An Alternate Approach to Accelerated Spheroidization in Steel by Cyclic Annealing

In this work an annealed 0.6 wt.% carbon steel was subjected to cyclic heat treatment process that consisted of repeated short-duration (6 min) holding at 810 °C (above Ac₃ temperature) followed by cooling in a flowing air medium (flow rate: 6 m³/h). After 8 cycles (about 1 h and 20 min), the microstructure mostly contains spheroidized cementite and ferrite along with trace amount (3%) of pearlite. In addition to the diffusion within lamella, the disintegration of lamellae through dissolution of cementite at preferred sites of lamellar faults during short-duration holding above Ac₃ temperature, and the generation of defects (lamellar faults) during non-equilibrium cooling in a flowing air medium are the main reasons of accelerated spheroidization.     

Effect of cold deformation and heat treatment on microstructure and mechanical properties of TC21 Ti alloy

In the present research work on TC21 titanium alloy (6.5Al−3Mo−1.9Nb−2.2Sn−2.2Zr−1.5Cr), the effects of cold deformation, solution treatment with different cooling rates and then aging on microstructure, hardness and wear property were investigated. A cold deformation at room temperature with 15% reduction in height was applied on annealed samples. The samples were solution-treated at 920 °C for 15 min followed by different cooling rates of water quenching (WQ), air cooling (AC) and furnace cooling (FC) to room temperature. Finally, the samples were aged at 590 °C for 4 h. Secondary α-platelets precipitated in residual β-phase in the case of solution-treated samples with AC condition and aged ones. The maximum hardness of HV 470 was obtained for WQ + aging condition due to the presence of high amount of residual β-matrix (69%), while the minimum hardness of HV 328 was reported for FC condition. Aging process after solution treatment can considerably enhance the wear property and this enhancement can reach up to about 122% by applying aging after WQ compared with the annealed samples.     

Wear Behavior of an Ultra-High-Strength Eutectoid Steel

Wear behavior of an ultra-high-strength AISI 1080 steel developed through incomplete austenitization-based combined cyclic heat treatment is investigated in comparison with annealed and conventional hardened and tempered conditions against an alumina disk (sliding speed = 1 m s^?1) using a pin-on-disk tribometer at a load range of 7.35-14.7 N. On a gross scale, the mechanism of surface damage involves adhesive wear coupled with abrasive wear (microcutting effects in particular) at lower loads. At higher loads, mainly the abrasive wear (both microcutting and microploughing mechanisms) and evolution of adherent oxide are observed. Besides, microhardness of matrix increases with load indicating substantial strain hardening during wear test. The rate of overall wear is found to increase with load. As-received annealed steel with the lowest initial hardness suffers from severe abrasive wear, thereby exhibiting the highest wear loss. Such a severe wear loss is not observed in conventional hardened and tempered and combined cyclic heat treatment conditions. Combined cyclic heat-treated steel exhibits the greatest wear resistance (lowest wear loss) due to its initial high hardness and evolution of hard abrasion-resistant tribolayer during wear test at higher load.     

Microstructure,hardness, toughness and abrasive wear resistance of 16.0 wt. % chromium white iron after continuous and cyclic destabilisation treatment

Destabilisation of as-cast chromium white iron with 16 wt-% chromium are performed by continuous destabilisation treatment for 4 h and short duration (0.66 h) cyclic destabilisation treatment at 900, 950, 1000, 1050, and 1100 °C. Continuous destabilisation causes secondary carbides precipitation from austenite which on slow cooling transforms to pearlite matrix. Cyclic destabilisation treatment causes similar precipitation of finer secondary carbides following shorter period austenitisation and a matrix containing martensite and retained austenite on forced-air cooling. After continuous destabilisation, hardness falls below the as-cast value (HV622); whereas it rises to HV950 after cyclic destabilisation treatment. The as-cast notched impact toughness (4.0 J) increases to 8.5 J or more after both continuous and cyclic destabilisation at 1050 and 1100 °C. Abrasive wear resistance after continuous destabilisation improves only at higher wear load (49.0 N), while after cyclic destabilisation it supersedes the as-cast and Ni-Hard IV performance at both low (19.6 N) and high (49.9 N) wear load.     

Development of a Novel Cast 6351 Al-Al4SiC4 In Situ Composite

In this research work 6351 Al-Al₄SiC₄ composite has been developed through stir casting route with incorporation of fine TiC powder in 6351 Al melt. During stir casting, round shaped Al₄SiC₄ particles were generated as TiC reacted with molten aluminum. These Al₄SiC₄ particles were found to be acting as nucleation sites for primary α (causing grain refinement) along with engulfment effects promoting particle distribution without clustering. Furthermore, as the volume fraction of Al₄SiC₄ particles increased, the proportion of dendritic region decreased (more equiaxed grains appeared) and the overall grain size of the matrix decreased. This resulted in an improved strength and ductility of the composite. Equations were developed with a reasonable accuracy correlating the strength with microstructural parameters. An excellent combination of strength (UTS = 215 MPa) and ductility (%Elongation = 10) was obtained for 6351 Al-7 vol.% Al₄SiC₄ composite as compared to base cast 6351 Al alloy (UTS = 121 MPa, %Elongation = 3).     

SWRCH35K钢连续冷却转变曲线的测定与分析

使用DIL805A热膨胀仪测定了SWRCH35K钢的热膨胀曲线。采用切线法结合微观组织及硬度,绘制了试验钢的连续冷却转变(CCT)曲线,分析了冷却速率对试验钢连续冷却过程组织演变的影响。结果表明,冷速在0.1～1℃/s范围时,试验钢的组织为多边形先共析铁素体和珠光体,随着冷速增加,组织细化,珠光体含量增加,硬度为148～165 HV;冷速为3℃/s时,开始出现少量魏氏组织及贝氏体,硬度增加至189 HV;冷速为5～50℃/s时,铁素体沿晶界呈网状,针状魏氏组织增加,组织为晶界铁素体、珠光体、魏氏组织和贝氏体,其中冷速为30～50℃/s时,铁素体含量大幅减少且尺寸明显减小,硬度为225～237 HV。珠光体在不同冷速下的形态不同,冷速较小时以片层及短棒状为主,还有少量球状,随着冷速增加,短棒状珠光体占比增加,片层及球状珠光体占比减小。     

冷却速率对含TiB2的TiAl合金凝固组织和力学性能的影响

通过熔模精密铸造制备不同厚度的Ti-48Al-2Cr-2Nb和Ti-48Al-2Cr-2Nb-0.25TiB2合金铸板,研究冷却速率和TiB2添加对合金凝固组织和力学性能的影响.实验结果表明,当凝固速率从37增加至2×102 K/s时,合金的凝固路径并未发生改变.基体合金的晶粒从650细化至300μm,Ti-48Al-...     

强制冷却对TC4钛合金搅拌摩擦焊接接头组织性能影响

分别在空气和强制冷却条件下对TC4钛合金板进行了搅拌摩擦焊接(Friction stir welding,FSW),对比研究了焊接接头的微观组织和力学性能。结果表明,FSW接头分为搅拌区、热机械影响区和母材区。母材区为热轧退火后的初生α和β双相组织。空气条件下焊接,搅拌区为α+β片层结构,组织转变主要为β相转变为片层α+β两相,热机械影响区为等轴晶α和α+β片层的双态组织,组织转变受动态再结晶和相变共同作用。强制冷却条件下焊接,搅拌区为针状马氏体,组织转变主要为马氏体相变。与空气条件下接头相比,强制冷却条件下的FSW接头显微硬度明显提高,但抗拉强度略微降低。     

Oxidation Behaviour of TBC Systems on γ-TiAl Based Alloy Ti–45Al–8Nb

The lifetime of thermal barrier coating (TBC) systems on gamma titanium aluminides was determined in the temperature range between 850 °C and 950 °C under cyclic oxidation conditions in air. Coupons of the alloy Ti–45Al–8Nb (at.%) were coated by pack aluminizing. A subset of samples was subsequently annealed at 910 °C for 312 h in argon. During this heat treatment, the two-phase (Nb,Ti)Al₃ plus TiAl₂ microstructure of the coating transformed into single phase γ-TiAl. On pre-oxidised aluminized, annealed and bare samples, TBCs of yttria partially stabilized zirconia were deposited using electron-beam physical vapour deposition (EB-PVD). No spallation of the TBCs was observed in cyclic oxidation tests at 850 °C for up to 3,000 cycles of 1 h dwell time at high temperature. The two-phase aluminide coating provided effective oxidation protection due to the formation of a continuous alumina scale. The lifetime of this TBC system exceeded 1,400 cycles at 950 °C, whereas an aluminized and annealed sample failed after approximately 500 cycles. The TBC on bare substrate failed when thermally cycled at 900 °C. In contrast, no spallation occurred with an aluminized and annealed specimen at this temperature during the maximum exposure length of 1,000 cycles, probably related to an increased aluminium concentration in the subsurface region. EB-PVD zirconia top coats were well adherent to the alumina scale and the thermally grown mixed oxides. Failure of the TBC systems observed with bare and annealed samples was associated with spalled oxide scales formed on γ-TiAl.     

Effect of Cyclic Aging on Mechanical Properties and Microstructure of Maraging Steel 250

The effects of thermal cyclic aging on mechanical properties and microstructure of maraging steel 250 were studied using hardness tester, tensile testing machine, impact tester, optical, scanning electron, and stereo microscopy. Samples were solution annealed at 1093 K for 1 h followed by air cooling to form bcc martensite. Cyclic aging treatments were carried out at 753 and 773 K for varying time periods. Increase in hardness and strength with corresponding decrease in ductility and impact strength was observed with increasing aging cycles. Reverted austenite was detected by x-ray diffraction technique formed as a result of cyclic aging. The presence of reverted γ was also confirmed by EDX-SEM analysis and attributed to the formation of Mo- and Ni-rich regions which transformed to γ on cooling. Heterogeneity in composition and amount of reverted γ was found to increase with increase in aging cycles and aging time. Fractography reveals the change in fracture mode from ductile dimple-like to brittle cleavage with increase in hardness and strength due to cyclic aging.     

奥氏体化温度和冷却速率对含Nb高碳钢组织性能的影响

通过Gleeble 1500型热模拟试验机对含Nb高碳试验钢进行了不同奥氏体化温度和冷速下的热处理。采用光学显微镜、扫描电镜、硬度测量等试验手段对试验钢的显微组织、硬度和珠光体片层间距进行了观察和测量。结果表明:奥氏体化温度为950 ℃时,试验钢淬火后晶粒尺寸为34 μm,硬度为813 HV5,以0.1~5 ℃/s冷速冷却至室温的组织为珠光体+铁素体;而奥氏体化温度为1200 ℃时,淬火后晶粒尺寸为134 μm,硬度为827 HV5,以0.1~1 ℃/s冷速冷却至室温的组织为珠光体+铁素体,冷速为5 ℃/s时,组织为针状马氏体+少量的铁素体。在1220 ℃以上Nb全部固溶在奥氏体中,奥氏体化温度过高会导致晶粒过分长大。珠光体片层间距随着奥氏体化温度的升高和冷却速率的提升而变小,片层间距的减小可使硬度值提高。     

Thermal Spray Deposition,Phase Stability and Mechanical Properties of La<Subscript>2</Subscript>Zr<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>7</Subscript>/LaAlO<Subscript>3</Subscript> Coatings

This paper deals with the deposition of La₂Zr₂O₇ (LZO) and LaAlO₃ (LAO) mixtures by air plasma spray (APS). The raw material for thermal spray, single phase LZO and LAO in a 70:30 mol.% ratio mixture was prepared from commercial metallic oxides by high-energy ball milling (HEBM) and high-temperature solid-state reaction. The HEBM synthesis route, followed by a spray-drying process, successfully produced spherical agglomerates with adequate size distribution and powder-flow properties for feeding an APS system. The as-sprayed coating consisted mainly of a crystalline LZO matrix and partially crystalline LAO, which resulted from the high cooling rate experienced by the molten particles as they impact the substrate. The coatings were annealed at 1100 °C to promote recrystallization of the LAO phase. The reduced elastic modulus and hardness, measured by nanoindentation, increased from 124.1 to 174.7 GPa and from 11.3 to 14.4 GPa, respectively, after the annealing treatment. These values are higher than those reported for YSZ coatings; however, the fracture toughness (K _IC) of the annealed coating was only 1.04 MPa m^0.5.     

Microstructure and Precipitate's Characterization of the Cu-Ni-Si-P Alloy

Microstructure of the Cu-Ni-Si-P alloy was investigated by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The alloy had 551 MPa tensile strength, 226 HV hardness, and 36% IACS electrical conductivity after 80% cold rolling and aging at 450 °C for 2 h. Under the same aging conditions, but without the cold rolling, the strength, hardness, and electrical conductivity were 379 MPa, 216 HV, and 32% IACS, respectively. The precipitates identified by TEM characterization were δ-Ni₂Si. Some semi-coherent spherical precipitates with a typical coffee bean contrast were found after aging for 48 h at 450 °C. The average diameter of the observed semi-coherent precipitates is about 5 nm. The morphology of the fracture surface was observed by scanning electron microscopy. All samples showed typical ductile fracture. The addition of P refined the grain size and increased the nucleation rate of the precipitates. The precipitated phase coarsening was inhibited by the small additions of P. After aging, the Cu-Ni-Si-P alloy can gain excellent mechanical properties with 804 MPa strength and 49% IACS conductivity. This study aimed to optimize processing conditions of the Cu-Ni-Si-P alloys.     

Thermal Oxidation of Cold Sprayed Titanium-Based Coating Deposited on Co-Cr Alloy

This study focuses on the surface modification of a medical grade Co-Cr alloy via combining cold spray and thermal oxidation processes. After deposition of a Ti96-Al4 (wt.%) coating, samples were oxidized at 600 °C for 60 h in air. Oxidation transformed the coating into a dual-layered structure comprising an outer oxide layer (mainly rutile) with a diffusion layer (mainly oxygen enriched titanium and Ti-Al intermetallics) beneath it. Formation of new phases made the diffusion layer brittle and prone to fracture during pull out tests. Scratch and Rockwell-C tests confirmed good adhesion between the oxide and underlying diffusion layers, having average hardness as 1297 HV and 387 HV, respectively. The dual-layer coating exhibited excellent wear performance in a 0.9 wt.% NaCl solution against sliding action of alumina ball as compared to Co-Cr substrate, especially at contact pressures?<?1200 MPa, while the maximum in vivo contact pressure is?<?15 MPa for load-bearing orthopedic implants. Furthermore, the release of the aluminum from the dual-layer coating into 0.9 wt.% NaCl solution is lower than the permissible limit stated by the International Agency for Research on Cancer.     

Study the Fatigue-Wear Behavior of a Plasma Electrolytic Nitrocarburized (PEN/C) 316L Stainless Steel

In the present study, a suitable machine was developed in the laboratory to investigate the fatigue-wear behavior of the untreated 316L austenitic stainless steel and samples treated by plasma electrolytic nitrocarburizing process under different combinations of cyclic loading and contact pressure. The fracture cycles as a function of bending stress were recorded while a constant contact pressure was applied simultaneously. As a result, the PEN/C treated specimens exhibited a higher resistance (about 40% for 15.6 N contact load and about 60% for 25 N contact load) under the application of simultaneous cyclic stress and contact pressure. Also it was shown that under a range of combined fatigue and wear stresses, the specimens exhibit a better life than the conditions of performing wear or fatigue tests separately and this effect was much more observable for PEN/C-treated samples. The gravimetrical weight loss values in the fatigue-wear test were also measured at intervals 5000 to 300,000 cycles (with the contact stress = 6.25 MPa and the bending stress = 87 MPa). The results showed a better wear resistance for the treated surface at the first stage of the process.     

The Effect of Heat Treatment on the Microstructure and Properties of Explosively Welded Titanium-Steel Plates

This paper describes a study of explosively welded titanium-carbon steel S355J2+N plates. Following the welding, plates underwent heat treatment at temperature of 600 °C for 90 min with cooling in furnace to 300 °C and in air to room temperature. The structure of the bonding was examined by using light, scanning electron (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy. The mechanical properties before and after heat treatment were examined applying three-point bending tests with cyclic loads and hardness measurements. Fracture surfaces were investigated using computer tomography and SEM. It has been found that the bonding areas are characterized by a specific chemical composition, microstructure and microhardness. Between the steel and the Ti cladding, a strongly defected transition zone was formed and melted areas with altered chemical composition were observed. It was also demonstrated that the heat treatment commonly applied to welded steel-Ti plates had a significant and negative impact on the microstructure and mechanical properties of the welded plates due to formation of brittle intermetallic phases.     

低成本900 MPa级工程机械用钢连续冷却转变行为的研究

针对当前不含Mo 低成本900 MPa级工程机械用钢的生产,采用Formastor-FⅡ相变仪,研究了900 MPa级工程机械用钢的连续冷却相变行为,分析了试验钢在连续冷却条件下的显微组织、显微硬度变化规律和贝氏体相变过程;结合热膨胀法和金相-硬度法绘制了试验钢的连续冷却转变曲线。结果表明:当冷却速率为0.25~0.5 ℃/s时,试验钢组织主要为铁素体和粒状贝氏体;冷却速率为1~2 ℃/s时,试验钢组织由粒状贝氏体和板条贝氏体组成;冷却速率为5~20 ℃/s时,试验钢组织为板条贝氏体和互锁状贝氏体,随着冷却速率的提高,板条贝氏体相变温度区间变窄,互锁状贝氏体相变温度区间变宽。冷却速率为5 ℃/s时,以板条贝氏体相变为主导,晶界形核速率高于晶内形核速率;冷却速率为10~20 ℃/s时,以互锁状贝氏体相变为主导,晶内形核速率高于晶界形核速率。冷却速率为0.25~2 ℃/s时,试验钢显微硬度随着冷却速率的增加而增加,硬度值从188HV升高到239HV;冷却速率为2~5 ℃/s时,出现硬度平台;冷却速率为5~20 ℃/s时,试验钢显微硬度随冷却速率的增加而增加,硬度值从240HV升高到270HV。     

Effect of Aluminum Content on Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Al x CoCrFeMo0.5Ni High-Entropy Alloys

High-entropy alloys Al _x CoCrFeMo_0.5Ni with varied Al contents (x = 0, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, and 2.0) have been designed based on the Al _x CoCrCuFeNi system to improve mechanical properties for room and elevated temperatures. They have been investigated for microstructure and mechanical properties. As the aluminum content increases, the as-cast structure evolves from face-centered cubic dendrite + minor σ-phase interdendrite at x = 0 to B2 dendrite with body-centered cubic (bcc) precipitates + bcc interdendrite with B2 precipitates at x = 2.0. This confirms the strong bcc-forming tendency of Al. The room-temperature Vickers hardness starts from the lowest, HV 220, at x = 0, attains to the maximum, HV 720, at x = 1.0, and then decreases to HV 615 at x = 2.0. Compared with the base alloy system, the current alloy system has a superior combination of hardness and fracture toughness. In addition, Al _x CoCrFeMo_0.5Ni alloys except x = 0 display a higher hot hardness level than those of Ni-based superalloys, including In 718 and In 718 H, up to 1273 K and show great potential in high-temperature applications.     

Fatigue response,fracture characteristic and life modeling of a near-alpha titanium alloy under typical cyclic loadings in service

Experimental investigations on the fatigue behavior of a near-alpha titanium alloy under typical cyclic loadings were carried out to simulate the service loading states applied on the engine blades.The axial stress-controlled tension–tension low-cycle fatigue(LCF) tests were carried out over a range of maximum stresses and stress ratios.The rotary bending tests were conducted using a step-loading procedure to reveal the high-cycle fatigue(HCF) limit stresses.The cyclic softening effect is observed in this material,and the strain ratcheting occurs obviously at the maximum LCF loading of 900 MPa.The LCF resistance is found to be dependent on both the maximum loading and the stress ratio.The HCF limit stresses for 1 9 107 and 1 9 106 cycles are determined as405.7 and 457.6 MPa,respectively.The macroscopic fatigue fracture mode and the failure features on fracture surfaces were analyzed by scanning electron microscope(SEM).     

Synthesis and Characterization of CrCuFeMnMo0.5Ti Multicomponent Alloy Bulks by Powder Metallurgy

In this study, CrCuFeMnMo_0.5Ti multicomponent alloy bulks were prepared by powder metallurgy of mechanical alloying and sintering. A simple body-centered cubic (bcc) solid solution was prepared after 40 h ball milling of the raw CrCuFeMnMo_0.5Ti metallic powder. Particles of the alloyed powder are in microsized structures, which are actually a soft agglomeration of lamellar grains with thicknesses less than 1 μm. Meanwhile, the lamellar granules are consisted of nanosized grains under rigid cold welding. The 80-h ball-milled powder was consolidated by cold pressing and subsequent sintering at 800°C. The observed main phase in the consolidated sample after milling for 80 h is still a bcc solid solution. The solidified sample of 80-h ball-milled powder exhibits a Vickers hardness of 468 HV, which is much higher than 171 HV of the counterpart prepared from the raw metallic powder.