Effects of Sn addition on as-cast microstructure, mechanical properties and casting fluidity of ZA84 magnesium alloy

The effects of Sn addition on the as-cast microstructure, mechanical properties and casting fluidity of the ZA84 magnesium alloy are investigated. The results indicate that adding 0.5–2.0 wt.%Sn to the ZA84 alloy not only can result in the formation of Mg₂Sn phase but also can refine the Mg₃₂(Al, Zn)₄₉ phase and suppress the formation of Mg₃₂(Al, Zn)₄₉ phase, and with the increase of Sn amount from 0.5 wt.% to 2.0 wt.%, the morphology of Mg₃₂(Al, Zn)₄₉ phase gradually changes from coarse continuous and/or quasi-continuous net to relatively fine quasi-continuous and/or disconnected shapes. In addition, adding 0.5–2.0 wt.%Sn to the ZA84 alloy can improve the tensile and creep properties, and casting fluidity of the alloy. Among the Sn-containing ZA84 alloys, the ZA84 alloy added 1.0 wt.%Sn exhibits the best ultimate tensile strength, elongation and casting fluidity while the ZA84 alloy added 2.0 wt.%Sn has the best yield strength and creep properties.     

Creep deformation mechanism of magnesium-based alloys

Two heat-resistant magnesium alloys AJC421 and Mg-2Nd were prepared. Both as-cast Mg-2Nd and AJC421 alloys exhibited good creep resistance in comparison with commonly used magnesium alloys. The improvement in creep properties through Nd addition to pure magnesium is attributed to both solid solution and precipitation hardening. The stress exponents of 4.5–5.5 and activation energies of 70.0–96.0 kJ/mol obtained from the as-cast Mg-2Nd alloy at low temperatures and low stresses indicate the five power law can be used for predicting the creep mechanism. The additions of alkaline earth elements Sr and Ca into Mg–Al alloys suppress the discontinuous precipitation of Mg₁₇Al₁₂ and form thermal-stable intermediate phases at grain boundaries, leading to effective restriction to grain boundary sliding and migration. However, the mechanism responsible for creep deformation of Mg–Al based alloys with Ca and Sr additions is not consistent with the results of microstructure observations performed on the alloys before and after creep tests.     

Effects of Ca addition on as-cast microstructure and mechanical properties of Mg–3Ce–1.2Mn–1Zn (wt.%) magnesium alloy

The effects of Ca addition on the as-cast microstructure and mechanical properties of the Mg–3Ce–1.2Mn–1Zn (wt.%) alloy were investigated by using optical and electron microscopes, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analysis, and tensile and creep tests. The results indicate that the additions of 0.3–0.9 wt.%Ca to the Mg–3Ce–1.2Mn–1Zn alloy do not cause an obvious change in the morphology and distribution for the Mg₁₂Ce phase in the alloy. However, the grains and secondary dendrite arm spacings of the Ca-containing alloys are refined, and an increase in Ca amount from 0.3 wt.% to 0.9 wt.% causes the grain size and secondary dendrite arm spacings to gradually decrease, respectively. In addition, the additions of 0.3–0.9 wt.%Ca to the Mg–3Ce–1.2Mn–1Zn alloy can effectively improve the as-cast tensile and creep properties of the alloy, and an increase in Ca amount from 0.3 wt.% to 0.9 wt.% causes the as-cast tensile and creep properties to gradually increase, respectively.     

Effects of calcium on the microstructures and tensile properties of Mg-5Li-3Al alloys

The as-cast Mg-5Li-3Al-xCa (x = 0, 0.5, 1, 1.5 wt.%) was prepared with vacuum induction melting furnace, then processed by hot extrusion. The microstructures and tensile properties were investigated. The results show that the grains of as-cast alloys were refined gradually with the increase of Ca content from 0.5 wt.% to 1 wt.%, while the Ca content increases to 1.5 wt.%, the grain size increases. The microstructures of investigated alloys were further refined after hot extrusion. Both as-cast and as-extruded Mg-5Li-3Al-0.5Ca alloys have the highest mechanical properties, which is mainly attributed to the grain refinement caused by the addition of Ca and the formation of strengthening phase, Al₄Ca. When the addition of Ca is up to 1-1.5 wt.%, the tensile properties of alloys are worsened due to the excessive (Mg, Al)₂Ca eutectic phase forming at grain boundary.     

Preliminary investigations about effects of Zr, Sc and Ce additions on as-cast microstructure and mechanical properties of Mg-3Sn-1Mn (wt.%) magnesium alloy

In this paper, the effects of Zr, Sc and Ce additions on the as-cast microstructure and mechanical properties of Mg-3Sn-1Mn (wt.%) magnesium alloy were preliminarily investigated and compared. The results indicate that adding 0.36 wt.% Sc and 0.87 wt.% Ce to the Mg-3Sn-1Mn alloy, respectively leads to the formation of the extra phases of Mg-Sn-Sc and Mg₁₂Ce while adding 0.43 wt.% Zr does not cause the formation of any new phases. At the same time, adding 0.43 wt.% Zr or 0.87 wt.% Ce can refine the grains while adding 0.36 wt.% Sc coarsens the grains. Among the Zr- and Ce-containing alloys, the grains of the latter are relatively finer than those of the former. In addition, adding 0.43 wt.% Zr, 0.36 wt.% Sc and 0.87 wt.% Ce to the Mg-3Sn-1Mn alloy can improve the tensile and/or creep properties of the alloy. However, the addition of 0.43 wt.% Zr is not beneficial to the creep properties. Among the Zr-, Sc- and Ce-containing alloys, the alloy with the addition of 0.87 wt.% Ce exhibits the optimal tensile and creep properties.     

Effect of Pd on microstructures and tensile properties of as-cast Mg-6Al-1Zn alloys

The effects of Pd on the microstructure and mechanical properties of Mg-6Al-1Zn alloys were investigated. Mg-6Al-1Zn-xPd (x = 0-6 wt.%) alloys were prepared using a permanent mould casting method. The microstructure of the as-cast alloys was characterized by the presence of Mg₁₇Al₁₂ and Al₄Pd phases. The volume fraction of the Al₄Pd phase was increased by the addition of 1-6 wt.%Pd but the volume fraction of the Mg₁₇Al₁₂ phases decreased. At room temperature, the tensile strength increased with increasing Pd addition up to 2 wt.%Pd, and the elongation to fracture decreased with a concomitant increase in the aggregation of the coarse Al₄Pd phase. At 150 °C, the tensile strength increased with the addition of Pd. Therefore, the room and elevated temperature tensile properties of as-cast Mg-6Al-1Zn alloys can be improved by Pd addition.     

Mechanical characterization and corrosion behavior of newly designed Sn and Y added AZ91 alloy

This paper deals the effect of Sn and Y additions on the microstructure, mechanical and corrosion properties of AZ91 alloy. It is found that by the addition of Sn, the formation and growth of discontinuous precipitate get suppressed and new intermetallic Mg₂Sn phase is formed. In the case of Y addition together with Sn, the grain size gets refined, the volume of Mg₁₇Al₁₂ gets decreased and new intermetallic Al₂Y phase is observed. Improved room and high temperature tensile properties are obtained in as-cast and aged Sn and Y added AZ91 alloy. However, maximum properties are obtained for the alloy having combined addition of 0.5 wt.% Sn and 0.9 wt.% Y. Improved corrosion resistance is also noticed with the addition of Sn and Y elements.     

Effect of transition metals on energy absorption during strain-controlled fatigue of an aluminum alloy

Tensile and low cyclic fatigue tests were used to assess the influence of micro-additions of Ti/V/Zr on the performance of Al–7Si–1Cu–0.5Mg (wt.%) alloys in the as-cast and T6 heat-treated conditions and their improvement was compared to the base alloy. The microstructure of the as-cast Al–7Si–1Cu–0.5Mg (wt.%) base and modified alloys consisted of α-Al, eutectic Si, and Cu, the Mg- and Fe-based phases Al_2.1Cu, Al_8.5Si_2.4Cu, Al_7.2Si_8.3Cu₂Mg_6.9 and Al₁₄Si_7.1FeMg_3.3. In addition, the micro-sized Ti/V/Zr-rich phases Al_6.8Si_1.4Ti, Al_21.4Si_4.1Ti_3.5VZr_3.9, Al_6.7Si_1.2TiZr_1.8, Al_2.8Si_3.8V_1.6Zr and Al_5.1Si_35.4Ti_1.6Zr_5.7Fe were identified in the modified alloys. It was also noticed that increasing the content of Ti–V–Zr changed the morphology of Ti/V/Zr-rich phase. The tensile test results showed that the T6 heat-treated alloy modified with the addition of a higher content of Ti–V–Zr achieved the highest tensile strength of 343 MPa over the base alloy and alloys modified with additions of Ti, Ti–Zr and lower contents of Ti–V–Zr. The plastic strain energy density coefficient of the alloy modified with the addition of a higher content of Ti–V–Zr in the T6 temper condition was higher than the other studied alloys and reached 162 MJ m⁻³. The fatigue life of the same alloy was considerably longer than that of the other studied alloys, including the base alloy. The fractography revealed that all the studied alloys showed similar fracture behavior. The tensile cracks propagated through the eutectic Si and primary phases, exhibiting intergranular fracture along with some cleavage-like features of the plate-shaped Zr–Ti–V-rich intermetallics with the presence of fatigue striations on the latter, indicating their ductile nature. It is believed that the morphological changes of intermetallic precipitates containing Zr, Ti and V enhance the fatigue life of the alloy modified with additions of larger amounts of Ti–V–Zr in the T6 condition.     

Effect of Aging Treatment on Microstructural and Mechanical Characteristics of PEO Coatings on Mg-Al Alloy

Cast Mg-6 wt pct Al alloy solution-treated at 683 K for 16 h and aged at 498 K was coated by plasma electrolytic oxidation （PEO） method.The Mg-6 wt pct Al alloy aged for 16 h exhibited the highest microhardness and wear resistance.After PEO coating,however,the microhardness and wear resistance of coatings on Mg- 6 wt pct Al alloy showed a tendency to decrease with increasing aging time,which was in aggrement with the change of thickness with aging time.In addition,the coatings on solution-treated Mg-6 wt pct Al alloy had better microhardness and wear resistance than those on aged Mg-6 wt pct Al alloys.Consequently,it can be understood that the aging treatment has a deleterious influence on the mechanical properties of coatings on Mg-6 wt pct Al alloy.     

Characterization of phases in a Mg–6Gd–4Sm–0.4Zr (wt.%) alloy during solution treatment

Phases in as-cast and solution-treated Mg–6Gd–4Sm–0.4Zr (wt.%) alloy have been characterized using transmission electron microscopy in this paper. The intermetallic phase in as-cast microstructure has a face centered cubic crystal structure (a = 2.2879 nm) with a composition of Mg_6.2(Sm_0.56Gd_0.44) and was dissolved after solution treatment. A particulate phase with a face centered cubic crystal structure (a = 0.5502 nm) was found in the solution-treated microstructure and suggested to already exist in as-cast sample as the nucleus for its further growth during solution treatment.     

Microstructure and mechanical properties of Al–Si cast alloy with additions of Zr–V–Ti

The microstructure and tensile properties at temperatures up to 300 °C of an experimental Al–7Si–1Cu–0.5Mg (wt.%) cast alloy with additions of Ti, V and Zr were assessed and compared with those of the commercial A380 grade. The microstructure of both alloys consisted of Al dendrites surrounded by Al–Si eutectic containing, within its structure, the ternary Al–Al₂Cu–Si phase. Whereas the Al₁₅(FeCrMn)₃Si₂ phases were present in the A380 alloy, Ti/Zr/V together with Al and Si phases, Al(ZrTiV)Si, were identified in the experimental alloy. As a result of chemistry modification the experimental alloy achieved from 20% to 40% higher strength and from 1.5 to 5 times higher ductility than the A380 reference grade. The role of chemistry in improving the alloy thermal stability is discussed.     

高Ca/Al比的Mg-Al-Ca合金的超塑性

针对3种高Ca/Al比的Mg-Al-Ca合金(Mg-3.7Al-3.8Ca,Mg-4.4Al-4.5Ca和Mg-4.9Al-5.0Ca)的超塑性行为展开研究,研究结果表明,铸态镁合金具有二次相Al2Ca分布于晶界的枝晶结构。经挤压后,合金的晶粒被细化,二次相也被细化为更小的粒子。这些合金在400℃时表现出很高的伸长率,Mg-4.9Al-5.0Ca在400℃时3.6×10-4 s-1应变速率下获得最大伸长率572%。超塑性流变的变形机制为晶格扩散(DL)控制的晶界滑移(GBS)。对于挤压态Mg-4.9Al-5.0Ca合金,大部分高温稳定相Al2Ca粒子尺寸为80nm,对晶粒长大的抑制作用强烈,在晶界滑移时协调变形,因此在3种合金中Mg-4.9Al-5.0Ca具有最好的超塑性。     

Microstructure and mechanical properties of Mg-4.0Zn-0.5Ca alloy

A new kind of Mg-4.0 wt.%Zn-0.5 wt.%Ca alloy is fabricated by casting and hot extrusion for used as a high performance structure material as well as a biomaterial. In the as-cast alloy, the average grain size of the α-Mg is 120-150 µm and the precipitated second phases are distributed uniformly in α-Mg grains. The as-cast Mg-4.0 wt.%Zn-0.5 wt.%Ca alloy shows a good balance between the tensile strength (211 MPa) and ductility (17% in elongation). After hot extrusion at 593 K, the second phase is greatly refined and the average grain size of the α-Mg is reduced to 8-12 μm which is resulted from dynamic re-crystallization during hot extrusion. In this case, it exhibits a high tensile strength (273 MPa) and a high ductility (34% in elongation) at room temperature.     

The elevated-temperature fatigue behavior of boron-modified Ti–6Al–4V(wt.%) castings

This work investigated the effect of nominal boron additions of 0.1 and 1.0 wt.% on the elevated-temperature (455 °C) fatigue deformation behavior of Ti–6Al–4V(wt.%) castings for maximum applied stresses between 250 and 450 MPa (R = 0.1 and 5 Hz). Boron additions resulted in a dramatic refinement of the as-cast grain size, and larger boron additions resulted in larger titanium-boride (TiB) phase volume percents. The boron-containing alloys exhibited longer average fatigue lives than those for Ti–6Al–4V, which was suggested to be related to the reduced as-cast grain size and the addition of strong and stiff TiB phase. The Ti–6Al–4V–0.1B alloy exhibited the longest average fatigue lives. The TiB phase cracked during the fatigue experiments and this resulted in a decreasing Young's modulus with increased cycle number. Each alloy exhibited α-phase cracking and environmentally assisted surface edge cracking.     

Effect of minor content of Gd on the mechanical and degradable properties of as-cast Mg-2Zn-xGd-0.5Zr alloys

RE-containing Mg alloys used as biodegradable medical implants exhibit good promising application due to their good mechanical properties and degradation resistance. In this work, effect of Gd on the microstructure, mechanical properties and biodegradation of as-cast Mg-2Zn-xGd-0.5Zr alloys was investigated. The results showed that there were mainly α-Mg, I-phase, W-phase and MgZn2 phase in Mg-Zn-Gd-Zr alloys. With increase of the Gd content, the strength of the alloys was enhanced due to the second phase strengthening and grain refinement. The degradation resistance of Mg-2Zn-0.5Zr alloy was increased by adding 0.5%–1% Gd due to the uniformly distributed second phases which acted as a barrier to prevent the pitting corrosion. However, increasing Gd content to 2% reduced the degradation resistance of the alloy due to the galvanic corrosion between the matrix and the second phases.The good degradation resistance and mechanical properties of as-cast Mg-2Zn-1Gd-0.5Zr alloy makes it outstanding for biomaterial application.     

Comparison of the effects of La- and Ce-rich rare earth additions on the microstructure, creep resistance, and high-temperature mechanical properties of Mg-6Zn-3Cu cast alloy

The effect of 1 wt.% La- and Ce-rich rare earth (RE) additions on the microstructure, creep resistance, and high temperature mechanical properties of the Mg-6Zn-3Cu alloy (ZC63) was investigated by impression creep and shear punch tests (SPT). Impression creep tests were performed in the temperature range 423-498 K and under punching stress in the range 150-700 MPa for dwell times up to 3600 s. The ultimate shear strength (USS) was measured by the SPT in the temperature range 298-498 K. The results showed that Ce-rich RE was more effective than the La-rich RE in refining the as-cast microstructure, increasing the number density of eutectic phases at grain boundaries, and producing thermally stable Mg₁₂RE and MgRE compounds. The creep strength of the base alloy was remarkably improved by addition of both types of RE elements, although the Ce-rich RE-containing alloy showed better creep resistance. The addition of La-rich RE increased the shear strength of the base alloy, whereas Ce-rich RE addition had detrimental effects on the shear strength. This was attributed to the formation of a grain boundary network of Mg(Zn,Cu) Laves phases in Ce-rich RE-containing alloy. This grain boundary network with a bulky morphology promoted the initiation and propagation of cracks, leading to an adverse effect on the strength. This was in contrast with its positive influence on inhibiting grain boundary sliding and migration, which enhanced the creep strength of the alloy.     

An investigation of second phases in as-cast AZ31 magnesium alloys with different Sr contents

Second phases in the AZ31 as-cast magnesium alloys with different Sr contents (0, 0.1, 0.5, 1.0, 2.0, and 5.0 wt%) were investigated using scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectrometry, differential scanning calorimetry, X-ray diffraction, and transmission electron microscopy. The results indicated that the Mg₂₁(Zn, Al)₁₇ phase with small amount was formed in the AZ31 as-cast alloy without Sr addition, in addition to the Mg₁₇Al₁₂ phase. At the same time, the alloy with the addition of 0.1 wt% Sr mainly consisted of the α-Mg, Mg₁₇Al₁₂, Mg₂₁(Zn, Al)₁₇, and Al₄Sr phases. In addition, the α-Mg, Mg₂₁(Zn, Al)₁₇ and Al₄Sr phases were found to be the main second phases for the alloy with the addition of 0.5 wt% Sr. However, only the α-Mg, Al₄Sr and (Mg, Al)₁₇Sr₂ phases were mainly formed in the AZ31 alloy with the addition of 1.0 wt% Sr. As for the alloys with the additions of 2 and 5 wt% Sr, their as-cast microstructures were mainly composed of the α-Mg and (Mg, Al)₁₇Sr₂ phases.     

Microstructure and mechanical properties of Mg–8Li–xAl–0.5Ca alloys

The effect of the Al content on the microstructure and mechanical behaviour of Mg–8Li–xAl–0.5Ca alloys is investigated. The experimental results show that an as-cast Mg–8Li–0.5Ca alloy is mainly composed of α-Mg, β-Li and granular Mg₂Ca phases. With the addition of Al, the amount of α-Mg phase first increases and then decreases. In addition, the intermetallic compounds also obviously change. The microstructure of the test alloys is refined due to dynamic recrystallisation that occurs during extrusion. The mechanical properties of extruded alloys are much more desirable than the properties of as-cast alloys. The as-extruded Mg–8Li–6Al–0.5Ca alloy exhibits good comprehensive mechanical properties with an ultimate tensile strength of 251.2?MPa, a yield strength of 220.6?MPa and an elongation of 23.5%.     

等径道角挤压制备高力学性能细晶Mg-6Al合金

为了制备高力学性能细晶Mg-6Al合金坯料,采用金相显微镜、材料拉伸实验机等手段对Mg-6Al合金铸坯进行等径道角挤压实验研究.并利用热处理工艺对挤压后材料进行处理,研究热处理工艺参数对材料力学性能的影响规律.结果表明,Mg-6Al合金的铸坯的抗拉强度为196.4MPa,延伸率为12.6%.经过等径道角挤压的Mg-6Al合金坯料的晶粒被大大细化,其晶粒尺寸由铸坯的140μm左右细化到8μm左右.其力学性能有很大提高,抗拉强度由196.4MPa提高到308.2MPa;延伸率由12.6%提高到30.6%.等径道角挤压工艺是一种非常好的制备高力学性能、细晶Mg-6Al合金的工艺方法.固溶和人工时效热处理工艺对等径道角挤压的Mg-6Al合金坯料的强度有较大影响,对延伸率影响较小.     

Tensile fracture behavior of aging hardened Mg-1Ca and Mg-1Ca-1Zn alloys

The tensile properties and fracture characteristics of the peak-aged Mg-1.0 wt.% Ca and Mg-1.0 wt.% Ca-1.0 wt.% Zn alloys, have been investigated in the temperature range 295-450 K. In this temperature range the tensile strength of the Mg-1Ca alloy linearly diminishes by 20%. However the drop in the tensile strength for the Mg-1Ca-1Zn alloy is smaller. The results indicate that the precipitates formed in the Mg-1Ca-1Zn alloy retain their strengthening potential up to ~ 450 K. Microstructure observations using scanning electron microscopy revealed that the failure mode for both alloys is transgranular combined with intergranular rupture, irrespective of the treatment and test temperature. The fractography analyses showed that the transgranular fracture changed from quasi-cleavage to dimple rupture with increasing temperature.