Effects of Sm addition on microstructural evolution of Mg-6Zn-0.4Zr alloy during semi-solid isothermal heat treatment

The application of segmental semi-solid thixoforming of magnesium alloys is confined due to the dimensional distinction existing in solid particles of the alloy billet from edge to center zones. In the present study, the effects of Sm addition on the microstructural evolution of Mg-6Zn-0.4Zr and Mg-6Zn-4Sm-0.4Zr alloys by semi-solid isothermal heat treatment were investigated, to obtain optimum semi-solid microstructures for the subsequently thixoforming. The results indicate that the grains of the Sm-bearing alloy are evidently refined and gradually evolve from dendritic to globular and elliptic particles. In addition, the distinctly dimensional effect of the Mg-6Zn-0.4Zr alloy is eliminated with 4% Sm addition; the particle sizes in all zones from center to the edge of the billet are almost identical. With the increment of isothermal heat treatment temperature, the dendritic microstructures completely disappear, and meanwhile, the irregular and globular particles gradually form. The size, morphology and the distribution of solid particles mainly depend on the formation and permeation of the liquid phase in the process of isothermal heat treatment. As the isothermal temperature increases from 570 °C to 610 °C, the average size and shape factor of solid particles of both the alloys with and without Sm addition gradually decrease while the liquid fraction gradually increases.

Synergistic effects of composition and heat treatment on microstructure and properties of vacuum die cast Al-Si-Mg-Mn alloys

The purpose of this study was to prepare high-quality Al-Si-Mg-Mn alloy with a good combination of strength and ductility employing the vacuum-assisted high-pressure die cast process. An orthogonal study of heat treatments was conducted to design an optimized T6 heat treatment process for both Al-10%Si-0.3%Mg-Mn and Al-11%Si-0.6%Mg-Mn alloys. The results demonstrate that no obvious blisters and warpage were observed in these two alloys with solid solution treatment. After the optimal T6 heat treatment of 530°C×3 h + 165°C×6 h, Al-11%Si-0.6%Mg-Mn alloy has better mechanical properties, of which tensile strength, yield strength and elongation reached 377.3 MPa, 307.8 MPa and 9%, respectively. The improvement of mechanical properties can be attributed to the high density of needle-like β″(Mg_5Si_6) precipitation after aging treatment and the fine and spherical eutectic Si particles uniformly distributed in the α-Al matrix.

Effect of Post Weld Heat Treatment on Microstructure and Fracture Toughness of Friction Welded Joint

The effect of post weld heat treatment on the microstructure and fracture toughness of friction welded joints of Ti-6.5Al-1Mo-1V-2Zr alloy was studied. The experimental results show that equiaxial grains were formed at the center of the weld metal while highly deformed grains were observed in the thermomechanically affected zone. The fracture toughness of the weld metal was lower than that of the thermomechanically affected zone under as-weld and post weld heat treatment conditions. With increasing temperature of post weld heat treatment, the fracture toughness of weld center and thermomechanically affected zone increased. The fractographic observation revealed that the friction welded joints fractured in a ductile mode.

Effect of Post-weld Heat Treatment on Mechanical Characteristics of AZ31 Magnesium Alloy Welded Joints

Tungsten inert gas（TIG） welding was performed on 2.7 mm thick commercial extruded AZ31 B magnesium alloy plates. We investigated the effect of post-weld heat treatment（PWHT） on the microstructure, mechanical properties and precipitated phase of the weld joints. The results showed that during the annealing treatment（200 ℃-1 h, 250 ℃-1 h, 300 ℃-1 h, 350 ℃-1 h, 400 ℃-1 h, and 450 ℃-1 h）, the average grain size in the weld seam was the minimum after annealing at 400 ℃ for 1 hour, and then abnormally grew up after annealing at 450 ℃ for 1 hour. The mechanical properties enhanced when the joints were processed from 200 ℃-1 h to 400 ℃-1 h but sharply decreased with increasing annealing temperature. In contrast to the annealing treatment, solution treatment（250 ℃-10 h, 300 ℃-10 h, 350 ℃-10 h, 400 ℃-10 h, and 450 ℃-10 h） exhibited a better ductility but a slight deterioration in tensile strength. Especially speaking, no eutectic compounds（such as Mg17 Al12） were observed in the weld seam. The supersaturated Al atoms were precipitated in a coarse spherical shape dispersed in the weld seam. The precipitated Al atoms dissolved in the matrix substances at the condition（400 ℃-1 h） or（250 ℃-10 h）. The solution treatment caused grain coarsening and precipitated Al atoms dissolved in the weld seam substantially, which resulted in a drop in micro-hardness at the weld seam compared to the area of the annealed joints.

Influence of soaking time in deep cryogenic treatment on the microstructure and mechanical properties of low-alloy medium-carbon HY-TUF steel

The influence of soaking time in deep cryogenic treatment on the tensile and impact properties of low-alloy medium-carbon HY-TUF steel was investigated in this study. Microstructural studies based on phase distribution mapping by electron backscatter diffraction show that the deep cryogenic process causes a decrease in the content of retained austenite and an increase in the volume fraction of η-carbide with increasing soaking time up to 48 h. The decrease in the content of retained austenite from ~1.23vol% to 0.48vol% suggests an isothermal martensitic transformation at 77 K. The η-type precipitates formed in deep cryogenic-treated martensite over 48 h have the Hirotsu and Nagakura orientation relation with the martensitic matrix. Furthermore, a high coherency between η-carbide and the martensitic matrix is observed by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. The variations in macrohardness, yield strength, ultimate tensile strength, and ductility with soaking time in the deep cryogenic process show a peak/plateau trend.

Behavior of Zr-Rich Phase in a Cast NiAl-33.5Cr-0.5Zr Alloy during Heat Treatment

There are many Zr particles in as-cast NiAl-33.5Cr-0.5Zr (at. pct) alloy, which usually exist at the edge of eutectic of beta -NiAl and cx-Cr. After air and furnace cooling solution treatments, far 1400 degreesC, 2 h and 1450 degreesC, 1 h, pure Zr phase remains in the furnace cooling (F.C.) state alloys and Ni2AlZr phase forms in the air cooling (A.C.) state alloys. During solution treatment at 1450 degreesC, bulk and 'fish bone' shape Zr-rich phases form respectively in F.C. and A.C. state alloys. A 'river' shape Ni2AlZr phase forms after 1450 C for 1h F.C. and 850 degreesC for 12 h, F.C.. The alloy has less pure Zr and Ni2AlZr phase after 1400 degreesC with both air and furnace cooling followed by 850 C and 950 C for 12 h, F.C. aging treatments, respectively. Additionally, there is a ternary eutectic of NiAlZr and a phase enriched Zr and Cr forms at the edge of the eutectic of beta -NiAl and alpha -Cr in the alloy treated at 1400 degreesC, 2 h, F.C. and 950 degreesC, 12 h, F.C.

Effects of pre-aging treatment on subsequent artificial aging characteristics of Al-3.95Cu-(1.32Mg)-0.52Mn-0.11Zr alloys

The effects of pre-aging treatments on subsequent artificial aging response were investigated by means of transmission electron microscopy observations and hardness test in age hardened Al-3.95Cu-(1.32Mg)-0.52Mn-0.11 Zr alloys. In Al-3.95Cu-0.52Mn-0.11 Zr alloy, when the pre-aging temperature is 25 °C, the pre-aging treatment has no evident effect on the peak hardness of subsequent artificial aging, while a positive effect(increase of peak hardness) appears when pre-aging temperature is50 °C. However, in Al-3.95Cu-1.32Mg-0.52Mn-0.11 Zr alloy, it is found that whether the pre-aging temperature is 25 °C or 50 °C,the peak artificial aging hardness is lower than that of T6 treated alloy, that is to say, pre-aging treatment has a negative effect on the peak hardness of subsequent artificial aging in the alloys.

Quick Surface Treatment of AZ31B by AC Micro-arc Oxidation

In order to explore an effective way to shorten treatment time and enhance the quality of treatment coating, AC micro-arc oxidation was conducted to treat the surface of AZ31 B deformation magnesium alloy in KF＋KOH treatment solution. The infl uences of micro-arc oxidation parameters such as concentration of KF, concentration of KOH, output voltage of booster, temperature of treatment solution, and treatment time on treatment coating thickness were raveled out under different conditions. The structure and composition of treatment coating were determined, the growth mechanism of treatment coating was discussed, and the quick surface treatment technology for compact treatment coating with maximum thickness was developed. The experimental results show that： A maximum 33 μm-thick compact treatment coating, consisting of MgF2 and MgO mainly, can be formed on AZ31 B in 112 s under the conditions of 1 132 g/L KF, 382 g/L KOH, 66 V for output voltage of booster and 34 ℃ of treatment solution which were optimized by a genetic algorithm from the model established by artifi cial neural networks. There are no ＂crater-shaped＂ pores in this treatment coating as the heat shock resulting from the smooth variation of AC sinusoidal voltage is far smaller than that of the rigidly varied DC or pulse current. The treatment time is only one sixth of that adopted in the other surface treatment technology at best, principally for the reason that the coating can always grow irrespective of the electric potential of AZ31 B. This investigation lays a fi rm foundation for the extensive application of magnesium alloy.

Surface Modification of AB_2 and AB_5 Hydrogen Storage Alloy Electrodes by the Hot-Charging Treatment

The effect of the hot-charging treatment on the performance of AB(2) and AB(5) hydrogen storage alloy electrodes was investigated. The result showed that the treatment can markedly improve the voltage plateau ratio (VPR), the high rate discharge ability (HRDA), the diffusion coefficient of hydrogen DH and the discharge capacity of the AB2 hydrogen storage alloy electrode. The SEM analysis showed that the hot-charging treatment brings about a Ni-rich surface due to the dissolution of Zr oxides. It is also very helpful for the improvement of the kinetic properties of AB2 hydrogen storage alloy electrode because the microcracking of the surface results in fresh surface. This can be the basic modification treatment for NiMH battery used in electric vehicles (EVs) in the future. But for AB(5) type alloys, the treatment has the disadvantage of impairing the comprehensive electrochemical properties, because the surface of the alloy may be corroded during the treatment. The mechanism of the surface modification of the electrode is also proposed.

Effect of Heat Treatment on the Corrosion Characteristics of Al-Li Alloys

Experiments were conducted to study the general room temperature corrosion characteristics of heat-treated and non-heat-treated Al-Li alloys with different Li compositions. Corrosion rate was measured using both the polarisation method and the weight-loss method. It was observed that the samples with higher Li content had lower corrosion resistance than those with lower Li content. Moreover, for all the specimens tested, it was fOund that heat treatment at 180℃ for 2 h (for the purpose of precipitation hardening) severely reduced the corrosion resistance,whereas heat treatment at 180℃ for 6 h significantly increased the corrosion resistance.

Modeling effects of alloying elements and heat treatment parameters on mechanical properties of hot die steel with back-propagation artificial neural network

Materials data deep-excavation is very important in materials genome exploration.In order to carry out materials data deep-excavation in hot die steels and obtain the relationships among alloying elements,heat treatment parameters and materials properties,a 11×12×12×4 back-propagation（BP）artificial neural network（ANN）was set up.Alloying element contents,quenching and tempering temperatures were selected as input;hardness,tensile and yield strength were set as output parameters.The ANN shows a high fitting precision.The effects of alloying elements and heat treatment parameters on the properties of hot die steel were studied using this model.The results indicate that high temperature hardness increases with increasing alloying element content of C,Si,Mo,W,Ni,V and Cr to a maximum value and decreases with further increase in alloying element content.The ANN also predicts that the high temperature hardness will decrease with increasing quenching temperature,and possess an optimal value with increasing tempering temperature.This model provides a new tool for novel hot die steel design.

Fabrication of Micro/Nano-textured Titanium Alloy Implant Surface and Its Infl uence on Hydroxyapatite Coatings

We put forward a protocolcombining laser treatment and acid etching to obtain multiscale micro/nano-texture surfaces of titanium alloy implant.Firstly,the operationalparameters of the laser were optimized to obtain an optimum current.Secondly,the laser with the optimum operationalparameters was used to fabricate micro pits.Thirdly,multiple acid etching was used to clean the clinkers of micro pits and generate submicron and nanoscale structures.Finally,the bioactivity of the samples was measured in a simulated body fluid.The results showed that the micropits with a diameter of 150 μm and depth of 50 μm were built successfully with the optimized working current of 13 A.In addition,submicron and nanoscale structures,with 0.5-2 μm microgrooves and 10-20 nm nanopits,were superimposed on micro pits surface by multiple acid etching.There was thick and dense HA coating only observed on the multiscale micro/nano-textured surface compared with polished and micro-textured surface.This indicated that the multiscale micro/nano-texture surface showed better ability toward HA formation,which increased the bioactivity of implants.

A study of microstructure and properties of cast Fe-10Cr-1.5B alloy

In the present study, the microstructure and mechanical properties of cast Fe-10Cr-1.5B（FCB） alloy after different heat treatments were studied. The results showed that the as-cast microstructure of FCB alloy consists of α-Fe, M（M=Cr, Fe, Mn）2（B, C） and M（M=Cr, Fe, Mn）7（C, B）3 type borocarbides, and small amounts of pearlite and austenite. After oil quenching treatment, metal matrix transformed into the martensite from the mixture of martensite, pearlite and austenite. There are many M（M=Cr,Fe,Mn）23（C,B）6 type borocarbide precipitates in the metal matrix, and eutectic borocarbide appears with an apparent disconnection and isolated phenomenon. When the quenching temperature reaches 1,050℃, the hardness of FCB alloy is the highest, but the change of quenching temperature has no obvious effect on impact toughness of FCB alloy. After tempering, the eutectic microstructure of FCB alloy appears with a ＂two links＂ trend. With the increase of tempering temperature, the hardness of FCB alloy decreases gradually and impact toughness increases gradually. Cast FCB alloy oil-quenched from 1,050℃ and tempered from 200℃ has excellent combined properties; its hardness and impact toughness are 61.5 HRC and 8.8 J·cm^-2 respectively.

Achieving superior mechanical properties of selective laser melted AlSi10Mg via direct aging treatment

For additive manufactured aluminum alloys,the inferior mechanical properties along the building direction have been a serious weakness.In this study,an optimized heat treatment was developed as a simple and effective solution.The effects of direct aging on microstructure and mechanical properties along the building direction of AlSi10Mg samples produced via selective laser melting(SLM)were investigated.The results showed that,compared with the conventional heat treatment at elevated temperatures,direct aging at temperatures of 130-190℃ could retain the fine grain microstructure of SLM samples and promote further precipitation of Si phase,however,the growth of pores occurred during direct aging.With increasing aging temperature,while finer cell structures were obtained,more and larger pores were developed,resulting in decreased density of the samples.Two types of pore formation mechanisms were identified.Considering the balance between the refinement of cell structure and the growth of pores,aging at 130℃ was determined as the optimized heat treatment for SLM AlSi10Mg samples.The tensile strength along the building direction of the 130℃ aged sample was increased from 403 MPa to 451 MPa,with relatively high elongation of 6.5%.

Suppressing Effect of Heat Treatment on the Portevin–Le Chatelier Phenomenon of Mg–4%Li–6%Zn–1.2%Y Alloy

Microstructural evolution and Portevin-Le Chatelier（PLC） phenomenon of the as-extruded Mg-4%Li-6%Zn-1.2%Y alloy before and after heat treatment have been investigated.It has been demonstrated that for the as-extruded and solid solution treated（T4） samples,the PLC phenomenon could be obviously observed on tensile stress-strain curves.Moreover,the PLC phenomenon in T4 samples was more salient than that in the as-extruded condition,suggesting that the occurrence of PLC phenomenon was closely related to the super-saturation degree of solute atoms in the matrix.Since most of solute atoms were consumed for the formation of Mg Zn precipitates（β1′ and a little of β2′） during the subsequent ageing treatment（T6）,the PLC phenomenon of T6 samples was eliminated.Meanwhile,due to the pinning effect of the formed Mg Zn precipitates on mobile dislocations,the tensile strength of T6 samples was relatively higher than those of the other two conditions.

Effect of Cryogenic Treatment on Deformation Behavior of As-cast AZ91 Mg Alloy

The as-cast AZ91 Mg alloy samples were cryogenic treated with different time. Otherwise, optical microscope （OM）, mechanical test, resistance test and XRD analysis were used to research the microstructure evolution and physical variation of the samples before and after cryogenic treatment （CT）. Due to CT, the structure of as-cast AZ91 Mg alloy was changed from disordered solid solution to ordered solid solution. Firstly, the appearance of ordered solid solution leads to the improvement of peak stress after CT, because of ordered strengthening. Secondly, resistance and crystallographic lattice constant of the samples reduce obviously. Otherwise, the frame-type twinning which is created from matrix in the cryogenic environment could hinder the twin growth and cause the ordered strengthening.

Influence of laser re-melting and vacuum heat treatment on plasma-sprayed FeCoCrNiAl alloy coatings

FeCoCrNiAl high entropy alloy coatings were prepared by supersonic air-plasma spraying.The coatings were post-treated by vacuum heat treatment at 600 and 900°C,and laser re-melting with 300 W,respectively,to study the influence of different treatments on the structure and properties of the coatings.The phase constitution,microstructure and microhardness of the coatings after treatments were investigated using X-ray diffraction,scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive spectrometry.Results showed that the as-sprayed coatings consisted of pure metal and Fe-Cr.The AlNi;phase was obtained after the vacuum heat treatment process.A body-centered cubic structure with less AlNi;could be found in the coating after the laser re-melting process.The average hardness values of the as-sprayed coating and the coatings with two different temperature vacuum heat treatments and with laser re-melting were 177,227,266 and 682 HV,respectively.This suggests that the vacuum heat treatment promoted the alloying process of the coatings,and contributed to the enhancement of the coating wear resistance.The laser re-melted coating showed the best wear resistance.

Effect of Surface Mechanical Attrition Treatment on Tribological Behavior of the AZ31 Alloy

By surface mechanical attrition treatment（SMAT）,a gradient nano structure（GNS） from the surface to center was generated in the AZ31 alloy sheet.The tribological behavior of AZ31 alloy with GNS was systematically investigated by using dry sliding tests,a 3D surface profile-meter and a scanning electron microscope equipped with an energy-dispersive spectrometer.The experimental results indicate that the Mg alloy with GNS exhibits better wear resistance comparing to the as-received sample,which is associated to the alteration of wear mechanism at different sliding speeds.The Mg alloy with GNS presents the wear mechanism of the abrasive wear at 0.05 m/s and the oxidative wear at 0.5 m/s,respectively.Moreover,the GNS can effectively promote the reaction between the oxygen and worn surface,which leads to a compact oxidation layer at 0.5 m/s.The effect of oxidation layer on the wear resistance of the Mg alloy was also discussed.

Effect of Phase Transformation During Long-Term Solution Treatment on Microstructure,Mechanical Properties,and Bio-corrosion Behavior of Mg–5Zn–1.5Y Cast Alloy

The influence of long-term solution treatment for various intervals on the microstructure,mechanical properties,and corrosion resistance of the as-cast Mg–5Zn–1.5Y alloy was investigated.Variation of secondary phases was studied during solution treatment through thermal analysis test and thermodynamic calculations.Tensile and hardness tests,as well as polarization and immersion tests,were performed to evaluate the mechanical properties and corrosion behavior of the ascast and heat-treated alloy,respectively.Results show that solution treatment transforms I-phaseinto W-phaseas well as dissolves it into the a-Mg matrix to some extent;therefore,the amount of W-phase increases.Moreover,prolonged solution treatment decreases the volume fraction of the phases.In the first stage of solution treatment for 14 h,the tensile properties significantly increase due to the incomplete phase transformation.Although long-term solution treatment sharply decreases the tensile and hardness properties of the alloy,it improves the corrosion resistance due to the transformation of I-phase into W-phase.In fact,it decreases corrosion potential and simultaneously dissolves intermetallic compounds into the a-Mg matrix,resulting in the reduction in galvanic microcells between the matrix and compounds.It is found that the optimum time for long-term solution treatment is 14 h,which improves both corrosion behavior and mechanical properties.

Effects of welding parameters and post-heat treatment on mechanical properties of friction stir welded AA2195-T8 Al-Li alloy

In this study, the effects of main welding parameters （rotation speed （ω） and welding speed （υ）） on the microstructure, micro-hardness distribution and tensile properties of friction stir welded （FSW） 2195-T8 Al-Li alloy were investigated. The effects of T6 post-treatments at different solution and aging conditions on the mechanical properties and microstructure characteristics of the FSW joints were also investigated. The results show that with increasing to and v, both strength and elongation of the joints increase first, and then decrease with further increase of ω and υ. All the joints under varied welding parameters show significant strength loss, and the strength reaches only 65% of the base metal, The effect of T6 post-heat treatment on the mechanical properties of the joints depends on the solution and aging conditions. Two heat treatment processes （480 ℃×0.5 h quenching＋ 180 ℃× 12 h, 520 ℃× 0.5 h quenching＋ 180 ℃×12h aging） are found to increase the joint strength. Furthermore, low temperature quenching （480℃） is more beneficial to the joint strength. The joint strength can reach 85% of the base metal. Whereas both low temperature aging （140 ℃× 56h） and stepped aging （ 100 ℃× 12 h ＋ 180 ℃× 3 h） processes decrease the joint strength. After heat treatment all the joints show decreased ductility due to the obvious grain coarsening in the nugget zone （NZ） and thermo-mechanically affected zone （TMAZ）.