Precipitates Generation Mechanism and Surface Quality Improvement for Aluminum Alloy 6061 in Diamond Cutting

To improve the surface quality for aluminum alloy 6061(Al6061) in ultra-precision machining, we investigated the factors affecting the surface finish in single point diamond turning(SPDT)by studying influence of the precipitates generation of Al6061 on surface integrity and surface roughness.Based on the Johnson-Mehl-Avrami solid phase transformation kinetics equation, theoretical and experimental studies were conducted to build the relationship between the aging condition and the type, size and number of the precipitates for Al6061. Diamond cutting experiments were conducted to machine Al6061 samples under different aging conditions. The experimental results show that, the protruding on the chip surface is mainly Mg_(2)Si and the scratches on the machined surface mostly come from the iron-containing phase(α-, β-AlFeSi).Moreover, the generated Mg_(2)Si and α-, β-AlFeSi affect the surface integrity and the diamond turned surface roughness. Especially, the achieved surface roughness in SPDT is consistent with the variation of the number of AlFeSi and Mg_(2)Si with the medium size(more than 1 μm and less than 2 μm) in Al6061.

In situ TEM investigation of electron irradiation and aging-induced high-density nanoprecipitates in an Mg-10Gd-3Y-1Zn-0.5Zr alloy

In-situ electron irradiation and aging are applied to introduce high-density precipitates in an Mg-10Gd-3Y-1Zn-0.5Zr(GWZ1031K,wt.%)alloy to improve the hardness.The results show that the hardness of the Mg alloy after irradiation for 10 h and aging for 9 h at 250℃ is 1.64 GPa,which is approximately 64% higher than that of the samples before being treated.It is mainly attributed to γ'precipitates on the basal plane after irradiation and the high-density nanoscale β'precipitates on the prismatic plane after aging,which should be closely related to the irradiation-induced homogenous clusters.The latter plays a key role in precipitation hardening.This result paves a way to improve the mechanical properties of metallic materials by tailoring the precipitation through irradiation and aging.

Evolution of helium bubbles in FeCoNiCr-based high-entropy alloys containing γ′ nanoprecipitates

A series of high-entropy alloys(HEAs) containing nanoprecipitates of varying sizes is successfully prepared by a non-consuming vacuum arc melting method.In order to study the irradiation evolution of helium bubbles in the FeCoNiCrbased HE As with γ' precipitates,these samples are irradiated by 100-keV helium ions with a fluence of 5 × 10^(20) ions/m^(2) at 293 K and 673 K,respectively.And the samples irradiated at room temperature are annealed at different temperatures to examine the diffusion behavior of helium bubbles.Transmission electron microscope(TEM) is employed to characterize the structural morphology of precipitated nanoparticles and the evolution of helium bubbles.Experimental results reveal that nanosized,spherical,dispersed,coherent,and ordered L1_(2)-type Ni_(3)Ti γ' precipitations are introduced into FeCoNiCr(Ni_(3)Ti)_(0.1) HEAs by means of ageing treatments at temperatures between 1073 K and 1123 K.Under the ageing treatment conditions adopted in this work,γ' nanoparticles are precipitated in FeCoNiCr(Ni_(3)Ti)_(0.1) HE As,with average diameters of 15.80 nm,37.09 nm,and 62.50 nm,respectively.The average sizes of helium bubbles observed in samples after 673-K irradiation are 1.46 nm,1.65 nm,and 1.58 nm,respectively.The improvement in the irradiation resistance of FeCoNiCr(Ni_(3)Ti)_(0.1) HEAs is evidenced by the diminution in bubbles size.Furthermore,the FeCoNiCr(Ni_(3)Ti)_(0.1) HEAs containing γ' precipitates of 15.8 nm exhibits the minimum size and density of helium bubbles,which can be ascribed to the considerable helium trapping effects of heterogeneous coherent phase boundaries.Subsequently,annealing experiments conducted after 293-K irradiation indicate that HEAs containing precipitated phases exhibits smaller apparent activation energy(E_(a)) for helium bubbles,resulting in larger helium bubble size.This study provides guidance for improving the irradiation resistance of L1_(2)-strengthened high-entropy alloy.

Effect of characteristics and distribution of Mg_(17)Al_(12)precipitates on tensile and bending properties of high-Al-containing Mg alloys

This study investigates the effect of characteristics and distribution of Mg_(17)Al_(12)precipitates on the uniaxial tensile and three-point bending properties of extruded Mg alloys containing high Al contents.The extruded Mg–9Al–1Zn–0.3Mn(AZ91)alloy contains lamellar-structured Mg_(17)Al_(12)discontinuous precipitates along the grain boundaries,which are formed via static precipitation during natural air cooling.The extruded Mg–11Al–1Zn–0.3Mn(AZ111)alloy contains spherical Mg_(17)Al_(12)precipitates at the grain boundaries and inside the grains,which are formed via dynamic precipitation during extrusion.Due to inhomogeneous distribution of precipitates,the AZ111 alloy consists of two different precipitate regions:precipitate-rich region with numerous precipitates and finer grains and precipitate-scarce region with a few precipitates and coarser grains.The AZ111 alloy exhibits a higher tensile strength than the AZ91 alloy because its smaller grain size and more abundant precipitates result in stronger grain-boundary hardening and precipitation hardening effects,respectively.However,the tensile elongation of the AZ111 alloy is lower than that of the AZ91 alloy because the weak cohesion between the dynamic precipitates and the matrix facilitates the crack initiation and propagation.During bending,a macrocrack initiates on the outer surface of bending specimen in both alloys.The AZ111 alloy exhibits higher bending yield strength and lower failure bending strain than the AZ91 alloy.The bending specimens of the AZ91 alloy have similar bending formability,whereas those of the AZ111 alloy exhibit considerable differences in bending formability and crack propagation behavior,depending on the distribution and number density of precipitates in the specimen.In bending specimens of the AZ111 alloy,it is found that the failure bending strain(ε_(f,bending))is inversely proportional to the area fraction of precipitates in the outer zone of bending specimen(A_(ppt)),with a relationship ofε_(f,bending)=–0.1A_(ppt)+5.86.

Effect of normalizing cooling process on microstructure and precipitates in low-temperature silicon steel

Microstructure, precipitate and magnetic characteristic of fmal products with different normalizing cooling processes for Fe-3.2%Si low-temperature hot-rolled grain-oriented silicon steel were analyzed and compared with the hot-rolled plate by optical microscopy （OM）, transmission electron microscopy （TEM）, and energy dispersive spectrometry （EDS）. The results show that, the surface microstructure is uniform, the proportion of recrystallization in matrix increases, and the banding textures are narrowed; the precipitates, whose quantity in normalized plate is more than that in hot-rolled plate greatly, are mainly A1N, MnS, composite precipitates （Cu,Mn）S and so on. Normalizing technology with a temperature of 1120 ℃, holding for 3 min, and a two-stage cooling is a most advantaged method to obtain oriented silicon steel with sharper Goss texture and higher magnetic properties, owing to the uniform surface microstructures and the obvious inhomogeneity of microstructures along the thickness. The normalizing technology with the two-stage cooling is the optimum process, which can generate more fine precipitates dispersed over the matrix, and be beneficial for finished products to get higher magnetic properties.

Anisotropic and temperature-dependent growth mechanism of S-phase precipitates in Al-Cu-Mg alloy in relation with GPB zones

By employing atomic-resolution imaging and first principles energy calculations, the growth behavior of S-phase precipitates in a high strength A1-Cu-Mg alloy was investigated. It is demonstrated that the nucleation and growth of the S-phase precipitate are rather anisotropic and temperature-dependent companying with low dimensional phase transformation. There are actually two types of Guinier-Preston （GP） zones that determine the formation mechanism of S-phase at high aging temperatures higher than 180 ℃. One is the precursors of the S-phase itself, the other is the structural units or the precursors of the well-known Guinier-Preston-Bagaryatsky （GPB） zones. At high temperatures the later GPB zone units may form around S-phase precipitate and cease its growth in the width direction, leading to the formation of rod-like S-phase crystals; whereas at low temperatures the S-phase precipitates develop without the interference with GPB zones, resulting in S-phase orecioitates with lath-like momhology.

Formation of precipitates and recrystallization resistance in Al-Sc-Zr alloys

Al-x%Sc-0.11%Zr alloys （x=0, 0.02, 0.05, 0.08, 0.11, 0.15） were produced by a chill cast procedure. The effect of Sc content on the precipitation of Al3（Sc,Zr） during heat treatment at 475 °C for 12 h was studied. Nucleation, precipitation and distribution of Al3（Sc,Zr） precipitates were found to be strongly related to the Sc content. With increasing the Sc content, the average radius of the precipitates decreases, while the number density of the precipitates increases, as investigated by transmission electron microscopy （TEM）. The distribution of the precipitates becomes more and more homogeneous when the Sc content is increased. The recrystallization resistance of samples that was 90% cold rolled and isothermal annealed for half an hour in the temperature range of 200-600 °C was investigated. The results show that the recrystallization temperature varies from 250 °C for the alloy without Sc to about 600 °C for the alloy containing 0.15% Sc because of the high density of Al3（Sc,Zr） precipitates.

Precipitates identification in R_2PdSi_3(R= Pr,Tb and Gd) single crystal growth

Floating zone method with optical radiation heating was applied to growing a class of R2PdSi3（R=Pr,Tb and Gd） single crystals due to its containerless melting and high stability of the floating zone.One serious problem during the single crystal growth,precipitates of secondary phases,was discussed from the following four parts：precipitates from the raw materials and preparation process,precipitates formed during the growing process,precipitates in the melts and precipitates in the grown crystals.Annealing treatment and composition shift can effectively reduce the precipitates which are not formed during the crystallization but precipitated on post-solidification cooling from the as-grown crystal matrix because of the retrograde solubility of Si.

Effects of precipitates and inclusions on the fracture toughness of hot rolling X70 pipeline steel plates

In order to investigate the fracture toughness, crack tip opening displacement （CTOD） experiments were conducted on two X70 pipeline steel plates with different rolling processes. Atter the experiments, optical microscopy （OM）, scanning electron microscopy （SEM） and transmission electron microscopy （TEM） were employed to observe the microstructure and fracture morphology. The effects of precipi- tates on the fracture toughness and the crack initiation mechanism induced by inclusions were analyzed. The CTOD result shows that the steel with a lower finishing cooling temperature has a higher fracture toughness. Inchisiom with different shapes and two kinds of precipi- tates with different sizes were observed. It can be concluded that precipitates with different sizes have different effects and mechanisms on the fracture toughness. Distinguished fi＇om the earlier researches, inclusions enriched in silicon can be also served as the crack initiation.

Morphological evolution of γ'precipitates in a nickel-based superalloy during various solution treatments

The morphological evolution of the γ' phase in nickel-based superalloy жc6y during various solution heat treatments was investigated. The significant changes of the γ' precipitates were observed in the solution-treated samples. The coarsening and dissolution of γ' phase simulta-neously occurred at intermediate temperatures. In some areas, the primary precipitates became blunt and the adjacent ones were intercon-nected with each other via a diffuse neck, indicating a coarsening process of the primary γ' population. The coarsening was dominated by the precipitate agglomeration mechanism (PAM) rather than by the well-known Ostwald ripening mechanism. In other areas, the partial dissolu-tion of the γ' precipitates began to occur, spreading gradually from dendrite cores to interdendritic regions. In addition, a flower-like γ' struc-ture was developed during the subsolvus solution treatments. The observable long filaments composed of erraticly shaped precipitates were caused by the heterogeneous nucleation of the cooling precipitates during water quenching.

Effect of nanosized NbC precipitates on hydrogen-induced cracking of high-strength low-alloy steel

We investigated the effect of nanosized NbC precipitates on hydrogen-induced cracking(HIC)of high-strength low-alloy steel by conducting slow-strain-rate tensile tests(SSRT)and performing continuous hydrogen charging and fracture analysis.The results reveal that the HIC resistance of Nb-bearing steel is obviously superior to that of Nb-free steel,with the fractured Nb-bearing steel in the SSRT exhibiting a smaller ratio of elongation reduction(Iδ).However,as the hydrogen traps induced by NbC precipitates approach hydrogen saturation,the effect of the precipitates on the HIC resistance attenuate.We speculate that the highly dispersed nanosized NbC precipitates act as irreversible hydrogen traps that hinder the accumulation of hydrogen at potential crack nucleation sites.In addition,much like Nb-free steel,the Nb-bearing steel exhibits both H-solution strengthening and the resistance to HIC.

Microstructure evolution and Al_3(Sc_(1-x)Zr_x) precipitates' kinetics in Al-Zn-Mg alloy during homogenization

The microstructure evolutions of two A1-Zn-Mg alloys, one of which was alloyed with Sc and Zr, and the kinetics of A13（SCl-xZrx） precipitates in the A1-Zn-Mg alloy during homogenization were investigated. Both alloys under as-cast condition with supersaturated, non-equilibrium T（Mg32（A1, Zn）49） phase and impurities phase were displayed. When the homogenization temperatures are below 350 ~C, Zn and Mg atoms precipitate from matrix; however, when the temperatures are above 400 ~C, T phase dissolves into matrix, enhancing solid-solution strengthening. Kinetics of A13（Scl.xZrx） precipitates was studied based on Jmat Pro software calculation and the difference values between the hardness of the two alloys in each homogenization condition. The calculations predict that the Sc and Zr solubilities in ct-A1 decline with the presence of Mg and Zn. Investigation of the difference values reveals that when the temperature is between 300 ~C and 350 ~C, the nucleation rate of A13（Sc1-xZrx） precipitates is the highest and the strengthening effect from A13（SCl_xZrx） precipitates is the best. After homogenization at 470℃ for 12 h, non-equilibrium T phase disappears, while impurity phase remains. The mean diameter of A13（Scl_xZrx） precipitates is around 18 urn. Ideas about better fulfilling the potentials of Sc and Zr were proposed at last.

Co-strengthening contribution of δ′and T_1 precipitates in Al-Li alloys 2090 and 2090+Ce

The microstructure of dislocation in two kinds of ahiminum-lithium alloys 2090 and 2090 ＋ Ce was observed by means of TEM technology. The contributions of δ＇ and T1 precipitates to strength were separately calculated by using the results of quantitative metallography and analysis of micro-deformation behavior; the co-strengthening effect of δ＇ and T1 precipitates was studied. The results show that the adding relationship of co-strengthening of δ＇ and T1 is in accordance with q = 1.4 form at the near peak-aged condition, i.e., △τ^1.4δ = △τ^1.4δ＋ △τ^1.4T1, but the adding relationship is approximately a linear relation （q = 1） at the under-aged condition and becomes the parabola form when over-aged （q = 2）. The adding relationship of co-strengthening contribution of δ＇ and T1 is obviously dependent on aging time.

Evolution of precipitates in Mg−7Gd−3Y−1Nd−1Zn−0.5Zr alloy with fine plate-like 14H-LPSO structures aged at 240℃

The morphology and crystal structure of the precipitates in Mg-7Gd-3Y-1Nd-1Zn-0.5Zr(wt.%)alloy with fine plate-like 14H-LPSO structures aged at 240℃were investigated using transmission electron microscopy(TEM)and high-angle annular dark-field scanning transmission electron microscopy(HAADF-STEM).Fine plate-like 14H-LPSO structures precipitate after heat treatment at 500℃for 2 h,andβ-type phases precipitate after the alloy is aged at 240℃.The long-period atomic stacking sequence of 14H-LPSO structures along the[0001]αdirection is ABABCACACACBABA.After being aged at 240℃for 2 h,theβ-type phases are the ordered solution clusters,zig-zag GP zones,and a small number ofβ′phases.The peak hardness is obtained at 240℃for 18 h with a Brinell hardness of 112,theβ-type phases areβ’phases and local RE-rich structures.After being aged at 240℃for 100 h,theβ-type phases areβ’,β1 andβ’F phases.β′phases nucleate from the zig-zag GP zones directly withoutβ″phases,and then transform intoβ1 phase byβ’→β’F→β1 transformations.The Zn not only can form LPSO structure,but also is the constituent element ofβ1 phases.LPSO structures have a certain hindrance to the coarsening ofβ’andβ1 along<0001>α.

Grain refining of Er added to Ti-22Al-25Nb alloy and morphology of erbium precipitates

In order to investigate the effect of erbium （Er） on the microstructure of orthorhombic Ti2A1Nb-based alloys, four testing alloys were prepared by adding differ- ent contents of the rare earth metal Er to Ti-22A1-25Nb alloy and optical microscopy, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, electron probe microanalysis, energy- dispersive spectrometry, and transmission electron microscopy were used. The results show that the addition of Er is capable of grain refining and the refinement effect is more obvious with increasing content of Er. The Er203 dispersoids formed by internal oxidation and A13Er com- pound particles are observed in Er-doped alloys and the number of Er precipitates is increased with increasing Er addition. It is likely that the solubility of Er in the Ti2A1Nb alloy is very low and Er precipitates tend to segregate at grain boundaries, which together with the surface activity of rare earth elements is supposed to decrease the prior B2 grain size of Ti-22A1-25Nb alloy effectively.

Nanoscale precipitates and comprehensive strengthening mechanism in AISI H13 steel

The effects of heat treatment on the precipitates and strengthening mechanism in AISI H13 steel were investigated. The results showed that the presence of nanoscale precipitates favorably affected grain refinement and improved the yield strength. The volume fraction of precipitates increased from 1.05% to 2.85% during tempering, whereas the average precipitate size first decreased then increased during tempering. Contributions to the yield strength arising from the various mechanisms were calculated quantificationally, and the results demonstrated that grain refinement and dislocation density most strongly influenced the yield strength. In addition, under the interaction of average size and volume fraction, precipitates＇ contribution to the yield strength ranged from 247.9 to 378.5 MPa. Finally, a root-mean-square summation law of σ = σg ＋ σs ＋（σd^2 ＋ σp^2）^1/2, where σg, σs, σd, and σp represent the contributions of fine-grain strengthening, solid-solution strengthening, dislocation strengthening, and precipitation strengthening, respectively, was confirmed as the most applicable for AISI H13 steel, which indicates a strong link between precipitates and dislocations in AISI H13 steel.

Physicochemical properties of β-cyclodextrin solutions and precipitates prepared from injectable vehicles

β-Cyclodextrin( β-CyD) is cyclic oligosaccharide of a glucopyranose, containing a relatively hydrophobic central cavity and hydrophilic outer surface. However, the usefulness of β-CyD is limited owing to its low aqueous solubility whereas we found that its apparent high solubility was evident in some injectable solvents including 2-pyrrolidone(PYR), Nmethyl pyrrolidone(NMP) and dimethyl sulfoxide(DMSO). Therefore, in the present study, the physicochemical properties of the 30–60% w/w β-CyD in PYR, NMP and DMSO were investigated such as viscosity, water resistant, matrix formation rate and syringeability. The higher the concentration of β-CyD resulted in the increased viscosity and the higher force and energy of syringeability. β-CyD in PYR gave the highest viscosity which contributed to the lowest syringeability while β-CyD in DMSO exhibited the highest syringeability. The β-CyD in DMSO and NMP exhibited the higher rate of matrix formation. β-CyD in PYR showed the highest water resistant for phase separation while β-CyD in NMP gave the faster de-mixing rate compared to that from PYR. The difference in physicochemical properties of β-CyD dried ppts studied by scanning electron microscope(SEM), differential scanning calorimetry(DSC), X-ray diffraction(XRD), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy(FT-IR) and thermogravimetric analysis(TGA) revealed that there was partial complexation of β-CyD with respective solvents. Both solution and precipitate characteristic properties will be useful for using β-CyD in further investigation as matrix material dissolved in the injectable vehicles as the in situ forming gel for periodontitis treatment.

Microscopic phase-field simulation of the coarsening behavior of coherent precipitates in Ni-Al alloys

On the basis of the microscopic phase-field dynamic model and the microelasticity theory, the characteristics of the coarsening behavior of γ＇ phase in Ni-Al alloys have been systematically studied in a certain volume fraction of the precipitates. It was found that the initial irregular shape, randomly distributed γ＇ phase, gradually transformed into cuboidal shape, regularly aligned along the [100] and [010] directions, and a highly preferential selected microstructure was formed during the later stage of precipitation. The volume fraction of the precipitates produced some effects on the precipitate morphology but did not produce an obvious effect on the regularities of precipitate distribution. The coarsening rate constant from the cubic growth law decreased as a function of volume fraction for small volume fractions, remained constant for intermediate volume fractions, and increased as a function of volume fraction for large volume fractions. During the coherent coarsening process, four ＂splitting＂ patterns between γ＇ phases, which belonged to different antiphase domains, were produced via particle aggregation, such as an L-shaped pattern, a doublet, a triplet, and a quartet.

Effect of cold rolling and first precipitates on the coarsening behavior of γ″-phases in Inconel 718 alloy

The coarsening behaviors of γ″-phase particles in Inconel 718 alloy aged at 750, 800, and 850℃ were investigated by scanning electron microscopy（SEM）. Detailed observations and quantitative measurements were conducted to characterize the coarsening behavior of the γ″-phase under various aging conditions. The experimental results indicate that the existence of the δ-phase retards the formation and coarsening of the γ″-phase, without influencing its final particle size or amount. Moreover, when cold rolled with a reduction of 50%, the dimensions of the γ″ particles in Inconel 718 alloy decrease with increasing aging time. Furthermore, the coarsening behavior of the γ″-phase in the Inconel 718 alloy after a normal aging treatment（sample A） and that of the primary δ-phase（sample B） follow the Lifshitz–Slyozov–Wagner（LSW） diffusion-controlled growth theory; the thus-obtained activation energies for the γ″-phase are 292 k J·mol^-1 and 302 k J·mol^-1, respectively.

Formation and growth of precipitates in a Mg-7Gd-5Y-1Nd-2Zn-0.5Zr alloy aged at 200℃

Crystal structures,growth characteristics,and transformation of the precipitates in a Mg-7Gd-5Y-1Nd-2Zn-0.5Zr(wt.%)alloy aged at 200℃for various durations were investigated using transmission electron microscopy(TEM)and high-angle annular dark-field scanning transmission electron microscopy(HAADF-STEM).A detailed Mg-Gd type precipitation sequence for Mg-Gd-Y-Nd-Zn alloys was proposed as follows:supersaturated solid solution→solute clusters→zigzag GP zones+β''(I)→β'→β'+protrusions/joints→pre-β_(1)→β_(1)→β.Solute clusters formed in the early stage of aging consisted of one or more rare-earth(RE)/Zn-rich atomic columns with different configura-tions.RE/Zn-rich solute clusters grew into zigzag GP zones andβ''(I)as aging time extending.The paired-zigzag GP zones might grow up to beβ'precipitates directly.In the peak-and plat-aging stages,the number of solute clusters in the matrix decreased until they disappeared,and most existed as zigzag arrays and super hexagons.Protrusions formed at the end ofβ'at an angle of 120°,then grew into joints when two differentβ'variants encountered together.Protrusions/joints comprise zigzag arrays,super-hexagons,β'F,β''(II),β_(T),and hybrid structures rich in solute atoms,and act as catalysts for the growth of theβ'variants.Largerβ'grow by joints consumption while smallerβ'precipitates dissolve to form joints.β_(1)precipitates essentially evolve from pre-β_(1)precipitates,with four-point diamond structures formed by RE/Zn atomic substitution and atomic migration based on the originalα-Mg structure.