Microstructure evolution and phase transformation of traditional cast and spray-formed hypereutectic aluminium-silicon alloys induced by heat treatment

Microstructural evolution and phase transformation induced by different heat treatments of the hypereutectic aluminium-silicon alloy, Al-25Si-5Fe-3Cu (wt%, signed as 3C), fabricated by traditional cast (TC) and spray forming (SF) processes, were investigated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) combined with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction techniques. The results show that Al₇Cu₂Fe phase can be formed and transformed in TC- and SF-3C alloys between 802–813 K and 800–815 K, respectively. The transformation from β-Al₅FeSi to δ-Al₄FeSi₂ phase via peritectic reaction can occur at around 858–870 K and 876–890 K in TC- and SF-3C alloys, respectively. The starting precipitation temperature of δ-Al₄FeSi₂ phase as the dominant Fe-bearing phase in the TC-3C alloy is 997 K and the exothermic peak about the peritectic transformation of δ-Al₄FeSi₂→β-Al₅FeSi is not detected in the present DSC experiments. Also, the mechanisms of the microstructural evolution and phase transformation are discussed.     

First-principles calculations of the β′-Mg<Subscript>7</Subscript>Gd precipitate in Mg-Gd binary alloys

The metastable β’ phase is often the most effective hardening precipitate in Mg-Gd based alloys.In this paper,the structural,elastic and electronic properties of the recently identified β’-Mg7Gd precipitate in Mg-Gd binary alloys were investigated using first-principles calculations based on density functional theory.The lattice mismatches between the coherent β’-Mg7Gd precipitate and α-Mg matrix are discussed and used to rationalize the experimentally observed morphology of the precipitate.The mechanical properties were investigated through analysis of the single-crystal elastic constants and the polycrystalline elastic moduli.It is found that β’-Mg7Gd is brittle in nature.Strong covalent bonding in β’-Mg7Gd,as inferred from its electronic structure,further explains its mechanical properties.Our theoretical results show good agreement with experimental measurements.     

Effects of solidification parameters on microstructure and mechanical properties of continuous columnar-grained Cu–Al–Ni alloy

Effects of melt temperature and casting speed on microstructure and mechanical properties of Cu-14%Al-3.8%Ni(mass fraction) alloy wires fabricated by continuous unidirectional solidification technology were investigated.It was found that the average size of columnar grain in the alloy decreased and grain boundary turned clear and straight with increasing the casting speed at a given melt temperature.When the melt temperature was up to 1 280℃,theβ_1 phase gradually transformed into lozenged and lanciformγ...     

Effects of aging on the microstructure of a Cu-Al-Ni-Mn shape memory alloy

The influence of aging on the microstructure and mechanical properties of Cu-11.6wt%Al-3.9wt%Ni-2.5wt%Mn shape memory alloy (SMA) was studied by means of scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffractometer, and differential scanning calorimeter (DSC). Experimental results show that bainite, γ_2, and α phase precipitates occur with the aging effect in the alloy. After aging at 300dgC, the bainitic precipitates appear at the early stages of aging, while the precipitates of γ₂ phase are observed for a longer aging time. When the aging temperature increases, the bainite gradually evolves into γ₂ phase and equilibrium α phase (bcc) precipitates from the remaining parent phase. Thus, the bainite, γ₂, and α phases appear, while the martensite phase disappears progressively in the alloy. The bainitic precipitates decrease the reverse transformation temperature while the γ₂ phase precipitates increase these temperatures with a decrease of solute content in the retained parent phase. On the other hand, these precipitations cause an increasing in hardness of the alloy.     

Microstructures and mechanical properties of a new titanium alloy for surgical implant application

A new titanium alloy Ti12.5Zr2.5Nb2.5Ta (TZNT) for surgical implant application was synthesized and fully annealed at 700℃ for 45 min. The microstructure and the mechanical properties such as tensile properties and fatigue properties were investigated. The results show that TZNT mainly consists of a lot of lamella α-phase clusters with different orientations distributed in the original β-phase grain boundaries and a small amount of β phases between the lamella α phases. The alloy exhibits better ductility, lower modulus of elasticity, and lower admission strain in comparison with Ti6Al4V and Ti6Al7Nb, indicating that it has better biomechanical compatibility with human bones. The fatigue limit of TZNT is 333 MPa, at which the specimen has not failed at 107 cycles. A large number of striations present in the stable fatigue crack propagation area, and many dimples in the fast fatigue crack propagation area are observed, indicating the ductile fracture of the new alloy.     

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 preheat on TIG welding of AZ61 magnesium alloy

The effects of preheat treatments on the microstructures and mechanical properties of tungsten inert gas (TIG)-welded AZ61 magnesium alloy joints were studied by microstructural observations, microhardness tests and tensile tests. The results showed that the volume fraction of the lamellar β-Mg₁₇(Al,Zn)₁₂ intermetallic compound of in fusion zone (FZ) increased from 15% to 66% with an increase in preheat temperature. Moreover, the microhardness of the FZ and the ultimate tensile strength of the welded joints reached their maximum values when the preheat temperature was 300℃ because more lamellar β-Mg₁₇(Al,Zn)₁₂ intermetallic compounds were distributed at the α-Mg grain boundaries and no cracks and pores formed in the FZ of the welded joint.     

Influence of silicon on the microstructures,mechanical properties and stretch-flangeability of dual phase steels

Uniaxial tension tests and hole-expansion tests were carried out to determine the influence of silicon on the microstructures, mechanical properties, and stretch-flangeability of conventional dual-phase steels. Compared to 0.03wt% silicon, the addition of 1.08wt% silicon induced the formation of finer ferrite grains (6.8 μm) and a higher carbon content of martensite (C_m ≈ 0.32wt%). As the silicon level increased, the initial strain-hardening rate (n value) and the uniform elongation increased, whereas the yield strength, yield ratio, and stretch-flangeability decreased. The microstructures were observed after hole-expansion tests. The results showed that low carbon content martensite (C_m ≈ 0.19wt%) can easily deform in coordination with ferrite. The relationship between the mechanical properties and stretch-flangeability indicated that the steel with large post-uniform elongation has good stretch-flangeability due to a closer plastic incompatibility of the ferrite and martensite phases, which can effectively delay the production and decohesion of microvoids.     

Quantum chemical studies on tuning the second-order nonlinear optical molecular switching of triarylborane derivatives

In this work, density functional theory (DFT) combined with the finite field (FF) method has been adopted to analyze the second-order nonlinear optical (NLO) properties of the triarylborane (TAB) derivatives obtained by introducing different inductive electron groups into the phenylene ring of the TAB (RTAB, where R=2-C6H5-C2B10H10(1),R=F(2), R=Me(3),R=NO2(4),R=NH2(5)). The static first hyperpolarizabilities (βtot) of the RTAB molecules can be switched by binding one F- to the boron center (RTAB′) or one-electron reduction (RTAB"). The DFT-FF calculations show that the βtot values of 2′, 3′ and 5′ decrease while those of 1′ and 4′ increase compared with the values of their neutral molecules, which was attributed to the fact that the charge transfers of 2, 3 and 5 become smaller and those of 1 and 4 become larger by binding one F- ion to the boron center, according to time-domain DFT (TD-DFT) analysis. However, the incorporation of one electron enhances the second-order NLO properties of the RTAB molecules remarkably, especially for system 1. It is notable that the βtot value of reduced form 1″ is 508.69×10-30 esu, i.e. about 578 times larger than that of system 1. Frontier molecular orbital (FMO) and natural bond orbital (NBO) analyses suggest that the reversal of the charge distribution between the neutral molecules and their reduced forms leads to low HOMO-LUMO energy gaps (E0) and thus large βtot values for the reduced forms.     

Effect of Mn content on the microstructure and mechanical properties of Mg–6Li–4Zn-xMn alloys

The as-cast Mg–6Li–4Zn-xMn alloys were prepared and extruded at 280 ​°C with an extrusion ratio of 25:1. The effects of Mn content on the microstructure and mechanical properties of Mg–6Li–4Zn-xMn alloys were investigated in this study. The XRD results show that Mg–6Li–4Zn–xMn alloys consisted of α-Mg (hcp) ​+ ​β-Li (bcc) duplex structured matrix, MgLi₂Zn and Mn phases. The grains of the extruded Mg–6Li–4Zn–xMn alloys were refined by dynamic recrystallization during the extrusion process. The EBSD results show that the extruded alloys had basal textures. The grain size of the extruded alloys decreased while the basal texture was strengthened with the increasing Mn addition. The TEM results show that a large amount of nanoscale Mn precipitates existed in the extruded Mg–6Li–4Zn–1.2Mn alloy, which can effectively inhibit the dynamic recrystallized (DRXed) grains growth during the hot extrusion and is beneficial to the improvement of mechanical properties. Mg–6Li–4Zn–1.2Mn alloy in this research possesses the best mechanical properties with the ultimate tensile strength and yield strength of 321 ​MPa, 250 ​MPa, respectively.     

Effect of Co on the martensitic transformation,crystal structure and magnetization of Ni<Subscript>52.5</Subscript>Mn<Subscript>23.5</Subscript>Ga<Subscript>24</Subscript> based ferromagnetic shape memory alloys

Five(Ni52.5Mn23.5Ga24)100-xCox(x = 0,2,4,6,8) alloys were prepared by arc melting,and the effects of Co addition on the martensitic phase transformation,crystal structure and magnetization were investigated.The phase transformation temperatures Ms,Mf,As and Af are proportional to the content of Co in the(Ni52.5Mn23.5Ga24)100-xCox alloys,which appears to be due to the variation in the valance electron concentration.The Curie temperature is sensitive to the composition of the alloy.As the amount of Co changes,both the Co-Mn exchange interaction and the distance between Mn atoms change.These,in turn,affect the Curie temperature and magnetization behavior of the alloy.The martensite phases in all the alloys are domained in three different orientations,the domain boundary was determined to belong to the family of {112} lattice planes.     

Microstructure and improved mechanical properties of ultrafine-grained Mo-12Si-8.5B (at.%) alloys with addition of ZrB2

Multi-hierarchical Mo-12Si-8.5B-x Zr B_2(x=0,0.5,1.0,1.5,2.5 wt%)alloys consisting of three ultrafine-grained(UFG,0.47–0.81μm)phases of Mo_5Si B_2(T2),Mo_3Si and Mo solid solution(α-Mo)were prepared by mechanical alloying following hot pressing.Microstructure observations showed that the intermetallic phases(Mo_3Si and T2)distributed dispersedly in the continuousα-Mo matrix associated with the homogeneously embedded nanoscaled particles(10–225 nm)in the grain interiors and at the grain boundaries.The Mo-12Si-8.5B-x Zr B_2alloys exhibited monotonically increasing compressive strength to 3.13 GPa with increasing content of Zr B_2,and the fracture toughness increased about 27%and reached at 11.5 MPa m~(1/2)at 1.0 wt%Zr B_2,rendering the Mo-12Si-8.5B-1.0 wt%Zr B_2alloy possessing the best combined mechanical properties of high strength and high toughness.The underlying reason for the superior mechanical properties of the Mo-12Si-8.5B-x Zr B_2alloys is that the dispersedly distributed nanosized particles in the UFG multi-phased-matrix can not only effectively block the dislocation motion to increase the strength but also store the dislocations to increase the strain hardening ability during mechanical deformation.     

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 nanostructured Cu-Al-Ni shape memory alloys

The melt spinning technique, with an applied cooling rate of about 106K/s, was used to produce a nanostructured Cu+13.2Al+ 5.1Ni (in wt%) shape memory alloy. The properties of nanostructured ribbons were then compared with those of conventional coarse structure. The microstructural evolution was characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) techniques. Microhardness measurements indicate a two-fold increase in hardness because of the produced nanostructure. Comparing to its coarse structure, the nanostructured Cu-Al-Ni shape memory alloy exhibited the enhanced mechanical properties including a ductility of 6.5% and a pronounced plateau in the stress-strain curve.     

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.     

锡的添加对TiAl基合金的影响

研究了Sn的添加对Ti-34wt％Al合金的室温力学性能、显微组织、相组成和断口形貌的影响。试验发现,在TiAl基合金中添加Sn,能够使合金室温延性得到提高。还发现,添加1.14wt％Sn,使合金的层状组织呈较细的等轴晶,晶界光滑且较宽,合金表现出较好的室温综合力学性能,断口形貌出现准解理特征。     

Retrogression characteristics of a novel Al-Cu-Li-X alloy

Retrogression characteristics of a novel Al-Cu-Li-X alloy of 2A97 were studied by hardness testing, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The retrogression treatments of aging at 155℃ for 12 h followed by aging at 220 and 240℃ were chosen by determining the peak temperature of δ' precipitation at 230℃ by DSC. The retrogression treatment at a lower temperature of 220℃ causes the precipitation and coarsening of δ' and θ' phases in the matrix, resulting in an increase in hardness. Retrogression at a higher temperature of 240℃ causes the dissolution and coarsening of δ' and θ' precipitates in the matrix and on the grain boundaries, resulting in a decrease in hardness. Microstructural changes upon retrogression including the appearance of equilibrium precipitates such as T₁, T₂, δ', and θ are confirmed by the selected area electron diffraction and the bright and dark field image analysis.     

Directional solidification and physical properties measurements of the zinc-aluminum eutectic alloy

Zn-5wt% Al eutectic alloy was directionally solidified with different growth rates (5.32–250.0 μm/s) at a constant temperature gradient of 8.50 K/mm using a Bridgman-type growth apparatus. The values of eutectic spacing were measured from transverse sections of the samples. The dependences of the eutectic spacing and undercooling on growth rate are determined as λ=9.21V-0.53 and ΔT=0.0245V0.53, respectively. The results obtained in this work were compared with the Jackson-Hunt eutectic theory and the similar experimental results in the literature. Microhardness of directionally solidified samples was also measured by using a microhardness test device. The dependency of the microhardness on growth rate is found as Hv=115.64V0.13. Afterwards, the electrical resistivity (r) of the casting alloy changes from 40×10-9 to 108×10-9 Ω·m with the temperature rising in the range of 300–630 K. The enthalpy of fusion (ΔH) and specific heat (C_p) for the Zn-Al eutectic alloy are calculated to be 113.37 J/g and 0.309 J/(g·K), respectively by means of differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) from heating trace during the transformation from liquid to solid.     

Ca对变形Mg-9Li-2Zn合金显微组织和机械性能的影响

实验熔制了Mg-9%Li-2%Zn(质量分数)合金并研究了添加质量分数为0.1%~0.5%的Ca对合金的影响.合金板材具有良好的冷加工性能,室温下可以轧成2 mm厚的薄板.研究了微量元素Ca对板材显微组织和机械性能的影响.室温下对板材进行拉伸测试,结果表明添加元素Ca能够提高合金的机械性能,当添加质量分数为0.1%的Ca时,板材的抗拉强度和延伸率分别提高了19%和6%,随着Ca含量的增加,强度略有提高而延伸率下降.通过显微观察可知,Ca对显微组织有细化作用,其中含Ca 0.1%时效果最明显.通过分析结果可知Ca在晶界处的吸附致使显微组织细化,进而影响了板材的机械性能.     

La对AlSi10Cu0.2Mg0.2Mn和ZnAl12Cu1(Mg)铸造合金力学性能的影响

利用Al-La中间合金制备了AlSi10Cu0.2Mg0.2Mn-x La和Zn Al12Cu1(Mg)-x La铸造合金,考察了不同的La含量对合金组织和抗拉强度、伸长率、冲击强度等性能的影响.研究结果表明:微量稀土La可以细化合金的晶粒,改变Si相晶粒大小和形状.与未添加La的合金相比,含有微量稀土La的AlSi10Cu0.2Mg0.2Mn-x La合金和Zn Al12Cu1(Mg)-x La合金具有更优良的力学性能.当AlSi10Cu0.2Mg0.2Mn铸造合金中La添加量为0.15%(质量分数)时,铸造合金的伸长率增加2.7倍.含有0.1%(质量分数)La的Zn Al12Cu1(M g)-x La合金抗拉强度和伸长率相比于未添加稀土La的合金,分别增强1.3倍和3.2倍.含有0.3%(质量分数)La时Zn Al12Cu1(Mg)-x La的硬度增强1.8倍,但冲击强度是含有0.15%(质量分数)La时最高.综合考虑Zn Al12Cu1(Mg)-x La铸造合金的机械性能,稀土La的最优添加量为0.1%~0.2%(质量分数).