Microstructure and mechanical properties of Co-28Cr-6Mo-0.22C investment castings by current solution treatment

This study examined the impact of current solution treatment on the microstructure and mechanical properties of the Co-28Cr-6Mo-0.22C alloy investment castings.The findings reveal that the current solution treatment significantly promotes the dissolution of carbides at a lower temperature.The optimal conditions for solution treatment are determined as a solution temperature of 1,125°C and a holding time of 5.0 min.Under these parameters,the size and volume fraction of precipitated phases in the investment castings are measured as6.2μm and 1.1vol.%.The yield strength,ultimate tensile strength,and total elongation of the Co-28Cr-6Mo-0.22C investment castings are 535 MPa,760 MPa,and 12.6%,respectively.These values exceed those obtained with the conventional solution treatment at 1,200°C for 4.0 h.The findings suggest a phase transformation of M_(23)C_(6)→σ+C following the current solution treatment at 1,125°C for 5.0 min.In comparison,the traditional solution treatment at 1,200°C for 4.0 h leads to the formation of M_(23)C_(6)and M_(6)C carbides.It is noteworthy that the non-thermal effect of the current during the solution treatment modifies the free energy of both the matrix and precipitation phase.This modification lowers the phase transition temperature of the M_(23)C_(6)→σ+C reaction,thereby facilitating the dissolution of carbides.As a result,the current solution treatment approach achieves carbide dissolution at a lower temperature and within a significantly shorter time when compared to the traditional solution treatment methods.

An accelerated aging assisted by electric current in a Fe-Mn-Al-C low-density steel

An aging method assisted by electric current was applied to a Fe-18Mn-9Al-1C(wt.%)low-density steel.It improves the microstructure and therefore significantly increases both the yield strength and ductility of the steel.This current-assisted aging method can increase the yield strength by 178 MPa and elongation by 1.16 times in only 0.5 min at 450℃.However,the yield strength is increased only 90 MPa by the traditional aging method(heat conduction)at 450℃ for 180 min,and the elongation is even decreased from 42.0%to 31.6%.The obvious improvement in yield strength by the current-assisted aging for a short time is resulted from the fact that the current-assisted aging promotes a rapid precipitation of nano-scaleκ-carbides inγ-austenite by reducing the thermodynamic barrier and accelerating the atomic diffusion.This work demonstrates that this current-assisted aging method is significantly time saving and cost-effective for low-density steels,with potential for various industrial applications.

Peripheral BDNF Regulates Somatosensory–Sympathetic Coupling in Brachial Plexus Avulsion-Induced Neuropathic Pain

Brachial plexus avulsion(BPA)is a combined injury involving the central and peripheral nervous systems.Patients with BPA often experience severe neuropathic pain(NP)in the affected limb.NP is insensitive to the existing treatments,which makes it a challenge to researchers and clinicians.Accumulated evidence shows that a BPA-induced pain state is often accompanied by sympathetic nervous dysfunction,which suggests that the excitation state of the sympathetic nervous system is correlated with the existence of NP.However,the mechanism of how somatosensory neural crosstalk with the sympathetic nerve at the peripheral level remains unclear.In this study,through using a novel BPA C7 root avulsion mouse model,we found that the expression of BDNF and its receptor TrκB in the DRGs of the BPA mice increased,and the markers of sympathetic nervous system activity includingα1 andα2 adrenergic receptors(α1-AR andα2-AR)also increased after BPA.The phenomenon of superexcitation of the sympathetic nervous system,including hypothermia and edema of the affected extremity,was also observed in BPA mice by using CatWalk gait analysis,an infrared thermometer,and an edema evaluation.Genetic knockdown of BDNF in DRGs not only reversed the mechanical allodynia but also alleviated the hypothermia and edema of the affected extremity in BPA mice.Further,intraperitoneal injection of adrenergic receptor inhibitors decreased neuronal excitability in patch clamp recording and reversed the mechanical allodynia of BPA mice.In another branch experiment,we also found the elevated expression of BDNF,TrκB,TH,α1-AR,andα2-AR in DRG tissues from BPA patients compared with normal human DRGs through western blot and immunohistochemistry.Our results revealed that peripheral BDNF is a key molecule in the regulation of somatosensory-sympathetic coupling in BPA-induced NP.This study also opens a novel analgesic target(BDNF)in the treatment of this pain with fewer complications,which has great potential for clinical transformation.

Phase modulation of bcc-structured Fe35Mn25Al15Cr10Ni15 high-entropy alloy by interstitial carbon

High-entropy alloys （HEAs） usually contain more than five alloying elements. The ductility of a body-centered cubic （bcc）- type HEA typically is lower than that of their face-centered cubic （fcc） counterpart. And low ductility restricts engineering applications of the bcc-structured HEAs. In engineering materials, improvement in ductility usually results in deduction of mechanical strength. A method to improve both mechanical strength and ductility in a bcc-structured HEA was proposed by adding interstitial carbon. Experimental results showed that replacement of 5 at.% Cr with 5 at.% C in a bcc-structured Fe35Mn25Al15Cr10Ni15 HEA resulted in an increase in fcc phase from 0.3 to 93.7 vol.%. Strength and ductility increased at the same time. The transition of bcc-structure to fcc-structure along with a remaining small amount of bcc phase improved mechanical properties. This work indicates that interstitial carbon can be employed to modulate the fraction of constituent phases in a bcc-structured HEA to enhance engineering mechanical properties.

Precipitation strengthening of nano-scale TiC in a duplex low-density steel under near-rapid solidification

Precipitation strengthening of nano-scale TiC is a promising method to improve mechanical properties of Fe–16Mn–9Al–0.8C (wt.%) low-density steel. This work attempted to introduce nano-scale TiC precipitates by adding 1 wt.% Ti element. The experimental results show that these precipitates with the total fraction of about 2 vol.% were formed and no coarse precipitates were observed despite the high Ti addition. It was interesting that the polygonal and needle-shaped TiC precipitates were observed in γ-austenite and δ-ferrite, respectively. Ti addition also decreased the volume fraction of γ-austenite significantly. Correspondingly, the yield strength was increased, but the elongation was significantly decreased due to the significant decrease of γ-austenite. Comparing with the Ti-free steel, the formation of TiC precipitates was the main reason for the increase in yield strength of Ti-bearing steel, and TiC precipitates also led to a higher strain hardening index at the first deformation stage. TiC precipitates promoted the Orowan strengthening, resulting in a higher strain hardening capability than Ti-free steel reinforced by shearable κ-carbide.