Effect of secondary aging on microstructure and properties of cast Al-Cu-Mg alloy

To obtain better comprehensive properties of cast Al-Cu-Mg alloys,the secondary aging(T6I6)process(including initial aging,interrupted aging and re-aging stages)was optimized by an orthogonal method.The microstructures of the optimized Al-Cu-Mg alloy were observed by means of scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy,and the properties were investigated by hardness measurements,tensile tests,exfoliation corrosion tests,and intergranular corrosion tests.Results show that the S phase andθ’phase simultaneously exist in the T6I6 treated alloy.Appropriately increasing the temperature of the interrupted aging in the T6I6 process can improve the mechanical properties and corrosion resistance of Al-Cu-Mg alloy.The optimal comprehensive properties(tensile strength of 443.6 MPa,hardness of 161.6 HV)of the alloy are obtained by initial aging at 180℃for 2 h,interrupted aging at 90℃for 30 min,and re-aging at 170℃for 4 h.

Effect of mold and core preheating temperature on corrosion resistance of casting Al-12Si alloy U-shaped cooling channel

Temperature has an important impact on the corrosion resistance of mold with cooling channels prepared by casting method.The effect of preheating temperature of the mold and the carbon fiber core on the roughness and corrosion resistance of U-shaped cooling channels made of Al-12Si alloy was examined in depth.The experimental results suggest that as the preheating temperature increased from 273 K to 573 K,the roughness of the inner wall of the cooling channel reduced from 96.6μm to 77.0μm.When the preheating temperature continued to increase to 723 K,the roughness increased to 85.3μm.The wetting between the Al melt and the carbon fiber will reduce micro bubbles and waves on the channel wall as the preheating temperature rises,thereby reducing the roughness.However,with the further increase of preheating temperature,it will increase the solidification time of the Al melt.At this time,the carbon fiber and Al melt will take more time to react,which increases the roughness of the channel wall to a certain extent.The results of exfoliation corrosion show that the larger roughness will aggravate exfoliation corrosion.The prolongation of high temperature reaction time between the carbon fiber and the Al melt will lead to the segregation of Si,which is easy to cause intergranular corrosion.Therefore,reasonable preheating temperature has an important impact on the roughness and corrosion resistance of U-shaped cooling channels.

Refinement and fracture mechanisms of as-cast QT700-6 alloy by alloying method

The as-cast QT700-6 alloy was synthesized with addition of a certain amount of copper, nickel, niobium and stannum elements by alloying method in a medium frequency induction furnace, aiming at improving its strength and toughness. Microstructures of the as-cast QT700-6 alloy were observed using a scanning-electron microscope （SEM） and the mechanical properties were investigated using a universal tensile test machine. Results indicate that the ratio of pearlite/ferrite is about 9：1 and the graphite size is less than 40 tJm in diameter in the as-cast QT700-6 alloy. The predominant refinement mechanism is attributed to the formation of niobium carbides, which increases the heterogeneous nucleus and hinders the growth of graphite. Meanwhile, niobium carbides also exist around the grain boundaries, which improve the strength of the ductile iron. The tensile strength and elongation of the as-cast QT700-6 alloy reach over 700 MPa and 6%, respectively, when the addition amount of niobium is 0.8%. The addition of copper and nickel elements contributed to the decrease of eutectoid transformation temperature, resulting in the decrease of pearlite lamellar spacing （about 248 rim）, which is also beneficial to enhancing the tensile strength. The main fracture mechanism is cleavage fracture with the appearance of a small amount of dimples.

Degradation efficiency of Mg_(65)Cu_(25-x)Ag_(x)Y_(10) nanoporous dealloyed ribbons on pesticide wastewater

Dealloyed ribbons with a layer of networked nanoporous structure of different pore sizes were fabricated by dealloying the as-spun Mg_(65)Cu_(25-x)Ag_(x)Y_(10)(x=0,5,10,at.%)ribbons in dilute H_(2)SO_(4) solution in order to enhance the degradation efficiency of pesticide wastewater.Compared to the as-spun ribbons,it is found that the dealloyed ribbons with the networked nanoporous structure exhibit higher degradation efficiency due to their large specific surface areas and enough active sites for the degradation process.Both the average pore sizes of the nanoporous structure and the degradation efficiency of the pesticide wastewater increase with the increase of Ag addition in the dealloyed ribbons.The maximum degradation efficiency up to 95.8%is obtained for the Mg_(65)Cu_(15)Ag_(10)Y_(10)dealloyed ribbon under the optimal conditions of pH being 3,the initial cis-cypermethrin concentration being 500 mg/L,and the dosage of dealloyed ribbon being 1.33 g/L.

Effect of melt cooling rate on glass transition kinetics and structural relaxation of Vit1 metallic glass

The thin ribbons and the bulk cylindrical rods with diameters of 2 mm and 10 mm of the Vit1 metallic glass(MG)were prepared by the single roller melt spinning method and the copper mold injection casting method,respectively.The cooling rates of the samples during melt solidification were evaluated.The glass transition behaviors of three groups of MG samples with different solidification cooling rates were studied by differential scanning calorimetry(DSC)at different heating rates.The effects of melt cooling rate on the glass transition kinetic parameters such as apparent activation energy(E)and fragility parameter(m)of the Vit1 MG were studied using the Kissinger and the Vogel-Fulcher-Tammann(VFT)equations.Additionally,the structural relaxation enthalpy(ΔHrel)of three groups of MG samples was quantitatively analyzed by DSC through multi-step temperature rise and fall measurements.Results show that the melt cooling rate(R)has a significant effect on the glass transition kinetics and the structural relaxation of the Vit1 MG.As R decreases in the order of magnitude,the glass transition temperature(Tg),E,m,andΔHrel of the Vit1 MG gradually decreases.Furthermore,in the range of the experimental cooling rates,E,m,andΔHrel all have an approximately linear relationship with lgR.

Influence of Cr element on impact fracture process of ductile Ni-resistant alloyed iron at low temperature

In this study, in order to investigate the influence of Cr element on the impact fracture process of ductile Ni-resistant alloyed iron at low temperature, different contents of Cr element were added to ductile Ni-resistant(DNR) austenitic alloyed iron. The experimental results show that Cr addition can increase the hardness of the DNR alloyed iron, but it has an destructive effect on low-temperature impact properties. Through the analysis of the dynamic load and absorbed energy of samples with different Cr contents in the impact fracture process, and the comparison of the impact fracture process at room and low temperatures, it reveals that Cr addition into the DNR alloyed iron can facilitate the formation of the carbide mixture in Mn23C6 and Cr23C6 with homogeneous and discontinuous distribution. Meanwhile, Cr addition also can improve the the maximum dynamic load and crack initiation energy at low temperature, but has no obvious effect on the yield behavior of the DNR alloyed iron in the impact fracture process. Compared with the impact crack propagation process at room temperature, the metastable propagation energy at low temperature declines significantly with an increase in Cr content. This is because the micro-cracks that caused by the carbides weaken the matrix, resulting in the decline of impact crack propagation resistance. The fracture analysis results also show that the impact fracture mechanism gradually transforms from ductile to brittle with an increase in Cr content at low temperature. It explains that too much Cr addition can lead to brittle fracture even though the austenitic matrix has a good toughness at low temperature.

Glass formation in Fe-Cr-Zr-B-Mo alloys by tuning Nb addition

Fe-based bulk metallic glasses(BMGs)with high boron content have potential application as a coating material used in the framework for storing spent nuclear fuels to support their safe long-term disposal.The high glass forming ability(GFA)and large supercooled liquid region are therefore required for such Fe-based BMGs in either the glassy powder fabrication or the subsequent coating spraying.In order to meet these requirements,the influence of Nb content on the GFA of Fe_(57)Cr_(10)Zr_(8)B_(18)Mo_(7-x)Nb_(x)(x=1-5,at.%)alloys was investigated,as Nb has positive roles in GFA and thermal stability of BMGs.The results indicate that a fully amorphous phase in the as-cast samples with 3 mm in diameter is obtained for both the Fe_(57)Cr_(10)Zr_(8)B_(18)Mo_(5)Nb_(2) and Fe_(57)Cr_(10)Zr_(8)B_(18)Mo_(4)Nb_(3) alloys.The corresponding supercooled liquid regions of the two BMGs are 78 K and 71 K,respectively.The mechanism for improving their GFA was analyzed based on the principle of metal solidification,the parameters for glass formation and thermal properties of the alloys.The compression strength and Vicker’s hardness of the two BMGs are 1,950 MPa and 1,310 HV,2,062 MPa and 1,180 HV,respectively.The developed BMGs with high B content,good GFA,and very high hardness can be used as coating materials to the framework for spent nuclear fuels.

Effect of TiO_(2)nano-ceramic particles on microstructure and mechanical properties of Al_(0.4)CoCrFe_(2)Ni_(2)high-entropy alloy

Al_(0.4)CoCrFe_(2)Ni_(2)high-entropy alloys with different additions of TiO_(2) nanoceramic particles(0,1.25vol.%,2.5vol.%,3.75vol.%and 5vol.%,respectively)were prepared by using the vacuum arc melting method.The effects of TiO_(2) addition on the crystal structure,microstructures and mechanical properties of the alloy were investigated by X-ray diffraction(XRD),scanning electron microscopy(SEM),transmission electron microscopy(TEM),and tensile testing.The microstructure analysis shows that the TiO_(2)nano-ceramic particles added in the alloy are decomposed,and a small amount of Al_(2)O_(3)and a great number of intermetallic compounds(γ'phases)with simple cube structure are formed.Theγ'phases are enriched at inter-dendrite,which increases the resistance of dislocation movement during the deformation of the alloy,thus balancing the problem of high plasticity and low strength of the alloy.When the addition of TiO_(2)is 2.5vol.%,the strength of the high-entropy alloy reaches the maximum of 489 MPa,which is 11.1%higher than the matrix alloy composed of single FCC phase.

Effect of V and Sn on microstructure and mechanical properties of gray cast iron

The cylinder liner is one of the important parts of a diesel engine.Gray cast iron is the main material for manufacturing cylinder liners due to its good casting performance,convenient processing performance,good wear resistance and low cost.In the present work,the effects of vanadium(V)and tin(Sn)on the microstructure and properties of gray cast iron were studied.Results show that increasing the contents of V and Sn can not only refine the graphite,but also reduce the pearlite lamellar space.The graphite size and lamellar spacing of pearlite are firstly reduced and then increased.Pearlite quantity reaches over 98%after adding V and Sn.Adding V and Sn can promote the precipitation and solid solution strengthening of gray cast iron,so as to improve the mechanical properties.The Brinell hardness reaches the peak of 424 HB at the contents of 0.21wt.%V and 0.06wt.%Sn,and the sample containing 0.11wt.%V and 0.08wt.%Sn shows the highest compressive strength and tensile strength of 1,699 MPa and 515 MPa,respectively.The main strengthening mechanism comes from the solid solution strengthening and fine grain strengthening of V and Sn.

Cementites decomposition of a pearlitic ductile cast iron during graphitization annealing heat treatment

Cementites decomposition of a pearlitic ductile cast iron during graphitization annealing heat treatment was investigated.Fractographies and microstructures of heat treated samples were observed using a scanning electron microscope and mechanical properties were measured by a universal tensile test machine.The results indicated that during isothermal annealing at 750°C,the tensile strength of pearlitic ductile cast iron was increased to a peak value at 0.5h,and decreased gradually thereafter but the elongation was enhanced with the increase of annealing time.Moreover,the diffusion coefficient of carbon atoms could be approximately calculated as 0.56μm2/s that could be regarded as the shortrange diffusion.As the holding time was short（0.5h）,diffusion of carbon atoms was incomplete and mainly occurred around the graphites where the morphology of cementites changed from fragmentized shape to granular shape.In addition,the ductile cast iron with tensile strength of 740MPa and elongation of 7% could be achieved after graphitization annealing heat treatment for 0.5h.Two principal factors should be taken into account.First,the decomposition of a small amount of cementites was beneficial for increasing the ductility up to elongation of 7%.Second,the diffusion of carbon atoms from cementites to graphites could improve the binding force between graphites and matrix,enhancing the tensile strength to 740 MPa.

Low Temperature Impact Toughness and Fracture Analysis of EN-GJS-400-18-LT Ductile Iron under Instrumented Impact Load

The impact toughness of EN-GJS-400-18-LT ductile iron was measured by Charpy V-notch impact test at temperature between-80 and 20℃.The fracture properties were tested under instrumented impact loading.Total impact fracture energy,crack initiation and propagation energy,dynamic loads and the ductile to brittle temperature were measured.Three-dimensional reconstruction of impact fracture morphology was accomplished by confocal laser scanning microscope.The results of quantitative fractography indicate that cleavage fracture produces flatter fracture surfaces accompanying with less absorbed energy during the impact fracture process.It indicates that fracture roughness has a close relationship with crack propagation energy at low temperature.