Microstructure and mechanical properties of A356 alloy with yttrium addition processed by hot extrusion

The effects of the rare earth element yttrium(Y) and hot extrusion on the microstructure and mechanical properties of A356 alloy were investigated by mechanical properties testing and microstructure observation. The results indicate that the addition of Y improves the microstructure of the as-cast alloy. The distribution of primary α-Al is uniform and orderly. The long needle-like eutectic Si phases and β-Fe phases turn to strips and short rods. When the content of Y increases to 0.2 wt%, the mean diameter of aAl(40.3 μm) and the aspect ratio of the eutectic Si phase(2.3) reach the minimum values, which are68.9% and 86.1% lower, respectively, than that of the alloy without Y addition. Under extrusion stress, the shape of the eutectic Si phase is changed from long rod-like to near grain-like after solution treatment.The size of the eutectic Si phase is significantly reduced. The needle-like β-Fe phases are squeezed and broken. The mechanical properties of the as-extruded alloy are significantly improved compared to the as-cast alloy. When the rare earth content is 0.2 wt%, the ultimate tensile strength, hardness and elongation of the alloy reach the maximum values, which are 328.2 MPa, 110.4 HV and 21.3%, respectively, and increase by 42.01%, 37.71% and 481.91%, respectively, in comparison to the as-cast alloy without Y addition.     

Microstructure and mechanical properties of Mg-14Li-1Al-0.3La alloys produced by two-pass extrusion

The microstructure of as-cast and extruded Mg-14 Li-1 Al-(0, 0.3) La alloys was examined with XRD,OM, SEM, and EDS. The mechanical properties of the extruded specimens with and without La were compared. The results show that La addition has an obvious effect on the microstructure of the as-cast LA141 alloy by reducing the average grain size from 600 to 220 μm. β-Li and LiMgAl_2 phases are observed in both alloys, and long-rod-shaped Al_2 La phase is also observed in the La containing alloy. After extrusion, Al_2 La phases are short-rod-shaped and distribute evenly in the alloy. LAl41-0.3 La alloy has higher elongation(34%), which is attributed to refined microstructure and weak texture due to shortrod-like Al_2 La phase.     

Effect of Rare Earth Elements on Anisotropy and Microstructure of AI-Li Alloy 2195 Sheets

For the purpose of decreasing the applied limitation resulting from the anisotropic mechanical property of Al-Li alloy 2195, this study employed a complex heat treatment process, involving the pre-tension, thermo-infiltration of the rare earth element Ce, solution treatment, and artificial aging technology. The results indicate that the infiltration of rare earth element Ce benefits the abatement of anisotropy of Al-Li alloy 2195 sheet, in contrast with that of the normal heat treatment process. The gradient of the Vickers-hardness decreases at least 50% through the thickness, and the tensile strength in the rolling direction also increases significantly. If Ce was infiltrated into the alloy under the optimum pre-deformation, the yield strength （σ0.2） increased by 30 MPa while the tensile strength （σb） enhanced by 25 MPa compared to the rare earth free samples. Meanwhile, the fractography illustrated that the fracture surface of the sample became more desirable.     

Effect of annealing treatment on the anti-pulverization and anti-corrosion properties of La0.67Mg0.33Ni2.5Co0.5 hydrogen storage alloy

The La0.67Mg0.33Ni2.5Co0.5 hydrogen storage alloy was prepared by the vacuum intermediate frequency induction furnace followed by annealing treatment. The pulverization degree of both the as-cast and annealed alloy powders after gaseous hydriding and dehydriding cycle was investigated and the discovery was that annealing treatment could hardly ameliorate their anti-pulverization ability. The element content of La, Mg, Ni and Co existing in electrolyte before and after the electrochemical cycles by using ICP-AES technology was also analyzed and it showed that a large amount of La and Mg were dissolved in the electrolyte, but the amount of dissolution for La and Mg significantly declined when the alloy was annealed. The XRD analysis revealed that all the alloys consisted of two main phases AB3 and AB2 and a residual phase AB5 while annealing treatment made the AB2 phase decrease slightly. Furthermore, the anti-corrosion abilities of various elements in different phases of the as-cast and annealed alloy samples were studied by analyzing the element(La, Mg, Ni, Co) change with the corrosion time in phases AB3 and AB2 by means of EDS. It turned out that the element of La was mainly corroded out from the phase AB2 while not easily from the phase AB3. However, the element of Mg was both easily corroded out from the phases AB2 and AB3, but the corrosion was more obvious in the phase AB3. Therefore, annealing improved the anti-corrosion performances of La and Mg in the phase AB2.     

Alleviation Effects of Rare Earth on Cd Stress to Rape

Using rapes as test materials, the fastness expression and alleviation effect of rapes were studied under Cd stress condition, as the rapeseeds were dipped in the single element( La, Ce, Nd, Pr)and mixed rare earth (RE). The results indicate that, under Cd stress, the dry and fresh weight are increased by both the single element and mixed rare earth treatment, and the fastness of rape is improved. The single element of rare earth decreases the Cd content in rape roots and transmits Cd to the edible parts above the ground in which the alleviation effect of Ce is most significant. La treatment takes the second place, so that the poisonous effect of heavy metal Cd is eased. The mixed rare earth doesnt alleviate the assimilation of Cd in rape roots, but accelerates the transfer of Cd to the parts above the ground. The research puts forward that the alleviation of rare earth on Cd stress has connection with the decrease of Ca content.     

Structure and electrochemical hydrogen storage characteristics of the as-cast and annealed La0.8-xSmxMg0.2Ni3.15Co0.2Al0.1Si0.05 （x=0-0.4） alloys

In order to ameliorate the electrochemical cycle stability of the RE-Mg-Ni based A2B7-type electrode alloys, the Mg content in the alloy was reduced and La in the alloy was partially substituted by Sm. The La0.8-xSmxMg0.2Ni3.15Co0.2Al0.1Si0.05 (x=0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4) elec-trode alloys were fabricated by casting and annealing. The microstructures of the as-cast and annealed alloys were characterized by XRD and SEM. The electrochemical hydrogen storage characteristics of the as-cast and annealed alloys were measured. The results revealed that all of the experimental alloys mainly consisted of two phases: (La,Mg)2Ni7 phase with the hexagonal Ce2Ni7-type structure and LaNi5 phase with the hexagonal CaCu5-type structure. As Sm content grew from 0 to 0.4, the discharge capacity and the high rate discharge ability (HRD) first in-creased and then decreased for the as-cast and annealed alloys, whereas the capacity retaining rate (S100) after 100 cycles increased continuously.     

Doping Effects of Rare Earth on Dielectric Properties of Fine－Grained BaTiO3－Based Ceramics

The doping effects of rare earth oxides Ho2O3 and Er2O3 on dielectric properties of BaTiO3-based ceramics were studied. After adding rare earth elements, grain growth in this system was inhibited and the grain size was reduced evidently which realized the fine-grained effect. In this system, the trivalent oxides Ho2O3 and Er2O3 were added to BaTiO3 ceramics. The rare earth oxides do not enter into inner lattice totally to replace A or B sites.Some of additives can improve dielectric strength by forming nonferroelectric phases, and the rest maintained at grain boundaries controls overgrowth of grains. The dielectric constant at room temperature is increased up to 3000 and the curve of TCC becomes flat.Meanwhile, the dielectric strength Eb becomes higher.     

Effect of neodymium,gadolinium addition on microstructure and mechanical properties of AZ80 magnesium alloy

The microstructure and mechanical properties of AZ80 magnesium alloys with varying Nd, Gd contents were investigated. The results revealed that the as-cast microstructure of AZ80 alloy was composed of α-Mg matrix and divorced eutectic β-Mg_(17)Al_(12) phases. The fraction of Mg_(17)Al_(12) phase was reduced when 0.6 wt.% Nd was added, and new rod-shaped Al_(11)Nd_3 phase and small block-shaped Al-Nd-Mn phase appeared. With Gd addition, the Gd elements mixed with Nd to form rare earth phases. New block-shaped Al_2Gd and Al_2Nd phases which were collectively called Al_2RE phases were observed in the microstructure with more than 0.6 wt.% Gd addition. Moreover, the addition of Gd could promote the precipitation of block-shaped Al_2RE phase, and inhibit the original rod-shaped Al_(11)Nd_3 phase. The AZ80-0.6Nd-0.6Gd alloy exhibited the optimal mechanical properties among all the experimental alloys, in which the tensile strength, yield strength and elongation were 215, 145 MPa and 8.33%, respectively.     

The effect of rare earths on the solidification structure of Fe-36Ni invar alloy

The effect of Ce,La and mischmetal on the solidification structure of Fe-36Ni invar alloy was investigated.The results show that great amounts of high-melting point compounds (Ce2O3,La2O2S and (Ce,La)2O2S) respectively formed in the alloy with the addition of Ce,La or mischmetal.Based on the theory of lattice misfit,the lattice misfit between the (0001) surfaces of Ce2O3,Ce2O2S and La2O2S and (100) surface of Fe-36Ni invar alloy were 6.21%,5.77% and 5.42%,respectively,which are relatively low.Therefore,Ce2O3 ,La2O2S and (Ce,La)2O2S could serve as the core of heterogeneous nucleation,improve the equiaxed grain ratio,reduce the equiaxed grain size and refine the solidification structure of alloy.     

Effect of Ce/La microalloying on microstructural evolution of Mg-Zn-Ca alloy during solution treatment

The effect of Ce/La misch metal addition on the microstructural evolution of as-cast and as-soluted Mg-5.3Zn-0.5Ca(wt.%) alloys was systematically investigated. It was found that Ce/La could effectively refine the as-cast alloy and restrain grain growth during solution treatment, which was derived from the constitutional supercooling during solidification process and the formation of stable intermetallic compounds Ce Mg12 and Mg17La2. Furthermore, Ce/La microalloying and solution treatment resulted in an evolution from the original lamellar Ca2Mg6Zn3/α-Mg to the divorced eutectic structure. The thermal stability of Mg-Zn-Ca alloy could be effectively improved by Ce/La addition, because the low-melting-point binary Mg-Zn phase was transformed to Mg x Zn y-Ca-(Ce/La) phase with higher thermal stability and the amount of Ca2Mg6Zn3/α-Mg eutectic structure was reduced.     

Examination of Plasma Nitriding Microstructure with Addition of Rare Earths

Medium-carbon alloy steel was plasma nitrided with rare earths I_a, Ce and Nd into the nitriding chamber respectively. The nitriding layer microstructures with and without rare earths were compared using optical microscope, normal SEM and high resolution SEM, as well as TEM. It was found that the extent of the influence on plasma nitriding varies with different contents of rare earth. The effect of plasma nitriding is benefit from adding of Ce or Nd. The formation of hard and brittle phase Fe2-3N can be prevented and the butterfly-like structure can be improved by adding Ce or Nd. However, pure La may prevent the diffusion of nitrogen and the formation of iron nitride, and reduce the depth of diffusion layer.     

Coercivity enhancement of nanocrystalline hot-deformed Nd-Fe-B magnets by low-melting eutectic MM-Cu(MM=La,Ce,Pr,Nd) alloys addition

MM_(85)Cu_(15)(MM = La,Ce,Pr,Nd) eutectic alloys were added into the hot-deformed Nd-Fe-B magnets to enhance the coercivity.It is found that three endothermic peaks occur on the differential scanning calorimetry curve of the MM-Cu melt-spun ribbons at 432.2,451.1 and 516.5℃.The peaks substantially correspond to three types of MM-Cu low-melting eutectic phase.The coercivity of magnets increases when the MM-Cu content is lower than 4 wt%,and then keeps almost no change with the content further increasing to 5 wt%.The coercivity of the hot-deformed magnets with 4 wt% and without MM-Cu addition is 948 and 683 kA/m,respectively.Nearly all the platelet-shaped grains are isolated by the thickened intergranular phase after MM-Cu addition.Moreover,the average grain size of the magnets with MM-Cu addition decreases compared with that of the magnet without MM-Cu addition.Scanning electron microscopy images show that the areal fraction of the RE-rich grain boundary phase increases from 8.6% to 15.1% after MM-Cu addition.The La,Ce together with Cu and Ga aggregate at the grain boundary regions separating neighboring grains and smoothing the grain boundaries.Therefore,both the thickened grain boundary and decreased mean grain size result in the enhancement of coercivity after MM-Cu eutectic alloy addition.     

Optimization of core-shell structure distribution in sintered Nd-Fe-B magnets by titanium addition

In view of the uneven distribution of the core-shell structure of sintered Nd-Fe-B magnets after grain boundary diffusion,this study proposes to use high-melting-point and reactive element titanium(Ti) as an additive to increase the diffusion channels and to enhance the diffusion of heavy rare earth elements along the grain boundary phase.By adding Ti element,the diffusion depth and hence the intrinsic coercivity of magnets are increased significantly.The addition of Ti increases the coercivity ...     

Phase change,micro-structure and reaction mechanism during high temperature roasting of high grade rare earth concentrate

The deposit of Bayan Obo in Inner Mongolia is the world's largest rare earth element(abbreviated as REE)resource.The exploration of the theory of mineral formation of Bayan Obo is an important foundation for mineralogical research,and is the scientific basis for mining,industrial beneficiation,smelting and extraction,and processing and utilization.With the rapid development of science and technology,the demand for the utilization of rare earth elements is increasing,and the separation process between rare earth elements needs to be developed.The purpose of this paper is to provide high temperature experimental information for the formation and application of rare earth minerals.To this end,the mineral evolution of high-grade rare earth concentrates with increasing temperature and the migration of rare earths at different stages and their reaction mechanisms were studied.According to thermogravimetric analysis and differential scanning calorimetry(TG-DSC),calcination was carried out at different temperature ranges,and the calcined products were characterized by X-ray diffraction(XRD),Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy(FT-IR),scanning electron micro scope and energy dispers ive spectrometer(SEM-EDS)and other analytical techniques.The re sults are shown in this process,the ra re earth phase is first converted into rare earth oxide and rare earth oxyfluoride.As the temperature increases,Ca_5(PO_4)_3 F and a large number of self-shaped spherical Ca-RE-OF and Ca-RE-PO_4 particles are formed,and the separation of La and Ce elements is discovered.Acco rding to the phase diagram analysis,the production of Ca_5(PO_4)_3 F is due to the reaction of monazite and fluorite,and the phases CeF_2 and Ce F_3 are formed during the reaction.When it reaches 1500℃,barium ferrite is produced and a new substance containing Ba~(2+)is formed.     

Influence of melt spinning and annealing treatment on structures and hydrogen storage thermodynamic properties of La0.8Pr0.2MgNi3.6Co0.4 alloy

La0.8Pr0.2MgNi3.6Co0.4 alloys were prepared by induction melting,annealing and melt spinning techniques.The influences of annealing treatment and melt spinning on phase structure and hydrogen storage properties were systematically investigated.The results of X-ray diffraction determine that the as-cast and as-spun La0.8Pr0.2MgNi3.6Co0.4 alloys consist of LaMgNi4 and LaNi5 phases,while only LaMgNi4 phase is present in the as-annealed alloy.The scanning electron microscope images illustrate that the grain of the alloy is significantly refined by melt spin ning tech no logy.The gaseous hydrogen storage kinetic and thermodynamic properties were measured by using a Sievert's apparatus at different temperatures.The maximum hydrogen storage capacity of the as-cast,as?spun and as-annealed La0.8Pr0.2MgNi3.6Co0.4 alloy is 1.699,1.637 and 1.535 wt.% at 373 K and 3 MPa,respectively.The annealed alloy has flatter and wider pressure plateaus compared with the as-cast and as-spun alloys,which correspond to the hydrogen absorption and desorption process of LaMgNi4 and corresponding hydride.Furthermore,the enthalpy and entropy changes of LaMgNi4 during hydrogenation at different temperatures were calculated using Van't Hoff methods.     

Influence of Lanthanum on Tribological Properties and Microstructure of Laser Clad B ＋ Fe ＋ Si Composite Coatings

The effects of rare earth ferrosilicon on the microstructure and anti-wear properties of laser-clad Fe-based alloy coating were investigated. The composition of Fe, B4C and rare earth ferrosillcon powders with different contents of lanthanum were clad onto a 45 # carbon steel substrate. Microstructural features, chemical compositions, phase structure,hardness, friction and wear properties by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray photoelectron microscopy (XPS),hardness tester, block-on-ring friction and wear tester of the clad coating were determined. Experimental results show that the friction coefficient of the clad coating doped with rare earth ferrosilicon is reduced while the wear resistance of clad coating doped with rare earth ferrosilicon is enhanced. When the content of lanthanum increases to 1.92%, the clad coating shows the best anti-wear ability, and as the content of lanthanum exceeds 1.92%, the wear weight loss increases quickly. The rare earth ferrosilicon to be doped in the clad coatings helps to disperse the boride phase (Fe2B, FeB, B4C)particles and refine the grain of boride phase. The enhancement of clad coating‘s wear resistance is due to the existence of dispersed boride phases.     

Microstructure and Magnetic Property Variation with Addition of Rare Earth Element Dy in Co-Ni-Al Ferromagnetic Shape Memory Alloy

The influence of rare earth element Dy on martensitic transformation and magnetic properties of Co-Ni-Al alloy was studied.The results showed that the microstructure of the sample has a dual-phase structure(γ-phase and martensite).The rare earth element Dy was segregated in Co-richγ-phase and took the place of Co after its addition into the Co-Ni-Al alloy.As Dy content increased to over 0.5at.%,the grain was refined and the rare earth intermetallic compounds Co5 Dy were precipitated inγ-phase.Meanwhile,one-step thermo-elastic martensitic transformation occurred in the sample,wherein the phase transformation temperature significantly increased with rising Dy content.The martensite had a tetragonal L10 structure with a(111)twinning plane.Furthermore,the sample exhibited obvious hysteresis behaviors in the magnetic hysteresis loops.In addition,the saturation magnetization,coercivity,retentivity and magnetocrystalline anisotropy were significantly enhanced owing to the bigger radius of Dy which took the place of Co in the alloy.     

Microstructure of Steel 5Cr21Mn9Ni4N Alloyed by Rare Earth

The microstructure, composition and shape of precipitated phase under as-cast and finished product state of 5Cr21Mn9Ni4N steel with different rare earth （RE） amount were studied. Mechanical properties of 5Cr21Mn9Ni4N steels withont RE addition and with RE added by 0. 2% in mass percent were tested respectively. The results indicate that the solid solution amount of RE is about 10^-6 -10^-5 order of magnitude in 5Cr21Mn9Ni4N steel. Dendrite of as-cast condition is refined obviously and dimension of interstitial phase is shortened when RE is added by 0.10%-0.20%. But the microstructure will be coarser if surplus RE is added. Precipitated phase under finished product state distributes evenly in nearly same size with RE added by 0. 2% which leads to a largely improved high temperature mechanical property.     

Effects of Heat Treatment on Magnetostrictive Properties and Microstructure of Tb-Dy-Fe Alloy with 〈110〉 Crystal Orientation

The effects of heat treatment on the magnetostrictive properties and microstructure of Tb-Dy-Fe alloy with (110) crystal orientation was studied. The composition of alloy was Tb0.3Dy0.7(Fe1-xMx)1.95(M =Mn, Al, Ti, B, x = 0.03). It is found that the magnetostrictive strains λ and dλ/dH are improved markedly; the crystal morphologies are changed from parallei planes to polygons; furthermore, rare earth rich phases disperse along the grain boundaries and sample surface, a part of it in the grains;     

Mechanical properties of the A356 aluminum alloy modified with La/Ce

The research of rare earths for the synthesis of materials with improved mechanical performance is of great interest when they are considered for potential applications in the automotive industry. In this regard, the effect on the mechanical properties and microstructure of the automotive A356 aluminum alloy reinforced with 0.2 (wt.%) Al-6Ce-3La (ACL) was investigated. The ACL was added to the melted A356 alloy in the as-received condition and processed by mechanical milling. In the second route, the effect of the ACL processed by mechanical milling and powder metallurgy techniques was investigated, and compared with the results obtained from the A356 alloy strengthened with ACL in the as-received condition. Microstructural properties were evaluated by means of X-ray diffraction in order to observe the solubility of Ce/La in the Al matrix. In addition, electron microscopy was employed in order to investigate the effect of milling time on the size and morphology of La/Ce phase under milling process. Mechanical properties of the A356 alloy modified with ACL were measured by hardness and tensile test. For comparison unmodified specimens of the A356 were characterized according to the previous procedure. The microstructural and mechanical characterization was carried out in specimens after solution and artificial aging. Observations in scanning electron microscopy indicated a homogeneous dispersion of La/Ce phases by using both routes; however, mechanical results, in the modified A356 alloy with the ACL in the as-received condition, showed an improvement in the mechanical performance of the A356 alloy over that reinforced with the ACL mechanically milled.