Microstructure and mechanical properties of equal channel angular pressed Mg–Y–RE–Zr alloy

The microstructure and mechanical properties of equal channel angular pressed (ECAP) Mg–Y–RE–Zr alloy (WE43) are examined. Results show that after ECAP, the average grain size remarkably decreases from ～50?µm at initial state to ～1.5?µm through ECAP for four passes and the homogeneity of microstructure also improves gradually. Meanwhile the secondary-phase β-Mg₅RE morphology has obvious transformation from plate-like to spherical. Moreover, the initial random texture is converted to the strong (0002) basal texture. The ultimate tensile strength and yield strength increase in all passes. However, the ductility exhibits a tendency of increase from 1 to 4 passes then decrease from 4 to 12 passes. The variation in strength and ductility is attributed to the effect of specific microstructure evolution.     

Effects of Sn,Ca additions on thermal conductivity of Mg matrix alloys

In the present work, the effects of Sn, Ca additions on thermal conductivity were investigated in as cast Mg–Sn–Ca alloys. The measured values of thermal conductivity of Mg–3Sn–xCa alloys obviously increased from 85.6 to 126.3?W?m^??1?K^??1 with the increasing Ca from 0 to 1.5?wt-%, and then decreased to 98.3?W?m^??1?K^??1 with the 2.5?wt-% Ca. In addition, the thermal conductivity of the Mg–Sn–Ca (Sn/Ca atomic ratio of 1) alloys decreased slightly from 154.2 to 132.1?W?m^??1?K^??1 with the increasing Sn, Ca. Meanwhile, the microstructures of the selected alloys were discussed in detail, suggesting that the solute atoms that caused lattice distortion had greater effect on thermal conductivity compared with the second phases formed in as cast Mg–Sn–Ca alloys.     

Microstructure and mechanical properties of novel Al-Y-Sc alloys with high thermal stability and electrical conductivity

The microstructure and mechanical properties of novel Al-Y-Sc alloys with high thermal stability and electrical conductivity were investigated.Eutectic Al3 Y-phase particles of size 100-200 nm were detected in the as-cast microstructure of the alloys.Al3 Y-phase particles provided a higher hardness to as cast alloys than homogenized alloys in the temperature range of 370-440℃.L12 precipitates of the Al3(ScxYy) phase were nucleated homogenously within the aluminium matrix and heterogeneously on the dislocations during annealing at 400℃.The average size of the L12 precipitates was 11±2 nm after annealing for 1 h,and 25-30 nm after annealing for 5 h,which led to a decrease in the hardness of the Al-0.2 Y-0.2 Sc alloy to15 HV.The recrystallization temperature exceeded 350℃and 450℃for the Al-0.2 Y-0.05 Sc and Al-0.2 Y-0.2 Sc alloys,respectively.The investigated alloys demonstrated good thermal stability of the hardness and tensile properties after annealing the rolled alloys at 200 and 300℃,due to fixing of the dislocations and grain boundaries by L12 precipitates and eutectic Al3 Y-phase particles.The good combination of strength,plasticity,and electrical conductivity of the investigated Al-0.2 Y-0.2 Sc alloys make it a promising candidate for electrical conductors.The alloys exhibited a yield stress of 177-183 MPa,ultimate tensile stress of 199-202 MPa,elongation of 15.2-15.8%,and electrical conductivity of 60.8%-61.5% IACS.     

Development of extruded Mg-6Er-3Y-1.5Zn-0.4Mn (wt.%) alloy with high strength at elevated temperature

A new Mg-6Er-3Y-1.5Zn-0.4 Mn (wt.%) alloy with high strength at high temperature was designed and extruded at 350 °C. The as-extruded alloy exhibits ultimate tensile strength of 301 MPa, yield strength (along ED) of 274 MPa and thermal conductivity of 73 W/m⋅K at 300 °C. Such outstanding high-temperature strength is mainly attributed to the formation of nano-spaced solute-segregated basal plane stacking faults (SFs) with a large aspect ratio throughout the entire Mg matrix, fine dynamically recrystallized (DRXed) grains of 1–2 μm and strongly textured un-DRXed grains with numerous sub-structures. Microstructural examination unveils that long period stacking ordered (LPSO) phases are formed in Mg matrix of the as-cast alloy when rational design of alloy composition was employed, i.e. (Er + Y): Zn = 3: 1 and Er: Y = 1: 1 (at.%). It is worth mentioning that it is the first report regarding the formation of nano-spaced basal plane SFs throughout both DRXed and un-DRXed grains in as-extruded alloy with well-designed compositions and processing parameters. The results provide new opportunities to the development of deformed Mg alloys with satisfactory mechanical performance for high-temperature services.     

Effects of heat treatment on the microstructure and mechanical properties of AA2618 DC cast alloy

Direct chill (DC) cast ingot plates of AA2618 alloy have been increasingly used for large-mold applications in the plastics and automotive industries. The effects of different heat treatments on the microstructure and mechanical properties of AA2618 DC cast alloy were investigated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and hardness and tensile testing. The as-cast microstructure contained a considerable amount of coarse intermetallic phases, including Al₂CuMg, Al₂Cu, Al₇Cu₄Ni, Al₇Cu₂(Fe,Ni) and Al₉FeNi, resulting in poor mechanical properties. Solution treatment at 530 °C for 5 h dissolved the first three phases into the solid solution and consequently improved the mechanical properties of the alloy. By utilizing the appropriate aging temperature and time, different combinations of strength and ductility could be obtained to fulfill the design requirements of large-mold applications. The strengthening of AA2618 DC cast alloy under the aging conditions studied was caused by GPB zones and S′ precipitates. The evolution of both precipitates in terms of their size and density was observed to have a significant effect on the mechanical properties of the alloy.     

Influence of SiC particles on mechanical properties of Mg based composite

AZ91 magnesium alloy reinforced with different sizes of SiC particulates has been fabricated using powder metallurgy route. Mechanical properties of the specimens have been studied. Yield and ultimate tensile stresses show a decrease with the increase in the size of SiC particulates. The influence of thermal shock between 400°C and 30°C on the mechanical properties was also investigated. The results show a decrease in yield stress and elongation to fracture with the number of thermal shock cycles.     

Thermal conductivity and mechanical properties of Sm-containing Mg-Zn-Zr alloys

This study investigated the effect of Sm additions on the microstructure, thermal conductivity, and mechanical properties of Mg-Zn-Zr alloy. The results indicate that the addition of Sm led to the formation of a rare-earth phase at the grain boundaries, and the grain size was significantly refined in the extruded state. The thermal conductivity of Mg alloy increased with the increase in Sm content because of the formation of a rare-earth phase that helps to dissolve the Zn atoms in the α-Mg matrix. Moreover, the as-extruded Mg alloy exhibited a higher thermal conductivity (up to124?W?(m?K)^?1) than its as-cast counterparts. The Sm-containing as-extruded Mg alloy showed excellent yield strength of up to 254?MPa, and also a good plastic deformation ability.     

Elevated temperature mechanical properties and microstructures of high pressure die cast magnesium AZ91 alloy cast with different section thicknesses

This paper investigates the influence of variations in the microstructure of high pressure die cast AZ91 on the elevated temperature mechanical properties of the alloy. Thinner-walled high pressure die castings show an improvement in elevated temperature strength, ductility and creep resistance. Further improvements to the creep resistance were achieved by ageing the alloy prior to creep testing. It appears that an increased proportion of fine grained ‘skin’ region in the thinner castings contributed to the improved properties. Also, it appeared that the presence of supersaturated solute Al in the eutectic α-Mg contributes to the poor creep properties, probably due to the microstructural instability. Final failure is associated with the growth of voids either from porosity in the alloy or nucleated from discontinuous precipitates.     

Texture and its effect on mechanical properties in fiber laser weld of a fine-grained Mg alloy

A fine-grained Mg alloy was fiber-laser welded, and microstructures and texture in the welds were extensively examined, together with the effect on mechanical properties. Fusion zone, which has lower hardness than BM and HAZ, consists of columnar grain zone and equiaxed grain zone with coarser grains. Strong texture with the same orientation as base metal forms at columnar grain zone. With decreasing welding heat input, yield strength of the welded joint increases due to the finer microstructures; however, ultimate tensile strength as well as elongation decreases because of the deterioration in deformation capacity induced by the diminishment of the width of equiaxed grain zone.     

Age hardening behaviors,mechanical and corrosion properties of deformed Mg–Mn–Sn sheets by pre-rolled treatment

The age behaviors, mechanical and corrosion properties of Mg–1.5Mn–xSn (x = 1 and 5 wt.%) alloys under three aging conditions have been investigated. The results reveal that both age behaviors and mechanical properties are improved with the increment of Sn. Meanwhile, the mechanical properties of EA (extrusion + artificial aging) state Mg–1.5Mn–5Sn alloy are higher than those of SA (solid solution + artificial aging) state sample, which are mostly attributed to fine grain and high density secondary precipitate. In addition, an accompanying improvement in age hardening response and strength is achieved in ERA (extruded + rolled + aging) state alloy compared with EA state one. The main reasons are related to the formations of a large number of dislocations and deformation twins, which provide effective nucleation sites to form fine β-Mg₂Sn strengthening precipitates during the following aging process. In addition, compared with EA state sample, a lower corrosion rate of ERA alloy is confirmed by Tafel curves and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy results, which is mainly related to the formation of a thick anodic passivation film on the surface.     

Effect of Mg and Sr-modification on the mechanical properties of 319-type aluminum cast alloys subjected to artificial aging

Aluminum-based 319-type cast alloys are commonly used in the automotive industry to manufacture cylinder heads and engine blocks. These applications require good mechanical properties and in order to achieve them through precipitation hardening, artificial aging treatments are applied to the products. The standard artificial aging treatment for alloy 319, as defined by the T6 heat treatment temper, consists in solution heat-treating the product for 8 h at 495 °C, water quenching at 60 °C, and then artificially aging at 155 °C for 2–5 h.

The present paper reports on aging heat treatments that were performed on four Al–Si–Cu–Mg 319-type alloys: 319 base alloy, Sr-modified 319 alloy, 319 alloy containing 0.4 wt% Mg, and the Sr-modified 319 + 0.4 wt% Mg alloy. This investigation was carried out in order to examine the effect of Sr-modification and additions of Mg on the microhardness, tensile strength and impact properties of 319-type alloys over a range of aging temperatures and times (150–240 °C, for periods of 2–8 h).

The results show that the best combination of properties is found in the Sr-modified alloy containing 0.4 wt% Mg (i.e. alloy 319 + Mg + Sr). Also, the optimum artificial aging temperature changes when Mg is present in the alloy.     

Tensile deformation behavior and mechanical properties of a bulk cast Al_(0.9) CoFeNi_2 eutectic high-entropy alloy

In this study,a new Al0.9CoFeNi2 eutectic high entropy alloy(EHEA) was designed,and the microstructures as well as the deformation behavior were investigated.The bulk cast Al0.9CoFeNi2 EHEA exhibited an order face-centered cubic FCC(L12) and an order body-centered cubic(B2) dual-phase lamellar eutectic microstructure.The volume fractions of FCC(L12) and B2 phases are measured to be 60 % and 40 %,respectively.The combination of the soft and ductile FCC(L12) phase together with the hard B2 phase resulted in superior strength of 1005 MPa and ductility as high as 6.2 % in tension at room temperature.The Al0.9CoFeNi2 EHEA exhibited obvious three-stage work hardening characteristics and high workhardening ability.The evolving dislocation substructure s during uniaxial tensile deformation found that planar slip dominates in both FCC(L12) and B2 phases,and the FCC(L12) phase is easier to deform than the B2 phase.The post-deformation transmission electron microscopy revealed that the sub-structural evolution of the FCC(L12) phase is from planar dislocations to bending dislocations,high-density dislocations,dislocation network,and then to dislocation walls,and Taylor lattices,while the sub-structural evolution of the B2 phase is from a very small number of short dislocations to a number of planar dislocations.Moreover,obvious ductile fracture in the FCC(L12) phase and a brittle-like fracture in the B2 phase were observed on the fracture surface of the Al0.9CoFeNi2 EHEA.The re search results provide some insight into the microstructure-property relationship.     

Investigation on microstructure and mechanical properties of Ti14 alloy after semisolid deformation

Abstract

This study details the development of microstructure of Ti14 alloy as a function of the forging temperature and forging ratio in semisolid state and influence of resulting microstructure on the mechanical properties. The results reveal that dynamic recrystallisation occurred during semisolid forging, and the grain refinement was attained. Grain size increased in the forging temperature and decreased in the forging ratio. High ultimate tensile strengths and low elongation have been achieved after semisolid forging. The strength decreased with increasing forging temperature, while the ductility increased with increasing forging ratio. The relative contributions of tensile properties were attributed to the varieties of grain size obtained by thixoforging.     

Effect of heat treatment on mechanical properties of low alloy steel foams

Effect of heat treatment on compressive properties of low alloy steel foams (Fe–1.75 Ni–1.5 Cu–0.5 Mo–0.6 C) having porosities in the range of 47.4–71.5% with irregular pore shape, produced by the space holder-water leaching technique in powder metallurgy, was investigated. Low alloy steel powders were mixed with different amounts of space holder (carbamide), and then compacted at 200 MPa. Carbamide in the green compacts was removed by water leaching at room temperature. The green specimens were sintered at 1200 °C for 60 min in hydrogen atmosphere. Sintered compacts were heat treated by austenitizing at 850 °C for 30 min and then quenched at 70 °C in oil and tempered at 210 °C for 60 min. In this porosity range, compressive yield strengths of as-sintered and heat treated specimens were 28–122 MPa and 18–168 MPa, respectively. The resultant Young’s moduli of the as-sintered and heat treated specimens were 0.68–3.12 GPa and 0.47–3.47 GPa, respectively. The heat treatment enhanced the Young’s modulus and compressive yield strength of the foams having porosities in the range of 47.4–62.3%, as a consequence of matrix strengthening. However, the compressive yield stress and Young’s modulus of the heat treated foam having 71.5% porosity were lower than that of the as-sintered foam’s, as a result of cracks in the structure. The results were discussed in light of the structural findings.     

Alloying and thermal behaviour of CoCrFeNiMn0.5Ti0.5 high-entropy alloy synthesised by mechanical alloying

An inequi-atomic CoCrFeNiMn_0.5Ti_0.5 high-entropy alloy (HEA) was synthesised by mechanical alloying. The structural and morphological evolution of the alloy powder during the mechanical alloying process and the thermal behaviour of 60?h ball-milled HEA powder were investigated systematically. A simple body-centred cubic solid solution HEA structure was obtained when the blended powder was ball-milled longer than 36?h. A 60?h ball-milled powder had an average particle size of 3?μm and consisted of hard agglomerated crystalline particles with a crystal size of <?20?nm. The body-centred cubic phase transformed into a face-centred cubic phase when the powder was annealed for 1?h at a temperature of 700°C; the liquidus point of the face-centred cubic phases was 1402.8°C.     

Effects of samarium content on microstructure and mechanical properties of Mg–0.5Zn–0.5Zr alloy

Effects of samarium (Sm) content (0, 2.0, 3.5, 5.0, 6.5 wt%) on microstructure and mechanical properties of Mg–0.5Zn–0.5 Zr alloy under as-cast and as-extruded states were thoroughly investigated. Results indicate that grains of the as-cast alloys are gradually refined as Sm content increases. The dominant intermetallic phase changes from Mg₃Sm to Mg₄₁Sm₅ till Sm content exceeds 5.0 wt%. The dynamically precipitated intermetallic phase during hot-extrusion in all Sm-containing alloys is Mg₃Sm. The intermetallic particles induced by Sm addition could act as heterogeneous nucleation sites for dynamic recrystallization during hot extrusion. They promoted dynamic recrystallization via the particle stimulated nucleation mechanism, and resulted in weakening the basal texture in the as-extruded alloys. Sm addition can significantly enhance the strength of the as-extruded Mg–0.5Zn–0.5 Zr alloy at room temperature, with the optimal dosage of 3.5 wt%. The optimal yield strength (YS) and ultimate tensile strength (UTS) are 368 MPa and 383 MPa, which were enhanced by approximately 23.1% and 20.8% compared with the Sm-free alloy, respectively. Based on microstructural analysis, the dominant strengthening mechanisms are revealed to be grain boundary strengthening and dispersion strengthening.     

稀土变质及热处理对高碳铬铸钢力学性能影响

研究了稀土变质与热处理对高碳铬铸钢力学性能的影响.采用金相显微镜、扫描电子显微镜观察了试样碳化物的形貌、冲击断口及磨面特征,用公式s=20.3 z/P2计算了碳化物的形状因子;采用冲击试验机、万能试验机等测试了试样的冲击韧性、抗弯强度、挠度;用动载磨损试验机对试样进行了磨损试验.结果表明:高碳铬铸钢经0.22％稀土变质后再经960℃×3 h正火,其冲击韧性提高180％,,抗磨性提高20％,强度提高76％,塑性也有所提高.其主要原因在于稀土变质及热处理使高碳铬铸钢组织中连续网状的共晶碳化物转变为孤立的块状、碳化物的形状因子增大以及粒状碳化物的析出所致.     

Elevated-temperature plasticity and mechanical properties of a rare earth-modified Mg-Zn-Al alloy

The elevated-temperature plasticity and flow behavior of an Er-modified, heat-resistant ZA73 alloy was evaluated by thermal simulation. The results showed that the addition of Er to ZA73 alloy notably improves the deformability and higher strain rate and temperature favors hot deformation. Bars with sound surface quality were successfully extruded at 350 °C and a strain rate of ~ 0.1 s^− 1. Furthermore, dynamic precipitation of nano-sized spherical τ phase was found to occur uniformly in the α-Mg matrix during hot extrusion, which is considered helpful to both strength and plasticity enhancement. The yield strength and ultimate tensile strength of the as-extruded bars reached 240-265 MPa and 355-360 MPa, respectively, while maintaining a large elongation rate of 18-19.5%.     

Microstructure and mechanical properties of a sand-cast Mg–Nd–Zn alloy

The microstructures and mechanical properties of a sand-cast Mg–Nd–Zn alloy in the as-cast, solution-treated and peak-aged conditions were investigated. The as-cast alloy was comprised of α magnesium matrix and Mg₁₂Nd eutectic compounds. The eutectic compounds dissolved into the matrix and small Zr-containing particles precipitated at grain interiors, due to the solution treatment. After the solution treatment, two kinds of cooling manner, either cooling in air or quenching in water, were employed. It was worth noting that some basal precipitates formed in the matrix during the in-air cooling process after solution treatment, which led to the succedent weak ageing hardening response and low strength in peak-aged condition. The hardness, yield strength, ultimate tensile strength and elongation at room temperature, of the samples in the T61 condition, were HV81, 191 MPa, 258 MPa and 4.2%, respectively. When tensile tested at high temperature, they exhibited serrated flow. Moreover, the casting surface of the tensile testing bar also had a great influence on its mechanical properties.