Theoretical calculation of the impact work in the alloying non-quenched and tempered steel

Liu et al.[1―5]1) have calculated the finishing rolling tensile strength σb, yield strength σs, elongation δ of the alloying non-quenched and tempered steel with the covalent elec-1) Liu Z L, Lin C, Guo Y C. Theoretical calculation of the finishing rolling elongation in alloying non-quenched and tempered steel. Progress in Natural Science, in presstron number nA of the strongest bond in alloying phases and the smallest electron density difference ?ρ of phase interfaces. It is calculat…     

Flow stress behavior of Cu13Zn alloy deformed at elevated temperature

Ｃｏｎｓｔｉｔｕｔｉｖｅｍｏｄｅｌｉｓａｍａｔｈｅｍａｔｉｃａｌｒｅｐｒｅｓｅｎｔａｔｉｏｎｏｆｔｈｅｄｅｆｏｒｍａｔｉｏｎｒｅｓｐｏｎｓｅｏｆａｍａｔｅｒｉａｌｔｏｅｘｔｅｒｎａｌｌｙａｐ ｐｌｉｅｄｌｏａｄｉｎｇ ,ｉｎｃｌｕｄｉｎｇｅｎｖｉｒｏｎｍｅｎｔａｌｆａｃｔｏｒｓ .Ｔｈｅｐｒｅ ｃｉｓｅｋｎｏｗｌｅｄｇｅｏｆｔｈｅｃｏｎｓｔｉｔｕｔｉｖｅｂｅｈａｖｉｏｒｏｆｔｈｅｍａｔｅｒｉａｌｉｓｔｈｅｆｏｕｎｄａｔｉｏｎｏｆｎｕｍｅｒｉｃａｌｓｉｍｕｌａｔｉｏｎｔｅｃｈｎｏｌｏｇｙｏｆｍａｔｅｒｉ…     

Failure mode and strength anisotropic characteristic of stratified rock mass under uniaxial compressive situation

A stratified rock mass model was founded by FLAC^3D. The failure mode and anisotropic characteristic of strength for stratified rock mass were analyzed. The analysis results show that the numerical simulation can visually reflect the failure modes of rock samples under different inclination angles β of structural plane. The stiffness of rock sample before peak strength changes in the compressive procedure. With the increase of β, the compressive strength σ _c of rock sample decreases firstly and then increases; when β is in the range of 20°–30° and 80°–90°, σ _c has the largest sensitivity to β; while β falls in the range of 30°–70°, σ _c varies little. When ϕ _j <β<90° (β _j is friction angle of structure plane), the results obtained from numerical simulation and theoretical analysis are in almost the same values; while β⩽ ϕ _j or β=90°, they are in great different values. The results obtained from theoretical analysis are obvious larger than those from numerical simulation; and the results from numerical simulation can reflect the difference of compressive strength of rock samples for the two situations of β⩾ ϕ _j and β=90°, which is in more accordance with the real situation. Foundation item: Project (50099620) supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China     

Experimental study on new method and automatic system for fast evaluating Al-Si alloy modification effect in front of furnace

A new method based on the surface tension measurement for fast evaluating modification effect of Al-Si alloy in front of furnace and an automatic system for fast measuring surface tension of molten Al-Si alloy are introduced. By theoretical analysis the relation between surface tension σe of molten Al-Si alloy and information parameters △P , N , φx and T has been established, namely, σ e = a △P b . N c . (φ x- φ0) d . T e . By ex- periments the relationship between surface tension and modification level of Al-Si alloy has been also got that σ e > 530 mN/m, 400 ≤σe ≤530 mN/m and σ e < 400 mN/m are corresponding with AFS 1-2, AFS 3-4 and AFS 5-6 of Al-Si modification effect. Depending on the conclusions, modification effect can be recognized in a few seconds, which is of practical significance for real-time evaluating modification effect of Al-Si alloy in front of furnace.     

Effect of valence electron structure on temper process and hardness of the supersaturated carburized layer

By measuring the hardness of carburized layer of a new type supersaturated carburizing steel (35Cr3SiMnMoV) at different temper temperature for 2 h, the relationship curve between the carburized layer hardness and the temper temperature is established. The result indicates that the hardness goes down firstly, then up and down, just like a wave consistent with the temperature increase. A secondary hardening peak appears at 570 °C or so. Based on Empirical Election Theory (EET) of Solids and Molecules, the valence electron structures (VESs) containing α-Fe-C, α-Fe-C-Me segregation structure units and carbide are calculated. The laws of temper process and hardness change with the temper temperature are explained, and the fact that reconstruction of θ-Fe₃C is prior to that of special carbide at high tempering is analyzed with the phase structure formation factor, S, being taken into consideration. Therefore, the laws of temper process and hardness change of supersaturated carburized layer at different temper temperature can be traced back to valence electron structure (VES) level of alloy phase.     

Physical simulation of hot deformation of TiAI based alloy

In order to establish a model between the grain size and the process parameters, the hot deformation behaviors of Ti-49.5Al alloy was investigated by isothermal compressive tests at temperatures ranging from 800 to 1 100 ℃ with strain rates of 10^-3-10^-1 s^-1. Within this range, the deformation behavior obeys the power law relationship, which can be described using the kinetic rate equation. The stress exponent, n, has a value of about 5.0, and the apparent activation energy is about 320 J/mol, which fits well with the value estimated in previous investigations. The results show that, the dependence of flow stress on the recrystallized grain size can be expressed by the equation: σ = K1 drex^-0.56. The relationship between the deformed microstructure and the process control parameter can be expressed by the formula: lgdrex= -0.281 1gZ 3.908 1.     

Microstructure and mechanical properties of rapidly solidified Al-Cr alloys

The microstructure and mechanical properties of rapidly solidified Al-Cr alloys were investigated by XRD, TEM and microhardness testing instrument. The results indicate that the matrix of rapidly solidified Al-Cr alloys is α-Al solid solution when the Cr content is lower than 4 wt%. However, when the Cr content is above 4 wt%, the microstructures of rapidly solidified Al-Cr alloys are different along cross section. The microstructure of alloy contacting copper roller consists of α-Al and a few intermetallic compounds. With the increase of distance from copper roller, the matrix consists of α-Al and spherical intermetallic compounds which conglomerate in α-Al matrix. These intermetallic compounds are Al₇Cr, Al₁₁Cr and Al₄Cr. The tensile strength has the maximal value when the Cr content is about 8 wt%. The annealed microstructures show that supersaturated α-Al solid solution dissolved with increasing anneal temperature. The starting temperature of the second phase precipitated from the supersaturated α-Al solid solution desponds on the supersaturation. Meanwhile, the microhardness of rapidly solidified Al-Cr alloy reaches maximal value after annealing at 300 °C. Funded by the Innovation Fund for Outstanding Scholar of Henan Province (No. 0621000700)     

Effect of ECAP on the microstructure and mechanical properties of a high-Mg<Subscript>2</Subscript>Si content Al-Mg-Si alloy

A high-Mg₂Si content Al alloy was extruded by equal channel angular pressing (ECAP) for 8 passes at 250 °C and an ultrafine-grained structure with an average grain size of about 1.5 μm was achieved. The coarse skeleton-shaped Mg₂Si phase presenting in the as-cast alloy are significantly fragmented into fine rod-shaped as well as equiaxed particles mostly less than about 230 nm and become relatively dispersed. The tensile strength 192.8 MPa and the elongation up to 31.3% at ambient temperature are attained in the 8-pass ECAPed alloy versus 163.3 MPa and 9.1% in the as-cast alloy. High-temperature creep test at 250 °C reveals that the ECAPed sample exhibits a high elongation close to 100% at a relatively high creep rate 7.64×10⁻⁵ s⁻¹, compared to the elongation 56% at a low strain rate 1.74×10⁻⁷ s⁻¹ in the as-cast alloy.     

Strength and deformation behaviour of coarse-grained soil by true triaxial tests

In order to investigate the influence of intermediate principal stress on the stress-strain and strength behaviour of a coarse-grained soil, a series of true triaxial tests were performed. The tests were conducted in a recently developed true triaxial apparatus with constant minor principal stress σ ₃ and constant value of intermediate principal stress ratio b=(σ ₂−σ ₃)/(σ ₁−σ ₃) (σ ₁ is the vertical stress, and σ ₂ is the horizontal stress). It is found that the intermediate principal strain, ɛ ₂, increases from negative to positive value with the increase of parameter b from zero to unity under a constant minor principal stress. The minor principal strain, ɛ ₃, is always negative. This implies that the specimen exhibits an evident anisotropy. The relationship between b and friction angle obtained from the tests is different from that predicted by LADE-DUNCAN and MATSUOKA-NAKAI criteria. Based on the test results, an empirical equation of g(b) that is the shape function of the failure surface on π-plane was presented. The proposed equation is verified to be reasonable by comparing the predicted results using the equation with true triaxial test results of soils, such as coarse-grained soils in this study, sands and gravels in other studies.     

Theoretical calculation of the finishing rolling impact work in non-quenched and tempered Si-Mn steel

Liu et al.[1―4] have given the calculation methods and general formulas of the finishing rolling tensile and yield strength of the non-quenched and tempered steel by using the electron structure parameters, and the calculated results agree well with the measured ones. In engineering technical standards, the σ b, σ s, δ and αk are always used simulta- neously. Therefore, the theoretical calculation neglecting δ and αk is not of integrity inboth learning and engineering. So the non-quench…     

Microstructure and mechanical properties of ultrafine grained Mg15Al alloy processed by equal-channel angular pressing

An as-cast magnesium alloy with high Al content Mg15Al was subjected to equal-channel angular pressing (ECAP) through a die with an angle of ϕ=90° at 553 K following route B_c. It is found that the network β-Mg₁₇Al₁₂ phases in the as-cast Mg15Al alloy are broken into small blocks and dispersed uniformly with increasing numbers of pressing passes. Moreover, many nano-sized Mg₁₇Al₁₂ particles precipitate in the ultra-fine α-Mg matrix. The grains are obviously refined. However, the grain structure is inhomogeneous in different areas of the alloy. The average size of the primary phase α-Mg is reduced to about 1 μm while grains of around 0.1–0.2 μm are obtained in some two-phase areas. With additional ECAP passes (up to 8), coarsening of the grains occurs by dynamic recovery. Room temperature tensile tests show that the mechanical properties of Mg15Al alloys are markedly improved after 4 ECAP passes. The ultimate tensile strength and elongation to failure increase from 150 MPa to 269.3 MPa and from 0.05% to 7.4%, respectively. Compared with that after 4 passes, the elongation to failure of the alloy increases but the strength of the alloy slightly decreases after 8 ECAP passes. Fracture morphology of the ECAP-processed alloy exhibits dimple-like fracture characteristics while the as-cast alloy shows quasi-cleavage fractures.     

Creep properties and permeability evolution in triaxial rheological tests of hard rock in dam foundation

Triaxial creep tests were carried out under seepage pressure by using rock servo-controlled triaxial rheology testing equipment. Based on experimental results, rock rheological properties influenced by seepage-stress coupling were studied, and variations of seepage rate with time in complete creep processes of rock were analyzed. It is shown that, when the applied stress is less than failure stress level, the creep deformation is not obvious, and its main form is steady-state creep. When applied stress level is greater than or less than but close to fracture stress, it is easier to see the increase of creep deformation and the more obvious accelerative creep characteristics. The circumferential creep deformation is obviously higher than the axial creep deformation. At the stage of steady-state creep, the average of seepage flow rate is about 4.7×10⁻⁹ m/s at confining pressure (σ ₃) of 2 MPa, and is about 3.9×10⁻⁹ m/s at σ ₃ of 6 MPa. It is seen that the seepage flow rate at σ ₃ of 2 MPa in this case is obviously larger than that at σ ₃ of 6 MPa. At the stage of creep acceleration, the seepage flow rate is markedly increased with the increase of time. The variation of rock permeability is directly connected to the growth and evolution of creep crack. It is suggested that the permeability coefficient in complete creep processes of rock is not a constant, but is a function of rock creep strain, confining pressure, damage variable and pore water pressure. The results can be considered to provide a reliable reference for the establishment of rock rheological model and parameter identification.     

Effect of one-step aging on microstructure and properties of a novel Al-Zn-Mg-Cu-Zr alloy

The effect of one-step aging temper on the mechanical properties, electrical conductivity and the microstructure of a novel Al-7.5Zn-1.6Mg-1.4Cu-0.12Zr alloy has been investigated. The results indicated that with elevating the aging temperature from 100℃ to 160℃, the aging response rate was greatly accelerated, and the UTS at peak aging condition decreased, while the corresponding TYS increased. However, the electrical conductivity of the alloy became higher. After aging for 24 h at 120℃, the peak UTS and TYS values were achieved as 591 MPa and 541 MPa, respectively; but the alloy achieved a lower conductivity, 20.4 MS/m. When T6 temper was performed at 140℃ for 14 h, the UTS decreased only by 1% of the former, whereas the TYS and the electrical conductivity increased obviously, which were up to 559 MPa and 22.6 MS/m, respectively. The major strengthening precipitates of the peak-aged alloy were GP zones and η′ phase. The precipitates in both the matrix and the grain boundary became coarser with rising aging temperature. There were obvious PFZs along the grain boundary both in T6 conditions aged at 140℃ and 160℃.     

Effect of low temperature aging on microstructure and mechanical properties of super-high strength aluminum alloy

The effects of heat treatment on the microstructure and mechanical properties of two alloys, namely Al- 12.2%Zn-2.48%Cu-2.0%Mg-0.15%Zr-0. 166%Ag（alloy 1）, and Al-9.99%Zn-1.72%Cu-2.5%Mg-0.13%Zr（alloy 2） were investigated. The results show that low temperature aging after promotive solution treatment can increase elongation without the loss of strength for the studied alloys. The optimum aging treatment （T6） for alloy 1 and alloy 2 is 100 ℃/80 h and 100 ℃/48 h, respectively. Compared with other heat treatment alloys, alloy 1 and alloy 2 show super-high tensile strength up to 753 MPa and 788 MPa, remaining 9.3% and 9.7% elongation under T6 condition, respectively. During aging, trace addition of Ag enhances the formations of GP zone and metastable phase, and stabilizes GP zone and metastable phase to a higher temperature. Trace addition of Ag prolongs the aging time of reaching the peak strength and delays over-aging condition of the alloy. However, trace addition of Ag promotes the formation of coarse constituent in the alloy and consumes hardening alloying elements of Zn and Mg. Moreover, the addition of the transition element Zr in 7000 series super-high alloy forms incoherent Al3 Zr dispersoid which can serve as nucleation sites for nonuniform precipitation of η phase during aging process. The higher the aging temperature, the greater the tendency for nonuniform precipitation of η phase.     

Preparation and properties of ceramic facing brick from East-lake sediment

In order to utilize solid wastes, ceramic facing brick was made form East-lake sediment and some additives. The strength and freeze-thaw resistance of the samples were tested, and the crystal phases and microstructures were studied by XRD and SEM. The results indicate that the samples have a wide firing temperature range. The main crystal phases are CaAl2Si2O8, α-Al2O3, Fe2O3, which distribute uniformly in the samples. The sample have the best properties in the series ’Ca-Al-Si’, and water absorption (Wa) , porosity (Pa), bulk density (D), bending strength and compressive strength are 7.24%, 15.82%, 2.19 g.cm-3, 45.57 MPa and 56.81 MPa respectively, when the addition amount of East-lake sediment is 80% and the firing temperature is 1 100 ℃. In the series ’K-Al-Si’, the sample with the best properties was obtained when addition amount of East-lake sediment was 70% and firing temperature was 1 060 ℃. The water absorption, porosity, bulk density, bending strength and compressive strength are 7.62%, 16.37%, 2.15 g～cm-3, 39.26 MPa, and 50.81 MPa respectively. They all come up to the national standardization, and meet the needs of manufacturing production.     

Use of double edge-cracked Brazilian disk geometry for compression-shear fracture investigation of rock

A new specimen geometry-the double edge-cracked Brazilian disk and a relevant fracture analysis by weight function method are proposed for the investigation of rock fracture caused by compression-shear loading. Not only can the mixed mode fracture with any ratio of KI /KII be achieved, but also the pure mode n crack extension can be obtained. The combined mode fracture analysis for this geometry shows that diametral compression in the far-field can induce a compression-shear stress state in the singular stress field ahead of crack tips. Experimental investigations conducted on marble specimens show that the pure mode [I crack extension can be obtained when the dimen-sionless crack length a>0. 7 and the inclined crack angle 5°≤ψ≤40°. Normalized mode I and mode II stress intensity factors decrease from -0. 45 and 2. 47 at ψ= 5° to - 1. 65 and 1. 52 at ψ=40°, respectively. The strains at three points of specimen are also measured in order to investigate the influence of stress singularity on initi     

Effect of solidification condition on secondary dendrite arm spacing of the A357 alloy under counter-pressure casting

The effect of counter-pressure casting parameters on secondary dendrite arm spacing (SDAS) of A357 alloy under different process parameters was studied. Quartz sand mould with chill can strongly decrease the SDAS. Reduced SDAS close to the mould bottom because of chilling was obtained. Pressure seems to have no apparent effect on the SDAS. In order to obtain casts with UTS ⩾ 320 MPa, SDAS must be less than 55 μm, which means a local cooling rate V _L⩾0.23 °C/s. Funded by the Innovation Fund for Outstanding Scholar of Henan Province(No. 0621000700)     

The properties of solution precursor plasma spray nanostructured thermal barrier coatings

About 300 μm thickness uniform thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) were deposited on the 1Cr18Ni9Ti samples by solution precursor plasma spray (SPPS).The analysis methods,such as TEM,SEM,and XRD were used to characterize the coatings in the aspects of microstructure and phase compositions.The samples were quenched from 1121 ℃ to room temperature by forced-air to measure the thermal cycling capability.Coatings density were measured by means of water displacement.The experimental results show that grain size of the SPPS TBCs is about 30 nm with desired tetragonal phase ZrO2,and the SPPS TBCs(with 16% porosity) consist of arcuate pores,gelatin and melted particles.The hardness of the coatings is HR45Y38.5 and bond strength between coatings and substrates is 24.2 MPa.The thermal shock test show the coatings have a average life of 500 cycles which is about 2.5 times than that of conventional air plasma spray (APS) TBCs.     

Microstructural evolution during aging of Ti-5Al-5Mo-5V-1Cr-1Fe alloy

The evolution of microstructure on aging of an (α+β) titanium alloy (Ti-5Al-5Mo-5V-1Cr-1Fe) in the β and (α+β) solution-treated and quenched conditions was investigated. The presence of very fine ω phase was detected by electron diffraction for samples aged below 400 °C. The fine α aggregates are uniformly formed within β grains by nucleating at the ω particles or β/ω interfaces. At higher temperature, the formation of ω phase is avoided and the α lamellae are precipitated at the preferred site of grain boundary and then within the matrix. The highest hardness values are found when the alloys are aged at 450 °C for β condition and 350 °C for (α+β) condition. Foundation item: Project (50634030) supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China; Project (2007DS04014) supported by the Program of Science and Technology of Shandong Province, China; Project supported by the Open Research Fund from the State Key Laboratory of Rolling and Automation, Northeastern University, China     

Microstructure and mechanical properties of Al-Zn-Cu-Mg-Sc-Zr alloy after retrogression and re-aging treatments

The mechanical properties and stress corrosion cracking (SCC) resistance of an Al-Zn-Cu-Mg-Sc-Zr alloy under different aging conditions were investigated. The dependence of microstructure and mechanical properties on aging parameters was evaluated by tensile test, hardness test and conductivity measurement. The results show that for the alloys with retrogression and re-aging treatment (RRA), the conductivity increases with the retrogression time and temperature, while the tensile strength decreases. The transmission electron microscopy (TEM) results show that the precipitates η(MgZn₂) at grain boundary aggregate apparently with retrogression time and the precipitates inside the matrix exhibit the similar distribution to T6 temper, which comprises fine GP zones, large η′(MgZn₂) and η(MgZn₂) phases. According to the mechanical properties and microstructure observations, the optimal RRA regime is recommended to be 120 °C, 24 h + 180 °C, 30 min + 120 °C, 24 h. The strength level of the alloy after the optimum RRA treatment is similar to that in T6 condition and the SCC resistance is improved obviously in contrast to T6 condition.