Influence of Al7Cu2Fe intermetallic particles on the localized corrosion of high strength aluminum alloys

The development of aluminum alloys of the Al–Zn–Mg–Cu system is the primary factor that enabled the evolution of aircraft. However, it has been shown that these alloys tend to undergo pitting corrosion due to the presence of elements such as iron, copper and silicon. Thus, the purpose of this study is to evaluate the behavior of the Al₇Cu₂Fe precipitate in 7475-T7351 and 7081-T73511 alloys based on microstructural characterization and polarization tests. The corrosion and pitting potentials were found to be very similar, and matrix dissolution occurred around the Al₇Cu₂Fe precipitate in both alloys, revealing the anodic behavior of the matrix.     

Influence of heated forming tools on corrosion behavior of high strength aluminum alloys

In this study forming tools temperated at 24 °C and 350 °C were used to systematically investigate the influence of different cooling rates on the mechanical and corrosion properties of a high strength aluminum alloy AA7075 within a novel thermo-mechanical process that combines forming and quenching simultaneously. The samples formed within heated tools reveal higher ductility and lower material strength compared to the parts processed in cold tools. In addition, the corrosion behavior changed between samples formed with 24 °C forming tools and 350 °C forming tools, respectively. Through cyclic polarization in chloride containing aqueous media a change in the hysteresis and shift of open circuit potential was observed. Metallographic investigation revealed that there was also a very different corrosion morphology for the samples formed within the heated tools. No change in average grain size could be detected but changes of the microstructure in subgrain scale that occur during the forming within the heated tools are responsible for this effect. In further research, the effect of various cooling rates on mechanical and corrosion behavior and the microstructure will be investigated by variation of the forming tool temperature.     

FE analysis of residual stress relaxation in a girth-welded duplex stainless steel pipe under cyclic loading

This study intends to characterize the residual stress relaxation in a girth-welded duplex stainless steel pipe exposed to cyclic loading. FE thermal simulation of the girth welding process is first performed to identify the weld-induced residual stresses. 3-D elastic–plastic FE analyses incorporated with the cyclic plasticity constitutive model which can describe the cyclic stress relaxation are next carried out to evaluate reconstruction of the residual stresses under cyclic mechanical loading. The results unveils that considerable reduction of the residual stresses in and around the girth weld occur even after the initial few loading cycles and degree of the stress relaxation is dependent on the magnitude of applied cyclic loading.     

Mean stress effect on fatigue strength of stainless steel

Influence of mean stress on fatigue life and fatigue limit was investigated for Type 316 stainless steel. The results for prestrained specimens revealed that fatigue life was almost the same in the same strain range regardless of stress amplitude, maximum peak stress and mean strain. The fatigue life was shortened when applying the mean stress for the same strain range, whereas it was increased for the same stress amplitude. It was shown that the reduction in fatigue life was brought about by the change in the effective strain range, which was caused by the increase in minimum peak stress and the ratcheting strain. The fatigue life could be predicted conservatively even if the mean strain was applied by assuming the effective strain range to be equal to the total strain range (by assuming the crack mouth to be never closed). It was concluded that the mean stress correction was not necessary for the load-controlled cyclic loading and for the region where the ratcheting strain was constrained.     

Prediction of elastic properties of precipitation-hardened aluminum cast alloys

A methodology is proposed for predicting the elastic properties of precipitation-hardened alloys by combining different modeling techniques: the CALPHAD method, first-principles calculation, and elasticity models. The proposed procedure was applied to conventional aluminum cast alloys to predict their elastic moduli. The predicted Young’s moduli are in reasonable agreement with values reported in the literature, which verifies the potential applicability of the methodology to the development of high-stiffness aluminum cast alloys.     

On enhancing the mechanical properties of aluminum P/M alloys

Sintered aluminum alloys are an attractive material for the automobile industry, both because of the low specific gravity and high strength-to-weight ratio of aluminum itself, and the fabrication advantages associated with a powder metallurgy process. However, properties such as impact, stiffness, corrosion and wear resistance are often poor, thereby restricting the widespread use of these materials. Recent work by the authors has shown that hardness, wear resistance and tensile properties of a P/M Al–Cu–Mg ternary master alloy can be improved using a novel diffusion/supersolidus liquid phase sintering process. Improvements were due to in-situ microalloying during sintering, in particular, the influence of Ag and Sn. To complement this work, the present investigation addresses the response of a commercial alloy, AA2014, to the microalloying process. Results show that sintered densities for the commercial alloy were relatively unaffected by the presence of either Ag or Sn, and were superior to the ternary master alloy. Hardness and tensile properties were also improved relative to those obtained for the ternary, and were comparable to wrought 2014. Examination of final microstructure of Ag modified AA2014 using TEM showed the presence of Ω as the principal precipitate, but only after extended sintering times. This particular precipitate is believed to contribute to enhanced hardness. The apparent absence of Ω for short sintering times was due to the presence of silicon in the commercial product. However, the corrosion behavior of the P/M AA2014 was superior to the wrought product and thus the process is presented as a potential P/M alternative to using ingot metallurgy techniques for microalloying.     

Degassing of aluminum alloys during re-melting

The evolution of porosity during re-melting of near-eutectic casting Al alloys has been investigated in-situ using X-ray micro-focus radiography. During re-melting process, gas bubbles float out of the melt quickly when the liquid melt interface passes through them. Based on the degassing phenomenon from the real-time observation, several re-melting experiments were carried out with pure aluminum and a hypoeutectic Al-7%Si-0.4%Mg (A356) in addition to the near-eutectic Al-13%Si alloys. The results clearly show that the area fraction of porosity in the final Al castings decreases dramatically after re-melting one or two times, of which the mechanism is discussed in this paper.     

Wetting of pure aluminum and selected alloys on polycrystalline alumina and sapphire

Using a modification of the dispensed drop method to measure true contact angles of readily oxidizing metals and alloys, the wettability of polycrystalline alumina and A-plane sapphire by pure aluminum and selected aluminum alloys was investigated. The experiments were performed under high vacuum in a horizontal tube furnace. The experimental setup produces a sessile drop free of its natural surface oxide layer minimizing flight time of the drop, and maintaining a drop impingement on the substrate.The experiments showed that there is no significant difference in the wettability of alumina and sapphire by aluminum as well as Al–11.5Si, Al–1Mg and Al–7Cu. On both substrates, aluminum shows a strong increase in contact angle well into the non-wetting regime just above the melting point. The wetting behavior of Al–7Cu on both substrates is slightly but significantly reduced in comparison to pure aluminum. The contact angles of Al–1Mg and Al–11.5Si remain rather constant between the respective liquidus temperatures of the alloys and 800 °C with θ (Al–1Mg) < θ (Al–11.5Si). Only Al–7Cu above 730 °C achieves the contact angle interval of 70–86° suggested to be most beneficial in terms of aluminum foam stabilization.     

Probabilistic modeling of fatigue related microstructural parameters in aluminum alloys

This paper presents the results of probabilistic modeling of the fatigue related microstructural parameters in unclad 2024-T351 aluminum sheets. The statistical distributions of the constituent particle size, which were obtained from metallographic measurements from polished surfaces, were determined by graphical goodness-of-fit tests. The distributions of the crack-nucleating particle sizes were determined using the data measured from various fatigue fracture surfaces. Initially, an extreme value theory based model was investigated to correlate the overall particle distribution with its fatigue subsets. Furthermore, a new Monte Carlo simulation was developed to determine the fatigue subsets using the microstructural parameters such as particle size, grain size, and grain orientation distributions, in association with qualitative criteria on fatigue crack nucleation and growth mechanisms.     

Shear coefficient determination in linear friction welding of aluminum alloys

In the present study, a combined experimental and numerical investigation on Linear Friction Welding (LFW) of AA2011-T3 aluminum alloy was carried out in order to find the temperature dependent shear coefficient to be used in a 3D numerical model of the process. Torque, oscillation frequency and pressure were acquired in order to calculate the shear stress at the interface. A numerical thermal model was used to calculate the temperature at the interface between the specimens starting from experimental temperatures acquired through a thermocouple embedded in the LFW specimens. Finally, the calculated shear coefficient was used to model the contact between the two specimens in a dedicated 3D, Lagrangian, thermo-mechanically coupled rigid-viscoplastic numerical model of the LFW process. A narrow range of variation of the shear factor vs temperature curve was found with varying LFW process parameters and good agreement was obtained for the temperature prediction of the 3D model of the process.     

Cold cracking in DC-cast high strength aluminum alloy ingots: An intrinsic problem intensified by casting process parameters

For almost half a century the catastrophic failure of direct chill (DC) cast high strength aluminum alloys has been challenging the production of sound ingots. To overcome this problem, a criterion is required that can assist the researchers in predicting the critical conditions which facilitate the catastrophic failure of the ingots. This could be achieved at first glance by application of computer simulations to assess the level and distribution of residual thermal stresses. However, the simulation results are only able to show the critical locations and conditions where and when high stresses may appear in the ingots. The prediction of critical void/crack size requires simultaneous application of fracture mechanics. In this paper, we present the thermo-mechanical simulation results that indicate the critical crack size distribution in several DC-cast billets cast at various casting conditions. The simulation results were validated upon experimental DC-casting trials and revealed that the existence of voids/cracks with a considerable size is required for cold cracking to occur.     

Modeling mean stress relaxation in variable amplitude loading for 7075-T6511 and 7249-T76511 high strength aluminum alloys

Mean stresses in fatigue life calculations for critical structural components are a source of great uncertainty in any engineering design. Correction of life predictions in strain or stress based approaches to fatigue are necessary when dealing with mean stresses; the Goodman, Morrow, Smith–Watson–Topper and Walker models are widely used mean stress models for mean stress correction in life calculation. Aluminum alloys 7075-T6511 and 7249-T76511 are tested in fatigue. Relaxation tests are performed with the intent of characterizing the cyclic relaxation of mean stresses for variable amplitude loading when loading conditions approach the irregularity of service loadings. Several plasticity models are studied to reproduce the observed behavior, and simulations are compared to identify the best candidate for implementation in a life prediction software. An incremental plasticity model introduced by Jiang and Sehitoglu in 1996 is fitted to test data for both alloys to obtain all the model parameters. Constant and variable amplitude loading simulations are run to compare the results with experimental data. A multisurface plasticity model developed by Wetzel in 1971 is also implemented to simulate material behavior. Then modifications are suggested on the model formulation so that the mean stress relaxation response is closer to the experimental data. Life calculations for the variable amplitude loading patterns are performed without considering relaxation effects, and with the use of the plasticity models described, to compare the advantages of introducing transient effects in the analysis.     

基于微观结构的高强铝合金应力集中系数研究

为了更好地理解铝合金材料的微观力学性能,基于MATLAB编写了Voronoi算法的微观结构模拟程序,并将程序导入ABAQUS有限元软件建立铝合金晶粒模型.推导出六结点内聚线单元模型的界面单元刚度矩阵,利用内聚力模型的内聚力-位移关系描述铝合金晶粒界面间的粘着力(法向力)和摩擦力(切向力),建立了微观晶粒结构的有限元模型.研究结果表明:单个夹杂粒子随着弹性模量的增加应力集中系数先减小再增加;相对于单个夹杂粒子,两个夹杂粒子的应力集中会增加,当d/r接近2时应力集中系数明显增加,当d/r值处在6左右时应力集中系数基本恢复到单夹杂粒子时的大小.夹杂粒子的形状、数量及分布状态对结构微观应力集中均有影响.     

Effect of temperature and strain rate on tensile behavior of ultrafine-grained aluminum alloys

Ultrafine-grained Al–4Y–4Ni and Al–4Y–4Ni–0.9Fe (at.%) alloys were synthesized by the consolidation of atomized powders and subsequent hot extrusion. The mechanical behavior of these two alloys has been studied by performing uniaxial tension tests ranging from room temperature to 350 °C. These alloys, with high volume fraction of second-phase particles, exhibited ambient temperature tensile strength ranging from 473 to 608 MPa and plastic elongation ranging from 6.7 to 9.6% at an initial strain rate of 1 × 10⁻³ s⁻¹. However, lower ductility was observed with decreasing strain rate at the intermediate temperature ranging from 150 to 250 °C for Al–Y–Ni–Fe alloys due to limited work hardening.     

Improved prediction of the grain size of aluminum alloys that includes the effect of cooling rate

A comprehensive study of the effect of cooling rate on the grain size of a range of grain refined wrought aluminum alloys was carried out under quiescent solidification conditions where nucleation occurs predominantly by a constitutional undercooling mechanism. Increasing the cooling rate reduced the grain size by increasing the number of particles that nucleate grains and by affecting the development of constitutional undercooling. Both effects are represented using simple analytical relationships. By coupling these results with earlier work, an empirical relationship is developed between grain size, density of nucleant particles, cooling rate, nucleant potency and alloy composition that allows prediction of grain size across a wide range of alloys and cooling rates.     

Fatigue damage accumulation of cold expanded hole in aluminum alloys subjected to block loading

Fatigue damage accumulation of cold expanded hole in aluminum alloys used in land transportation components was investigated. Tests were carried out using pre-cracked SENT specimens and inserting an expanded hole at the crack tip. The degree of the cold expansion was chosen equal to 4.3%. Tests were performed in two and four block loading under constant amplitude. Two sequences were compared.The increasing and the decreasing magnitude were compared. The experimental results were compared to the damage calculated by the Miner's rule and a new simple fatigue damage indicator. This comparison shows that the ‘model of the damage stress’, which take into account of the loading history, yields a good estimation of the experimental results. Moreover, the error is minimized in comparison to the Miner's model.     

Coupling effect of primary voids and secondary voids on the ductile fracture of heat-treatable aluminum alloys

Ductile fracture of commercial aluminum alloys is controlled not only by the primary voids but also by the secondary voids, which are respectively nucleated at cracked constituents and at decohered dispersoid. In this paper, experiment and modeling were carried out to study the combined effect of the two populations of voids on the ductile fracture in two kinds of heat-treatable aluminum alloys, i.e., Al-Cu-Mg alloys and Al-Mg-Si alloys. Different heat treatments were applied to the alloys to achieve various combinations of the two voids, which were subsequently related to the mechanical properties. A multiscale fracture model was proposed to describe quantitatively the relationships between parameters of the two voids and the ductility and fracture toughness of heat-treatable aluminum alloys. It is revealed experimentally and theoretically that the presence of secondary voids will reduce the ductile properties especially when the intervoid spacing is less than about 0.5 μm. All calculations are in good agreement with experimental results.     

A constitutive model for cyclic actuation of high-temperature shape memory alloys

In this work, a three dimensional constitutive model for High Temperature Shape Memory Alloys (HTSMAs) is presented. To describe the evolution of the cyclic actuation behavior of such alloys, viscoplastic mechanisms and transformation induced plasticity are introduced in addition to the classical transformation behavior of shape memory alloys. Based on continuum thermodynamics, the evolution of phase transformation, plasticity induced transformation, retained martensite and viscoplasticity are described. Deformation mechanisms that occur over the operational range of such HTSMAs have been identified from the thermomechanical behavior of a NiTiPd alloy. The proposed model has therefore been calibrated and validated based on the thermomechanical response of the studied NiTiPd HTSMA alloy during thermal cycles under compression. Careful attention is devoted to the calibration procedure to identify the contribution of the different mechanisms independently. Finite Element Analysis (FEA) is performed to demonstrate the capabilities of the model to describe the cyclic behavior of HTSMA devices.     

Limiting state analysis of aluminum alloys under asymmetric tension-compression cycling

The authors address the problem of cyclic strength analysis of aluminum alloys under static and cyclic loading. The calculations are performed by means of limiting state models representing all of the known forms of limit stress diagrams. __________ Translated from Problemy Prochnosti, No. 4, pp. 148–155, July–August, 2006.