Effect of ECAP temperature on microstructure and mechanical properties of Al–Zn–Mg–Cu alloy

The effect of equal channel angular pressing(ECAP) at different temperatures(room temperature, 120,150 and 180 °C) on microstructure and mechanical properties of Al-7075 solid solution alloy was investigated. Microstructure of the specimens was examined using orientation imaging microscopy,transmission electron microscopy as well as X-ray diffractometer, and mechanical properties were measured by Vickers microhardness and tensile tests. Microstructural investigations showed that after3 or 4 passes of ECAP, fi ne grains with average grain sizes in range of 300–1000 nm could be obtained at different ECAP temperatures. Increasing ECAP temperature from 120 to 180 °C caused a decrease in mechanical properties as a result of increasing grains and precipitates sizes, decreasing fraction of high angle boundaries and also transformation of η′ into η phase, while increasing ECAP temperature from RT to 120 °C leads to an increase in mechanical properties due to the formation of small η′ precipitates. So it can be concluded that ECAP process at 120 °C is the optimum process for attaining maximum mechanical properties. Quantitative estimates of various strengthening mechanisms revealed that the improvement of mechanical properties was mainly attributed to grain re fi nement strengthening, precipitation strengthening and dislocation strengthening.     

Effects of heat treatment on the microstructure and mechanical properties of ZA84 magnesium alloy

The effects of heat treatment on the microstructure and mechanical properties of ZA84 (Mg-8Zn-4Al-0.25Mn) alloy were investigated. The results indicate that the as-cast microstructure of the alloy is mainly composed of α-Mg matrix and two different morphologies of precipitates (continuous and quasi-continuous Mg₃₂(Al,Zn)₄₉ phases and isolated Mg₅Al₂Zn₂ phases). After solid solution treatment at 345℃, the Mg₃₂(Al,Zn)₄₉ phases change from continuous and quasi-continuous net to disconnected acute angle shape, and parts of second phases sphericize. The optimum heat treatment condition for the alloy is solution treatment at 345℃ for 48 h and water quenching, then aging treatment at 200℃ for 12 h and atmosphere cooling. Under the optimum condition, the ultimate tensile strength and yield strength of the alloy can be imoroved, but the elongation is not effected much bv heat treatment.     

Microstructure and mechanical properties of Nb–Mo–ZrB2 composites prepared by hot-pressing sintering

Nb–Mo–ZrB₂ composites (V(Nb)/V(Mo)=1) with 15vol% or 30vol% of ZrB₂ were fabricated by hot-pressing sintering at 2000℃. The phases, microstructure, and mechanical properties were then investigated. The composites contain Nb-Mo solid solution (denoted as (Nb, Mo)ss hereafter), ZrB, MoB, and NbB phases. Compressive strength test results suggest that the strength of Nb–Mo–ZrB₂ composites increases with increasing ZrB₂ content; Nb–Mo–30vol%ZrB₂ had the highest compressive strength (1905.1 MPa). The improvement in the compressive strength of the Nb–Mo–ZrB₂ composites is mainly attributed to the secondary phase strengthening of the stiffer ZrB phase, solid-solution strengthening of the (Nb, Mo)ss matrix as well as fine-grain strengthening. The fracture toughness decreases with increasing ZrB₂ content. Finally, the fracture modes of the Nb–Mo–ZrB₂ composites are also discussed in detail.     

Microstructure and tensile behavior of hot extruded AZ91 alloys at room temperature

AZ91 alloys were prepared by hot extrusion and its microstructure and tensile behavior at room temperature were investigated. Compared to as-cast ingot, the grain size of hot-extruded material is morerefined, the intermetallic phase Mg₁₇Al₁₂ is broken and dispersed discontinuously. Both strength and elongation of AZ91 are improved by hotextrusion. Tensile behavior and fracture surface of the experimental material were studied. Due to the change in microstructure, the fracture mechanism of extruded material is different from that of as-cast ingot, the latter is mainly a brittle fracture. Ductile fracture plays arole in hot-extruded AZ91 failure at room temperature.     

DSC analyses of static and dynamic precipitation of an Al–Mg–Si–Cu aluminum alloy

In the present investigation, both static and dynamic precipitations of an Al–Mg–Si–Cu aluminum alloy after solid-solution treatment(SST)were comparatively analyzed using differential scanning calorimetry(DSC). Dynamic aging was performed in the SST alloy through equal channel angular pressing(ECAP) at different temperatures of room temperature, 110, 170, 191 and 300 1C. For comparison, static artificial aging was conducted in the SST alloy at 191 1C with two aging times of 4 and 10 h. The DSC analyses reveal that the dynamic precipitation has occurred in the ECAPed samples, while the activation energies associated with the strengthening precipitates in the dynamic samples are considerably higher than the energies in the SST and static aged samples. The higher activation energies are probably attributed to the smaller grains and higher dislocation density developed after ECAP. The results in the present investigation allow the prediction of the type of the dynamic precipitates to influence the strength of the ultrafine grained alloy during ECAP at various temperatures.     

Effect of continuous induction annealing on the microstructure and mechanical properties of copper-clad aluminum flat bars

Copper-clad aluminum (CCA) flat bars produced by the continuous casting–rolling process were subjected to continuous induction heating annealing (CIHA), and the effects of induction heating temperature and holding time on the microstructure, interface, and mechanical properties of the flat bars were investigated. The results showed that complete recrystallization of the copper sheath occurred under CIHA at 460°C for 5 s, 480°C for 3 s, or 500°C for 1 s and that the average grain size in the copper sheath was approximately 10.0 μm. In the case of specimens subjected to CIHA at 460–500°C for longer than 1 s, complete recrystallization occurred in the aluminum core. In the case of CIHA at 460–500°C for 1–5 s, a continuous interfacial layer with a thickness of 2.5–5.5 μm formed and the thickness mainly increased with increasing annealing temperature. After CIHA, the interfacial layer consisted primarily of a Cu₉Al₄ layer and a CuAl₂ layer; the average interface shear strength of the CCA flat bars treated by CIHA at 460–500°C for 1–5 s was 45–52 MPa. After full softening annealing, the hardness values of the copper sheath and the aluminum core were HV 65 and HV 24, respectively, and the hardness along the cross section of the CCA flat bar was uniform.     

Roles of titanium-rich precipitates as inoculants during solidification in low carbon steel

The effect of titanium on the as-cast structure and the growth form of titanium precipitates, and the effect of cooling rate on the size and distribution of titanium precipitates were studied. It is shown that Ti-rich precipitates acting as heterogeneous nucleation sites play an important role in refining the grain size and increasing the equiaxed grain ratio. Cooling rate has a great effect on the size and distribution of precipitates. The number of precipitates increases and the size decreases with the increase of cooling rate. Ti-rich particles acting as heterogeneous nucleation sites at the onset of solidification are observed in the experiment. This result suggests that TiN nucleated on Ti₂O₃ is an effective inoculant for δ-ferrite during solidification in low carbon steel.     

低活化铁素体/马氏体钢的增强机理研究进展

This review summarizes the strengthening mechanisms of reduced activation ferritic/martensitic (RAFM) steels. High-angle grain boundaries, subgrain boundaries, nano-sized M₂₃C₆, and MX carbide precipitates effectively hinder dislocation motion and increase high-temperature strength. M₂₃C₆ carbides are easily coarsened under high temperatures, thereby weakening their ability to block dislocations. Creep properties are improved through the reduction of M₂₃C₆ carbides. Thus, the loss of strength must be compensated by other strengthening mechanisms. This review also outlines the recent progress in the development of RAFM steels. Oxide dispersion-strengthened steels prevent M₂₃C₆ precipitation by reducing C content to increase creep life and introduce a high density of nano-sized oxide precipitates to offset the reduced strength. Severe plastic deformation methods can substantially refine subgrains and MX carbides in the steel. The thermal deformation strengthening of RAFM steels mainly relies on thermo-mechanical treatment to increase the MX carbide and subgrain boundaries. This procedure increases the creep life of TMT(thermo-mechanical treatment) 9Cr–1W–0.06Ta steel by ~20 times compared with those of F82H and Eurofer 97 steels under 550°C/260 MPa.     

Comparison of Ferrite Refinement Mechanisms by Different Processing Schedules in 08 and 20Mn Steels

The influence of deforming temperature on ferrite refinement was analyzed by comparing the microstructures obtained by deformation at above A_r3, in two-phase region of (α + γ) and at below A₁ in clean 08 and 20Mn steels. The results indicate that ferrite refinement through strain induced transformation by deformation at above A_r3 is more effective than that by deformation simply through ferrite dynamic recrystallization. The main problem of ferrite refinement by deformation at below A_r3 is the inhomogeneity of microstructure which is controlled by the orientations and sizes of ferrite grains and the distribution of second phases. Ferrite dynamic recrystallization after strain induced transformation can further effectively refine ferrite.     

初始ECAP道次对5083铝合金晶织构和残余应力的影响

To produce a highly refined microstructure, several metals or alloys have been processed via equal-channel angular pressing (ECAP). In this work, the mechanical and microstructural changes of the 5083 aluminum alloy in H11 condition after processed by two ECAP passes were investigated. An ECAP H13 steel die with an inner angle (α) of 120° and outer curvature (β) of 20° was used. The microstructural changes were associated with the loss of texture symmetry. The morphologies of the Mg₂Si and α-Al(Mn,Fe)Si precipitates for the sample at the initial condition were similar to those subjected to two ECAP passes. The peak broadening measured by X-ray diffraction revealed an increment of both grain refinement and microstrain. After the second extrusion pass, the hardness increased by 62% compared with the initial condition. Moreover, the heterogeneous hardness behavior was compatible with a highly localized dislocation density. After two ECAP passes, shear parallel bands were observed to be at nearly 45° to the extrusion direction. The evaluation of first-order residual stress as a function of the depth of the analyzed sample displayed compressive or tensile values, depending on the measured face. With the plastic deformation applied, the first and second-order residual stresses exhibited significant increment. Williamson-Hall plots showed positive slopes, indicating an increment in the microstrain.     

Microstructure and strengthening parameters of ultra-thin hot strip of low carbon steel

The microstructure and precipitation mechanism of ultra-thinhot strip produced by CSP technology were analyzed by electron back scattered diffraction (EBSD), H-800 transmission electron microscope (TEM) and thermodynamics theory. The EBSD results show that the finishing hot rolling microstructures are mixture of recrystallized and deformed austenite. After phase transformation, ferrite grains embody substructures and dislocations that led ultra-thin hot strip high strength and relatively low elongation rate. TEM observations show that there are a lot of fine and dispersive precipitates in microstructures. Most of aluminium nitrides are in grains, while coexisted precipitates of MnS along grain boundaries. Coexisted precipitates compose cation-vacancy type oxides such as Al₂O₃ in the core, while MnS at the fringe of surface. At the same time, reasons for microstructure refinement and strengthening effect were investigated.     

Effects of hot compression deformation temperature on the microstructure and properties of Al-Zr-La alloys

The main goal of this study is to investigate the microstructure and electrical properties of Al-Zr-La alloys under different hot compression deformation temperatures. In particular, a Gleeble 3500 thermal simulator was used to carry out multi-pass hot compression tests. For five-pass hot compression deformation, the last-pass deformation temperatures were 240, 260, 300, 340, 380, and 420℃, respectively, where the first-pass deformation temperature was 460℃. The experimental results indicated that increasing the hot compression deformation temperature with each pass resulted in improved electrical conductivity of the alloy. Consequently, the flow stress was reduced after deformation of the samples subjected to the same number of passes. In addition, the dislocation density gradually decreased and the grain size increased after hot compression deformation. Furthermore, the dynamic recrystallization behavior was effectively suppressed during the hot compression process because spherical Al₃Zr precipitates pinned the dislocation movement effectively and prevented grain boundary sliding.     

Microstructure and mechanical properties of AA6063 aluminum alloy wire fabricated by friction stir back extrusion (FSBE) process

In the present work, the friction stir back extrusion (FSBE) process was used as a novel method for the fabrication of AA6063 aluminum alloy wire. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) equipped with energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), tensile and hardness tests were performed. The FSBE via the rotational speed of 475 r/min resulted in fine equiaxed grains, and the mean grain size decreased from 179.0 μm to 15.5 μm due to the occurrence of dynamic recrystallization (DRX). Heat generated by the FSBE changed the size and volume fraction of the Mg₂Si precipitated particles. The minimum particle size and maximum volume fraction obtained in the sample were processed by rotational speeds of 475 and 600 r/min, respectively. The 475-r/min sample had the maximum hardness value due to having the lowest grain size (i.e., 15.5 μm) and the presence of many fine Mg₂Si precipitates in the aluminum matrix. With increasing rotational speed up to 600 r/min, the hardness decreased, owing to the growth of both grains and precipitates. The FSBE process with a rotational speed of 475 r/min increased the tensile strength (from 150 to 209 MPa) and ductility (from 21.0% to 30.2%) simultaneously.     

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

The as-cast Mg–6Li–4Zn-x Mn alloys were prepared and extruded at 280℃ with an extrusion ratio of 25:1. The effects of Mn content on the microstructure and mechanical properties of Mg–6Li–4Zn-x Mn alloys were investigated in this study. The XRD results show that Mg–6Li–4Zn–x Mn alloys consisted of α-Mg(hcp) + β-Li(bcc)duplex structured matrix, Mg Li₂Zn and Mn phases. The grains of the extruded Mg–6Li–4Zn–x Mn alloys were refined by dynamic recrystallization during the extrusion process...     

Effect of heat treatment on the microstructure and micromechanical properties of the rapidly solidified Mg61.7Zn34Gd4.3 alloy containing icosahedral phase

In this paper, the microstructure evolution of the rapidly solidified (RS) Mg_61.7Zn₃₄Gd_4.3 (at%, atomic ratio) alloy at high temperatures was investigated. The hardness and elastic modulus of the main precipitated phases were also analyzed and compared with those of the α-Mg matrix on the basis of nanoindentation tests. The results show that the RS alloy consists of either a petal-like icosahedral quasicrystal (IQC) phase (~20 μm) and block-shaped H1 phase (~15 μm) or IQC particles with an average grain size of~107 nm as well as a small proportion of amorphous phase, which mainly depends on the holding time at the liquid temperature and the thickness of the ribbons. The IQC phase gradually transforms at 400℃ to a short-rod-shaped μ-phase (Mg_28.6Zn_63.8Gd_7.7) with a hexagonal structure. The hardness of the IQC phase is higher than that of H1 phase, and both phases exhibit a higher hardness than the α-Mg matrix and the μ-phase. The elasticity of the H1 phase is superior to that of the α-Mg matrix. The IQC phase possesses a higher elastic modulus than H1 phase. The easily formed H1 phase exhibits the poorest plastic deformation capacity among these phases but a higher elastic modulus than the α-Mg matrix.     

Effects of Ni content on the cast and solid-solution microstructures of Cu-0.4wt%Be alloys

The effects of Ni content (0–2.1wt%) on the cast and solid-solution microstructures of Cu-0.4wt%Be alloys were investigated, and the corresponding mechanisms of influence were analyzed. The results show that the amount of precipitated phase increases in the cast alloys with increasing Ni content. When the Ni content is 0.45wt% or 0.98wt%, needle-like Be₂₁Ni₅ phases form in the grains and are mainly distributed in the interdendritic regions. When the Ni content is 1.5wt% or greater, a large number of needle-like precipitates form in the grains and chain-like Be₂₁Ni₅ and BeNi precipitates form along the grain boundaries. The addition of Ni can substantially refine the cast and solid-solution microstructures of Cu-0.4wt%Be alloys. The hindering effects of both the dissolution of Ni into the matrix and the formation of Be–Ni precipitates on grain-boundary migration are mainly responsible for refining the cast and solid-solution microstructures of Cu-0.4wt%Be alloys. Higher Ni contents result in finer microstructures; however, given the precipitation characteristics of Be–Ni phases and their dissolution into the matrix during the solid-solution treatment, the upper limit of the Ni content is 1.5wt%–2.1wt%.     

Effects of cold rolling on the microstructure and mechanical properties of Fe-Ni-Mn-Mo-Ti-Cr maraging steels

Effects of cold rolling on the microstructure and mechanical properties of Fe-Ni-Mn-Mo-Ti-Cr maraging steels were studied. To investigate the microstructure and mechanical properties, optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, tensile test, and hardness test were used. The results show that the solution-annealing treatment in the cold-rolled steel redounds to the formation of submicrocrystalline Fe₂(Mo, Ti) Laves phase particles, which are stable at high temperatures. These secondary Laves phase particles prevent from recrystallization at high temperatures and correspond to semi-brittle fracture in the subsequent aging treatment.     

Microwave sintering effects on the microstructure and mechanical properties of Ti–51at%Ni shape memory alloys

Ti–51at%Ni shape memory alloys(SMAs) were successfully produced via a powder metallurgy and microwave sintering technique.The influence of sintering parameters on porosity reduction,microstructure,phase transformation temperatures,and mechanical properties were investigated by optical microscopy,field-emission scanning electron microscopy(FE-SEM),X-ray diffraction(XRD),differential scanning calorimetry(DSC),compression tests,and microhardness tests.Varying the microwave temperature and holding time was found to strongly affect the density of porosity,presence of precipitates,transformation temperatures,and mechanical properties.The lowest density and smallest pore size were observed in the Ti–51at%Ni samples sintered at 900°C for 5 min or at 900°C for 30 min.The predominant martensite phases of β2 and β19′ were observed in the microstructure of Ti–51at%Ni,and their existence varied in accordance with the sintering temperature and the holding time.In the DSC thermograms,multi-transformation peaks were observed during heating,whereas a single peak was observed during cooling;these peaks correspond to the presence of the β2,R,and β19′ phases.The maximum strength and strain among the Ti–51at%Ni SMAs were 1376 MPa and 29%,respectively,for the sample sintered at 900°C for 30 min because of this sample's minimal porosity.     

Effects of aging treatment on the microstructure and superelasticity of columnar-grained Cu<Subscript>71</Subscript>Al<Subscript>18</Subscript>Mn<Subscript>11</Subscript> shape memory alloy

The effect of aging treatment on the superelasticity and martensitic transformation critical stress in columnar-grained Cu₇₁Al₁₈Mn₁₁ shape memory alloy (SMA) at the temperature ranging from 250°C to 400°C was investigated. The microstructure evolution during the aging treatment was characterized by optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and X-ray diffraction. The results show that the plate-like bainite precipitates distribute homogeneously within austenitic grains and at grain boundaries. The volume fraction of bainite increases with the increase in aging temperature and aging time, which substantially improves the martensitic transformation critical stress of the alloy, whereas the bainite only slightly affects the superelasticity. This behavior is attributed to a coherent relationship between the bainite and the austenite, as well as to the bainite and the martensite exhibiting the same crystal structure. The variations of the martensitic transformation critical stress and the superelasticity of columnar-grained Cu₇₁Al₁₈Mn₁₁ SMA with aging temperature and aging time are described by the Austin–Rickett equation, where the activation energy of bainite precipitation is 77.2 kJ·mol?1. Finally, a columnar-grained Cu₇₁Al₁₈Mn₁₁ SMA with both excellent superelasticity (5%–9%) and high martensitic transformation critical stress (443–677 MPa) is obtained through the application of the appropriate aging treatments.