Preparation of semi-solid 7075 aluminum alloy slurry by serpentine pouring channel

The semi-solid slurry of 7075 aluminum alloy was prepared by a serpentine pouring channel （SCP）. Influences of pouring temperature and the number of turns on the microstructure of semi-solid 7075 alloy slurry were investigated. The results demonstrated that the semi-solid 7075 aluminum alloy slurry with satisfied quality could be generated by a serpentine pouring channel when the pouring temperature was in the range of 680-700 ℃. At a given pouring temperature, the equivalent size of the primaryα（Al） grains decreased and the shape factor increased with the increase of the number of turns. During the slurry preparation of semi-solid 7075 aluminum alloy, the flow direction of alloy melt changed many times when it flowed in a curved and closed serpentine channel. With the effect of“stirring”in it , the primary nuclei gradually evolved into spherical and near-spherical grains.

Microstructure evolution of semi-solid 7075 Al alloy slurry during temperature homogenization treatment

Semi-solid 7075 Al slurry was prepared by inverted cone-shaped pouring channel process （ICSPC） and temperature homogenization （TH） treatment was combined to make the slurry uniform and have a controllable solid fraction suitable for the follow-up rheocasting. The influence of cooling rate on the microstructure evolution of primary α（Al） during TH treatment was investigated. The results show that as the cooling rate of the slurry after being prepared reduces, the growth of primaryα（Al） in the slurry tends to be nearly spherical and the uniformity of the organization is also enhanced. This may be due to the fact that lower cooling rate plays an important role in achieving the uniformity of temperature and composition in the remaining liquid, which is crucial to the formation of the spherical and homogeneous microstructure. However, a too low cooling rate will lead to a significant increase in grain growth time, which makes too coarse grains and more particles coalesce, so a certain abnormal growth of grain appears and the shape factor decreases slightly.

Simulation on deposition and solidification processes of 7075 Al alloy droplets in 3D printing technology

In order to study the successive deposition and solidification processes of uniform alloy droplets during the drop-on-demand three dimensional（3D） printing method,based on the volume of fluid（VOF） method,a 3D numerical model was employed.In this model,the 7075 alloy with larger temperature range for phase change was used.The simulation results show that the successive deposition and solidification processes of uniform 7075 alloy droplets can be well characterized by this model.Simulated droplets shapes agree well with SEM images under the same condition.The effects of deposition and solidification of droplets result in vertical and L-shaped ridges on the surface of droplets,and tips of dendrites appear near the overlap of droplets due to rapid solidification.

REHEATING TEMPERATURE CONTRAST AND MICROSTRUCTURES OF 7075 Al ALLOY CAST BY LIQUIDUS SEMI-CONTINUOUS CASTING

In this study, reheating of liquidus semi-continuous cast billets of 7075 Al alloy was carried out in a resistance furnace, and the temperature contrast of the outer and the center of the reheated billets was investigated, then the reheating microstructures were investigated. Results show that: the difference of temperature between the outer and center is small and the difference of their microstructures are also small. During reheating at 576℃ the spheroidization of grains is significant after 5min and no rosettes are visible after 20min by optical microscopy. Similar observations were madeon materials reheated at 596℃, but the ripening process is faster. The grains growup to 30-60μm, fine enough for thixoforming.

Evolution of second phases and mechanical properties of 7075 Al alloy processed by solution heat treatment

The effects of solution treatment on the evolution of the second phases and mechanical properties of7075Al alloy werestudied with scanning electron microscopy(SEM),energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry(EDS),differential scanning calorimetry(DSC),hardness and tensile tests.The results show that Mg(Zn,Cu,Al)2phases gradually dissolve into the matrix,yet the size andmorphology of Al7Cu2Fe phase exhibit no change with the increase of the solution treatment temperature and time due to its highmelting point.When the solution treatment temperature and time continue to increase,the formation of coarse black Mg2Si particlesoccurs.Compared to the as-cast alloy,the microhardness,tensile strength,and elongation of the sample under solution heat treatmentat460°C for5h are increased by55.1%,40.9%and109.1%,respectively.This is because the eutectic Mg(Zn,Cu,Al)2phases almostcompletely dissolve and basically no coarse black Mg2Si particles are formed.

Effects of rheoforming on microstructures and mechanical properties of 7075 wrought aluminum alloy

It is economically advantageous to cast wrought aluminum alloys directly into near-net-shape components.The objective of the present work is to take advantage of the rheoforming with 7075 alloy to improve the competitiveness of this emerging technology in the manufacture of wrought aluminum alloy.High quality semi-solid slurry was produced,in which primary α(Al) presents in diameter of 62 μm and shape factor of 0.78 and features no eutectics entrapped.Higher forming pressure results in small grain size,improved shape factor and higher density.Especially,rheoforming can effectively reduce the occurrence of hot tearing.The average yield strength and elongation of the rheoformed samples in the T6 condition are 483 MPa and 8%,respectively.

Microstructure characteristics and mechanical properties of rheocasting 7075 aluminum alloy

The microstructure characteristics and mechanical properties of 7075 aluminum alloy produced by a new rheoforming technique,under as-cast and optimized heat treatment conditions,were investigated.The present rheoforming combined the innovatively developed rheocasting process,named as ICSPC(inverted coneshaped pouring channel)process,and the existing HPDC(high pressure die casting)process.The experimental results show that the ICSPC can be used to prepare high quality semi-solid slurry for the subsequent die casting.Compared with conventional HPDC process,the ICSPC process can improve the microstructures and mechanical properties of the cast tensile samples.An optimized heat treatment results in significant improvement in ultimate tensile strength.However,the ductility of the samples,both under as-cast and optimized heat treatment conditions,are relatively poor.

Diffusion bonding of Al 7075 and Mg AZ31 alloys:Process parameters, microstructural analysis and mechanical properties

Al 7075 and Mg AZ31 alloys were joined by diffusion bonding method. Joining process was performed in pressure range of 10-35 MPa at temperatures of 430-450 ℃ for 60 min under a vacuum of 13.3 MPa. The microstructure evaluation, phase analysis and distribution of elements at the interface were done using scanning electron microscopy （SEM）, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy （EDS） and X-ray diffraction （XRD）. The pressure of 25 MPa was determined as the optimum pressure in which the minimum amount of plastic deformation takes place at the joint. Different reaction layers containing intermetallic compounds, such as Al12Mg17, Al3Mg2 andα（Al） solid solution, were observed, in interfacial transition zone （ITZ）. Thickness of layers was increased with increasing the operating temperature. According to the results, diffusion of aluminum atoms into magnesium alloy was more and the interface movement towards the Al alloy was observed. The maximum bond strength of 38 MPa was achieved at the temperature of 440 ℃ and pressure of 25 MPa. Fractography studies indicated that the brittle fracture originated from Al3Mg2 phase.

Effect of electromagnetic interaction on microstructure and corrosion resistance of 7075 aluminium alloy during modified indirect electric arc welding process

The effects of applying an electromagnetic interaction of low intensity (EMILI) on the microstructure and corrosion resistance of 7075-T651 Al alloy plates (13 mm in thickness) during modified indirect electric arc (MIEA) welding were investigated. The welding process was conducted in a single pass with a heat input of ~1.5 kJ/mm. The microstructural observations of the welds were correlated with the effect of EMILI on the local mechanical properties and the corrosion resistance in natural seawater by means of microhardness measurements and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, respectively. Microstructural characterization of the welds revealed a grain refinement in the weld metal due to the electromagnetic stirring induced by EMILI of 3 mT during welding. In addition, observations in the scanning electron microscope showed that the precipitation of Cu-rich phases and segregation of eutectics were reduced in the heat affected zone (HAZ) also as an effect of EMILI. The high corrosion dissolution of the 7075-T651 welds in natural seawater and the extent of overaging in the HAZ were reduced when welding with EMILI of 3 mT. Thus, EMILI along with the MIEA technique may lead to welded joints with better microstructural characteristics, improved mechanical properties in the HAZ and reduced electrochemical activity.

Comparative study on microstructure and electrochemical corrosion resistance of Al7075 alloy prepared by laser additive manufacturing and forging technology

Al7075 alloy is a typical aviation aluminum with good mechanical properties and anodic oxidation effect.Laser engineered net shaping technology has unique advantages in the integrated forming of high-performance large aircraft structural parts.The manufacturing of 7075 aluminum alloy structural parts by laser engineered net shaping technology has become an important development direction in the future aerospace field.Electrochemical corrosion resistance of aluminum alloys is of vital importance to improve reliability and life-span of lightweight components.A comparative study on microstructure and anti-corrosion performance of Al7075 alloy prepared by laser additive manufacturing and forging technology was conducted.There are hole defects in LENS-fabricated Al7075 alloy with uniformly distributedηphase.No defects are observed in Al7075 forgings.The large S phase particles and small ellipsoidalηphase particles are found in Al matrix.The corrosion mechanisms were revealed according to the analysis of polarization curves and corrosion morphology.It was found that compared with that prepared by forgings,the additive manufactured samples have lower corrosion tendency and higher corrosion rate.Corrosion occurred preferentially at the hole defects.The incomplete passivation film at the defects leads to the formation of a local cell composed of the internal Al,corrosion solution and the surrounding passive film,which further aggravates the corrosion.

Fatigue properties of temperature gradient transient liquid phase diffusion bonded Al7075-T6 alloy

Fatigue properties of Al7075-T6 alloy joined by temperature gradient transient liquid phase(TGTLP) diffusion bonding using liquid gallium interlayer was investigated. The fatigue specimen was jointed at 460 °C under 10 MPa pressure for 10 min. The TLP bonded samples were homogenized at 465 °C for 2 h and then T6-heat treated. The fatigue life of Al7075-T6 alloy was determined as 107 cycles under 90 MPa while the fatigue life of TLP bonded sample under this stress amplitude was 1.2×106 cycles, which is about 10% of the total Al7075 alloy fatigue life. The fatigue fracture surfaces of Al7075 sample and TGTLP bonded sample were studied using scanning electron microscope to characterize the nucleation sites and crack growth stages in both samples.

Friction stir processing of 7075 Al alloy and subsequent aging treatment

The effect of temperatures and time of post-process aging on the microstructure,mechanical properties and wear behavior of friction stir processed 7075 Al alloy was investigated,using optical microscopy（OM）,scanning electron microscopy（SEM）,transmission electron microscopy（TEM） and Vickers microhardness tester.The results indicate that homogeneous,equiaxed and fine recrystallized microstructure is obtained with the grain size of 4-5 μm.The hardness value increases up to 30% and 80% in the stir zone and the base material,respectively.Based on the TEM observations,it is concluded that the improved properties following the duplex friction stir-aging process can be attributed to the very fine precipitates.Comparing the single and double aging conditions,the hardness of single aging sample is higher than that of double aging one which can be attributed to the high fraction of very fine spheroidal precipitate in single aging sample.The wear rate is reduced by the aging of Al alloy and a more decrease is achieved after the aging of FSPed sample.

The Stretch, Limit and Path Forward for Particle Reinforced Metal Matrix Composites of 7075 Al-Alloys

Al-based metal matrix composites [MMCs] have been the research interest of a wide spectrum of material scientists throughout the world for some over two decades now. The present paper has chosen one alloy system namely the 7xxx series and from an extensive literature review concluded that since the beginning of the new millennium nothing note worthy has been added to the knowledge already gained in the last quarter of the last century except confirm the earlier findings that MMCs if properly fabricated by choosing the processing route and with appropriate size and volume fraction of dispersoids can improve most of the mechanical, corrosion and wear resistant properties of the base alloy. The author’s own research activities using this alloy system for making MMCs that include attempts to improve upon the properties by making composites, ageing and also secondary processing have been included. An attempt has been made to establish the stretch to which improvement is possible in the alloy system by making composites and trying all other routes known for meaningful improvement in properties. Further, the way forward for such particulate composites has been drawn to realise the material scientists’ dream of seeing such MMCs as engineering components. For this, the areas which now need research include mass production of composites, focus on its machining, joining, processing as also reduction in the size of dispersoids are some of the areas that have been identified and discussed in the paper.

轧制温度对7075铝合金组织演变及力学性能影响

铝合金作为非钢质结构材料,在地质勘探、石油开采和科学钻探等领域的深井钻探中得到广泛应用。随着大陆及海洋深部油气钻探需求日益增加,对钻探装备和工具的综合性能提出了更高的要求。高强度铝合金以高比强度、低刚度和高耐腐蚀性能等显著优点,已在大位移井、定向井和超深井钻探中得到广泛应用。然而,目前对钻杆用7075超硬铝合金的热加工性能缺乏系统研究。为解决该问题,对7075铝合金在不同轧制温度下的组织演变和力学性能进行了系统地分析和研究。通过光学显微镜和X射线对合金晶粒尺寸和第二相的分布情况进行了观察分析,利用万能试验机对合金的抗拉强度和断裂延伸率等力学性能进行了研究。结果表明,随着轧制温度的升高,7075铝合金的组织和力学性能均会发生显著变化。在轧制温度250—350℃范围内,7075铝合金晶粒尺寸先增大后减小,晶粒当量直径平均值从215 μm增加至257 μm,后又减小至220 μm;当轧制温度为400℃时,合金的晶界组织不明显,原始粗大晶界逐步消失,出现了细小球状晶粒且当量直径平均值减小至47 μm。抗拉强度结果表明,随着轧制加工温度从250℃升高到400℃时,7075铝合金的抗拉强度变化的趋势为先减小后增大。当轧制温度为350℃时抗拉强度达到最低值521 MPa,当轧制温度为400℃时抗拉强度达到最大值570 MPa。此外,高的轧制温度(400℃)能显著增强7075铝合金的强度和塑性。拉伸断口的SEM图像显示,轧制温度400℃时,7075铝合金样品的断裂方式从偏脆性断裂变为偏韧性断裂。因此,轧制温度400℃被认为是7075铝合金适宜的热轧加工温度。本研究为不同轧制温度对轻质高强7075铝合金的力学性能影响规律提供了理论支撑。

半连续铸造制备7075／6009铝合金梯度复合材料

采用双流浇注半连续铸造技术制备了7075/6009铝合金梯度复合材料。分析了合金内层、过渡层、外层的宏观和微观组织形态以及成分分布,并测量了铸件径向的洛氏硬度。结果表明,通过合理控制铸造参数,可以获得具有成分梯度和硬度梯度分布的7075/6009复合材料;梯度复合材料在凝固过程中,内、外合金熔体以紊流复合;过渡复合层的宽度主要受到内、外熔体的浇注温度、节流片孔径大小以及内导管插入结晶器深度的影响。

内熔体浇口位置对7075／6009合金铸锭成分和内层组织的影响

为了控制梯度复合铸锭横截面上的内层组织分布,通过改变内熔体浇口在结晶器中心线上的不同位置,采用双流浇注半连续铸造技术制备内层合金宽度不同的7075/6009梯度复合铸锭,分析不同内层合金宽度的铸锭横截面上的宏观组织、硬度分布及其微观组织的二次枝晶间距,探讨内熔体浇口位置对双流浇注半连续铸造技术的内熔体形成液穴的影响。结果表明:随着内熔体浇口探入结晶器深度的加大,铸锭横截面的内层合金组织的宽度逐渐加大,洛氏硬度始降点逐渐外移,铸锭横截面的Zn含量始降点也逐渐外移,半径为10mm处的二次枝晶间距逐渐缩小。

高温退火对梯度复合7075/6009铝合金过渡区的影响

采用双流浇注连续铸造的方法制备了φ65mm的7075/6009梯度复合铝合金铸锭,分析了高温退火对铸锭的过渡区组织特征的影响。结果表明,不同铸造工艺参数下的复合材料铸锭存在3种典型过渡区特征:窄过渡区(I型)、中过渡区(II型)和宽过渡区(III型);480℃退火24h后,3种复合材料铸锭过渡区的宏观组织和成分分布几乎没有变化,但过渡区的硬度显著降低,平均降幅在20%以上。此外,高温退火有利于消除II型和III型过渡区的硬度波动现象。针对II型和III型过渡区,高温退火后Zn含量在局部出现了明显的均匀化。

Al-5Ti-B及RE对挤压铸造7075铝合金传动空心轴组织和性能的影响

本文采用挤压铸造的方法制备了7075铝合金传动空心轴,研究了Al-5Ti-B及RE对挤压铸造7075铝合金铸件微观组织和力学性能的影响.结果表明:未加入细化剂的合金晶粒大小约为50μm,拉伸强度为454 MPa;加入0.29%RE的合金和1%A1-5Ti-B的合金,晶粒尺寸分别了减小到26μm和25μm,拉伸强度分别提高了16.3%和22.2%;同时加入0.29%RE和1%A1-5Ti-B对合金组织细化最为明显,晶粒尺寸减小到18μm,拉伸强度提高了26.6%,达到575MPa,延伸率为8.16%,布氏硬度为184.

内浇包熔体温度对7075/6009梯度合金组织性能的影响

采用双流浇注连续铸造方法制备了直径为65mm的7075/6009梯度复合铝合金铸件。分析了不同内浇包熔体温度对铸件横截面上的微观组织、成分分布和性能变化的影响。结果表明:内浇包熔体温度显著影响7075/6009合金的组织和性能,当内浇包熔体温度从680℃升高到730℃时,外层合金平均厚度减少约4.0%;当内熔体温度从730℃升高到780℃时,外层合金的平均厚度减少了25.0%。在内层合金和外层合金之间存在一个Zn、Cu含量和硬度连续降低的梯度过渡层,过渡层宽度随内层合金熔体温度的升高而增大,但增幅很小。

粉末热压法制备Al_(63)Cu_(25)Fe_(12)准晶颗粒/7075复合材料

采用粉末热压的方法制备了(Al63Cu25Fe12)p/A7075复合材料,颗粒均匀分布在复合材料中。准晶面清晰,颗粒内部反应轻微,经过挤压后复合材料的基体组织呈现出一定的流向分布。时效后有T(AlZnMgCu)沿着基体α(Al)晶界析出。与非连续陶瓷增强金属基复合材料相比,(Al63Cu25Fe12)p/A7075复合材料的时效行为有两个显著特点:一是复合材料在时效6小时达到硬度峰值,基体时效12小时达到峰值;二是复合材料的硬化速率和峰值均高于基体材料。