The effect of Laves phases and nano-precipitates on the electrochemical corrosion resistance of Mg-Al-Ca alloys under alkaline conditions

The electrochemical corrosion mechanisms of Mg alloys were extensively studied in previous investigations of different chemical com-positions,modified surface states and various electrolyte conditions.However,recent research focused on the active state of Mg dissolution,leading to unresolved effects of secondary phases adjacent to a stableα-solid solution passive layer.The present study investigates the fundamental electrochemical corrosion mechanisms of three different Laves phases with varying phase morphologies and phase fractions in the passive state of Mg-Al-Ca alloys.The microstructure was characterized by(transmission-)electron microscopy and synchrotron-based transmission X-ray microscopy.The electrochemical corrosion resistance was determined with a standard three-electrode setup and advanced in-situ flow cell measurements.A new electrochemical activity sequence(C15>C36>α-Mg>C14)was obtained,as a result of a stable passive layer formation on theα-solid solution.Furthermore,nm-scale Mg-rich precipitates were identified within the Laves phases,which tend to inhibit the corrosion kinetics.

Mechanical properties and electronic structures of MgCu_2, Mg_2Ca and MgZn_2 Laves phases by first principles calculations

Mechanical properties and electronic structure of MgCu2, Mg2 Ca and MgZn2 phases were investigated by means of first principles calculations from CASTEP program based on density functional theory（DFT）. The calculated lattice parameters are in good agreement with the experimental and literature values. The calculated heat of formation and cohesive energies showed that MgCu2 has the strongest alloying ability and structural stability. Elastic constants of MgCu2, Mg2 Ca and MgZn2 were calculated, and the bulk moduli, shear moduli, elastic moduli and Poisson ratio were derived. The calculated results show that MgCu2, Mg2 Ca and MgZn2 are all ductile phases. Among the three phases, MgCu2 has the strongest stiffness and the plasticity of MgZn2 phase is the best. Melting points of the three phases were predicted using cohesive energy and elastic constants. Density of states（DOS）, Mulliken population, electron occupation number and charge density difference were discussed. Finally, Debye temperature was calculated and discussed.

Variable precipitation behaviors of Laves phases in an ultralight Mg-Li-Zn alloy

Precipitation habits plays a decisive role in strengthening materials,especially for Mg alloys the non-basal plane precipitation is necessary but very limited.Generally,the precipitates would nucleate and grow up in a specific habit plane owing to the constraint of free-energy minimization of the system.Herein,in an aged ultralight Mg-Li-Zn alloy,we confirmed that the precipitates dominated by C15 Laves structure could form in a variety of habit planes,to generate three forms of strengthening-phases,i.e.,precipitate-rod,precipitate-lath,and precipitate-plate.Among which,the precipitate-plates are on basal plane as usually but precipitate-rods/laths are on non-basal plane,and such non-basal precipitates would transform into the basal(Mg,Li)Zn_(2)Laves structure with prolonged aging.These findings are interesting to understand the precipitation behaviors of multi-domain Laves structures in hexagonal close-packed crystals,and expected to provide a guidance for designing ultralight high-strength Mg-Li based alloys via precipitation hardening on the non-basal planes.

Introduction of a New Method for Regulating Laves Phases in Inconel 718 Superalloy during a Laser-Repairing Process

The morphology,size,and distribution of Laves phases have important influences on the mechanical properties of laser-repaired Inconel 718(IN718)superalloy.Due to the deterioration of the substrate zone,the Laves phase in the laser cladding zone of IN718 superalloy cannot be optimized by a hightemperature solution treatment.In this study,an in situ laser heat-treatment method was proposed to regulate the morphology and size of the Laves phase in the laser cladding zone of IN718 superalloy without impacting the substrate zone.In the in situ laser heat-treatment process,a laser was used to heat previously deposited layers with optimized manufacturing parameters.A thermocouple and an infrared camera were used to analyze thermal cycles and real-time temperature fields,respectively.Microstructures and micro-segregations were observed by optical microscopy,scanning electron microscopy,and electron probe microanalysis.It was found that the in situ laser heat treatment effectively changed the morphology and size of the Laves phase,which was transformed from a continuous striplike shape to a discrete granular shape.The effective temperature range and duration were the two main factors influencing the Laves phase during the in situ laser heat-treatment process.The effective temperature range was determined by the laser linear energy density,and the peak temperature increased with the increase of the linear energy density.In addition,the temperature amplitude could be reduced by simultaneously increasing the laser power and the scanning velocity.Finally,a flow diagram was developed based on the in situ laser heat-treatment process,and the deposition of a single-walled sample with fine and granular Laves phases was detected.

Disclosing the formation mechanisms of Ag-containing Laves phases at the atomic scale in an Al-Cu-Mg-Ag alloy

In addition to the three well-known Ag-related precipitates(Ω,X′and Z)in the Al-Cu-Mg-Ag alloys,Ag can also be involved in the formation of the as-cast second phases.However,the effect of Ag ad-dition in Al-Cu-Mg-Ag alloys has not been completely studied and even the structure of the as-cast Ag-containing phases is still controversial.By employing the focused ion beam(FIB)combined with transmis-sion electron microscopy(TEM)techniques and density functional theory(DFT)calculations,the forma-tion mechanisms of the Ag-containing phases in the as-cast Al-Cu-Mg-Ag alloys have been investigated.The Ag-containing phases are a series of hexagonal C14-type Laves phases with continuously varying Ag concentrations,described as(Al_(x)Cuy Ag_(1-x-y))_(2)Mg.Moreover,the specific occupancy sites of the atoms in(Al_(x)Cuy Ag_(1-x-y))_(2)Mg were determined.The formation of the(Al_(x)Cuy Ag_(1-x-y))_(2)Mg can be attributed to the stronger Ag-induced aggregation of solute atoms in the initial stage and the establishment of strong Ag-X(X=Al,Mg and Ag)bonding in the Ag-containing phases.Furthermore,our experiments have revealed the solidification sequence of Al-Cu-Mg-Ag alloys,and pointed out that(Al_(x)Cuy Ag_(1-x-y))_(2)Mg is formed at a lower temperature(493.9°C)through the reaction L■Al_(2)CuMg+(Al_(x)Cuy Ag_(1-x-y))_(2)Mg.The study could have positive implications for refinement of the Al-Cu-Mg-Ag quaternary phase diagram and promote the composition-property design of novel aluminum alloys based on(Al_(x)Cuy Ag_(1-x-y))_(2)Mg in the future.

Unlocking wear resistance in an ultrastrong dual-phase highentropy alloy by interface-constrained deformation of brittle Laves phases

The pronounced brittleness of hard Laves phase intermetallics is detrimental to their tribological properties at room temperature.In this study,we utilized a heterogeneous structure to engineer an ultrastrong dual-phase(Laves+B2)AlCoFeNiNb high-entropy alloy that exhibits a low wear rate(3.82×10-6 mm3/(N·m))at room temperature.This wear resistance in the ball-on-disc sliding friction test with the counterpart of Al2O3 balls stems from the activated deformation ability in the ultrafine Laves lamellae under heterogeneous interface constraints.Furthermore,as tribological stress intensifies,the surface deformation mechanism transitions from dislocation slip on the basal and pyramidal planes to a unique combination of local shear and grain rotation within the Laves phase.Our study illuminates fresh perspectives for mitigating the embrittling effect of Laves phase intermetallics under tribological loading and for the development of wear-resistant materials.

Transformation of Laves phases and its effect on the mechanical properties of TIG welded Mg-Al-Ca-Mn alloys

The effects of Al content and Ca/Al mass ratio on the microstructure and mechanical properties of tungsten inert gas(TIG)welded Mg-2Ca-x Al-0.5Mn(x=0,1,5)alloy joints were studied in present work.Results showed that increasing Al content was effective in reducing the dendrite spacing at the fusion zone(FZ)edge.The Laves phases in the FZ and the heat-affected zone(HAZ)can be changed from Mg_(2)Ca to(Mg,Al)_(2)Ca with the decrease of Ca/Al ratio,and the(Mg,Al)_(2)Ca could be further transformed to Al_(2)Ca under welding thermal cycle.Furthermore,dynamic dissolution and precipitation of Laves phases and Al_(8)Mn_(5)phases occurred in the HAZ,resulting in a gradient microstructure and hardness peak in this area.The tensile properties of the joints were significantly improved with the increase of Al content,which was mainly due to the modification of Laves phases.

Laves phase hydrogen storage alloys for super-high-pressure metal hydride hydrogen compressors

Ti-Cr- and Ti-Mn-based alloys were prepared to be low- and high-pressure stage metals for a double-stage super-high-pressure metal hydride hydrogen compressor. Their crystallographic characteristics and hydrogen storage properties were investigated. The alloy pair Ti0.9Zr0.1Mn1.4- Cr0.35V0.2Fe0.05/TiCr1.55Mn0.2Fe0.2 was optimized based on the comprehensive performance of the studied alloys. The product hydrogen with a pressure of 100 MPa could be produced from 4 MPa feed gas when hot oil was used as a heat reservoir.

Hydrogen storage properties of Laves phase Ti_(1-x)Zr_x(Mn_(0.5)Cr_(0.5))_2 alloys

The activation behaviors and hydrogen storage properties of the Laves phase Ti1-xZrx(Mn0.5Cr0.5)2 (x=0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.32, 0.5) alloys were investigated by the pressure-composition-temperature (P-C-T) measurements. All the studied alloys show the single C14-type Laves phase structure based on the XRD data. Except for the alloys with very low Zr content of x=0 and x=0.1, all these alloys can be fully activated. The P-C isotherms of the activated alloys show that, the introduction of Zr induces the decrease of the equilibrium pressures and the steeper plateaus. As the x increases, the maximum hydrogen absorption also increases, whereas the desorption of hydrogen decreases. These two effects result in a maximum reversible hydrogen storage capacity of H/M=3.03 for the alloy at x=0.32. Furthermore, the well-defined plateau associated with the smallest hysteresis also appears at x=0.32.

Effects of temperature and point defects on the stability of C15 Laves phase in iron:A molecular dynamics investigation

Molecular dynamics simulations are used to investigate the stabilities of C15 Laves phase structures subjected to temperature and point defects. The simulations based on different empirical potentials show that the bulk perfect C15 Laves phase appears to be stable under a critical temperature in a range from 350 K to 450 K, beyond which it becomes disordered and experiences an abrupt decrement of elastic modulus. In the presence of both vacancy and self-interstitial, the bulk C15 Laves phase becomes unstable at room temperature and prefers to transform into an imperfect body centered cubic（BCC）structure containing free vacancies or vacancy clusters. When a C15 cluster is embedded in BCC iron, the annihilation of interstitials occurs due to the presence of the vacancy, while it exhibits a phase transformation into a（1/2） 111 dislocation loop due to the presence of the self-interstitial.

Synthesis of Iron-Based Laves Phase Containing Praseodymium Magnetostrictive Materials

The synthesis and magnetostriction of PrxTb1-x.Fe2, PrxTb1-x Fe2BO2 and PrxTb1-x（Fe0.6Co0.4）2 alloys were investigated in this study. The addition of boron or cobalt atom in PrxTb1-xFe2 could effectively prevent the formation of non-cubic phases, and Pr concentration limit was successfully increased from 0.2 to 0.4. X-ray step scanning for the PrxTb1-xFe2BO2 and PrxTb1-x（Fe0.6Co0.4）2 alloys showed that PrFe2 possessed a large spontaneous magnetostriction λ1111.

Superconducting properties of the C15-type Laves phase ZrIr_(2) with an Ir-based kagome lattice

We report systematic studies on superconducting properties of the Laves phase superconductor ZrIr_(2).It crystallizes in a C15-type(cubic MgCu_(2)-type,space group Fd3m)structure in which the Ir atoms form a kagome lattice,with cell parameters a=b=c=7.3596(1)?.Resistivity and magnetic susceptibility measurements indicate that ZrIr_(2) is a type-Ⅱsuperconductor with a transition temperature of 4.0 K.The estimated lower and upper critical fields are 12.8 mT and 4.78 T,respectively.Heat capacity measurements confirm the bulk superconductivity in ZrIr_(2).ZrIr_(2) is found to possibly host strong-coupled s-wave superconductivity with the normalized specific heat change△C_(e)/γT_(c)~1.86 and the coupling strength△_(0)/k_BT_(c)~1.92.First-principles calculations suggest that ZrIr_(2) has three-dimensional Fermi surfaces with simple topologies,and the states at Fermi level mainly originate from the Ir-5d and Zr-4d orbitals.Similar to SrIr_(2) and ThIr_(2),spin–orbit coupling has dramatic influences on the band structure in ZrIr_(2).

Kink-band formation in directionally solidified Mg/Mg_(2)Yb and Mg/Mg_(2)Ca eutectic alloys with Mg/Laves-phase lamellar microstructure

For the development of high-strength Mg alloys,active use of Laves phases such as C14-type Mg_(2)Yb and Mg_(2)Ca is strongly expected.However,the brittleness of the Laves phases is the biggest obstacle to it.We first found that kink-band formation can be induced in directionally solidified Mg/Mg_(2)Yb and Mg/Mg_(2)Ca eutectic lamellar alloys when a stress is applied parallel to the lamellar interface,leading to a high yield stress accompanied with ductility.That is,microstructural control can induce a new deformation mode that is not activated in the constituent phases,thereby inducing ductility.It was clarified that the geometric relationship between the operative slip plane in the constituent phases and the lamellar interface,and the microstructural features that provide kink-band nucleation sites are important factors for controlling kink-band formation.The obtained results show a possibility to open the new door for the development of novel high-strength structural material using the kink bands.

Microstructure and martensitic transformation in quaternary NiTiHfV alloy

The effect of age hardening on the microstructure,martensitic transformation behavior,and shape memory properties of the(Ni_(50)Ti_(30)Hf_(20))_(95)V_(5)alloy was investigated by scanning electron microscopy,transmission electron microscopy,X-ray diffraction,differential scanning calorimetry,microhardness,and bending tests.The results demonstrate a significant influence of V addition on the microstructure of the alloy.V addition leads to the formation of a(Ni,V)_(2)(Ti,Hf)-type Laves phase,which coexists with B19'martensite at room temperature.Aging at 550℃results in precipitation hardening due to the formation of nano-scale orthorhombic H-phase,with the peak hardness observed after 3 h of aging.The alloy at peak hardness state exhibits higher transformation strain and lower unrecovered strain compared to the solution-treated sample.The aged sample achieves a maximum transformation strain of 1.56%under 500 MPa.

Quantitative analysis of homogenization treatment of INCONEL718 superalloy

Quantitative analysis was employed to establish reasonable and practical homogenization model of INCONEL718 superalloy. Metallographic method was applied to determining the incipient melting temperature. The result shows that the incipient melting temperature of d406 mm INCONEL718 ingot is situated between 1 170 ℃ and 1 180 ℃. In order to predict the elimination process of Laves phase in quantity, a time and temperature dependent homogenization model was proposed. Among all the elements in the as-cast microstructure, Nb and Ti are the most positive segregated elements. The diffusion coefficients of alloying elements at 1 140 ℃ were obtained by fitting the linear relationship between In δ （δ residual segregation index） and time. The calculation results of diffusion coefficients were compared with other two commercial Nb-bearing superalloys.

Relationship between microstructure and mechanical properties of undercooled K4169 superalloy

Various undercoolings 14-232 K of bulk K4169 superalloys were obtained by the method of molten glass fluxing combined with superheating cycling and the mechanical properties of undercooled K4169 with as-solidified state were tested. Microstructures and phases composition in undercooled bulk K4169 superalloy were identified by transmission electron microscope （TEM）, scanning electron microscope （SEM） and optical microscopy （OM）. The morphology of dendrites, grain size and intergranular phase all change with the increased undercooling. Meanwhile, the relationship between microstructure of undercooled K4169 superalloy and tensile properties was investigated. The experimental results show that the uniform distribution of Laves phase and the decrease of grain size and intergranular phase content are favorable for the improvement of mechanical properties. The maximum tensile strength and elongation obtained at undercooling of 232 K are 932.2 MPa and 6.5%, respectively.

Effect of phosphorus segregation on as-cast microstructure and homogenization treatment of IN706 alloy

The distribution of phosphorus in IN706 alloy was studied,with particular emphasis on the as-cast microstructure and homogenization treatment.It is found that phosphorus is segregated in Laves phase and markedly influences the as-cast microstructure of IN706 alloy.Phosphorus retards the formation of Laves phase with the eutectic form,but promotes the Laves formation with the blocky form.Phosphorus refines the dendritic structure and noticeably enlarges the interdendritic area.The reason for phosphorus influencing the as-cast microstructure is attributed to its extremely low solubility in γ matrix and great retarding effect on γ matrix solidification.In addition,phosphorus slightly decreases the melting temperature of Laves phase,and retards the dissolution of Laves phase and the element diffusion between dendrite core and interdendritic area during the homogenization treatment.And it is thought that phosphorus delays the homogenization process by inhibiting the element diffusion.

Incipient melting phase and its dissolution kinetics for a new superalloy

Based on XRD,SEM and EDS analyses,the phases in GH4151 alloy were identified.Differential scanning calorimetry(DSC)experiment and metallographic method were carried out to determine the incipient melting temperature(IMT)of the alloy.The result shows that the IMT of alloy is situated between 1150 and 1160℃.Subsequently,the dissolution process of Laves phase was carried out,and the dissolution kinetic equations were obtained at different temperatures.And then based on the verification of experiments,the model was confirmed to be credible to predict the fraction of the Laves phase dissolution.Finally,the results of diffusion coefficients indicate that the diffusion of Nb element is a critical factor for homogenization process of GH4151 alloy.

Vacuum Electromagnetic Levitation Melting and Undercooling of Peritectic Terfenol-D

For the first time, the undercooling of a magnetostrictive material a near peritectic Tb 0.27 Dy 0.73 Fe 1.90 alloy was realized by vacuum electromagnetic levitation melting and 60 K undercooling was obtained. There is one recalescence behavior during solidification of the undercooled melt,which can attribute to the priority precipitation of REFe 2 phase instead of REFe 3 phase, due to preferential nucleation and higher crystal growth rate of REFe 2 phase and the suppression of peritectic reaction. According to the crystal structural characteristics of REFe 2 and REFe 3, REFe 2 is a Laves phase intermetallics with MgCu 2 type structure, which has similar polytetrahedral structure with short range ordered structure in undercooled melt and has lower potential barrier for nucleation than that of REFe 3,which lead to the preferential nucleation of REFe 2 phase directly from the undercooled melt. Also, the similarity of structures between REFe 2 phase and undercooled melt leads to higher crystal growth rate of REFe 2 phase than that of REFe 3.

Influence of arc constriction current frequency on tensile properties and microstructural evolution of tungsten inert gas welded thin sheets of aerospace alloy

The main objective of this investigation is to study the influence of arc constriction current frequency(ACCF)on tensile properties and microstructural evolution of aerospace Alloy 718 sheets(2 mm in thickness)joined by constricted arc TIG(CA-TIG)welding process.One variable at a time approach of design of experiments(DOE)was used,in which ACCF was varied from 4 to 20 kHz at an interval of 5 levels while other parameters were kept constant.The joints welded using ACCF of 4 kHz exhibited superior tensile properties extending joint efficiency up to 99.20%.It is attributed to the grain refinement in fusion zone leading to the evolution of finer,discrete Laves phase in interdendritic areas.An increase of ACCF above 12 kHz caused severe grain growth and evolution of coarser Laves phase in fusion zone.Alloy 718 welds showed more obvious tendency for Nb segregation and Laves phase formation at higher levels of ACCF due to the slower cooling rate.The volume fraction of Laves phase was increased by 62.31%at ACCF of 20 kHz compared to that at 4 kHz,thereby reducing the tensile properties of joints.This is mainly due to the stacking of heat input in weld thermal cycles at increased levels of ACCF.