ICP-AES Determination of Germanium in GdSiGe Series Alloys as Magnetic Refrigeration Material

The ICP-AES method for the determination of Ge in GdSiGe series alloys was studied.As the three main elements in the alloys,Gd,Si,and Ge differ greatly from each other in chemical properties,it was difficult to pretreat the sample.Two decomposition methods were compared,and a mixture of HNO3＋HF was used to decompose the sample and the effect of the HF amount on the sample decomposition was examined.The adsorption effect of GdF3 on Ge was discussed.Three GdSiGe series alloy samples were analyzed,and the RSDs of this method were in the range of 0.85%～2.66%.

Influence of Al content on machinability of AZ series Mg alloys

Influence of A1 content on the machinability of AZ series cast Mg alloys was investigated. In order to evaluate the machinability of the alloys, measurements of the cutting forces during turning operations and surface roughness were carried out as well as considering the microstructure and tensile properties. The results show that maximum tensile properties are observed with 2% （mass fraction） A1 addition to Mg. As the A1 content of the alloy increases above 2%, the cutting forces tend to reduce along with the ductility owing to the grain boundary precipitation of intermetallic phase （fl-Mgl7All2）. Cutting forces are able to increase as the cutting speed increases for all the alloys studied, and it＇s attributed to flank built up at the tip of the cutting tool during machining.

Combustion synthesis of fine TiFe series alloy powder by magnesothermic reduction of ilmenite

Fine TiFe series alloy powder was fabricated by magnesothermic reduction of ilmenite as main raw material.Adiabatic temperature of the FeTiO_(3)-Mg system was studied through thermodynamic analysis.Meanwhile,the characteristics of TiFe series alloy were described by XRD,SEM and grading analysis.It is shown that combustion synthesis of the FeTiO_(3)-Mg system can carry out due to its strong exothermic reaction through adiabatic temperature calculate.Ultrafine TiFe series alloy powder after leached for 5 h has reasonable phases and morphology with the particle distribution of 0.2 to 1μm.It indicates that in-situ magnesothermic reduction of natural ilmenite is a feasible way to fabricate ultrafine powder with a relatively lower cost.

Effect of slow shot speed on externally solidified crystal,porosity and tensile property in a newly developed high-pressure die-cast Al-Si alloy

The effect of slow shot speed on externally solidified crystal(ESC),porosity and tensile property in a newly developed high-pressure die-cast Al-Si alloy was investigated by optical microscopy(OM),scanning electron microscopy(SEM)and laboratory computed tomography(CT).Results showed that the newly developed AlSi9MnMoV alloy exhibited improved mechanical properties when compared to the AlSi10MnMg alloy.The AlSi9MnMoV alloy,which was designed with trace multicomponent additions,displays a notable grain refining effect in comparison to the AlSi10MnMg alloy.Refining elements Ti,Zr,V,Nb,B promote heterogeneous nucleation and reduce the grain size of primaryα-Al.At a lower slow shot speed,the large ESCs are easier to form and gather,developing into the dendrite net and net-shrinkage.With an increase in slow shot speed,the size and number of ESCs and porosities significantly reduce.In addition,the distribution of ESCs is more dispersed and the net-shrinkage disappears.The tensile property is greatly improved by adopting a higher slow shot speed.The ultimate tensile strength is enhanced from 260.31 MPa to 290.31 MPa(increased by 11.52%),and the elongation is enhanced from 3.72%to 6.34%(increased by 70.52%).

Strengthening-toughening of 7xxx series high strength aluminum alloys by heat treatment

The effects of stepped solution heat treatments on the dissolution of soluble remnant constituents and mechanical properties of 7055 aluminum alloy were investigated. It was shown that a suitable pretreatment at lower temperature can enable complete dissolution of the constituent particles in 7055 alloy without overheating by subsequent high temperature solution treatment. This in turn increased the tensile strength and fracture toughness of 7055 alloy to 805 MPa and 41.5 MPa·m 1/2 respectively, with approximately 9% tensile elongation. The near solvus pre precipitation following after high temperature solution treatment was also studied on 7055 aluminum alloy. The effect of the pre precipitation on the microstructure, age hardening and stress corrosion cracking of 7055 alloy was investigated. The optical and transimission electron microscopy observation show that the near solvus pre precipitation can be limited to grain boundary and enhance the discontinuity of grain boundary precipitates in the subsequent ageing. The stress corrosion cracking resistance of aged 7055 alloy can be improved via the pre precipitation with non deteriorated strength and plasticity.

Friction surfacing of hypereutectic Al-Si alloy on commercially pure aluminum : Effect of consumable rod heat treatment and heat input

This study investigated the effect of pre-friction surfacing heat treatment of consumable rods and heat input during friction surfacing on the microstructure,mechanical properties,and wear resistance of hypereutectic Al-Si alloy deposited on a commercially pure aluminum substrate.The results show that regardless of the consumable rod’s heat treatment conditions,the coating’s efficiency has increased with the increase in heat input,so the coating efficiency increases by 20%and 30%in the solid solution-treated rod and the artificially aged rod,respectively.By increasing the heat input,the average grain size in the coating fabricated by solid solution-treated rod and artificially aged rod increased from 0.1 to 0.9μm and from 0.2 to 1.3μm,respectively.At constant heat input,the average hardness and wear resistance of the coating created in the solid solution-treated rod are lower than those of the artificially aged rod.By decreasing heat input,the wear loss in the coating fabricated by solid solution-treated rod and artificially aged rod decreased by 10%and 20%,respectively,reaching 0.1 and 0.03μg/m.

Influence of aluminum content on machinability of AS series cast magnesium alloys

The influence of Al content on machinability of AS series cast Mg alloys was studied. The assessment of machinability of Mg alloys was performed by measuring the cutting forces and surface roughness. The microstructure and the tensile properties were also studied. The results reveal that cutting forces are increased with the increase of the Al content. Surface roughness and mechanical properties are the highest for AS91 Mg alloy. It is assumed that the main mechanism, which has an influence on the mechanical properties, is the presence of intermetallic phases(Mg2Si and Mg17Al12). Cutting forces increase with the increase of the cutting speed in machining of all Mg alloys. These measured data are in accordance with the mechanical properties of the machined alloys.

Achieving further refinement of grain structure and improvement of mechanical properties in Al-12Si-4Cu-2Ni-1Mg alloy by Al-Ti-C-B master alloy addition and deep cryogenic treatment

Near-eutectic Al-Si alloys are widely used in automotive manufacturing due to their superior wear resistance and high temperature performance.Because of high Si content,the grain refinement of near-eutectic Al-Si alloy has been a problem for many years.In this study,the effect of deep cryogenic treatment(DCT)on the microstructure and mechanical properties of Al-12Si-4Cu-2Ni-Mg alloy with addition of Al-Ti-C-B master alloy was fully investigated.Results show that the average grain size of the alloy is greatly reduced from 0.92 mm to 0.50 mm,and the eutectic Si and Al7Cu4Ni precipitates are spheroidized and refined in Al-12Si-4Cu-2Ni-Mg after DCT for 24 h and aging treatment.Thereby these changes of microstructures result in a significant increment of about 22.5%in elongation and a slight enhancement of about 6.8%in tensile strength.Moreover,the refinement of microstructure also significantly improves the fatigue life of the alloy.

Growth mechanism of primary silicon in cast hypoeutectic Al-Si alloys

The microstructural features of hypoeutectic AI-10%Si alloy were observed using optical microscopy and electron backscatter diffraction. The results show that primary silicon particles are frequently found in hypoeutectic alloys. Hence, the nucleation and growth mechanisms of the precipitation of primary silicon of hypoeutectic Al-10%Si alloy melts were investigated. It was discovered that Si atoms are easy to segregate and form Si-Si clusters, which results in the formation of primary silicon even in eutectic or hypoeutectic Al-Si alloys. In addition, solute redistribution caused by chemical driving force and large pile-ups or micro-segregation of the solute play an important role in the formation of the primary silicon, and the solute redistribution equations were derived from Jackson-Chalmers equations. Once Si solute concentration exceeds eutectic composition, primary silicon precipitates are formed at the front of solid/liquid interface.

Effect of ultrasonic vibration on Fe-containing intermetallic compounds of hypereutectic Al-Si alloys with high Fe content

The Fe-containing intermetallic compounds with high melting point in hypereutectic Al-Si alloys can improve the heat resistance and wear resistance at elevated temperatures. However, the long needle-like Fe-containing compounds in the alloys produced by conventional casting process are detrimental to the strength of matrix. The effect of ultrasonic vibration （USV） on the morphology change of Fe-containing intermetallic compounds in the hypereutectic Al-17Si-xFe （x=2, 3, 4, 5） alloys was systematically studied. The results show that, the Fe-containing intermetallic compounds are mainly composed of long needle-like β-Al5FeSi phase with a small amount of plate-like δ-Al4FeSi2 phase in Al-17Si-2Fe alloy produced by conventional casting process. With the increase of Fe content from 2% to 5% in the alloys, the amount of plate-like or coarse needle-like δ-Al4FeSi2 phase increases while the amount of long needle-like β-Al5FeSi phases decreases. In Al-17Si-5Fe alloy, the Fe-containing intermetallic compounds exist mainly as coarse needle-like δ-Al4FeSi2 phase. After USV treatment, the Fe-containing compounds in the Al-17Si-xFe alloys are refined and exist mainly as δ-Al4FeSi2 particles, with average grain size ranging from 26 μm to 37 μm, and only a small amount of β-Al5FeSi phases remain. The mechanism of USV on the morphology of Fe-containing intermetallic compounds was also discussed.

Nucleation and growth of eutectic cell in hypoeutectic Al-Si alloy

The nucleation and growth of eutectic cell in hypoeutectic Al-Si alloy was investigated using optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy equipped with electron backscattering diffraction（EBSD）.By revealing the eutectic cells and analyzing the crystallographic orientation,it was found that both the eutectic Si and Al phases in an eutectic cell were not single crystal,representing an eutectic cell consisting of small ＇grains＇.It is also suggested that the eutectic nucleation mode can not be determined based on the crystallographic orientation between eutectic Al phases and the neighboring primary dendrite Al phases.However,the evolution of primary dendrite Al phases affects remarkably the following nucleation and growth of eutectic cell.The coarse flake-fine fibrous transition of eutectic Si morphology involved in impurity elements modification may be independent of eutectic nucleation.

Grain refining mechanism of Al-3B master alloy on hypoeutectic Al-Si alloys

Al-3B master alloy is a kind of efficient grain refiner for hypoeutectic Al-Si alloys. Experiments were carried out to evaluate the effect of undissolved AlB2 particles in Al-3B master alloy on the grain refinement of Al-7Si. It is found that the number and the settlement of AlB2 particles in the melt all have effect on the grain refining efficiency. On the basis of experiments and theoretical analysis, a new grain refinement mechanism was proposed to explain the grain refinement action of Al-3B on hypoeutectic Al-Si alloys. The formation of ＇Al-AlB2＇ shell structure is the direct reason for grain refinement and the undissolved AlB2 particles is the indirect nucleating base for subsequent α（Al） phase.

Overflowing phenomenon during ultrasonic treatment in Al-Si alloys

At the late stage of solidification with ultrasonic treatment （UST） in Al-Si alloys, a part of semisolid overflows and climbs along the probe. The interesting phenomenon and its influence on the solidification microstructure were investigated in order to better study the mechanism of UST. It is considered that the overflowing phenomenon occurs due to the changes of vibration and flow in the remaining semisolid. Because the overflowed portion comes from the region with intense UST effect and vibrates with the probe during solidification, great modification of primary and euteetic Si （about 10 pm in length） and refinement of primary a（Al） （about 70 μm in size） are observed in this portion.

Microstructure evolution of spray-formed hypereutectic Al-Si alloys in semisolid reheating process

The Al-27%Si alloy was prepared by the spray forming process,and its microstructure evolution during the semisolid reheating process was investigated.The results show that,the primary Si phase coarsens during the reheating process and the coarsening rate increases with the increase of reheating temperature.The eutectic phase is produced in the molten region when quenched in the cold water.The microstructure evolution in the semisolid state can be divided into three stages.The remarkable characteristic of the first stage is only a solid-state phase transformation process.However,the region around the α（Al） matrix gradually melts in the second stage.The primary Si in the liquid phase coarsens obviously,and the eutectic phase is produced in the molten region when the specimens are quenched in cold water.In the last stage,the same thing as that in the second stage happens except that all the α（Al） matrixes are melted.

Dry sliding wear behavior of rheocast hypereutectic Al-Si alloys with different Fe contents

The effect of iron content on wear behavior of hypereutectic Al?17Si?2Cu?1Ni alloy produced by rheocasting process was investigated. The dry sliding wear tests were carried out with a pin-on-disk wear tester. The results show that the wear rate of the rheocast alloy is lower than that of the alloy produced by conventional casting process under the same applied load. The fine particle-likeδ-Al4(Fe,Mn)Si2 and polygonalα-Al15(Fe,Mn)3Si2 phases help to improve the wear resistance of rheocast alloys. As the volume fraction of fine Fe-bearing compounds increases, the wear rate of the rheocast alloy decreases. Moreover, the wear rate of rheocast alloy increases with the increase of applied load from 50 to 200 N. For the rheocast alloy with 3% Fe, oxidation wear is the main mechanism at low applied load (50 N). At higher applied loads, a combination of delamination and oxidation wear is the dominant wear mechanism.

Variation of the second-phase morphology and its influence on fracture behavior of Al-Si alloy

Using an optical microscope and scanning electron microscope (SEM), the variation of eutectic Si morphology of Al-Si alloy in solution treatment was observed to study its influence on mechanical properties and fracture behavior. The results show that eutectic Si undergoes stubbing, necking, fragmentation, and growth in the initial stage (250 min); in the middle solution stage (250 to 400 min), the eutectic Si morphology has no significant change, only the degree of spheroidizing becomes higher; after 600 min, the growth of eutectic Si is a coarsening process controlled by diffusion and follows the Liftshitz-Slyozov-Wangner (LSW) model, and the eutectic Si morphology deteriorates due to the occurrence of facets and lap. Based on the quantitative measure and regression analysis, the eutectic Si morphology has a remarkable influence on mechanical properties and fracture behavior.

Effect of pre-annealing on microstructure and compactibility of gas-atomized Al-Si alloy powders

Effect of pre-annealing treatment temperature on compactibility of gas-atomized Al-27%Si alloy powders was investigated. Microstructure and hardness of the annealed powders were characterized. Pre-annealing results in decreasing Al matrix hardness, dissolving of needle-like eutectic Si phase, precipitation and growth of supersaturated Si atoms, and spheroidisation of primary Si phase. Compactibility of the alloy powders is gradually improved with increasing the annealing temperature to 400 ℃. However, it decreases when the temperature is above 400 ℃ owing to the existence of Si-Si phase clusters and the densely distributed Si particles. A maximum relative density of 96.1% is obtained after annealing at 400 ℃ for 4 h. In addition, the deviation of compactibility among the pre-annealed powders reaches a maximum at a pressure of 175 MPa. Therefore, a proper pre-annealing treatment can significantly enhance the cold compactibility of gas-atomized Al-Si alloy powders.

Effects of Mg content on primary Mg_2Si phase in hypereutectic Al-Si alloys

Hypereutectic Al-Si alloy with variant Mg contents were fabricated by casting,and the effects of Mg content on the microstructure of primary Mg2Si particles in hypereutectic Al-Si alloys were investigated.The results show that the volume fraction of primary Mg2Si particles increases linearly with raising the Mg content,but the average size of Mg2Si particles does not exhibit a corresponding change.When the Mg content is 3%,á1 0 0？ directions have the fastest growth velocity,so that Mg2Si particles are likely to form octahedron shape.When gradually increasing the Mg content,the distributions of Mg and Si atoms on the solid-liquid interface become inhomogeneous,which results in the formation of irregular octahedron structures.Finally,when the Mg content is about 10%,the morphology of primary Mg2Si particles changes from the octahedron shape into various complex structures with a large size.

Microstructure and mechanical properties of hypereutectic Al-Si alloy modified with Cu-P

The microstructure and mechanical properties of Al-14.6Si castings modified by Cu-P master alloy under different conditions were studied with optical microscope（OM） and mechanical testing and simulation（MTS）.The results indicate that the Cu-P master alloy possesses not only obvious modification effect,but also longevity effect with more than 8 h on the hypereutectic Al-Si alloy.It is shown from thermal calculation,scanning electron microscope（SEM）,and energy dispersive analysis of X-rays（EDAX） that the modification mechanism of Cu-P on primary silicon in the castings is heterogeneous nucleation around AlP particles.The Cu-P master alloy has no or little modifying effect on eutectic silicon,even though it has obvious modification on primary silicon in the castings.This may be because of the fast transformation of eutectic silicon at a very narrow temperature,which will notably weaken the role of AlP particles as heterogeneous nuclei for eutectic silicon.

Research on semi-solid slurry of a hypoeutectic Al-Si alloy prepared by low superheat pouring and weak electromagnetic stirring

The semi-solid slurry of a hypoeutectic Al-Si alloy was manufactured by low superheat pouring and weak electromagnetic stirring. The effects of pouting temperature and stirring power on the semi-solid slurry were investigated. The results indicated that the semi-solid slurry to satisfy rheocasting can be manufactured by low superheat pouring and weak electromagnetic stirring. The pouring temperature （or superheat） and the stirring power remarkably affected the morphology of primary α-Al and the size of primary α-Al, and there is no obvious effect of stirring time on primary α-Al. Compared with the samples made by low superheat pouring with no stirring, the nucleation rate, particle morphology and grain size of primary α-Al in A356 were markedly improved by low superheat pouring and weak electromagnetic stirring. On the condition of weak electromagnetic stirring, the pouring temperature with low superheat can be suitably raised to reach the effectiveness obtained from the lower pouring temperature without stirring.