Tensile properties and fracture behaviour of an ultrafine grained Ti–47Al–2Cr (at.%) alloy at room and elevated temperatures

An ultrafine grained (UFG) Ti–47Al–2Cr (at.%) alloy has been synthesized using a combination of high energy mechanical milling and hot isostatic pressing (HIP) of a Ti/Al/Cr composite powder compact. The material produced has been tensile tested at room temperature, 700 and 800 °C, respectively, and the microstructure of the as-HIPed material and the microstructure and fracture surfaces of the tensile tested specimens have been examined using X-ray diffractometry, optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The alloy shows no ductility during tensile testing at room temperature and 700 °C, respectively, but very high ductility (elongation to fracture 70–100%) when tensile tested 800 °C, indicating that its brittle to ductile transition temperature (BDTT) falls within the temperature range of 700–800 °C. The retaining of ultrafine fine equiaxed grain morphology after the large amount of plastic deformation of the specimens tensile tested at 800 °C and the clear morphology of individual grains in the fractured surface indicate that grain boundary sliding is the predominant deformation mechanism of plastic deformation of the UFG TiAl based alloy at 800 °C. Cavitation occurs at locations fairly uniformly distributed throughout the gauge length sections of the specimens tensile tested at 800 °C, again supporting the postulation that grain boundary sliding is the dominant mechanism of the plastic deformation of the UFG TiAl alloys at temperatures above their BDTT. The high ductility of the UFG alloy at 800 °C and its fairly low BDTT indicates that the material a highly favourable precursor for secondary thermomechanical processing.     

Study of high temperature mechanical behavior of the thermally oxidized Ti‐6Al‐4V alloy

The influence of oxidation of a Ti‐6Al‐4V alloy at 800 °C on its tensile properties at 600 °C has been studied. Specimens of this alloy were oxidized at 800 °C for 0.5, 1, 5, 10, 20 and 40 h. Tensile tests at 600 °C were carried out and the fracture surfaces were also examined. Oxidation of the specimens resulted in the formation of an oxide layer that spalled and another oxide layer that adhered to the substrate. Oxide formation increased with increase in duration of oxidation. In this investigation, density curves of the oxide layer as a function of duration of oxidation at 800 °C were used to identify a parabolic oxide growth law. The results of this study revealed coherence between the experimental data and calculations based on the Pilling‐Bedworth law. The mechanical strength of the Ti‐6Al‐4V alloy did not vary significantly with oxidation, but reduction in cross sectional area with increase in oxide layer thickness, as well as the slope of the stress‐strain curve decreased beyond the ultimate tensile strength. Fracture of the tensile tested specimens was predominantly ductile with microcavities. At certain regions of the oxide layer, brittle fracture with radial cracks was observed indicating intergranular fracture.     

Experimental investigation on low cycle fatigue and fracture behaviour of a notched Ni‐based superalloy at elevated temperature

In order to investigate the effects of stress concentration on low cycle fatigue properties and fracture behaviour of a nickel‐based powder metallurgy superalloy, FGH97, at elevated temperature, the low cycle fatigue tests have been conducted with semi‐circular and semi‐elliptical single‐edge notched plate specimens at 550 and 700 °C. The results show that the fatigue life of the notched specimen decreases with the increase of stress concentration factor and the fatigue crack initiation life evidently decreases because of the defect located in the stress concentration zone. Moreover, the plastic deformation induced by notch stress concentration affects the initial crack occurrence zone. The angle α of the crack occurrence zone is within ±10° of notch bisector for semi‐circular notched specimens and ±20° for semi‐elliptical notched specimens. The crack propagation rate decreases to a minimum at a certain length, D, and then increases with the growth of the crack. The crack propagation rate of the semi‐elliptical notched specimen decelerates at a faster rate than that of the semi‐circular notched specimen because of the increase of the notch plasticity gradient. The crack length, D, is affected by both the applied load and the notch plasticity gradient. In addition, the fracture mechanism is shown to transition from transgranular to intergranular as temperature increases from 550 to 700 °C, which would accelerate crack propagation and reduce the fatigue life.     

Compressive deformation behavior of ternary compound Cr<Subscript>2</Subscript>AlC

The compressive properties of ternary compound Cr₂AlC at different temperatures and strain rates were studied. When tested at a strain rate of 5.6 × 10⁻⁴ s⁻¹, the compressive strength decreases continuously from 997 ± 29 MPa at room temperature to 523 ± 7 MPa at 900 °C. The ductile-to-brittle transition temperature is measured to be in the range of 700 to 800 °C. When tested in the strain rate range of 5.6 × 10⁻⁵ to 5.6 × 10⁻³ s⁻¹, Cr₂AlC fails in a brittle mode at room temperature, whereas the deformation mode changes from a brittle to a ductile as the strain rate is lower than 5.6 × 10⁻⁴ s⁻¹ when compressed at 800 °C. The compressive strength increases slightly with increasing strain rate at room temperature and it is less dependent on strain rate when tested at 800 °C. The plastic deformation mechanism of Cr₂AlC was discussed in terms of dislocation-related activities, such as kink band formation, delamination, decohesion of grain boundary, and microcrack formation.     

Identification of fatigue crack growth mechanisms in IN100 superalloy as a function of temperature and frequency

A study is undertaken to investigate the fatigue crack growth rate properties of polycrystalline IN100 through the identification of crack growth mechanisms as a function of temperature, frequency and ΔK. An additional goal is to determine the stress free activation energy of IN100. Constant amplitude, load controlled tests are performed at room temperature (22 °C), 316 °C, 482 °C and 649 °C under two different loading frequencies of 20 and 0.33 Hz. These specimens are then analysed via scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to determine failure mechanisms. SEM shows that, as temperature increased from room temperature to 649 °C, the fracture mechanism transitions from transgranular to intergranular. The fracture mechanism is shown to transition from intergranular to transgranular at elevated temperatures as da/dN increases as a result of growing ΔK. Scanning electron microscopy shows that, as frequency decreases from 20 to 0.33 Hz at 649 °C, the fracture mechanism transitions from transgranular to intergranular.     

High temperature flexural strength and fracture toughness of AlN with Y<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript> ceramic

The effects of temperature on the fast fracture behavior of aluminum nitride with 5 wt% Y₂O₃ ceramic were investigated. Four-point flexural strength and fracture toughness were measured in air at several temperatures (30–1,300 °C). The flexural strength gradually decreased with the increase of temperature up to 1,000 °C due to the change in the fracture mode from transgranular to intergranular, and then became almost constant up to 1,300 °C. Two main flaw types as fracture origin were identified: small surface flaw and large pores. The volume fraction of the large pores was only 0.01%; however, they limited the strength on about 50% of the specimens. The fracture toughness decreased slightly up to 800 °C controlled by the elastic modulus change, and then decreased significantly at 1,000 °C due to the decrease in the grain-boundary toughness. Above 1,000 °C, the fracture toughness increased significantly, and at 1,300 °C, its value was close to that measured at room temperature.     

Effect of Initial Annealing Temperature on Microstructural Development and Microhardness in High‐Purity Copper Processed by High‐Pressure Torsion

The effect of the initial annealing temperature on the evolution of microstructure and microhardness in high purity OFHC Cu is investigated after processing by HPT. Disks of Cu are annealed for 1 h at two different annealing temperatures, 400 and 800 °C, and then processed by HPT at room temperature under a pressure of 6.0 GPa for 1/4, 1/2, 1, 5, and 10 turns. Samples are stored for 6 months after HPT processing to examine the self‐annealing effects. Electron backscattered diffraction (EBSD) measurements are recorded for each disk at three positions: center, mid‐radius, and near edge. Microhardness measurements are also recorded along the diameters of each disk. Both alloys show rapid hardening and then strain softening in the very early stages of straining due to self‐annealing with a clear delay in the onset of softening in the alloy initially annealed at 800 °C. This delay is due to the relatively larger initial grain size compared to the alloy initially annealed at 400 °C. The final microstructures consist of homogeneous fine grains having average sizes of ≈0.28 and ≈0.34 µm for the alloys initially annealed at 400 and 800 °C, respectively. A new model is proposed to describe the behavior of the hardness evolution by HPT in high purity OFHC Cu.     

Effect of heating temperature and magnesium content on the thermal cyclic failure behaviour of ductile irons

Abstract

This study elucidates the effect of residual magnesium content and heating temperature on the thermal cyclic failure behaviour of ductile irons by applying repeated heating and cooling cycles. Five irons with different residual magnesium contents ranging from 0.038 to 0.066 wt-% were obtained by controlling the amount of nodulariser additions. The thermal fatigue cracking behaviour was investigated during thermal cycling from 25°C to 650, 700, 750, and 800°C, respectively. Experimental results indicate that the thermal fatigue cracking resistance of ductile iron decreases with increasing residual magnesium content. The maximum heating temperatures of 700°C and 750°C led to the most severe thermal fatigue cracking in the specimens containing 0.054 wt-% and 0.060 wt-% residual magnesium content. Recrystallisation of ferrite grain occurred when the thermal cycles exceeded a certain number after testing at 800°C, which deferred the initiation of thermal fatigue cracking.     

Computer modelling of phase diagrams

Abstract

An investigation has been made of the tensile behaviour between 20 and 600°C of two ultrahigh boron steels (Fe–2·2B and Fe–4·9B), consolidated by hot isostatic pressing at temperatures ranging from 700 to 1100°C. Tensile tests showed plastic deformation only in the Fe–2·2B alloy. A decrease in yield and ultimate tensile stresses occurred when the consolidation temperature was increased. This was accompanied by an increase in the elongation to failure. This alloy satisfies the Hall–Petch relation for all testing temperatures. The slope of the yield stress versus d^?1/2 curve (d is grain size) decreases as the temperature increases, indicating that the mechanism controlling plastic deformation becomes independent of grain size at high testing temperatures. The fracture mode observed was brittle at room temperature and ductile, shown by the presence of dimples, at temperatures above 400°C.

MST/2050     

An assessment of three creep–fatigue life prediction methods for nickel‐based superalloy GH4049

High‐temperature low‐cycle fatigue tests with and without a 10‐s strain hold period in a cycle were performed on a nickel base superalloy GH4049 under a fully reversed axial total strain control mode. Three creep–fatigue life prediction methods are chosen to analyse the experimental data. These methods are the linear damage summation method (LDS), the strain range partitioning method (SRP) and the strain energy partitioning method (SEP). Their ability to predict creep‐fatigue lives of GH4049 at 700, 800 and 850 °C has been evaluated. It is found that the SEP method shows an advantage over the SRP method for all the tests under consideration. At 850 °C, the LDS and SEP methods give a more satisfactory prediction for creep–fatigue lives. At the temperatures of 700 and 800 °C, the SRP and SEP methods can correlate the life data better than the LDS method. In addition, the differences in predictive ability of these methods have also been analysed. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) examination of fracture surfaces reveals that under creep–fatigue test conditions crack initiation mode is transgranular, while crack propagation mode is either intergranular plus transgranular or entirely intergranular, dependent on test temperature.     

Mechanical properties and oxidation behaviors of carbon/carbon composites with C–TaC–C multi-interlayer

To improve the mechanical properties and oxidation-resistance properties, a C–TaC–C multi-interlayer structure was introduced in carbon/carbon (C/C) composites by chemical vapor infiltration. Compared with conventional C/C composites, a higher fracture toughness and strength have been achieved by using the C–TaC–C multi-interlayer. In addition, the composites also exhibit a higher preliminary oxidation temperature and a lower mass loss at high temperatures. The oxidation rate of the composites increases with temperature increasing in the range of 700–1300 °C, reaching a maximum value at 1300 °C, then decreases in 1300–1400 °C. A hexagonal structure of Ta₂O₅ phase is obtained when being oxidized at 700–800 °C, and it transforms to an orthorhombic phase at temperatures above 900 °C. The structures of C–TaC–C multi-interlayer are intact without cracks or porosities after being oxidized at 700–800 °C. In 900–1300 °C, the composites are oxidized uniformly with the formation of pores. At temperatures above 1300 °C, there are oxidation and non-oxidation regions with the oxidation process being controlled by diffusion.     

Fatigue crack propagation for Q345qD bridge steel and its butt welds at low temperatures

Steel bridges fabricated with Q345qD steels face critical challenges when operating in cold regions with a low ambient temperature. This study aims to investigate, via an experimental program, the low‐temperature fatigue crack propagation behavior of Q345qD bridge steel base material and its butt welds. The testing program comprises a series of Charpy impact tests and fatigue crack propagation tests at the room temperature, ?20°C and ?60°C. The experimental results demonstrate a reduced crack propagation rate in the base material, but an increasing crack propagation rate in the butt welds, with a decreasing ambient temperature. The base material also shows enhanced fatigue crack propagation thresholds with the decreasing temperature. The ductile‐to‐brittle transition temperature for fatigue is lower than that for fracture in the base material while the weld metal exhibits an opposite trend. Generally, the butt welds present higher resistance against fatigue crack propagation and larger Charpy toughness values than do the base material at all tested temperatures. The Paris‐law parameters measured at the room temperature for the base material leads to a conservative assessment of the crack propagation life for a welded joint under a low ambient temperature.     

Tensile behaviour of 316LN stainless steel at elevated temperatures

Abstract

The tensile deformation behaviour of 316LN stainless steel was investigated from ambient temperature up to 1000°C. The hardness and microstructure of area near tensile fracture were characterised. The results show that the engineering stress increases smoothly with engineering strain when the tensile temperature is at 400°C or below, while the plastic deformation stage displays a serrated/jerky flow at 600°C. At tensile temperatures of 800°C or above, the plastic deformation stage is dramatically prolonged. The deformation mechanisms of 316LN stainless steel are proposed to be sliding and twinning at 400°C or below, tangle dislocations due to cross-slipping at 600°C, dynamic recovery at 700°C, and dynamic recrystallisation at 800°C or above. The finding provides useful guidelines for the processing and service of 316LN stainless steel components at high temperatures.     

Superplastic Property of the Ti–6Al–4V Alloy with Ultrafine‐Grained Heterogeneous Microstructure

Ti–6Al–4V alloy having a heterogeneous microstructure composed of ultrafine‐equiaxed‐α‐grains and fine‐lamellar‐α‐grains is investigated for microstructural changes during superplastic deformation at temperature of 700 °C. The Ti–6Al–4V alloy having an optimum fraction of fine‐lamellar‐α‐grains exhibits an excellent superplastic property and the highest elongation of 583% (tested at 700 °C 10^?3 s^?1). This is mainly due to the optimized activation of grain‐boundary‐sliding and additional accommodation mechanism associated with frequent occurrences of dynamic recrystallization and β precipitation at boundaries during deformation of the heterogeneous starting microstructure. The present result suggests the possibility that optimizing the starting microstructure so as to have an optimum heterogeneous‐microstructure serves as an additional stress accommodation mechanism and leads to a large superplastic elongation.

     

Effect of deposition temperature on the structure and electrical properties of thin barium strontium titanate films

We have studied the properties of thin ferroelectric films of barium strontium titanate (Ba,Sr)TiO₃ (BSTO) obtained by RF ion-plasma deposition at various substrate temperatures in the 700–900°C range. It is established that BSTO films deposited at 700–800°C exhibit a polycrystalline structure. Beginning with 800°C, the film structure changes so that an (111)-oriented phase appears and becomes predominating. The effect of the deposition temperature on the grain size and the relationship between the structural features and electrical properties of the films are considered.     

Effect of ageing on precipitation and impact energy of 2101 economical duplex stainless steel

The impact energy and microstructure of a thermally aged 2101 duplex stainless steel with composition of Fe–21.4Cr–1.2Ni–5.7Mn–0.23 N–0.31Mo were studied. The results showed that the room temperature impact energy of specimens decreased gradually with ageing temperature up to 700 °C and then increased with aging over 700 °C. The minimum value of impact energy was 37 J after 700 °C aging, which was only 34% of that for as-annealed specimens. For specimens aged at 700 °C, the room temperature impact energy decreased significantly after 3 min and was halved after 10 min. Fractographs showed that, with increasing aging time, the fracture morphology changed from fibrous fracture to transgranular and intragranular fracture. Scanning electron micrographs revealed that many precipitates were distributed along α/γ and α/α interfaces. The precipitates were extracted and confirmed by X-ray diffraction to be Cr₂N. Therefore, it can be concluded that precipitation of Cr₂N is the main reason for the decrease of impact energy in aged 2101 duplex stainless steel.     

Microstructure and creep behavior of a new developed nickel‐base single‐crystal superalloy

A new developed nickel‐base superalloy is employed to prepare single‐crystal castings. The as‐cast and heat‐treated microstructure, the creep behavior in 900 °C/ 500 MPa and 1100 °C / 140 MPa are investigated. The dendrites are well developed in the as‐cast microstructure. Segregation and γ′ precipitation morphology difference exist between dendrite core and γ/γ′ eutectic pool. After heat treatment the segregation is significantly decreased and the γ′ precipitations of all regions become much more uniform and cubic. Creep curves in varied conditions both present three stages, while the specimen in 1100 °C exhibits lower creep rate and longer life span. The fracture analysis shows that fracture style changes from mixed fracture to ductile when the temperature increases from 900 °C to 1100 °C. Porosity is the crack resource to form the facet, which is observed in both specimens. The γ′ precipitations raft in both specimens, while the further development of γ′ rafting is found in that of 1100 °C / 140 MPa, as well as the surface recrystallization with coarser rafted γ/γ′ microstructure.     

The influence of defect and temperature on the fatigue behaviours of Al‐Si‐Cu‐Mg‐Ni alloy

High‐cycle fatigue (HCF) properties of two Al‐Si‐Cu‐Mg‐Ni alloys with different defect sizes named as alloys A (smaller ones) and B (bigger ones) were investigated at 350°C and 425°C, respectively. The results indicate that fatigue strengths of both alloys decrease as the temperature increases. Fatigue cracks originated from pores and oxide films at both temperatures. They propagated preferentially through cracked matrix at 350°C and debonded interface and grain boundary at 425°C. Alloy A exhibits higher fatigue life and fatigue strength than alloy B at 350°C due to its smaller pore sizes. However, it has slightly worse fatigue properties than alloy B at 425°C because the fatigue crack initiation is controlled by oxide film at this temperature and is not affected by its size. This indicates that there is a transition of predominant initiation site from pores to oxide films when the temperature increases. The fatigue strength estimated through defect size is consistent with the experimental results at 350°C, while unsuitable at 425°C.     

Optimization of Strength‐Electrical Conductivity Properties in Al–2Fe Alloy by Severe Plastic Deformation and Heat Treatment

High‐pressure torsion at room temperature followed by two processing routes, either 1) annealing at 200 °C for 8 h or 2) elevated temperature (200 °C) high‐pressure torsion, are employed to obtain simultaneous increase in mechanical strength and electrical conductivity of Al–2 wt%Fe. The comparative study of microstructure, particle distribution, mechanical properties, and electrical conductivity for both processing routes gives the optimal combination of high mechanical strength and high electrical conductivity in Al–2Fe alloy. It is shown that while the mechanical strength is approximately the same for both processing routes (>320 MPa), high‐pressure torsion at elevated temperature results in higher conductivity (≥52% IACS) due to reduction of Fe solute atom concentration in Al matrix compared to annealing treatment. High‐pressure torsion at 200 °C has been demonstrated as a new and effective way for obtaining combination of high mechanical strength and electrical conductivity in Al–Fe alloys.

     

Study of low‐temperature effect on the fracture locus of a 420‐MPa structural steel with the edge tracing method

Quasi‐static tensile tests with smooth round bar and axisymmetric notched tensile specimens have been performed to study the low‐temperature effect on the fracture locus of a 420‐MPa structural steel. Combined with a digital high‐speed camera and a 2‐plane mirror system, specimen deformation was recorded in 2 orthogonal planes. Pictures taken were then analysed with the edge tracing method to calculate the minimum cross‐section diameter reduction of the necked/notched specimen. Obvious temperature effect was observed on the load‐strain curves for smooth and notched specimens. Both the strength and strain hardening characterized by the strain at maximum load increase with temperature decrease down to ?60°C. Somewhat unexpected, the fracture strains (ductility) of both smooth and notched specimens at temperatures down to ?60°C do not deteriorate, compared with those at room temperature. Combined with numerical analyses, it shows that the effect of low temperatures (down to ?60°C) on fracture locus is insignificant. These findings shed new light on material selection for Arctic operation.