Microstructure and mechanical properties of Nb–Si alloys fabricated by spark plasma sintering

This paper deals with microstructural evolutions and mechanical properties of Nb-Si binaries containing dual-phase Nb/Nb5Si3 with Nb to Nb5Si3 fraction ratios of 90:10,80:20,70:30 and 50:50,prepared by spark plasma sintering(SPS).Dense Nb/Nb5Si3 samples with a relative density larger than 99.5% were obtained by SPS processing.The SPS samples consist of the Nb and Nb5Si3 phases with less than 3% fraction of NbO oxide.Hv at room temperature,and compressive strength at 1150℃ and 1250 1C of the bulk SPS alloys increase monolithically by enhancing fraction of the stiffening Nb5Si3 phase.For example,0.2% yield strength,σ0.2,increases from 175 MPa to 420 MPa at 1150℃ and from 110 MPa to 280 MPa at 1250℃,when the Nb5Si3 fraction increases from 10% to 50%.It is interesting that the fracture toughness,KQ,of the bulk SPS samples seems not to be sensitive to phase fraction.Heat treatment,however,plays a key role on the KQ as compared with that of the as-sintered state,at the corresponding Nb5Si3 fraction and considerably improves the KQ by about 100% for samples with the Nb5Si3 fractions of 10%-30%,and by about 50% for the sample with 50% Nb5Si3 fraction.     

放电等离子烧结TiAl基合金的显微组织及力学性能

以Ti-47.5Al-2.5V-1.0Cr合金粉末为原料,采用放电等离子烧结工艺制备出TiAl基合金,并研究了制备工艺、显微组织与室温力学性能三者的关系.结果表明,采用放电等离子烧结方法可制备出致密度高、组织均匀的TiAl基合金.烧结温度对合金的显微组织影响显著,且其室温力学性能与显微组织密切相关,显微组织越细小,室温强度和塑性越高.当烧结温度为1100℃时,制备出的TiAl-V-Cr合金显微组织类型为细小双态组织,具有35.2%的压缩率和3321MPa的断裂强度,显示出较好的室温压缩性能.     

Microstructural evolution and mechanical properties of Nb-Si-Cr ternary alloys with a tri-phase Nb/Nb5Si3/Cr2Nb microstructure fabricated by spark plasma sintering

In this work, pure Nb, Nb₅Si₃ and Laves Cr₂Nb compound powders were used as raw materials to prepare Nb-Si-Cr ternary alloys by spark plasma sintering (SPS). A comprehensive estimation of the microstructure and properties, including room temperature fracture toughness, high temperature strength and oxidation resistance, of the Nb-Si-Cr ternary alloys as a function of the Nb/Nb₅Si₃/Cr₂Nb phase volume fraction combinations was conducted. The results showed that Nb-Si-Cr ternary samples with the relative density larger than 98.42% were obtained by SPS processing, and the samples all consisted of Nb, Nb₅Si₃ and Cr₂Nb phases that were distributed homogeneously. The fracture toughness K_Q of the Nb/Nb₅Si₃/Cr₂Nb microstructure, which was dominated by the Nb phase, naturally increased with the Nb fraction. As expected, the room-temperature Vickers hardness and the high-temperature strength of the bulk alloys increased monotonically with the increasing of the stiffening Nb₅Si₃ fraction. Interestingly, the binary Cr₂Nb phase played a positive role in the high temperature strength and oxidation resistance. Finally, the fracture modes of the typical Nb/Nb₅Si₃/Cr₂Nb microstructures under bending and compression conditions at room and high temperatures as well as the oxidation mechanism are described and discussed.     

Densification behavior of high Nb containing TiAl alloys through reactive hot pressing

Densification behavior of high Nb containing TiAl alloys through reactive hot pressing was investigated. The results showed that the density of the sample hot pressed at 1400℃ could reach a near full density of 98.37%. However, the densification abnormality was observed at 1500℃. The diffusion of elemental Nb during microstructural evolution is an important aspect affecting densification, which will form pore nests. With the increase of hot pressing temperature, the diffusion of Nb becomes more adequate. HIP (Hot isostatic pressing) treatment can only decrease porosity to some extent, but cannot eliminate it completely.     

Mn含量对铸造高铌TiAl合金组织和性能的影响

选择两种Mn含量不同的高铌TiAl合金Ti46Al8Nb2Mn0.2B和Ti46Al8Nb1.3Mn0.2B,通过热等静压(HIP)及后续热处理,结合组织和力学性能的分析,研究了Mn含量对高铌TiAl合金的组织和性能的影响.XRD和SEM背散射电子实验结果表明:Mn含量较高的Ti46Al8Nb2Mn0.2B合金,经热等静压及循环热处理,得到的双态组织较粗大,并且有少量脆性β相存在;Mn含量较低的Ti46Al8Nb1.3Mn0.2B合金,经热等静压后直接在双相区长时间保温处理,得到了细小的双态组织,并且完全消除了β相.室温拉伸实验表明,Mn含量的降低提高了Ti46Al8Nb1.3Mn0.2B合金的力学性能,其延伸率、屈服强度和断裂强度分别达到2.4%、548MPa和660MPa.断口形貌分析表明,室温下两种合金都属于解理断裂.     

Strain rate sensitivity of tensile properties in high Nb containing TiAl alloys

The effect of strain rate on the yield strength of high Nb containing TiAl alloy was studied. The results show that the strain rate sensitivity varies with the test temperature, and the yield strength is not sensitive to the strain rate at room temperature but significantly sensitive to the strain rate at high temperature. An increase of the strain rate or a decrease of the temperature results in an obvious change of fracture mode. It is found that the strain rate sensitivity of this alloy varying with temperature is due to the dislocation climb generated at high temperature.     

Microstructure,thermal properties,and corrosion behaviors of FeSiBAlNi alloy fabricated by mechanical alloying and spark plasma sintering

An equiatomic FeSiBAlNi amorphous high-entropy alloy (HEA) was fabricated by mechanical alloying (MA). A fully amorphous phase was obtained in the FeSiBAlNi HEA after 240 h of MA. The bulk FeSiBAlNi samples were sintered by spark plasma sintering (SPS) at 520 and 1080℃ under a pressure of 80 MPa. The sample sintered at 520℃ exhibited an amorphous composite structure comprising solid-solution phases (body-centered cubic (bcc) and face-centered cubic (fcc) phases). When the as-milled amorphous HEA was consolidated at 1080℃, another fcc phase appeared and the amorphous phase disappeared. The sample sintered by SPS at 1080℃ exhibited a slightly higher melting temperature compared with those of the as-milled alloy and the bulk sample sintered at 520℃. The corrosion behaviors of the as-sintered samples were investigated by potentiodynamic polarization measurements and immersion tests in seawater solution. The results showed that the HEA obtained by SPS at 1080℃ exhibited better corrosion resistance than that obtained by SPS at 520℃.     

Mechanical properties of graphene nanoplatelets reinforced 7075 aluminum alloy composite fabricated by spark plasma sintering

A 0.3 wt% graphene nanoplatelets(GNPs) reinforced 7075 aluminum alloy matrix(7075 Al) composite was fabricated by spark plasma sintering and its strength and wear resistance were investigated. The microstructures of the internal structure, the friction surface, and the wear debris were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and Raman spectroscopy. Compared with the original 7075 aluminum alloy, the hardness and elastic modulus of the 7075 Al/GNPs composite were found to have increased by 29% and 36%, respectively. The results of tribological experiments indicated that the composite also exhibited a lower wear rate than the original 7075 aluminum alloy.     

Sintering behavior and thermal conductivity of nickel-coated graphite flake/copper composites fabricated by spark plasma sintering

Nickel-coated graphite flakes/copper (GN/Cu) composites were fabricated by spark plasma sintering with the surface of graphite flakes (GFs) being modified by Ni-P electroless plating. The effects of the phase transition of the amorphous Ni-P plating and of Ni diffusion into the Cu matrix on the densification behavior, interfacial microstructure, and thermal conductivity (TC) of the GN/Cu composites were systematically investigated. The introduction of Ni-P electroless plating efficiently reduced the densification temperature of uncoated GF/Cu composites from 850 to 650℃ and slightly increased the TC of the X-Y basal plane of the GF/Cu composites with 20vol%-30vol% graphite flakes. However, when the graphite flake content was greater than 30vol%, the TC of the GF/Cu composites decreased with the introduction of Ni-P plating as a result of the combined effect of the improved heat-transfer interface with the transition layer, P generated at the interface, and the diffusion of Ni into the matrix. Given the effect of the Ni content on the TC of the Cu matrix and on the interface thermal resistance, a modified effective medium approximation model was used to predict the TC of the prepared GF/Cu composites.     

Improving thermoelectric properties of p-type Bi_2Te_3-based alloys by spark plasma sintering

High-performance(Bi_2Te_3)_x(Sb_1Te_3)_(1-x) bulk materials were prepared by combining fusion technique with spark plasma sintering,and their thermoelectric properties were investigated.The electrical resistivity and Seebeck coefficient increase greatly and the thermal conductivity decreases significantly with the increase of Bi_2Te_3 content,which leads to a great improvement in the thermoelectric figure of merit ZT.The maximum ZT value reaches 1.33 at 398 K for the composition of 20%Bi_2Te_3-80%Sb_2Te_...     

Improving thermoelectric properties of p-type Bi2Te3 -based alloys by spark plasma sintering

High-performance (Bi2Te3)x(Sb2Te3)1?x bulk materials were prepared by combining fusion technique with spark plasma sintering, and their thermoelectric properties were investigated. The electrical resistivity and Seebeck coefficient increase greatly and the thermal conductivity decreases signi ficantly with the increase of Bi2Te3 content, which leads to a great improvement in the thermoelectric figure of merit ZT. The maximum ZT value reaches 1.33 at 398 K for the composition of 20%Bi2Te3-80%Sb2Te3 with 3% (mass fraction) excess Te.     

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.     

Solidification structures of high niobium containing TiAl alloys

To understand the effect of alloy stoichiometry on the microstructural development and mechanical behavior of γ-TiAl-based materials, it is necessary to have a determination of the phase relationships for the TiAl alloy system near the γ phase field. Cast structures and phases of Ti-(43-47)Al-8Nb-(1-2)Mn (at%) alloys have been studied by using scanning electron microscope and X-ray diffraction. Their solidification path and microstructure development during the solidification were analyzed. The experimental results show that the alloys with different Al contents form different macrostructures and microstructural morphologies. This indi-cates that the solidification paths are different with different Al contents. The alloy with 43Al forms equiaxed grain structure, and the solidification path is as follows:L→L+β→β→α+β→α+β cores→α₂+γ+B2 cores. Whereas the alloy with 47Al forms colum-nar grain structure, and the solidification path is as follows:L→L+β→α+β+L→α+γ+β cores→tXj+γ+BZ cores. The p phase is their primary solid phase and can be retained to ambient temperature. The alloy with 43Al solidifies completely into β phase. The peritectic reactions L+P→α and L+α→γ appear when the Al content increases to 47Al.     

机械合金化与等离子体烧结法制备CoSb3热电材料

研究用机械合金化及等离子体烧结法制备热电材料CoSb3化合物,试验结果表明,原始粉末机械合金化10h后,在500~600℃采用等离子体活化烧结能获得单相的CoSb3化合物,随烧结温度的升高,烧结样品密度增大,热导率随烧结温度的升高而降低。     

放电等离子烧结合成TiC/TiB_2颗粒增强的超细晶钛基复合材料

采用放电等离子烧结技术结合非晶晶化法制备了不同体积分数的TiC/TiB2颗粒增强的超细晶钛基复合材料.运用X射线衍射分析、扫描电子显微镜和万能材料试验机等实验手段,对合成的超细晶钛基复合材料进行测试分析.结果表明：随着外加TiC/TiB2颗粒的增加,钛基复合材料试样的致密度逐渐降低.TiC颗粒与基体不发生反应,而TiB2颗粒的加入改变了TiB2颗粒与基体界面的组织形貌,但对远离界面处的基体组织形貌没有影响,其组织均由-Ti（Nb）相和（Cu,Ni）-Ti2相组成,且-Ti（Nb）相连续分布.同时,TiC颗粒的增强效果优于TiB2颗粒,35vol.%（体积分数）TiC颗粒增强的复合材料试样的断裂强度最高,达2209MPa.     

Microstructure and mechanical properties of Cr doped WCoB based cermets by spark plasma sintering and first principle calculation

WCoB based cermet is a potential hard alloy to replace WC-Co cermets with high hardness and corrosion resistance. WCoB based cermets with different Cr doping contents were fabricated by spark plasma sintering in liquid phase sintering stage. The densification behavior, phase composition, microstructure and mechanical properties of Cr doped WCoB cermets were investigated by XRD, EDS and SEM. Due to the lower density of Cr,the density of WCoB cermets decreased with the increasing of Cr doping content. The phase composition consisted of Cr doped WCoB, unreacted W, Co–Cr binary binder phase. When the doping content exceeded11.736 wt%, the Cr enrichment zones appeared, which was harmful to the TRS. The increasing of Cr doping content contributed to the increase of unreacted W phases content and the formation of pores. The maximum value of Vickers hardness was 1751 Hv0.5 at 9.356 wt% Cr doping content. The variation trend was explained by first principle calculation, which is consistent with Hv-Zhou hardness model.     

粉末冶金TiAl基合金高温变形行为

采用等温压缩试验,在变形温度为600～1050℃、应变速率为0.002～0.2s-1的条件下,研究了粉末冶金Ti-47.5Al-2.5V-1.0Cr合金的高温压缩性能与高温变形行为.结果表明:合金在高温压缩变形时,屈服强度随变形温度的升高、应变速率的降低而降低,塑性趋于升高.合金在高温塑性变形时,峰值流变应力、应变速率和变形温度之间较好地满足双曲正弦函数形式修正的Arrhenius关系,说明其变形受热激活控制.在800～1050℃/0.002～0.2s-1范围内,合金应变敏感系数m为0.152,高温变形激活能Q为376kJ.mol-1.     

放电等离子烧结热变形Nd-Fe-B磁体的磁性能研究

采用放电等离子烧结技术,利用不同速率的快淬薄带制备出各向异性的热变形Nd-Fe-B磁体,运用振动样品磁强计和扫描电子显微镜对热变形磁体的磁性能和微观结构进行研究.结果表明：随着快淬薄带速率的增加,获得最佳磁性能的热变形温度也逐渐增加,三类热变形Nd-Fe-B磁体获得最佳磁性能的热变形温度分别为650,680和700°C;磁体最佳磁性能中的剩磁和最大磁能积随着快淬薄带速率的增加而降低,而内禀矫顽力却略有增加.磁体的晶粒尺寸随着热变形温度的增加而增大;相同热变形温度下,磁体的晶粒尺寸随快淬速率的增加而减小.