Effect of grain boundary energy anisotropy on grain growth in ZK60 alloy using a 3D phase-field modeling

A three-dimensional(3D)multiple phase field model,which takes into account the grain boundary(GB)energy anisotropy caused by texture,is established based on real grain orientations and Read-Shockley model.The model is applied to the grain growth process of polycrystalline Mg(ZK60)alloy to investigate the evolution characteristics in different systems with varying proportions of low-angle grain boundary(LAGB)caused by different texture levels.It is found that the GB energy anisotropy can cause the grain growth kinetics to change,namely,higher texture levels(also means higher LAGB proportion)result in lower kinetics,and vice versa.The simulation results also show that the topological characteristics,such as LAGB proportion and distribution of grain size,undergo different evolution characteristics in different systems,and a more serious grain size fluctuation can be caused by a higher texture level.The mechanism is mainly the slower evolution of textured grains in their accumulation area and the faster coarsening rate of non-textured grains.Therefore,weakening the texture level is an effective way for implementing a desired homogenized microstructure in ZK60 Mg alloy.The rules revealed by the simulation results should be of great significance for revealing how the GB anisotropy affects the evolution of polycrystalline during the grain growth after recrystallization and offer the ideas for processing the alloy and optimizing the microstructure.

Effects of Bi on the microstructure and mechanical property of ZK60 alloy

Microstructures and phase compositions of as-cast and extruded ZK60-xBi(x=0-1.64)alloys were investigated.Meanwhile,the tensile mechanical property and hardness were tested.With increasing the Bi content,the as-cast microstructure is first refined obviously,and then becomes coarse slightly.New small block compound which is rich in Zr,Zn,Bi and poor in Mg increases gradually,and MgZn_(2) phase decreases gradually.The second phase mainly precipitates along the grain boundary.The as-cast tensile mechanical property is first enhanced obviously,where the tensile strengthσb,yield strengthσ0.2 and elongationδcan reach 265 MPa,151 MPa and 13.5%for ZK60-0.23Bi alloy,respectively,then remains the high value for ZK60-(0.37-1.09)Bi alloys,and finally decreases obviously for ZK60-1.64Bi alloy.After hot extrusion,the obvious dynamic recrystallization occurs.Broken block compound distributes along the extrusion direction by zonal shape.The average grain size can reach only 4-6μm.The extruded tensile mechanical property is enhanced significantly,where σ_(b),σ_(0.2) and δ are at the range of 345-360 MPa,285-300 MPa and 15.5-19.5%,respectively.Extruded tensile fracture exhibits a typical character of ductile fracture.

Property and microstructure analysis of ZK60 alloy superplastic sheet

It was investigated that the superplastic mechanical properties of fine-grained ZK60 magnesium alloy sheets at the temperature range of 200-420 ℃ and strain rate range of 5.56 × 10-4 -5.56 ×10-2 s-1 by tensile tests.And the microstructure evolution during the superplastic deformation of ZK60 magnesium alloy was examined by metallurgical microscope and transmission electronic microscope (TEM).The results showed that fine-grained ZK60 magnesium alloy starts to exhibit superplasticity from 250 ℃ and the maximum elongation is about 1106% at 400 ℃ and 5.56 × 10-4 s-1.The strain rate sensitivity is significantly enhanced with the increase of temperature and with the decrease of strain rate.The predominate superplastic mechanism of ZK60 magnesium alloy is grain boundary slide (GBS) at the temperature range of 300-400 ℃.The grains of ZK60 alloy remain equaxial after superplastic deformation,and dynamic continuous recrystallization (DCRX) is an important softening mechanism and grain stability mechanism during the superplastic deformation of the alloy.The curved grain boundaries and crumpled bands at grain boundaries after deformation prove GBS generates during superplastic deformation of ZK60 magnesium alloy.

Effect of heat treatment on mechanical and biodegradable properties of an extruded ZK60 alloy

ZK60 magnesium alloy possess good mechanical properties and is a potential biodegradable material.But its high degradation rate is not desirable.In this study the effect of heat treatment on the biodegradable property of ZK60 alloy was investigated.T5 treated,T6 treated,as-cast and as-extruded ZK60 alloys were studied.Microstructure characterization,electrochemical measurement and immersion test were carried out.The results showed that both the mechanical properties and degradation behavior were improved after T5 treatment due to the formation of small and uniformly distributed MgZn phases.The as-cast alloys also exhibited good corrosion resistance.However,the as-extruded and T6 treated samples were severely corroded due to the formation of large amounts of second phases accelerating the corrosion rate owing to the galvanic corrosion.The corrosion resistance of ZK60 alloy was as following:T5 treated>as-cast>T6 treated>as-extruded.

Biodegradation behavior of magnesium and ZK60 alloy in artificial urine and rat models

In this work, the biodegradable and histocompatibility properties of pure Mg and ZK60 alloy wereinvestigated as new temporary implants for urinary applications. The corrosion mechanism in artificialurine was proposed using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and potentiodynamic polarizationtests. The corrosion potential of pure magnesium and ZK60 alloy were -1820 and -1561 mV, respectively,and the corrosion current densities were 59.66 ± 6.41 and 41.94 ± 0.53 μA cm^-2, respectively. Thein vitro degradation rates for pure Mg and ZK60 alloy in artificial urine were 0.382 and 1.023 mm/y,respectively, determined from immersion tests. The ZK60 alloy degraded faster than the pure Mg in bothartificial urine and in rat bladders (the implants of both samples are ø 3 mm × 5 mm). Histocompatibilityevaluations showed good histocompatibility for the pure Mg and ZK60 alloy during the 3 weeks postimplantationin rat bladders, and no harm was observed in the bladder, liver and kidney tissues. Theresults provide key information on the degradation properties and corrosion mechanism of pure Mg andZK60 alloy in the urinary system.

Strength Improvement in ZK60 Magnesium Alloy Induced by Pre-deformation and Heat Treatment

The influence of pre-deformation and heat treatment on mechanicalproperties of as-extruded ZK60 alloy was investigated.The experimentalresults indicated that the solid solution,pre-cold rolling and artificialaging treatments remarkably improved the mechanicalstrength of alloys compared with the asextruded condition.Especially,pre-cold rolling in 5% reduction combined with artificialaging at 150 ℃ for 20 h was determined as the optimum heat treatment condition,which resulted in a yield strength of 333 MPa with an increment of 87 MPa and ultimate tensile strength of 373 MPa.High density of nanoscale precipitates in α-Mg matrix observed in this sample was beneficialto enhancing the strength.The as-extruded sample showed a typicalbrittle fracture while the solution treated sample exhibited ductile-fragile failure characterized by cleavage fractures,river patterns,and tear ridges.And the sample after pre-cold rolling combined with aging presented more equiaxialdimples with a great amount of cracked particles in them.The above-mentioned observations were analyzed in terms of microstructure and possible strengthening mechanism in the extruded ZK60 alloy.

Characterization of ceramic coating on ZK60 magnesium alloy prepared in a dual electrolyte system by micro-arc oxidation

Micro-arc oxidation （MAO） process was cartied out in an optimized dual electrolyte system to fabricate a compact, smooth, and corrosion resistant coating on ZK60 Mg alloy. The microstructural characteristics of coating were investigated by scanning electron microscopy （SEM） coupled with an energy dispersive spectrometer （EDS） and X-ray diffraction （XRD）. Test of mass loss was conducted at a 3.5 % NaCl solution to assess the resistance to corrosion. The bonding strength between the coating and ZK60 substrate was evaluated using scratch experiment. The results reveal that MgA1204 and MgO are the main phases of ceramic coating obtained in the dual electrolyte system. The corrosion rate of coating prepared in the optimized dual electrolyte is only 0.0061 g.m-2.h-1, which demonstrates excellent corrosion resistance. This is mainly due to the compact, uniform coating with high bonding strength.

Analysis of the hot deformation of ZK60 magnesium alloy

Hot deformation of cast-homogenized and extruded(in both the extrusion and transverse directions)ZK60 magnesium alloy was conducted using the Gleeble®3500 thermal-mechanical simulation testing system.A new approach to model the high temperature constitutive behavior of the alloy was done using two well-known equations(i.e.hyperbolic sine and Ludwig equations).For this approach,the deformation conditions were divided into regimes of low and high temperature and strain rate(four regimes).Constitutive model development was conducted in each regime and the material parameters(P)were evaluated as strain,strain rate and temperature-dependent variables;P(ε,ε,T).Using this approach,the flow curves were predicted with high accuracy relative to the experimental measurements.Moreover,detailed information on the evolution of hot deformation activation energy was obtained using the modified hyperbolic sine model.Using the modified Ludwig equation,details of strain hardening and strain rate sensitivity of the ZK60 material during hot deformation were obtained.

Compounded Surface Modification of ZK60 Mg Alloy by High Current Pulsed Electron Beam+Micro-plasma Oxidation

In this study, compounded surface modification technology-high current pulsed electron beam （HCPEB） ＋ micro-plasma oxidation （MPO） was applied to treat ZK60 Mg alloys. The characteristics of the microstructure of ZK60 Mg alloy after single MPO and HCPEB＋MPO compounded treatment were investigated by SEM. The results showed that the density of the ceramic layer of HCPEB＋MPO-treated ZK60 Mg alloy was improved and defects were reduced compared to that under MPO treatment alone. Surface modified layer of ZK60 Mg alloys treated by HCPEB＋MPO was divided into three zones, namely the top loose ceramic zone, middle compact zone and inside HCPEB-induced melted zone. Corrosion resistance of ZK60 Mg alloy before and after the compounded surface modification was measured in a solution of 3.5% NaCl by potentiodynamic polarization curves. It was found that the corrosion current density of ZK60 Mg alloys could be reduced by about three orders of magnitude, from 311μA/cm^2 of the original sample to 0.2μA/cm^2 of the HCPEB＋MPO-treated sample. This indicates the great application potential of the HCPEB＋MPO compounded surface modification technology in improving the corrosion resistance of ZK60 Mg alloys in the future.

Efects of low frequency electromagnetic ield on surface quality, microstructure and hot-tearing tendency of semi-continuous casting ZK60 magnesium alloy billets

The low frequency electromagnetic field was applied during direct chill(DC) semi-continuous casting of the ZK60 magnesium alloy billets. Effects of low frequency electromagnetic field on surface quality, microstructure and hot-tearing tendency of Φ500 mm ZK60 magnesium alloy billets were investigated. The results showed that with the application of the low frequency electromagnetic field, the surface quality of the ZK60 magnesium alloy billets is markedly improved and the depth of cold fold is decreased. The microstructure of the billets is also significantly refined. Besides, the distribution of the grain size is relatively uniform from the billet surface towards its center, where the average grain size is 42 μm at surface and 50 μm at center. It also shows that the hot-tearing tendency of DC semi-continuous casting ZK60 magnesium alloy billets is significantly reduced under low frequency electromagnetic field.

Effect of Y addition on microstructure and corrosion behavior of extruded Mg-Zn-Nd-Zr alloy

In this study,the effect of Y addition(0,0.5,1 and 2 wt%)on microstructure and corrosion properties of Mg-6Zn-0.5Zr-1 Nd(wt%)alloy was investigated.The alloys were produced by low-pressure die casting method and extruded at 300℃and 400℃after homogenization treatment at 400℃for 24 h.The results showed that the as-cast microstructure of the alloy with no Y addition consisted ofα-Mg,Mg-Zn binary and Mg-Zn-Nd ternary phases.With increasing Y additions,the average grain size showed a substantial decrease and two kinds of ternary Mg-Zn-Y ternary phases,designated as I-phase(Mg3Zn6Y)and W-phase(Mg3Zn3Y2)were formed.Homogenization treatment resulted in a partial dissolution of second phase particles.Extrusion process gave rise to a remarkable grain refinement due to the DRX mechanism.The extruded alloys with no Y addition exhibited poor corrosion resistance due to the strong micro galvanic coupling effect.Y additions up to 1 wt%improved the corrosion resistance due to the formation of finer grains,fine and uniform distribution of second phase particles and more stable oxide film.

Research of growth mechanism of ceramic coatings fabricated by micro-arc oxidation on magnesium alloys at high current mode

Micro-arc oxidation(MAO)coatings of ZK60 magnesium alloys were formed in a self-developed dual electrolyte composed of sodium silicate and phosphate at the high constant current of 1.8 A(15 A/dm^(2)).The MAO process and growth mechanism were investigated by scanning electron microscopy(SEM)coupled with an energy dispersive spectrometer(EDS),confocal laser scanning microscopy and X-ray diffraction(XRD).The results indicate that the growth process of MAO coating mainly goes through“forming→puncturing→rapid growth of micro-arc oxidation→large arc discharge→self-repairing”.The coating grows inward and outward at the same time in the initial stage,but outward growth of the coating is dominant later.Mg,Mg_(2)SiO_(4) and MgO are the main phases of ceramic coating.

Microstructural Evolution and Anisotropic Weakening Mechanism of ZK60 Magnesium Alloy Processed by Isothermal Repetitive Upsetting Extrusion

The isothermal repetitive upsetting extrusion(RUE)was implemented to process ZK60 magnesium alloy at 380℃.Then,the relationship between the microstructural characters,including grain refinement and texture evolution,and the mechanical performance of the alloy was investigated.Results showed that after 3 passes of RUE,the average grain size was refined from 115.0 to 26.5μm,which was mainly caused by the continuous dynamic recrystallization and discontinuous dynamic recrystallization.Meanwhile,the elongation of the alloy increased from 13.8 to 21.6%,and the superplasticity(142%)of the alloy has been achieved in the following high temperature tensile test,which is very beneficial for the further processing of the alloy into components.In particular,the alloy formed a distinctive texture distributed between<2-1-11>and<2-1-14>,which was greatly related to the Schmid factor of extrusion direction(ED)and transverse direction(TD).This texture changed the initiation ability of basal and prismatic slip in both directions and inhibited the initiation of partial tensile twinning in TD;thus,the anisotropy in both directions was weakened.As expected,the tensile yield strength difference decreased from25.9 to 3.4 MPa,but it was used as the cost of tensile yield strength in ED.

Microstructural and mechanical response of ZK60 magnesium alloy subjected to radial forging

Radial forging(RF)is an economical manufacturing forging process,in which four dies arranged radially around the workpiece simultaneously act on the workpiece with high-frequency radial movement.In this study,a ZK60 magnesium alloy step-shaft bar was processed under different accumulated strains by RF at350℃.The deformation behavior,microstructure evolution,and mechanical responses of this bar were systematically investigated via numerical simulations and experiments.At the early deformation stage of forging,the material undergoes pronounced grain refinement but an inhomogeneous grain structure is formed due to the strain gradient along the radial direction.The grains in different radial parts were gradually refined by increasing the RF pass,resulting in a bimodal grained structure comprising coarse(~14.1μm)and fine(~2.3μm)grains.With the RF pass increased,the initial micro-sizeβ-phases were gradually crushed and dissolved into the matrix mostly,eventually evolving to form a higher area fraction of nano-sized Zn2 Zr spheroidal particles uniformly distributed through the grain interior.The texture changed as the RF strain increased,with the c-axes of most of the deformed grains rotating in the RD.Additionally,excellent mechanical properties including higher values of tensile strengths and ductility were attained after the three RFed passes,compared to the as-received sample.

Weakened anisotropy of mechanical properties in rolled ZK60 magnesium alloy sheets with elevated deformation temperature

The rolling direction（RD） and the transverse direction（TD） samples were obtained from an as-rolled ZK60 magnesium alloy sheet with strong anisotropy of initial texture and their mechanical properties were tested at various deformation temperatures. Meanwhile, the microstructure and texture of these samples after fracture were investigated. Results revealed that a higher flow stress along the RD than that along the TD at room temperature were ascribed to the strong anisotropy of transitional texture, and this texture effect was remarkably weakened with the increase of deformation temperature. Deformation structure was dominant at 100℃, and was replaced by dynamic recrystallization structure when the deformation temperature increased to 200℃ and 300℃. The texture presented a strong texture（transitional texture in the RD sample and basal texture in the TD sample） at 100℃, but its intensity visibly decreased and texture components became more disperse at 200℃ and 300℃. These microstructure and texture results were employed in conjunction with calculated results to argue that raising deformation temperature could increase the activity of non-basal slip by tailoring the relative critical resolved shear stress of each deformation mode and finally result in low texture effect on mechanical anisotropy.

Heterogeneous fiberous structured Mg-Zn-Zr alloy with superior strength-ductility synergy

Here we reported a heterogeneous fiberous structured Mg-5.6Zn-0.6Zr(wt%)alloy obtained by conventional extrusion method,which exhibited high yield strength of∼345 MPa,ultimate tensile strength of∼370 MPa,and high tensile strain of∼20.5%,superior to most of the Mg-Zn based alloys reported so far.The extraordinarily high mechanical properties were mainly attributed to the heterogeneous fiberous structure consisting of alternating coarse-and fine-grain layers.Grains in the different layers grew into the neighboring layers,ensuring a good layer bonding.A high Schmid factor and geometric compatibility factor for pyramidal slip led to full slip transfer between the neighboring coarse grains and fine grains,which could help to release the stress concentration and avoid early fracture.The profuse acti-vated<c+a>glide dislocations could render the unprecedented high tensile strain.The constraint by the hard fine-grain domains made the soft coarse-grain domains strong like the hard fine-grain domains,as well as the nanoscale precipitates pinning dislocations,contributed to the high strength.The hetero-geneous microstructure design was shown to have synergistic improvement in strength-ductility balance,which could be an inspiring strategy to improve mechanical properties of hexagonal close-packed(hcp)metals.