LOW TEMPERATURE ALUMINUM FLOATING ELECTROLYSIS IN HEAVY ELECTROLYTE Na_3AlF_6-AlF_3-BaC1_2-NaCl BATH SYSTEM

Multiple regression equations of liquidus temperature, electrical conductivity and bath density of the Na_3AlF_6-AlF_3-BaC1_2-NaCl system were obtained from experiments by using orthogonal regression method. The experiments were carried out in 100A cell with low melting point electrolyte, the influences of cathodic current density, electrolytic temperature, density differences of bath and liquid aluminum on current efficiency (CE) were studied; when the electrolyte cryolite ratio was 2.5, w(BaC1_2) and w(NaCl) were 48% and 10%, respectively, CE reached 90% and specific energy consumption was 10.97k Wb/kg/kg. Because of the fact that aluminum metal obtained floated on the surface of molten electrolyte, this electrolysis method was then defined as low temperature aluminum floating electrolysis. The results showed that the new low temperature aluminum electrolysis process in the Na_3AlF_6-AlF_3-BaC1_2-NaCl bath system was practical and promising.

Dissolution of Aluminum in Variably Charged Soils as Affected by Low-Molecular-Weight Organic Acids

Low-molecular-weight (LMW) organic acids exist widely in soils and play an important role in soil processes such as mineral weathering, nutrient mobilization and Al detoxification. In this research, a batch experiment was conducted to examine the effects of LMW organic acids on dissolution of aluminum in two variably charged soils, an Ultisol and an Oxisol. The results showed that the LMW organic acids enhanced the dissolution of Al in the two investigated soils in the following order: citric > oxalic > malonic > malic > tartaric > salicylic > lactic > maleic. This was generally in agreement with the magnitude of the stability constants for the Al-organic complexes. The effects of LMW organic acids on Al dissolution were greater in the Ultisol than in the Oxisol as compared to their controls. Also, the accelerating effects of citric and oxalic acids on dissolution of Al increased with an increase in pH, while the effects of lactic and salicylic acids decreased. Additionally, when the organic acid concentration was less than 0.2 mmol L-1, the dissolution of Al changed little with increase in acid concentration. However, when the organic acid concentration was greater than 0.2 mmol L-1, the dissolution of Al increased with increase in acid concentration. In addition to the acid first dissociation constant and stability constant of Al-organic complexes, the promoting effects of LMW organic acids on dissolution of Al were also related to their sorption-desorption equilibrium in the soils.

Production of A356 aluminum alloy wheels by thixo-forging combined with a low superheat casting process

The A356 aluminum alloy wheels were produced by thixo-forging combined with a low superheat casting process.The as-cast microstructure,microstructure evolution during reheating and the mechanical properties of thixo-forged wheels made from the A356 aluminum alloy were studied.The results show that the A356 aluminum alloy round billet with fine,uniform and non-dendritic grains can be obtained when the melt is cast at 635 oC.When the round billet is reheated at 600 oC for 60 min,the non-dendritic grains are changed into spherical ones and the round billet can be easily thixo-forged into wheels.The tensile strength,yield strength and elongation of the thixo-forged wheels with T6 heat treatment are 327.6 MPa,228.3 MPa and7.8%,respectively,which are higher than those of a cast wheel.It is suggested that the thixo-forging combined with the low superheat casting process is an effective technique to produce aluminum alloy wheels with high mechanical properties.

Gating system optimization of low pressure casting A356 aluminum alloy intake manifold based on numerical simulation

To eliminate the shrinkage porosity in low pressure casting of an A356 aluminum alloy intake manifold casting, numerical simulation on fi lling and solidifi cation processes of the casting was carried out using the ProCAST software. The gating system of the casting is optimized according to the simulation results. Results show that when the gating system consists of only one sprue, the fi lling of the molten metal is not stable; and the casting does not follow the sequence solidifi cation, and many shrinkage porosities are observed through the casting. After the gating system is improved by adding one runner and two in-gates, the fi lling time is prolonged from 4.0 s to 4.5 s, the fi lling of molten metal becomes stable, but this casting does not follow the sequence solidifi cation either. Some shrinkage porosity is also observed in the hot spots of the casting. When the gating system was further improved by adding risers and chill to the hot spots of the casting, the shrinkage porosity defects were eliminated completely. Finally, by using the optimized gating system the A356 aluminum alloy intake manifold casting with integrated shape and smooth surface as well as dense microstructure was successfully produced.

Numerical simulation of low pressure die-casting aluminum wheel

The FDM numerical simulation software,ViewCast system,was employed to simulate the low pressure die casting(LPDC)of an aluminum wheel.By analyzing the mold-filling and solidification stage of the LPDC process,the distribution of liquid fraction,temperature field and solidification pattern of castings were studied.The potential shrinkage defects were predicted to be formed at the rim/spoke junctions,which is in consistence with the X-ray detection result.The distribution pattern of the defects has also been studied.A solution towards reducing such defects has been presented.The cooling capacity of the mold was improved by installing water pipes both in the side mold and the top mold.Analysis on the shrinkage defects under forced cooling mode proved that adding the cooling system in the mold is an effective method for reduction of shrinkage defects.

Current Efficiency of Low Temperature Aluminum Electrolysis Studied by Neural Network

A prediction model for Current Efficiency (CE) of low temperature aluminum electrolysis (LTAE) with the low molar ratioelectfolyte of Na3AIF6-AIF3 - CaF2-MgF2-LiF -Al2O3 system was investigated based on artificial neural network principles. The nonlinearmapping between CE of LATE and various electrolytic conditions was obtained from a number of experimental data and used to predictCE of LATE. The trsined neural networks possessed high precision and resulted in a good predicting effect. As a result, attificial neuralnetworks as a new cooperating and predicting technology provide a new approach to the further studies on low temperature aluminumelectrolysis.

EFFECT OF LOW-FREQUENCY ELECTROMAGNETIC FIELD ON THE AS-CASTING MICROSTRUCTURES AND MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF HDC 2024 ALUMINUM ALLOY

The influences of the low frequency electromagnetic field on the horizontal direct chill casting process were investigated experimentally. Ingots of 2024 aluminum alloy with a cross size of 40 mm× 200 mm were produced by the conventional horizontal chill casting process and low frequency electromagnetic horizontal chill casting processre- spectively. The as-cast structures and the mechanical property of the ingots were examined. The results showed that the low frequency electromagnetic field could sub- stantially refine the microstructures and pronouncedly reduce the macrosegregation in the horizontal direct chill casting process. Moreover, the surface quality of the ingot was prominently improved by the low frequency electromagnetic field. The fracture strength and elongation percentage of the ingot was increased with the low frequency electromagnetic field.

Grain refining action of Ti existing in electrolytic low-titanium aluminum with Al-4B addition for superheated Al melt

The effects of superheating temperature on the grain refining efficiency of Ti existing in electrolytic low-titanium aluminum(ELTA)without and with the Al-4B addition and the Al-5Ti-1B master alloy in pure Al were comparatively investigated. The results show that the Ti existing in ELTA without Al-4B addition exhibits a certain grain refining efficiency when the melt superheating temperature is lower,but the efficiency decreases rapidly when the superheating temperature is higher.The grain refining efficiency of the Al-5Ti-1B master alloy is better than that of the Ti existing in ELTA without Al-4B addition at any superheating temperature,but it also decreases obviously with the increase of the superheating temperature.One important reason is that the TiB2 particles coming from the Al-5Ti-1B master alloy can settle down at the bottom of the Al melt easily when the superheating temperature is increased,thus decrease the number of the potent heterogeneous nuclei retained in the Al melt.If the Al-4B master alloy is added to the ELTA melt,the grain refining efficiency of the Ti existing in ELTA can be improved significantly, and does not decrease with the increase of the superheating temperature.This perhaps provides us a possible method to suppress the effect of the superheated melt on the microstructures of aluminum..

Analysis of Coating Microstructure of Hot-Dip Aluminum of Deformed Low-Carbon Steel Containing Rare Earth

The coating microstructure of hot-dip aluminum (HDA) of deformed low-carbon steel containing RE was analyzed by metallography microscopy, TEM and XRD, and the forming mechanism was also discussed. The results show that, the Fe_2Al_5 phase, on whose subcrystal boundaries, Al particles with the size of 7～30 μm existing on parallel linear are, grows a strong orientation. And the spread activation energy of Al is 155.22 kJ·mol -1. In addition, the effects of deformation on coating microstructure of hot-dip aluminum and the function of RE were preliminarily analyzed.

MODELING AND EXPERIMENTAL RESEARCH OF FOUR-STRAND LOW-FREQUENCY ELECTROMAGNETIC CASTING ALUMINUM ALLOY

With the aid of ANSYS software, the effect of different mould external part materials on magnetic flux density in the aluminum melt and magnetic field interaction of four coils applied with same currents were investigated. Calculating results showed that magnetic flux density in the aluminum melt was greatly improved and the magnetic field interaction among different coils was decreased when external part of mould is made of soft magnetic material. Based on the finding, a four-strand low-frequency electromagnetic casting 6063 aluminum alloy experiment was carried out in the laboratory . The experiment showed that the surface of the billet was smooth and had no exudations and cold shuts, the as-cast microstructures were fine, uniform, equiaxed, net-globular or globular under low-frequency electromagnetic field. The microstructure becomes finer with increased current value.

Effect of dislocation structure evolution on low-angle grain boundary formation in 7050 aluminum alloy during aging

The effect of dislocation structure evolution on low-angle grain boundary formation in 7050 aluminum alloy during aging was studied by using optical microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and electron backscatter diffraction analysis of misorientation angle distribution, cumulative misorientation and geometrically necessary dislocation （GND） density. Experimental results indicate that coarse spindle-shaped grains with the dimension of 200 μm- 80 μm separate into fine equiaxed grains of 20μm in size as a result of newborn low-angle grain boundaries formed during the aging process. More specifically, the dislocation arrays, which are rearranged and formed due to scattered dislocations during earlier quenching, transform into low-angle grain boundaries with aging time. The relative frequency of 3°-5° low-angle grain boundaries increases to over 30%. The GND density, which describes low-angle grain boundaries with the misorientation angle under 3°, tends to decrease during initial aging. The inhomogeneous distribution of GNDs is affected by grain orientation. A decrease in GND density mainly occurs from 1.83 × 10^13 to 4.40 × 10^11 m^-2 in grains with 〈111〉 fiber texture. This is consistent with a decrease of unit cumulative misorientation. Precipitation on grain boundaries and the formation of a precipitation free zone （PFZ） are facilitated due to the eroding activity of the Graft etchant. Consequently, low-angle grain boundaries could be readily viewed by optical microscopy due to an increase in their electric potential difference.

Effect of mould material on aluminum alloy ingot quality under low frequency electromagnetic casting

With the aid of ANSYS software, the effect of different mould external part materials on magnetic flux density and electromagnetic body force in the liquid aluminum was investigated. Calculated results showed that magnetic flux density and electromagnetic body force in the aluminum melt are greatly increased when the external part of mould is made from A3 steel. A low-frequency electromagnetic casting 6063 aluminum alloy experiment was conducted in the laboratory with the current value of 120 A and frequency value of 15 Hz. The experiment showed that the microstructure and surface quality of ingots with mould outer part made from A3 steel under low-frequency electromagnetic field are better than that of ingots with mould outer part made from austenitic stainless steel. The surface of the ingots with mould outer part made from A3 steel is smooth and free from exudations and cold shut defects. The as-cast microstructure consists of fine, uniformly distributed equiaxed grains.

Synthesis of Neodymium-Doped Yttrium Aluminum Garnet (Nd∶YAG) Nano-Sized Powders by Low Temperature Combustion

The homogeneously dispersed, less agglomerated (Nd0.01Y0.99)3Al5O12 nano-sized powders were synthesized by the low temperature combustion (LCS), using Nd2O3, Y2O3, Al(NO3)3·9H2O, ammonia water and citric acid as starting materials. This method effectively solves the problems caused by solid-state reaction at high temperature and hard agglomerates brought by the chemical precipitation method. The powders were characterized by TG-DTA, XRD, FT-IR, TEM respectively and the photoluminescence (PL) spectra of (Nd0.01Y0.99)3Al5O12 green and sintered ceramic disks were measured. The results show that the forming temperature of YAG crystal phase is 850 ℃ and YAP crystal phase appearing during the calcinations transforms to pure YAG at 1050 ℃. The particle size of the powders synthesized by the LCS is in a range of 20～50 nm depending on the thermal treatment temperatures. The effectively induced cross section (σin) with the value 4.03×10-19 cm2 of (Nd0.01Y0.99)3Al5O12 ceramics is about 44% higher than that of single crystal.

Effect of Low Frequency Electromagnetic Field on Macrosegregation of Horizontal Direct Chill Casting Aluminum Alloys

The horizontal direct chill (HDC) casting process is a well-established production route for aluminum alloy ingot but the ingot may suffer from macrosegregation sometimes. In order to control the defect, a low frequency electromagnetic field has been applied in HDC casting process and the relevant influence has been studied. The results show that application of low frequency electromagnetic field can reduce macrosegregation in HDC casting process; and two main parameters of electromagnetic field density and frequency, have great influences on the solution distribution along the diameter of ingot. Moreover, the mechanisms of reduction of macrosegregation by electromagnetic field have been discussed.

铝基材料水解制氢技术研究进展

氢能是全球公认的清洁能源,被认为是化石能源的理想替代品,具有广泛的市场前景。铝价格低廉、密度较低且能量密度高,铝水解产氢是一种有效提供氢能的方法。简述了铝水反应的原理,介绍了目前国内外主流的3种铝基材料水解制氢技术(纯铝与酸碱溶液反应、机械球磨法制备铝基复合材料、熔铸法制备铝基低熔点合金)的研究进展,并探讨了不同技术的反应原理、不同添加物的作用机理,对比了各种技术的特点,提出熔铸法制备低熔点合金将成为日后研究的重点,最后对未来熔铸法制备铝基低熔点合金的前景进行了展望。

低碳铝镇静钢汽车板磷化性能及改善对策研究

为解决低碳铝镇静钢汽车板在磷化工艺下限条件下磷化膜结晶粗大及覆盖率不足问题,采用扫描电镜(SEM)、表面轮廓仪、辉光光谱仪(GDS)及透射电镜(TEM)研究了低碳铝镇静钢汽车板磷化性能关键影响因素,并提出了改善对策。结果表明:当磷化工艺处于下限条件即促进剂浓度、总酸浓度较小,而游离酸浓度较大时,钢板与磷化液界面磷酸盐不易饱和,磷化形核难度加大,导致磷化结晶粗大及覆盖率不足等问题。但当钢板表面存在均匀分布且数量较多的小尺寸氧化物颗粒时,氧化物与铁基体能够形成大量原电池,提升局部磷化酸蚀及沉积反应速度,进而改善磷化性能。通过对低碳铝镇静钢碳含量及退火快冷段、过时效段温度进行控制,成功在钢板表面析出尺寸较小且均分分布的碳化物。由于碳化物与铁基体之间存在电位差,同样增加了钢板表面原电池数量,促进了磷化形核,所获得的磷化膜晶粒尺寸在5μm以下,覆盖率为100%。

Li_(2)O-Al_(2)O_(3)-SiO_(2)系微晶玻璃的研究进展

Li_(2)O-Al_(2)O_(3)-SiO_(2)(LAS)系微晶玻璃由于具有热膨胀系数低、透明度高、力学性能优良等特点,被广泛应用于国防、建筑、化工、生物医药等多个领域,近年来受到研究者的广泛关注。本文综述了LAS系微晶玻璃的研究现状,介绍了LAS晶相体系及相关玻璃产品,对比分析了LAS系微晶玻璃各制备工艺的特点,并讨论了LAS系微晶玻璃晶核剂的种类及成核机理,最后总结了LAS系微晶玻璃性能、应用以及相应表征技术和测试手段,并指出了LAS系微晶玻璃存在的问题及未来的发展方向。

2195铝合金中温变形条件下的静态再结晶机理及动力学

具有高强度、低密度的2195铝合金是航空航天构件减重的首选材料。2195铝合金在中温热变形过程中常会伴随着静态再结晶的发生,静态再结晶晶粒对材料最终的力学性能有着重要影响。因此,本工作采用热压缩试验、硬度测试、EBSD和XRD测试技术研究了静态再结晶晶粒判别方法,研究了不同变形温度(160~240℃)和不同保温时间(0~30 s)对静态再结晶行为和位错演变行为的影响,探明了静态再结晶的演变机理。结果表明,晶粒平均取向差角度分布值(GOS值)小于或等于0.4°的晶粒为静态再结晶晶粒;当变形温度为160~240℃、应变速率为0.01 s^(-1)以及变形程度为30%时,随着保温时间t(t<20 s)延长,静态再结晶增加,晶粒尺寸逐渐增大。然而,当变形温度为240℃、保温时间大于20 s时,静态再结晶晶粒没有明显增加,仅有略微长大。在静态保温过程中,160℃的变形样品比200℃的变形样品能够更快、更易形成细小静态再结晶晶粒。基于以上研究规律,建立了2195铝合金中温变形条件下的静态再结晶动力学模型,该模型具有良好的预测效果。本研究对优化2195铝合金热变形和热处理工艺参数具有重要的理论价值和实际意义。

常见结构材料低温性能研究进展

随着深空探测、极地科考、低温贮运等低温领域的快速发展,对低温材料的要求越来越高,低温材料逐渐成为目前国内外的研究热点。本文综述低温钢、铝合金、钛合金、铝基复合材料以及树脂基复合材料等常见结构材料的低温性能,归纳不同晶体结构、合金种类、合金元素等因素对结构材料的低温强度、塑性与韧性等力学性能的影响及低温变形和强韧化机理,介绍不同种类低温结构材料在国内外重要领域的应用,提出了低温材料未来的研究展望。

NaCl和LiF对低温铝电解电流效率的影响

低温铝电解是铝电解工艺的重要研究方向,熔盐体系的组成对电解温度和电流效率影响较大.为了获得较优的低温熔盐体系组成,在NaF-AlF_(3)-CaF_(2)-Al_(2)O_(3)熔盐体系中添加NaCl和LiF,在840~880℃下电解4 h,分别分析添加剂和Al_(2)O_(3)的质量分数对电流效率的影响.结果表明:添加10%(质量分数,下同)NaCl时电流效率为72.5%,与传统NaF-AlF_(3)-CaF_(2)-Al_(2)O_(3)熔盐体系电解4 h的电流效率相比提高了16.4%;添加2.5%NaCl-7.5%LiF,5%NaCl-5%LiF,7.5%NaCl-2.5%LiF时电流效率约为68%;添加10%LiF时电流效率为57.8%;当Al_(2)O_(3)质量分数为2%时,NaF-AlF_(3)-5%CaF_(2)-10%NaCl-5%LiF熔盐体系电解2 h的电流效率为48.1%,与Al_(2)O_(3)质量分数为3%时的电流效率相比提高了5.2%.