A Ti–Zr–Cu–Ni–Co–Fe–Al–Sn amorphous filler metal for improving the strength of Ti–6Al–4V alloy brazing joint

Ti_(50)Zr_(27)Cu_8Ni_4Co_3Fe_2Al_3Sn_3(at%) amorphous filler metal with low Cu and Ni contents in a melt-spun ribbon form was developed for improving mechanical properties of Ti–6Al–4V alloy brazing joint through decreasing brittle intermetallics in the braze zone. Investigation on the crystallization behavior of the multicomponent Ti–Zr–Cu–Ni–Co–Fe–Al–Sn amorphous alloy indicates the high stability of the supercooled liquid against crystallization that favors the formation of amorphous structure. The Ti–6Al–4V joint brazed with this Ti-based amorphous filler metal with low total content of Cu and Ni at 1203K for 900s mainly consists of α-Ti, β-Ti,minor Ti–Zr-rich phase and only a small amount of Ti_3Cu intermetallics, leading to the high shear strength of the joint of about 460 MPa. Multicomponent composition design of amorphous alloys is an effective way of tailoring filler metals for improving the joint strength.     

Effect of Ag addition on the thermal stability and glass-forming ability of Zr<Subscript>35</Subscript>Ti<Subscript>30</Subscript>Cu<Subscript>7.5</Subscript>Be<Subscript>27.5</Subscript> bulk metallic glass

The thermal stability and glass forming ability (GFA) of Zr35-xTi30Cu7.5Be27.5Agx (x = 0-10) alloys were studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and ultrasonic techniques. We found that the addition of 1 at.% Ag can considerably enhance the GFA as indicated by an increase in the critical glass dimension from 15 mm in the Zr35Ti30Cu7.5Be27.5 alloy to 20 mm in the Zr34Ti30Cu7.5Be27.5Ag1 alloy. However, with the addition of more Ag the supercooled liquid region (△Tx) and y parameter (defined as Tx/(Tg+Tl)) drastically decreased from 155 K and 0.436 to 76 K and 0.363, respectively, resulting in a decrease in the GFA. Additionally, the elastic constant (the ratio of shear modulus to bulk modulus or Poisson’s ratio) was also used as a gauge to evaluate the GFA in Zr35-xTi30Cu7.5Be27.5Agx alloys.     

Hydrogen storage properties of (Ti0.85Zr0.15)1.05Mn1.2Cr0.6V0.1M0.1 (M=Ni, Fe, Cu) alloys easily activated at room temperature

The(Ti_(0.85)Zr_(0.15))_(1.05)Mn_(1.2)Cr_(0.6)V_(0.1)M_(0.1)(M=Ni, Fe, Cu) alloys with a single C14-type Laves phase have been fabricated by arc melting. They are able to be easily activated by one hydrogen absorption and desorption cycle under 4 MPa hydrogen pressure and vacuum at room temperature. Partial substitution of M for Mn results in the increase of hydrogenation and dehydrogenation capacities in an order of Ni Fe Cu. M elements increase the absorption and desorption plateau pressure in an order of(Ti_(0.85)Zr_(0.15))_(1.05)Mn_(1.2)Cr_(0.6)V_(0.1)Cu_(0.1)(Ti_(0.85)Zr_(0.15))_(1.05)Mn_(1.2)Cr_(0.6)V_(0.1)Fe_(0.1)(Ti_(0.85)Zr_(0.15))_(1.05)Mn_(1.2)Cr_(0.6)V_(0.1)Ni_(0.1). The(Ti_(0.85)Zr_(0.15))_(1.05)Mn_(1.2)Cr_(0.6)V_(0.1)Cu_(0.1) alloy has reversible hydrogen capacities of 1.81 wt% at 273 K and 1.58 wt% at 318 K with formation enthalpy(ΔH_(ab)) of-20.66 kJ mol~(-1) and decomposition enthalpy(ΔH_(de)) of 27.37 kJ mol~(-1). The differences in the hydrogen storage properties can be attributed to the increase of the interstitial size for hydrogen accommodation caused by the increase of unit cell volumes in the order of(Ti_(0.85)Zr_(0.15))_(1.05)Mn_(1.2)Cr_(0.6)V_(0.1)Ni_(0.1)(Ti_(0.85)Zr_(0.15))_(1.05)Mn_(1.2)Cr_(0.6)V_(0.1)Fe_(0.1)(Ti_(0.85)Zr_(0.15))_(1.05)Mn_(1.2)Cr_(0.6)V_(0.1)Cu_(0.1).     

Fabrication of bulk glassy Zr41Ti14Ni8Cu12.5Be22.5Fe2 alloy by water quenching

A glassy Zr₄₁Ti₁₄Ni₈Cu_12.5Be_22.5Fe₂ rod with a diameter of 9 mm was successfully produced by water quenching. The effects of iron addition on thermal stability and hardness of Zr₄₁Ti₁₄Ni₈Cu_12.5Be_22.5Fe₂ bulk amorphous alloy were investigated by XR D, DSC and microhardness test. It is found that the full annealing would enhance the strength of the alloy significantly. The cause of the increase in hardness was analyzed and the formation mechanisms of the bulk amorphous alloy are discussed.     

Synthesis,structure and mechanical properties of Zr-Cu-based bulk metallic glass composites

The unusual glass-forming ability (GFA) of the Zr₄₈Cu₃₆Ag₈Al₈ alloy and the high ductility of the Zr₄₈Cu₃₆Ag₈Al₈ metallic glass-matrix composites containing Ta powder were reported. The bulk metallic glass rod with a diameter of 25 mm was successfully synthesized using copper mold casting for the Zr₄₈Cu₃₆Ag₈Al₈ alloy. High GFA of this alloy was found to be related to a large supercooled liquid region and a quaternary eutectic point with low melting temperature. The bulk metallic glass matrix composites were prepared by introducing extra Ta particles into the Zr₄₈Cu₃₆Ag₈Al₈ melt. The composites consist of Ta particles homogenously distributed in the Zr₄₈Cu₃₆Al₈Ag₈ metallic glass matrix. The optimum content of Ta powder is 10at% for the composite with the highest plasticity, which shows a plastic strain of 31%.     

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.     

Composition design of superhigh strength maraging stainless steels using a cluster model

The composition characteristics of maraging stainless steels were studied in the present work investigation using a cluster-plus-glue-atom model. The least solubility limit of high-temperature austenite to form martensite in basic Fe–Ni–Cr corresponds to the cluster formula [NiFe12]Cr3,where NiFe12is a cuboctahedron centered by Ni and surrounded by 12 Fe atoms in FCC structure and Cr serves as glue atoms. A cluster formula [NiFe12](Cr2Ni) with surplus Ni was then determined to ensure the second phase(Ni3M) precipitation,based on which new multicomponent alloys [(Ni,Cu)16Fe192](Cr32(Ni,Mo,Ti,Nb,Al,V)16) were designed. These alloys were prepared by copper mould suction casting method,then solid-solution treated at 1273 K for 1 h followed by water-quenching,and finally aged at 783 K for 3 h. The experimental results showed that the multi-element alloying results in Ni3M precipitation on the martensite,which enhances the strengths of alloys sharply after ageing treatment. Among them,the aged [(Cu4Ni12)Fe192](Cr32(Ni8.5Mo2Ti2Nb0.5Al1V1)) alloy(Fe74.91Ni8.82Cr11.62Mo1.34Ti0.67Nb0.32Al0.19V0.36Cu1.78wt%) has higher tensile strengths with YS?1456 MPa and UTS?1494 MPa. It also exhibits good corrosion-resistance in 3.5 wt% NaCl solution.     

Correlation between the glass-forming ability and activation energy of crystallization for Zr75−x Ni25Al x metallic glasses

The thermal stability and the kinetics of glass transition and crystallization for Zr_75?x Ni₂₅Al _x (x = 8–15) metallic glasses were investigated using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) under continuous heating conditions. The apparent activation energy of glass transition rises monotonously with the Al content increasing; the activation energy of crystallization increases with Al changing from 8at% to 15at%, and then decreases with Al further up to 24at%, which exhibits a good correlation to the thermal stability and the glass-forming ability (GFA). The Zr₆₀Ni₂₅Al₁₅ metallic glass with the largest supercooled liquid region and GFA possesses the highest activation energy of crystallization. The relation between the thermal stability, GFA and activation energy of crystallization was discussed in terms of the primary precipitated phases.     

Formation and biocorrosion behavior of Zr-Al-Co-Nb bulk metallic glasses

Ni-and Cu-free Zr-Al-Co-Nb glassy alloys with different Nb and Co contents were synthesized by melt spinning and copper mold casting.The effects of Nb addition to partially replace Co in the Zr55Al20Co25 glassy alloy on the glass-forming ability,thermal properties,in-vitro biocorrosion behavior and surface wettability of the metallic glasses were investigated.Although addition of Nb up to 5 at.% slightly decreased the supercooled liquid region and the glass-forming ability(GFA),the alloys could be casted in a bulk glassy rod form with diameters up to 3mm.The Zr-Al-Co-Nb glassy alloys were spontaneously passivated with low passive current densities in phosphate buffered saline and Hanks’ solution.Substitution of "toxic" Co by Nb is effective in improved the corrosion resistance of the Zr-Al-Co glassy alloy.Water contact angle measurements showed that Nb addition increased the hydrophilicity of the glassy alloys,which may enhance cell adhesion of the alloys in biomedical applications.     

Limitation of the Johnson-Mehl-Avrami equation for the kinetic analysis of crystallization in a Ti-based amorphous alloy

The primary crystallization of the Ti₄₀Zr₂₅Ni₈Cu₉Be₁₈ amorphous alloy was studied by isochronal differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The activation energy was determined by the Kissinger-Akahira-Sunose method. Trying to analyze the crystallization kinetics of the Ti₄₀Zr₂₅Ni₈Cu₉Be₁₈ amorphous alloy by two different methods, it was found that the crystallization kinetics did not obey the Johnson-Mehl-Avrami equation. A modified method in consideration of the impingement effect was proposed to perform kinetic analysis of the isochronal crystallization of this alloy. The kinetic parameters were then obtained by the linear fitting method based on the modified kinetic equation. The results show that the isochronal crystallization kinetics of the amorphous Ti₄₀Zr₂₅Ni₈Cu₉Be₁₈ alloy is heating rate dependent, and the discrepancy between the Johnson-Mehl-Avrami method and the modified method increases with the increase of heating rate.     

Effects of gravity field on glass forming ability in ZrTiCuNiBe alloy

The solidification and glass forming ability of Zr₄₁Ti₁₄Cu_12.5Ni₁₀Be_22.5 bulk glassy forming alloy is investigated by Bridgman unidirectional solidification at different growth velocities under different gravity field orientations. Large differences in glass formation, undercooling and crystallization morphology on different solidification conditions have been found and discussed from the point of view of gravity induced convection. The results are useful for understanding the nucleation and growth in the melt and glass formation mechanism in the alloy.     

Effect of Co addition on crystallization and magnetic properties of FeSiBPCu alloy

The effects of Co addition on the microstructure,crystallization processes and soft magnetic properties of(Fe1 xCox)83Si4B8P4Cu1(x?0.35,0.5,0.65)alloys were investigated.The experimental results demonstrated that the addition of Co decreased the thermal stability against crystallization of the amorphous phase,and thus improved the heat treatment temperature of this alloy.Fe Co Si BPCu nanocrystalline alloys with a dispersedα0-Fe Co phase were obtained by appropriately annealing the as-quenched ribbons at 763 K for 10 min.Theα0-Fe Co with grains size ranging from 9 to 28 nm was identified in primary crystallization.The coercivity(Hc)markedly increased with increasing x and exhibited a minimum value at x0.35,while the saturation magnetic flux density(Bs)shows a slight decrease.The(Fe0.65Co0.35)83Si4B8P4Cu1nanocrystalline alloy exhibited a high saturation magnetic flux density Bsof 1.68 T,a low coercivity,Hcof 5.4 A/m and a high effective permeability meof 29,000 at 1 k Hz.     

Effect of Nb on the corrosion behavior of continuous bulk metallic glass-coated steel wire composites

(Zr_41.2Ti_13.8Cu_12.5Ni₁₀Be_22.5)_100?xNb_x (at%, x=0 and 8) bulk metallic glasses (BMGs) were coated on the surface of Q195 steel wires by a continuous coating process. The potentiodynamic polarization tests of these BMGs were conducted in 3.5wt% NaCl aqueous solution. It is found that the addition of 8at% Nb into Zr_41.2Ti_13.8Cu_12.5Ni₁₀Be_22.5 alloy results in the improvement of corrosion resistance with the pitting potential of ?52 mV, the open circuit potential of ?446 mV, and the corrosion current density of 9.86×10?6 mA/cm2. This may be attributed to that Nb is beneficial to passivate and stabilize Zr and Ti.     

Eutectic reaction and cored dendritic morphology in yttrium doped Zr-based amorphous alloys

The microalloying effect of yttrium on the crystallization behaviors of (Zr_0.525Al_0.10Ti_0.05Cu_0.179Ni_0.146)_100-x Y_x, and (Zr_0.55Al_0.15-Ni_0.10Cu_0.20)_100-x Y_x (x=0, 0.4, and 1, thus the two alloy systems were denoted as Zr52.5, Zr52.5Y0.4, Zr52.5Y1, and Zr55, Zr55Y0.4, Zr55Y1, respectively) was studied. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) results suggested that the crystalline phases were different in the two Zr-based alloys and with different yttrium contents. ZrNi-phase and Al₃Zr₅ phase precipitations can be well explained by the mechanisms of nucleation and growth. Al₃Zr₅ phase is mainly formed by a peritectic-like reaction, while ZrNi-phase by a eutectic reaction. The contents of elements Y, Al, and Ti may dominate the reaction types. The orientation relationship between Y₂O₃ particles and Al₃Zr₅ phase is also discussed.     

Fabrication of fine spongy nanoporous Ag-Au alloys with improved catalysis properties

Fine NP-AgAu(nanoporous AgAu) alloys with spongy structure was fabricated by chemical dealloying from rapidly solidified amorphous precursors Ag_(38.75-x)Cu_(38.75)Si_(22.5)Au_x(x=0, 0.5, 1 and 5). The results indicate that the addition of small content Au in precursor can refine both the ligaments and pores obviously. Among the present components of the precursors, NP-AgAu alloys dealloying from Ag_(37.75)Cu_(38.75)Si_(22.5)Au_1 had the finest spongy structure. The size of pores was 5–10 nm and the grain size of ligaments was 10–20 nm. It also had the highest surface area of 106.83 m~2g~(-1) and the best catalytic activity towards electro-oxidation of formaldehyde with the peak current of 665 mA mg~(-1).     

Glass-forming ability,microhardness, corrosion resistance,and dealloying treatment of Mg60-xCu40Ndx alloy ribbons

The influence of Nd addition on the glass-forming ability (GFA), microhardness, and corrosion resistance of Mg_60-xCu₄₀Nd_x (x=5, 10, 15, 20, and 25, at%) alloys were investigated by differential scanning calorimetry, Vickers-type hardness tests, and electrochemical methods. The results suggest that the GFA and microhardness of the amorphous alloys increase until the Nd content reaches 20at%. The corrosion potential and corrosion current density obtained from the Tafel curves indicate that the Mg₃₅Cu₄₀Nd₂₅ ternary alloy exhibits the best corrosion resistance among the investigated alloys. Notably, nanoporous copper (NPC) was synthesized through a single-step dealloying of Mg_60-xCu₄₀Nd_x (x=5, 10, 15, 20, and 25) ternary alloys in 0.04 mol·L-1 H₂SO₄ solution under free corrosion conditions. The influence of dealloying process parameters, such as dealloying time and temperature, on the microstructure of the ribbons was also studied using the surface diffusivity theory. The formation mechanism of dealloyed samples with a multilayered structure was also discussed.     

Wear properties of NiAl based materials

The NiAl based materials including NiAl-TiC-Al2O3 composite,NiAl-Cr(Mo)-Hf-Ho eutectic alloy and NiAl-Cr(Mo)-CrxSy in situ composite were fabricated and their wear properties were tested at different temperatures.The results revealed that the NiAl-TiC-Al2O3 composite,NiAl-Cr(Mo)-Hf-Ho eutectic alloy and NiAl-Cr(Mo)-CrxSy in situ composite exhibited the excellent wear properties between 700℃ and 900℃.The microstructure observations exhibited that the self-lubricant films formed on the worn surfaces during the dry sliding test at high temperature,which decreased the wear rate and friction coefficient significantly.TEM observation on the self-lubricant film revealed that it was mainly comprised by ceramic amorphous and nanocrystalline.Compared with the NiAl-TiC-Al2O3 composite,the NiAl-Cr(Mo)-CrxSy in situ composite has lower friction coefficient at low temperature.Such phenomena may be ascribed to the addition of sulfide which contributes much to the formation of self-lubricant,and moreover the TiC addition increase the strength of NiAl based material and its wear resistance.     

Effect of sintering temperature on the preparation of Cu–Ti3SiC2 metal matrix composite

Ti3SiC2 has the potential to replace graphite as reinforcing particles in Cu matrix composites for applications in brush,electrical contacts and electrode materials.In this paper the fabrication of Cu-Ti3SiC2 metal matrix composites prepared by warm compaction powder metallurgy forming and spark plasma sintering(SPS) was studied.The stability of Ti3SiC2 at different sintering temperatures was also studied.The present experimental results indicate that the reinforcing particles in Cu-Ti3SiC2 composites are not stable at and above 800℃.The decomposition of Ti3SiC2 will lead to the formation of TiC and/or other carbides and TiSi2.If purity is the major concern,the processing and servicing temperatures of the Cu-Ti3SiC2 composite should be limited to 750℃ or lower.The composites prepared by warm compaction forming and SPS sintering at 750℃ have lower density when compared with the composites prepared by SPS sintering at 950℃,but their electrical resistivity values are very close to each other and even lower.     

Novel approaches to produce Al2O3– TiC/TiCN– Fecomposite powders directly from ilmenite

Al2O3 –TiC/TiCN–Fe composite powders were successfully prepared directly from ilmenite at 1300–1400℃.The effects of Al/C ratio,sintering atmosphere,and reaction temperature and time on the reaction products were investigated.Results showed that the nitrogen atmosphere was bene cial to the reduction of ilmenite and the formation of Al2O3 –TiC/TiCN–Fe composite powders.When the reaction temperature was between 600 and 1100℃,the intermediate products,TiO2,Ti3O5 and Ti4O7 were found,which changed to TiC or TiCN at higher temperature.Al/C ratio was found to affect the reaction process and synthesis products.When Al addition was 0.5 mol,the Al2O3 phase did not appear.The content of carbon in TiCN rose when the reaction temperature was increased.     

Influence of pulsing current on the glass transition and crystallizing kinetics of a Zr base bulk amorphous alloy

Based on the thermal analysis, the influence of pulsing current on the glass transition and crystallizing kinetics of Zr41.3Ti14.2CU12.8Ni10.3Be21.4 bulk amorphous alloy has been studied. The obtained results show that after the Zr41.3Ti14.2CU12.8Ni10.3Be21.4 bulk amorphous alloy was pretreated by high-density pulsing current at low temperature, its glass transition temperature Tg, the initial crystallizing temperature Tx and the corresponding exothermic peak of crystallization Tpi were reduced. But the temperature range of supercooled liquid △T=Tx-Tg is almost the same. The calculated results with Kissinger equation show that the activation energy of glass transition of the alloy pretreated is reduced significantly, while the activation energy of crystallization is basically unchanged. The influence of pulsing current on the glass transition and crystallization of theZr41.3Ti14.2CU12.8Ni10.3Be21.4 bulk amorphous alloy is believed to be related with the structure relaxation of the glass caused by the current.