Ballistic performance of titanium-based layered composites made using blended elemental powder metallurgy and hot isostatic pressing

Metal matrix composites tiles based on Ti-6Al-4V(Ti64)alloy,reinforced with 10,20,and 40(vol%)of either TiC or TiB particles were made using press-and-sinter blended elemental powder metallurgy(BEPM)and then bonded together into 3-layer laminated plates using hot isostatic pressing(HIP).The laminates were ballistically tested and demonstrated superior performance.The microstructure and properties of the laminates were analyzed to determine the effect of the BEPM and HIP processing on the ballistic properties of the layered plates.The effect of porosity in sintered composites on further diffusion bonding of the plates during HIP is analyzed to understand the bonding features at the interfaces between different adjacent layers in the laminate.Exceptional ballistic performance of fabricated structures was explained by a significant reduction in the residual porosity of the BEPM products by their additional processing using HIP,which provides an unprecedented increase in the hardness of the layered composites.It is argued that the combination of the used two technologies,BEPM and HIP is principally complimentary for the materials in question with the abilities to solve the essential problems of each used individually.

Effect of the capsule on deformation and densification behavior of nickel-based superalloy compact during hot isostatic pressing

The Shima yield criterion used in finite element analysis for nickel-based superalloy powder compact during hot isostatic pressing(HIP) was modified through uniaxial compression experiments. The influence of cylindrical capsule characteristics on FGH4096M superalloy powder compact deformation and densification behavior during HIP was investigated through simulations and experiments. Results revealed the simulation shrinkage prediction fitted well with the experimental shrinkage including a maximum shrinkage error of 1.5%. It was shown that the axial shrinkage was 1.7% higher than radial shrinkage for a cylindrical capsule with the size of ∮50 mm × 100 mm due to the force arm difference along the axial and radial direction of the capsule. The stress deviated from the isostatic state in the capsule led to the uneven shrinkage and non-uniform densification of the powder compact. The ratio of the maximum radial displacement to axial displacement increased from0.47 to 0.75 with the capsule thickness increasing from 2 to 4 mm. The pressure transmission is related to the capsule thickness, the capsule material performance, and physical parameters in the HIP process.

Effects of microstructure characteristics on the tensile properties and fracture toughness of TA15 alloy fabricated by hot isostatic pressing

Powder hot isostatic pressing(HIP) is an effective method to achieve near-net-shape manufacturing of high-quality complex thinwalled titanium alloy parts, and it has received extensive attention in recent years. However, there are few reports about the microstructure characteristics on the strengthening and toughening mechanisms of powder hot isostatic pressed(HIPed) titanium alloys. Therefore, TA15powder was prepared into alloy by HIP approach, which was used to explore the microstructure characteristics at different HIP temperatures and the corresponding tensile properties and fracture toughness. Results show that the fabricated alloy has a “basket-like structure” when the HIP temperature is below 950℃, consisting of lath clusters and surrounding small equiaxed grains belts. When the HIP temperature is higher than 950℃, the microstructure gradually transforms into the Widmanstatten structure, accompanied by a significant increase in grain size. The tensile strength and elongation are reduced from 948 MPa and 17.3% for the 910℃ specimen to 861 MPa and 10% for the 970℃ specimen.The corresponding tensile fracture mode changes from transcrystalline plastic fracture to mixed fracture including intercrystalline cleavage.The fracture toughness of the specimens increases from 82.64 MPa·m^(1/2)for the 910℃ specimen to 140.18 MPa·m^(1/2)for the 970℃ specimen.Specimens below 950℃ tend to form holes due to the prior particle boundaries(PPBs), which is not conducive to toughening. Specimens above 950℃ have high fracture toughness due to the crack deflection, crack branching, and shear plastic deformation of the Widmanstatten structure. This study provides a valid reference for the development of powder HIPed titanium alloy.

Effect of hot isostatic pressing processing parameters on microstructure and properties of Ti60 high temperature titanium alloy

Hot isostatic pressing parameters are critical to Ti60 high temperature titanium alloy castings which have wide application perspective in aerospace.In order to obtain optimal processing parameters,the effects of hot isostatic pressing parameters on defects,composition uniformity,microstructure and mechanical properties of Ti60 cast high temperature titanium alloy were investigated in detail.Results show that increasing temperature and pressure of hot isostatic pressing can reduce defects,especially,the internal defects are substantially eliminated when the temperature exceeds 920℃or the pressure exceeds 125 MPa.The higher temperature and pressure can improve the microstructure uniformity.Besides,the higher pressure can promote the composition uniformity.With the temperature increases from 880℃to 960℃,α-laths are coarsened.But with increasing pressure,the grain size of prior-βphase,the widths ofα-laths andα-colony are reduced.The tensile strength of Ti60 alloy is 949 MPa,yield strength is 827 MPa,and the elongation is 11%when the hot isostatic pressing parameters are 960℃/125 MPa/2 h,which exhibits the best match between the strength and plasticity.

Effect of hot isostatic pressure on the microstructure and tensile properties of γ'-strengthened superalloy fabricated through induction-assisted directed energy deposition

The microstructure characteristics and strengthening mechanism of Inconel738LC(IN-738LC) alloy prepared by using induction-assisted directed energy deposition(IDED) were elucidated through the investigation of samples subjected to IDED under 1050℃ preheating with and without hot isostatic pressing(HIP,1190℃,105 MPa,and 3 h).Results show that the as-deposited sample mainly consisted of epitaxial columnar crystals and inhomogeneously distributed γ’ phases in interdendritic and dendritic core regions.After HIP,grain morphology changed negligibly,whereas the size of the γ’ phase became increasingly even.After further heat treatment(HT,1070℃,2 h + 845℃,24 h),the γ’ phase in the as-deposited and HIPed samples presented a bimodal size distribution,whereas that in the as-deposited sample showed a size that remained uneven.The comparison of tensile properties revealed that the tensile strength and uniform elongation of the HIP + HTed sample increased by 5% and 46%,respectively,due to the synergistic deformation of bimodal γ’phases,especially large cubic γ’ phases.Finally,the relationship between phase transformations and plastic deformations in the IDEDed sample was discussed on the basis of generalized stability theory in terms of the trade-off between thermodynamics and kinetics.

Preparation of Al-doped ZnO sputter target by hot pressing

Al-doped ZnO （AZO） target was prepared by hot pressing using ZnO and Al2O3 powder in mass ratio of 98：2.The effects of hot pressing conditions including temperature,pressure and preserving time on relative density were investigated.Pore evolution and phase structure change during densification process were studied.The results show that AZO target with super high relative density of 99% was prepared by two-stage hot pressing method under pressure of 35MPa,temperature of 1 050℃ and 1 150℃ with preserving time of 1 h,respectively.At temperature around 1 050℃,the number of isolated pore wasminimum.At temperature lower than 900℃,there existed Al2O3 phase.At temperature higher than 1 000℃,ZnAl2O4 phase was generated and its content was increased with temperature increasing.Hot pressing method had the advantage over pressureless sintering that the content of ZnAl2O4 was lower and sintering temperature could be also lower.With increasing the hot pressing temperature and preserving time,the electric resistivity of AZO target decreased greatly.A low resistivity of 3 10-3 cm was achieved under the temperature of 1 100℃,pressure of 35MPa and preserving time of 10 h.

Hot pressing densification of WC-Mo_xC binderless carbide

WC-6MoxC-0.47Cr3C2-0.28VC binderless carbide was prepared by hot pressing （1700 °C, 20 MPa）. The sample was observed and analyzed by scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X–ray spectroscopy and X–ray diffraction. The results show that during the hot pressing process, W atoms dissolve substantially into the MoxC crystal lattices; whilst, the reverse dissolution of Mo atoms into the WC crystal lattices takes place. Consequently, the main phase and binder phase structure are formed. The phase compositions of the main phase and binder phase are a WC-based solid solution containing Mo and a Mo2C-based solid solution containing W, respectively. The isotropic dissolution and precipitation of W and Mo atoms do not result in substantial carbide coarsening. The mechanism for the densification was discussed.

Effect of consolidation parameters on mechanical properties of Cu-based bulk amorphous alloy consolidated by hot pressing

Cu50Zr40Ti10 bulk amorphous alloys were fabricated by hot pressing gas-atomized Cu50Zr40Ti10 amorphous powder under different consolidation conditions without vacuum and inert gas protection. The consolidation conditions of the Cu50Zr40Ti10 amorphous powder were investigated based on an L9（34） orthogonal design. The compression strength and strain limit of the Cu50Zr40Ti10 bulk amorphous alloys can reach up to 1090.4 MPa and 11.9 %, respectively. The consolidation pressure significantly influences the strain limit and compression strength of the compact. But the mechanical properties are not significantly influenced by the consolidation temperature. In addition, the preforming pressure significantly influences not the compression strength but the strain limit. The optimum consolidation condition for the Cu50Zr40Ti10 amorphous powder is first precompacted under the pressure of 150 MPa, and then consolidated under the pressure of 450 MPa and the temperature of 380 °C.

Microstructures and mechanical properties of 2024Al/Gr/SiC hybrid composites fabricated by vacuum hot pressing

The 2024Al/Gr/SiC hybrid composite plates with 5%-10% SiC particles （volume fraction） and 3%-6% flaky graphite （Gr） （volume fraction） were fabricated by vacuum hot pressing and hot extrusion processing. The effects of SiC and Gr on the microstructures and mechanical properties of the composites aged at 160, 175 and 190℃ were studied by optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy （SEM）, and hardness and tensile tests. The results indicate that the SiC particles have a more obvious effect on accelerating the aging response as compared with the Gr. Both the tensile strength and elongation are reduced by the Gr and SiC particles added into the matrix, while the Gr has a more negative influence on the elongation than the SiC particles. The tensile strength （ab）, yield stress （as） and elongation （δ） of the 2024Al/3Gr/10SiC composite aged at 165℃ for 8 h are 387 MPa, 280.3 MPa and 5.7%, respectively. The hybrid composites are characterized by ductile fracture, which is associated with the ductile fracture of the matrix and the tearing of the interface between the matrix and the particles.

Solid-state bonding between Al and Cu by vacuum hot pressing

Diffusion bonding between aluminum and copper was performed by vacuum hot pressing at temperatures between 623 and 923 K through two thermal processes： hot compression under the deformation rate of 0.2 mrrdmin for 10 rain at pre-set temperatures, and additional pressing at 0.2 mm/min for 20 rain during furnace cooling. After analyzing interface, the feasible diffusion bonding temperature was suggested as 823 K. The three major intermetallic layers generated during diffusion bonding process were identified as AIECu, AlCu＋AlaCu4 and Al4Cu9. Furthermore, local hardness values ofAlECU, AlCu＋AlaCu4 and Al4Cu9 layers average at （4.97±0.05）, （6.33±0.00） and （6.06±0.18） GPa, respectively.

Wear behavior of Ti6Al4V biomedical alloys processed by selective laser melting, hot pressing and conventional casting

The aim of this work was to study the influence of the processing route on the microstructural constituents,hardness andtribological(wear and friction)behavior of Ti6Al4V biomedical alloy.In this sense,three different processing routes were studied:conventional casting,hot pressing and selective laser melting.A comprehensive metallurgical,mechanical and tribologicalcharacterization was performed by X-ray diffraction analysis,Vickers hardness tests and reciprocating ball-on-plate wear tests ofTi6Al4V/Al2O3sliding pairs.The results showed a great influence of the processing route on the microstructural constituents andconsequent differences on hardness and wear performance.The highest hardness and wear resistance were obtained for Ti6Al4Valloy produced by selective laser melting,due to a markedly different cooling rate that leads to significantly different microstructurewhen compared to hot pressing and casting.This study assesses and confirms that selective laser melting is potential to producecustomized Ti6Al4V implants with improved wear performance.

Porous bulk metallic glass fabricated by powder hot pressing

A synthesis method for the production of porous bulk metallic glass (BMG) was introduced. This method utilizes the su- perplastic forming ability of amorphous powder in the supercooled liquid (SCL) state and intenerating salt mixture as a placeholder to produce BMG foam by using a hot die pressing method. Scanning electron microscope (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and dif- ferential scanning calorimetry (DSC) were employed to characterize the morphologies of foaming structure, the crystallization and the percentage of crystallization of the as-produced porous BMG. The results suggested that the formation of porous structure by su- perplastic forming process is feasible. Good bonding effect was observed between amorphous powder particles. Less than 6.5% of crystalline phases were formed during hot pressing, and less than 5.5% of residual salt was enclosed in the foam. To remove any re- sidual salt particles, salt preforms with three-dimensional network and good connectivity is necessary.

Effects of hot isostatic pressing temperature on casting shrinkage densification and microstructure of Ti6Al4V alloy

The Ti6Al4V alloy castings were produced by the investment casting process, and the hot isostatic pressing(HIP) was used to remove shrinkage from castings. The processing pressure and holding time for HIP were 150 MPa and 20 min, respectively. Four different HIP temperatures were tested, including 750 ℃, 850 ℃, 920 ℃ and 950 ℃. To evaluate the effects of temperature on densification and microstructure of Ti6Al4V alloy treated by HIP, non-destructive testing and metallographic observation was performed. The experimental results show that the shrinkage was completely closed at 920 ℃ and 950 ℃. The densification of Ti6Al4V alloy increased as the HIP temperature increased below 920 ℃. The lamel ae were more uniform, the thickness of lamel ae was obviously broadened and the structure was coarsen. Besides, the Norton creep equation was used to simulate the effect of different temperatures on the densification of Ti6Al4V alloy during HIP. The simulation results were in good agreement with the experimental results. It was also found that 920 ℃ is a suitable temperature for HIP for Ti6Al4V alloy.

Microstructure,Mechanical,and Thermal Properties of B4C-TiB2-SiC Composites Prepared by Reactive Hot-pressing

B4C-TiB2-SiC composites with excellent properties were prepared by reactive hot-pressing using B4C,TiC,and Si powders as the raw materials.The phase transition process was investigated by heating the powder mixture to different temperatures and combined with XRD tests.TiB2 and SiC phases were synthesized through an in situ reaction,and the mechanical and thermal properties were improved simultaneously.Microstructure and mechanical properties were also studied,and the 60wt% B4C-21.6wt% TiB2-18.4wt% SiC composite showed a relative density of 99.1%,Vickers hardness of 34.6 GPa,flexural strength of 582 MPa,and fracture toughness of 5.08 MPa·m1/2.In addition,the values of thermal conductivity and thermal expansion coefficient were investigated,respectively.

Mechanical and wear properties of Al-Al_3Mg_2 nanocomposites prepared by mechanical milling and hot pressing

β-A13Mg2 intermetallic was used as a reinforcing agent to improve the mechanical properties of an aluminum matrix. Different amounts of A13Mg2 nanoparticles （ranging from 0wt% to 20wt%） were milled with aluminum powders in a planetary ball mill for 10 h. Consolidation was conducted by uniaxial pressing at 400β under a pressure of 600 MPa for 2 h. Microstructural characterization confirms the uniform distribution of A13Mg2 nanoparticles within the matrix. The effects of nano-sized A13Mg2 content on the wear and mechanical properties of the composites were also investigated. The results show that as the A13Mg2 content increases to higher levels, the hardness, compressive strength, and wear resistance of the nanocomposites increase significantly, whereas the relative density and ductility decrease. Scanning electron microscopy （SEM） analysis of worn surfaces reveals that a transition in wear mechanisms occurs from delamination to abrasive wear by the addition of A13Mg2 nanoparticles to the matrix.

Diffusion behavior of Nb element in high Nb containing TiAl Alloys by reactive hot pressing

Diffusion behavior of Nb in elemental powder metallurgy high Nb containing TiAl alloys was investigated. The results show that Nb element dissolves into the matrix by diffusion. Pore nests are formed in situ after Nb diffusion. With the increase in hot pressing temperature, the diffusion of Nb will be more sufficient, and the microstructure is more homogeneous. Nb element diffuses completely at 1400℃. Meanwhile, compression deformation and agglomeration phenomena of pores are observed in some pore nests. Hot isostatic pressing （HIP） treatment can only efficiently decrease but not eliminate porosity completely.

Influence of hot isostatic pressing on microstructure,properties and deformability of selective laser melting TC4 alloy

The influence of different hot isostatic pressing regimes on microstructure,phase constitution,microhardness,tensile properties and deformability of TC4 alloy fabricated by selective laser melting(SLM)technology was studied.The results show that the microstructure of SLM TC4 alloy is composed of acicular martensiteα’phase,and the sample exhibits high microhardness and strength,but low plasticity.After hot isostatic pressing,acicular martensiteα’phase transforms intoα+βphase,and with the increase of hot isostatic pressing temperature and duration,αphase with coarse lath is gradually refined,and the proportion ofαphase is gradually reduced.Because of the change of phase constitution in SLM TC4 alloy after hot isostatic pressing,the grain refinement strengthening is weakened,the density of dislocation is reduced,so that both microhardness and tensile strength are decreased by around 20%,the elongation is increased by more than about 70%,even over 100%,compared with as-deposited TC4 alloy.When the hot isostatic pressing regime is 940°C/3 h/150 MPa,the tensile strength and the elongation achieve optimal match,which are about890 MPa and around 14.0%in both directions.The fracture mechanism of alloy after 940 oC/3 h/150 MPa HIP is dultile fracture.Hot isostatic pressing causes concave deformation of SLM TC4 alloy thin-walled frames,and the deformation degree increases with the increase of temperature.

Fabrication of Ni_3Al by hot pressing from element powders

Ni3Al intermetaUic was synthesized by hot pressing from element powders of nickel, aluminum, and boron. The influences of parameters on the properties of Ni3Al were investigated. The parameters include the particle size of nickel powder, adding or without boron powder, hot pressing temperature, etc. The properties include the density of hot-pressed samples, resultant redo of Ni3A1 phase, and bending strength. The microstructures of hot-pressed samples were investigated by X-ray diffraction and scan electronic microscopy, and the properties, such as density and bending strength, were also measured. The results show that a higher bending strength was obtained under the same hot pressing conditions by the fine nickel powder than the coarse one, and there is little difference about density. Boron powder added in this process accelerates the formation of Ni3Al and markedly increases the hot pressed density. In the temperature range of this study, the density increases along with the hot pressing temperature. Full dense Ni3Al samples were obtained under the condition of 860℃, 10 min, 45 MPa from Ni-22.89A1-0.5B powder.

Effects of hot pressing on electric performances of Bi_(0.5)Sb_(1.5)Te_(3)

The effects of hot pressing on electric performance and mechanical strength of Bi_(0.5)Sb_(1.5)Te_(3) thermoelectric material prepared through vacuum melting and milling were studied.The phase constituent and microstructure were analyzed by X-ray Diffraction and cold field emission Scanning Electric Microscope.Aeolotropisms of the material on microstructure and electric performances are approved.With the rise of hot pressing temperature(from 300-500℃)and pressure(30-70 MPa),electric conductivity and power factor are improved.Moreover,Bi_(0.5)Sb_(1.5)Te_(3) material can gain ideal thermoelectric performances and increased mechanical strength by hot pressing.

Comparative study of β-Si_3N_4 powders prepared by SHS sintered by spark plasma sintering and hot pressing

β-Si3N4 powders prepared by self-propagating high-temperature synthesis （SHS） with additions of Y2O3 and Al2O3 were sintered by spark plasma sintering （SPS）. The densification, microstructure, and mechanical properties of Si3N4 ceramics prepared using this method were compared with those obtained by hot pressing process. Well densified Si3N4 ceramics with finer and homogeneous microstructure and better mechanical properties were obtained in the case of the SPS technique at 200°C lower than that of hot pressing. The microhardness is 15.72 GPa, the bending strength is 716.46 MPa, and the fracture toughness is 7.03 MPa·m1/2.