Effect of grain refinement and crystallographic texture produced by friction stir processing on the biodegradation behavior of a Mg-Nd-Zn alloy

The application of a single pass of friction stir processing(FSP) to Mg-Nd-Zn alloy resulted in grain refinement, texture evolution and redistribution of second phases, which improved corrosion resistance.In this work, an as-rolled Mg-Nd-Zn alloy was subjected to FSP. The microstructure in the processed zone of the FS-400 rpm alloy exhibited refined grains, a more homogenous grain size distribution, less second phases, and stronger basal plane texture. The corrosion behavior assessed using immersion tests and electrochemical tests in Hank's solution indicated that the FS-400 rpm alloy had a lower corrosion rate, which was attributed to the increase of basal plane intensity and grain refinement. The hardness was lowered slightly and the elongation was increased, which might be attributed to the redistribution of the crushed second phases.     

Effect of refinement of grains and icosahedral phase on hot compressive deformation and processing maps of Mg-Zn-Y magnesium alloys with different volume fractions of icosahedral phase

The effect of the volume fraction of I-phase on the hot compressive behavior and processing maps of the extruded Mg-Zn-Y alloys was examined, and the obtained results were compared with those of the cast alloys in a previous work. The average grain sizes, fractions of dynamically recrystallized (DRXed) grains, and sizes of DRXed grains of the extruded alloys after compressive deformation were significantly smaller, higher and smaller, respectively, than those of the cast alloys after compressive deformation under the same experimental conditions. This was because the microstructures of the extruded alloys, having much more grain boundaries and more refined I-phase particles than the cast alloys, provided a larger number of nucleation sites for dynamic recrystallization than those of the cast alloys. The constitutive equations for high-temperature deformation of the extruded and cast alloys could be derived using the same activation energy for plastic flow, which was close to the activation energy for lattice diffusion in magnesium. Compared with the cast alloys, the onset of the power law breakdown (PLB) occurred at larger Zener-Holloman (Z) parameter values in the extruded alloys. This was because the extruded alloys had finer initial grain sizes and higher fractions of finer DRXed grains compared to the cast alloys, such that the onset of PLB caused by creation of excessive concentrations of deformation-induced vacancies was delayed to a higher strain rate and a lower temperature. The flow-stress difference between the extruded alloys and the cast alloys could be attributed to the difference in the fraction of DRXed grains. According to the processing maps, the extruded alloys exhibited higher power dissipation efficiency and flow stability than the cast alloys. This agreed with the microstructural observations.     

亚温淬火后钢的组织和性能的研究

本文研究了亚温淬火以后钢的显微组织和性能。试验结果表明,冲击韧性的显著提高,主要是由于亚温淬火钢具有细小的晶粒尺寸,其次是显微组织中存在着少量未溶针状铁素体。     

Retrieval of subpixel snow covered area, grain size, and albedo from MODIS

We describe and validate a model that retrieves fractional snow-covered area and the grain size and albedo of that snow from surface reflectance data (product MOD09GA) acquired by NASA's Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS). The model analyzes the MODIS visible, near infrared, and shortwave infrared bands with multiple endmember spectral mixtures from a library of snow, vegetation, rock, and soil. We derive snow spectral endmembers of varying grain size from a radiative transfer model specific to a scene's illumination geometry; spectra for vegetation, rock, and soil were collected in the field and laboratory. We validate the model with fractional snow cover estimates from Landsat Thematic Mapper data, at 30 m resolution, for the Sierra Nevada, Rocky Mountains, high plains of Colorado, and Himalaya. Grain size measurements are validated with field measurements during the Cold Land Processes Experiment, and albedo retrievals are validated with in situ measurements in the San Juan Mountains of Colorado. The pixel-weighted average RMS error for snow-covered area across 31 scenes is 5%, ranging from 1% to 13%. The mean absolute error for grain size was 51 µm and the mean absolute error for albedo was 4.2%. Fractional snow cover errors are relatively insensitive to solar zenith angle. Because MODSCAG is a physically based algorithm that accounts for the spatial and temporal variation in surface reflectances of snow and other surfaces, it is capable of global snow cover mapping in its more computationally efficient, operational mode.     

A multigrid solver for phase field simulation of microstructure evolution

This paper presents a semi-implicit numerical method for the simulation of grain growth in two dimensions with a multi-phase field model. To avoid the strong stability condition of traditional explicit methods, a first-order, semi-implicit discretisation scheme is employed, which offers a good compromise with regard to memory intensity and computational requirements. A nonlinear multigrid solver based on the Full Approximation Scheme is implemented to solve the equations resulting from this discretisation. Simulations with the multigrid solver show that the solver has grid size independent convergence properties and is faster than a standard first-order explicit solver. As such, the multigrid solver promises to be a reliable additional computational tool for the simulation of microstructural evolution. A comparison with existing alternatives remains, however, subject of further investigation. To validate the implementation, the results of specific test cases are studied.     

Atom probe tomography of Ni-base superalloys Allvac 718Plus and Alloy 718

Atom probe tomography (APT) allows near atomic scale compositional- and morphological studies of, e.g. matrix, precipitates and interfaces in a wide range of materials. In this work two Ni-base superalloys with similar compositions, Alloy 718 and its derivative Allvac 718Plus, are subject for investigation with special emphasis on the latter alloy. The structural and chemical nuances of these alloys are important for their properties. Of special interest are grain boundaries as their structure and chemistry are important for the materials' ability to resist rapid environmentally induced crack propagation. APT has proved to be suitable for analyses of these types of alloys using voltage pulsed APT. However, for investigations of specimens containing grain boundaries and other interfaces the risk for early specimen fracture is high. Analyses using laser pulsing impose lower electrical field on the specimen thereby significantly increasing the success rate of investigations. Here, the effect of laser pulsing was studied and the derived appropriate acquisition parameters were then applied for microstructural studies, from which initial results are shown. Furthermore, the influence of the higher evaporation field experienced by the hardening γ′ Ni₃(Al,Nb) precipitates on the obtained results is discussed.     

Determination of Neutron Irradiation-Induced Phosphorus Segregation on Grain Boundaries in a P-doped 2.25Cr1Mo Steel

Irradiation-induced impurity segregation to grain boundaries is one of the important radiation effects on materials.For this reason, phosphorus segregation to prior austenite grain boundaries in a P-doped 2.25Cr1Mo steel subjected to neutron irradiation is examined using field emission gun scanning transmission electron microscopy (FEGSTEM) with energy dispersive X-ray microanalysis (EDX). The steel samples are irradiated around 270 and 400℃, respectively.The irradiation dose rate and dose are ～1.05×10-8 dpa/s and ～0.042 dpa respectively for 270℃ irradiation, and 1.7×10-8 dpa/s and 0.13 dpa respectively for 400℃ irradiation. The FEGSTEM results indicate that there is no apparent phosphorus segregation during 270℃ irradiation but there is some during 400℃ irradiation.     

Effect of substituting cerium-rich mischmetal with lanthanum on high temperature properties of die-cast Mg–Zn–Al–Ca–RE alloys

Mg–Zn–Al–Ca–RE alloys have been found to be promising materials for substituting aluminum alloys used for automatic transmission case applications in the automobile industry. Particularly, Mg–0.5%Zn–6%Al–1%Ca–3%RE (ZAXE05613) alloy exhibits comparable creep resistance as ADC12 die-casting aluminum alloy that is currently used for automatic transmission case applications. Changing the rare earth (RE) content of the alloy from mischmetal to lanthanum gives a further improvement in the creep properties of the alloy. Lanthanum addition results in the crystallization of a large amount of acicular Al₁₁RE₃ (Al₁₁La₃) compound along the grain boundaries as well as across the grain boundaries and this effectively controls grain boundary sliding and dislocation motion in the vicinity of the grain boundaries. As a result, die-cast ZAXLa05613 alloy exhibits a higher creep resistance than that of ZAXE05613 alloy.     

Microstructure Evolution During High-Temperature Deformation of 8090 Al-Li Alloy

The microstructure evolution of an as-processed 8090 Al-Li alloy during high temperature deformation has been investigated with emphasis on the dynamic grain size refinement and the formation of high-angle grain boundaries. Tensile tests were conducted at temperatures 470-560°C and initial strain rates of 10^-2-10^-6 s^-1. The starting and deformed samples were characterized using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), and Electron Backscattered Diffraction (EBSD). The material showed a maximum elongation to failure of 660% at 530°C and strain rate of 10^-3 s^-1. A microstructural transformation from coarse grains to uniform fine microstructure through dynamic recrystallization (DRX) was observed. The DRX process was characterized by (1) a bimodal microstructure, (2) a gradual increase in average boundary misorientation angles, and (3) a gradual decrease of microtexture. The development of high angle boundaries was attributed to the absorption of dislocations into subboundaries and the grain boundary sliding (GBS)-induced subgrain rotation. The microstructural evolution was suggested to be responsible for the superplastic behavior observed in this as-processed material.     

基于含水层渗透系数研究的云-Markov 模型的建立与应用

通过建立云-Markov模型对含水层渗透系数进行预测。利用云模型中的多条件多规则不确定推理技术,根据样品的粒径分布对渗透系数进行预测,并对其进行误差分析;在此基础上利用权Markov原理对预测误差的随机性进行模拟,进而根据此模拟值对云模型的预测结果进行校正,将校正后的预测值作为云-Markov模型最终的计算结果输出,即完成对一个沉积样品渗透系数的预测。将该模型应用于华北平原典型地区冲洪积扇含水层参数研究,计算结果表明:与渗透系数的实测值相比,云模型的误差相对数介于0.62~1.34间,通过权Markov误差校正后,云-Markov模型的误差相对数为0.74~1.27。与传统经验公式相比,云和云-Markov模型的计算精度均满足地下水资源评价的要求,其中云-Markov模型具有更高的计算精度和广泛的使用范围,但其同时也具有较高的计算成本。