lamellar matrix, thus could be detrimental to the creep properties. The correlations between creep properties and microstructure instability were discussed.     

Mg2Si强化相对AZ31镁合金挤压组织与力学性能的影响

通过Al-Si中间合金取代Al添加,并经热挤压成形,在AZ31镁合金中引入Mg₂Si强化相。采用光学显微镜(OM)、扫描电镜(SEM)、X射线衍射分析(XRD)、电子万能试验机等研究了Mg₂Si强化相对AZ31镁合金挤压组织与力学性能的影响。结果表明,添加Al-Si中间合金后的Mg-3(Al-Si)-Zn挤压组织呈现明显的双峰分布特征,Mg₂Si颗粒相可通过粒子激发形核(PSN)作用促进动态再结晶,在碎化的Mg₂Si颗粒相周围,合金组织显著细化,形成明显异于其他正常尺寸晶粒的细晶区。引入Mg₂Si强化相后,Mg-3(Al-Si)-Zn挤压态合金的屈服强度和抗拉强度都得到提高,分别达到175和269 MPa,同时伸长率略有降低。     

Microstructures and properties of Mg–7Gd alloy containing Y

Mg–7 mass%Gd–x mass%Y (x = 0, 1, 3 and 5) alloys were prepared by casting method, and the microstructures, age hardening behavior and mechanical properties have been investigated. The results show that the addition of Y to the binary Mg–7Gd alloy could reduce the grain size of the as-cast alloys, and enhance the age hardening response and improve mechanical properties during the investigated temperature range. The Mg–7Gd–5Y alloy exhibits maximum ultimate tensile strength and yield strength at peak hardness, and the values are 258 and 167 MPa at room temperature, and 212 and 140 MPa at 250 °C, respectively, which is about 1.8 times as high as the Mg–7Gd binary alloy. When x is more than 3, the amount of Mg₅(Gd,Y) phase is observed at the peak hardness of aged alloys. The significant improvement of the tensile strength at peak hardness is mainly attributed to the fine dispersion of the β-Mg₅(Gd,Y) precipitate.     

Effect of Phase Transformation During Long-Term Solution Treatment on Microstructure,Mechanical Properties,and Bio-corrosion Behavior of Mg–5Zn–1.5Y Cast Alloy

The influence of long-term solution treatment for various intervals on the microstructure,mechanical properties,and corrosion resistance of the as-cast Mg–5Zn–1.5Y alloy was investigated.Variation of secondary phases was studied during solution treatment through thermal analysis test and thermodynamic calculations.Tensile and hardness tests,as well as polarization and immersion tests,were performed to evaluate the mechanical properties and corrosion behavior of the ascast and heat-treated alloy,respectively.Results show that solution treatment transforms I-phaseinto W-phaseas well as dissolves it into the a-Mg matrix to some extent;therefore,the amount of W-phase increases.Moreover,prolonged solution treatment decreases the volume fraction of the phases.In the first stage of solution treatment for 14 h,the tensile properties significantly increase due to the incomplete phase transformation.Although long-term solution treatment sharply decreases the tensile and hardness properties of the alloy,it improves the corrosion resistance due to the transformation of I-phase into W-phase.In fact,it decreases corrosion potential and simultaneously dissolves intermetallic compounds into the a-Mg matrix,resulting in the reduction in galvanic microcells between the matrix and compounds.It is found that the optimum time for long-term solution treatment is 14 h,which improves both corrosion behavior and mechanical properties.     

Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of TiC-Reinforced Al-Mg-Sc-Zr Composites Additively Manufactured by Laser Direct Energy Deposition

In order to refine the microstructure and improve the performance of direct energy deposited (DED) additively manufactured Al-Mg-Sc-Zr alloy, TiC-modified Al-Mg-Sc-Zr composites were prepared by DED and the effect of TiC content on the microstructure and performance was studied. In the absence of TiC particle, the microstructure of Al-Mg-Sc-Zr alloy prepared by DED consisted of fine grains with average size of 8.36 μm, and well-dispersed nano-Al₃(Sc,Zr) particles inside the grains and Mg₂Si phase along the grain boundaries. With the addition of 1 wt% TiC, the microstructure of TiC/Al-Mg-Sc-Zr prepared by DED became finer apparently compared with that without TiC; while the further increase of TiC content to 3 wt%, the microstructure of TiC/Al-Mg-Sc-Zr prepared by DED became coarser with appearance of a new kind of needle-like (Ti,Zr)₅Si₃ phase. Also, the addition of TiC decreased the porosity of Al-Mg-Sc-Zr prepared by DED. Simultaneously, after the addition of TiC, the tensile strength increased from 283.25 MPa to 344.98-361.51 MPa, and the elongation increased from 3.61% to 9.58-14.10%. The potential mechanism of the microstructure evolution and strength improvement was discussed. This research will provide new insights into the available metal matrix composites by laser additive manufacturing (LAM).     

Element Segregation and Solidification Behavior of a Nb,Ti, Al Co-Strengthened Superalloy ЭК151

The as-cast microstructure, element segregation and solidification behavior of a multi-alloyed superalloy ЭК151 have been investigated. The results show that the severe element segregation leads to the complicated precipitations at the inter-dendritic region, including η-Ni_3(Ti, Nb), eutectic(γ + γ') and Laves, which shows the characteristics of both Ti, Al-strengthened and Nb-strengthened alloys. Differential thermal analysis, heating and quenching tests reveal the solidification sequence as follows: Liquids →γ matrix →(Nb, Ti)C →η-Ni 3(Ti, Nb) →eutectic( γ+γ') → Laves. The melting points are between 1250 and 1260 °C for(Nb, Ti)C, between 1200 and 1210 °C for η phase, between 1180 and 1190 °C for eutectic(γ+γ') and Laves. γ' initially precipitates from matrix at 1150 °C and achieves the maximum precipitation at 1130 °C. According to the microstructure evolution captured during solidification and composition analysis by an energy dispersive spectrometer and electron probe microanalyzer,(Nb, Ti)/Al ratio is put forward to explain the formation of η-Ni_3(Ti, Nb) and eutectic( γ+γ'). The solidification of γ matrix increased the Nb, Ti concentration in the residual liquids, so the high(Nb, Ti)/Al ratio would result in the formation of η-Ni_3(Ti, Nb); the precipitation of the phase consumed Nb and Ti and decreased the(Nb, Ti)/Al ratio in the liquid, which led to the precipitation of eutectic(γ + γ'). Laves formed by the sides of η-Ni_3(Ti, Nb) and in front of the eutectic( γ + γ') after Al, Ti were further depleted by the two phases and Cr, Co, Mo were rejected to liquids.     

Evolution of TCP Phase During Long Term Thermal Exposure in Several Re-Containing Single Crystal Superalloys

The application and component designs of single crystal superalloys are restricted by the precipitation of topologically closed packed(TCP) phases,which can deteriorate the microstructural stability of the alloys severely.Limited researches concerning the type and morphology evolution of TCP phases under elevated temperature conditions have been reported previously.In the present work,three Re-containing single crystal alloys were designed to investigate TCP phase evolution via long term isothermal exposure tests at 1120℃ while the effects of Re on the microstructural characteristic and elements segregation were also clarified.The results showed that the addition of Re increased the instability of the alloys and the volume fraction of the TCP phases exceeded 5 vol% when the Re content reached 3 wt%.The increasing Re content had also raised the precipitation temperature of TCP phases but it did not change the type of them after long term aging;all the TCP particles were identified as μ phase in this study.Moreover,the elements segregation became considerably serious as Re addition increased constantly,which brought about various morphologies of the μ phase in the experimental alloys.In particular,the rod-like and needle-like μ phases demonstrated the typical orientation within γ matrix while the blocky μphase was dispersedly distributed in the space.No specific orientation relationship could be observed in the μ phase when the addition of Re exceeded certain threshold value.     

Microstructural Characteristics and Mechanical Properties of Cast Mg-3Nd-3Gd-xZn-0.5Zr Alloys

The microstructure, aging behavior and mechanical properties of cast Mg-3Nd-3Gd-xZn-0.5Zr (x = 0, 0.5, 0.8, 1 wt%) alloys are investigated in this work. Zn-Zr particles with different morphologies form during solution treatment due to the additions of Zn. As the Zn content increases, the number density of Zn-Zr particles also increases. Microstructural comparisons of peak-aged studied alloys indicate that varying Zn additions could profoundly influence the competitive precipitation behavior. In the peak-aged Zn-free alloy, β’’ phases are the key strengthening precipitates. When 0.5 wt% Zn is added, besides β’’ precipitates, additional fine β₁ precipitates form. With the addition of 0.8 wt% Zn, the peak-aged 0.8Zn alloy is characterized by predominantly prismatic β₁ and scanty basal precipitate distributions. The enhanced precipitation of β₁ should be primarily attributable to the presence of increased Zn-Zr dispersoids. When Zn content further increases to 1 wt%, the precipitation of basal precipitates is markedly enhanced. Basal precipitates and β₁ phases are the key strengthening precipitates in the peak-aged 1Zn alloy. Tensile tests reveal that the relatively best tensile properties are achieved in the peak-aged alloy with 0.5 wt% Zn addition, whose yield strength, ultimate tensile strength and elongation are 179 MPa, 301 MPa and 5.3%, respectively.