Development of high-strength,low-cost wrought Mg–2.0 mass% Zn alloy with high Mn content

Mg–Zn–Mn-based alloys have received considerable attention because of their high creep resistance, strength,and good corrosion resistance. The alloying element Mn in Mg–Zn-based alloys is commonly less than 1 wt%. In the present study, the effect of high Mn content(1 wt% and 2 wt%) on the microstructures and mechanical properties of Mg–2Zn–0.3Sr extruded alloy was investigated. The results revealed that the high Mn content significantly increased the ultimate tensile strength, tensile yield strength, compress yield strength, and yield asymmetry of the alloy without affecting its ductility. The dynamically recrystallized(DRXed) grains of Mg–2Zn–0.3Sr were remarkably refined because of the large amount of fine Mn precipitates in the homogenized alloy. The improved strengths were mainly attributed to the fine DRXed grains according to the Hall–Petch effect and to the large amount of spherical and 0001 Mn precipitates through the precipitation and dispersion strengthening. The fine DRXed grains and numerous Mn precipitates effectively suppressed the extension twining, substantially enhanced the compress yield strength, and resulted in improved anisotropy.     

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.     

Microstructure and corrosion behavior of Al<Subscript>3</Subscript>Ti/ADC12 composite modified with Sr

In this study, we investigated the effect of the addition of Sr (0wt%, 0.1wt%, 0.2wt%, and 0.3wt%) on the microstructure and corrosion behavior of Al₃Ti/ADC12 composite by optical microscopy, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and energy diffraction spectroscopy. The results reveal that the α-Al phases were nearly spherical and 40 μm in size and that the eutectic Si phases became round in the composite when the Sr content reached 0.2wt%. The Al₃Ti particles were distributed uniformly at the grain boundary. The results of the corrosion examination reveal that the Al₃Ti/ADC12 composite exhibited a minimum corrosion rate of 0.081 g·m–2·h–1 for an Sr content of 0.2wt%, which is two thirds of that of unmodified composite (0.134 g·m–2·h–1). This improved corrosion resistance was due to galvanic corrosion, which resulted from the low area ratio of the cathode to anode regions. This caused a low-density corrosion current in the composite, thereby yielding optimum corrosion resistance.     

Effects of Sr addition on the microstructures and mechanical properties of in-situ ZrB_2 nanoparticles reinforced AlSi9Cu3 composites

The effects of Sr addition on the microstructure and mechanical properties of in-situ ZrB_2 nanoparticles reinforced AlSi9Cu3 composites synthesized via direct melt reaction were systematically investigated. The addition of Sr could modify the morphology of eutectic silicon particles and refine the second dendrite arm spacing of α-Al dendrites.Alternatively, the ZrB_2 nanoparticles were also refined and distributed more homogenously, and nanoparticle agglomerations were reduced with the addition of Sr element. The results demonstrated that the addition of 0.06 wt% of Sr element can reach the optimal refinement of the second dendrite arm spacing of α-Al and the modification of eutectic Si. In this case, the ultimate tensile strength, yield strength and elongation reached 330 MPa, 226 MPa and 15.70%, respectively, which were remarkably enhancement in comparison with the base alloy.     

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.     

Effects of gadolinium addition on the microstructure and mechanical properties of Mg-9Al alloy

This research aims to study the significance of Gd addition (0wt%-2wt%) on the microstructure and mechanical properties of Mg-9Al alloy. The effect of Gd addition on the microstructure was investigated via X-ray diffraction (XRD), optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The Mg-9Al alloy contained two phases, α-Mg and β-Mg17Al12. Alloying with Gd led to the emergence of a new rectangular-shaped phase, Al₂Gd. The grain size also decreased marginally upon Gd addition. The ultimate tensile strength and microhardness of Mg-9Al alloy increased by 23% and 19%, respectively, upon 1.5wt% Gd addition. We observed that, although Mg-9Al-2.0Gd alloy exhibited the smallest grain size (181 μm) and the highest dislocation density (5.1×1010 m-2) among the investigated compositions, the Mg-9Al-1.5Gd alloy displayed the best mechanical properties. This anomalous behavior was observed because the Al₂Gd phase was uniformly distributed and present in abundance in Mg-9Al-1.5Gd alloy, whereas it was coarsened and asymmetrically conglomerated in Mg-9Al-2.0Gd.     

Effect of CuO addition on the sintering temperature and microwave dielectric properties of CaSiO3– Al2O3 ceramics

CuO-doped CaSiO3–1 wt% Al2O3 ceramics were synthesized via a traditional solid-state reaction method, and their sintering behavior,microstructure and microwave dielectric properties were investigated. The results showed that appropriate CuO addition could accelerate the sintering process and assist the densification of CaSiO3–1 wt% Al2O3 ceramics, which could effectively lower the densification temperature from1250 1C to 1050 1C. However, the addition of CuO undermined the microwave dielectric properties. The optimal amount of CuO addition was found to be 0.8 wt%, and the derived CaSiO3–Al2O3ceramic sintered at 1100 1C presented good microwave dielectric properties of εr?7.27,Q f?16,850 GHz and τf? 39.53 ppm/1C, which is much better than those of pure CaSiO3 ceramic sintered at 1340oC(Q f?13,109 GHz).The chemical compatibility of the above ceramic with 30 Pd/70 Ag during the cofiring process has also been investigated, and the result showed that there was no chemical reaction between palladium–silver alloys and ceramics.& 2014 Chinese Materials Research Society. Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.     

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.     

Effect of Sr addition on the grain refinement of AZ31 magnesium alloys

The grain refinement mechanisms of Sr in the AZ31 magnesium alloys were studied by both phase diagram calculation and experimental analysis.The influence of Sr content on the solute distribution coefficients of Al and Zn during solidification was investigated in order to find out whether Sr addition can enhance the grain refinement efficiency brought by Al and Zn.The results showed that Sr addition can promote the segregation in liquid phases for both Al and Zn during solidification,therefore enhance the grain refinement effects by Al and Zn in AZ31 magnesium alloys.And the effect of Sr addition on the solute distribution coefficients for Al is larger than that of Zn.Sr addition can improve the GRF values by itself and also improve the GRF values of Al and Zn to the AZ31 magnesium alloys,and the grains are refined consequently.     

DSC analyses of static and dynamic precipitation of an Al–Mg–Si–Cu aluminum alloy

In the present investigation, both static and dynamic precipitations of an Al–Mg–Si–Cu aluminum alloy after solid-solution treatment(SST)were comparatively analyzed using differential scanning calorimetry(DSC). Dynamic aging was performed in the SST alloy through equal channel angular pressing(ECAP) at different temperatures of room temperature, 110, 170, 191 and 300 1C. For comparison, static artificial aging was conducted in the SST alloy at 191 1C with two aging times of 4 and 10 h. The DSC analyses reveal that the dynamic precipitation has occurred in the ECAPed samples, while the activation energies associated with the strengthening precipitates in the dynamic samples are considerably higher than the energies in the SST and static aged samples. The higher activation energies are probably attributed to the smaller grains and higher dislocation density developed after ECAP. The results in the present investigation allow the prediction of the type of the dynamic precipitates to influence the strength of the ultrafine grained alloy during ECAP at various temperatures.     

Corrosion behavior of as-cast Mg–8Li–3Al+xCe alloy in 3.5wt% NaCl solution

Mg–8Li–3Al+xCe alloys (x = 0.5wt%, 1.0wt%, and 1.5wt%) were prepared through a casting route in an electric resistance furnace under a controlled atmosphere. The cast alloys were characterized by X-ray diffraction, optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. The corrosion behavior of the as-cast Mg–8Li–3Al+xCe alloys were studied under salt spray tests in 3.5wt% NaCl solution at 35°C, in accordance with standard ASTM B–117, in conjunction with potentiodynamic polarization (PDP) tests. The results show that the addition of Ce to Mg–8Li–3Al (LA83) alloy results in the formation of Al₂Ce intermetallic phase, refines both the α-Mg phase and the Mg₁₇Al₁₂ intermetallic phase, and then increases the microhardness of the alloys. The results of PDP and salt spray tests reveal that an increase in Ce content to 1.5wt% decreases the corrosion rate. The best corrosion resistance is observed for the LA83 alloy sample with 1.0wt% Ce.     

Saturation phenomenon of Ce and Ti in the modification of Al–Zn–Si filler metal

Cerium and titanium were added to an Al–42Zn–6.5Si brazing alloy, and the subsequent microstructures of the brazing alloy and the 6061 Al alloy brazing seam were investigated. The microstructures of filler metals and brazed joints were characterized by scanning electron microscopy and X-ray energy dispersion spectrometry. A new Ce–Ti phase formed around the silicon phase in the modified filler metal and this saturation phenomenon was analyzed. Interestingly, following brazing of the 6061 alloy, there is no evidence of the Ce–Ti phase in the brazing seam. Because of the mutual solubility of the brazing alloy and base metal, the quantity of the solvent increases, and the solute Ce and Ti atoms assume an undersaturated state.     

Effect of different deformation and annealing procedures on non-magnetic textured Cu<Subscript>60</Subscript>Ni<Subscript>40</Subscript> alloy substrates

In this work, a series of specimens was prepared by the casting method. Sharp cube-textured substrates were processed by heavy cold rolling and recrystallization annealing (i.e., the rolling-assisted biaxially textured substrates (RABiTS) method). Both the rolling and the recrystallization texture in the alloy tapes were investigated by X-ray diffraction and electron back-scatter diffraction, respectively. The results showed that a strong copper-type deformation texture was obtained in the heavy cold-rolled substrate. In addition, the recrystallization annealing process was found to be very important for the texture transition in the Cu–Ni alloy substrates. The cube texture content in the Cu₆₀Ni₄₀ alloy substrates reached 99.7% (≤10°) after optimization of the cold-rolling procedure and the recrystallizing heat-treatment process, whereas the content of low-angle grain boundaries (from 2° to 10° misorientation) in the substrate reached 95.1%.     

Effect of groove rolling on the microstructure and properties of Cu–Nb microcomposite wires

Cu–Nb microcomposite wire was successfully prepared by a groove rolling process. The effects of groove rolling on the diffraction peaks, microstructure, and properties of the Cu–Nb microcomposite were investigated and the microstructure evolutions and strengthening mechanism were discussed. The tensile strength of the Cu–Nb microcomposite wire with a diameter of 2.02 mm was greater than 1 GPa, and its conductivity reached 68% of the International Annealed Copper Standard, demonstrating the Cu–Nb microcomposite wire with high tensile strength and high conductivity after groove rolling. The results show that an appropriate groove rolling method can improve the performance of the Cu–Nb microcomposite wire.     

孔型轧制对Cu–Nb微复合导线组织和性能的影响

Cu–Nb microcomposite wire was successfully prepared by a groove rolling process. The effects of groove rolling on the diffraction peaks, microstructure, and properties of the Cu–Nb microcomposite were investigated and the microstructure evolutions and strengthening mechanism were discussed. The tensile strength of the Cu–Nb microcomposite wire with a diameter of 2.02 mm was greater than 1 GPa, and its conductivity reached 68% of the International Annealed Copper Standard, demonstrating the Cu–Nb microcomposite wire with high tensile strength and high conductivity after groove rolling. The results show that an appropriate groove rolling method can improve the performance of the Cu–Nb microcomposite wire.     

Effect of Sc addition on microstructure and mechanical properties of 1460 alloy

The effect of minor addition of Sc on microstructure,age hardening behavior,tensile properties and fracture morphology of 1460 alloy have been studied. It is found that Sc content increase from 0.11 wt% to 0.22 wt% is favorable for grain refinement in as-cast alloy but results in a coarsening of Cu-rich particles. The alloy with 0.11 wt% Sc exhibits enhanced mechanical properties and age hardening effect. Transmission electron microscopy(TEM) investigations on the alloy with 0.11 wt% Sc have suggested that a large amount of Al3(Sc,Zr) particles precipitated at the earlier aging may inhibit recrystallization effectively.     

TiB2和Al3Ti对近共晶Al?12.6Si合金组织、力学性能和断裂行为的影响

A near eutectic Al?12.6Si alloy was developed with 0.0wt%, 2.0wt%, 4.0wt%, and 6.0wt% Al?5Ti?1B master alloy. The microstructural morphology, hardness, tensile strength, elongation, and fracture behaviour of the alloys were studied. The unmodified Al?12.6Si alloy has an irregular needle and plate-like eutectic silicon (E_Si) and coarse polygonal primary silicon (P_Si) particles in the matrix-like α-Al phase. The P_Si, E_Si, and α-Al morphology and volume fraction were changed due to the addition of the Al?5Ti?1B master alloy. The hardness, UTS, and elongation improved due to the microstructural modification. Nano-sized in-situ Al₃Ti particles and ex-situ TiB₂ particles caused the microstructural modification. The fracture images of the developed alloys exhibit a ductile and brittle mode of fracture at the same time. The Al?5Ti?1B modified alloys have a more ductile mode of fracture and more dimples compared to the unmodified alloy.     

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.     

Effect of the addition of Al-Ti-C master alloy on the microstructure and microhardness of a cast Al-10Mg alloy

The microstructure and microhardness of a cast Al-10wt%Mg (henceforth Al-10Mg) alloy with 0.2wt% addition of Al-5Ti-0.25C master alloy were compared with those of a refiner-free alloy of similar chemical composition. It was found that this level of the master alloy addition not only caused an effective grain refinement, but also caused a significant increase in the microhardness of the Al-10Mg alloy. Microchemical analysis revealed that TiC particles existed in the grain center. The relationship between the holding time and grain size was also studied. It shows that the grain refining efficiency is faded observably with the holding time. This is explained in terms of the instability of TiC particles.