Development of the high-strength ductile ferritic alloys via regulating the intragranular and grain boundary precipitation of G-phase

A typical G-phase strengthened ferritic model alloy(1Ti:Fe-20Cr-3Ni-1Ti-3Si,wt.%)has been carefully studied using both advanced experimental(EBSD,TEM and APT)and theoretical(DFT)techniques.During the classic“solid solution and aging”process,the superfine(Fe,Ni)_(2)TiSi-L2_(1)particles densely precipitate within the ferritic grain and subsequently transform into the(Ni,Fe)_(16)Ti_(6)Si_(7)-G phase.In the meanwhile,the elemental segregation at grain boundaries and the resulting precipitation of a large amount of the(Ni,Fe)_(16)Ti_(6)Si_(7)-G phase are also observed.These nanoscale microstructural evolutions result in a remarkable increase in hardness(100-300 HV)and severe embrittlement.When the“cold rolling and aging”process is used,the brittle fracture is effectively suppressed without loss of nano-precipitation strengthening ef-fect.Superhigh yield strength of 1700 MPa with 4%elongation at break is achieved.This key improvement in mechanical properties is mainly attributed to the pre-cold rolling process which effectively avoids the dense precipitation of the G-phase at the grain boundary.These findings could shed light on the further exploration of the precipitation site via optimal processing strategies.

Enhancement of strength-ductility balance of heavy Ti and Al alloyed FeCoNiCr high-entropy alloys via boron doping

As one of the most effective mechanisms,precipitation-hardening is widely used to strengthen high-entropy alloys.Yet,heavy precipitation-hardened high-entropy alloys usually exhibit serious embrittlement.How to effectively achieve ultra-high strength and maintain reliable ductility remains a challenge.Here,we report a study of doping extremely little boron to meet this target.We found that adding of 30 ppm boron into the heavy Ti and Al alloyed FCC FeCoNiCr high-entropy,(FeCoNiCr)_(88) Ti_(6) Al_(6) HEA(at.%)which is strengthened mainly by both coarse BCC-based(Ni,Co)_(2) TiAl Heusler and fine L12-type FCC-based(Ni,Co)_(3) TiAl precipitates and shows ultrahigh strength but poor ductility,could significantly change the original microstructure and consequently improve mechanical performance,owing to the well-known effect of boron on reducing the energy of grain boundaries.The boron addition can(1)eliminate microcavities formed at Heusler precipitate-matrix interfaces;(2)suppress the formation and segregation of coarse BCC Heusler precipitates;(3)promote the formation of L12 nanoparticles.This changes of microstructure substantially improve the tensile ductility more than by~86%and retain comparable or even better ultimate tensile strength.These findings may provide a simple and costless solution to produce heavy precipitation-strengthened HEAs with ultrahigh strength and prevent accidental brittleness.

Understanding formation of Mg-depletion zones in Al-Mg alloys under high pressure torsion

Redistribution of elements may take place in alloys during severe plastic deformation, which significantly alters the mechanical properties of the alloys. Therefore, comprehensive knowledge about deformationinduced redistribution of elements has to be established. In the present paper, the distribution of Mg in an Al-Mg alloy processed by high pressure torsion was examined using atom probe tomography(APT).With crystallographic information extracted by APT data analysis, this research reveals that the movement of dislocations plays an important role in the formation of Mg-depletion zones in the deformed microstructure.

Composition-dependent dynamic precipitation and grain refinement in Al-Si system under high-pressure torsion

Understanding composition effects is crucial for alloy design and development. To date, there is a lack of research comprehensively addressing the effect of alloy composition on dynamic precipitation, segregation and grain refinement under severe-plastic-deformation processing. This research investigates Al-x Si alloys with x = 0.1, 0.5 and 1.0 at.% Si processed by high pressure torsion(HPT) at room temperature by using transmission electron microscopy, transmission Kikuchi diffraction and atom probe tomography. The alloys exhibit interesting composition-dependent grain refinement and fast dynamic decomposition under HPT processing. Si atoms segregate at dislocations and Si precipitates form at grain boundaries(GBs) depending on the Si content of the alloys. The growth of Si precipitates consumes most Si atoms segregating at GBs, hence the size and distribution of the Si precipitates become predominant factors in controlling the grain size of the decomposed Al-Si alloys after HPT processing. The hardness of the Al-Si alloys is well correlated with a combination of grain-refinement strengthening and the decomposition-induced softening.