Prediction of tri-modal microstructure under complex thermomechanical processing history in isothermal local loading forming of titanium alloy

To control the tri-modal microstructure and performance,a prediction model of tri-modal microstructure in the isothermal local loading forming of titanium alloy was developed.The staged isothermal local loading experiment on TA15alloy indicates that there exist four important microstructure evolution phenomena in the development of tri-modal microstructure,i.e.,the generation of lamellarα,content variation of equiaxedα,spatial orientation change of lamellarαand globularization of lamellarα.Considering the laws of these microstructure phenomena,the microstructure model was established to correlate the parameters of tri-modal microstructure and processing conditions.Then,the developed microstructure model was integrated with finite element(FE)model to predict the tri-modal microstructure in the isothermal local loading forming.Its reliability and accuracy were verified by the microstructure observation at different locations of sample.Good agreements between the predicted and experimental results suggest that the developed microstructure model and its combination with FE model are effective in the prediction of tri-modal microstructure in the isothermal local loading forming of TA15alloy.

Superelastic properties of nanocrystalline NiTi shape memory alloy produced by thermomechanical processing

Effects of thermomechanical treatment of cold rolling followed by annealing on microstructure and superelastic behavior of the Ni50Ti50 shape memory alloy were studied.Several specimens were produced by copper boat vacuum induction melting.The homogenized specimens were hot rolled and annealed at 900°C.Thereafter,annealed specimens were subjected to cold rolling with different thickness reductions up to 70%.Transmission electron microscopy revealed that the severe cold rolling led to the formation of a mixed microstructure consisting of nanocrystalline and amorphous phases in Ni50Ti50 alloy.After annealing at 400°C for 1 h,the amorphous phase formed in the cold-rolled specimens was crystallized and a nanocrystalline structure formed.Results showed that with increasing thickness reduction during cold rolling,the recoverable strain of Ni50Ti50 alloy was increased during superelastic experiments such that the 70%cold rolled-annealed specimen exhibited about 12%of recoverable strain.Moreover,with increasing thickness reduction,the critical stress for stress-induced martensitic transformation was increased.It is noteworthy that in the 70%cold rolled-annealed specimen,the damping capacity was measured to be 28 J/cm3 that is significantly higher than that of commercial NiTi alloys.

In situ thermomechanical processing to avoid grain boundary precipitation and strength-ductility loss of age hardening alloys

To avoid grain boundary(GB) precipitation during aging, a new strategy of in situ thermomechanical processing for age hardening alloys was proposed. Specifically, high-density nanoscale precipitates were introduced into ultrafine grain(UFG) interiors of 7075 Al alloy by equal-channel-angular(ECAP) processing at 250 ℃ for 8 passes, thus avoiding GB precipitation. Tensile test results indicated that the UFG 7075 Al alloy exhibits superior mechanical properties(yield strength of 350 MPa, ultimate tensile strength of 500 MPa, uniform elongation of 18% and tensile ductility of 19%) compared with the UFG 1050 Al counterpart(yield strength of 170 MPa, ultimate tensile strength of 180 MPa, uniform elongation of 2.5% and tensile ductility of 7%). Fracture surface morphology studies revealed numerous homogeneous micro shear bands in necking shrinkage areas of both UFG 7075 Al and 1050 Al alloys, which are controlled by cooperative GB sliding. Moreover, the introduction of nanoscale precipitates in UFG 7075 Al matrix weakened the tendency of shear fracture, resulting in a higher tensile ductility and more homogeneous deformation. Different from the GB precipitation during postmortem aging, in situ thermomechanical treatment dynamically formed GBs after precipitation, thus avoiding precipitation on GBs.

Microstructural Evolution of Nb–V–Mo and V Containing TRIP-assisted Steels during Thermomechanical Processing

The microstructural evolution and precipitation behaviour of Nb–V–Mo and single V containing transformation induced plasticity assisted steels were investigated during thermomechanical processing. A plane strain compression testing machine was used to simulate the thermomechanical processing. Microstructures were characterised by optical microscopy, scanning-transmission electron microscopy and microanalysis, and X-ray diffraction analysis, and Vickers hardness was obtained from the deformed specimens. The resulting microstructure of both Nb–V–Mo and V steels at room temperature primarily consisted of an acicular/bainitic ferrite, retained austenite and martensite surrounded by allotriomorphic ferrite.The TEM analysis showed that a significant number of Nb（V,Mo）（C,N） precipitates were formed in the microstructure down to the finishing stage in Nb–V–Mo steel（i.e. 830℃）. It was also found that the V（C,N）precipitation primarily occurred in both ferrite and deformed austenite below the finishing stage. The results suggested that Nb–Mo additions considerably increased the temperature stability of microalloy precipitates and controlled the microstructural evolution of austenite. However, the microalloy precipitation did not cause a significant precipitation strengthening in both Nb–V–Mo and V steels at room temperature.

Synchrotron X-ray diffraction characterization of phase transformations during thermomechanical processing of a Ti38Nb alloy

The phase transformations during thermomechanical processing can be employed to optimize mechanical properties of β-type Ti alloys.However,such understandings are still lacking for the alloy consisting of dual β+α" phases in solution-treated and quenched state.In this paper,the phase transformations in a Ti38 Nb model alloy subjected to different thermomechanical processing were investigated by using synchrotron X-ray diffraction(SXRD) experiments,and their influence on the Young’s modulus was discussed.The results indicated that highdensity dislocations introduced by cold rolling still existed after annealing at temperatures lower than 573 K,which can decrease the martensitic transformation start temperature to below room temperature.With annealing temperatures increasing,the α"→β,β→ω_(iso),and β→α phase transformations occurred successively.At annealing temperature of 473 K,the specimen consisted of a trace of α"and ω phases as well as dominant β phase which was kept to room temperature by the high density of dislocations,rather than by the chemical stabilization.As a result,an ultralow Young’s modulus of 25.9 GPa was realized.Our investigation not only provides in-depth understandings of the phase transformations during thermomechanical processing of β-type Ti alloys,but also sheds light on designing biomedical Ti alloys with ultralow Young’s modulus.

Surface metal-matrix composites based on AZ91 magnesium alloy via friction stir processing:A review

This monograph presents an overview of friction stir processing(FSP)of surface metal-matrix composites(MMCs)using the AZ91 magnesium alloy.The reported results in relation to various reinforcing particles,including silicon carbide(SiC),alumina(Al_(2)O_(3)),quartz(SiO_(2)),boron carbide(B_(4)C),titanium carbide(TiC),carbon fiber,hydroxyapatite(HA),in-situ formed phases,and hybrid reinforcements are summarized.AZ91 composite fabricating methods based on FSP are explained,including groove filling(grooving),drilled hole filling,sandwich method,stir casting followed by FSP,and formation of in-situ particles.The effects of introducing second-phase particles and FSP process parameters(e.g.,tool rotation rate,traverse speed,and the number of passes)on the microstructural modification,grain refinement,homogeneity in the distribution of particles,inhibition of grain growth,mechanical properties,strength–ductility trade-off,wear/tribological behavior,and corrosion resistance are discussed.Finally,useful suggestions for future work are proposed,including focusing on the superplasticity and superplastic forming,metal additive manufacturing processes based on friction stir engineering(such as additive friction stir deposition),direct FSP,stationary shoulder FSP,correlation of the dynamic recrystallization(DRX)grain size with the Zener–Hollomon parameter similar to hot deformation studies,process parameters(such as the particle volume fraction and external cooling),and common reinforcing phases such as zirconia(ZrO_(2))and carbon nanotubes(CNTs).

Microstructure Modification of Powder Compact of Al-Zn-Mg Nanostructured Alloy by a Semisolid Thermomechanical Processing

A thermomechanical process （TMP） consisting of three cycles of cold pressing at 154 MPa and liquid-phase sintering at 600 ℃ for 30 min in each cycle was applied to modify the microstructure of nanostructured A1-Zn-Mg alloy. The alloy powders were produced by mechanical alloying. Also, solid-state sintering at 550℃ for 90 min was done to compare the results with those obtained from the TMP. The powders and the thermomechanically （TM） processed samples were analyzed by XRD to reveal the present phases in addition to calculating the crystallite size changes by the Wil- liamson-Hall method. Moreover, scanning electron microscope was employed to observe the morphology of the powder and the microstructures of the sintered and the TM processed samples. The results revealed that the TMP affected the microstructure noticeably as well as the microhardness by removing the continuous grain boundary porosities and uniform distribution of the intermetallic phase particles as well as obtaining a near globular microstructure after the second cycle. Also, the average grain sizes in the first and the second cycles of the TMP were lower than those of the sintered sample. Furthermore, nanocrystalline grains were stable up to the second cycle of the TMP.

Development of a New Ultrafine/Nano Ferrite-Carbide Microstructure by Thermomechanical Processing

The steel with the new microstructure, bimodal submicrometer equiaxed ferrite grains with uniformly dis- tributed nanosized cementite particles, was manufactured by a new approach utilizing simple cold-rolling and subsequent annealing of a dual phase ferrite-martensite starting structure. The mean ferrite grain size and carbide size range of the specimen after 80% cold-rolling and subsequent annealing at 600 ℃ for 20 min were 0.35 μm and 70-140 nm, respec- tively. A combination of bimodal ultrafine ferrite and nanoscale carbides used as a more effective method for achieving an excellent balance in strength-ductility. The strength of the steel with the new microstructure increased to about 880 MPa （nearly 60% higher than that of the as-received state, e.g., 540 MPa）, without significant loss of ductility.

Constitutive behavior and processing maps of a new wrought magnesium alloy ZE20 (Mg-2Zn-0.2Ce)

ZE20(Mg-2Zn-0.2Ce)^2 is a new wrought magnesium alloy with improved extrudability and mechanical properties[1].To understand the constitutive behavior and workability of this new alloy,Gleeble thermomechanical testing has been carried out in this study.The flow stress behavior of ZE20 was investigated between 250℃–450℃ and 10^–3 s^–1–1.0 s^–1 in isothermal compression.Constitutive descriptions of the flow stress are provided.A new general approach at application of the extended Ludwik equation is demonstrated and was found to be more accurate than the hyperbolic sine Arrhenius model while having a similar number of model constants.Processing maps were developed based on the experimental results and are verified with microstructural investigation.A region of safe processing with non-basal texture and high activity of dynamic recrystallization(DRX)was found between 375℃ and 450℃,from 10^–1 s^–1 to 10^–2.5 s^–1.A region of potentially safe processing with annealing that is associated with shear band nucleation of non-basal grains was identified for temperatures as low as 300℃ and rates as high as 10^–1 s^–1.

Superelastic behavior of nanostructured Ti_(50)Ni_(48)Co_2 shape memory alloy with cold rolling processing

Effects of cold rolling followed by annealing on microstructural evolution and superelastic properties of the Ti50Ni48Co2 shape memory alloy were investigated. Results showed that during cold rolling, the alloy microstructure evolved through six basic stages including stress-induced martensite transformation and plastic deformation of martensite, deformation twinning, accumulation of dislocations along twin and variant boundaries in martensite, nanocrystallization, amorphization and reverse transformation of martensite to austenite. After annealing at 400 ℃ for 1 h, the amorphous phase formed in the cold-rolled specimens was completely crystallized and an entirely nanocrystalline structure was achieved. The value of stress level of the upper plateau in this nanocrystalline alloy was measured as high as 730 MPa which was significantly higher than that of the coarse-grained Ni50Ti50 and Ti50Ni48Co2 alloys. Moreover, the nanocrystalline Ti50Ni48Co2 alloy had a high damping capacity and considerable efficiency for energy storage.

Effects of microstructure and texture after thermomechanical treatments on corrosion behavior of AISI 321 pipeline austenitic stainless steel

In the present study,the effects of microstructure,grain size,and texture after thermomechanical processing on the corrosion behavior of AISI 321 austenitic stainless steel(ASS)were studied.The as-received,coarse-grained steel((35±3)μm)was subjected to 20%,50%and 90%thickness reduction through cold rolling at liquid nitrogen temperature,followed by annealing at 750,950 and 1050℃for 15 min.Recrystallization occurred after annealing at 750℃,and with the increasing of annealing temperature to 950℃and 1050℃,secondary recrystallization(abnormal grain growth)and grain growth were observed.The results showed that,after 20%thickness reduction,corrosion resistance increased significantly(21.1 kΩ·cm^(2))compared with the as-received condition(3.9 kΩ·cm^(2))due to the enhancement ofγ-fiber and the creation ofΣ3 boundaries.In contrast,the corrosion resistance decreased with the increasing of thickness reduction to 90%during rolling,but still depicted higher corrosion resistance compared with the as-received specimen.After annealing the 90%cold rolled(CR)specimens at 750 and 950℃,the corrosion resistance increased in comparison with the as-received sample as a result of the more uniform microstructure,appearance of Goss and brass texture components,and grain refinement.However,significant grain growth((112±76)μm)followed by a non-uniform structure was observed after annealing at 1050℃and resulted in the lowest corrosion resistance(1.3 kΩ·cm^(2)).

Micro-alloyed Mg-Ca:Corrosion susceptibility to heating history and a plain problem-solving approach

The exceptionally low corrosion rate(∼0.1 mm y^(–1)in concentrated NaCl solution for 7 days)enables lean Mg-Ca alloys great potential for diverse applications,particularly if relevant properties(e.g.mechanical strength,electrochemical performance,etc.)can be enhanced by thermomechanical processing.However,herein it is demonstrated that the corrosion performance of lean Mg-Ca is susceptible to the heating process.The corrosion rate of Mg-0.15 wt%Ca alloy is remarkably accelerated after annealing even for a short time(4 h at 400℃)because Fe precipitation readily takes place.Fortunately,it is found that micro-alloying with dedicated additional elements is able to solve this problem.Nevertheless,the problem-solving capability is dependent on the element category,particularly the ability of the alloying element to constrain the Fe precipitation.Among the three studied elements(i.e.Sn,Ge and In),only In shows good competence of restricting the formation of Fe-containing precipitates,thereby contributing to retention of the superior corrosion resistance after annealing even at a rigorous condition(24 h at 450℃).The finding creates good foundation for follow-up work of developing lean Mg-Ca-based alloys combining high corrosion resistance,superior electrochemical performance with excellent mechanical properties for applications as biodegradable implants and anode materials for aqueous batteries.

Unveiling the influence of dendrite characteristics on the slip/twinning activity and the strain hardening capacity of Mg-Sn-Li-Zn cast alloys

This work explores the correlation between the characteristics of the cast structure(dendrite growth pattern,dendrite morphology and macro-texture)and strain hardening capacity during high temperature deformation of Mg-5Sn-0.3Li-0 and 3Zn multi-component alloys.The three dimensional(3D)morphology of the dendrite structure demonstrates the transition of the growth directions from<1123>,<1120>and<1122>to<1123>and<1120>due to the addition of Zn.The simultaneous effects of growing tendency and the decrement of dendrite coarsening rate at the solidification interval lead to dendrite morphology transition from the globular-like to the hyper-branch structure.This morphology transition results in the variation of the solidification macro-texture,which has effectively influenced the dominant deformation mechanisms(slip/twin activity).The higher activity of the slip systems increases the tendency of the dendrite arms for bending along the deformation direction and fragmentation.Apart from this,the dendrite holding hyper-branch structure with an average thickness below 20μm are more favorable for fragmentation.The dendrite fragmentation leads to considerable softening fractions,and as an effective strain compensation mechanism increases the workability of dendritic structure.

Microstructure and texture characterization of superplastic Al-Mg-Li alloy

A novel thermomechanical processing was developed for producing fine grained Al-Mg-Li alloy sheets. The influences of static recrystallization annealing on the grain structure and superplastic behavior were investigated. The results show that the refined microstructure has a variation in the distribution of grain size, shape and texture across the normal direction of the sheet. The surface layer （SL） has fine, nearly equiaxed grains with a rotated cUbeND {001 }（310） orientation, whereas the center layer （CL） has coarse, elongated grains with a portion of a fiber orientation. Increasing static recrystallized temperature results in grain growth in the full thickness, decreasing of grain aspect ratio in the center layer, texture sharpening in the surface layer, but weakening in the center layer as well as decreasing of superplastic elongation. Increasing the annealing temperature also produces an sharpening of the rotated cube {001}（310） component and a decreasing of the a fiber texture in the full thickness of the sheet. The formation mechanisms of recrystallization texture at various temperatures and layers were discussed.

Microstructural evolution during semisolid state strain induced melt activation process of aluminum 7075 alloy

The effects of compression ratio on the microstructure evolution of semisolid 7075 Al alloy produced by the strain induced melt activation （SIMA） process were investigated. The samples were cold deformed by compression into the different heights up to 40% reduction. The isothermal holding treatments were carried out at 625 ℃ for predetermined time intervals. The results reveal that the average grain size is gradually reduced with the increase of the compression ratio. When the compression ratio surpasses 30%, the above descending trend is not as evident as that below 30% reduction. During the subsequent heat treatments, the recrystallization is induced in the deformed samples by the increasingly accumulated strain energy. The grain growth mechanisms and the microstructural coarsening of the SIMA processed 7075 Al alloy were discussed and confirmed.

Effect of hot rolling and annealing temperatures on the microstructure and mechanical properties of SP-700 alloy

The effect of rolling temperature on both two-and single-phase regions and annealing in a temperature range of 700–950°C on the microstructure and mechanical properties of Ti-5 Al-4 V-2 Fe-1 Mo alloy was investigated. The results indicated that the best balance of strength and ductility is obtained by rolling in the two-phase region due to the globularization of the alpha phase and increase in its volume fraction. After rolling in the two-phase region, the ductility of the specimens annealed at 700 to 800°C increased because of the finer size and globularized alpha phase, while the reduction in strength was attributed to a decrease in the alpha phase volume fraction. However, at 950°C, the strength increased and ductility dropped by the formation of acicular alpha phase due to an increase in the phase boundary area. Annealing and aging after rolling in the beta-phase region increased the strength and decreased the ductility, which is attributed to the formation of a secondary alpha phase. A combination of favorable yield strength(1113 MPa) and elongation(13.3%) was obtained through rolling at 850°C followed by annealing at 750°C and aging at 570°C.

Fatigue strength and microstructure evaluation of Al 7050 alloy wires recycled by spray forming,extrusion and rotary swaging

Recycled high-strength aluminum alloys have limited use as structural materials due to poor mechanical properties. Spray forming remelting followed by hot extrusion is a promising route for reprocessing 7 xxx alloys. The 7050 alloy machining chips were spray formed, hot extruded, rotary swaged and heat-treated in order to improve mechanical properties. Microstructures, tensile properties and fatigue strength results for a 2.7 mm-diameter recycled wire are presented. Secondary phases and precipitates were investigated by XRD, SEM, EBSD, TEM and DSC. As-swaged and heat-treated(solution and aging) conditions were evaluated. Mechanical properties of both conditions outperformed AA7050 aerospace specification. Substantial grain refinement resulted from the extensive plastic deformation imposed by rotary swaging. Refined micrometric and sub-micrometric Al grains, as well as coarse and fine intermetallic precipitates were observed. Subsequent solution treatment resulted in a homogeneous, recrystallized and equiaxed microstructure with grain size of 9 μm. Nanoscale GP(I) zones and η′ phase precipitates formed after aging at 120 ℃, imparting higher tensile(586 MPa) and fatigue(198 MPa) strengths.

Additive friction stir deposition of AZ31B magnesium alloy

The current work explored additive friction stir deposition of AZ31B magnesium alloy with the aid of MELD?technology.AZ31B magnesium bar stock was fed through a hollow friction stir tool rotating at constant velocity of 400 rpm and translating at linear velocity varied from 4.2 to 6.3 mm/s.A single wall consisting of five layers with each layer of 140×40×1 mm^(3)dimensions was deposited under each processing condition.Microstructure,phase,and crystallographic texture evolutions as a function of additive friction stir deposition parameters were studied with the aid of scanning electron microscopy including electron back scatter diffraction and X-ray diffraction.Both feed material and additively produced samples consisted of theα-Mg phase.The additively produced samples exhibited a refined grain structure compared to the feed material.The feed material appeared to have a weak basal texture,while the additively produced samples experienced a strengthening of this basal texture.The additively produced samples showed a marginally higher hardness compared to the feed material.The current work provided a pathway for solid state additive manufacturing of Mg suitable for structural applications such as automotive components and consumable biomedical implants.

High cyclic fatigue performance of Al-Cu-Mg-Ag alloy under T6 and T840 conditions

High cyclic fatigue(HCF)behavior of an AA2139alloy belonging to Al-Cu-Mg-Ag system in T6and T840conditionswas examined.The T840treatment involving cold rolling with a40%reduction prior to peak ageing provides an increase in tensilestrength compared with the T6condition.However,fatigue lifetime for two material conditions was nearly the same since there isweak effect of thermomechanical processing on micro-mechanisms of crack initiation and growth.

Effect of intercritical annealing on microstructure,mechanical properties,and work-hardening behavior of ultrahigh-strength dual-phase steels with different silicon contents

In this study,three kinds of dual-phase(DP) steels were used to investigate the influence of silicon content and intercritical annealing temperature on their microstructures,mechanical properties,and work-hardening behaviors. By adding silicon and matching the critical annealing temperature,a new DP steel(1.0Si and intercritically annealed at 790 ℃) that exhibits an excellent combination of ultrahigh strength and adequate ductility was obtained. Variations in the strength,elongation,and fracture mechanism of the specimens with respect to different intercritical annealing temperatures were correlated to microstructural features. With an increase in the silicon content,there is no significant change in the martensitic band structure or ferrite morphology. At the same annealing temperature,the yield strength and yield strength ratio of the specimens decreased,but at different annealing temperatures,the tensile strength was reduced. The Hollomon analysis results indicate that the workhardening behavior obeys a two-stage work-hardening mechanism. With an increasing intercritical annealing temperature,the "transition strain"shifts to the left,and with an increasing silicon content,the "transition strain"shifts to the right. The surface exhibits ductile fractures characterized by a high density of microvoid dimples. With an increase in the silicon content,the average dimple size on the fracture surface decreases and the plasticity of the material increases.