Influence of nano-SiC on microstructure and property of MAO coating formed on AZ91D magnesium alloy

Ceramic coating incorporated with nano-SiC was obtained on AZ91D magnesium alloy during MAO by adding nano-SiC into the silicate-aluminate-based composite electrolyte. The microstructure, thickness, phase analysis, element composition and hardness of the coatings were respectively investigated by scanning electron microscopy（SEM）, film thickness meter, X-ray diffraction （XRD）, energy disperse spectroscopy（EDS） and Vickers hardness tester. The wear resistance of Mg alloy and coatings were evaluated by friction and wear apparatus, while the corrosion resistance of Mg alloy and coatings were evaluated by potentiodynamic polarization test and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy （EIS）. The results show that after adding nano-SiC into the electrolyte, both the striking voltage and final voltage decrease, the size and number of the micropore on the surface of the coating decrease, the thickness and hardness of the coating increase, both the wear resistance and corrosion resistance of the coating raise.

Preparation and performance of coating on rare-earth compounds-immersed magnesium alloy by micro-arc oxidation

A composite ceramic coating containing Y2O3-ZrO2-MgO（YSZ-MgO） was prepared on AZ91D magnesium alloy,which was immersed in Y（NO3）3 aqueous solution as pretreatment,by micro-arc oxidation（MAO） process.The morphology,elemental and phase compositions,corrosion behavior and thermal stability of the coatings were studied by SEM,EDX,XRD,electrochemical corrosion test,high temperature oxidation and thermal shock test.The results show that the coating mainly consists of ZrO2,Y2O3,MgO,Mg2SiO4,and MgF2.Among these compounds,Y2O3 accounts for 26.7% of（Y2O3 ＋ ZrO2）.The thickness of YSZ-MgO coating is smaller than that of ZrO2-MgO coating,but its compactness and surface roughness are better than those of ZrO2-MgO coating.YSZ-MgO coating has a good corrosion resistance,and its corrosion rate in 5% NaCl aqueous solution is lower than that of ZrO2-MgO and only about 8.5% of that of AZ91D magnesium alloy.After oxidation at 410 °C,the mass gain of AZ91D magnesium alloy presents a linear increase with the oxidation time.The YSZ-MgO coating and ZrO2-MgO coating can remarkably decrease the oxidation mass gain.The oxidation mass gain of YSZ-MgO coating is lower than that of ZrO2-MgO coating,especially during a long oxidation period.The thermal shock resistance of YSZ-MgO coating is superior to ZrO2-MgO coating.

Microstructure and mechanical properties of ceramic coatings formed on 6063 aluminium alloy by micro-arc oxidation

The microstructure and mechanical properties of ceramic coatings formed on 6063 aluminium alloy obtained in silicate-,borate- and aluminate-based electrolyte without and with nanoadditive Al2O3 and TiO2 by micro-arc oxidation（MAO） were studied by scanning electron microscopy（SEM）,energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy（EDS）,X-ray diffraction（XRD）,microhardness and friction-abrasion tests,respectively.SEM results show that coatings with nanoadditive have less porosities than those without nanoadditive.XRD results reveal that nanoadditive-containing coatings contain more oxides compared with nanoadditive-free coatings in all cases,which are consistent with the EDS analysis.Mechanical properties tests show that nanoadditive Al2O3-containing coatings have higher microhardness values compared with the other coatings obtained in silicate-,borate- and aluminate-based electrolyte.On the other hand,nanoadditive has a positive effect on improving the wearing-resistance of MAO coatings in all cases.Furthermore,the borate-MAO coatings present an inferior anti-wearing property compared with the silicate- and aluminate-MAO coatings for both the nanoadditive-free and nanoadditive-containing coatings.

Effect of current frequency on properties of coating formed by microarc oxidation on AZ91D magnesium alloy

The microarc oxidation（MAO） coatings produced at different current frequencies on AZ91 D magnesium alloys were studied systematically. The morphologies, thickness, corrosion performances, and tribological properties of the coatings were investigated by the scanning electron microscopy, the electrochemical measurement system, and MS-T3000 friction test rig, respectively. The results show that the structure of the coatings becomes denser, and thickness becomes thinner with the increase of the current frequency. It is also found that the corrosion resistance of the coatings produced at higher frequency is improved greatly and the difference of the corrosion current density becomes small with increasing current frequency, which is similar to that of the coating thickness. The tribological test shows that the friction coefficient decreases with increasing the current frequency and the wear resistance of the coatings is influenced by both the thickness and structures. All these results were explained by analyzing the growing process of the MAO coating.

Optimization of dual electrolyte and characteristic of micro-arc oxidation coating fabricated on ZK60 Mg alloy

Micro-arc oxidation （MAO） process was carried out in a dual electrolyte system of NaAlO 2 and Na 3 PO 4 to develop compact, smooth and corrosion-resistant coatings on ZK60 Mg alloy by single factor experiments. The microstructural characteristics of coatings were investigated by X-ray diffractometry （XRD） and scanning electron microscopy （SEM） coupled with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy （EDS）. Test of mass loss was conducted at a 3.5% NaCl solution to assess the resistance to corrosion. The effect of every element in the dual electrolyte system on voltage—time responses during MAO process and the coating characteristic were also analyzed and discussed systematically via single factor experiments. The results reveal that the main components of NaAlO 2 and Na 3 PO 4 as well as additives of NaOH, NaB4O7 and C6H5Na3O7 demonstrate different effects on MAO process and coating characteristics. By means of single factor experiments, an optimized dual electrolyte system was developed, containing 17.5 g/L NaAlO 2, 5.0 g/LNa3 PO4, 5.0 g/L NaOH, 3.0 g/L NaB4O7 and 4.2g/LC6H5Na3O7 .

Effects of nano-additive TiO_2 on performance of micro-arc oxidation coatings formed on 6063 aluminum alloy

Ceramic coatings were fabricated on aluminum doped with different concentrations of TiO2 nano-additive. alloy substrates by micro-arc oxidation （MAO） in silicate electrolytes Effects of nano-additive concentration on the structural and mechanical properties of the MAO coatings were analyzed. The results revealed that some nano-particle were incorporated into the resulting coating during the MAO process, while there was a reasonable concentration for the TiO2 nano-additive. With increasing the nano-additive concentration to 3.2 g/L, the adhesion value increased, while mean friction coefficient and mass loss decreased. A further increase of nano-additive deteriorated the adhesion and mean friction coefficient values, which was consistent with the micro-hardness tests.

Precipitation hardening behavior of dilute binary Al-Yb alloy

The precipitation hardening behavior in dilute Al-Yb alloys upon annealing at different temperatures was investigated to shed light on the mechanism of micro-alloying element in aluminum alloys. When aging at different temperatures, the samples showed their corresponding peak hardness in the range of 400-416 MPa due to the precipitation of Al3Yb with L 12 crystal structure. The coarsening kinetics of the Al3Yb precipitates obeyed the LSW theory, which indicated that the coarsening process was controlled by the diffusion of Yb. The coherence between Al3Yb particles and matrix was maintained until the particle size reached 11 nm. When the particle size increased to about 2 nm, the shearing mechanism started to change to Orowan mechanism.

Effect of Ce addition on microstructure of Mg-9Li alloy

The as-cast and as-extruded Mg-9Li, Mg-9Li-0.3Ce alloys were respectively prepared through a simple alloying process and hot extrusion. The microstructures of these alloys were investigated by optical microscope （OM）, scanning electron microscope （SEM）, X-ray diffractometer （XRD） and energy dispersive spectrometer （EDS）. The results indicate that Ce addition produces a strong grain refining effect in Mg-9Li alloy. The grain size of the as-extruded alloy reduces abruptly from 88.2 μm to 10.5 μm when the addition of Ce is 0.36%. Mg12Ce is verified and exists inside the grains or at the grain boundaries, thus possibly pins up grain boundaries and restrains the grain growth.

Microarc oxidation coating fabricated on AZ91D Mg alloy in an optimized dual electrolyte

Microarc oxidation （MAO） process was conducted on AZ91D magnesium alloy in an electrolyte composed of NazSiO3, NaAlO2, NaEB4O7, NaOH, C3H803 and C6H5Na307 by AC pulse electrical source. The surface and cross-sectional morphologies, film thickness, chemical composition and structure of the coatings were characterized by scanning electron microscopy（SEM）, layer thickness metry, energy disperse spectroscopy（EDS） and X-ray diffraction（XRD）. The corrosiofi resistances of the coatings in a 3.5% NaC1 neutral solution were evaluated by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy （EIS） and potentiodynamic polarization test. The results showed that an optimized electrolyte with a composition of 15 g/L NazSiO3, 9 g/L NaA102, 2 g/L NazB407, 3 g/L NaOH, 5 mL/L C3H803 and 7 g/LC,HsNa307 was developed by means of orthogonal experiment. The coating obtained in the optimized electrolyte had a dense structure and revealed a lower current density, decreased by two orders of magnitude as compared with the magnesium substrate. Meanwhile, the corrosive potentials of the coated samples increased nearly by 73 inV. EIS result showed that the corrosion resistance of the coating was mainly determined by the inner dense layer. The coating primarily contained elements Mg, Al, O and Si and XRD analyses indicated that the coating was mainly composed of MgO, Mg2SiO4 and MgAl204.

Effect of Sb content on properties of Sn-Bi solders

The effect of Sb content on the properties of Sn-Bi solders was studied. The nonequilibrium melting behaviors of a series of Sn-Bi-Sb solders were examined by differential scanning calorimetry （DSC）. The spreading test was carried out to characterize the wettability of Sn-Bi-Sb solders on Cu substrate. The mechanical properties of the solders/Cu joints were evaluated. The results show that the ternary alloy solders contain eutectic structure resulting from quasi-peritetic reaction. With the increase of Sb content, the amount of the eutectic structure increases. At a heating rate of 5 ℃/min, Sn-Bi-Sb alloys exhibit a higher melting point and a wider melting range. A small amount of Sb has an impact on the wettability of Sn-Bi solders. The reaction layers form during spreading process. Sb is detected in the reaction layer while Bi is not detected. The total thickness of reaction layer between solder and Cu increases with the increase of the Sb content. The shear strength of the Sn-Bi-Sb solders increases as the Sb content increases.

IMPROVEMENT ON TENSILE PROPERTIES AND CREEP RESISTANCE OF Fe 3Al BASED ALLOYS

Effects of alloying processing on tensile test properties of Fe 3Al based alloys have been studied. Results show that microalloying of cerium is very effective on increasing the room temperature ductility of Fe 3Al based alloys. Surface analysis by XPS demonstrates that cerium addition causes the change in the oxide chemistry and provides rapid passivation of the specimen surface. The high temperature strength and creep resistance of Fe 3Al based alloys can be significantly enhanced by alloying additions of tungsten, niobium or molybdenum, especially when combined additions of tungsten with niobium or molybdenum are used. The additions of tungsten, niobium or molybdenum also result in the significant microstructural refinement and the formation of fine precipitates which are identified as M 6C type carbide in the alloys containing tungsten.

Effect of alkali treatments on apatite formation of microarc-oxidized coating on titanium alloy surface

Alkali treatments with three concentrations were used to modify a microarc-oxidized(MAO) coating on titanium alloy surface in order to further improve its surface bioactivity. Morphology, chemical compositions and phase constitues, roughness, contact angle and apatite induction of the alkali-treated coatings were studied and compared. Scanning electron microscope(SEM) was applied to observe the morphologies, X-ray diffraction(XRD) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS) were used to detect the phase constitutes and chemical compositions, a surface topography profilometer was used to analyze the surface roughness, and contact angle was measured by liquid drop method. Alkali treatements result in the formation of Na2Ti6O13 and Na2Ti3O7 phase on the MAO coating, which leads to the increase of surface roughness and the decrease of contact angle. Experimental results showed that the apatite induction of the alkali-treated coatings was dependent on the applied alkali concentrations during treatments, and Na+concentration can promote the formation of apatite phase.

Structure and corrosion resistance of modified micro-arc oxidation coating on AZ31B magnesium alloy

A hydrophobic surface was fabricated on a micro-arc oxidation (MAO) treated AZ31 Mg alloys via surface modification with myristic acid. The effects of modification time on the wettability of the coatings were investigated using the contact angle measuring device. The surface morphologies and structure of the coatings were evaluated using SEM, XRD and FT-IR. The corrosion resistance was investigated by potentiodynamic polarization curves and long-term immersion test. The results showed that the water contact angle (CA) increases gradually with modification time from 0 to 5 h, the highest CA reaches 138° after being modified for 5 h, and the number and size of the micro pores are decreased. The modification method hardly alters crystalline structure of the MAO coating, but improves the corrosion resistance based on the much positive potential and low current density. Moreover, the corrosion resistance and hydrophobicity can be enhanced with increasing the alkyl chain. The wetting and spreading for the alkylcarboxylate with low surface energy become easier on the micro-porous surface, and alkylcarboxylate monolayer will be formed through bidentate bonding, which changes the surface micropores to a sealing or semi-sealing structure and makes the MAO coating dense and hydrophobic. All the results demonstrate that the modification process improves the corrosion protection ability of the MAO coating on AZ31B Mg alloy.

Microstructural evolution of Mg, Ag and Zn micro-alloyed Al-Cu-Li alloy during homogenization

The microstructural evolution of a Mg, Ag and Zn micro-alloyed Al?3.8Cu?1.28Li (mass fraction, %) alloy ingot during two-step homogenization was examined in detail by optical microscopy (OM), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), electron probe micro-analysis (EPMA) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) methods. The results show that severe dendritic segregation exists in the as-cast ingot. There are many secondary phases, includingTB(Al7Cu4Li),θ(Al2Cu),R(Al5CuLi3) andS(Al2CuMg) phases, and a small amount of (Mg+Ag+Zn)-containing and AlCuFeMn phases. The fractions of intermetallic phases decrease sharply after 2 h of second-step homogenization. By prolonging the second-step homogenization time, theTB,θ,R,S and (Mg+Ag+Zn)-containing phases completely dissolve into the matrix. The dendritic segregation is eliminated, and the homogenization kinetics can be described by a constitutive equation in exponential function. However, it seems that the AlCuFeMn phase is separated into Al7Cu2Fe and AlCuMn phases, and the size of Al7Cu2Fe phase exhibits nearly no change when the second-step homogenization time is longer than 2 h.

Microstructural evolution during homogenization of Al-Cu-Li-Mn-Zr-Ti alloy

The microstructure evolution of Al-Cu-Li-Mn-Zr-Ti alloy during homogenization was investigated by optical microscopy （OM）, scanning electron microscopy （SEM）, energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry （EDX）, and differential scanning calorimeter （DSC） methods. The results show that severe dendritic segregation exists in the experimental alloy ingot. Numerous eutectic phases can be observed in the grain boundary, and the distribution of the main elements along the interdendritic region varies periodically. The main secondary phase is Al2Cu. The overburnt temperature of the alloy is 520 °C. The second phases are gradually dissolved into the matrix, and the grain boundaries become spare and thin during homogenization with increasing temperature or prolonging holding time. Homogenization can be described by a constitutive equation in exponential function. The suitable homogenization treatment for the alloy is （510 °C, 18 h）, which agrees well with the results of homogenization kinetic analysis.

Phase-field study on competition precipitation process of Ni-Al-V alloy

With microscopic phase-field kinetic model, atomic-scale computer simulation program for the precipitation sequence and microstructure evolution of the ordered intermetallic compound γ＇ and θ in ternary Ni75AlxV25-x alloy were studied. The simulation results show that Al concentration has important effects on the precipitation sequence. When Al concentration in Ni75AlxV25-x alloy is low, 0（Ni3V） ordered phase will be firstly precipitated, followed by γ＇（Ni3Al） ordered phase. With Al concentration increasing, θ and γ＇ ordered phases are simultaneously precipitated. With A1 concentration further increasing, γ＇ ordered phase is firstly precipitated, followed by θ ordered phase. There is a competition relationship between θ and γ＇ ordered phases during growth and coarsening process. No matter which first precipitates, θ ordered phase always occupies advantage in the competition process of coarsening, thus, the microstructure with preferred orientation is formed.

Fretting wear and friction oxidation behavior of 0Cr20Ni32AlTi alloy at high temperature

The fretting wear behavior of 0Cr20Ni32AlTi alloy was investigated with crossed cylinder contact under 80 N at 300 and 400 °C.Wear scar and debris were analyzed systematically by scanning electron microscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy.The results show that the friction logs are mixed fretting regime and gross slip regime with the magnitudes of displacement of 10 and 20 μm,respectively.Severe wear and friction oxidation occur on the material surface.A large number of granular debris produced in the fretting process can be easily congregated and adhered at the contact zone after repeated crushes.The resultant of friction oxidation is mainly composed of Fe3O4,Fe2O3,Cr2O3 and NiO.Temperature and friction are the major factors affecting the oxidation reaction rate.The fretting friction effect can enhance the oxidation reaction activity of surface atoms of 0Cr20Ni32AlTi alloy and reduce the oxidation activation energy.As result,the oxidation reaction rate is accelerated.

Corrosion behavior of micro-arc oxidation coating on AZ91D magnesium alloy in NaCl solutions with different concentrations

Ceramic oxide coatings were prepared on AZ91D magnesium alloys in alkaline silicate solution using micro-arc oxidation（MAO） technique.The corrosion behavior of MAO coating on AZ91D magnesium alloys in NaCl solutions with different concentrations（0.1%,0.5%,1.0%,3.5% and 5.0% in mass fraction） was evaluated by electrochemical measurements and immersion tests.The results showed that the corrosion rate of the MAO coated AZ91D increased with increasing chloride ion concentration.The main form of corrosion failure was localized corrosion for the MAO coated AZ91D immersed in higher concentration NaCl solutions（1.0%,3.5% and 5.0%）,while it was general corrosion in dilute NaCl solutions（0.1% and 0.5%）.Two different stages of the failure process of the MAO coated AZ91D could be identified：1） occurrence of the metastable pits and 2） growth of the pits.Different equivalent circuits were also proposed based on the results of electrochemical impedance spectroscopy（EIS） for the MAO coated AZ91D immersed in different concentrations of NaCl solutions for 120 h.

Microstructure and properties of alloying coating on AZ31B magnesium alloy

Vacuum thermal diffusion technique was applied to preparing alloying coating on AZ31 B magnesium alloy. The microstructure and phase composition of the coatings prepared at different holding time were investigated in detail using optical microscopy（OM）, scanning electron microscopy（SEM）, energy dispersive spectrometer（EDS） and X-ray diffraction（XRD）, and so on. The microhardness tester and electrochemical workstation（PS-168a） were used to measure the microhardness and corrosion resistance of the alloying coating. The results showed that the alloying coatings gradually generated with the extension of holding time under constant temperature. And the obvious bonding interface between the coating and substrate was observed, and the bonding interface was changed from smooth to zigzag. EDS and XRD analyses showed that the microstructure of alloying coating mainly consisted of eutectic α-Mg phase and continuous network β-Al（12）Mg（17） phase. The average microhardness of the coatings increased by 113% in comparison to the substrate, and the self-corrosion potential increased from-1.389 to-1.268 V at the same time.

Effects of P and B addition on as-cast microstructure and homogenization parameter of Inconel 718 alloy

The effects of phosphorus and boron addition on the as-cast microstructure and homogenization parameters of Inconel 718 were studied. The results indicate that the addition of phosphorus and boron promotes the formation of blocky Laves phase. Due to the strong segregation behavior of boron in the final residual liquid, a low melting B-bearing phase enriched in Nb, Mo and Cr is observed. According to the differential scanning calorimeter results and electron probe micro-analysis characterization, the solidification sequence of Inconel 718 with phosphorus and boron addition in best combination is determined as L→L＋γ→L＋γ＋MC→L＋γ＋MC＋Laves→γ＋MC＋Laves＋MC＋Laves＋B-bearing phase. Accordingly, the homogenization temperature is recommended to be adjusted at least 40°C lower than that of standard Inconel 718 due to the existence of low melting B-bearing phase.