Corrosion behavior of Mg–Y alloy in NaCl aqueous solution

The corrosion behavior of Mg–(0.25, 2.5, 5, 8 and 15)Y alloys in 3.5wt.% NaCl aqueous solution was investigated. It was found that the degree of corrosion deterioration increased with increasing immersion time up to 2 h. Corrosion modes for the alloys with low and high content of Y element were general corrosion and pitting corrosion, respective ly, and the threshold content for the corrosion mode change was 2.5% for the tested alloys. The experimental results showed that the addition of Y refined the grain of the alloy, and the distribution, i.e., continuous or not, of the Mg24Y5 phases had great effect on the corrosion rate and corrosion mode.     

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.     

Effect of Sr on microstructure and aging behavior of Mg–14Li alloys

The as-cast and as-extruded Mg–14 wt%Li–x Sr ( x=0.14, 0.19, 0.39 wt%) alloys were,respectively, prepared through a simple alloying process and hot extrusion. The effects of Sr addition on microstructure and aging behavior of the Mg–14 wt%Li–xSr alloys were studied. The results indicated that β(Li) and Mg2Sr were the two primary phases in the microstructures of both as-cast and as-extruded Mg–14 wt%Li–xSr alloys. Interestingly, with the increase of Sr content from 0.14 wt% to 0.39 wt%, the grain sizes of the as-cast and as-extruded Mg–14 wt%Li–xSr alloys markedly decreased from 5000mm and 38mm to 330 mm and 22mm respectively, while no obvious changes of the micro-hardness and microstructure of the as-extruded alloys were observed during the aging treatment.     

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.     

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℃ 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 18R long-period stacking ordered (LPSO) phases with a composition of Mg₁₀ZnY 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.     

Preparation of high-strength Al-Mg-Si-Cu-Fe alloy via heat treatment and rolling

An Al-Mg-Si-Cu-Fe alloy was solid-solution treated at 560°C for 3 h and then cooled by water quenching or furnace cooling. The alloy samples which underwent cooling by these two methods were rolled at different temperatures. The microstructure and mechanical properties of the rolled alloys were investigated by optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction analysis, and tensile testing. For the water-quenched alloys, the peak tensile strength and elongation occurred at a rolling temperature of 180°C. For the furnace-cooled alloys, the tensile strength decreased initially, until the rolling temperature of 420°C, and then increased; the elongation increased consistently with increasing rolling temperature. The effects of grain boundary hardening and dislocation hardening on the mechanical properties of these rolled alloys decreased with increases in rolling temperature. The mechanical properties of the 180°C rolling water-quenched alloy were also improved by the presence of β″ phase. Above 420°C, the effect of solid-solution hardening on the mechanical properties of the rolled alloys increased with increases in rolling temperature.     

Effects of Ce-rich RE on microstructure and mechanical properties of as-cast Mg-8Li-3Al-2Zn-0.5Nd alloy with duplex structure

The effects of Ce-rich RE on the microstructure and mechanical properties of as-cast Mg-8Li-3Al-2Zn-0.5Nd-x RE(x = 0, 1, 2, 3 wt%) alloys were investigated. The results indicated that the as-cast Mg-8Li-3Al-2Zn-0.5Nd alloy mainly consisted of α-Mg, β-Li, AlLi, MgLi2 Al and Al2 Nd phases. With the addition of Ce-rich RE in the alloy,Al3 RE and Al2 RE phases generated and gradually grew into net-like or block-like structure. With the addition of RE, Al-RE phases generated by consuming Al element and, thus, less Al element was dissolved in the matrix and less AlLi phase formed. Furthermore, less AlLi phase means that more Li element released to cause the increase ofβ-Li phase and refine the α-Mg phase. Under the influence of these factors, adding more RE led to higher elongation and lower tensile strength and hardness. With the addition of Ce-rich RE, the yield strength and ultimate tensile strength of the as-cast Mg-8Li-3Al-2Zn-0.5Nd alloy gradually decreased from 180 to 152 MPa and from 215 to 193 MPa, respectively, while the elongation was remarkably improved from 21.1% to 40.2%.     

Microstructural characterization and hydrogenation performance of Zr_xV_5Fe(x=3-9) alloys

Zr_xV_5 Fe(x=3,5,7,8,9) alloys were designed to investigate the influence of Zr addition on hydrogenation performance.The alloys were prepared by arc melting and then annealed at 1273 K for 168 h.The results showed that the alloys were composed of α-Zr and C15-ZrV2 phases.The cell volume of C15-ZrV_2 phase firstly increased and then decreased as the content of Zr increased,while the reversed trend was found for the cell volume of α-Zr phase,which was related to the stoichiometric ratio of elements.α-Zr phase distributed in C15-ZrV2 phase matrix in Zr_xV_5 Fe(x=5,7,8,9) alloys,among which Zr7 V5 Fe alloy showed the best distribution.The PCT curves of the alloys under 623 K,673 K and 723 K showed that the hydrogen absorption plateau pressure of the phases in different alloys decreased gradually with the increasing content of Zr.However C15-ZrV2 phase in Zr7 V5 Fe alloy had the lowest hydrogen absorption plateau pressure at room temperature,which was consistent with the change tendency of the corresponding cell volume.Moreover,the kinetic curves of hydrogen absorption at 623 K revealed that Zr7 V5 Fe alloy with the smallest average particle size and the largest phase boundary area showed the fastest hydrogen absorption kinetics.Compared with other four alloys(including St707 alloy),Zr_7 V_5 Fe alloy is more suitable for the use of getter.     

Effect of arsenic content and quenching temperature on solidification microstructure and arsenic distribution in iron-arsenic alloys

The solidification microstructure, grain boundary segregation of soluble arsenic, and characteristics of arsenic-rich phases were systematically investigated in Fe-As alloys with different arsenic contents and quenching temperatures. The results show that the solidification microstructures of Fe-0.5wt%As alloys consist of irregular ferrite, while the solidification microstructures of Fe-4wt%As and Fe-10wt%As alloys present the typical dendritic morphology, which becomes finer with increasing arsenic content and quenching temperature. In Fe-0.5wt%As alloys quenched from 1600 and 1200℃, the grain boundary segregation of arsenic is detected by transmission electron microscopy. In Fe-4wt%As and Fe-10wt%As alloys quenched from 1600 and 1420℃, a fully divorced eutectic morphology is observed, and the eutectic Fe₂As phase distributes discontinuously in the interdendritic regions. In contrast, the eutectic morphology of Fe-10wt%As alloy quenched from 1200℃ is fibrous and forms a continuous network structure. Furthermore, the area fraction of the eutectic Fe₂As phase in Fe-4wt%As and Fe-10wt%As alloys increases with increasing arsenic content and decreasing quenching temperature.     

Effect of arsenic content and quenching temperature on solidification microstructure and arsenic distribution in iron–arsenic alloys

The solidification microstructure, grain boundary segregation of soluble arsenic, and characteristics of arsenic-rich phases were systematically investigated in Fe–As alloys with different arsenic contents and quenching temperatures. The results show that the solidification microstructures of Fe–0.5wt%As alloys consist of irregular ferrite, while the solidification microstructures of Fe–4wt%As and Fe–10wt%As alloys present the typical dendritic morphology, which becomes finer with increasing arsenic content and quenching temperature. In Fe–0.5wt%As alloys quenched from 1600 and 1200°C, the grain boundary segregation of arsenic is detected by transmission electron microscopy. In Fe–4wt%As and Fe–10wt%As alloys quenched from 1600 and 1420°C, a fully divorced eutectic morphology is observed, and the eutectic Fe2 As phase distributes discontinuously in the interdendritic regions. In contrast, the eutectic morphology of Fe–10wt%As alloy quenched from 1200°C is fibrous and forms a continuous network structure. Furthermore, the area fraction of the eutectic Fe2 As phase in Fe–4wt%As and Fe–10wt%As alloys increases with increasing arsenic content and decreasing quenching temperature.     

Dynamic process of trace boron non-equilibrium grain boundary segregation and the effect of cooling rate

The dynamic process of non-equilibrium grain boundary segregation of trace boron in Fe-40%Ni alloy during cooling and the effect of cooling rate were investigated by boron tracking autoradiography technique. The results indicate that during cooling process, the amount of segregated boron on grain boundary firstly increases fast, then enters a comparatively even increasing stage and increases rapidly again at the third stage. The details of each stage varied with cooling rate are explained. When thc segregation develops to a certain degree, the segregated boron atoms transform fiom solute status to precipitate status.     

Effect of Ni addition on microstructure and mechanical properties of Al-Mg-Si-Cu-Zn alloys with a high Mg/Si ratio

The effect of adding 0.03wt% Ni on the microstructure and mechanical properties of Al-Mg-Si-Cu-Zn alloys was systematically studied. The results reveal that the number density of spherical Fe-rich phases within grains increases with the addition of Ni, accompanied by the formation of Q (Al₃Mg₉Si₇Cu₂) precipitates around the spherical Fe-rich phases. Additionally, Ni addition is beneficial to reducing the grain size in the as-cast state. During the homogenization process, Q phases could be completely dissolved and the grain size could remain basically unchanged. However, compared with the Ni-free alloy, the Fe-rich phase in the Ni-containing alloy is more likely to undergo the phase transformation and further form more spherical particles during homogenization treatment. After thermomechanical processing, the distribution of Fe-rich phases in the Ni-containing alloy was further greatly improved and directly resulted in a greater formability than that of the Ni-free alloy. Accordingly, a reasonable Ni addition positively affected the microstructure and formability of the alloys.     

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.     

Influence of hydrogen content on the behavior of grain reflnement in hypereutectic aluminum-silicon alloy

Dissolved hydrogen is harmful to mechanical properties of refined hypereutectic aluminum-silicon alloys. In the present work, by using a stepped-form mold and the hydrogen-detecting instrument HYSCAN Ⅱ, the relationship between the initial hydrogen content in the melt and the refinement effect on the casting of hypereutectic aluminum-silicon alloy was investigated. The experimental results show that the cooling rate, the hydrogen content and the grain refinement effect are three interactive factors. When the hydrogen content is above 0.20 mL/100 g and the cooling rate is lower than that in 50 mm-thick step, hydrogen dissolved in the alloy melt influences the grain refinement effect. With increasing the cooling rate, the critical hydrogen content increases too. It is expected that much hydrogen in the melt make the net interfacial energy larger than or equal to zero, resulting in the shielding of the particles AlP during solidification and that the critical gas content is closely related to the critical radius of embryo bubbles.     

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.     

Structure and corrosion resistance of Al–Cu–Fe alloys

The microstructure and electrochemical properties of Al–Cu–Fe alloys with the atomic compositions of Al_(65)Cu_(20)Fe_(15),Al_(78)Cu_7Fe_(15)and Al_(80)Cu_5Fe_(14)Si_1have been studied.The alloys were produced by induction melting of pure elements with copper mold casting.The microstructure of the alloys was analyzed by X-ray diffraction and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy.The formation of quasicrystalline phases in the Al–Cu–Fe alloys was confirmed.The presence of intermetallic phases was observed in the alloys after crystallization in a form of ingots and plates.The electrochemical measurements were conducted in 3.5%NaCl solution.The electronic structure of the alloys was determined by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy.The post corrosion surface of the samples was checked using a scanning electron microscope equipped with the energydispersive X-ray detector.It was observed that the Al_(65)Cu_(20)Fe_(15)alloy had the highest corrosion resistance.The improved corrosion resistance parameters were noted for the plate samples rather than those in the as-cast state.And the hardness of the Al_(65)Cu_(20)Fe_(15)alloy was significantly higher than the other alloy samples.     

Microstructure and magnetostrictive performance of NbC-doped <100>oriented Fe-Ga alloys

The 100 oriented Fe_(83)Ga_(17) alloy rods with various NbC contents less than lat%were prepared by the directional soUdification method at a growth rate of 720 mm·h~(-1).Low NbC-content was found to affect the oriented grain growth and slightly improve the 100 orientation.Flat grain boundaries in the alloys with low NbC contents less than 0.2at%became greatly curved at higher NbC contents,and a large amount of Nb-rich precipitates were observed in the alloys with high NbC contents.Small amounts of NbC,less than 0.2at%,resulted in an increase in magnetostrictive strain due to the improvement of the 100 orientation,and a high magnetostrictive strain value of 335 ×10~(-6) under a pre-stress of 15 MPa was obtained in the 0.1 at%NbC-doped alloys.The magnetostrictive performance obviously decreased with the NbC addition higher than 0.5at%,and the strain sensitivity under no pre-stress was lower than that in the binary Fe-Ga alloy.     

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.     

Microstructure and magnetostrictive performance of NbC-doped<100>oriented Fe-Ga alloys

The <100> oriented Fe₈₃Ga₁₇ alloy rods with various NbC contents less than 1at% were prepared by the directional solidification method at a growth rate of 720 mm·h-1. Low NbC-content was found to affect the oriented grain growth and slightly improve the <100> orientation. Flat grain boundaries in the alloys with low NbC contents less than 0.2at% became greatly curved at higher NbC contents, and a large amount of Nb-rich precipitates were observed in the alloys with high NbC contents. Small amounts of NbC, less than 0.2at%, resulted in an increase in magnetostrictive strain due to the improvement of the <100> orientation, and a high magnetostrictive strain value of 335×10-6 under a pre-stress of 15 MPa was obtained in the 0.1at% NbC-doped alloys. The magnetostrictive performance obviously decreased with the NbC addition higher than 0.5at%, and the strain sensitivity under no pre-stress was lower than that in the binary Fe-Ga alloy.     

Investigation on the homogenization treatment and element segregation on the microstructure of a γ/γ′-cobalt-based superalloy

The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of element segregation on the microstructure and γ′ phase in a γ/γ′ cobalt-based superalloy. Several samples were prepared from a cast alloy and homogenized at 1300°C for different times, with a maximum of 24 h. A microstructural study of the cast alloy using wavelength-dispersive spectroscopic analysis revealed that elements such as Al, Ti, and Ni segregated mostly within interdendritic regions, whereas W atoms were segregated within dendrite cores. With an increase in homogenization time, segregation decreased and the initial dendritic structure was eliminated. Field-emission scanning electron microscopy micrographs showed that the γ′ phases in the cores and interdendritic regions of the as-cast alloy were 392 and 124 nm, respectively. The size difference of γ′ was found to be due to the different segregation behaviors of constituent elements during solidification. After homogenization, particularly after 16 h, segregation decreased; thus, the size, chemical composition, and hardness of the precipitated γ′ phase was mostly uniform throughout the samples.