Influence of silicide on fracture behavior of a fully lamellar Ti-46Al-0.5W-0.5Si alloy

The fracture behavior of fully lamellar binaryγ-TiAl alloys is extremely anisotropic with respect to the lamellar orientation.For the fully lamellar Ti-46Al-0.5W-0.5Si alloy,the existence of silicide clusters plays a critical role on the fracture behavior.In the present study,tensile test and three point bending test were performed at room temperature with the loading axis parallel and perpendicular to the lamellar orientation,respectively.To investigate the influence of silicide clusters on the initiation and propagation of cracks,the fracture surface and the cracks adjacent to the fracture zone of the specimens have been analyzed.Results show that the fracture process is related to the morphology and distribution of the silicide clusters.Crack preferentially initiates at and propagates along the interface of silicide andα 2 /γlamellar with the loading axis perpendicular to the length direction of silicide.While the silicide can prevent the propagation of cracks from running across with the crack growth direction perpendicular to the length direction of silicide.

Influence of columnar grain boundary on fracture behavior of as-cast fully lamellar Ti-46Al-0.5W-0.5Si alloy

The fracture behavior of fully lamellar γ-TiAl alloys depends on the angle between the lamellar orientation and loading axis,but the role of the presentation of grain boundary cannot be ignored.To investigate the influence of the grain boundary on the initiation and propagation of cracks,the tensile test of the alloy was conducted at room temperature with loading axis parallel and perpendicular to the lamellar orientation,respectively.The cracks adjacent to the fracture zone of the tensile specimens have been investigated to analyze the fracture behavior.Results show that the grain boundary has dual influences on the fracture behavior.When the loading axis is parallel to the lamellar orientation,cracks are preferentially initiated at and propagate along the grain boundaries.When the loading axis is perpendicular to the lamellar orientation,the grain boundaries can prevent the propagation of cracks from running across.Additionally,serrated-shape grain boundaries have a better inhibiting effect on the propagation of cracks than planar boundaries.

Evolution of microstructure in centrifugal cast Al-Cu alloy

In this research,the effects of centrifugal radius and mould rotation speed on microstructure in centrifugal-cast Al-Cu alloy have been investigated.The results show that,with increase of the centrifugal radius or mould rotation speed,the grain size of centrifugal-cast Al-Cu alloy decreases gradually,while the content of white phases containing the Al2Cu precipitated from α-phase,divorced eutectic and regular eutectic microstructure increases,leading to higher Cu macrosegregation.The variation level of microstructure in centrifugal-cast Al-Cu alloy at 600 rpm of mould rotation speed is greater than that at 300 rpm.

Microstructure evolution and mechanical properties of homogenizing treated fully lamellar Ti-46Al-0.5W-0.5Si alloy

The microstructure of as-cast Ti-46Al-0.5W-0.5Si alloy exhibits significant microinhomogenetity due to the non-equilibrium solidification and low atom diffusion rate. In order to reduce the adverse effect of this microsegregation on plasticity, the microstructure evolution of the Ti-46Al-0.5W-0.5Si alloy homogenized at different temperatures from 1,200 ℃ to 1,320 ℃ was investigated, and the optimized process of homogenizing treatment, i.e., annealing treated at 1,280 ℃ and held for 8 h, was determined. Microstructures of both the as-cast and heat treated alloys were observed by means of optical microscope and scanning electron microscopes. Tensile tests at room temperature were conducted on the homogenizing treated fully lamellar Ti-46Al-0.5W-0.5Si alloy with loading axis parallel to the lamellar interface. Results show that, at higher heat treatment temperatures, the W element diffuses sufficiently, the microstructure tends to be more homogeneous, and the profile of the silicide clusters becomes smooth. Heat treating conducted in the α+γ two phase region can keep the columnar grains and the original lamellar orientation within them. The microstructure of the alloy after heat treated in α+γ two phase region exhibits the coexisting morphology of coarse lamellar and thin lamellar. The homogenization process at 1,280 ℃ for 8 h can significantly reduce the microsegregation, and the elongation at room temperature can increase from 0.48% (as-cast) to 1.34%.

Numerical simulation of low pressure die-casting aluminum wheel

The FDM numerical simulation software,ViewCast system,was employed to simulate the low pressure die casting(LPDC)of an aluminum wheel.By analyzing the mold-filling and solidification stage of the LPDC process,the distribution of liquid fraction,temperature field and solidification pattern of castings were studied.The potential shrinkage defects were predicted to be formed at the rim/spoke junctions,which is in consistence with the X-ray detection result.The distribution pattern of the defects has also been studied.A solution towards reducing such defects has been presented.The cooling capacity of the mold was improved by installing water pipes both in the side mold and the top mold.Analysis on the shrinkage defects under forced cooling mode proved that adding the cooling system in the mold is an effective method for reduction of shrinkage defects.

Influences of pulse electric current treatment on solidification microstructures and mechanical properties of Al-Si piston alloys

Three kinds of Al-Si piston alloys were prepared and subjected to pulse electric current treatment (PECT)at different pouring temperatures.Some aspects of the solidification microstructures were examined including the morphology and the distribution of the matrix and the secondary phases by using of optical microscopy(OM),SEM and EDS methods.Results indicate that PECT can refine the grains of a-Al in the alloys as effectively as chemical modification by sodium salt.The processing parameters of PECT on the multi-component Al-Si alloys were then optimized through the testing of tensile strength,elongation and microhardness of the prepared alloys.A new theory was put forward to explain the mechanism of PECT.

Lamellar orientation control in directionally solidified TiAl intermetallics

TiAl-based alloys are potentially used as high-temperature structural materials with a high specific strength in the range of^900°C.However,the mechanical properties of TiAl-based alloys are extremely anisotropic with respect to the lamellar orientation of the microstructures.A balance combination of room-temperature ductility and strength can be achieved when the lamellar orientation are aligned parallel to the tensile stress direction.Lamellar orientation control of TiAl-based alloys by directional solidification technique has been widely studied in recent years.Two different directional solidification processes can be used to modify the lamellar orientation.One is a seeding technique and the other is adjusting the solidification path.This paper reviews the principles of the two methods and their progress.The influence of alloy composition and solidification parameters on lamellar orientation control is also discussed.

Microstructural evolution and corrosion behavior of directionally solidified FeCoNiCrAl high entropy alloy

The FeCoNiCrAl alloys have many potential applications in the fields of structural materials, but few attempts were made to characterize the directional solidification of high entropy alloys. In the present research, the microstructure and corrosion behavior of FeCoNiCrAl high entropy alloy have been investigated under directional solidification. The results show that with increasing solidification rate, the interface morphology of the alloy evolves from planar to cellular and dendritic. The electrochemical experiment results demonstrate that the corrosion products of both non-directionally and directionally solidified FeCoNiCrAl alloys appear as rectangular blocks in phases which Cr and Fe are enriched, while Al and Ni are depleted, suggesting that Al and Ni are dissolved into the NaCl solution. Comparison of the potentiodynamic polarization behaviors between the two differently solidified FeCoNiCrAl high entropy alloys in a 3.5%NaCl solution shows that the corrosion resistance of directionally solidified FeCoNiCrAl alloy is superior to that of the non-directionally solidified FeCoNiCrAl alloy.

Interaction between γ-TiAl alloy and zirconia

A study on the interaction between TiAl alloy and zirconia was carried out in argon atmosphere. Themicrographic observations of the cross-section perpendicular to the interface were obtained using a scanning electronmicroscope with a dedicated energy dispersive spectrometer (SEM/EDS). The results showed that firstly TiAl alloyspreads on the ceramic surface, and then infiltrates into the pores between ceramic particles accompanied by a chemicalreaction. The whole ceramic mold is broken into tiny blocks. A multiple fission reaction mechanism was developed toexplain the interaction between TiAl alloy and zirconia.

Effect of solidification parameters on the microstructures of a single crystal Ni-based superalloy AM3

A single crystal Ni-based superalloy AM3 was processed at withdraw rates of 3.5, 10, 50, 100, 200, and 500 μm·s-1, respectively.The as-cast microstructures and solidification segregation ratio were characterized with various withdraw rates.The shape and size of carbide microstructures were determined.As expected, the primary and secondary dendrite arm spacings (PDAS and SDAS) decrease with the increase of withdraw rate.The highest volume fraction of eutectic γ/γ' is observed at the 100 μm·s-1 withdraw rate.The volume fraction of eutectic γ/γ' does not appear to be a strong function of the withdraw rate.With increasing withdraw rate, interface morphologies change in the sequence of planar, cellular, and dendrite.There is a general refinement of the microstructure as the withdraw rate increases.EPMA analysis showed that withdraw rate does not have obvious influence on the segregation of elements.

Thermo-Calc based multi-component micro-segregation model and solidification paths calculations

On the basis of a multi-length scale modeling, a mixture-averaged multi-component /multiphase micro-segregation model was proposed without pre-set function for the micro-scale solute profile. The model explains the effect of morphologies of solidifying phases and solid back diffusion (SBD) on segregation, and covers the two limiting solidification cases of Scheil and Lever-rule models. A commercial Thermo-Calc software package/database was linked to the algorithms via its TQ6-interface for instantaneous determination of the related thermodynamic data of the multi-component alloys. The influences of cooling rate and other parameters on the solidification path and micro-segregation behavior were numerically investigated by sample calculation of the ternary Al-Cu-Mg alloys. A parallel experimental investigation on Al-Cu-Si alloys solidified under different cooling conditions was conducted to validate the theoretical model. Reasonable agreements were gained between the predicted solidification paths and the measured results.

Influences of processing parameters on microstructure during investment casting of nickel-base single crystal superalloy DD3

The effects of solidification variables on the as-cast microstructures of nickel-base single crystal superalloy DD3 have been investigated by using the modified Bridgman apparatus.The experiments were performed under a thermal gradient of approximately 45 K·cm-1 and at withdrawal rates ranging from 30 to 200 m·s-1.The experimental results show that the primary and secondary dendritic arm spacings(PDAS and SDAS) decrease when the withdrawal rate is increased.Compared with the theoretical models of PDAS,the results are in good agreement with Trivedi's model.The relationships of PDAS and SDAS with withdrawal rates can be described as ? 1 =649.7V -0.24±0.02 and? 2 =281V -0.32±0.03 ,respectively.In addition,the size of theγ′phase significantly decreases with increasing withdrawal rate.

Effect of cooling rate on MC carbide in directionally solidified nickel-based superalloy under high thermal gradient

A series of directional solidification experiments have been performed to study the effect of cooling rate on the precipitation behavior of MC carbide in nickel-based superalloy under the temperature gradient of 500 K·s-1.Results reveal that the morphology of MC carbide changes from coarse block to fine strip,then to Chinese-script,and their sizes reduce gradually with the increasing of cooling rate from 2.53 K·s-1 to 36.4 K·s-1.At low cooling rates,most of these carbides are found to be located at the grain boundary and interdendritic regions,while the coupled growth of some carbides and γ matrix in the center of γ grains is occurred at high cooling rate.The main elements forming MC carbide are Ta,W,and Hf.

Efect of growth rate on characteristic lengths of microstructure in directionally solidiied Ti-46Al-2Cr-2Nb-0.2B alloy

The microstructure of TiAl based alloys is sensitive to growth rates.In this paper,Bridgman directional solidification of Ti-46Al-2Cr-2Nb-0.2B(at.%)alloy was carried out at a constant temperature gradient(G)to investigate the effects of various growth rates(v)on characteristic lengths(primary dendritic arm spacing,secondary dendritic arm spacing and lamellar spacing)of the microstructure.Results show that under the experimental conditions of G=18 K·mm-1and v=15μm·s-1to 70μm·s-1,the primary phase of directionally solidified Ti-46Al-2Cr-2Nb-0.2B alloy isαphase,the values of primary dendritic arm spacing(λl),secondary dendritic arm spacing(λ2)and lamellar spacing(λla)decrease with the increase in growth rate.The results were compared with theoretical models and similar experimental results of TiAl based alloys.The Bouchard-Kirkaldy model agrees well with the relationship between primary dendritic arm spacing and growth rate obtained in the experiment;the relationship between them can be expressed byλl=758.6v-0.39.The relationship between the secondary dendritic arm spacing and the growth rate can be expressed byλ2=113.9v-0.45,while the relationship between the lamellar spacing and growth rate can be expressed byλla=22.88v-0.94.

Effect of carbon additions on the microstructure of a single crystal Ni-based superalloy AM3

The microstructure of experimental nickel-base single crystal superalloys with different levels of carbon has been studied. The results indicated that with increasing carbon addition, the liquidus temperature decreased obviously and the as-cast microstructures exhibited a decrease in the amount of γ/γ′ eutectic structure and an increase in the volume fraction of carbides. The carbides formed in these alloys were most script-type MC carbides which appeared continuous dendritic networks in the interdendritic region. The segregation behavior of element W was influenced by the carbon addition.

Effect of sample diameter on primary and secondary dendrite arm spacings during directional solidification of Pb-26wt.%Bi hypo-peritectic alloy

The microstructure scales of dendrites, such as primary and secondary dendrite arm spacings, control the segregation profiles and the formation of secondary phases within interdendritic regions, which determine the properties of solidified structures. Investigations on primary and secondary dendrite arm spacings of primary a-phase during directionally solidified Pb-26wt%Bi hypo-peritectic alloy were carried out in this research, and systematic studies were conducted using cylindrical samples with different diameters （Ф = 1.8 and 7.0 mm） in order to analyze the effects of sample diameter on the primary and secondary dendrite arm spacings. In this work, the dependence of dendrite arm spacings on growth velocity was established. In addition, the experimental data concerning the primary and secondary dendrite ann spacings were compared with the main predictive dendritic models from the literatures. A comparison between experimental results for dendrite arm spacings of the 1.8-mm-diameter sample and 7.0-ram-diameter sample was also conducted.

Effect of power parameter and induction coil on magnetic field in cold crucible during continuous melting and directional solidification

Bottomless electromagnetic cold crucible is a new apparatus for continuous melting and directional solidification;however,improving its power efficiency and optimizing the configuration are important for experiment and production.In this study,a 3-D finite element (FE) method based on experimental verification was applied to calculate the magnetic flux density (Bz).The effects of the power parameters and the induction coil on the magnetic field distribution in the cold crucible were investigated.The results show that higher current intensity and lower frequency are beneficial to the increase of Bz at both the segment midpoint and the slit location.The induction coil with racetrack section can induce greater Bz,and a larger gap between the induction coil and the shield ring increases Bz.The mechanism for this effect is also discussed.

Simulation of microstructural evolution in directional solidification of Ti-45at.%Al alloy using cellular automaton method

The microstructural evolution of Ti-45 at.%Al alloy during directional solidification was simulated by applying a solute diffusion controlled solidification model.The obtained results have shown that under high thermal gradients the stable primary spacing can be adjusted via branching or competitive growth.For dendritic structures formed under a high thermal gradient,the secondary dendrite arms are developed not very well in many cases due to the branching mechanism under a constrained dendritic growth condition.Furthermore,it has been observed that,with increasing pulling velocity,there exists a cell/dendrite transition region consisting of cells and dendrites,which varies with the thermal gradient in a contradicting way,i.e.increase of the thermal gradient leading to the decrease of the range of the transition region.The simulations agree reasonably well with experiment results.

Progress in research on cold crucible directional solidification of titanium based alloys

Cold crucible directional solidification(CCDS)is a newly developed technique,which combines the advantages of the cold crucible and continuous melting.It can be applied to directionally solidify reactive,high purity and refractory materials.This paper describes the principle of CCDS and its characteristics;development of the measurement and numerical calculation of the magnetic field,flow field and temperature field in CCDS;and the CCDS of Ti based alloys.The paper also reviews original data obtained by some scholars,including the present authors,reported in separate publications in recent years.In Ti based alloys,Ti6Al4V,TiAl alloys and high Nb-containing TiAl alloys,have been directionally solidified in different cold crucibles.The crosssections of the cold crucibles include round,near rectangular and square with different sizes.Tensile testing results show that the elongation of directionally solidified Ti6Al4V can be improved to 12.7%from as cast5.4%.The strength and the elongation of the directionally solidified Ti47Al2Cr2Nb and Ti44Al6Nb1.0Cr2.0V are 650 MPa/3%and 602.5MPa/1.20%,respectively.The ingots after CCDS can be used to prepare turbine or engine blades,and are candidates to replace Ni super-alloy at temperatures of 700 to 900°C.

Continuous melting and directional solidification of silicon ingot with an electromagnetic cold crucible

In order to avoid contamination from the crucible and to modify the structures,a new solidification method based on cold crucible technology was used to prepare silicon ingots.A silicon ingot with square cross section was directionally solidified with a cold crucible.The mechanism of the cold crucible directional solidification of silicon ingot was revealed.Due to the induction heat that was released in the surface layer and the incomplete contact between the crucible and the melt,the lateral heat loss was reduced and the silicon ingot was directionally solidified.The structures,dislocation defects and the grain growth orientation of the ingot were determined.The results show that neither intergranular nor intragranular precipitates are found in the ingot,except for the top part that was the last to solidify.The average dislocation density is about 1 to 2×106 cm-2.The grains are preferentially <220> orientated.