Tuning microstructure,transformation behavior,mechanical/functional properties of Ti-V-Al shape memory alloy by doping quaternary rare earth Y

The microstructure features, martensitic transformation behavior and mechanical/functional properties of Ti–V–Al alloy were tailored by changing rare element Y content in the present investigation. The results showed that Y doping resulted in the grain refinement and formation of Y-rich phase mainly distributing along grain boundary in Ti–V–Al alloys. The martensitic transformation temperatures of Ti–V–Al alloys slightly increased due to the variation of matrix composition induced by the presence of Y-rich phase. The mechanical and functional properties of Ti–V–Al alloys doped moderate Y addition were significantly improved, which can be ascribed to grain refinement, solution strengthening and precipitation strengthening. The 1.0 at.%Y-doped Ti–V–Al alloy exhibited the highest ultimate tensile stress of 912 MPa and largest elongation of 17.68%. In addition, it was found that the maximum recoverable strain of 5.42% can be obtained in Ti–V–Al alloy with adding 1.0 at.%Y,under the pre-strain of 6% condition, which is enhanced by approximate 0.6% than that of Ti–V–Al alloy without Y addition.     

Simulation of the western North Pacific summer monsoon by regional ocean–atmosphere coupled model:impacts of oceanic components

A successful simulation of the western North Pacific summer monsoon needs a regional ocean–atmosphere coupled model(ROAM). How the performance of ROAM relies on the oceanic component model remains unknown. In this study, the authors investigated the effects of different oceanic components on the simulation of western North Pacific(WNP) summer monsoon in a ROAM. Three cases of simulations were performed, viz. the summer of 1998(El Nin o decaying phase), 2004(El Nin o developing phase), and 1993(the non-ENSO phase). Results show that the coupled simulations for different ENSO phases exhibit improvements in the simulation of location of Meiyu rainband and spatial distribution of monsoon low-level flow over WNP, whereas the systemic cold biases of sea surface air temperature are further increased. The coupled simulations with different oceanic components show similar performance, which is not ENSO phase dependent. For the case of the summer of 1998, a slightly stronger western Pacific subtropical high and colder sea surface air temperature are found in the simulation with colder sea surface temperature(SST) biases. The colder SST biases are partly contributed by the ocean dynamics processes because the sea surface net flux favors a warmer SST. This study suggests that the dependence of performance of ROAM over WNP on oceanic models is much weaker than that on atmospheric models.     

Effect of thermo-mechanical treatment on mechanical and elastic properties of Ti–36Nb–5Zr alloy

The evolutions of phase constitutions and mechanical properties of a β-phase Ti–36Nb–5Zr(wt%) alloy during thermo-mechanical treatment were investigated. The alloy consisted of dual(β t α″) phase and exhibited a double yielding phenomenon in solution treated state. After cold rolling and subsequent annealing at 698 K for 20 min, an excellent combination of high strength(833 MPa) and low modulus(46 GPa) was obtained. The high strength can be attributed to high density of dislocations, nanosized α phase and grain refinement. On the other hand, the low Young's modulus originates from the suppression of chemical stabilization of β phase during annealing, which guarantees the low β-phase stability. Furthermore, the single-crystal elastic constants of the annealed Ti–36Nb–5Zr alloy were extracted from polycrystalline alloy using an in-situ synchrotron X-ray technique. The results indicated that the low shear modulus C44 contributes to the low Young's modulus for the Ti–36Nb–5Zr alloy, suggesting that reducing C44 through thermo-mechanical treatment might be an efficient approach to realize low Young's modulus in β-phase Ti alloys. The results achieved in this study could be helpful to elucidate the origin of low modulus and sheds light on developing novel biomedical Ti alloys with both low modulus and high strength.     

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.     

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.     

Evaluation of precipitation hardening in TiC-reinforced Ti_2AlNb-based alloys

Ti_2AlNb-based alloys with 0.0 wt%, 0.6 wt%, and 2.0 wt% carbon nanotube(CNT) addition were fabricated from spherical Ti–22 Al–25 Nb powder by sintering in the B2 single-phase region. Phase identification and microstructural examination were performed to evaluate the effect of carbon addition on the hardness of the alloys. Carbon was either in a soluble state or in carbide form depending on its concentration. The acicular carbides formed around 1050℃ were identified as TiC and facilitated the transformation of α_2 + B2 → O. The TiC was located within the acicular O phase. The surrounding O phase was distributed in certain orientations with angles of 65° or 90° O phase particles. The obtained alloy was composed of acicular O, Widmanstatten B2 +O, and acicular TiC. As a result of the precipitation of carbides as well as the O phase, the hardness of the alloy with 2.0 wt% CNT addition increased to HV 429 ± 9.     

Effect of stoichiometry and Cu-substitution on the phase structure and hydrogen storage properties of Ml-Mg-Ni-based alloys

To improve the electrochemical properties of rare-earth–Mg–Ni-based hydrogen storage alloys, the effects of stoichiometry and Cu-substitution on the phase structure and thermodynamic properties of the alloys were studied. Nonsubstituted Ml0.80Mg0.20(Ni2.90Co0.50-Mn0.30Al0.30)x (x=0.68, 0.70, 0.72, 0.74, 0.76) alloys and Cu-substituted Ml0.80Mg0.20(Ni2.90Co0.50–yCuyMn0.30Al0.30)0.70 (y=0, 0.10, 0.30, 0.50) alloys were prepared by induction melting. Phase structure analysis shows that the nonsubstituted alloys consist of a LaNi5 phase, a LaNi3 phase, and a minor La2Ni7 phase;in addition, in the case of Cu-substitution, the Nd2Ni7 phase appears and the LaNi3 phase vanishes. Ther-modynamic tests show that the enthalpy change in the dehydriding process decreases, indicating that hydride stability decreases with in-creasing stoichiometry and increasing Cu content. The maximum discharge capacity, kinetic properties, and cycling stability of the alloy electrodes all increase and then decrease with increasing stoichiometry or increasing Cu content. Furthermore, Cu substitution for Co ame-liorates the discharge capacity, kinetics, and cycling stability of the alloy electrodes.     

Phase-field simulation on microstructure evolution of D0_(19) phase in γ/γ′structure of Co–Al–W superalloys

The morphological evolution and precipitation kinetics of γ′ and D0_(19)(Co_3 W) phase in Co–Al–W alloys at 900 °C have been studied by applying Phase-field method and experiment in order to understand the transformation process of γ′ phase and D0_(19) phase. The growth processes of D0_(19) phase and precipitation of γ′ phase under elastic fields were simulated through coupling with thermodynamics and dynamics databases. The simulation results indicate that the misfit δ≥ 0.53% has a greater impact on γ′ particle morphology in γ/γ′ structure.Co–Al–W alloy with low Al and high W is one of the factors to promote the precipitation of D0_(19) phase. Three stages during aging, namely the γ′ phase incubation stage, the γ′ phase fast nucleation and growth stage, and the transformation from γ′ phase to D0_(19) phase stage can be observed with the non-constant coarsening rate that varying with the decrease of γ′ phase. The particle size distribution(PSD) during the precipitation of D0_(19) phase is more in line with MLSW theory than LSW theory. This simulation results are in good agreement with the experiment results to help analyze microstructure evolution of Co–Al–W alloy.     

Preparation,thermal stability and biocompatibility studies of gelatin-induced hydroxyapatite co-substituted with essential physiological trace elements

Gelatin-induced hydroxyapatite with combined substitution of essential physiological trace elements(G-FAP)was prepared by a precipitation method.Pure hydroxyapatite(HAP)and ion-substituted hydroxyapatite(FAP)were also prepared for comparison.The characteristics of the precipitated powders were determined using X-ray diffraction(XRD),scanning electron microscopy(SEM),transmission electron microscopy(TEM),Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy(FT-IR),specific surface area measurement(SSA),X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy(XRF),and thermogravimetric(TG)analysis.The biocompatibility was also determined by an in vitro investigation with MC3T3-E1 cells.SEM and TEM results showed that the G-FAP powders were composed of dense aggregates of agglomerated whisker-like crystals of200–300 nm in length and 10–20 nm in width.XRD and FT-IR analyses indicated the formation of pure apatite phase,and the substituted ions and gelatin did not change the diffraction pattern of the precipitated powders.The SSAs of the precipitated powder were 64.741,72.492,and107.745 m2/g,for HAP,FAP,and G-FAP,respectively.XRF analysis showed that Na+,Mg2+,and F-were substituted into the crystal lattice.TG results showed a reduced thermal stability of the precipitated G-FAP powders,with an advanced phase transformation beginning at800°C and a serious phase transformation from hexagonal apatite phase to rhombohedral b-TCP phase at 1,200°C in comparison with HAP and FAP.In vitro biological tests showed non-cytotoxic effects for all powders.However,G-FAP stimulated the proliferation of MC3T3-E1 cells earlier than HAP and FAP.The present G-FAP will therefore be a promising primary biomaterial for bone regeneration,tooth filling,or as a coating for metal artificial limbs.     

Effects of icosahedral phase formation on the microstructure and mechanical improvement of Mg alloys: A review

Icosahedral phase (I-phase) is a relatively excellent strengthening phase in Mg alloys. Depending on their volume fraction, the yield strength of Mg–Zn–Y–Zr alloys can vary from 150 to 450 MPa at room temperature. Recently, the formation of I-phase has been considered as one of the most effective methods for developing high strength lightweight Mg alloys for automotive and aerospace applications. In this review article, a series of research work about I-phase containing Mg alloys have been systematically investigated including I-phase formation mechanism and their effects on mechanical properties of Mg alloys. Particular emphases have been given to: (1) Structure of I-phase and its orientation relationship with the a-Mg matrix. (2) Influence of alloying elements and solidification conditions on I-phase formation. (3) Effects of I-phase on microstructural evolution and mechanical improvement of Mg–Zn–Y–(Zr) alloys. Moreover, the applications of I-phase for the mechanical improvement of other Mg alloys such as AZ91 and super-lightweight Mg–Li alloys are also reviewed.     

Effect of thermo-mechanical treatment on Ti–Ta-Hf high temperature shape memory alloy

The microstructure, martensitic transformation and mechanical/functional properties of Ti–Ta-Hf alloys with various thermo-mechanical treatments were investigated. The results reveal that the hot-rolling could refine the grain size and introduce a certain number of defects, resulting in the disappearance of martensitic transformation. The as-casted and solution treated Ti–Ta-Hf alloys were composed of α'' martensite phase and smaller volume of β phase. In contrast, the grain size of solution treated Ti–Ta-Hf alloy was slightly less than that of as-casted Ti–Ta-Hf alloy. This should be responsible to the higher yield stress and superior strain recovery characteristics for solution treated Ti–Ta-Hf alloy. The yield stress for the dislocation slip and the maximum recoverable strain of solution treated Ti–Ta-Hf alloy were 723 ​MPa and 5.06%, respectively.     

Stability of thermal cycling and high temperature mechanical properties for Ti–V–Al–B lightweight shape memory alloy

The microstructure of the Ti–V–Al shape memory alloy with refined grain and in-situ TiB phase was modified by doping minor Boron (B), which contributes to the superior mechanical performances and strain recovery characteristics. Compared with other quaternary Ti–V–Al-X alloys, the Ti–V–Al–B alloy showed the largest ultimate tensile stress due to the solution strengthening, grain refinement and precipitation strengthening of in-situ TiB phase. Moreover, the Ti–V–Al alloy added 0.1 ?at.%B possessed the maximum yield stress of 701 ?MPa and the largest tensile fracture strain of 27.6% at the temperature of 150 ?°C. Meanwhile, the excellent strain recovery characteristics with fully recoverable strain of 4% could be obtained due to B addition. Besides, B addition suppressed the precipitation of ω phase during thermal cycling and further improved the thermal cycling stability of the Ti–V–Al alloy.     

Photocatalytic property of TiO2 sensitized by different crystal phase CdS

TiO2 samples sensitized by different crystal phase CdS(CT) are synthesized by hydrothermal process at different reaction temperature. The samples are characterized by X-ray diffraction(XRD), transmission electron microscopy(TEM), and UV-Vis diffuse reflectance(UV-Vis). The XRD result reveals that the crystal phase of CdS is transformed from cubic phase to hexagonal phase with the increase of hydrothermal reaction temperature(120-160 ℃). The absorption edge of CT is extended from 498 nm to 546 nm. The photocatalytic degradation of rhodamin B(RhB) in aqueous solution is used to evaluate the photocatalytic activity of CT. With the increase of the preparation temperature, the photocatalytic activity of CT becomes stronger. The degradation rate of RhB by CdS/TiO2 at 160 ℃(CT-160 ℃)reaches 78%.     

Effect of Zr and Ti on isothermal oxidation behavior of Nb–Si based alloys

The isothermal oxidation behavior of 56Nb-16Si-(20-x)Ti–3Cr–3Al-2Hf-xZr (x ?= ?0, 2, 5, 10 ?at. %) alloys was investigated at 800 ?°C and 1250 ?°C, respectively. The results show that increasing the Zr content evidently increased the oxidation rates at 800 ?°C, accompanied by the obvious occurrence of pesting oxidation. The alloys showed alike linear oxidation kinetics at 1250 ?°C. With the increase of Zr content, the adherence and integrity of oxide scales were improved, but the overall oxidation resistance was slightly deteriorated. The observed oxidation behavior may be attributed to the composition variation of Zr and Ti in the alloys. The oxidation mechanism associated with the composition variation is discussed in this study.     

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.     

In-situ study on γ phase transformation behaviour of γ-TiAl alloys at different cooling rates

γ-TiAl-based alloys are promising lightweight high-temperature structural materials, and the transformation from the α parent phase to γ lamellae during the cooling process has a great influence on the microstructures and mechanical properties of TiAl alloys. In this paper, an in-situ observation technique, high-temperature laser scanning confocal microscopy (HTLSCM), was utilized to investigate the continuous cooling transition (CCT) from the α phase in three compositions. The nucleation and growth behaviors of γ lamellae were studied at several moderate cooling rates. In addition, the processes of helium gas quenching for three alloys were investigated, and the massive transformation was observed in Ti–49Al. CCT diagraphs were concluded for three alloys. The Vickers hardness of TiAl alloys subjected to different cooling rates was tested, and it was found that the hardness of alloys was enhanced with increasing cooling rate due to the refinement of lamellar spacing.     

Effects of alloying and high-temperature heat treatment on the microstructure of Nb–Ti–Si based ultrahigh temperatur e alloys

The phase co mpositions, microstructure and especi ally phase i nterfaces in the as-cast and heat-treated Nb– Ti–Si based ultrahigh temperature alloys have been investigated. It is shown that β(Nb,X)5Si3 and γ(Nb,X)5Si3 are the primary p hase s in the Nb–22Ti–16Si–5Cr–5Al (S1) (at%) and Nb–20Ti–16Si–6C r–4Al–5Hf–2B–0.06Y (S2) (at% ) alloys, respectively. The Nb solid solution (Nbss) is the primary phase in Nb–22Ti–14Si–5Hf–3Al–1. 5B –0.0 6Y (S3) (at%) alloy . An orientation relationship between Nbss and γ(Nb,X)5Si3 was determine d to be (1-10)Nb//(101-0)γ and [111]Nb//[0001]γ in the as-cast S2 and S3 alloys. Some original β(Nb,X)5Si3 transfor med into α(Nb,X)5Si3 because Al and Cr diffused from the β(Nb,X)5Si3 to Nbss during heattreatment at 1500 °C for 50 h in the S1 alloy. Mean while, Ti diffused from Nbss to β(Nb,X)5Si3, which induced a Ti to generate near the interface between Nbss and Ti-rich β(Nb,X)5Si3. The orientation relationship between the newl y-formed a Ti and previous Nbss was (110 )Nb//(1-10-1) αTi and [001]Nb//(12-3-1)αTi. Among the ( Nb,X)5Si3 phases , the contents o f Cr and Al in β(Nb,X)5Si3 are n earl y the same as those in γ(Nb,X)5Si3 but obviously hi gher than those in the α(Nb,X)5Si3, where as the content of Si in α(Nb,X)5Si3 is nearly the same a s that in γ(Nb,X)5Si3 but higher than that in the β(Nb,X)5Si3     

高硼多组分铸铁的组织及相元素分布

这种新提出的新型铸铁的化学成分为在0.7C–5W–5Mo–5V–10Cr–2.5Ti (wt%)中分别添加1.6wt% B和2.7wt% B。这项工作的目的是研究硼的含量对合金的结构状态和阶段元素分布对耐磨结构成分的形成影响。结果表明,当B含量为1.6wt%时,合金由三种共晶组成:(a) “M₂(C,B)₅+铁素体”具有“汉字”形貌 (89.8vol%), (b) “M₇(CB)₃+奥氏体”具有“莲座”形貌,(c) “M₃C+奥氏体”具有“莱氏体”形貌 (2.7vol%)。当硼含量为2.7wt%时,基体硬度由HRC 31提高到HRC 38.5。组织中出现了平均显微硬度为HV 2797的初生碳化物M₂(C,B)₅,体积分数为17.6vol%。共晶体(a)和(b,c)的体积分数分别降低到71.2vol%和3.9vol%。基体为“铁素体/奥氏体” (1.6wt% B) 和“铁素体/珠光体”(2.7wt% B),两种铸铁均含有致密析出碳化物(Ti,M)C和碳硼化物(Ti,M)(C,В),体积分数为7.3%–7.5%。基于能量色散X射线能谱,给出了元素相的分布和相应的相公式。