Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Mg-Al-Ca-Nd Alloys Fabricated by Gravity Casting

The aims of this study are to investigate the effects of Nd addition in the Mg-Al-Ca alloys on microstructure and mechanical properties.Microstructure of as-cast Mg-5Al-3Ca alloy containing Nd consists ofα-Mg matrix, eutectic phase and Al-Nd rich intermetallic compound.As Nd addition was increased,α-Mg matrix morphology was changed from dendritic to equiaxed grains and average value of grain size was decreased.Nd addition to Mg-5Al-3Ca based alloys resulted in the formation of Al-Nd rich intermetallic compounds at grain boundary andα-Mg matrix grains.And these Al-Nd rich intermetallic compounds were dispersed homogeneously.In these alloys,two kinds of eutectic phases were observed,i.e.coarse irregular-shape structure at grain boundary and fine needle-shape structure in theα-Mg matrix grain.It is found that the ultimate strength showed the maximum value of 271 MPa at Mg-5Al-3Ca-2Nd alloy and elongation was decreased as the addition of Nd was increased.     

Effect of Ultrasonic Output Power on Refining the Crystal Structures of Ingots and Its Experimental Simulation

In this study, a series of tests were conducted by using aluminum-based alloy to determine the formation of grain refining structure based on the ultrasonic vibration (UV). Furthermore, the simulation test and effect of ultrasonic output power were studied using ammonium chloride. Finally, the mechanism of grain refinement was investigated. The results show that: (1) By applying the UV to aluminum-base alloy, the grain refining rate of ingots tended to increase with the increase of the output value of UV. (2) It was confirmed that time from after the pour to the beginning of crystallization as well as cloudiness tended to decrease with increasing the ultrasonic power value of UV. Moreover, it can be seen from each cooling curve that a uniform temperature gradient existed in the melt as the power of UV increased, that made the melt strongly stirred. (3) It was also considered that the grain refining effect of ingots, which was observed from the simulation tests, resulted from nucleation action and stirrin     

Effect of pre-annealing prior to cold rolling on the precipitation,microstructure and magnetic properties of strip-cast non-oriented electrical steels

A novel processing route involving strip casting, pre-annealing treatment, cold rolling and recrystallization annealing was applied to a Fe-2.6%Si steel to improve the magnetic properties. The impact of as-cast strip pre-annealing on the microstructure, texture, precipitation and magnetic properties were investigated by electron probe micro-analysis, transmission electron microscopy, and X-ray diffraction analysis,etc. It was found that the precipitation of second-phase particles during strip casting was restrained by rapid solidification. The absence of pre-annealing led to the occurrence of a large amount of 20–50 nm Mn S precipitates in the final annealed sheets, which is responsible for fine grains and high core loss(4.01 W/kg) due to grain boundary pinning effect. Although the microstructure and texture of 900–1000?C pre-annealed samples were similar to those of as-cast strip, significant grain coarsening together with the strengthening of-fiber texture was observed in the 1100?C pre-annealed strips. In comparison with the case of as-cast strip, a higher amount of large-sized precipitates consisting of manganese sulfide and/or aluminum nitride occurred in matrix after pre-annealing. Correspondingly, in the final annealed sheets, the number density of precipitates with sizes smaller than 100 nm was substantially reduced, and100–200 nm and 200–500 nm sized particles became more dominant in samples subjected to 30-min and 120-min pre-annealing treatments respectively. In addition, the average grain size of final annealed sheets increased with the pre-annealing temperature and time because of the weakened pining effect of coarsen precipitates. Ultimately, the magnetic induction of samples subjected to pre-annealing was slightly increased and ranged from 1.73 T to 1.75 T owing to the enhancement of {100} recrystallization texture, and simultaneously the core loss significantly decreased until a minimum of 3.26 W/kg was reached. Nevertheless, large number of 200–500 nm particles presented during pre-annealing for 120 min could weaken the improvement in core loss which is likely associated with the pinning effect on magnetic domain wall.     

Equal Channel Angular Deformation （ECAD） of As-Cast AM60 Magnesium Alloy

As-cast AM60 magnesium alloy ingot with grains coarser than those of as-extruded AZ series is more liable to produce cracks under ECAD with severe shear strain. A feasible scheme of equal channel angular deformation (ECAD) for as-cast AM60 magnesium alloy ingot was proposed in this paper. The tests were conducted on Instron machine with hydraulic back-force machine. Through analysing load vs displacement curves, the effects of ECAD processing conditions on deformability and microstructure of as-cast magnesium AM60 billets were discussed. During testing,the back-force employment was helpful to keep ECAD processing more stable. And with back-force, it was observed that the number of ECAD passes in different routes could tremendously affect the deformability and microstructure of magnesium specimens. It was concluded that ECAD processing is entirely feasible for as-cast magnesium AM60 alloy under severe shear strain, and back-force employment, multi-passes deformation and lubrication of graphite paper are the factors primarily beneficial to improvement of deformability and refinement of grained structure. This work provides a way to produce magnesium alloy with fine-grained structure directly from casting ingot by ECAD technique.     

Hot deformation behavior of an antibacterial Co–29Cr–6Mo–1.8Cu alloy and its effect on mechanical property and corrosion resistance

In order to optimize the deformation processing, the hot deformation behavior of Co–Cr–Mo–Cu(hereafter named as Co–Cu) alloy was studied in this paper at a deformation temperature range of 950–1150°C and a strain rate range of 0.008–5 s~(-1). Based on the true stress–true strain curves, a constitutive equation in hyperbolic sin function was established and a hot processing map was drawn. It was found that the flow stress of the Co–Cu alloy increased with the increase of the strain rate and decreased with the increase of the deforming temperature. The hot processing map indicated that there were two unstable regions and one well-processing region. The microstructure, the hardness distribution and the electrochemical properties of the hot deformed sample were investigated in order to reveal the influence of the hot deformation. Microstructure observation indicated that the grain size increased with the increase of the deformation temperature but decreased with the increase of the strain rate. High temperature and low strain rate promoted the crystallization process but increased the grain size, which results in a reduction in the hardness. The hot deformation at high temperature(1100–1150°C) would reduce the corrosion resistance slightly. The final optimized deformation process was: a deformation temperature from 1050 to 1100°C, and a strain rate from 0.008 to 0.2 s~(-1), where a completely recrystallized and homogeneously distributed microstructure would be obtained.     

Contribution of ultrasonic surface rolling process to the fatigue properties of TB8 alloy with body-centered cubic structure

The effect of ultrasonic surface rolling process(USRP) as a severe plastic deformation technology was investigated on the evolution of microstructure, residual stress and surface morphology of TB8 alloys with body-centered cubic structure. Stress-controlled rotating-bending fatigue tests indicated increased fatigue strength in USRP samples prepared using different number of passes compared to the base material, which was attributed to the presence of gradient structure surface layers. Five subsequent USRP passes resulted in the highest fatigue strength, due to the optimal surface properties including higher extent of grain refinement, larger compressive residual stresses, "smoother" surface morphology and increased micro-hardness. However, the effect of USRP technology on improving fatigue strength of TB8 alloy was not significant in comparison with that of other titanium alloys(for example, Ti6 Al4 V), which was attributed to the notable surface residual stresses relaxation revealed from measurements on postfatigued USRP samples. Electron backscatter diffraction analysis confirmed that fatigue crack initiation occurred in the larger grains on the surface with high Schmid factor. Small cracks were found to propagate into the core material in a mixed transgranular and intergranular mode. Further analysis indicated that grain growth existed in post-fatigued USRP-treated TB8 samples and that the average geometrically necessary dislocations value reduced after fatigue loading.     

Microstructure and Hardness of Laser Shocked Ultra-fine-grained Aluminum

Ultra-fine-grained commercial purity aluminum was produced by severe cold rolling, annealing and then strain- ing at ultra-high rate by a single pass laser shock. Resulted microstructure was investigated by transmission electron microscopy. Microhardness of annealed 0.6 μm ultra-fine grained aluminum increased by 67% from 24 to 40 HV. Many 0.3 μm sub-grains appeared at the shock wave center after a single pass laser shock, while high density dislocation networks were observed in some grains at the shock wave edges. Accordingly, microhardness at the impact center increased by 37.5% from 40 to 55 HV. From the impact center to the edge, microhardness decreased by 22% from 55 to 45 HV.     

The Role of Nd Solid-Solution and Grain-Boundary Segregation in Binary NiAl Intermetallic Compound

The role of Nd solid-solution and grain-boundary segregation in binary NiAl alloy was studied based on microhardness and compressive macrostrain. X-ray and Auger spectra studies indicate that Nd not only is soluble in grain interiors, but also segregates to the grain boundaries. Nd solid-solution induces an increase of the microhardness from 269 to 290 HV in grain interiors and segregation results in an enhancement of hardness from 252 to 342 HV on grain boundaries. Thus, the cohesion of grain boundaries is enhanced by Nd segregation, which make the alloy doped with 0.05 wt pct Nd exhibit more compressive microstrain, i.e. the higher the compressive ductility at room temperature, the better the final surface condition at elevated temperature. Finally, a discussion was made on the reason that Nd strengthens the grain boundaries in NiAl intermetallic alloy.     

Effect of Post Cryorolling Treatments on Microstructural and Mechanical Behaviour of Ultrafine Grained Al-Mg-Si Alloy

To investigate the effect of post cryorolling treatments on simultaneous enhancement in strength and ductility of ultrafine grained material （UFG）, AI 6061 alloy was subjected to cryorolling followed by warm rolling （CR ＋ WR） and compared with cryorolling followed by short annealing （CR ＋ SA） at the same temperature. Transmission electron microscopy （TEM） was used to characterize the microstructural features of the processed material. The mechanical properties were investigated through Vickers hardness testing and tensile testing at room temperature. TEM, X-ray diffraction （XRD） and differential scanning calorimetry （DSC） were used to investigate the precipitation evolution in UFG material. Results indicated that the alloy subjected to CR ＋ WR has shown improved mechanical properties （114 HV, ultimate tensile strength （UTS）： 350 MPa） as compared to that in the case of CR ＋ SA （105 HV, UTS： 285 MPa）. The size of the precipitates observed in CR ＋ WR sample after peak ageing treatment is finer than that of peak aged CR ＋ SA sample. The UTS of peak aged CR ＋ WR sample （UTS： 390 MPa） was found to be higher than that of peak aged CR ＋ SA sample （UTS： 355 MPa）, without decrease in ductility.     

Hot Cracking in AZ31 and AZ61 Magnesium Alloy

This paper examined the impact of the number of thermal cycles and augmented strain on hot cracking in AZ31 and AZ61 magnesium alloy. Statistical analyses were performed. Following observation using a scanning electron microscope (SEM), an energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS) was used for component analysis. Results showed that Al content in magnesium alloy has an effect on hot cracking susceptibility. In addition, the nonequilibrium solidification process produced segregation in Al content, causing higher liquid Mg-alloy rich Al content at grain boundaries, and resulting into liquefied grain boundaries of partially melted zone (PMZ). In summary, under multiple thermal cycles AZ61 produced serious liquation cracking. AZ61 has higher (6 wt%) Al content and produced much liquefied Mg17Al12 at grain boundaries under multiple thermal cycles. The liquefied Mg17Al12 were pulled apart and hot cracks formed at weld metal HAZ due to the augmented strain. Since AZ31 had half the Al content of AZ61, its hot-cracking susceptibility was lower than AZ61. In addition, AZ61 showed longer total crack length (TCL) in one thermal cycle compared to that in three thermal cycles. This phenomenon was possibly due to high-temperature gasification of Al during the welding process, which resulted in lower overall Al content. Consequently, shorter hot cracks exhibited in three thermal cycles. It was found the Al content of AZ31 and AZ61 can be used to assess the hot-cracking susceptibility.     

Preparation of Inoculants Used in Superalloy and Analysis of the Atomic Matching Models

The mechanisms of grain refinement were investigated on two kinds of grain refiners used in Ni—Fe based superalloys and complete atomic matching modes were constructed in this study.It is found that there are at least three matching crystal planes having the small lattice disregistry between the refiner and the nucleated phase,which can lead to grain refinement of y matrix.The results indicate that the（0001）,（01—10） planes of CrFeNb have a fine crystallographic matching relationship with the（111）,（110） planes ofγmatrix.The disregistry of（0001）_CrFeNb//（111）_γ,（0110）_CrFeNb//（111）_γand（0110）_CrFeNb//（110）_γis 3.34%,6.60%and 5.90%, respectively.The（0001）,（0110） planes of Co₃FeNb₂ and（111）,（110） planes ofγmatrix also have this relationship.The disregistry of（0001）_Co3FeNb2//（111）_γ,（0001）_Co3FeNb2//（110）_γ,（0110）_Co3FeNb2//（111）_γand （0110）_Co3FeNb2//（110）_γis 4.45%,9.35%,8.38%and 6.12%,respectively.     

Effects of Pressure during Preparation on the Grain Orientation of Ruddlesden--Popper Structured BaLa2Ti3O10 Ceramic

As potential thermal barrier coating （TBC） materials, Ruddlesden-Popper structured BaLn2Ti3010 （Ln = rare earth） compounds possess excellent phase stability and desirable thermo-physical properties as well as interesting anisotropic structure. In this paper, the effects of pressure during BaLa2Ti3010 （BLT） bulk preparation on the grain orientation were investigated. BLT grains exhibited lamellar structure, but the grain orientation depended strongly on the existence of pressure during bulk preparation. When pressure was applied, BLT grains preferentially grew along pressing direction, leading to formation of the texture parallel to pressing direction, but BLT grain orientation became relatively random when pressure was absent. However, in the small scale area, BLT grains grew preferentially along c-axis with independence on pressure during preparation. Pressure affected BLT grain orientation at the rapid growth stage according to the grain growth model of BLT.     

Fabrication of (Ti,Hf)-rich NiTiHf Alloy Using Graphitic Mold and Crucible

In this research, fabrication of a(Ti,Hf)-rich NiTiHf alloy by using vacuum induction melting(VIM) process and a graphitic crucible was investigated. For this purpose, casts with the nominal composition of Ni49Ti36Hf15 were prepared in graphitic crucible and mold. Optical microscopy(OM), scanning electron microscopy(SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy(EDS), X-ray diffraction(XRD), and differential scanning calorimetry(DSC) tests were employed to characterize the samples. Results demonstrated that microstructure of the first cast was composted of a B2 austenite phase as well as a great amount of two differently formed(Ti,Hf)C carbides.Moreover, no austenite 4 martensite transformation peak was detected in the DSC curve of this sample,indicating a drastic decline in the transformation temperatures. In the succeeding cast, however, owing to the formation of carbide layers on the inner surfaces of the graphitic crucible and mold during the initial casting process, the amounts of carbides decreased remarkably. This cast exhibited transformation temperatures above100° C, while XRD pattern denoted the presence of B190 monoclinic martensite phase at room temperature.All in all, results confirmed that VIM process using graphitic mold and crucible can be considered as an appropriate method for the fabrication of(Ti,Hf)-rich NiTiHf high temperature shape memory alloys.     

Development and Characterization of Al2O3 Dispersed Al/Mg/Cu/Ti Matrix Composite

The effect of dispersion with different weight fractions of Al2O3 particles in metallic matrices （AI/Mg/Ti/Cu） fabricated by powder metallurgy was investigated. In the case of 15 wt% Al2O3 reinforced composites, peak hardness was attained which subsequently decreased with increasing the content of Al2O3. A correlation between the microhardness and nanomechanical properties at submicron scale was examined for all the composites. Specific strength and specific modulus were measured in order to figure out the performance of the composites.     

Effects of Strontium,Magnesium Addition,Temperature Gradient,and Growth Velocity on AI-Si Eutectic Growth in a UnidirectionaUy-solidified Al-13 wt% Si Alloy

Al-Si eutectic growth mechanism was investigated in a directionally-solidified AI-1 3 wt% Si alloy with different strontium （Sr） and magnesium （Mg） additions, growth velocities and temperature gradients. Macro- and micro- scale metallographic analyses revealed that addition level of Sr and Mg, temperature gradient and growth velocity are important factors affecting stability of solidifying AI-Si eutectic front and the final morphology of eutectic grains in the solidified A1-13 wt% Si alloys. By varying （tailoring） these factors, a variety of eutectic grain structures and morphologies such as planar front, cellular structure, a mix of cellular and columnar, or equiaxed dendrites, can be obtained. Increasing temperature gradient, reducing growth velocity, or decreasing Sr and Mg contents is beneficial to stabilizing planar growth front of eutectic grains, which is qualitatively in accordance with constitutional supercooling criterion for binary eutectic growth. In contrast, adding more Sr and Mg, increasing growth velocity, or decreasing temperature gradient produces large constitutional supercooling, leading to columnar-equiaxed transition （CET） of eutectic structure, which can be interpreted on the basis of Hunt＇s Model. It is also found that both solute concentration and solidification variables have significant impact not only on eutectic growth, but also on gas porosity formation.     

Microstructure,Phase Transformation,Precipitation Behavior and Mechanical Properties of P/M Cu40Zn-1.0 wt% Ti Brass Alloy via Spark Plasma Sintering and Hot Extrusion

The effect of titanium addition on the microstructure and mechanical properties of brass Cu4OZn has been studied via the powder metallurgy （P/M） route. The water-atomized Cu4OZn-1.0 wt% Ti alloy powder was consolidated at different temperatures in the range of 400-600℃ using spark plasma sintering （SPS） and hot extrusion subsequently. Results show that the super-saturated solid solution titanium element in rapidly cooled brass Cu4OZn powder created high chemical potential for a precipitate reaction, showing significant grain refinement effects on the consolidated Cu4OZn matrix. Consequently, excellent mechanical properties were obtained by precipitation hardening and work hardening after sintering and extrusion, with yield strength of 390 MPa, ultimate tensile strength of 617 MPa, and Vickers micro-hardness of 192 HV, which are 28.7%, 23.4%, and 23.9% higher values than those of extruded Cu4OZn brass, respectively.     

Role of Double Oxide Film Defects in the Formal ion ol’ Gas Porosity in Commercial Purity and Sr-containing A1 Alloys

The role of double oxide film （bifilm） defects in the formation of gas porosity in commercial purity and Srcontaining AI alloys was investigated by means of a reduced pressure test （RPT） technique. The liquid metal was poured from a height into a crucible to introduce oxide defects into the melt. The melt was then subjected to different ＂hydrogen addition＂ and ＂holding in liquid state＂ regimes before RPT samples were taken. The RPT samples were then characterized by determining their porosity parameters and examining the internal surfaces of the pores formed in them by scanning electron microscopy. The results indicated oxide defects as the initiation sites for the growth of gas porosity, both in commercial purity and Sr-containing AI alloys. The results also rejected reduction of the surface tension of the melt, increase in the volumetric shrinkage and reduction in interdendritic feeding as the possible causes of an increase in the porosity content of the AI castings modified with strontium. The change in the composition of the oxide layers of double oxide film defects was suggested to be responsible for this behaviour.     

A Comparative in vitro Study on Biomedical Zr-2.5X(X=Nb,Sn) Alloys

Nb and Sn are major alloying elements in Zr alloys.In this study,the microstructure,mechanical properties,corrosion behavior,cytocompatibility and magnetic resonance imaging(MRI) compatibility of Zr-2.5X(X = Nb,Sn) alloys for biomedical application are comparatively investigated.It is found that Zr—2.5Nb alloy has a duplex structure of α and β phase and Zr—2.5Sn alloy is composed of 7.phase.Both separate addition of Nb and Sn can strengthen Zr but Nb is more effective in strengthening Zr than Sn.The studied Zr—2.5X(X = Nb,Sn) alloys show improved corrosion resistance compared to pure Zr as indicted by the decreased corrosion current density.The alloying addition of Nb enhances the pitting resistance of Zr,whereas the addition of Sn decreases the pitting resistance of Zr.The extracts of Zr—2.5X alloys produce no significant deleterious effect on fibroblast cells(L-929) and osteoblast-like cells(MG 63),indicating good in vitro cytocompatibility.The Zr—2.5X(X = Nb,Sn) alloys show decreased magnetic susceptibility compared to pure Zr and their magnetic susceptibility is far lower than that of pure Ti and Ti—6AI—4V alloy.Based on these facts,Zr-2.5Nb alloy is more suitable for implant material than Zr-2.5Sn alloy.Sn is not suitable as individual alloying addition for Zr because Sn addition decreases the pitting resistance in physiological solution.     

Abrasion Resistance Enhancement of Ultrafine-structured WC-Co Coating Fabricated by using in situ Synthesized Composite Powder

The ultrafine WC-Co composite powder was synthesized by a newly developed rapid route based on in situ reactions. By using the as-synthesized composite powder, the granulation processing was then carried out to prepare the ultrafine-structured thermal spraying feedstock. The influences of the heat-treatment process on density of the feedstock powder, phase constitution and wear resistance of the resultant WC-Co coatings fabricated by high velocity oxy-fuel （HVOF） were investigated. The results showed that increasing the heating temperature and extending the holding time leaded to remarkable increase in the density and flowability of the feedstock powder. As a result, the decarburization of the in-flight particles could be decreased and the wear resistance of coating was significantly enhanced. The present study demonstrated that the developed techniques for the ultrafine powder and its thermal-sprayed coatings had very promising applications in scaling up to produce ultrafine-structured cermet coatings with excellent performance.     

Role of β Phase during Microarc Oxidation of Mg Alloy AZ91D and Corrosion Resistance of the Oxidation Coating

Selective growth of oxidation coating was observed on Mg alloy AZ91 D when this alloy was treated by microarc oxidation （MAO） technique, and then the role of intermetallic phase Mg17AI12 （β phase） during MAO was investigated. Corrosion resistance and anti-corrosion mechanism of the MAO coating were also studied. Optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy （SEM） were used to characterize β phase and coating microstructure. Corrosion properties of the coated alloy were studied by potentiodynamic polarization test and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy （EIS） in 3.5% NaCI solution. Results showed that sparking discharge preferentially occurred on ~-Mg phase rather than on β phase at the early stage of MAO; however selective growth of the coating disappeared gradually with the increasing oxidation time and β phase would not further inhibit coating growth at the prolonged stage of MAO. MglTAI12 phase ultimately was unable to destroy the integrity and continuity of MAO coating. The MAO coating could restrain charge transfer process and then greatly enhance corrosion resistance of AZ91D alloy. Sealing treatment of MAO coating by stearic acid could further improve the corrosion resistance of AZ91 D alloy.