Effect of heat-treatment on phase stability and grain coarsening in a powder-processed Al–Ni–Co–Zr–Y alloy

Processing of Al alloys via metastable amorphous intermediates can give much higher volume fractions of dispersed strengthening phases than in conventional precipitation- or dispersion-hardened systems. Here, we report a study on an Al–Ni–Co–Zr–Y alloy processed by gas atomization and consolidated/devitrified by warm extrusion. X-ray diffraction and electron microscopy are used to reveal the effects of heat-treatments at 300–500 °C for up to 96 h on the phase stability and coarsening behavior of the alloy. In all samples, the microstructure contains 22 % by volume of Al₁₉(Ni,Co)₅Y₃ plates surrounded by grains of FCC Al. Samples heat-treated at 350 °C and above also contain fine Al₃Y and Al₃Zr particles as minority phases. The softening of the alloy is limited for heat-treatment temperatures of up to 400 °C, and the Al₁₉(Ni,Co)₅Y₃ plates coarsen slowly. At higher temperatures, abnormal coarsening is observed with the development of a secondary population of much larger Al₁₉(Ni,Co)₅Y₃ plates. An analysis of the coarsening kinetics gives a constant coarsening exponent of 3, but a distinct transition in the activation energies. These values suggest that the normal coarsening at lower temperatures occurs by short-circuit diffusion, whereas the abnormal coarsening at higher temperatures involves lattice diffusion. The Al grain size is dictated by the Al₁₉(Ni,Co)₅Y₃ inter-plate separation, and grain growth is limited by the extent of plate coarsening. Such systems could form the basis of new high-strength high-temperature Al alloys for structural applications.     

Metallurgical structure and alkali leaching of the Al/Al3Ni eutectic

Raney-Nickel catalysts were prepared by aluminium leaching out of aluminium-rich binary Al-Ni alloys. In order to understand the behaviour of NiAl₃ during alkali leaching, different metallurgical structures of the Al/Al₃Ni eutectic were prepared as precursor alloys. This eutectic showed a fibrous morphology with Al₃Ni fibres embedded in an aluminium matrix. After alkali leaching, transmission electron microscopy observations showed that the fibrous microstructure was retained. The fibres were formed with small nickel crystallites. During the early stages of leaching, a reaction front was observed which remained parallel to the Al/Al₃Ni interface.     

Influence of aluminium on carbide precipitation in low carbon microalloyed steels

Abstract

Precipitation in an 0·1C–0·5Si–1·5Mn–0·15Mo–0·5Ni–0·05V–Fe(wt-%) alloy containing from 0·04 to 0·2 wt-%Al was examined in the tempered condition. After hot rolling, the steels were solution treated at 1200°C for 2 h, then quenched in water. Tempering was mainly carried out at 600 or 650°C for 1 h. The precipitates were identified and measured using transmission electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray analysis. It was found that coarsening of Fe₃C carbides in the prior austenite grain boundaries was associated with low Al content, while the size of Fe₃C particles in the lath boundaries was independent of Al content. It is proposed that Al segregated to the prior austenite grain boundaries during solution treatment, associated with vacancies, and decreased the rate of vacancy migration, thereby retarding the coarsening of cementite.

MST/1707     

Eutectic solidification in the system Al2O3/Y3Al5O12

The eutectic solidification in the system Al₂O₃/Y₂Al₅O₁₂ has been investigated. A Bridgman-type crystal-growing furnace was used in this investigation. A temperature gradient of 190° C/cm and growth rates which were varied between 2 and 12 cm/h were employed in the directional solidification studies. Three types of microstructure were observed depending upon the composition and the growth rate. At a growth rate of 4 cm/h and at compositions removed from the eutectic composition, a mixture of primary phase and fine eutectic dispersion was found. At growth rates between 2 and 12 cm/h at the eutectic composition, a colony type microstructure was most commonly observed. At growth rates above 4 cm/h at the eutectic composition, regions in the solidified ingot were found to have a highly oriented eutectic microstructure consisting of both rods and platelets. These eutectic microstructures indicate that coupled growth can occur in this system. The method of Sunquist and Mondolfo [15] was used to determine whether Y₃Al₅O₁₂ was the first phase to nucleate at the eutectic.     

Effect of texture evolution on tensile properties of Al–Ni eutectic alloy fabricated by equal channel angular pressing

Abstract

The present study investigated in detail the effect of texture evolution on the mechanical properties of an Al–5·7 wt-%Ni eutectic alloy, which was subjected to severe plastic deformation by the equal channel angular pressing (ECAP) technique. The ECAP procedure was carried out using two strain introduction methods, route B_C and route A, at a temperature of 298 K and a pressing rate of 0·33 mm s^?1. The as pressed microstructures were observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Results indicated that the Al–Ni eutectic alloy specimens after ECAP processing by route B_C and route A methods had very different microstructures, which strongly affected the tensile properties of the specimens. It was demonstrated that after ECAP processing by route B_C, fine Al₃Ni particles of ～300 nm were homogeneously dispersed in the aluminium matrix, and the specimens showed no clear anisotropy in tensile properties. After ECAP processing by route A, however, eutectic textures containing α-Al and Al₃Ni fibrous dispersoids had a highly anisotropic distribution and were demonstrated to have significantly anisotropic tensile properties. Based on the experimental results, the fracture mechanism during tensile testing of the Al–Ni eutectic alloy using different strain induction methods is discussed.     

Phase stability in a powder-processed Al–Mn–Ce alloy

There has been considerable interest in Al-rich Al–Mn–Ce alloys due to the variety of crystalline and quasi-crystalline metastable phases that can be formed. Here we report a study of the effects of heat treatment on an Al–5Mn–2Ce (at.%) alloy processed by gas atomization and consolidated by warm extrusion. Characterization using X-ray diffraction and electron microscopy showed that the powder microstructure consists mainly of an amorphous phase, FCC Al, and a previously unreported phase, Al₂₀Mn₂Ce. The extrudate is fully devitrified and contains a mixture of FCC Al, Al₂₀Mn₂Ce, and Al₆Mn, with a small amount of Al₁₂Mn and Al₁₁Ce₃. Upon heat-treatment at up to 450 °C, the Al₂₀Mn₂Ce and Al₆Mn phases decompose to give a hard stable phase mixture with 72–73 % Al₁₂Mn plus 13–14 % each of Al₁₁Ce₃ and FCC Al. Heat treatments at 500 °C give a much softer phase mixture consisting of 60 % FCC Al, 22 % of an unknown Al₃(Mn,Ce) phase, 9 % Al₁₂Mn, 8 % Al₆Mn, and 1 % Al₁₁Ce₃. The formation of large volume fractions of Al₁₂Mn for heat-treatments at up to 450 °C suggests that the presence of Ce may stabilize this phase, and that more dilute Al–Mn–Ce compositions could form the basis for new high-strength, low-density Al-based alloys with enhanced elevated temperature properties.     

Crystallization of amorphous Al84.2Ni10La2.1Ce2.8Pr0.3Nd0.6 alloy

The crystallization of amorphous Al_84.2Ni₁₀La_2.1Ce_2.8Pr_0.3Nd_0.6 alloy was investigated by using X-ray diffraction (XRD), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) techniques. The amorphous Al_84.2Ni₁₀La_2.1Ce_2.8Pr_0.3Nd_0.6 alloy crystallizes through the primary precipitation of fcc-Al phase from the amorphous matrix in the range of 490–550K, followed by the precipitation of Al₃Ni and Al₁₁(La, Ce)₃ phases in the temperature range of 590–680 K. Comparing amorphous Al_84.2Ni₁₀La_2.1Ce_2.8Pr_0.3Nd_0.6 and Al₈₄Ni₁₀Ce₆ alloys, the addition of La can improve the precipitation of primary fcc-Al phase upon reheating the samples. On the basis of the Kissenger equation, the activation energy for crystallization of Al₃Ni phase is higher than that of the other two phases, fcc-Al and Al₁₁(La, Ce)₃ phases, implying that the thermal stability of the Al₃Ni phase is higher than that of the other two phases.     

Eutectic spacing and faults of directionally solidified Al–Al3Ni eutectic

The Al–Al₃Ni eutectic was directionally solidified at a thermal gradient of 4.5 K/mm in a vacuum Bridgman–type furnace in order to study eutectic spacing selection criterion.The microstructure was examined in transverse and longitudinal sections and the interrod spacings were measured at different growth velocity. It has been shown that the interrod spacing is not unique and displays a limited range for rodlike Al–Al₃Ni eutectic alloy. The initial growth velocities are not responsible for the eutectic spacing range, while such faults as branching, endingand diameter change have a significant influence on the eutectic spacing adjustment.     

Effect of the microstructure on the mechanical properties of a directionally solidified Y3Al5O12/Al2O3 eutectic fiber

The strength and fracture behaviors of a directionally solidified Y₃Al₅O₁₂/Al₂O₃ eutectic fiber were investigated. The fiber was grown continuously by an edge-defined film-fed growth (EFG) technique. The microstructure was characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). The room temperature tensile strength and Weibull's modulus of the eutectic fiber before and after heat treatment at 1460°C were measured. The fracture toughness and crack propagation behaviors were investigated using an indentation technique. Significant coarsening of the lamellar microstructure was observed after heat treatment at 1460°C in air. The degradation of the room temperature tensile strength in the Y₃Al₅O₁₂/Al₂O₃ eutectic fiber after heat treatment was attributed to the development of surface grooves at the surface of the fiber. Also, the Y₃Al₅O₁₂/Al₂O₃ eutectic fiber showed a radial (Palmqvist) crack type and exhibited an anisotropic crack propagation behavior during the indentation tests.     

Eutectic spacing and faults of directionally solidified Al–Al3Ni eutectic

The Al–Al₃Ni eutectic was directionally solidified at a thermal gradient of 4.5 K/mm in a vacuum Bridgman-type furnace in order to study eutectic spacing selection criterion. The microstructure was examined in transverse and longitudinal sections and the interrod spacings were measured at different growth velocity. It has been shown that the interrod spacing is not unique and displays a limited range for rodlike Al–Al₃Ni eutectic alloy. The initial growth velocities are not responsible for the eutectic spacing range, while such faults as branching, ending and diameter change have a significant influence on the eutectic spacing adjustment.     

The effect of hot-rolling on chill-cast Al,Al-2 wt % Ni and Al-4 wt % Ni alloys

The effect of hot-rolling on the mechanical properties and microstructure of directionallysolidified hypoeutectic Al-Al₃Ni alloys has been studied. Chill-cast hypoeutectic alloys were produced by casting into pre-heated mild-steel moulds placed on copper chills. The chill-cast Al-2 wt% Ni and Al-4 wt% Ni hypoeutectic alloys can be hot-rolled at 500 C to reductions of greater than 95%. Deformation is achieved by deforming the aluminium-rich dendrites in the rolling direction, followed by interpenetration of the Al₃Ni fibres into the dendrites resulting in a homogeneous microstructure. The variations of room-temperature tensile properties for the chill-cast hypoeutectic alloys were measured as a function of reduction of thickness during hot-rolling. The ultimate tensile strength and yield strength increase during rolling because of increasing Al₃Ni fibre alignment, homogeneous dispersion of the Al₃Ni fibres throughout the Al matrix, and work hardening in the Al matrix. The as-chill-cast alloys have strengths which agree with the composite law of mixtures for a combination of Al dendrites and Al-Al₃Ni eutectic. After hot-rolling, the alloy strengths can be predicted from discontinuous fibre reinforcement theory.     

Structure and mechanical properties of rapidly solidified magnesium based Mg-Al-Zn-RE alloys consolidated by extrusion

Magnesium based Mg-9Al-lZn-5RE (RE = La or Nd) alloys were rapidly solidified by chill block melt spinning. The resulting ribbons were cold packed into an aluminium alloy can and extruded at temperatures of 230 and 340°C and ratios of 20:1 or 25:1. Tensile and hardness tests of the extruded and heat treated materials were carried out. The tensile strength and elongation to fracture of the as extruded material were 478 MN m^?2 and 6·5% respectively and those of the material heat treated for 2 h at 350° C were 420 MN m^?2 and 20% respectively. The microstructure of these specimens was studied by X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy. Intermetallics of Al₁₁ La₃ or Al₂Nd were found at grain boundaries and in the matrix which had a grain size of between 0–26 and 0–8 μm, while Mg₁₇Al₁₂ precipitates were present in the specimens extruded at a lower temperature (230° C). Yield strengths were consistent with the Hall-Petch relationship with grain size established earlier for this class of material.

MST/3495     

In-situ fabrication of Al3V/Al2O3 nanocomposite through mechanochemical synthesis and evaluation of its mechanism

In this research, in situ fabrication of Al₃V based nanocomposite and its formation mechanism have been investigated. In order to synthesize Al₃V/Al₂O₃ nanocomposite, a mixture of Al and V₂O₅ powders was subjected to high-energy ball milling and the nanocomposite was produced through a mechanochemical reaction. The produced structure was isothermally heat-treated at 500–600 °C for 0.5–2 h under argon atmosphere. In order to evaluate the structural changes during milling and annealing, the synthesized powders were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD). Moreover, the powder morphological changes were studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). It was observed that the reaction between Al and V₂O₅ occurred after about 30 min and, the Al₃V and Al₂O₃ were formed in nanocrystalline structure with the continuing mechanical milling. Calculation of adiabatic temperature confirmed that reaction took place in combustion mode. In final stage of milling up to 40 h; it was observed that the Al₃V decomposed to Al and V so that the optimum time of milling to achieve fabrication of nanocomposite was determined to be about 20 h. Calculations based on Miedema’s model verified partial disordering of Al₃V during further milling and annealing of as-milled powder at 600 °C led to the ordering of Al₃V. The crystallite size of Al₃V and Al₂O₃ after annealing at 600 °C for 2 h remained in nanometer scale. So the final product appeared to be stable even after annealing.     

Phase transformation and hardness of the Ni–P–Al ternary coatings under thermal annealing

Ternary Ni–P–Al coatings were fabricated by the dual-gun rf magnetron sputtering technique. The as-deposited Ni–P–Al coatings exhibited a major Ni nanocrystalline phase (with a (111) texture) with Al and P co-deposited. After 400 °C heat treatment, various Ni_xP_y compounds, including Ni₁₂P₅, Ni₅P₂, and Ni₃P, formed within the recrystallized Ni matrix. Accordingly, the hardness of the coating increased to 10 GPa due to the Ni_xP_y precipitation. For heat treatment temperatures higher than 450 °C, Ni_pAl_q hard phases were observed in the ternary Ni–P–Al coating. A further increase in coating hardness from 10 to 12 GPa was revealed. The hardening of the annealed Ni–P–Al coatings was attributed to precipitation of Ni–P and Ni–Al compounds formed around 400 and 500 °C, respectively. A two-stage hardening in Ni–P–Al coating by Ni_xP_y and Ni_pAl_q precipitation through heat treatment was then demonstrated. Through surface analysis, the increase in surface roughness for the Ni–P–Al coating due to the formation of Ni_xP_y and Ni_pAl_q compounds was revealed.     

Enhancement of Elevated-Temperature Strength in Al–Cu–Ce–Mn–Zr Cast Aluminum Alloy Through Ni Alloying

Herein, to enhance the elevated-temperature strength of heat-resistant aluminum alloys to satisfy application requirements, the effect of Ni content (0.5, 1.0, 2.0, 4.0 wt%) on the microstructures and tensile properties of Al–8.4Cu–2.3Ce–1.0Mn–0.2Zr alloy is investigated. The metallographic analysis techniques are used to quantitatively examine the microstructural changes. The skeleton-like Al₇Cu₄Ni phase is formed after the addition of Ni and its morphology is gradually transformed into a coarse reticular-like shape with Ni content increasing. However, the thermally stable Al₈CeCu₄ and Al₂₄MnCu₈Ce₃ phases disappear when Ni content exceeds 1.0%. Al–8.4Cu–2.3Ce–1.0Mn–0.2Zr–0.5Ni alloy exhibits the optimal elevated-temperature tensile performance at 400 °C, and its ultimate tensile strength, yield strength, and elongation at 400 °C reach 105, 85 MPa, and 16.5%, respectively. The optimal tensile performance is attributed to synergistic enhancing action of the thermostable Al₈CeCu₄, Al₂₄MnCu₈Ce₃, Al₁₆Cu₄Mn₂Ce, and Al₇Cu₄Ni phases at the grain boundaries and the nano-sized Al₂₀Cu₂Mn₃ and Al₂Cu precipitates inside the grains. The typical brittle fracture is dominating in the five alloys with different Ni contents at ambient temperature, but the fracture mode at 400 °C is changed from ductile fracture to ductile and brittle mixed fracture with the increase of Ni.     

Fatigue crack propagation in Ti3 Al based alloys

Abstract

Effects of microstructure, stress ratio, and environment on the fatigue crack growth resistance of Ti–23Al–9Nb–2Mo–1Zr–1·2Si and Ti–23Al–11Nb–0·9Si (at.-%) Ti₃ Al based alloys have been studied at room and elevated temperatures. Only modest effects of microstructure on fatigue crack growth resistance have been obtained at room temperature, and these tend to reduce further at the elevated temperatures of 600 and 700°C both in air and in vacuum. At room temperature the fatigue crack growth resistance of Ti₃ Al based alloys is controlled primarily by the thickness of the retained βphase rather than by its volume fraction and the microstructure with a larger average thickness of retained β laths shows improved fatigue crack growth resistance. However, in some microstructures, the spatial distribution of the β phase can also be deduced to be important. A marked difference on crack growth resistance is obtained for stress ratios of 0·1 and 0·5 both at room temperature and at a temperature of 600°C. The mechanisms of fatigue crack growth in air and vacuum are discussed.     

Microstructure and mechanical properties of two-phase Fe30Ni20Mn20Al30. Part I: Microstructure

The microstructure of Fe₃₀Ni₂₀Mn₂₀Al₃₀ in both the as-cast condition and after annealing at 823 K for various times up to 72 h was characterized using transmission electron microscopy, scanning transmission electron microscopy, synchrotron-based X-ray diffraction, and atom probe tomography. The microstructure exhibited a basketweave morphology of (Mn, Fe)-rich B2-ordered (ordered b.c.c.) and (Ni, Al)-rich L2₁-ordered (Heusler type) phases with a lattice misfit of only 0.85 % and interfaces aligned along 〈100〉. The phase width increased from 5 nm for the as-cast alloy to 25 nm for 72 h annealed material, with no change in the elemental partitioning between the phases, with a time exponent for the coarsening kinetics of 0.19. Surprisingly, it was found that the room temperature hardness was largely independent of the phase width.     

Determining the effect of flake matrix size and Al2O3 content on microstructure and mechanical properties of Al2O3 nanoparticle reinforced Al matrix composites

In this study, Al2024 matrix composites reinforced with Al₂O₃ nanoparticle contents ranging from 1 to 5?wt% were produced via a new method called as flake powder metallurgy (FPM). The effect of flake size and Al₂O₃ nanoparticle content on the reinforcement distribution, microstructure, physical, and mechanical properties of the composites were studied. SEM analysis was performed to investigate the microstructure of metal matrix and the distribution of nanoparticles. The hot-pressed density increased with decreasing the matrix size. The hardness of the Al2024–Al₂O₃ nanocomposites fabricated by using fine matrix powders increased as compared to the Al2024–Al₂O₃ nanocomposites produced by using coarse matrix powders. It has been found that the FPM method proposed in this study revealed to be an effective method for the production of nanoparticle reinforced metal matrix composites.     

Effects of hot pressing temperature on microstructure,hardness and corrosion resistance of Al2NbTi3V2Zr high-entropy alloy

A novel lightweight high-entropy alloy Al₂NbTi₃V₂Zr was fabricated by vacuum hot pressing. The effects of sintering temperature (1200–1550°C) on the microstructure, hardness and corrosion resistance of the alloy were investigated. Results showed that Al₂NbTi₃V₂Zr mainly consisted of simple cubic matrix and (Zr, Al)-based intermetallic phase (α-phase) at sintering temperatures of 1200–1350°C. Moreover, the matrix phase transformed from simple cubic to body-centred cubic phase, and (Ti, Zr, Al)-based intermetallic precipitated from the matrix at temperature of 1450°C. The fabricated Al₂NbTi₃V₂Zr alloy had low density of 5.05–5.23?g?cm^–3, high hardness of 510–728?HV and excellent corrosion resistance in 10?wt-% HNO₃ solution.     

Microstructural characteristics and mechanical properties of non-combustive Mg–9Al–Zn–Ca magnesium alloy friction stir welded joints

Non-combustive Mg–9Al–Zn–Ca magnesium alloy was friction stir welded with rotation speeds ranging from 500 to 1250 rpm at a constant welding speed of 200 mm/min. Defect-free joints were successfully produced at rotation speeds of 750 and 1000 rpm. The as-received hot extruded material consisted of equiaxed α-Mg grains with β-Mg₁₇Al₁₂ and Al₂Ca compounds distributed along the grain boundaries. Friction stir welding produced much refined α-Mg grains accompanied by the dissolution of the eutectic β-Mg₁₇Al₁₂ phase, while Al₂Ca phase was dispersed homogeneously into the Mg matrix. An increase in rotation speed increased the α-Mg grain size but not significantly, while microstructure in the heat affected zone was almost not changed compared with the base material. The hardness tests showed uniform distributed and slightly increased harness in the stir zone. Results of transverse tensile tests indicated that the defect-free joints fractured at the base material, while longitudinal tensile tests showed that the strength of the defect-free welds was improved due to microstructural refinement and uniform distribution of intermetallic compounds.