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.     

放电等离子烧结Al20Cr20Fe25Ni25Mn10高熵合金的硬度和腐蚀性能研究

采用放电等离子烧结(SPS)技术在不同温度（800、900和200°C）下保温不同时间（4、8和12 min）合成了Al₂₀Cr₂₀Fe₂₅Ni₂₅Mn₁₀高熵合金（HEA）。通过扫描电子显微镜、能谱仪（EDS）、维氏显微硬度计、极化曲线等对合金的微观结构、显微硬度和腐蚀进行了实验研究。X-射线衍射（XRD）表征了所制备合金的成分。EDS结果显示不论烧结参数如何变化,合金均由原始合金元素组成。XRD、EDS和扫描电子显微镜的结果说明所制备的合金具有球形微观结构,呈现出面心立方结构相,这是基于固溶机制形成的。这表明SPS合金具有HEAs的特征。在1000°C保温 12 min生产的合金显微硬度最高,为HV 447.97,热处理后其硬度降至HV 329.47。同一合金表现出优异的耐腐蚀性能。烧结温度升高,Al₂₀Cr₂₀Fe₂₅Ni₂₅Mn₁₀合金可具有更高的密度、显微硬度和耐腐蚀性。     

Effect of sintering temperature on phase evolution of Al_(86)Ni_6Y_(4.5)Co_2La_(1.5) bulk amorphous composites synthesized via mechanical alloying and spark plasma sintering

Al_(86)Ni_6Y_(4.5)Co_2La_(1.5) amorphous powders were synthesized by mechanical alloying for 200 h. Subsequent consolidation was performed via spark plasma sintering in the temperature range of 250 ℃ to 500 ℃ at the pressure of 500 MPa. The role of viscous flow on densification was investigated by studying the viscosity change of the amorphous phase at different consolidation temperatures. The decrease in viscosity at higher sintering temperatures resulted in better particle bonding and densification of consolidated samples. The formation of only FCC Al was observed in the consolidated samples at sintering temperatures ≤ 300 ℃ and the intermetallic phases formed at temperatures ≥ 400 ℃. The mechanical properties of the bulk samples were measured by Vickers microhardness and nanoindentation tests. The testing results showed that the average values of microhardness, nanohardness and elastic modulus of the sample consolidated at 500 ℃ were 3.06 ± 0.14 GPa,4.85 ± 1.14 GPa and 89.53 ± 9.25 GPa, respectively. The increase in hardness and elastic modulus of the higher temperature consolidated samples is attributed to the improvement in particle bonding, densification and distribution of various hard intermetallic phases in the amorphous matrix.     

Mechanical properties and friction behaviors of CNT/AlSi<Subscript>10</Subscript>Mg composites produced by spark plasma sintering

The mechanical properties and friction behaviors of CNT/AlSi₁₀Mg composites produced by spark plasma sintering (SPS) were investigated. The results showed that the densities of the sintered composites gradually increased with increasing sintering temperature and that the highest microhardness and compressive strength were achieved in the specimen sintered at 450℃. CNTs dispersed uniformly in the AlSi₁₀Mg matrix when the addition of CNTs was less than 1.5wt%. However, when the addition of CNTs exceeded 1.5wt%, the aggregation of CNTs was clearly observed. Moreover, the mechanical properties (including the densities, compressive strength, and microhardness) of the composites changed with CNT content and reached a maximum value when the CNT content was 1.5wt%. Meanwhile, the minimum average friction coefficient and wear rate of the CNT/AlSi₁₀Mg composites were obtained with 1.0wt% CNTs.     

Microwave sintering effects on the microstructure and mechanical properties of Ti-51at%Ni shape memory alloys

Ti-51at%Ni shape memory alloys (SMAs) were successfully produced via a powder metallurgy and microwave sintering technique. The influence of sintering parameters on porosity reduction, microstructure, phase transformation temperatures, and mechanical properties were investigated by optical microscopy, field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), compression tests, and microhardness tests. Varying the microwave temperature and holding time was found to strongly affect the density of porosity, presence of precipitates, transformation temperatures, and mechanical properties. The lowest density and smallest pore size were observed in the Ti-51at%Ni samples sintered at 900℃ for 5 min or at 900℃ for 30 min. The predominant martensite phases of β2 and β19' were observed in the microstructure of Ti-51at%Ni, and their existence varied in accordance with the sintering temperature and the holding time. In the DSC thermograms, multi-transformation peaks were observed during heating, whereas a single peak was observed during cooling; these peaks correspond to the presence of the β2, R, and β19' phases. The maximum strength and strain among the Ti-51at%Ni SMAs were 1376 MPa and 29%, respectively, for the sample sintered at 900℃ for 30 min because of this sample's minimal porosity.     

Low temperature spark plasma sintering of TC4/HA composites

Ti6Al4V/hydroxyapatite composites(TC4/HA) have been prepared by high energy ball milling and low temperature spark plasma sintering at 600 °C, 550 °C, 500 °C and 450 °C, respectively. The sintering temperature of the composites was sharply decreased as the result of the activation and sur fi cial modi fi cation effects induced from high energy ball milling. The decomposition and reaction of hydroxyapatite was successfully avoided, which offers the composites superior biocompatibility. The hydroxyapatite in the composites was distributed in gap uniformly, and formed an ideal network structure. The lowest hardness, compressive strength and Young's modulus of the composites satisfy the requirements of human bone.     

Effect of sintering temperature on the microstructure and thermal conductivity of Al/diamond composites prepared by spark plasma sintering

Spark plasma sintering was used to fabricate Al/diamond composites. The effect of sintering temperature on the microstructure and thermal conductivity (TC) of the composites was investigated with the combination of experimental results and theoretical analysis. The composite sintered at 550℃ shows high relative density and strong interfacial bonding, whereas the composites sintered at lower (520℃) and higher (580–600℃) temperatures indicate no interfacial bonding and poor interfacial bonding, respectively. High relative density and strong interfacial bonding can maximize the thermal conductivity of Al/diamond composites, and taking both effects of particle shape and inhomogeneous interfacial thermal conductance into consideration can give a fairly good prediction of composites’ thermal conduction properties.     

Structural,mechanical and corrosion properties of CNT-304 stainless steel nanocomposites

In this work, a systematic investigation was performed on the structural, mechanical and corrosion properties of CNT incorporated 304 stainless steel. Various concentrations of CNT from 0.5 to 4 wt% were incorporated into the 304 stainless steel matrix to investigate the feasibility of fabrication and enhancement of strength and other material properties. The fabrication of CNT-steel composite was achieved through a spark plasma sintering process at a sintering temperature of 800℃. Raman and morphological studies confirmed that the CNT structure was retained in the sintered pellets. Optimum performance was found at 0.5 wt% CNT giving a Vickers hardness of 351 Hv and compressive yield strength of 404 MPa which were 5.5 and 2.0 times, respectively, those of pristine steel. Corrosion studies with 3.5 wt% Na Cl solution revealed a slight increase in the corrosion rate for CNT dispersed samples.     

Sintering mechanism of Cu-9Al alloy prepared from elemental powders

The sintering behavior of Cu-9Al alloys prepared from die pressing of elemental powders was investigated. The experimental results and kinetic analysis showed the formation of three consecutive layers of Al₂Cu, Al₄Cu₉, and AlCu phases, with Al₂Cu appearing first in the initial solid phase sintering stage. A liquid phase formed in the intermediate stage, resulting from the eutectic reaction between Al and Al₂Cu phases at 500 °C, which is 47 °C lower than the equilibrium reaction temperature. Swelling occurred when the liquid phase infiltrated the gaps between the copper particles, leaving pores at the original sites of Al particles and Al₂Cu. In the final stage of sintering, the Al-rich phases (Al₂Cu and AlCu) transformed to Al-poor phases (Al₄Cu₉ and α-Cu) in the temperature range of 500–565 °C. Al₄Cu₉ and α-Cu then transformed to AlCu₃ (β) above the eutectoid reaction temperature (565 °C), whereas AlCu₃ transformed to α-Cu and eutectoid phases (α-Cu + Al₄Cu₉) during cooling. The pure copper transformed to AlCu₃, and the pore volume decreased at 1000 °C. The microstructure study helps manipulate precisely the sintering process of Cu-Al alloys and optimize the microstructure with a high dimensional accuracy.     

Sintering study of Ti6Al4V powders with different particle sizes and their mechanical properties

Ti6Al4V powders with three different particle size distributions (0-20, 20-45, and 45-75 μm) were used to evaluate the effect of the particle size distribution on the solid-state sintering and their mechanical properties. The sintering kinetics was determined by dilatometry at temperatures from 900 to 1260℃. The mechanical properties of the sintered samples were evaluated by microhardness and compression tests. The sintering kinetics indicated that the predominant mechanism depends on the relative density irrespective of the particle size used. The mechanical properties of the sintered samples are adversely affected by increasing pore volume fraction. The elastic Young's modulus and yield stress follow a power law function of the relative density. The fracture behavior after compression is linked to the neck size developed during sintering, exhibiting two different mechanisms of failure:interparticle neck breaking and intergranular cracking in samples with relative densities below and above of 90%, respectively. The main conclusion is that relative density is responsible for the kinetics, mechanical properties, and failure behavior of Ti6Al4V powders.     

Effect of heating rate on the densification of NdFeB alloys sintered by an electric field

This study introduces a novel method of electric field sintering for preparing NdFeB magnets. NdFeB alloy compacts were all sintered by electric fields for 8 min at 1000℃ with different preset heating rates. The characteristics of electric field sintering and the effects of heating rate on the sintering densification of NdFeB alloys were also studied. It is found that electric field sintering is a new non-pressure rapid sintering method for preparing NdFeB magnets with fine grains at a relatively lower sintering temperature and in a shorter sintering time. Using this method, the sintering temperature and process of the compacts can be controlled accurately. When the preset heating rate increasing from 5 to 2000℃/s the densification of NdFeB sintered compacts gradually improves. As the preset heating rate is 2000℃/s, Nd-rich phases are small, dispersed and uniformly distributed in the sintered compact, and the magnet has a better microstructure than that made by conventional vacuum sintering. Also, the maximum energy product of the sintered magnet reaches 95% of conventionally vacuum sintered magnets.     

Mechanical properties and friction behaviors of CNT/AlSi10Mg composites produced by spark plasma sintering

The mechanical properties and friction behaviors of CNT/AlSi10Mg composites produced by spark plasma sintering (SPS) were investigated.The results showed that the densities of the sintered composites gradually increased with increasing sintering temperature and that the highest microhardness and compressive strength were achieved in the specimen sintered at 450℃.CNTs dispersed uniformly in the AlSi10Mg matrix when the addition of CNTs was less than 1.5wt％.However,when the addition of CNTs exceeded 1.5wt％,the aggregation of CNTs was clearly observed.Moreover,the mechanical properties (including the densities,compressive strength,and microhardness) of the composites changed with CNT content and reached a maximum value when the CNT content was 1.5wt％.Meanwhile,the minimum average friction coefficient and wear rate of the CNT/AlSi10Mg composites were obtained with 1.0wt％ CNTs.     

Hydrothermal growth of Ni-based coatings on copper substrates

Ni-based coatings were deposited on copper substrates by a hydrothermal approach. The results showed that a Ni-based cellular microstructure was bridged by "fiber-like" products. A high microhardness of Hv 856 was achieved after 400℃ heat treatment, which is nine times that of copper substrates (Hv 95). Nucleation, growth, and fusion of Ni atoms along the linear direction, induced by a linear-type citrate-metal structural "molecule template", led to in-situ growth of Ni-based fibers between cellular microspheres. After 400℃ heat treatment, the precipitation of NiP and Ni₃P hard phases contributed to the high microhardness of Ni-based coatings.     

高能球磨Ti/Al复合粉固相反应烧结工艺

采用金相和能谱方法对Ti、Al箔的固相扩散反应行为进行了研究,建立了TiAl3相层厚度生长的计算公式.并在此基础上,探讨了球磨Ti/Al复合粉的两步固相烧结工艺.研究表明:两步固相烧结法可有效抑制烧结引起的粉末体变形,获得具有典型显微组织的致密烧结材料;尽管延长低温预烧时间可获得由TiAl与Ti3Al组成的热稳定性较好的组织,但组织致密度偏低,为了获得高致密的TiAl合金,仍需后续高温烧结.实验还表明,高能球磨促进了TiAl基合金组织细化,且球磨时间越长烧结组织晶粒越细小;双态组织中的层片组织含量随球磨时间延长而增加,但长时间球磨由于非晶化的出现又会引起层片组织含量下降.     

放电等离子烧结快速凝固Al75Si25合金的组织及力学性能

高硅铝合金粗大的初晶硅严重影响其力学性能与机械加工性能.本文利用熔融纺丝快速凝固技术、球磨与放电等离子烧结相结合的方法制备了Al₇₅Si₂₅合金.研究发现,放电等离子烧结Al₇₅Si₂₅能够遗传其快速凝固组织的特点.500 MPa,320℃烧结条件可获得密度达到98%以上的块体,其初晶硅弥散分布,组织尺寸细小,具有超细晶粒特征.此外,硅元素过饱和固溶于α（Al）基体.维氏硬度值和抗压强度分别达到298 Hv和674 MPa,具有优异的力学性能.      

Cyclic oxidation behavior of b-NiAlDy alloys containing varying aluminum content at 1200 1C

b-NiAlDy cast alloys containing varying aluminum content were prepared by arcmelting. The microstructures and cyclic oxidation behavior of the alloys at 1200 1C were investigated. Grain refinement was achieved by increasing aluminum content in the alloy, which is beneficial to selective oxidation. The Ni–55Al–0.1Dy alloy showed excellent cyclic oxidation resistance due to the formation of a continuous, dense and slow-growing oxide scale. In contrast to this, severe internal oxidation as well as large void formation at the scale/alloy interface occurred in the Ni–45Al–0.1Dy alloy. The aluminum content dependence of the reactive element effects in b- NiAlDy was established that Dy doping strengthened the scale/alloy interface by pegging mechanism in high-aluminum alloys but accelerated internal oxidation in low-aluminum alloys during high-temperature exposure.     

Dielectric properties of spark plasma sintered AlN/SiC composite ceramics

In this study, we have investigated how the dielectric loss tangent and permittivity of AlN ceramics are affected by factors such as powder mixing methods, milling time, sintering temperature, and the addition of a second conductive phase. All ceramic samples were prepared by spark plasma sintering (SPS) under a pressure of 30 MPa. AlN composite ceramics sintered with 30wt%–40wt% SiC at 1600℃ for 5 min exhibited the best dielectric loss tangent, which is greater than 0.3. In addition to AlN and β-SiC, the samples also contained 2H-SiC and Fe₅Si₃, as detected by X-ray difraction (XRD). The relative densities of the sintered ceramics were higher than 93%. Experimental results indicate that nano-SiC has a strong capability of absorbing electromagnetic waves. The dielectric constant and dielectric loss of AlN-SiC ceramics with the same content of SiC decreased as the frequency of electromagnetic waves increased from 1 kHz to 1 MHz.     

电池包用6061铝合金型材成分与挤压成型性关系

由于现有6061铝合金挤压成型性及力学性能较差，在实际生产中应用范围受限，通过改变合金成分开发新型6061铝合金，将Si的质量分数调整至国标上限0.73%～0.80%，Mg的质量分数调整至国标下限0.82%～0.90%，同时分别设计了多细晶元素（Mn+Cr的质量分数为0.40%）与少细晶元素（Mn+Cr的质量分数为0.14%）两种配比方式，分别命名为6061-A铝合金和6061-B铝合金。通过观察微观组织、测试力学性能、调整挤压速度，研究6061-A铝合金和6061-B铝合金的力学性能、挤压成型性。结果表明，6061-A铝合金挤压成型性更好，同时经（175±5）℃×8 h热处理后，型材屈服强度达到312 MPa，抗拉强度达到325 MPa，伸长率为9%，均高于标准要求。     

Microwave sintering of Ca<Subscript>0.6</Subscript>La<Subscript>0.2667</Subscript>TiO<Subscript>3</Subscript> microwave dielectric ceramics

Ca_0.6La_0.2667TiO₃ ceramics were prepared by conventional and microwave sintering techniques and their sinterability, microstructure, and microwave dielectric properties were investigated in detail for comparison. Densified Ca_0.6La_0.2667TiO₃ ceramics were obtained by microwave sintering at 1350°C for 30 min and by conventional sintering at 1450°C for 4 h. An unusual phenomenon was found that some larger grains (grain size range: 8–10 μm) inclined to assemble in one area but some smaller ones (grain size range: 2–4 μm) inclined to gather in another area in the microwave sintered ceramics. The microwave dielectric properties of Ca_0.6La_0.2667TiO₃ ceramics prepared by microwave sintering at 1350°C were as follows: dielectric constant (ɛ _r) = 119.6, quality factor (Qf) = 17858.5 GHz, and temperature coefficient of resonant frequency (τ _f) = 155.5 ppm/°C. In contrast, the microwave dielectric properties of the ceramics prepared by conventional sintering at 1450°C were ɛ _r = 117.4, Qf = 13375 GHz, and τ _f = 217.2 ppm/°C.     

In situ (α-Al2O3+ZrB2)/Al composites with network distribution fabricated by reaction hot pressing

In situ (α-Al2O3+ZrB2)/Al composites with network distribution were fabricated using low-energy ball milling and reaction hot pressing. Differential thermal analysis (DTA) was used to study the reaction mechanisms in the Al–ZrO2–B system. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) in conjunction with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) were used to investigate the composite phases, morphology, and microstructure of the composites. The effect of matrix network size on the microstructure and mechani-cal properties was investigated.The results show that the optimum sintering parameters to complete reactions in the Al–ZrO2–B system are 850℃ and 60 min.In situ-synthesizedα-Al2O3 and ZrB2 particles are dispersed uniformly around Al particles, forming a network micro-structure; the diameters of theα-Al2O3 and ZrB2 particles are approximately 1–3μm. When the size of Al powder increases from 60–110μm to 150–300μm, the overall surface contact between Al powders and reactants decreases, thereby increasing the local volume fraction of re-inforcements from 12% to 21%. This increase of the local volume leads to a significant increase in microhardness of thein situ (α-Al2O3–ZrB2)/Al composites from Hv 163 to Hv 251.