Microstructural characteristics and mechanical properties of bobbin-tool friction stir welded 2024-T3 aluminum alloy

Cold-rolled 2024-T3 sheet alloy was subjected to bobbin-tool friction stir welding (BTFSW). The microstructural characteristics and mechanical properties of the nugget zone in the as-welded state were investigated. The results show that the equiaxed grain size of BTFSW 2024-T3 alloy decreases from 7.6 to 2.8 μm as the welding speed is increased from 80 to 120 mm/min; in addition, fine grains are generated in the nugget zone and the size distribution is non-uniform. All Al₂CuMg (S') precipitates dissolve into the Al matrix, whereas Mn-rich phases confirmed as T phases (Al₂₀Cu₂Mn₃, Al₆Mn, or Al₃Mn) remain unchanged. The optimized parameters for BTFSW are verified as the rotation speed of 350 r/min and the travel speed of 100 mm/min. The variations in precipitation and dislocation play more important roles than grain size in the nugget zone with respect to influencing the mechanical properties during the BTFSW process. After the BTFSW process, the fracture mode of base material 2024-T3 alloy transforms from ductile rupture to ductile-brittle mixed fracture.     

Microstructural evolution and mechanical properties of an Fe–18Ni–16Cr–4Al base alloy during aging at 950℃

The development of Gen-IV nuclear systems and ultra-supercritical power plants proposes greater demands on structural materials used for key components. An Fe–18Ni–16Cr–4Al (316-base) alumina-forming austenitic steel was developed in our laboratory. Its microstructural evolution and mechanical properties during aging at 950℃ were investigated subsequently. Micro-structural changes were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, electron backscatter diffraction, and transmission electron microscopy. Needle-shaped NiAl particles begin to precipitate in austenite after ageing for 10 h, whereas round NiAl particles in ferrite are coarsened during aging. Precipitates of NiAl with different shapes in different matrices result from differences in lattice misfits. The tensile plasticity increases by 32.4% after aging because of the improvement in the percentage of coincidence site lattice grain boundaries, whereas the tensile strength remains relatively high at approximately 790 MPa.     

Effect of pre-annealing treatment on the microstructure and mechanical properties of extruded Al-Zn-Mg-Cu alloy bars

Taking extruded Al-Zn-Mg-Cu alloy (7A04 alloy) bars as the research object, the effect and mechanism of pre-annealing treatments on the microstructure and mechanical properties of the aged alloy bars were investigated. The results show that a pre-annealing treatment at 350℃ for 15 h before a T6 treatment substantially reduced the sensitivity of the microstructure and mechanical properties of the extruded 7A04 aluminum alloy specimens toward the extrusion temperature. The average grain sizes of the specimens extruded at 390 and 430℃ after T6 treatment were 3.4 and 8.1 μm, respectively, and their elongations to failure were 7.0% and 9.2%, respectively. However, after pre-annealing + T6 treatment, the differences in both the grain sizes and the elongations of the specimens became small, i.e., their average grain sizes were 3.2 and 3.8 μm and their elongations were 12.0% and 13.3%, respectively. For the specimens extruded at the same temperature, pre-annealing treatment obviously improved the plasticity of the alloy, which is attributed to an increase in soft texture or to grain refinement in the specimens as a result of the pre-annealing + T6 treatment.     

Effect of welding process on the microstructure and properties of dissimilar weld joints between low alloy steel and duplex stainless steel

To obtain high-quality dissimilar weld joints, the processes of metal inert gas (MIG) welding and tungsten inert gas (TIG) welding for duplex stainless steel (DSS) and low alloy steel were compared in this paper. The microstructure and corrosion morphology of dissimilar weld joints were observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM); the chemical compositions in different zones were detected by energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS); the mechanical properties were measured by microhardness test, tensile test, and impact test; the corrosion behavior was evaluated by polarization curves. Obvious concentration gradients of Ni and Cr exist between the fusion boundary and the type II boundary, where the hardness is much higher. The impact toughness of weld metal by MIG welding is higher than that by TIG welding. The corrosion current density of TIG weld metal is higher than that of MIG weld metal in a 3.5wt% NaCl solution. Galvanic corrosion happens between low alloy steel and weld metal, revealing the weakness of low alloy steel in industrial service. The quality of joints produced by MIG welding is better than that by TIG welding in mechanical performance and corrosion resistance. MIG welding with the filler metal ER2009 is the suitable welding process for dissimilar metals jointing between UNS S31803 duplex stainless steel and low alloy steel in practical application.     

Effects of sphere size on the microstructure and mechanical properties of ductile iron–steel hollow sphere syntactic foams

The effects of sphere size on the microstructural and mechanical properties of ductile iron–steel hollow sphere (DI–SHS) syntactic foams were investigated in this study. The SHSs were manufactured by fluidized-bed coating via the Fe-based commercial powder–binder suspension onto expanded polystyrene spheres (EPSs). Afterwards, the DI–SHS syntactic foams were produced via a sand-mold casting process. The microstructures of specimens were investigated by optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and energy- dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). The microscopic evaluations of specimens reveal distinct regions composed of the DI matrix, SHS shells, and compatible interface. As a result, the microstructures and graphite morphologies of the DI matrix depend on sphere size. When the sphere size decreases, the area fractions of cementite and graphite phases are observed to increase and decrease, respectively. Compression tests were subsequently conducted at ambient temperature on the DI–SHS syntactic foams. The results reveal that the compression behavior of the syntactic foams is enhanced with increasing sphere size. Furthermore, the compressed specimens demonstrate that microcracks start and grow from the interface region.     

Variation in retained austenite content and mechanical properties of 0.2C–7Mn steel after intercritical annealing

The effects of annealing time and temperature on the retained austenite content and mechanical properties of 0.2C–7Mn steel were studied. The retained austenite content of 0.2C–7Mn steel was compared with that of 0.2C–5Mn steel. It is found that 0.2C–7Mn steel exhibits a similar variation trend of retained austenite content as 0.2C–5Mn steel. However, in detail, these trends are different. 0.2C–7Mn steel contains approximately 7.5vol% retained austenite after austenitization and quenching. The stability of the reversed austenite in 0.2C–7Mn steel is lower than that in 0.2C–5Mn steel; in contrast, the equilibrium reversed austenite fraction of 0.2C–7Mn steel is substantially greater than that of 0.2C–5Mn steel. Therefore, the retained austenite content in 0.2C–7Mn steel reaches 53.1vol%. The tensile results show that long annealing time and high annealing temperature may not favor the enhancement of mechanical properties of 0.2C–7Mn steel. The effect of retained austenite on the tensile strength of the steel depends on the content of retained austenite; in contrast, the 0.2% yield strength linearly decreases with increasing retained austenite content.     

Effects of heat treatment on the intermetallic compounds and mechanical properties of the stainless steel 321-aluminum 1230 explosive-welding interface

The effects of heat treatment on the microstructure and mechanical properties of intermetallic compounds in the interface of stainless steel 321 explosively bonded to aluminum 1230 were investigated in this study. Experimental investigations were performed by optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and microhardness and shear tensile strength testing. Prior to heat treatment, increasing the stand-off distance between samples from 1 to 2.5 mm caused their interface to become wavy and the thickness of intermetallic layers to increase from 3.5 to 102.3 μm. The microhardness increased from HV 766 in the sample prepared at a stand-off distance of 1 mm to HV 927 in the sample prepared at a stand-off distance of 2.5 mm; in addition, the sample strength increased from 103.2 to 214.5 MPa. Heat treatment at 450℃ for 6 h increased the thickness of intermetallic compound layers to 4.4 and 118.5 μm in the samples prepared at stand-off distances of 1 and 2.5 mm, respectively. These results indicated that increasing the duration and temperature of heat treatment decreased the microhardness and strength of the interface of explosively welded stainless steel 321-Al 1230 and increased the thickness of the intermetallic region.     

Mechanical properties and microstructure of 3D-printed high Co-Ni secondary hardening steel fabricated by laser melting deposition

The mechanical properties and microstructure of the 3D-printed high Co-Ni secondary hardening steel fabricated by the laser melting deposition technique was investigated using a material testing machine and electron microscopy. A microstructure investigation revealed that the samples consist of martensite laths, fine dispersed precipitates, and reverted austenite films at the martensite lath boundaries. The precipitates are enriched with Co and Mo. Because the sample tempered at 486℃ has smaller precipitates and a higher number of precipitates per unit area, it exhibits better mechanical properties than the sample tempered at 498℃. Although the 3D-printed samples have the same phase constituents as AerMet 100 steel, the mechanical properties are slightly worse than those of the commercial wrought AerMet 100 steel because of the presence of voids.     

Microstructure and mechanical properties of the micrograined hypoeutectic Zn–Mg alloy

A biodegradable Zn alloy, Zn–1.6Mg, with the potential medical applications as a promising coating material for steel components was studied in this work. The alloy was prepared by three different procedures: gravity casting, hot extrusion, and a combination of rapid solidification and hot extrusion. The samples prepared were characterized by light microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and X-ray diffraction analysis. Vickers hardness, tensile, and compressive tests were performed to determine the samples’ mechanical properties. Structural examination reveals that the average grain sizes of samples prepared by gravity casting, hot extrusion, and rapid solidification followed by hot extrusion are 35.0, 9.7, and 2.1 μm, respectively. The micrograined sample with the finest grain size exhibits the highest hardness (Hv = 122 MPa), compressive yield strength (382 MPa), tensile yield strength (332 MPa), ultimate tensile strength (370 MPa), and elongation (9%). This sample also demonstrates the lowest work hardening in tension and temporary softening in compression among the prepared samples. The mechanical behavior of the samples is discussed in relation to the structural characteristics, Hall–Petch relationship, and deformation mechanisms in fine-grained hexagonal-close-packed metals.     

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.     

Microstructural evolution and mechanical properties of aging high nitrogen austenitic stainless steels

The microstructural evolution of 18Cr18Mn2Mo0.77N high nitrogen austenitic stainless steel in aging treatment was investigated by optical microscopy (OM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The results show that hexagonal intergranular and cellular Cr₂N with a=0.478 nm and c=0.444 nm and body-centered cubic intermetallic χ phase with a=0.892 nm precipitate gradually in the isothermal aging treatment. The matrix nitrogen depletion due to the intergranular Cr₂N precipitation induces the decay of Vickers hardness, and the formation of cellular Cr₂N and χ phase causes the increase in the values. The impact toughness presents a monotonic decrease and SEM morphologies show the leading brittle intergranular fracture. The tensile strength and elongation deteriorate obviously except for the sample aged for 1 h in yield strength. Stress concentration occurs when the matrix dislocations pile up at the precipitation and matrix interfaces, and the interfacial dislocations may become precursors to the misfit dislocations, which can form small cleavage steps and accelerate the formation of cracks.     

Antibacterial and corrosive properties of copper implanted austenitic stainless steel

Copper ions were implanted into austenitic stainless steel (SS) by metal vapor vacuum arc with a energy of 100 keV and an ions dose range of (0.5-8.0)×1017 cm-2. The Cu-implanted SS was annealed in an Ar atmosphere furnace. Glancing X-ray diffraction (GXRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) were used to reveal the phase compositions, microstructures, and concentration profiles of copper ions in the implanted layer. The results show that the antibacterial property of Cu-implanted SS is attributed to Cu_9.9Fe_0.1, which precipitated as needles. The depth of copper in Cu-implanted SS with annealing treatment is greater than that in Cu-implanted SS without annealing treatment, which improves the antibacterial property against S. aureus. The salt wetting-drying combined cyclic test was used to evaluate the corrosion-resistance of antibacterial SS, and the results reveal that the antibacterial SS has a level of corrosion-resistance equivalent to that of un-implanted SS.     

Effect of cryogenic rolling and annealing on the microstructure evolution and mechanical properties of 304 stainless steel

Metastable 304 austenitic stainless steel was subjected to rolling at cryogenic and room temperatures, followed by annealing at different temperatures from 500 to 950℃. Phase transition during annealing was studied using X-ray diffractometry. Transmission electron microscopy and electron backscattered diffraction were used to characterize the martensite transformation and the distribution of austenite grain size after annealing. The recrystallization mechanism during cryogenic rolling was a reversal of martensite into austenite and austenite growth. Cryogenic rolling followed by annealing refined grains to 4.7 μm compared with 8.7 μm achieved under room-temperature rolling, as shown by the electron backscattered diffraction images. Tensile tests showed significantly improved mechanical properties after cryogenic rolling as the yield strength was enhanced by 47% compared with room-temperature rolling.     

合金元素对316 LN 不锈钢的力学性能和点蚀性能的影响

研究了N、Cr、Mo和Ni四种合金元素含量的变化对核电主管道用固溶态316LN不锈钢的晶粒尺寸以及常规力学性能和点蚀性能的影响.随着N含量的升高,316LN的晶粒明显细化,其在固溶处理过程中晶粒长大趋势也减小. N含量的升高可改善316LN的力学性能和耐点蚀性能,但是当N质量分数达到0.20%时,其耐点蚀性能又开始变差.晶粒细化对316LN强度的影响远小于N含量对316LN强度的影响. Cr及Ni含量对316LN的晶粒尺寸及抗拉强度、屈服强度等力学性能影响不大;Cr含量增加可轻微改善316LN的抗点蚀能力,Ni元素对316LN的耐点蚀性能影响不大,但可增大钝态的腐蚀速度从而不利于钝化膜的稳定.随Mo含量增加,316LN的晶粒尺寸略有减小,强度增大,延伸率显著降低,耐点蚀能力改善.     

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.     

Super304H奥氏体不锈钢的抗高温氧化性能

采用称重法测得了Super304H和Super304HS两种奥氏体耐热不锈钢在不同温度下的高温氧化动力学曲线,研究发现:两种不锈钢的氧化动力学曲线遵循抛物线规律,Super304HS的抗氧化性能明显优于Super304H,而且Super304H在900℃时氧化100 h后,氧化膜明显脱落.利用扫描电镜、X射线衍射的方法对Super304H不锈钢氧化膜表面的形貌及结构进行了研究,结果表明:在700℃和800℃时,两种材料氧化膜组成相似,都是Cr2O3和少量尖晶石结构的FeCr2O4,Su-per304H钢在900℃时的氧化产物主要由Cr2O3,Fe2O3和尖晶石FeCr2O4组成,Super304HS在900℃时的氧化膜主要由Cr2O3和尖晶石FeCr2O4组成.     

退火工艺对304HC奥氏体不锈钢钢丝组织和性能的影响

对304HC奥氏体不锈钢钢丝在不同退火工艺制度下的性能和组织进行检测和观察,分析不同退火工艺参数对其组织和性能的影响规律.结果表明,退火后304HC奥氏体不锈钢钢丝的显微组织基本为等轴奥氏体晶粒,若退火温度较低或走线速率较快,则会出现大量的第二相组织;选用退火温度1050℃、走线速率4m/min、快冷的退火工艺,304HC奥氏体不锈钢钢丝的组织发生再结晶、第二相组织奥氏体化,材料获得较好的塑性,同时也获得比较优异的综合性能.     

改进310奥氏体不锈钢长期时效后的组织与性能

借助扫描电子显微镜、透射电子显微镜以及高温、室温拉伸和硬度测试研究了实验室研发的改进310奥氏体不锈钢在700℃长期时效后的组织与性能.700℃时效1000 h后,实验钢在晶界和晶内析出了大量(Cr,Fe,Mo)23C6、(Cr,Fe)23C6、σ相和少量的χ相.析出相对实验钢的室温力学性能有明显的强化作用.强度增加,硬度升高20 Hv,同时延伸率仍保持在30%以上.高温下,析出强化效应减弱,延伸率轻微下降.通过断口表面和剖面观察发现,时效1000 h后,实验钢的高温拉伸断口为韧性断裂,未观察到裂纹和孔洞;而室温拉伸断口为脆性断裂,断口附近则观察到σ相中出现裂纹和孔洞.从σ相的脆-韧转变和实验钢基体的室温和高温强度的不同,讨论了在室温拉伸过程中产生裂纹和孔洞的原因,以及时效对室温和高温力学行为的不同影响.     

晶界工程处理对304奥氏体不锈钢力学性能的影响

晶界工程是改善晶界特性以提高抗晶间退化能力的一种可行方法,能有效提高Σ重位点阵晶界的比例。研究基于304奥氏体不锈钢,通过控制不同的热机械加工工艺,以获得更高的Σ重位点阵晶界,优化晶界特征分布,利用电子背散射衍射技术分析不同样品的微观结构,通过室温拉伸试验研究晶界类型对304型奥氏体不锈钢力学性能的影响。结果表明,经过晶界工程处理的样品,其伸长率能得到一定程度的提升。分析断口微观形貌、平均施密特因子、泰勒因子得出,晶界工程处理能使得304奥氏体不锈钢基体内的第二相杂质减少、微观区域应变分布更均匀、滑移系统的激活过程更容易发生。