Effect of a grain refiner cum modifier on mechanical properties of Al-7Si and Al-11Si alloys

This study evaluates the influence of grain refiners/modifiers on the mechanical properties of the Al-7Si and Al-11Si alloys with an experiment of quantitative and qualitative correlations with the microstructure. Modification of Al-Si alloys with strontium additions and grain refinement with Al-Ti, Al-B and Al-T-B master alloy additions are demonstrated to be efficient on Al-Si alloys. A single master alloy with combined additions of Sr and Ti and/or B was prepared and the microstructure and mechanical properties were studied. The results show that boron rich (Al-3B-Sr and Al-1Ti-3B-Sr) master alloys are more efficient than Ti rich (Al-3Ti-Sr and Al-5Ti-1B-Sr) master alloys considering their combined grain refinement and modification effect on Al-7Si and Al-11Si alloys. However, the presence of Sr does not influence the grain refinement. Similarly, presence of grain refiner does not influence the modification of eutectic Si.     

Effect of Al-5Ti-1B-1Re on the Microstructure and Hot Crack of As-Cast Al-Zn-Mg-Cu Alloy

High crack tendency is easy to occur during preparation of the castings and ingots of Al-Zn-Mg-Cu alloy, and it is most difficult to be solved due to the characteristics for the series alloy. As-cast microstructures and hot cracking tendency of Al-Zn-Mg-Cu alloy with different addition levels of Al-5Ti-1B-1Re were investigated in the paper. Moreover, solidification characteristics of the experimental alloys with different mass fractions of Al-5Ti-1B-1Re were analyzed, and the addition content of Al-5Ti-1B-1Re was optimized. These results indicate that the microstructure of the experimental alloys with Al-5Ti-1B-1Re refiner is fine obviously, the dendrite shape refined by Al-5Ti-1B-1Re becomes more globular, the grain boundary is smoother, and the SDAS is smaller compared with the alloy without Al-5Ti-1B-1Re. When the addition level of the grain refiner is less than 0.2%, the hot cracking tendency for the experimental alloy is reduced. The addition of 0.2% Al-5Ti-1B-1Re is best effective to improve the as-cast microstructures and hot cracking of Al-Zn-Mg-Cu alloy, and the best addition level of Al-5Ti-1B-1Re refiner is 0.2%.     

稀土元素Er对Ti-6Al-4V-0.5Si合金组织与性能的影响

利用粉末冶金工艺制备了Ti-6Al-4V-0.5Si-xEr(wt%)合金,随后采用OM、XRD、TEM和拉伸试验机等分析手段研究了Er元素含量对固溶时效态(950 ℃×30 min(WQ)+480 ℃×4 h(AQ))试验合金显微组织和性能的影响。结果表明:试验合金经固溶时效处理后均为等轴和片状的双态组织。烧结过程中产生的Er₂O₃氧化物颗粒可以作为形核中心促进α相和β相的析出,起到细化晶粒的作用。随着Er元素含量的增加,晶粒尺寸由10~20 μm细化至5~10 μm。当Er元素含量为1.2%时,试验合金的抗拉强度达到峰值,为930.5 MPa,此时伸长率为9.24%,比未添加Er元素时Ti-6Al-4V-0.5Si合金分别提高了22.3%和10.0%。试验合金的拉伸断口形貌显示有韧窝出现,仅有少量的解理台阶,韧窝的存在可以分散材料断裂时产生的应力,使材料断裂前承受更大的变形。     

Microstructural evolution of direct chill cast Al-15.5Si-4Cu-1Mg-1Ni-0.5Cr alloy during solution treatment

Heat treatment has important influence on the microstructure and mechanical properties of Al-Si alloys. The most common used heat treatment method for these alloys is solution treatment followed by age-hardening. This paper investigates the microstructural evolution of a direct chill (DC) cast Al-15.5Si-4Cu-1Mg-1Ni-0.5Cr alloy after solution treated at 500, 510, 520 and 530℃, respectively for different times. The major phases observed in the as-cast alloy are α-aluminum dendrite, primary Si particle, eutectic Si, Al7Cu4Ni, Al5Cu2Mg8Si6, Al15(Cr, Fe, Ni, Cu)4Si2 and Al2Cu. The Al2Cu phase dissolves completely after being solution treated for 2 h at 500℃, while the eutectic Si, Al5Cu2Mg8Si6 and Al15(Cr, Fe, Ni, Cu)4Si2 phases are insoluble. In addition, the Al7Cu4Ni phase is substituted by the Al3CuNi phase. The α-aluminum dendrite network disappears when the solution temperature is increased to 530℃. Incipient melting of the Al2Cu-rich eutectic mixture occurrs at 520℃, and melting of the Al5Cu2Mg8Si6 and Al3CuNi phases is observed at a solution temperature of 530℃. The void formation of the structure and deterioration of the mechanical properties are found in samples solution treated at 530℃.     

Al-Ti、Al-Ti-C中间合金对AZ91D镁合金组织和性能的影响

研究了Al-5Ti、Al-5Ti-0．25C和Al-8Ti-2C中间合金对AZ91D镁合金的组织、力学性能和耐腐蚀性能的影响。结果表明,添加Al-5Ti中间合金使晶粒粗化,而添加Al-5Ti-0．25C和Al-8Ti-2C中间合金使晶粒细化,Al-8Ti-2C中间舍金的细化效果明显且细化后组织细小均匀;添加Al-5Ti中间合金使合金的力学性能降低,而添加Al-5Ti-0．25C和Al-8Ti-2C中间合金均使合金的拉伸强度和伸长率得到了提高;添加Al-5Ti、Al-5Ti-0．25C和Al-8Ti-2C中间合金均使合金的耐腐蚀性能得到了改善。对于AZ91D合金而言,Al-8Ti-2C中间合金是一种良好的晶粒细化剂。     

Brazing of 6061 aluminum alloy/Ti-6Al-4V using Al-Si-Cu-Ge filler metals

Al-8.4Si-20Cu-10Ge and mixed rare-earth elements (Re) containing Al-8.4Si-20Cu-10Ge-0.1Re filler metals were used for brazing of 6061 aluminum alloy/Ti-6Al-4V. The addition of 20 wt.% copper and 10 wt.% germanium into the Al-12Si filler metal lowered the solidus temperature from 586 °C to 489 °C and the liquidus temperature from 592 °C to 513 °C. The addition of 0.1 wt.% rare-earth elements into Al-8.4Si-20Cu-10Ge alloy caused remarkable Al-rich phase refinement and transformed the needle-like Al₂Cu intermetallic compounds into block-like shapes. Shear strengths of the 6061 aluminum alloy/Ti-6Al-4V joints with the two brazing filler metals, Al-8.4Si-20Cu-10Ge and Al-8.4Si-20Cu-10Ge-0.1Re, varied insignificantly with brazing periods of 10-60 min. The average shear strength of the 6061 aluminum alloy/Ti-6Al-4V joints brazed with Al-8.4Si-20Cu-10Ge at 530 °C was about 20 MPa. Rare-earth elements appeared to improve the reaction of the Al-8.4Si-20Cu-10Ge filler metal with Ti-6Al-4V. The joint shear strength of the 6061 aluminum alloy/Ti-6Al-4V with Al-8.4Si-20Cu-10Ge-0.1Re reached about 51 MPa.     

热处理对吸铸TiAl基合金铸件组织的影响

利用金属型底浇式真空吸铸技术和添加合金元素获得TiAl基合金薄板,观察并研究薄板热处理前后的组织。结果表明,在金属型强制冷却和添加合金元素的共同作用下,利用金属型底浇式真空吸铸技术获得的TiAl基合金薄板件铸态组织细小、致密。其中Ti-47Al-5Nb-0.5Si和Ti-47Al-2W-0.5Si合金的铸态平均晶粒多在20μm左右,但是,铸态组织的片层组织不均匀,且在组织内部存在较大的偏析。将试样加热到1300℃,保温5 h,随炉冷却热处理后,TiAl基合金薄板的铸态组织有所长大,但是片层更加平整稳定,偏析也明显得到改善。     

用宏微观耦合模型模拟铝合金凝固过程

用一种宏微观耦合模型对Al-2．5Si在金属型中的凝固情况进行了模拟。该模型结合改进的元胞自动机模型与有限差分法，考虑了温度场、浓度场和微观生长过程。该改进的元胞自动机模型与经典元胞自动机相比较，不仅考虑了温度场扩散，而且考虑了溶质在液相中的扩散、界面曲率和溶质富集对枝晶尖端过冷度的影响。在宏微观耦合模型中采用大小两套网格分别进行宏观温度场和微观组织演变的计算。在3种不同的浇注温度下得到了3种典型的柱状晶向等轴晶转变的图形。考虑边界条件后的模拟结果发现等轴晶的形核情况与理论分析有所差别。     

高强度Cu-Ni-(Al)-Si合金的组织和性能

通过光学显微镜、维氏硬度计、双臂电桥、扫描电子显微镜、透射电子显微镜等测试手段对Cu-5.2Ni-1.2Si和Cu-5.2Ni-1.5Al-1.2Si合金的组织结构和性能进行了表征与测试。结果表明:2种合金的铸态组织均为发达的树枝晶组织,包括白亮的枝晶区、非平衡凝固相粒子及中间过渡区。其中枝晶为富Cu区,凝固相为富Ni和Si区,Al元素则比较均匀地分布在铸态组织中。峰值时效后,Cu-5.2Ni-1.5Al-1.2Si合金具有比Cu-5.2Ni-1.2Si合金更高的硬度。Al元素不但促进了Ni2Si的沉淀析出,还形成了Ni3Al沉淀相,从而大大提高合金强度。2种合金的时效早期均出现了有序化,峰时效时主要为沉淀析出强化,合金具有较好的抗过时效能力。     

挤压铸造Al-Cu-Mn和Al-Zn-Mg-Cu合金耐腐蚀性能研究

采用酸性盐雾试验,对Al-4.5Cu-0.8Mn和Al-7.3Zn-2.9Mg-1.9Cu 2种挤压铸造合金的耐腐蚀性能进行了对比研究.结果表明,在盐雾腐蚀过程中,随着腐蚀时间的延长和压力的增大,两种合金的耐腐蚀性能都出现了一定程度的下降.前者的腐蚀是由分布于枝晶间和晶界处的T(Al12CuMn2)和θ(Al2Cu)相溶解引起的,后者的腐蚀是由合金中η相的优先溶解,以及沿晶界分布的S相边沿的(Al)基体溶解所致;前者的耐腐蚀性能明显优于后者.     

Study on the Microstructure and Wettability of an Al-Cu-Si Braze Containing Small Amounts of Rare Earth Erbium

The effect of adding small amounts of rare earth Er on the microstructure of an Al-Cu-Si braze alloy has been investigated. Several Al-20Cu-7Si braze alloys containing various contents of Er were prepared, and their melting temperature, microstructure, hardness, and wettability in contact with 3003 aluminum alloy substrates were determined. The results indicate that the constituents of the microstructure of Al-20Cu-7Si-Er braze alloys are similar to those in the Al-20Cu-7Si alloy, and comprise of solid solutions of aluminum, silicon, and the intermetallic compound CuAl₂. When the Er content increases, the size of the Al phase decreases, and the needle-like Si phase is thickened, and transformed to a blocky shape. Moreover, small amounts of Er can improve the wettability and hardness of the Al-20Cu-7Si braze alloy; however, the melting temperature of the Al-20Cu-7Si alloy does not change.     

添加晶粒细化剂硅对Ti-6Al-4V合金组织和性能的影响(英文)

采用真空感应凝壳熔炼工艺在石墨模中制备Ti-6Al-4V和Ti6Al4V0.5Si两种钛合金。将硅作为一种晶粒细化剂加入到Ti-6Al-4V合金中,考察添加硅对铸态和模锻态Ti-6Al-4V合金组织和性能的影响。铸态合金先在900°C下进行热模锻处理,然后分别进行两种不同的热处理。一种是将模锻样品在1050°C下保温30min,然后水淬以获得细小的层片状组织;另一种是将模锻件在1050°C下保温30min,然后再在800°C下保温30min,以获得粗大的层片状组织。Ti6-Al-4V合金中添加0.5%Si后,铸态合金的晶粒尺寸从627μm减小到337μm,其极限抗拉强度增加约25MPa。具有细小、层片状组织的Ti-6Al-4V0.5Si合金的最大极限抗拉强度为1380MPa,在Hank溶液和NaCl溶液中的腐蚀速度分别为1.35×106和5.78×104mm/a。Ti-6Al-4V合金中添加0.5%Si后,在低滑动速度下的磨损率降低50%,在高滑动速度下的磨损率降低约73%。     

Grain refining performance of Al-B master alloys with different microstructures on Al-7Si alloy

The improved halide salt route has been employed to produce Al-3B master alloys with different microstructures. The micro-structural features of AlB₂ particles exhibited different impacts on the grain refining response of Al-7Si alloy, evolving with the holding time after inoculation. Large blocky AlB₂ particles suffer from an intense fading effect while strip-like particles are not effective enough at the 0.005 wt% B addition level. Among the various Al-3B master alloys, sample 1 containing fine, blocky AlB₂ particles was revealed to be the most efficient in refining Al-7Si alloy. With inoculation of only 0.005%B of such alloy, the final grain size of Al-7Si alloy can reach 238 μm. Its grain refining efficiency was more or less retained for holding times up to 60 min.     

Al-8Ti-2C对Al-P中间合金变质效果的促进作用

研究了自制Al-P中间合金对共晶及过共晶Al-Si的变质作用，发现该Al-P中间合金对共晶及过共晶Al-Si合金都具有优良的变质效果。同时还发现，当铝合金熔体中加入Al-8Ti-2C中间合金时，Al-P中间合金对两类Al-Si合金的变质效果会增强。当Al-24Si合金中TiC含量为0．03％(以Al-8Ti-2C中间合金方式)时，初晶Si的平均尺寸由原来的47μm细化为41μm，最大尺寸由原来的75μm降为55μm；加入Al-P中间合金和TiC颗粒50min后，就可以出现变质效果，时间再延长，变质效果也不会有更大的提高。当Al-12Si合金中TiC含量为0．03％时，初晶Si的平均尺寸由原来的50μm变为30μm。     

Low-melting-point titanium-base brazing alloys—part 1: Characteristics of two-, three-, and four-component filler metals

The melting point, microstructure, phase, and electrochemical behavior of Ti-21Ni-15Cu alloy, together with two-, three-, and four-component low-melting-point titanium-base brazing alloys, are presented in this paper. Five filler metals were selected for the study, in which melting points were measured by differential thermal analysis, phases identified by x-ray diffractometry, and corrosion behaviors tested by potentiodynamic polarization. The experimental results show that the three-component Ti-15Cu-15Ni and the newly developed Ti-21Ni-14Cu alloys exhibit the combination of lower melting point and superior corrosion resistance compared to the two-and four-component titanium alloys, 316L stainless steel, and a Co-Cr-Mo alloy in Hank’s solution at 37 °C. On a short time basis, the presence of Ti₂Ni and Ti₂Cu intermetallics in the Ti-15Cu-15Ni and Ti-21Ni-14Cu alloys should not be preferentially dissolved in galvanic corrosion with respect to the dissimilar Ti-6Al-4V alloy.     

A novel fading-resistant Al-3Ti-3B grain refiner for Al-Si alloys

Al-Ti-B refiners with excess-Ti perform adequately for wrought aluminum alloys but inefficiently in the case of foundry alloys. The high content of silicon in the latter, which forms silicides with Ti and severely impairs the refining potency of the nuclei, is known to be responsible for the poor performance. Hence, new grain refiners, such as Al-3B and Al-3Ti-3B master alloys with excess-B have been developed with well documented advantages for Al-Si alloys. It is very desirable to involve TiAl₃ particles in the Al-3Ti-3B master alloy to maximize its grain refining efficiency. However, fading phenomenon is a key drawback for application of the TiAl₃-containing refiners in aluminum foundry. In the present work, new Al-3Ti-3B grain refiners, containing TiB₂, AlB₁₂ and TiAl₃ particles were developed with an aim to prolong the acting time after inoculation. The results showed that inoculation of Al-7Si alloy with thus meliorated Al-3Ti-3B grain refiner has produced a fine grain structure which was approximately maintained up to 30 min.     

Modification Mechanism and Uniaxial Fatigue Performances of A356.2 Alloy Treated by Al-Sr-La Composite Refinement-Modification Agent

Modification mechanism and uniaxial fatigue properties of A356.2 alloy treated by Al-6Sr-7La and traditional Al-5Ti-1B/Al-10Sr (hereinafter refers to traditional treated alloy) were investigated by constant stress amplitude method. Microstructure, dislocation and Si twinning of the alloys were studied by thermal analysis, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The results showed that Al-6Sr-7La possesses better refining and modification effect than Al-5Ti-1B/Al-10Sr. Meanwhile, fatigue properties of the alloy treated by Al-6Sr-7La are higher than traditional treated alloy, and this is mainly owing to that Al-6Sr-7La treated alloy has more twins in eutectic Si and lower twin spacing. In addition, higher density of nanophases formed on twin faces and La-rich clusters appear at multiple twin intersections. Stacking faults and entrapped nanophases appeared on growing Si twin faces. Impurity induced twinning (IIT) mechanism and twin plane re-entrant edge (TPRE) mechanism are valid for eutectic Si which are important for mechanical optimization of A356.2 alloy.     

Si对Al-Ti-B、Al-Ti-C中间合金细化铝晶粒效果的影响

试验研究了Si元素对Al-5Ti-1B和Al-5Ti-0.2C两种铝用中间合金晶粒细化效果的影响,分析了Si元素影响两种中间合金晶粒细化效果的机制。结果表明,对Al-5Ti-1B和Al-5Ti-0.2C,晶粒细化效果达到最优的Si质量分数分别为2.0%和1.0%。对这两种中间合金,微量Si元素不会影响铝熔体中形核基底的活性;Si元素通过过冷度因子、生长限制因子、离异共晶相、熔体过热度等因素影响细化过程中晶粒的形核与生长,其中离异共晶相是影响中间合金晶粒细化效果的主要因素。     

Solute segregation in an Al2O3f／Al-4.5Cu alloy composite during solidification at different cooling rates

An Al2O3f/Al-4.5Cu composite was made by squeeze casting. The solute segregation in the composite at different cooling rates was studied. The results indicate that the primary crystal of AI-4.5Cu alloy nucleates and grows in the interstice between fibers. The fiber surface cannot serve as site for the heterogeneous nucleation of a primary dendrite. There exists an increasing Cu concentration gradient from the center of the interstice between fibers to the interface or the grain boundaries. There are the eutectic phases around the fibers. The solute segregation in the matrix increases with the cooling rate rising. The amount of eutectic phases followed by imbalance crystalline can be numerically calculated with Clyne-Kurz formula.     

合金凝固过程的形核模型

为了定量地描述多元合金的实际形核过程，引入实验参数，建立了工业多元合金凝固过程中的经验形核模型，该模型把形核率与最终晶粒密度联系起来．该模型能根据设计的参考试样的实验结果计算工业合金凝固过程中单位体积熔体中有效异质核心表面积Sv和熔体中有效异质核心润湿角因子f(θ)，进而分析实际铸件的形核特性．利用所建立的经验形核模型，针对Al-7Si合金和Al—7Si—0．55Mg合金，计算了一定熔炼条件下的形核参数。