Effect of hot deformation conditions on grain structure and properties of 7085 aluminum alloy

The influences of deformation conditions on grain structure and properties of 7085 aluminum alloy were investigated by optical microscopy and transmission electron microscopy in combination with tensile and fracture toughness tests. The results show that the volume fraction of dynamic recrystallization increased with the decrease of Zener-Hollomon （Z） parameter, and the volume fraction of static recrystallization increased with the increasing of Z parameter. The strength and fracture toughness of the alloy after solution and aging treatment first increased and then decreased with the increase of Z parameter. The microstructure map was established on the basis of microstructure evolution during deformation and solution heat treatment. The optimization deformation conditions were acquired under Z parameters of 1.2×10^10-9.1×10^12.

Mixed grain structure and mechanical property anisotropy of AZ40 magnesium alloy bar with diameter of 160 mm

The mixed grain structure and mechanical property anisotropy of AZ40 magnesium alloy bar with a diameter of 160 mm manufactured by ＂multi-direction forging（MDF） ＋ extrusion ＋ online cooling＂ technique were investigated by optical microscopy（OM）, scanning electron microscopy（SEM）, X-ray diffraction macro-texture measurement and room temperature（RT） tensile test. The results show that mixed grain structure is caused by the micro-segregation of Al in semi-continuous casting ingot. Homogenization of（380 °C, 8 h） ＋（410 °C, 12 h） cannot totally eliminate such micro-segregation. During MDF and extrusion, the dendrite interiors with 3%-4% Al（mass fraction） transform to fine grain zones, yet the dendrite edges with about 6% Al transform to coarse grain zones. XRD macro-textures of the outer, R/2 and center show typical fiber texture characteristics and the intensity of [0001]//Ra D orientation in the outer（11.245） is about twice as big as those in the R/2（6.026） and center（6.979）. The as-extruded AZ40 magnesium alloy bar has high elongation（A） and moderate ultimate tensile strength（Rm） in both extrusion direction（ED） and radius direction（Ra D）, i.e., A of 19%-25% and Rm of 256-264 MPa; however, yield strength（Rp0.2） shows anisotropy and heterogeneity, i.e., 103 MPa in Ra D, 137 MPa in ED-C（the center） and 161 MPa in ED-O（the outer）, which are mainly caused by the texture.（155 °C, 7 h） ＋（170 °C, 24 h） aging has no influence on strength and elongation of AZ40 magnesium bar.

Grain structure effect on quench sensitivity of Al-Zn-Mg-Cu-Cr alloy

The effect of grain structure on quench sensitivity of an Al-Zn-Mg-Cu-Cr alloy was investigated by hardness testing, optical microscopy, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy and scanning transmission electron microscopy. The results show that with the decrease of quenching rate from 960 ℃/s to 2 ℃/s, the hardness after aging is decreased by about 33% for the homogenized and solution heat treated alloy（H-alloy） with large equiaxed grains and about 43% for the extruded and solution heat treated alloy（E-alloy） with elongated grains and subgrains. Cr-containing dispersoids make contribution to about 33% decrement in hardness of the H-alloy due to slow quenching; while in the E-alloy, the amount of（sub） grain boundaries is increased by about one order of magnitude, which leads to a further 10% decrement in hardness due to slow quenching and therefore higher quench sensitivity.

Tailoring bimodal grain structure of Mg-9Al-1Zn alloy for strength-ductility synergy:Co-regulating effect from coarse Al_(2)Y and submicron Mg_(17)Al_(12) particles

Grain boundary strengthening is an effective strategy for increasing mechanical properties of Mg alloys.However,this method offers limited strengthening in bimodal grain-structured Mg alloys due to the difficultly in increasing the volume fraction of fine grains while keeping a small grain size.Herein,we show that the volume fraction of fine grains(FGs,~2.5μm)in the bimodal grain structure can be tailored from~30 vol.%in Mg-9 Al-1 Zn(AZ91)to~52 vol.%in AZ91-1Y(wt.%)processed by hard plate rolling(HPR).Moreover,a superior combination of a high ultimate tensile strength(~405 MPa)and decent uniform elongation(~9%)is achieved in present AZ91-1Y alloy.It reveals that a desired bimodal grain structure can be tailored by the co-regulating effect from coarse Al_(2)Y particles resulting in inhomogeneous recrystallization,and dispersed submicron Mg_(17)Al_(12)particles depressing the growth of recrystallized grains.The findings offer a valuable insight in tailoring bimodal grain-structured Mg alloys for optimized strength and ductility.

Grain structure and tensile property of Al-Li alloy sheet caused by different cold rolling reduction

The effect of cold rolling reduction(50%-90%)on the grain structures of solutionized 1445 Al-Li alloy sheet at525-575 ℃ was investigated through electron backscatter diffraction(EBSD).Although the solutionization temperature is elevated to 575 ℃,the sheet is not completely recrystallized.The main recrystallization model is subgrain coalescence and growth,and the non-recrystallization is due to the formed nano-sized Al3(Sc,Zr)dispersoids,which pin the grain boundaries,subgrain boundaries and dislocations.With increasing the cold rolling reduction,the fraction and size of the recrystallized grains in the sheet solutionized at525 ℃ are decreased,but the fraction of the subgrains is increased,leading to a decrease in the fraction of the deformed structures.Meanwhile,the number fraction of high-angle boundaries(HABs)is increased.Due to the decreased fraction of the deformed structures and increased fraction of the HABs,the T8-aged 1445 Al-Li alloy sheet displays a decrease trend in the strength and heterogeneity with increasing the cold rolling reduction.At higher solutionization temperature of 575 ℃,the fraction of the recrystallized grains and their size are obviously increased.

Formation mechanism of gradient-distributed particles and their effects on grain structure in 01420 Al-Li alloy

Fine-grained 01420 Al-Li alloy sheets were produced by thermo-mechanical processing based on the mechanism of particle stimulated nucleation of recrystallization.The thermo-mechanically processed sheets were observed to contain layers of different microstructures along the thickness.The precipitate behavior of the second phase particles and their effects on the distribution of dislocations and layered recrystallized grain structure were analyzed by optical microscopy(OM),scanning electron microscopy(SEM),transmission electron microscopy(TEM) and X-ray diffractometry(XRD).The formation mechanism of the gradient particles was discussed.The results show that after aging,a gradient distribution of large particles along the thickness is observed,the particles in the surface layer(SL) are distributed homogeneously,whereas those in the center layer(CL) are mainly distributed parallel to the rolling direction,and the volume fraction of the particles in the SL is higher than that in the CL.Subsequent rolling in the presence of layer-distributed particles results in a corresponding homogeneous distribution of highly strained regions in the SL and a banded distribution of them in CL,which is the main reason for the formation of layered grain structure along the thickness in the sheets.

A CELLULAR AUTOMATON-APPROACH TO SIMULATION OFGRAIN STRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT INELECTROSLAG CASTING

A 3-D cellular automaton model of thermal transfer and solidification has been developed, aiming at a simulational study of the grain structure development in electroslag casting. The program we developed for simulation of the model allows the effects of both metallurgical factors, including solidification point, supercooling required for nucleation and its scattering, and liquid/solid interface energy, and thermophysical factors, including heat conduction coeffcients, heat transfer coefficients and latent heat, to be investigated. The effect of process control can be indirectly inspected with the simulation by varying the melting rate. A box counting algorithm was employed to estimate the local curvature of liquid/solid interface. A series of simulated experiments of electroslag casting processes have been carried out. The simulation started from the beginning of the electroslag casting and proceeds by iteration of certain rules, during which a uniform constant slag temperature and a constant melting rate were assumed. It has been observed that a pool of molten metal forms and deepens gradually under constant melting rate. The deepening of the pool slows down with the simulated electroslag casting process, and the depth and shape of the pool tends to be steady after certain height of cast is formed. A finger-like grain structure with the fingers approximately normal to the bottom of the molten metal pool was generally observed. Higher latent heat was found to enhance dendritic growth. The results agree well with general observation of the grain structures in electroslag castings and demonstrate the applicability of cellular automaton modeling to structural development in casting.

Bimodal grain structure formation and strengthening mechanisms in Mg-Mn-Al-Ca extrusion alloys

The effects of small additions of calcium (0.1%and 0.5%~1) on the dynamic recrystallization behavior and mechanical properties of asextruded Mg-1Mn-0.5Al alloys were investigated.Calcium microalloying led to the formation of Al_(2)Ca in as-cast Mg-1Mn-0.5Al-0.1Ca alloy and both Mg_(2)Ca and Al_(2)Ca phases in Mg-1Mn-0.5Al-0.5Ca alloy.The formed Al_(2)Ca particles were fractured during extrusion process and distributed at grain boundary along extrusion direction (ED).The Mg_(2)Ca phase was dynamically precipitated during extrusion process,hindering dislocation movement and reducing dislocation accumulation in low angle grain boundaries (LAGBs) and hindering the transformation of high density of LAGBs into high angle grain boundaries (HAGBs).Therefore,a bimodal structure composed of fine dynamically recrystallized (DRXed) grains and coarse un DRXed regions was formed in Ca-microalloyed Mg-1Mn-0.5Al alloys.The bimodal structure resulted in effective hetero-deformation-induced (HDI) strengthening.Additionally,the fine grains in DRXed regions and the coarse grains in un DRXed regions and the dynamically precipitated Mg_(2)Ca phase significantly enhanced the tensile yield strength from 224 MPa in Mg-1Mn-0.5Al to335 MPa and 352 MPa in Mg-1Mn-0.5Al-0.1Ca and Mg-1Mn-0.5Al-0.5Ca,respectively.Finally,a yield point phenomenon was observed in as-extruded Mg-1Mn-0.5Al-x Ca alloys,more profound with 0.5%Ca addition,which was due to the formation of (■) extension twins in un DRXed regions.

Effect of grain boundary sliding on the toughness of ultrafine grain structure steel: A molecular dynamics simulation study

Molecular dynamics simulations are carried out to investigate the mechanisms of low-temperature impact toughness of the ultrafine grain structure steel. The simulation results suggest that the sliding of the {001 }/{ 110} type and { 110}/{ 111 } type grain boundary can improve the impact toughness. Then, the mechanism of grain boundary sliding is studied and it is found that the motion of dislocations along the grain boundary is the underlying cause of the grain boundary sliding. Finally, the sliding of the grain boundary is analyzed from the standpoint of the energy. We conclude that the measures which can increase the quantity of the {001}/{110} type and {110}/{ 111} type grain boundary and elongate the free gliding distance of dislocations along these grain boundaries will improve the low-temperature impact toughness of the ultrafine grain structure steel.

Role of Ordering Energy in Formation of Grain Structure and Special Boundaries Spectrum in Ordered Alloys with L12 Superstructure

It was revealed that an average energy of special boundaries is proportional to APB energy in the alloys with the L12 superstructure. This fact proves the appearance of the GAPBs in the planes of location of special boundaries in coincidence sites of ordered alloys. It was determined that the more energy of special boundaries in ordered alloys, the more energy of complex stacking fault. There is a correlation between the distribution of special boundaries as a function its relative energy and ordering energy: the more ordering energy, the more degree of washed away of distribution. The correlation between average relative energy of special boundaries and ordering energy was detected: the more ordering energy, the more average energy of special boundaries. The reverse dependence between ordering energy and average number of special boundaries in grains limited by boundaries of general type was discovered.

Deformation modes and fracture behaviors of peak-aged Mg-Gd-Y alloys with different grain structures

The ductility and toughness of peak-aged(PA)Mg-RE alloys are significantly influenced by their grain structure characteristics.To investigate this issue,we examined PA Mg-8.24Gd-2.68Y(wt.%)alloys with two distinct grain structures:an extruded-PA sample with dynamic recrystallized(DRXed)fine grains and coarse hot-worked grains,and an extrusion-solution treated and PA sample with grown large equiaxed grains.The results showed that the extruded-PA sample demonstrated a favorable combination of tensile strength(426 MPa)and ductility(7.0%).Although intergranular microcracks nucleated in the DRXed region due to strain incompatibility,crack propagation was impeded by the DRXed fine grains,inducing intrinsic and extrinsic toughening mechanisms.On the other hand,the hot-worked grains in the extruded-PA sample initiated transgranular cracks after a relatively high strain,attributed to the strain partitioning effect,ultimately leading to failure.In comparison,the solution-treated-PA sample exhibited lower tensile strength and ductility(338 MPa and 3.7%,respectively).Intergranular cracks nucleated in the CG sample before necking,and the readily formed critical crack,facilitated by the large grain size,exhibited unstable crack growth,resulting in premature failure.This work offers valuable insights for designing high-performance PA Mg-RE alloys and preventing premature failure in practical applications.

Improving the ductility and toughness of nano-TiC/AZ61 composite by optimizing bimodal grain microstructure via extrusion speed

In this study,the nano-TiC/AZ61 composites with different heterogeneous bimodal grain(HBG)structures and uniform structure are obtained by regulating the extrusion speed.The effect of HBG structure on the mechanical properties of the composites is investigated.The increasing ductility and toughening mechanism of HBG magnesium matrix composites are carefully discussed.When the extrusion speed increases from 0.75 mm/s to 2.5 mm/s or 3.5 mm/s,the microstructure transforms from uniform to HBG structure.Compared with Uniform-0.75 mm/s composite,Heterogeneous-3.5 mm/s composite achieves a 116.7%increase in ductility in the plastic deformation stage and almost no reduction in ultimate tensile strength.This is mainly because the lower plastic deformation inhomogeneity and higher strain hardening due to hetero-deformation induced(HDI)hardening.Moreover,Heterogeneous-3.5 mm/s composite achieves a 108.3%increase in toughness compared with the Uniform-0.75 mm/s composite.It is mainly because coarse grain(CG)bands can capture and blunt cracks,thereby increasing the energy dissipation for crack propagation and improving toughness.In addition,the CG band of the Heterogeneous-3.5 mm/s composite with larger grain size and lower dislocation density is more conducive to obtaining higher strain hardening and superior blunting crack capability.Thus,the increased ductility and toughness of the Heterogeneous-3.5 mm/s composite is more significant than that Heterogeneous-2.5 mm/s composite.

Effect of scanning strategy on grain structure and crystallographic texture of Inconel 718 processed by selective laser melting

Two types of scanning strategies were adopted to study the effect of scanning strategy on grain structure and crystallographic texture of selective laser melted （SLM） Inconel 718. The results show that bidirec-tional scanning without and with a 90°-rotation for every layer produced the bimodal grain structure and the directional columnar grain structure, respectively. Controlling the heat flux direction between the successive layers via scanning strategy enabled the formation of such different grain structures. Fur-thermore, when the 90°-rotation was applied, the competitive grain growth mechanism became more pronounced and the strong cube texture developed.

Effect of grain structure on fatigue crack propagation behavior of Al-Cu-Li alloys

Recrystallization behavior during optimized heat treatments provides a potential to obtain desirable grain structure,which significantly improves the mechanical properties of aluminum alloys.The influence of grain structures on fatigue crack propagation(FCP)behaviors of Al-Cu-Li alloy with hot-rolled(HR)and cold-rolled(CR)was investigated.Subgrain boundaries have a significant impact on small crack growth rates,which is reflected in the pronounced fluctuation of fatigue crack growth of HR specimens after solution treatment.Moreover,the specific cellular structure within grains can improve the deformation capacity of alloys due to their accommodation of plastic deformation,which contributes to the lower fatigue crack growth rates and higher threshold values in HR specimens.The intragranular deflection also decelerates the FCP rate and occurs in these regions of large grain without subgrain boundaries.Recrystallization occurs in the CR specimens,resulting in small anisotropy on the fatigue resistance for the different orientations in the Paris stage due to the recrystallization texture.Fatigue cracks can be deflected and tend to propagate along the grain boundaries when it goes into the grain with a relatively low Schmidt factor value.

Characterization of the Grain Structures in Vacuum-Assist HighPressure Die Casting AM60B Alloy

The structures in vacuum-assist high-pressure die casting （HPDC） AM60B alloy were studied by using an optical microscope and a scanning electron microscope with an energy dispersive spectrometer. It was found that the HPDC under the vacuum could significantly change the morphology and distribution of the microstructure. For both conventional and vacuum-assist HPDC processes, the externally solidified crystals （ESCs） tended to aggregate in the center along the thickness direction of the castings. Besides, the aggregation was more pronounced, and the number of ESCs decreased, and the ESCs tended to become smaller and more globular, as the distance between the specimen location and runner increased. Compared with the conventional castings, the vacuum-assist HPDC can significantly reduce the size and amount of ESCs, and the ESCs tended to be more globular. For the distribution of ESCs along the thickness of the specimens, the aggregation tendency was more pronounced in vacuum-assist die castings than that in conventional castings. Besides, the distribution of ESCs at different locations was more converged in the vacuum-assist HPDC than that in the conventional HPDC.

Achieving strength-ductility synergy in a non-equiatomic Cr_(10)Co_(30)Fe_(30)Ni_(30)high-entropy alloy with heterogeneous grain structures

Cold rolling and post-deformation annealing(PDA)heat treatments were used to produce heterogeneous grain structures(HGS)in a single-phase face-centered cubic(fcc)Cr_(10)Co_(30)Fe_(30)Ni_(30)high-entropy alloy(HEA).The microstructural evolution and microstructure-property relationship of the HEA were systematically studied under different states.HGS could be achieved in PDA-treated samples at 875℃for 20 s and at 900℃for 20 s(PDA-900-20 s).PDA-900-20 s sample exhibits the most excellent combination of strength and ductility,showing a tensile yield strength of~590 MPa,an ultimate strength of~706 MPa and a total elongation of~23.9%.Additionally,compared with the homogenized counterpart exhibiting homogenous grains,PDA-900-20 s sample displays a notable increment of~413%in yield strength and simultaneously maintains a good ductility.The dominated strengthening mechanisms in PDA-900-20 s sample are grain-boundary strengthening and heterogeneous deformation-induced(HDI)strengthening,whereas the good ductility is mainly resulted from the HDI ductility.Accordingly,the present study provides an effective and simple pathway to overcome the strength-ductility tradeoff of typical fcc HEAs through heterogeneous microstructure.

Stabilizing a severely deformed Al-7Mg alloy with a multimodal grain structure via Mg solute segregation

Single-phase Al-Mg alloys processed by severe plastic deformation(SPD)usually suffer from unsatisfactory thermal stability at moderate to high temperatures with recrystallization occurring and obvious grain coarsening.In the present work,an Al-7Mg alloy prepared by equal-channel angular pressing(ECAP)possessed markedly enhanced thermal stability upon annealing at moderate to high temperatures(200-275℃),compared with those ultrafine-grained dilute Al-Mg alloys with a uniform microstructure.The enhanced thermal stability is due primarily to the multimodal grain structure consisting of nano-,ultrafine-and micron-sized grains,strong segregation and/or clusters of Mg solute along grain boundaries(GBs),and Al_(3)Mg_(2)precipitates formed during annealing.First,extensive recovery predominates over recrystallization and consumes most of the stored energy in the ECAPed Al-7Mg alloy annealed at≤275℃,leading to the recrystallization and growth of nano/ultrafine grains being retarded or postponed.Moreover,Mg solute segregation and/or clusters along GBs of nano/ultrafine grains could further suppress grain growth via diminishing GB energy and dragging GBs efficiently.In addition,Al_(3)Mg_(2)precipitates formed with increasing annealing time could inhibit grain growth by pinning GBs.The present multimodal-grained Al-7Mg alloy with enhanced thermal stability is believed to be particularly attractive in potential engineering applications at moderate to high temperatures.

Achieving excellent energy storage reliability and endurance via mechanical performance optimization strategy in engineered ceramics with core-shell grain structure

Although dielectric ceramic capacitors possess attractive properties for high-power energy storage,their pronounced electrostriction effect and high brittleness are conducive to easy initiation and propagation of cracks that significantly deteriorate electrical reliability and lifetime of capacitors in practical applications.Herein,a new strategy for designing relaxor ferroelectric ceramics with K_(0.5)Na_(0.5)NbO_(3)-core/SiO_(2)-shell structured grains was proposed to simultaneously reduce the electric-field-induced strain and enhance the mechanical strength of the ceramics.The simulation and experiment declared that the bending strength and compression strength of the core-shell structured ceramic were shown to increase by more than 50% over those of the uncoated sample.Meanwhile,the electric-field-induced strain was reduced by almost half after adding the SiO_(2) coating.The suppressed electrical deformation and enhanced mechanical strength could alleviate the probability of generation of cracks and prevent their propagation,thus remarkably improving breakdown strength and fatigue endurance of the ceramics.As a result,an ultra-high breakdown strength of 425 kV cm^(-1) and excellent recoverable energy storage density(Wrec~4.64 J cm^(-3))were achieved in the core-shell structured sample.More importantly,the unique structure could enhance the cycling stability of the ceramic(Wrec variation<±2% after 105 cycles).Thus,mechanical performance optimization via grain structure engineering offers a new paradigm for improving electrical breakdown strength and fatigue endurance of dielectric ceramic capacitors.

Relationship between the fatigue behavior and grain structures of an as-extruded Mg-6.2%Zn-0.6%Zr(in wt.%)alloy

Through investigating the tension-tension fatigue behavior of an as-extruded Mg-6.2 wt.%Zn-0.6 wt.%Zr(ZK60)alloy,it revealed that the determined fatigue strength at 107 cycles was quite sensitive to the grain structure.Among them,the fine grain structure had the highest fatigue strength of 130 MPa,whereas the typical“bi-modal”grain structure had the lowest fatigue strength of 110 MPa.Failure analysis demon-strated that for the fine grain structure,fatigue cracks preferentially nucleated at grain boundaries.For the“bi-modal”and coarse grain structures,the fatigue crack initiation was dominated by the cracking along slip bands.

Effect of grain structure on the mechanical properties of a Monel alloy fabricated by laser-based directed energy deposition

Monel K-500 is a Ni–Cu alloy widely used in the marine and offshore industry due to their superior resistance to corrosion in seawater and hence easily degraded.To address this problem,laser-based directed energy deposition(LDED)is used to repair or refabricate these high-value worn parts.To optimize the mechanical properties of repaired parts,the commonly applied solution and aging is not ideal because it also changes the properties of the base materials.Consequently,in situ control of the grain structures during the LDED process becomes an effective approach for high-performance repair.In this study,we fabricated a duplex grain structure with small grain size and low texture intensity using low laser power and scanning velocity.The duplex microstructure consists of short columnar grains and zigzag-distributed fine equiaxed grains.The formation of this grain structure is dependent on both the solidification and recrystallization mechanisms.The strength of this grain structure is improved to 523.5 MPa without the sacrifice of ductility,which is instead 20%higher than that of the counterpart consisting of typical columnar grains due to the grain refinement and crack toughening.The mechanical properties of the alloy with the duplex grain structure are even comparable to heat-treated Monel K-500 fabricated by wire arc additive manufacturing.This work provides valuable insights into the in situ optimization of the microstructure and mechanical properties of LDED-fabricated parts.