Effect of Rare Earth on Microstructure of Vacuum Melting Ni-Based Self-Fluxing Alloy Coatings

The Ni-based self-fluxing alloy coating containing RE was acquired by the technique of vacuum melting on the hypoeutectoid steel (Fe-0.45%C) matrix. By X-ray diffraction, SEM and EDX, the microstructure and phase structure of section of coating and the microstructure near the interface between coating and matrix were investigated, and the effect of RE on microstructure of coating was also discussed. The results show that the microstructure of the NiCrBSi alloy coating is composed of Ni-based solid solution and a lot of massive, globular and needle secondary phases CrB, Ni_3B, Cr_7C_3, Cr_(23)C_6 among the solid solution. The metallurgical binding between steel matrix and coating is realized. RE makes needle phase of alloy coating vanish. New phases of NiB and Cr_(6.5)Ni_(2.5)Si are precipitated from alloy coating, and secondary phases of alloy coating are sphericized. Consequently, RE also hinders the diffusion of Ni, Cr and Si atoms from coating to matrix and Fe atoms from matrix to coating, holds back the dilution of Fe for NiCrBSi alloy coating, and assures the chemical composition of the alloy coating.

Research progress of laser cladding self-fluxing alloy coatings on titanium alloys

Laser cladding is a new surface modification technology, and is widely used for fabricating wear and corrosion resistant composites coatings. Self-fluxing alloys have many advantages, such as excellent properties of deoxidizing and slagging, high wear resistance, low melting point and easy cladding, and are often used in laser cladding to improve wear and corrosion resistance of titanium and its alloys. In this paper, the recent development of Ni-based and Co-based self-fluxing alloy coatings which includes the influenee of rare earth and ceramic particles in coatings are summarized. Besides, the effects of processing parameters, such as laser power and scanning speed, on coatings are reviewed. Finally, the trend of development in the future is forecasted.

Microstructure,properties and first principles calculation of titanium alloy/steel by Nd: YAG laser self-fluxing welding

The experiment of Nd： YAG pulsed laser self-fluxing welding for 304 stainless steel/Ti6Al4V titanium alloy dissimilar metal was carried out. The microstructure properties of welded joint were analyzed by SEM, EDS and XRD. The equilibrium lattice constants, enthalpies of formation, cohesive energies, mechanical properties, Debye temperatures and valence electron structures of Ti-Fe intermetallic compounds （IMCs） were calculated by the first principle pseudopotential plane wave method based on density functional theory （DFT）. According to the thermodynamic data of Ti-Fe-Cr compounds, the Gibbs free energy per mole of compound at different temperatures was calculated and their thermal stability was compared. The results show that there are no macroscopic cracks in the welded joints, and the IMCs distributed evenly along the welding interface exhibits 3 distinct layers of microstructure with different colors. The welds interface generates IMCs of TiFe, TiFe 2 and a small amount of Ti 5Cr 7Fe 17 IMCs. Ti-Fe IMCs with high thermodynamic stability and easy alloying formation. The results of Gibbs free energies show that the sequence of precipitates in the interface is Ti 5Cr 7Fe 17 , TiFe 2 and TiFe in high temperature during the metallurgical reaction. The G/B values of Ti-Fe IMCs are greater than the critical value of 0.5, indicating that it is an intrinsic brittleness.

Signal Detection of Carbon in Iron-Based Alloy by Double-Pulse Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy

Although single-pulse lasers are often used in traditional laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy （LIBS） measurements, their measurement outcomes are generally undesirable because of the low sensitivity of carbon in iron-based alloys. In this article, a double-pulse laser was applied to improve the signal intensity of carbon. Both the inter-pulse delay and the combination of laser wavelengths in double-pulse laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy （DP-LIBS） were optimized in our experiment. At the optimized inter-pulse delay, the combination of a first laser of 532 nm and a second laser of 1,064 nm achieved the highest signal enhancement. The properties of the target also played a role in determining the mass ablation enhancement in DP-LIBS configuration.

Fabrication of Iron-base Alloy by Spark Plasma Sintering

Fe-2Cu-2Ni-1Mo-0.8C （wt pct） elemental mixed powders were rapidly sintered within 6 min by spark plasma sintering, and the effects of sintering parameters on the densification degree and performance of the assintered materials were investigated. Results showed that when a proper combination of pulse electric current and constant electric current was employed for sintering, the density and bend strength of the as-sintered material reached the maxima, being 7.61×10^3 kg/m^3 and 1540 MPa, respectively. Its corresponding fracture morphology was characterized as the mix of ductile, intergranular and cleavage fractures.

Effect of ball milling time on microstructures and mechanical properties of mechanically-alloyed iron-based materials

The microstructures and mechanical properties of an iron-based alloy (Fe-13Cr-3W-0.4Ti-0.25Y-0.30O) prepared by mechanical alloying were investigated with scanning electron microscope,optical microscope,X-ray diffractometer and hardness tester.The results show that the particle size does not decrease with milling time because serious welding occurs at 144 h.The density of the alloy sintered at 1 523 K is affected by the particle size of the powder.Finer particles lead to a high sintered density,while the bulk density by using particles milled for 144 h is as low as 70%.In the microstructures of the annealed alloy,large elongated particles and fine equiaxed grains can be detected.The elongated particle zone has a higher microhardness than the equiaxed grain area in the annealed alloys due to the larger residual strain and higher density of the precipitated phase.

Corrosion properties of high silicon iron-based alloys in nitric acid

The effect of copper and rare-earth elements on corrosion behavior of high silicon iron-based alloys in nitric acid was studied by means of static and loading current corrosion experiments.The anodic polarization curve was also made to discuss the corrosion mechanism.The examination on alloy microstructure and SEM corrosion pattern showed that when silicon content reached 14.5%,the Fe3Si phase appeared and the primary structure of the iron-base alloy was ferrite.When adding 4.57% copper in the iron alloy,its corrosion resistance in static diluted sulfuric acid was improved while its corrosion resistance and electrochemical corrosion properties in the nitric acid were decreased.In contrast,the addition of rare earth elements could improve the corrosion properties in all above conditions including in static diluted sulfuric acid and in nitric acid.

Microstructure of Ni-Based Self-Fluxing Alloy Sprayed Coating

The microstructure of a Ni-based self-fluxing alloy coating produced by an oxygen-acetylene flame spraying Ni-16.5Cr-3.3B-4.7Si-4.4Fe-0.8C system alloy powder onto a common steel substrate was investigated by microanalysis methods.The phases in the coating were observed by SEM and determined by XEDS X-Ray energy spectrum and X-Ray diffraction patterns.Meanwhile,some molecular formulas were calculated.

A Comparative Study on the Microstructures and Mechanical Properties of Two Kinds of Iron-Based Alloys by WAAM

In order to adapt to the high temperature and heavy load process environment of large forgings,a novel die with"fist-like"structure is designed.The“fist-like”die mainly consists of“skin”layer,“bone”layer and matrix.To obtain the material with good supportability and good bonding strength with the“skin”layer,iron-based alloys RMD248 and CN72 were selected to make the"bone"layer,and the properties were compared.In this paper,the"bone"layer and the"skin"layer(CHN327)were surfaced on 5CrNiMo matrix by wire arc additive manufacture(WAAM).Then,cyclic heating to 500℃and thermal compression with a maximum deformation of 30%were adapted to test the high temperature mechanical properties.The microstructure changes before and after thermal cycles and compressions were observed by optical microscopy(OM),X-ray diffraction(XRD),energy dispersive spectrometer(EDS)and scanning electron microscopy(SEM).The results show that CN72 has more carbides than RMD248 at the joint surface,which makes it easy to form brittle fracture at the joint.Mechanical properties were tested by using microhardness machine.Meanwhile,hot tensile tests were performed to study bonding strength between the“skin”layer and the“bone”layer.The results show that the RMD248 has stable microhardness distribution while the microhardness of CN72 decreases with the distance from the interface.And the ultimate tensile strength between CN72 and CHN327 is higher than RMD248 in the temperature range of 400-450℃.It can be inferred that CN72 has higher inter-layer wear resistance and RMD248 has more stable high temperature performance.

Properties and Application of Iron-based Shape Memory Alloy

The properties of FeMnSiCrNi shape memory alloy were investigated. The results show that the best shape memory effect of Fe14Mn6Si9Cr5Ni alloy is 85%. The transformation amount of the ε→γ transformation is not complete after heating the alloy to 1000 K, As and Af points drop with increased transformation enthalpy (ΔH γ→ε ) by thermal cycling and increased prestrain. The alloy shows also good creep and stress relaxation resistance. In addition, the alloy having a tensile force of 20 kN and a sealing pressure of 6 MPa can satisfy requirements for possible industrial application on pipe joints.

Glass formation for iron-based alloys by combining kinetic and thermodynamic parameters

The glass formation was intensively studied for Fe-based alloys. Parameters defining kinetics and thermodynamic behavior of crystallization were calculated using calorimetric measurements and physical properties of constituent elements. It is found that the critical cooling rate Rc estimated by combining kinetic and thermodynamic parameters highly correlates with measured Rc found in literatures with correlation coefficient R2=0.944, and alloy compositions with high melting enthalpy AHm can easily form glass even without high undercooling and high value of the ,β-parameter of Tumbull＇s theory, revealing that the glass formation in this group of alloys is mostly controlled by growth limitation. This combination of kinetic and thermodynamic parameters can be used to determine alloy composition with good glass forming ability in Fe-based alloys just using physical properties of alloying elements and calorimetric measurements.

Effect of niobium on glass-formation ability and soft magnetic properties of Gd-doping glassy alloys

The effect of niobium on glass-formation ability and soft magnetic properties were studied in Fe-Gd-B glassy alloys. The glassy alloys exhibited high glass-formation ability when the element of Nb was added. Bulk glassy rod （Fe0.87Co0.13）68.5Gd3.5Nb3B25 with a diameter up to 3 mm was produced by copper mold casting. The size of the atom might play an important role in increasing glass-formation ability. The coercive force of glassy （Fe0.87Co0.13）71.5.xGd3.sNbxB25 （x=1.2, 1.5, 2, 2.5, 3, 4） alloys decreased after the addition of niobium element and was in the range of 1.5-2.9 A/m. The permeability spectrum of （Fe0.87Co0.13）70.3Gd3.5Nb1.5B25 glassy ribbon showed that the relaxation frequency （f0） was 6.1 MHz.

Microstructure and bonding strength of Ni-based alloy coating

A Ni-Cr-B-Si coating technique was developed and successfully applied on austenite grey iron substrate in a conventional resistance furnace under graphite powder protection. The microstructure, phase distribution, chemical composition profile and microhardness along the coating layer depth were investigated. Shear strength of the coating was also tested. Microanalysis shows that the coating is consist of γ-Ni solution and γ-Ni+Ni3B lamellar eutectic, as well as small amount of Cr5B3 particles. Diffusion induced metallurgical bonding occurs at the coating/substrate interfaces, and the higher the temperature, the more sufficient elements diffused, the broader interfusion region and the larger bonding strength, but it has an optimum value. And the bonding strength at the interface can be enable to reach 250-270 MPa, which is nearly the same as that of processed by flame spray. The microhardness along the coating layer depth shows a gradient distribution manner.

Surface processing for iron-based degradable alloys:A preliminary study on the importance of acid pickling

The formation of a heterogeneous oxidized layer,also called scale,on metallic surfaces is widely recognized as a rapid manufacturing event for metals and their alloys.Partial or total removal of the scale represents a mandatory integrated step for the industrial fabrication processes of medical devices.For biodegradable metals,acid pickling has already been reported as a preliminary surface preparation given further processes,such as electropolishing.Unfortunately,biodegradable medical prototypes presented discrepancies concerning acid pickling studies based on samples with less complex geometry(e.g.,non-uniform scale removal and rougher surface).Indeed,this translational knowledge lacks a detailed investigation on this process,deep characterization of treated surfaces properties,as well as a comprehensive discussion of the involved mechanisms.In this study,the effects of different acidic media(HCl,HNO_(3),H_(3)PO_(4),CH_(3)COOH,H_(2)SO_(4) and HF),maintained at different temperatures(21 and 60℃)for various exposition time(15-240 s),on the chemical composition and surface properties of a Fe-13Mn-1.2C biodegradable alloy were investigated.Changes in mass loss,morphology and wettability evidenced the combined effect of temperature and time for all conditions.Pickling in HCl and HF solutions favor mass loss(0.03-0.1 g/cm^(2))and effectively remove the initial scale.

Optimization of shearer sliding boots by plasma cladding with Cr_4MnTi

Severe production conditions in coal mines cause damage and failure problems with the oriented sliding boots of the mechanical shearer. Wear has been an especially vexing problem. Plasma cladding methods were used to study optimized sliding boot design. By cladding the substrate steel the surface may be made of a material more resistant to wear. The iron based alloy Cr4MnTi was coated onto a modified 45 steel matrix material in these tests. The results show that the alloy cladding layer is high strength, has high hardness, and is highly resistant to wear. After hardening and tempering, 45 steel substrate has great tenacity so the combined structure meets the performance requirements for the construction of shearer sliding boots.

Constraint Cooling of Hot Rolled Coil

Amorphous ribbons of Fe 74Al 4Sn 2(PSiB) 20 alloy have been synthesized by melt spinning and axial design method. The thermal properties of the amorphous ribbons have been measured by differential scanning calorimeter (DSC). The DSC results show that the Fe 74Al 4Sn 2P 12Si 4B 4 amorphous alloy has relatively wider supercooled liquid region with a temperature interval of 40 38 K (ΔT x=T x-T g). The alloys with a higher phosphorous content in the metalloid element composition triangle of Fe 74Al 4Sn 2(PSiB) 20 have high glass forming ability. The amorphous alloys also show good magnetic properties in which Fe 74Al 4Sn 2P 6 67Si 6 67B 6 67 alloy has a large maximum permeability (μ m), Fe 78Al 4Sn 2P 3Si 3B 10 alloy exhibits a high square ratio (B r/B 10) and Fe 74Al 4Sn 2P 4Si 12B 4 shows a low core loss (P 0 5/1 3T). High glass forming ability and good magnetic properties make Fe 74Al 4Sn 2(PSiB) 20 amorphous alloys valuable in future research.

Achieving strength-ductility synergy in novel paramagnetic Fe-based medium-entropy alloys through deep cryogenic deformation

Cryogenic pre-deformation treatment has been widely used to effectively improve the comprehensive mechanical properties of steels and novel metals.However,the dislocation evolution and phase transformation induced by different degrees of deep cryogenic deformation are not yet fully elucidated.In this study,the effects of multiple cryogenic pre-treatments on the mechanical properties and deformation mechanisms of a paramagnetic Fe_(63.3)Mn_(14-)Si_(9.1)Cr_(9.8)C_(3.8)medium-entropy alloy(MEA)were investigated,leading to the discovery of a pretreated MEA that exhibits exceptional mechanical properties,including a fracture strength of 3.0 GPa,plastic strain of 26.1%and work-hardening index of 0.57.In addition,X-ray diffraction(XRD)and transmission electron microscopy(TEM)analyses revealed that multiple cryogenic pre-deformation treatments significantly increased the dislocation density of the MEA(from 9×10^(15)to 4×10^(16)m^(-2)after three pretreatments),along with a transition in the dislocation type from predominantly edge dislocations to mixed dislocations(including screw-and edge-type dislocations).Notably,this pretreated MEA retained its paramagnetic properties(μ_(r)<1.0200)even after fracture.Thermodynamic calculations showed that cryogenic pretreatment can significantly reduce the stacking fault energy of the MEA by a factor of approximately four(i.e.,from 9.7 to2.6 m J·m^(-2)),thereby activating the synergistic effects of transformation-induced plasticity,twinning-induced plasticity and dislocation strengthening mechanisms.These synergistic effects lead to simultaneous strength and ductility enhancement of the MEA.

Microstructures and soft magnetic properties of Fe_(73.5)Cu_(1)Nb_(3-x)Si_(13.5)B_(9)Yx(x=0-1.5)alloys

Based on composition of Finemet alloy,structures and soft magnetic properties of Fe_(73.5)Cu_(1)Nb_(3-x)Si_(13.5)B_(9)Yx(x=0,0.5,1.0,1.5)alloys formed by replacing Nb(niobium)by Y(yttrium)were studied in this paper.The research results show that when x=0 or 0.5,rapidly solidified as-cast alloy is Fe amorphous single-phase structure,and Y atoms are dispersed in matrix;when x=1.0 or 1.5,crystalline phase precipitates.Fe_(73.5)Cu_(1)Nb_(3-x)Si_(13.5)B_(9)Yx(x=0,0.5,1.0,1.5)alloys begin to precipitateα-Fe(Si)solid solution phase after crystallization annealing above 480℃,when x=0.5,grain size is 12.6 nm,which shows that Y can replace Nb in small amount and refine grain size.Fe_(73.5)Cu_(1)Nb_(2.5)Si_(13.5)B_(9)Y_(0.5)alloy has excellent soft magnetic properties:μm value is 813.1×10^(3),which is 36%higher than that of Finemet alloy;μi value is 154.6×10^(3),close to that of Finemet alloy,and BS and Hc values are 1.24 T and 0.56 A/m,respectively,better than those of Finemet alloy.In addition,Fe_(73.5)Cu_(1)Nb_(2.5)Si_(13.5)B_(9)Y_(0.5)alloy has excellent soft magnetic properties at high temperature,μe value only reduces by 8.8%at 1 kHz with ambient temperature increased from 30 to150℃,andμe value is 128.02×10^(3)in 150℃,which is 15.74%higher than that of Finemet alloy.

First-principle study on the segregation and strengthening behavior of solute elements at grain boundary in BCC iron

Grain boundary(GB)significantly influences the mechanical properties of metal structural materials,yet the effect of solutes on GB modification and the underlying atomic mechanisms of solute segregation and strengthening in iron-based alloys remain insufficiently explored.To address this research gap,we conducted a comprehensive investigation into the segregation and strengthening effect of 33 commonly occurring solutes in iron-based alloys,with a specific focus on the body-centered cubic(BCC)iron5(310)GB,utilizing first-principle calculations.Our findings reveal a negative linear correlation between solute segregation energy and atomic radius,highlighting the crucial role of atomic radius and electronic structure in determining GB strength.Moreover,through analyzing the relationship between strengthening energy and segregation energy,it was found that the elements Ni,Co,Ti,V,Mn,Nb,Cr,Mo,W,and Re are significant enhancers of GB strength upon segregation.This study aims to provide theoretical guidance for selecting optimal doping elements in BCC iron-based alloys.