Effect of Al on microstructure and mechanical properties of as-extruded Mg–1Mn alloy sheet

The effect of Al addition on microstructure and mechanical properties of hot extruded Mg–1 Mn alloy sheet was investigated. The results revealed that the dynamic recrystallization was promoted by increasing Al content. The ultimate tensile strength and yield strength of the alloy increased with the increase of Al content. The Mg–9 Al–1 Mn alloy exhibited the highest strength, with tensile strength of 308 MPa, 307 MPa, 319 MPa, yield strength of 199 MPa, 207 MPa, 220 MPa and the elongation of 20.9%, 20.1%, 19.2% in 0°, 45°, 90°, respectively.The high strength was mainly attributed to the formation of fine dynamically recrystallized grains and large amounts of the second phase. The strengthening mechanism of the alloys was explained.     

Effects of Gd solutes on hardness and yield strength of Mg alloys

Relative contribution of individual strengthening mechanisms to the yield strength of Mg–0–15 wt%Gd alloys were investigated.Alloys with different grain size were prepared by adding Zr and hot extrusion.Hardness and tensile/compression yield strength were tested on the alloys after solid solution treatment and extrusion.HallPetch constants were calculated with hardness and tensile/compressive data.The results showed that the hardness of Mg–Gd alloys with similar Gd content and different grain size were almost the same,which indicates that grain size had little effect on hardness.The hardness linearly increased with rising Gd content(d H_v/dc≈25 kg mm~(-2)/at%Gd).The tensile and compressive yield strengths enhanced with the increase of Gd content for all alloys in different conditions.In addition,the tensile/compressive(t/c)yield asymmetry of extruded alloys decreased with increasing Gd content.Large t/c yield asymmetry ratio(1.77)was observed for pure Mg,and with increasing Gd content this value decreased to 1.With the increasing of tensile strength,the stress intensity factor,k_y,decreased from 0.27 MPa m~(1/2)for Mg–2 wt%Gd alloy to 0.19 MPa m~(1/2) for Mg–5 wt%Gd alloy,then increased to 0.29 MPa m~(1/2) for Mg–15 wt%Gd alloy.However,k_yincreased linearly form 0.16–0.31 MPa for compression test.The influence of grain size strengthening was eliminated,and the yield strength of tension and compression both linearly increased with c~n,where c is the atom concentration of Gd,and n=1/2 or 2/3.     

Preparation, microstructure and degradation performance of biomedical magnesium alloy fine wires

With the development of new biodegradable Mg alloy implant devices, the potential applications of biomedical Mg alloy fine wires are realized and explored gradually. In this study, we prepared three kinds of Mg alloy fine wires containing 4 wt% RE(Gd/Y/Nd) and 0.4 wt% Zn with the diameter less than 0.4 μm through casting, hot extruding and multi-pass cold drawing combined with intermediated annealing process. Their microstructures, mechanical and degradation properties were investigated. In comparison with the corresponding as-extruded alloy, the final fine wire has significantly refined grain with an average size of 3–4 μm, and meanwhile shows higher yield strength but lower ductility at room temperature. The degradation tests results and surface morphologies observations indicate that Mg–4Gd–0.4Zn and Mg–4Nd–0.4Zn fine wires have similar good corrosion resistance and the uniform corrosion behavior in SBF solution. By contrast, Mg–4Y–0.4Zn fine wire shows a poor corrosion resistance and the pitting corrosion behavior.     

Effect of Ca modification on the elemental composition,microstructure and tensile properties of Al-7Si-0.3Mg alloy

The effect of Ca addition on the elemental composition, microstructure, Brinell hardness and tensile properties of Al-7Si-0.3Mg alloy were investigated. The residual content of Ca in the alloy linearly increased with the amount of Ca added to the melt. The optimal microstructure and properties were obtained by adding 0.06wt% Ca to Al-7Si-0.3Mg alloy. The secondary dendrite arm spacing (SDAS) of the primary α phase decreased from 44.41 μm to 19.4 μm, and the eutectic Si changed from coarse plates to fine coral. The length of the Fe-rich phase (β-Al₅FeSi) decreased from 30.2 μm to 3.8 μm, and the Brinell hardness can reach to 66.9. The ultimate tensile strength, yield strength, and elongation of the resulting alloy increased from 159.5 MPa, 79 MPa, and 2.5% to 212 MPa, 86.5 MPa, and 4.5%, respectively. The addition of Ca can effectively refine the primary α phase and modify the eutectic Si phase, likely because Ca enrichment at the front of the solid-liquid interface led to undercooling of the alloy, reduced the growth rate of the primary α phase, and refined the grain size. Also, it could increase the latent heat of crystallization, undercooling, and the nucleation rate of eutectic Si, which was beneficial to the improvement of the morphology of eutectic Si.     

Effect of Zn addition on microstructure and mechanical properties of an Al–Mg–Si alloy

In the present work, an Al–0.66Mg–0.85Si–0.2Cu alloy with Zn addition was investigated by electron back scattering diffraction(EBSD), high resolution electron microscopy(HREM), tensile and Erichsen tests. The mechanical properties of the alloy after pre-aging met the standards of sheet forming. After paint baking, the yield strength of the alloy was improved apparently. GP(Ⅱ) zones and η’phases were formed during aging process due to Zn addition. With the precipitation of GP zones, β″ phases, GP(Ⅱ) zones and η’phases, the alloys displayed excellent mechanical properties.     

Effects of Zn content on the microstructure and the mechanical and corrosion properties of as-cast low-alloyed Mg–Zn–Ca alloys

The effects of Zn content on the microstructure and the mechanical and corrosion properties of as-cast low-alloyed Mg–xZn–0.2Ca alloys (x=0.6wt%, 2.0wt%, 2.5wt%, hereafter denoted as 0.6Zn, 2.0Zn, and 2.5Zn alloys, respectively) are investigated. The results show that the Zn content not only influences grain refinement but also induces different phase precipitation behaviors. The as-cast microstructure of the 0.6Zn alloy is composed of α-Mg, Mg₂Ca, and Ca₂Mg₆Zn₃ phases, whereas 2.0Zn and 2.5Zn alloys only contain α-Mg and Ca₂Mg₆Zn₃ phases, as revealed by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analyses. Moreover, with increasing Zn content, both the ultimate tensile strength (UTS) and the elongation to fracture first increase and then decrease. Among the three investigated alloys, the largest UTS (178 MPa) and the highest elongation to fracture (6.5%) are obtained for the 2.0Zn alloy. In addition, the corrosion rate increases with increasing Zn content. This paper provides an updated investigation of the alloy composition–microstructure–property relationships of different Zn-containing Mg–Zn–Ca alloys.     

A β-type TiNbZr alloy with low modulus and high strength for biomedical applications

The effect of thermo-mechanical treatment on the mechanical properties of a novel β-type Ti–36Nb–5Zr(wt%) alloy has been investigated.The solution treated alloy consists of β and α″ phases and exhibits a two-stage yielding with a low yield stress(around 100 MPa). After cold rolling at a reduction of 87.5% and subsequent annealing treatment at 698 K for 25 min, a fine microstructure with nanosized α precipitates distributed in small β grains as well as high density of dislocations was obtained to achieve a yield strength of 720 MPa and a ultimate tensile strength of 860 MPa. In spite of the formation of α precipitates, the β-stabilizers are not enriched in the parent β matrix due to the short duration and low temperature of the thermal treatment, resulting in a low chemical stability of β phase. The low stability of β phase and the small volume fraction of α precipitates produce a low Young’s modulus of 48 GPa. Such an excellent combination of low elastic modulus and high strength in mechanical properties indicates great potential for biomedical applications.     

Effects of P addition on the microstructure and mechanical properties of Mg–5%Sn–1.25%Si alloy

The effects of Al-P addition on the microstructure and mechanical properties of as-cast Mg–5%Sn–1.25%Si magnesium alloy were investigated. The results show that the phases of the as-cast alloy are composed of α-Mg, Mg2 Sn, Mg2 Si, little P, and AlP. The Chinese character shape Mg2 Si phase changes into a granular morphology by P addition because AlP can act as a heterogeneous nucleation core for the Mg2 Si phase. When 0.225wt% of Al–3.5%P alloy is added, the mechanical properties of the Mg–5%Sn–1.25%Si alloy are greatly improved, and the tensile strength increases from 156 to 191 MPa, an increase of 22.4% compared to the alloy without P addition. When the amount of Al–3.5%P reaches 0.300wt%, a segregation phenomenon occurs in the granular Mg2 Si phase, and the tensile strength and hardness decrease though the elongation increases.     

Microstructure and mechanical properties of spark plasma sintered Ti-Mo alloys for dental applications

Ti-Mo alloys with various Mo contents from 6wt% to 14wt% were processed by spark plasma sintering based on elemental powders. The influence of sintering temperature and Mo content on the microstructure and mechanical properties of the resulting alloys were investigated. For each Mo concentration, the optimum sintering temperature was determined, resulting in a fully dense and uniform microstructure of the alloy. The optimized sintering temperature gradually increases in the range of 1100–1300℃ with the increase in Mo content. The microstructure of the Ti-(6–12)Mo alloy consists of acicular α phase surrounded by equiaxed grains of β phase, while the Ti-14Mo alloy only contains single β phase. A small amount of fine α lath precipitated from β phase contributes to the improvement in strength and hardness of the alloys. Under the sintering condition at 1250℃, the Ti-12Mo alloy is found to possess superior mechanical properties with the Vickers hardness of Hv 472, the compressive yield strength of 2182 MPa, the compression rate of 32.7%, and the elastic modulus of 72.1 GPa. These results demonstrate that Ti-Mo alloys fabricated via spark plasma sintering are indeed a perspective candidate alloy for dental applications.     

Microstructures and mechanical properties of as-extruded Mg–5Sn–1Zn–xAl(x=1, 3 and 5) alloys

As-extruded Mg–5Sn–1Zn–xAl alloys(x=1, 3, and 5) were fabricated by hot extrusion. The experimental results revealed that the yield strength of alloys initially decreased and then increased with the increase of Al content. These changes were mainly attributed to the difference in crystallographic texture and volume fractions of second phases. The ultimate tensile strength, yield strength, and elongation of the alloys were greater than 310 MPa, 227 MPa, and 11%, respectively. The strain hardening ability of the alloys was also discussed.     

Effect of lower bainite/martensite/retained austenite triplex microstructure on the mechanical properties of a low-carbon steel with quenching and partitioning process

We present a study concerning Fe–0.176C–1.31Si–1.58Mn–0.26Al–0.3Cr (wt%) steel subjected to a quenching and partitioning (Q&P) process. The results of scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and tensile tests demonstrate that the microstructures primarily consist of lath martensite, retained austenite, lower bainite (LB), and a small amount of tempered martensite; moreover, few twin austenite grains were observed. In the microstructure, three types of retained austenite with different sizes and morphologies were observed: blocky retained austenite (~300 nm in width), film-like retained austenite (80–120 nm in width), and ultra- fine film-like retained austenite (30–40 nm in width). Because of the effect of the retained austenite/martensite/LB triplex microstructure, the specimens prepared using different quenching temperatures exhibit high ultimate tensile strength and yield strength. Furthermore, the strength effect of LB can partially counteract the decreasing strength effect of martensite. The formation of LB substantially reduces the amount of retained austenite. Analyses of the retained austenite and the amount of blocky retained austenite indicated that the carbon content is critical to the total elongation of Q&P steel.     

Effects of Sn addition on microstructure and mechanical properties of Mg- Zn-Al alloys

The effects of Sn addition(0, 0.5, 1.0, 2.0 and 3 wt%) on microstructure of Mg-4Zn-1.5Al alloy in cast and extruded states were investigated, and the mechanical properties of as-extruded Mg-4Zn-1.5Al-xSn studied. The experimental results showed that the as-cast Mg-4Zn-1.5Al alloy was composed of two phases α-Mg and Mg_(32)(Al, Zn)_(49), while Sn-containing alloys consisted of α-Mg, Mg_(32)(Al, Zn)_(49) and Mg_2Sn phases, and Mg_(32)(Al, Zn)_(49) was not detected after extruding due to that the most of them dissolved into the matrix during the homogenized treatment. The addition of Sn refined the grains of as-cast and as-extruded Mg-Zn-Al alloys obviously. It was noted that the basal texture intensity reduced with increasing Sn content significantly in as-extruded Mg-Zn-Al alloys. The tensile tests results indicated that Sn addition improve the tensile strength of the extruded alloys,while it had a harmful effect on the ductility. When the addition of Sn was 2 wt%, the ultimate tensile strength(UTS), yield strength(YS) and elongation(ε_f) of the alloy were 280 MPa, 147 MPa and 17.4%, respectively.     

Effects of Ni content on the cast and solid-solution microstructures of Cu-0.4wt%Be alloys

The effects of Ni content (0–2.1wt%) on the cast and solid-solution microstructures of Cu-0.4wt%Be alloys were investigated, and the corresponding mechanisms of influence were analyzed. The results show that the amount of precipitated phase increases in the cast alloys with increasing Ni content. When the Ni content is 0.45wt% or 0.98wt%, needle-like Be₂₁Ni₅ phases form in the grains and are mainly distributed in the interdendritic regions. When the Ni content is 1.5wt% or greater, a large number of needle-like precipitates form in the grains and chain-like Be₂₁Ni₅ and BeNi precipitates form along the grain boundaries. The addition of Ni can substantially refine the cast and solid-solution microstructures of Cu-0.4wt%Be alloys. The hindering effects of both the dissolution of Ni into the matrix and the formation of Be–Ni precipitates on grain-boundary migration are mainly responsible for refining the cast and solid-solution microstructures of Cu-0.4wt%Be alloys. Higher Ni contents result in finer microstructures; however, given the precipitation characteristics of Be–Ni phases and their dissolution into the matrix during the solid-solution treatment, the upper limit of the Ni content is 1.5wt%–2.1wt%.     

Microstructure evolution and mechanical properties of a large-sized ingot of Mg–9Gd–3Y–1.5Zn–0.5Zr(wt%) alloy after a lower-temperature homogenization treatment

In this paper,a large-sized ingot of Mg–9Gd–3Y–1.5Zn–0.5Zr(wt%) alloy with a diameter of 600 mm was successfully prepared by the semi-continuous casting method.The alloy was subsequently annealed at a relatively low temperature of 430°C for 12 h as a homogenization treatment.The microstructure and room-temperature mechanical properties of the alloy were investigated systematically.The results show that the as-cast alloy contained a mass of discontinuous lamellar-shaped 18 R long-period stacking ordered(LPSO) phases with a composition of Mg10 Zn Y and an α-Mg matrix,along with net-shaped Mg5(Y,Gd) eutectic compounds at the grain boundaries.Most of the eutectic compounds dissolved after the homogenization treatment.Moreover,the amount and dimensions of the lamellar-shaped LPSO phase obviously increased after the homogenization treatment.The structure of the phase transformed into 14H-type LPSO with composition Mg12Zn(Y,Gd).The mechanical properties of the heat-treated large-sized alloy ingot are uniform.The ultimate tensile strength(UTS) and tensile yield strength(TYS) of the alloy reached 207.2 MPa and 134.8 MPa,respectively,and the elongation was 3.4%.The high performances of the large-sized alloy ingot after the homogenization treatment is attributed to the strengthening of the α-Mg solid solution and to the plentiful LPSO phase distributed over the α-Mg matrix.     

Ti – Cu– Zr–Fe– Nb ultrafine structur e-dendrite composites with good mechanical properties and biocompat ibility

Ti-Cu-Zr-Fe-Nb ultrafine structure-dendrite composites were designed by inducing Nb and more Ti to a Ti-Cu-Zr-Fe glass-forming alloy composition and prepared by copper mold casting.The composite alloys consist of β-Ti dendrites and ultrafine-structured CuTi₂ and CuTi phases as well as a trace amount of glassy phase.The volume fraction of β-Ti dendrites increases with the increase in content of Nb which acted as the β-Ti phase stabilizer in the alloys.The composites exhibit high compressive yield strength exceeding1200 MPa,maximum strength around 1800 MPa and low Young’s modulus around 48 GPa.The plasticity of the alloys is strongly influenced by the volume fraction and morphology of the dendritic β-Ti phase,and the compressive plastic strain was enlarged from 5.9%for the 4 at%Nb alloy to 9.2%for the 8 at%Nb alloy.The preliminary cell culture experiment indicated good biocompatibility of the composite alloys free from highly toxic elements Ni and Be.These Ti-based composite alloys are promising to have potential structural and biomedical applications due to the combination of good mechanical properties and biocompatibility.     

Effects of Ag addition on the microstructures and properties of Al-Mg-Si-Cu alloys

Effects of Ag addition on the microstructures, aging characteristics, tensile properties, electrochemical properties, and intergranular corrosion (IGC) properties of Al-1.1Mg-0.8Si-0.9Cu-0.35Mn-0.02Ti alloy were investigated using scanning electronic microscopy and transmission electronic microscopy. The aging process of Al-Mg-Si-Cu alloys was accelerated by the addition of Ag. The strength of peak-aged Al-Mg-Si-Cu alloys was enhanced by Ag addition because of the high density of β"- and L-phase age-hardening precipitates. The corrosion performance of the Al-Mg-Si-Cu alloy is closely related to the aging conditions and is independent of the Ag content. The IGC susceptibility is serious in the peak-aged alloy because of the continuous distribution of Cu-rich Q-phase precipitates along grain boundaries. Ag addition reduces the size of the grain-boundary-precipitate Q phase and the width of the precipitate-free zone and thus results in decreased IGC susceptibility of Al-Mg-Si-Cu alloys.     

Abrasive resistance of metastable V–Cr–Mn–Ni spheroidal carbide cast irons using the factorial design method

Full factorial design was used to evaluate the two-body abrasive resistance of 3wt%C–4wt%Mn–1.5wt%Ni spheroidal carbide cast irons with varying vanadium (5.0wt%–10.0wt%) and chromium (up to 9.0wt%) contents. The alloys were quenched at 920℃. The regression equation of wear rate as a function of V and Cr contents was proposed. This regression equation shows that the wear rate decreases with increasing V content because of the growth of spheroidal VC carbide amount. Cr influences the overall response in a complex manner both by reducing the wear rate owing to eutectic carbides (M₇C₃) and by increasing the wear rate though stabilizing austenite to deformation-induced martensite transformation. This transformation is recognized as an important factor in increasing the abrasive response of the alloys. By analyzing the regression equation, the optimal content ranges are found to be 7.5wt%–10.0wt% for V and 2.5wt%–4.5wt% for Cr, which corresponds to the alloys containing 9vol%–15vol% spheroidal VC carbides, 8vol%–16vol% M₇C₃, and a metastable austenite/martensite matrix. The wear resistance is 1.9–2.3 times that of the traditional 12wt% V–13wt% Mn spheroidal carbide cast iron.     

Influence of Rare Earth Elements on Mechanical Properties and Corrosion Resistance of Cu-15Ni Alloy

In order to improve the mechanical property and Cl-+S2-corrosion resistance of B15 copper-nickel alloy,Cu-15Ni-xRE(x:0-0.1%by weight)alloy was prepared by adding rare earth(RE)in melted Cu-15Ni alloy using metal mould casting method.Optical microscopy(OM),electronic tensile testing machine,X-ray diffraction(XRD),scanning electron microscope(SEM),and electrochemical testing system were used to analyze mechanical property,corrosion resistance property,and surface microstructure of different treatment samples.The results of OM and tensile testing show that the RE addition can effectively deoxidize the alloy melt and the microstructure of the alloy changes from coarse dendrite to small equiaxed grain.By addition of 0.05%RE,the tensile strength and elongation of Cu-15Ni alloys are improved from 294 MPa to 340MPa,and 8%to 33.5%respectively.The results of electrochemical testing show that the corrosion resistance of Cu-15Ni alloy is greatly improved by adding proper amount of RE,whereas excess addition of RE worsens the corrosion resistance.The optimum RE content was about 0.05%by weight.In comparison with the alloy without RE,the corrosion potential and corrosion current density of Cu-15Ni alloy containing proper RE decreased by about-0.28 V and 70A/cm2,respectively.     

Effects of Ni content on the cast and solid-solution microstructures of Cu-0.4wt% Be alloys

The effects of Ni content(0–2.1wt%)on the cast and solid-solution microstructures of Cu-0.4wt%Be alloys were investigated,and the corresponding mechanisms of influence were analyzed.The results show that the amount of precipitated phase increases in the cast alloys with increasing Ni content.When the Ni content is 0.45wt%or 0.98wt%,needle-like Be_(21)Ni_5 phases form in the grains and are mainly distributed in the interdendritic regions.When the Ni content is 1.5wt%or greater,a large number of needle-like precipitates form in the grains and chain-like Be_(21)Ni_5 and Be Ni precipitates form along the grain boundaries.The addition of Ni can substantially refine the cast and solid-solution microstructures of Cu-0.4wt%Be alloys.The hindering effects of both the dissolution of Ni into the matrix and the formation of Be–Ni precipitates on grain-boundary migration are mainly responsible for refining the cast and solid-solution microstructures of Cu-0.4wt%Be alloys.Higher Ni contents result in finer microstructures;however,given the precipitation characteristics of Be–Ni phases and their dissolution into the matrix during the solid-solution treatment,the upper limit of the Ni content is 1.5wt%–2.1wt%.     

Titanium effect on the microstructure and properties of laminated high boron steel plates

High-boron steel is an important material used for thermal neutron shielding. The appropriate amount of added boron must be determined because excessive boron may deteriorate the steel's workability. A uniform microstructure can be formed by adding titanium to boron steel. In this study, casting and hot rolling were used to fabricate laminated high-boron steel plates whose cores contained 2.25wt% boron and 0wt%-7.9wt% titanium. The effects of titanium content and hot-rolling and heat-treatment processes on the microstructure and properties of the laminated plates were studied. The results indicated that the optimum titanium content was 5.7wt% when the boron content was 2.25wt%, and that the best overall properties were obtained after heat treatment at 1100℃ for 4 h. The tensile strength, yield strength, and elongation at the specified temperature and holding time were as high as 526.88 MPa, 219.36 MPa, and 29%, respectively.