Effect of heat treatment on microstructure,mechanical and tribological properties of in-situ (TiC+TiB)/TC4 composites by casting

To enhance the performance of in-situ synthesized 6vol.%(Ti C+Ti B)/TC4 titanium matrix composites fabricated by casting,a variety of heat treatment processes were carried out.Upon conducting microstructure observations following various heat treatments,it was found that the composites exhibit a basketweave microstructure,consisting of an α phase and a transformed β phase.The sizes of(α+β) phases were found to be refined to varying degrees after the heat treatment processes,while the morphology of Ti B remains largely unchanged and Ti C becomes granulated.Compressive testing revealed that all composites subjected to different heat treatments demonstrate a notable increase in ultimate compressive strength as well as a slight improvement in plasticity compared to the as-cast state.The results of the tribological performance test indicated that the heat-treated composites exhibit lower average friction coefficient,specific wear rate,and worn surface roughness compared to the as-cast composite.Among the heat treatment processes studied,the composite solution heated at 1,150 °C/1 h followed by air cooling,then 950 °C/1 h followed by air cooling,and finally 500 °C/4 h followed by air cooling,demonstrates the highest levels of hardness,compressive strength,and wear resistance.These improvements are attributed to the combined effects of solid solution strengthening,grain refinement,and the pinning of dislocation slip.

Segregation in squeeze casting 6061 aluminum alloy wheel spokes and its formation mechanism

Segregation can seriously damage the mechanical properties of the aluminum alloys.6061 aluminum alloy wheel spokes were prepared by squeeze casting.To investigate the formation mechanism of segregation,the microstructure of the alloy was observed using scanning electron microscopy,energy dispersive spectrometry,X-ray diffraction and electron microprobe analysis methods.The Gibbs energy of each phase during solidification was calculated by JMat Pro.Results show that the segregation phases in the R-joint of the wheel spokes are mainly composed of Mg_(2)Si,β-Al Fe Si and Al_(5)Cu_(2)Mg_(8)Si_(6)intermetallics.During the solidification of the 6061 aluminum alloy wheels,Mg_(2)Si andα-Al Fe Si phases precipitate in the mushy zone at first.With the decrease of temperature,α-Al Fe Si transforms intoβ-Al Fe Si,while Al_(5)Cu_(2)Mg_(8)Si_(6)precipitates from the solid-state aluminum alloy after solidification.Segregation at the R-joint of wheel spokes is mainly caused by insufficient cooling,so the cooling during alloy solidification should be enhanced to avoid segregation.

Effect of Si addition on microstructure and mechanical properties of Al-Mg-Si-Zn alloy

The effect of Si addition on the microstructure and mechanical properties of Al-Mg-Si-Zn aluminum alloys were investigated.Results show that the microstructure of Al-Mg-Si-Zn alloy with low Si contents is mainly composed of Mg2Si and Mg5Si6 phases.With the increasing of Si content,Si and Al3.21Si0.47 phases precipitate in the form of eutectic phases in the alloys,at the same time,the mean shape factor of the second phase firstly increases and then decreases.Regression analysis results show that the Si content has the main influence and the mean shape factor has the least influence on tensile strength.Tensile strength increases significantly with the addition of Si,however,there is a remarkable drop in the elongation of the alloys.Decreased elongation is related to the formation of monotonous Al(200)structure and the enlargement of interplanar spacing of(111)and(200)crystalline planes.

Corrosion behavior of Cu/Al casting-rolled clad plates in different alkaline solution

The effect of pH value and different kinds of anions on the corrosion behavior of Cu/Al casting-rolled clad plates in the alkaline solution was evaluated by means of scanning electron microscopy(SEM),energy dispersive spectroscopy(EDS),X-ray diffraction(XRD),weight loss analysis,3D confocal laser scanning microscopy(CLSM)and electrochemical test.Results show the corrosion mainly occurs on the aluminum side.The corrosion resistance of the Cu/Al decreases as the pH value increases.When pH≥12,the dissolution of the film layer is faster than the passivation process.The addition of Cl^(-)ions reduces the corrosion resistance of the Cu/Al clad plates,which leads to pitting corrosion.The higher the concentration of Cl^(-)ions,the more prone the pitting to occur.The addition of SO_(4)^(2-)ions causes the denudation of the samples.The corrosion resistance of the Cu/Al is better in the alkaline solution containing NO_(3)^(-)ions than that in the solution containing Cl^(-)ions or SO_(4)^(2-)ions.When adding SO_(4)^(2-),NO^(3)^(-)and Cl^(-)to the pure alkaline solution,the corrosion resistance of the Cu/Al clad plates decreases.

Design and application of a multichannel"cross"hot tearing tendency device:A study on hot tearing tendency of Al alloys

Hot tearing is one of the most serious defects during the casting solidification process.In this study,a new type of multichannel"cross"hot tearing device was designed.The hot cracks initiation and propagation were predicted by the relationship between temperature,shrinkage force and solidification time during the casting solidification process.The reliability and practicability of the multichannel"cross"hot tearing device were verified by casting experiments and numerical simulations.The theoretical calculation based on Clyne-Davies model and numerical simulation results show that the hot tearing tendency decreases in the order:2024 Al alloy>Al-Cu alloy>Al-Si alloy at a pouring temperature of 670°C and a mold temperature of 25°C.Feeding of liquid films at the end of solidification plays an important role in the propagation process of hot tearing.The decrease of hot tearing tendency is attributed to the feeding of liquid film and intergranular bridging.

Abnormal mechanical property evolution induced by heat treatment for a semi-solid forming hypereutectic Al-Fe base alloy

In the present study, Al-5.5Fe-4Cu-2Zn-0.4Mg-0.5Mn al oy samples were prepared by electromagnetic stirring and semi-solid forming processing, and then the effects of T6 and T1 heat treatments on the microstructures and mechanical properties of the semi-solid forming samples were investigated. The results indicate that after semi-solid forming, the mechanical properties of the sample improved significantly compared to that of the merely electromagnetically stirred sample. The grains of semi-solid forming alloy became almost fine equiaxed; big long strip-shaped Al3 Fe phases became short rod-like morphology and distributed uniformly in the matrix. However, the mechanical properties of the T6-treated semi-solid forming sample decreased significantly instead of increasing and, with solution temperature rising, the tensile strength of the al oy decreased further. The results of EDS show that after high temperature solid-solution treatment, the Cu element in the semi-solid forming alloy sample is mainly concentrated at the boundaries of the Al3 Fe phases instead of being dissolved in the matrix. At the same time, the grains of the semi-solid forming sample grew slightly after solid-solution treatment. Therefore, the growth of the grains and the accumulation of Cu element at Al3 Fe phase boundaries during solution treatment of the semi-solid forming alloy were the main reasons for the mechanical properties decreasing after T6 treatment. The mechanical properties of the alloy were improved after T1 heat treatment due to aging strengthening phase being precipitated in the matrix.

Impacts of zinc layer and pouring method on interface performance for Al-22Si/ZL104 bi-metal

Bi-metal material consisting of spray-formed Al-22Si and ZL104 is a suitable candidate for applications in internal combustion engines. This research investigated the effects of surface treatment and appropriate gating system on the microstructures and mechanical properties in evaluating the optimal strategy for producing high quality bi-metal materials. The bi-metal materials were prepared using ZL104 gravity casting by different pouring types around the spray-formed AI-22Si with varied surface treatments. The wettability between AI-22Si and ZL104 was significantly improved when Zn coating was used to remove the natural oxide layer. This research also obtained the improved interfacial microstructures and interracial bonding strength for materials when applying the appropriate pouring method. The hardness profiles of AI-22Si/ZL104 bi-metal were consistent with the observed microstructures. The average tensile strength of the bi-metal material with zinc coating is -42.3 MPa, which is much higher than that with oxide film at -10 MPa. The process presented is a promising and effective approach for developing materials in the automotive industry.

High-temperature oxidation behavior of a cast Ti-47.5Al-2.5V-1.0Cr-0.2Zr alloy

The oxidation behavior of the Ti-47.5Al-2.5V-1.0Cr-0.2Zr alloy at 900℃ was investigated at different oxidation times(5,20,60 and 100 h).The results show that the total weight gain of the alloy after 100 h at 900℃ oxidation is 9.1 g·m^(-2),and the oxidation rate decreases with oxidation time.The oxides on the alloy surface are mainly TiO_(2) and Al_(2)O_(3).At the beginning of oxidation(5 h),the oxide film is relatively complete,thin,and the interface between the oxide layer and the matrix is virtually flat.At the end of oxidation(100 h),the thickness of the oxide film is expanded,cracking and spalling occur,and the spalling form is intra-film spalling.At the same time,oxygen is mainly distributed in the oxide film and the oxygen content in the alloy substrate is reduced,confirming that the TiAl alloy has a certain oxidation stability at 900℃.From the outer surface of the oxide layer to the matrix,the TiO_(2) content increases and the Al_(2)O_(3) content decreases.Oxidation proceeds to completion in this system via the dissolution and diffusion of O atom.

Hydrogen-induced amorphization of Zr-Cu-Ni-Al alloy

Arc melting was utilized in this study to produce Zr_(55)Cu_(30)Ni_5Al_(10) alloys under mixed atmospheres with various ratios of high-purity hydrogen to argon. The influences of hydrogen addition on the solidification structure and glass-forming ability of Zr_(55)Cu_(30)Ni_5Al_(10) alloy were determined by examining microstructures in different parts of the cast ingots. The results showed that different degrees of crystallization structures were obtained in the ascast button ingots after arc melting in high-purity Ar, and the cross-sectional solidification morphology of arcmelted ingots was found to consist of crystals with varying from the bottom up. By contrast, there were completely amorphous structures in the middle and upper areas of the as-cast button ingots fabricated by adding 10% H_2 to the high-purity Ar atmosphere. A clear solidification interface was found between the crystal and glass in the ascast button ingots, which indicates that hydrogen addition can enhance the Zr_(55)Cu_(30)Ni_5Al_(10) alloy's glass-forming ability. The precise mechanism responsible for this was also investigated.

Effect of Al22Si/ZL102 bimetal interface fabricated by extrusion at neareutectic temperature

The Al22Si/ZL102 bimetal was designed and prepared by extrusion at near-eutectic temperature.The properties and fracture behaviors of different surface treatments between oxide film and zinc coating were compared between the Al22 Si and ZL102 bimetal.The average bonding strength of bimetal with intermittent oxide film interface was about 89.3MPa,which is higher than that of the bimetal fabricated by zinc coating method（about 76.3MPa）.During the process of extrusion,the oxidation film was extruded to crush and the metal was extruded through the micro-cracks of the oxidation film,then the two surfaces were joined together.Altogether,the results showed that extrusion at near-eutectic temperature is favorable for achieving a high-quality metallurgical bonded interface.

Influence of DC Current on Corrosion Behaviour of Copper–Aluminium Composite Plates

In this study, neutral salt spray accelerated corrosion test of copper–aluminium composite under 0–125 A DC current was carried out under 5% concentration. The effect of corrosion behaviour on copper–aluminium composite by DC current was carried out by a scanning electron microscope(SEM) with energy-dispersive spectroscopy(EDS), X-ray diffraction(XRD) patterns, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS), weight-loss method and electrochemical analysis. The results show that the current can accelerate the corrosion rate. Meanwhile, the current temperature effect can reduce the corrosion rate. The current caused directional migration of ions resulting in different corrosion products on positive and negative poles of specimen, and the corrosion degree on the positive pole was more serious. The galvanic corrosion mechanism at the copper–aluminium interface is different from the pitting corrosion mechanism far away from the interface, and the latter is more affected by DC current.