Elevated temperature Mg-Al-Sr: Creep resistance,mechanical properties,and microstructure

Mg-Al-Sr-based alloys (AJ alloys) have shown superior creep performance and tensile strength at temperatures as high as 175° with stresses up to 70 MPa. Mg-6Al-2.4Sr (AJ62x) exhibits an optimum combination of creep resistance and excellent castability, while AJ62Lx (strontium <2.1) has better ductility than other AJ formulations. The AJ alloy microstructure is characterized by the Al₄Sr-α(Mg) lamellar phase that forms at the interdendritic/grain boundary region of the primary magne sium matrix. Mg-5Al-2Sr (AJ52x) contains a ternary phase that was tentatively named Al₃Mg₁₃Sr. When the strontium level is low in AJ62x, the volume fraction of Al₄Sr is reduced, the aluminum supersaturation of the magnesium primary phase increases, and Mg₁₇Al₁₂ forms. In this article, a mechanism is proposed whereby the creep resistance decreases with the strontium level but the tensile strength and ductility increase. For more information, contact Eric Baril, Noranda, Noranda Technologies Centre, 240 Hymus Pointe-Claire (Montréal), Québec, H9R 1G5 Canada; (514) 630-9347; fax (514) 630-9379; e-mail eric.baril@ntc.noranda.com.     

Phase diagrams for lead-free solder alloys

The need for new, improved solder alloys and a better understanding of reactions during the soldering process grows steadily as the need for smaller and more reliable electronic products increases. Information obtained from phase equilibria data and thermodynamic calculations has proven to be an important tool in the design and understanding of new lead-free solder alloys. A wide range of candidate alloys can be rapidly evaluated for proper freezing ranges, susceptibility to contamination effects, and reactions with substrate materials before the expensive process of preparing and testing candidate alloys is initiated.     

The use of severe plastic deformation techniques in grain refinement

Severe plastic deformation (SPD) has emerged as a promising method to produce ultrafine-grained materials with attractive properties. Today, SPD techniques are rapidly developing and are on the verge of moving from lab-scale research into commercial production. This paper discusses new trends in the development of SPD techniques suchas high-pressure torsion and equal-channel angle pressing, as well as new alternative techniques for introducing SPD. The paper also contains a comparative analysis of SPD techniques in terms of their relative capabilities for grain refinement, enhancement of properties, and potential to economically produce ultrafine-grained metals and alloys. For more information, contact Terry C. Lowe, Science and Technology Base Programs, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM 87545; (505) 667-7824; fax (505) 665-3199; e-mail tlowe@lanl.gov.     

Casting/mold thermal contact heat transfer during solidification of Al-Cu-Si alloy (LM 21) plates in thick and thin molds

Heat flow at the casting/mold interface was assessed and studied during solidification of Al-Cu-Si (LM 21) alloy in preheated cast iron molds of two different thicknesses, coated with graphite and alumina based dressings. The casting and the mold were instrumented with thermocouples connected to a computer controlled temperature data acquisition system. The thermal history at nodal locations in the mold and casting obtained during experimentation was used to estimate the heat flux by solving the one-dimensional inverse heat conduction problem. The cooling rate and solidification time were measured using the computer-aided cooling curve analysis data. The estimated heat flux transients showed a peak due to the formation of a stable solid shell, which has a higher thermal conductivity compared with the liquid metal in contact with the mold wall prior to the occurrence of the peak. The high values of heat flux transients obtained with thin molds were attributed to mold distortion due to thermal stresses. For thin molds, assumption of Newtonian heating yielded reliable interfacial heat transfer coefficients as compared with one-dimensional inverse modeling. The time of occurrence of peak heat flux increased with a decrease in the mold wall thickness and increase in the casting thickness.     

Effect of Powder Type and Compaction Pressure on the Density,Hardness and Oxidation Resistance of Sintered and Steam-treated Steels

Two types of Hoganas iron powders—sponge (NC), and highly compressible (SC) were investigated. These specimens were compacted with a pressure of 300, 400, 500, 600, and 700 MPa, before sintering in a production belt-type furnace. Steam treatment of the specimens was at 570 °C for 30 min. The sintered density and as-sintered hardness increase with increasing compaction pressure, and are significantly influenced by the powder structural characteristics. During steam treatment the type of powder and compaction pressure have an important influence on the extent of pore closure and weight gain. The maximum hardness was obtained for the components compacted at a pressure of 500 MPa for both groups of iron powders. Surface pore closure and oxidation resistance of the steam-treated components are improved with increasing compaction pressure.     

Process for dense 2D SiC fiber-SiC matrix composites

A new process using SiC fiber fabrics and SiC tapes to produce dense 2D SiC fiber-SiC (SiC/SiC) composites is demonstrated. The strategy for fabricating the SiC/SiC composites involves: (i) alternately stacking the SiC fiber fabrics and SiC tapes at room temperature, (ii) pyrolyzing of the stacked composites, and (iii) hot-pressing the pyrolyzed composites. By controlling the hot-pressing temperature, it is possible to obtain dense 2D SiC/SiC composites with relative densities of >98%. The 2D SiC/SiC composites show no degradation of the SiC fibers and a higher mechanical strength.     

Opportunities in the electrowinning of molten titanium from titanium dioxide

The value chain of titanium products shows that the difference between the cost of titanium ingot and titanium dioxide is about $9/kg titanium. In contrast, the price of aluminum, which is produced in a similar way, is only about $1.7/kg. Electrowinning of molten titanium from titanium dioxide is therefore believed to have significant potential to reduce the cost of titanium products. The process is hampered by the high operating temperatures and sophisticated materials of construction required; the high affinity of titanium for carbon, oxygen, and nitrogen; and physical and chemical properties of the different titanium oxide species when reducing titanium from Ti₄₊ to metallic titanium. For more information, contact D.S. van Vuuren, CSIR, Materials and Manufacturing Technology Department, Meiring Naude Road, Pretoria, Gauteng 0181, South Africa; +27 12-841 2375; fax +27 841 2135; e-mail dvvuuren@csir.co.za.     

Design of forging process variables under uncertainties

Forging is a complex nonlinear process that is vulnerable to various manufacturing anomalies, such as variations in billet geometry, billet/die temperatures, material properties, and workpiece and forging equipment positional errors. A combination of these uncertainties could induce heavy manufacturing losses through premature die failure, final part geometric distortion, and reduced productivity. Identifying, quantifying, and controlling the uncertainties will reduce variability risk in a manufacturing environment, which will minimize the overall production cost. In this article, various uncertainties that affect the forging process are identified, and their cumulative effect on the forging tool life is evaluated. Because the forging process simulation is time-consuming, a response surface model is used to reduce computation time by establishing a relationship between the process performance and the critical process variables. A robust design methodology is developed by incorporating reliability-based optimization techniques to obtain sound forging components. A case study of an automotive-component forging-process design is presented to demonstrate the applicability of the method.     

Worker Exposure Monitoring of Suspended Particles in a Thermal Spray Industry

The purpose of the present work was the investigation and characterization of the quality of air in a thermal spray industry, in Greece. The activities that take place in the specific facility, as well as in most other similar industries, include thermal spraying and several mechanical and metallurgical tasks that generate airborne particles, such as grit-blasting, cutting and grinding of metallic components. Since the main focus of this work was the workers exposure to airborne particles and heavy metals, portable air samplers with quartz fiber filters, were used daily for 8 h. Three samplers, carried from different employees, were used for a period of 1 month. Results showed that both particles and heavy metals concentrations were low, even in the production site, which was the most susceptible area. The only exceptions were observed in the case of cleaning and maintenance activities in the thermal spray booth and in the case of spraying outside the booth. The main reason for the low concentrations is the fact that most of the activities that could produce high-particle concentrations are conducted in closed, well-ventilated systems. Statistical elaboration of results showed that particles are correlated with Ni, Cu, Co. The same conclusion is extracted for Fe, Mn. These correlations indicate possible common sources.