Microstructure and properties at bonding interface of AA4045/AA3003 aluminum alloy cladding billet prepared by semi-continuous casting

AA4045/AA3003 cladding billet was prepared by direct chill semi-continuous casting process. The macrostructures, microstructures, temperature distribution, compositions distribution and the mechanical properties at the bonding interface were investigated in detail. The results show that the cladding billet with few defects could be obtained by semi-continuous casting process. At the interface, diffusion layer of about 10μm on average formed between the two alloys due to the diffusion of alloy elements in the temperature range from 596 to 632 °C. From the side of AA4045 to the side of AA3003, the Si content has a trend to decrease, while the Mn content has a trend to increase gradually. Tensile strength of the cladding billet reaches 103.7 MPa, the fractured position is located on the AA3003 side, and the shearing strength is 91.1 MPa, revealing that the two alloys were combined metallurgically by mutual diffusion of alloy elements.

Interfacial reaction between AZ91D magnesium alloy melt and mild steel under high temperature

The metallurgical quality control of magnesium(Mg)and Mg alloys in melting process is required to ensure a satisfied mechanical and corrosion performance,while the typical used steel crucible introduces impurities and interfacial interaction during melting process.Therefore,a systematic study about impurities diffusion and interfacial interaction between molten Mg and steel is necessary.In the present study,the interfacial reaction between molten AZ91D Mg alloy and mild steel during melting process was investigated with the melting temperatures of 700℃,750℃ and 800℃.The results show that Al(Fe,Mn)intermetallic layer is the intermetallic primarily formed at the interfaces of AZ91D melt and mild steel.Meanwhile,Al_(8)(Mn,Fe)5is indexed between Al(Fe,Mn)and AZ91D.AlFe_(3)C appears between the mild steel and Al(Fe,Mn)at 700℃ and 750℃,but absent at 800℃ due to the increased solubility of carbon in Mg matrix.It is found that the growth of the intermetallic layer is controlled by diffusion mechanism,and Al and Mn are the dominant diffusing species in the whole interfacial reaction process.By measuring the thickness of different layers,the growth constant was calculated.It increases from 1.89(±0.03)×10^(-12)m^(2)·s^(-1)at 700℃ to 3.05(±0.05)×10^(-12)m^(2)·s^(-1)at 750℃,and 5.18(±0.05)×10^(-12)m^(2)·s^(-1)at 800℃.Meanwhile,the content of Fe is linearly increased in AZ91D with the increase of holding time at 700℃ and 750℃,while it shows a significantly increment after holding for 8 h at 800℃,indicating holding temperature is more crucial to determine the Fe content of AZ91D than holding time.

Effect of Interface Form on Creep Failure and Life of Dissimilar Metal Welds Involving Nickel-Based Weld Metal and Ferritic Base Metal

For dissimilar metal welds(DMWs)involving nickel-based weld metal(WM)and ferritic heat resistant steel base metal(BM)in power plants,there must be an interface between WM and BM,and this interface suffers mechanical and microstructure mismatches and is often the rupture location of premature failure.In this study,a new form of WM/BM interface form,namely double Y-type interface was designed for the DMWs.Creep behaviors and life of DMWs containing double Y-type interface and conventional I-type interface were compared by finite element analysis and creep tests,and creep failure mechanisms were investigated by stress-strain analysis and microstructure characterization.By applying double Y-type interface instead of conventional I-type interface,failure location of DMW could be shifted from the WM/ferritic heat-affected zone(HAZ)interface into the ferritic HAZ or even the ferritic BM,and the failure mode change improved the creep life of DMW.The interface premature failure of I-type interface DMW was related to the coupling effect of microstructure degradation,stress and strain concentrations,and oxide notch on the WM/HAZ interface.The creep failure of double Y-type interface DMW was the result of Type IV fracture due to the creep voids and micro-cracks on fine-grain boundaries in HAZ,which was a result of the matrix softening of HAZ and lack of precipitate pinning at fine-grain boundaries.The double Y-type interface form separated the stress and strain concentrations in DMW from the WM/HAZ interface,preventing the trigger effect of oxide notch on interface failure and inhibiting the interfacial microstructure cracking.It is a novel scheme to prolong creep life and enhance reliability of DMW,by means of optimizing the interface form,decoupling the damage factors from WM/HAZ interface,and then changing the failure mechanism and shifting the failure location.

Study on the interface of direct hot rolling titanium-clad steel plates

In this study,the interface characteristics of a direct hot rolling titanium-clad steel plate were analyzed, and the mechanism of interface cracking was explored. The detrimental effect from the formation of TiFe ,TiC,and a Si-enriched layer on the bonding strength was clarified, and an industrial-scaled titanium-clad steel plate with shear strength over 200 MPa was produced with a carefully set schedule accordingly. It was found that hot rolling titanium-clad steel plates had a flat interface without obvious cracks. In the rolling process,both Ti and Fe atoms interdiflhsed,but Fe difthsed much faster than Ti. The Fe-diffused area consisted of three regions. After a high temperature heat treatment, the diffusion depth of Fe and Ti elements increased significantly and evident Si segregation and TiFe layers were identified. Thermal cracking initiated in the Si segregation layer and then propagated along the TiFe layer and Fe-diffused layer on the titanium side.

Effect of interface morphology on the mechanical properties of titanium clad steel plates

Interface morphology has important influence on the bond quality of titanium clad steel plates. The mechanical properties of titanium clad steel plates with wavy and straight interfaces were investigated by tensile-shear tests and bending tests. The interface morphology of the plates was examined by optical microscopy （OM） and scanning electron microscopy （SEM）. The experimental results show that the shear strength of a wavy interface is higher than that of a straight interface. A wavy interface is the guarantee for obtaining high shear strength to provide a greater shear resistance. During the maerobending process, cracks appear in the swirl of the wave tip and ferrotitanium intermetallies. For in-situ observing the bending process by SEM, the wave tip of a wavy interface and the massive ferrotitartium intermetallies of a straight interface are places where cracks initiate and propagate. The results are the same as those observed in the macrobending process. Became of high hardness, the wave tip and the massive ferrotitanium intermetallies are hard in terms of compatible deformation.

Toward better electrode/electrolyte interfaces in the ionic-liquid-based rechargeable aluminum batteries

The past decade has witnessed the germination of rechargeable aluminum batteries(RABs)with the colossal potential to enact as a device for the large scale energy storage and conversion.The Majority of investigations are dedicated to the exploration of suitable cathode materials,while less is known about the electrode/electrolyte interfaces that determine the electrochemistry of batteries.In this perspective,we will highlight the significance of electrode/electrolyte interface for RABs,in overall kinetics and capacity retention.Emphasis will be laid on the complicated yet basic understandings of the phenomena at the interfaces,including the dendrite growth,surface Al2O3 and solid–electrolyte-interphase(SEI).And we will summarize the reported practice in effort to build better electrode/electrolyte interfaces in RAB.In the end,outlook regarding to the challenges,opportunities and directions is presented.

Interface and thermal expansion of carbon fiber reinforced aluminum matrix composites

Two kinds of unidirectional PAN M40 carbon fiber （55%, volume fraction） reinforced 6061Al and 5A06Al composites were fabricated by the squeeze-casting technology and their interface structure and thermal expansion properties were investigated. Results showed that the combination between aluminum alloy and fibers was well in two composites and interface reaction in M40/5A06Al composite was weaker than that in M40/6061Al composite. Coefficients of thermal expansion （CTE） of M40/Al composites varied approximately from （1.45-2.68）×10^-6 K^-1 to （0.35-1.44）×10^-6 K^-1 between 20℃ and 450℃, and decreased slowly with the increase of temperature. In addition, the CTE of M40/6061Al composite was lower than that of M40/SA06Al composite. It was observed that fibers were protruded significantly from the matrix after thermal expansion, which demonstrated the existence of interface sliding between fiber and matrix during the thermal expansion. It was believed that weak interracial reaction resulted in a higher CTE. It was found that the experimental CTEs were closer to the predicted values by Schapery model.

Effect of Si content on interfacial reaction and properties between solid steel and liquid aluminum

The effect of Si content on the microstructures and growth kinetics of intermetallic compounds(IMCs)formed during the initial interfacial reaction(<10 s)between solid steel and liquid aluminum was investigated by a thermophysical simulation method.The influence of Si addition on interfacial mechanical properties was revealed by a high-frequency induction brazing.The results showed that IMCs layers mainly consisted ofη-Fe_(2)Al_(5)andθ-Fe_(4)Al_(13).The addition of Si reduced the thickness of the IMCs layer.The growth of theηphase was governed by the diffusion process when adding 2 wt.%Si to the aluminum melt.When 5 wt.%or 8 wt.%Si was added to aluminum,the growth was governed by both the diffusion process and interfacial reaction,and ternary phaseτ1/τ9-(Al,Si)_(5)Fe_(3)was formed in theηphase.The apparent activation energies of theηphase decreased gradually with increasing Si content.The joint with pure aluminum metal had the highest tensile strength and impact energy.

Application of response surface methodology to maximize tensile strength and minimize interface hardness of friction welded dissimilar joints of austenitic stainless steel and copper alloy

An attempt was made to optimize friction welding parameters to attain a minimum hardness at the interface and a maximum tensile strength of the dissimilar joints of AISI 304 austenitic stainless steel （ASS） and copper （Cu） alloy using response surface methodology （RSM）. Three-factor, five-level central composite design matrix was used to specify experimental conditions. Twenty joints were fabricated using ASS and Cu alloy. Tensile strength and interface hardness were measured experimentally. Analysis of variance （ANOVA） method was used to find out significant main and interaction parameters and empirical relationships were developed using regression analysis. The friction welding parameters were optimized by constructing response graphs and contour plots using design expert software. The developed empirical relationships can be effectively used to predict tensile strength and interface hardness of friction welded ASS-Cu joints at 95% confidence level. The developed contour plots can be used to attain required level of optimum conditions to join ASS-Cu alloy by friction welding process.

Interfacial characterization of resistance spot welded joint of steel and aluminum alloy

The dissimilar material resistance spot welding of galvanized high strength steel and aluminum alloy had been conducted. The welded joint exhibited a thin reaction layer composed of Fe2Al5 and Fe4Al13 phases at steel/aluminum interface. The welded joint presented a tensile shear load of 3.3 kN with an aluminum alloy nugget diameter of 5.7 mm. The interfacial failure mode was observed for the tensile shear specimen and fracture occurred at reaction layer and aluminum alloy fusion zone beside the interface. The reaction layer with compounds was the main reason for reduction of the welded joint mechanical property.

An interface shear damage model of chromium coating/steel substrate under thermal erosion load

The Cr-plated coating inside a gun barrel can effectively improve the barrel’s erosion resistance and thus increase the service life.However,due to the cyclic thermal load caused by high-temperature gunpowder,micro-element damage tends to occur within the Cr coating/steel substrate interface,leading to a gradual deterioration in macro-mechanical properties for the material in the related region.In order to mimic this cyclic thermal load and,thereby,study the thermal erosion behavior of the Cr coating on the barrel’s inner wall,a laser emitter is utilized in the current study.With the help of in-situ tensile test and finite element simulation results,a shear stress distribution law of the Cr coating/steel substrate and a change law of the interface ultimate shear strength are identified.Studies have shown that the Cr coating/steel substrate interface’s ultimate shear strength has a significant weakening effect due to increasing temperature.In this study,the interfacial ultimate shear strength decreases from 2.57 GPa(no erosion)to 1.02 GPa(laser power is 160 W).The data from this experiment is employed to establish a Cr coating/steel substrate interface shear damage model.And this model is used to predict the flaking process of Cr coating by finite element method.The simulation results show that the increase of coating crack spacing and coating thickness will increase the service life of gun barrel.

Bond Performance of Adhesively Bonding Interface of Steel-Bamboo Composite Structure

The steel-bamboo composite structure is a newly developed structure,combining phyllostachys pubescens(also called Moso bamboo)plywood and cold-formed thin-walled steel with structural adhesive.The reliability of steelbamboo interface is the premise of composite effect.13 specimens were prepared to investigate the failure modes and mechanism of the steel-bamboo interface on the basis of push-out test,and the strain difference analysis method was proposed to study the distribution of shear stress.The results show that the main failure modes of steel-bamboo interface are adhesion failure and splitting of bamboo plywood.The shear stress is not evenly distributed along the longitudinal direction of the interface,showing a shape of“larger at two ends and smaller in the middle”.The lower end of the interface is the initial location of the interface failure and the shear stress concentration degree is positively correlated with the thickness of the externally bonded bamboo plate.The shear resistance of steel-bamboo interface can be enhanced by improving the adhesion between steel and structural adhesive and ameliorating the quality of bamboo products.

Analysis on interfacial layer of aluminum alloy and non-coated stainless steel joint made by TIG welding-brazing

Dissimilar metals TIG welding-brazing of aluminum alloy and non-coated stainless steel was investigated. The resultant joint was characterized in order to identify the phases and the brittle intermetallic compounds （IMCs） in the interracial layer by optical metalloscope （OM）, scanning electron microscopy （SEM） and energy dispersive spectrometer （ EDS） , and the cracked joint was analyzed in order to understand the cracking mechanism of the joint. The results show that the microfusion of the stainless steel can improve the wetting and spreading of liquid aluminum base filler metal on the steel suuface and the melted steel accelerates the formation of mass of brittle IMCs in the interracial layer, which causes the joint cracking badly. The whole interfacial layer is 5 -7 μm thick and comprises approximately 5μm-thickness reaction layer in aluminum side and about 2 μm-thickness diffusion layer in steel side. The stable Al-rich IMCs are formed in the interfacial layer and the phases transfer from （ Al ＋ FeAl3 ） in aluminum side to （ FeAl3 ＋ Fe2Al5 ） and （ α-Fe ＋ FeAl） in steel side.

TiN/γ-Fe interface orientation relationship and formation mechanism of TiN precipitates in Mn18Cr2 steel

A Mn18Cr2 steel containing TiN precipitates was fabricated by vacuum induction melting.The morphology of TiN precipitates and the interface orientation relationship between TiN and γ-Fe were characterized by means of SEM,TEM and SAED,and the formation mechanism of TiN precipitates in Mn18Cr2 steel was clarified.Results show that the TiN precipitates are more likely to exhibit a cubic-shaped morphology and form both within the grain and at the grain boundary of γ-Fe.The interface orientation relationship between TiN and γ-Fe is determined as follows:(100)_(TiN)//■_(γ-Fe),■_(TiN)//■_(γ-Fe).Because of the smallest interfacialmisfit,the secondary close-packed lane {100} of TiN preferentially combines with the close-packed plane {111} of γ-Fe during the precipitation in order to minimize the interface energy.After nucleation,the TiN precipitates exhibit cubic appearance due to the fact that the TiN has a FCC structure with rock salt type structure.This study provides reference for the material design of the austenitic high-manganese steels with excellent yield strength.

Numerical Investigation on Fracture Initiation Properties of Interface Crack in Dissimilar Steel Welded Joints

Fracture toughness property is of significant importance when evaluating structural safety.The current research of fracture toughness mainly focused on crack in homogeneous material and experimental results.When the crack is located in a welded joint with high-gradient microstructure and mechanical property distribution,it becomes difficult to evaluate the fracture toughness behavior since the stress distribution may be affected by various factors.In recent years,numerical method has become an ideal approach to reveal the essence and mechanism of fracture toughness behavior.This study focuses on the crack initiation behavior and driving force at different interfaces in dissimilar steel welded joints.The stress and strain fields around the crack tip lying at the interfaces of ductile-ductile,ductile-brittle and brittle-brittle materials are analyzed by the numerical simulation.For the interface of ductile-ductile materials,the strain concentration on the softer material side is responsible for ductile fracture initiation.For the ductile-brittle interface,the shielding effect of the ductile material plays an important role in decreasing the fracture driving force on the brittle material side.In the case of brittle-brittle interface,a careful matching is required,because the strength mismatch decreases the fracture driving force in one side,whereas the driving force in another side is increased.The results are deemed to offer support for the safety assessment of welded structures.

Bonding interface morphology of keyholeless friction stir spot welded joint of AZ31B Mg alloy and DP600 galvanized steel

Because the bonding interface of dissimilar metal joint between AZ31 B Mg alloy and DP600 galvanized steel by keyholeless friction stir spot welding(KFSSW)is permanent bonding,the interface morphology cannot be directly observed.If the joint is separated by external force,the original features of bonding interface of joint will be destroyed,which has influence on the accuracy for observation and analysis of the result.In this paper,the coordinates of the key point at the interface of every cross-section at intervals of 0.2 mm were measured and connected into an outline.The outline of all interfaces makes up the three-dimensional morphologies of bonding interface between AZ31 B Mg alloy and DP600 steel by KFSSW,which was constructed by Solidworks software to restore the real mechanical bonding state of joint.Combined with the microhardness analysis of cross-section and results of in-situ tensile test,the unique bonding state and morphology of Mg and steel in the welded joint were confirmed.

Study on the Interface Bonding and Bending Fatigue Properties of Aluminum Alloy Foam Sandwich

Foam materials have many attractive properties because of their low-weight and cell structure. By sandwiches with an aluminum-foam core, it is possible to obtain higher structural stiffness and rigidity, maintain stability against buckling and additionally make use of the high energy dissipation capability of the bare foams. The most obvious and straightforward one is adhesive bonding of pre-fabricated aluminum foams and metal face sheets. A new manufacture processing is proposed for preparation of aluminum alloy foam sandwich, ie., Al-plate/mixed element powder/ Al-plate are sandwich rolled together by a large reduction in pass, which is then foamed in heating furnace to manufacture end-use product. Aluminum alloy foam sandwich is obtained in this experiment. The experimental results showed that the process of rolling interface belongs to mechanical bonding, whose mechanism is film theory. While interface bonding belong to metallurgy bonding in the process of foaming, Al atom interdiffused in the interface, and no new phase was generated in the foaming process of aluminum face sheet/powders precursor. Bending fatigue test results showed that the bonding force of the foamed sandwich interface is very high, in fatigue test fracture occurred in the whole foam aluminum sandwich panels and Al/foam core interface was not laminated.

Effects of Ca(Y)-Si modifier on interface morphology and solute segregation during directional solidification of an austenite medium Mn steel

The austenite medium Mn steel modified with controlled additions of Ca, Y, Si were directionally solidified using the vertical Bridgman method to study the effects of Ca（Y）-Si modifier on the solid-liquid （S-L） interface morphology and solute segregation. The interface morphology and the C and Mn segregation of the steel directionally solidified at 6.9 μtrn/s were investigated with an image analysis and a scanning electron microscope equipped with energy dispersive X-ray analysis. The 0.5wt% Ca-Si modified steel is solidified with a planar S-L interface. The interface of the 1.0wt% Ca-Si modified steel is similar to that of the 0.5wt% Ca-Si modified steel, but with larger nodes. The 1.5wt% Ca-Si modified steel displays a cellular growth parttern. The S-L interface morphology of the 0.5wt% Ca-Si＋1.0wt% Y-Si modified Mn steel appears as dendritic interface, and primary austenite dendrites reveal developed lateral branching at the quenched liquid. In the meantime, the independent austenite colonies are formed ahead of the S-L interface. A mechanism involving constitutional supercooling explains the S-L interface evolution. It depends mainly on the difference in the contents of Ca, Y, and Si ahead of the S-L interface. The segregation of C and Mn ahead of the S-L interface enhanced by the modifiers is observed.

The Effects of Degradation Phenomena of the Steel-Concrete Interface in Reinforced Concrete Structures

Reinforced concrete (RC) constructions are the innovation of sustainable constructions replacing masonry constructions. Despite this, the use of concrete and steel to improve the performance of structural members in service is a recurring problem due to the immediate or overtime appearance of cracks. The objective of this work was therefore to assess the damage phenomena of the steel-concrete interface in order to assess the performance of an RC structure. Samples of approximately 30 cm of reinforcement attacked by rust were taken from broken reinforced concrete columns and beams in order to determine the impact of corrosion on high adhesion steel (HA) and therefore on its ability to resist. The experimental results have shown that the corrosion degradation rates of reinforcing bars of different diameters increase as the diameter of the reinforcing bars decreases: 5% for HA12;23.75% for HA8 and 50% for HA6. Using the approach proposed by Mangat and Elgalf on the bearing capacity as a function of the progress of the corrosion phenomenon, these rates made it possible to assess the new fracture limits of corroded HA steels. For HA6 respectively HA8 and HA12, their initial limit resistances will decrease by 4/4, 3/4 and 1/4. Based on the results of this study and in order to guarantee their durability, an RC structure can be dimensioned by taking into account the effects of reinforcement corrosion.

Wave Processes and Mass Transfer on the Copper-Stainless Steel Interface under Solid Phase Bonding by High-Temperature Rolling

The paper presents the study of hierarchy of deformation wave-processes from nano- to macro-structural level, which takes place in dissimilar materials, bonded by high-temperature vacuum rolling in solid phase. The focus was on the processes that occur on the interface of the bonded materials: mass trasfer of impurities and alloying elements stimulated by deformation, the study of nano- and micro-hardness.