Influence of solution treatment on microstructure and mechanical properties of a near β titanium alloy Ti-7333

The effect of solution treatment on the microstructure and mechanical properties of Ti-7333, a newly developed near β titanium alloy, was investigated. Compared to Ti-5553 and Ti-1023, Ti-7333 possesses the slowest α to β dissolution rate, allowing a wider temperature window for processing. The rate of β grain growth decreases with the increase of soaking time and increases with the increase of solution temperature. The β grain growth exponents (n) are 0.30, 0.31, 0.32 and 0.33 for solution treatment temperature of 860 °C, 910 °C, 960 °C and 1010 °C, respectively. The activation energy (Q_g) for β grain growth is 395.6 kJ/mol. Water cooling or air cooling after solution treatment have no significant influence on microstructure, which offers large heat treatment cooling window. However, under furnace cooling, the fraction of α phase increases sharply. α phase maintains strictly the Burgers orientation relation with β phase ({0 0 0 1}_α//{1 1 0}_β and 〈1 1 −2 0〉_α//〈1 1 1〉_β), except the α_p particles formed during forging. The tensile strength decreases with the increase of the solution temperature when only solution treatment is applied, whereas the ductility increases gradually. When aging is applied subsequently, the tensile strength increases with the increase of the solution temperature and the ductility decreases gradually.     

Effect of β heat treatment temperature on microstructure and mechanical properties of in situ titanium matrix composites

TiB and La₂O₃ reinforced titanium matrix composites were in situ prepared by casting and hot working. An effort was made to investigate relationship between β heat treatment temperature, microstructure and mechanical properties. Tensile tests were performed at room temperature, 600, 650 and 700 °C, respectively. Results indicated that composites treated at 10 °C above β transus points obtained fine grain microstructures and superior mechanical properties. When composites were treated at 20 °C above β transus points, the larger α colonies sizes led extremely decreased strength and the effect of reinforcements’ volume fraction on matrix of composites was reduced; dominant failure modes at high temperatures also differed from the fine microstructure.     

Dependence of mechanical properties on the microstructure characteristics of a near β titanium alloy Ti-7333

In this work, the microstructure and the corresponding tensile properties of the rolled Ti-7Mo-3Nb-3Cr-3Al(Ti-7333) alloy before and after the thermal treatments were investigated. The results show that a strong α-fiber texture is developed in the rolled Ti-7333 alloy. The deformed matrix and the texture significantly induce the variant selection of β phase. The high strength of the rolled Ti-7333 alloy is attributed to the 110 texture parallel to the tensile direction and the dispersed α phase within the matrix. After the solution treatment followed by the aging treatment, the texture decreases and the microstructure consists of the equiaxed β grains, the spheroidal α_p phase and various needle-like α variants. Eventually, the alloy could achieve an optimal combination with the strength of about 1450 MPa,the ductility of about 10.5% and a considerable shear strength of about 775 MPa. This balance can be ascribed to the performance of the spheroidal α_p phase and various needle-like α_s variants. The results indicate that the Ti-7333 alloy could be a promising candidate material for the high-strength fastener.     

Effect of rotationally accelerated shot peening on the microstructure and mechanical behavior of a metastable β titanium alloy

Microstructural evolution and deformation mechanism of a metastable β alloy(Ti-10V-2Fe-3Al)pro-cessed by rotationally accelerated shot peening(RASP)were systematically investigated with optical microscopy,X-ray diffraction,electron backscatter diffraction and transmission electron microscopy.Different gradient hierarchical microstructures(gradients in αmartensite and β phase,and hierarchical twins range from the nanoscale to microscale)can be fabricated by RASP via changing the shot peening time.The hardening behavior and tensile mechanical properties of gradient hierarchical microstructure were systematically explored.Novel deformation twinning systems of{112}α:and{130}〈310〉αin the kinked αmartensite were revealed during the tensile deformation.It was found that stress-induced martensitic transformation,twinned αmartensite and the related dynamic grain refinement contribute to hardness and work hardening ability.Simultaneous improvement of strength and ductility of the metastable β titanium alloy can be achieved by introducing a gradient hierarchical microstructure.     

Effect of heat treatment on microstructure and mechanical properties of Cr–Ni–Mo–Nb steel

Abstract

The microstructure and mechanical properties of a medium carbon Cr–Ni–Mo–Nb steel in quenched and tempered conditions were investigated using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray analysis, and tensile and impact tests. Results showed that increasing austenitisation temperature gave rise to an increase in the tensile strength due to more complete dissolution of primary carbides during austenitisation at high temperatures. The austenite grains were fine when the austenitisation temperature was <1373 K owing to the pinning effect of undissolved Nb(C,N) particles. A tensile strength of 1600 MPa was kept at tempering temperatures up to 848 K, while the peak impact toughness was attained at 913 K tempering, as a result of the replacement of coarse Fe rich M₃C carbides by fine Mo rich M₂C carbides. Austenitisation at 1323 K followed by 913 K tempering could result in a combination of high strength and good toughness for the Cr–Ni–Mo–Nb steel.     

Effect of heat treatment on microstructure and mechanical properties of Cu–6.9Ni–2.97Al–0.99Fe–1.06Mn alloy

ABSTRACT

The effect of heat treatment on the mechanical properties and microstructures of Cu–6.9Ni–2.97Al–0.99Fe–1.06Mn alloys was investigated. The results show that the microstructure of the as-cast alloy mainly consists of an alpha-copper matrix and γ-phase Ni₃Al particles. The microstructure of the alloy after solution treatment at 950°C for 2?h is a single-phase alpha-copper supersaturated solid solution and the second-phase strengthening disappears. After ageing treatment at 550°C for 6?h, the γ-phase particles are fully precipitated, and the mechanical properties of the alloy are significantly improved. The tensile strength is increased from 305 to 588?MPa. Quasi-cleavage fracture with shallow dimples appeared in the Cu–6.9Ni–2.97Al–0.99Fe–1.06Mn alloy aged at 550°C for 6?h.     

Effect of welding parameters on microstructure and mechanical properties of friction stir welded joints of a super high strength Al–Zn–Mg–Cu aluminum alloy

Samples made of a super high strength aluminum alloy with high Zn content were friction stir welded with rotation rates of 350–950 rpm and welding speeds of 50–150 mm/min. The effect of welding parameters on the microstructure and mechanical properties was investigated. It was observed that the grain size of the nugget zones decreased with the increasing welding speed or the decreasing tool rotation rate. Most of the strengthening precipitates in the nugget zone were dissolved back and the intragranular and grain boundary precipitates in the heat affected zone coarsened significantly. The greatest ultimate tensile strength of 484 MPa and largest elongation of 9.4 were obtained at 350 rpm−100 mm/min and 350 rpm−50 mm/min, respectively. The ultimate tensile strength and elongation deteriorated drastically when rotation rate increased from 350 to 950 rpm at a constant welding speed of 100 mm/min.     

Effect of heat treatment and Fe content on the microstructure and mechanical properties of die-cast Al–Si–Cu alloys

The effect of solution and ageing heat treatment on the microstructure and mechanical properties of the die-cast Al–9 wt.%Si–3.5 wt.%Cu alloys containing 0.1–1.0 wt.% Fe was investigated. The results showed that the dendritic primary α-Al phase was varied from 20 to 100 μm in size and the globular α-Al grains were smaller than 10 μm in size. The Fe-rich intermetallics exhibited coarse compact or star-like shapes with the sizes from 10 to 20 μm and the fine compact particles at an average size of 0.75 μm. The solution treatment of the alloys could be achieved in a short period of time, typically 30 min at 510 °C, which dissolved the Cu-rich intermetallics into the primary α-Al phase and spheroidised the eutectic Si phase. During the subsequent ageing treatment, numerous fine precipitates of θ′ and Q′ phases were formed to provide effective strengthening to the α-Al phase, significantly improving the mechanical properties. Therefore, Fe content in the die-cast Al–Si–Cu alloys needs to be controlled at a low level in order to obtain the improved ductility and strength under solution and aged condition.     

Effect of post-bond heat treatment on the microstructure and high temperature mechanical property of a TLP bonded γ'-strengthened co-based single crystal superalloy

Post-bond heat treatment (PBHT) applied to a transient liquid phase (TLP) bonding joint is an effec-tive approach to remove the brittle borides and improve its properties.Herein,we proposed two types of PBHT strategies to obtain a TLP bonded γ'-strengthened Co-based single crystal superalloy,and the microstructural characteristics and tensile properties of the two heat treated joints were compared to identify the optimal PBHT strategy.The evolution of the brittle boride in the joint after the PBHT was studied by using in-situ microscopy.The experimental results allowed to provide a theoretic model to quantitatively evaluate the distribution of the brittle phase after the optimal PBHT and analyze the joint fractures to understand the failure mechanisms.The obtained results revealed that a post-bond solid solution treatment performed to the joint at a high temperature (over 1275 ℃) could decrease the area fraction of the boride from 7.2 ％ to 1.4 ％ and increase the elongation from 1.9 ％ to 7.8 ％.This work emphasizes the relevance of solid solution temperature when a PBHT strategy is applied.     

Effect of modification treatment on the microstructure and mechanical properties of Al–0.35%Mg–7.0%Si cast alloy

The effects of barium modifier content on the mechanical properties, microstructures, and wear resistance of Al–Mg–Si alloys at room temperature have been analyzed. The modification caused the disappearance of primary silicon with the formation of solid solution dendrites and fine fiber or rod-like eutectic silicon instead of plate-like structures. This resulted in a highly branched filamentary form with a better distribution of Si particles. The Ba modifier with 1.0 wt.% exhibited the best results for the mechanical properties of alloy. The Al–Mg–Si alloy with modification had good remelting property. The effect of modification was still obvious after being remelted for four times. The scanning electron microscope fractographs of tensile samples at different magnifications revealed that the alloys failed in a mixed-mode fracture comprising of intergranular fracture, quasi-cleavage plane, and transgranular shear.     

Effects of heat treatment on microstructure and mechanical properties of twin roll casted Al–5.5Mg–0.02Ti alloy

In the present investigation the Al–5.5Mg–0.02Ti alloy produced by twin roll casting (TRC) process (varying rolling speed, i.e., 3, 4, and 5 rpm) has been subjected to heat treatment for microstructure modification. Grain coarsening at the center of the strip has been observed during heat treatment process. Homogeneous microstructure of the alloys has been achieved by heat treatment process, and it has been found that the time to achieve homogeneous structure depends on the rolling speed. Transmission electron microscope (TEM) studies revealed that undesired Mg rich phase (Mg₅Al₈) has been successfully eliminated by heat treatment process. Fine and equi-axed grains in the alloys obtained by heat treatment process shows high strength and elongation.     

Effect of tempering temperature on monotonic and cyclic properties of a high–strength low–alloy chain steel

Abstract

The influence of tempering temperature in the range 200–600°C on the monotonic and cyclic response of a high-strength, low–alloy steel used for haulage chains has been investigated. Static properties are little affected by tempering up to 400°C, with a small loss of strength arising from carbide coarsening. At higher tempering temperatures, dislocation annihilation is substantial and the strength falls markedly. On undergoing high–strain fatigue, the alloy exhibits cyclic softening at all tempering temperatures, but with a maximum of about 25% after a 400°C temper. The microstructural changes producing this are difficult to detect directly, but it is thought that dislocation unpinning has an important role. For tempering temperatures in excess of 400°C, the reduced softening can clearly be equated with a dislocation redistribution and the formation of cell substructure within the ferrite grains. Estimations of the magnitude of the various components of strength are made.

MST/199     

Effect of thermo-mechanical treatment on properties improvement and microstructure changes in copper–gold alloy

This paper reports on the changes in hardness, microhardness, electrical conductivity and microstructure using the optical and scanning electron microscopy of the copper-based alloy with 4.5 at.% gold, during the complex thermo-mechanical treatment, which is used to create the conditions for development of anneal hardening effect. It was shown that the increase of deformation degree during both the prefinal and final rolling resulted in the increase of hardness, microhardness and electrical conductivity values, due to changes in the microstructure caused by the cold plastic deformation. The differences in the initial microstructure of the homogenized and quenched samples created the different deformation strengthening rates. Low-temperature annealing of the finally rolled samples contributed to a further increase of the above properties due to the anneal hardening effect. The improvement of the properties during the annealing was accomplished in two stages, and the best combination of properties was achieved in the second stage of hardening after annealing at 260 °C. Minor changes in the microstructure were noticeable during the annealing at 260 °C, but the EDS analysis showed a significant change in the concentration of gold atoms within the grain.     

Effects of dynamic mechanical properties on the ballistic performance of a new near-β titanium alloy Ti684

A comprehensive study of the newly developed near-β titanium alloy Ti684 has been carried out to determine the influence of the dynamic strength, dynamic hardness and critical failure strain on the ballistic impact properties. Two heat treatments of Ti684, namely β solution-treatment and α + β solution-treatment followed by aging, were carried out and the results were compared with Ti–6Al–4V. Ballistic impact tests were conducted on 7 mm thick front plates with a 20 mm thick A3 steel backing plate, using 7.62 mm armor piercing projectiles. The ballistic performance was evaluated by measuring the residual depth of penetration (DOP) in the A3 steel backing plates. It was found that the DOP values did not show obvious corresponding relation with both dynamic strength and dynamic hardness. The 800 °C solution +550 °C aged Ti684, which had the maximal dynamic strength, presented the worst ballistic performance, with a maximum DOP of 12.5 mm. In addition, the Ti–6Al–4V plate in the study with highest dynamic hardness did not show the best ballistic performance, having a DOP of 11.86 mm. However, as the critical failure strain increased, the DOP of the A3 steel backings were observed to decrease. This relationship was revealed from post ballistic microstructural observations.     

Effect of forging process on microstructure,mechanical and corrosion properties of biodegradable Mg–1Ca alloy

The performance of Mg–1Ca alloy, a biodegradable metallic material, may be improved by hot working in order that it may be of use in bone implant applications. In this study, Mg–1Ca cast alloy was preheated to different temperatures before undergoing forging process with various forging speeds. Macro- and microstructure of the samples were examined by stereo and scanning electron microscopes (SEM) equipped with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), respectively. To determine the mechanical properties of the alloy, hardness value and plastic deformation ability of the samples were measured. To investigate the corrosion behaviour of the alloy, immersion and electrochemical tests were performed on the samples in simulated body fluid and the corrosion products were characterized by SEM/EDS. The results showed that increasing forging temperature decreased grain size led to improved hardness value and plastic deformation ability of the alloy, whereas no significant effect was observed by changing forging speed. Moreover, forging at higher temperatures led to an increase in the amount of Mg₂Ca phase at grain boundaries resulted in higher corrosion rates. It can be concluded that although forging process improved the mechanical properties of the alloy, it does not satisfy the corrosion resistance criteria required for bone healing.     

Effect of multicomponent modifier on microstructure and mechanical properties of high Ni–Cr–Mo cast iron

Abstract

The microstructure and mechanical properties of high Ni–Cr–Mo indefinite chilled cast iron with the addition of a newly developed multicomponent modifier consisting of mixed rare earths, Si–Ca alloy and Bi–Sb alloy have been investigated through optical microscopy, X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy, along with hardness, impact toughness and wear resistance measurements. After the addition of the modifier, the grain sizes of the primary austenite and eutectic carbides are found to be greatly refined, and the typically highly continuous net-like carbides become less interconnected but rather appear more blocky shaped. Such microstructure changes lead to mechanical property improvement in the cast specimen, with its hardness increased from 43 to 50 HRC, impact toughness from 6·3 to 7·8 J cm^?2 and ?20% increase in abrasive wear resistance.     

Rejuvenation heat treatment’s influence on the microstructure and properties of superalloys

Rejuvenation heat treatment is an important technology to restore damaged microstructure and properties of superalloys. This investigation is conducted to figure out the effect of rejuvenation heat treatment on the superalloys. The microstructure and micro-hardness of K002 and DZ125 superalloys after different heat treatment procedures were evaluated. The results show that the heating temperature mainly affects the solubility of the carbides and γ′ phases, while the cooling rate has an effect on the morphology of secondary γ′ phase. Owing to the transition of carbides during the work process, rejuvenation heat treatment temperature has little effect on the amount of carbides in damaged alloys. Suggestions for rejuvenation heat treatment are proposed.     

Effect of cooling aging on microstructure and mechanical properties of an Al–Zn–Mg–Cu alloy

In the present work, Al–Zn–Mg–Cu alloy was aged by non-isothermal cooling aging treatment (CAT). At high initial aging temperature (IAT), the hardness was decreased with the decreased cooling rate. However, when IAT was lower than 180 °C, the hardness was increased with the decreased cooling rate. Conductivity was increased with the decreased cooling rate regardless of IAT. The tensile strength, yield strength and conductivity of Al alloy after (200–100 °C, 80 °C/h) CAT were increased 2.9%, 8.1% and 8.3% than that after T6 treatment, respectively. With an increase of IAT and decrease of cooling rate, the fine GP zone and η′ phase were transformed to be larger η′ and η precipitates. Moreover, continuous η phase at grain boundary was also grown to be individual large precipitates. Cooling aging time was decreased about 90% than that for T6 treatment, indicating cooling aging could improve the mechanical properties, corrosion resistance and production efficiency with less energy consumption.     

Effects of solution treatment on the microstructure and mechanical properties of Al–Cu–Mg–Ag alloy

The effects of solution treatment on the microstructure and mechanical properties of Al–Cu–Mg–Ag alloy were studied by optical microscopy (OM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray (EDX), differential scanning calorimeter (DSC), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and tensile test, respectively. The results show that the mechanical property increases and then decreases with increasing the solution temperature. And the residual phases are dissolved into the matrix gradually, the number fraction of the precipitation and the size of recrystallized grains increase. Compared to the solution temperature, the solution holding time has less effect on the microstructure and the mechanical properties of Al–Cu–Mg–Ag alloy. The overburnt temperature of Al–Cu–Mg–Ag alloy is 525 °C. The yield strength and the elongation get the best when the alloy is solution treated at 515 °C for 1.5 h, is 504 MPa and 12.2% respectively. The fracture mechanism of the samples is ductile fracture.     

Effects of enhanced solution treatment on microstructure and mechanical properties of Al–Cu–Li–Sc alloy

Two enhanced solution treatments (ESTs) were applied to an Al–Cu–Li–Sc alloy. Results showed that the ESTs reduced the amount and size of the soluble phases, and promoted the recrystallisation of the α–Al matrix and the precipitation of the Al₂CuLi precipitate (T₁), which improved the yield strength, tensile strength and elongation of the alloy. Although the precipitation strengthening of the T₁ phase and the strengthening resulting from grain refinement of the α–Al matrix caused by the recrystallisation contributed equally to the strength increment, the EST process led to a greater proportional increase in the strengthening resulting from grain refinement than it did in the precipitation strengthening of the alloy.