Unraveling the significance of cobalt on transformation kinetics,crystallography and impact toughness in high-strength steels

This work reveals the significant effects of cobalt(Co)on the microstructure and impact toughness of as-quenched highstrength steels by experimental characterizations and thermo-kinetic analyses.The results show that the Co-bearing steel exhibits finer blocks and a lower ductile-brittle transition temperature than the steel without Co.Moreover,the Co-bearing steel reveals higher transformation rates at the intermediate stage with bainite volume fraction ranging from around 0.1 to 0.6.The improved impact toughness of the Co-bearing steel results from the higher dense block boundaries dominated by the V1/V2 variant pair.Furthermore,the addition of Co induces a larger transformation driving force and a lower bainite start temperature(BS),thereby contributing to the refinement of blocks and the increase of the V1/V2 variant pair.These findings would be instructive for the composition,microstructure design,and property optimization of high-strength steels.

Enhancement of bending toughness for Fe-based amorphous nanocrystalline alloy with deep cryogenic-cycling treatment

The effects of deep cryogenic-cycling treatment(DCT)on the mechanical properties,soft magnetic properties,and atomic scale structure of the Fe_(73.5)Si_(13.5)B_(9)Nb_(3)Cu_(1)amorphous nanocrystalline alloy were investigated.The DCT samples were obtained by subjecting the as-annealed samples to a thermal cycling process between the temperature of the supercooled liquid zone and the temperature of liquid nitrogen.Through flat plate bending testing,hardness measurements,and nanoindentation experiment,it is found that the bending toughness of the DCT samples is improved and the soft magnetic properties are also slightly enhanced.These are attributed to the rejuvenation behavior of the DCT samples,which demonstrate a higher enthalpy of relaxation.Therefore,DCT is an effective method to enhance the bending toughness of Fe-based amorphous nanocrystalline alloys without degrading the soft magnetic properties.

Sharp Isolated Toughness Bound for Fractional(k,m)-Deleted Graphs

A graph G is a fractional(k;m)-deleted graph if removing any m edges from G,the resulting subgraph still admits a fractional k-factor.Let k≥2 and m≥1 be integers.Denote[2m/k]^(*)=[2m/k]if 2m/k is not an integer,and[2m/k]^(*)=[2m/k]-1 if 2m/k is an integer.In this paper,we prove that G is a fractional(k,m)-deleted graph if δ(G)≥k+m and isolated toughness meets I(G)>{3-1/m,if k=2 and m≥3,k+[2m/k]^(*)m+1-[2m/k]^(*);otherwise.Furthermore,we show that the isolated toughness bound is tight.

Effects of multimodal microstructure on fracture toughness and its anisotropy of LPSO-type extruded Mg-1Zn-2Y alloys

The fracture toughness of extruded Mg-1Zn-2Y(at.%)alloys,featuring a multimodal microstructure containing fine dynamically recrystallized(DRXed)grains with random crystallographic orientation and coarse-worked grains with a strong fiber texture,was investigated.The DRXed grains comprised randomly oriented equiaxedα-Mg grains.In contrast,the worked grains includedα-Mg and long-period stacking ordered(LPSO)phases that extended in the extrusion direction(ED).Both types displayed a strong texture,aligning the(10.10)direction parallel to the ED.The volume fractions of the DRXed and worked grains were controlled by adjusting the extrusion temperature.In the longitudinal-transverse(L-T)orientation,where the loading direction was aligned parallel to the ED,there was a tendency for the conditional fracture toughness,KQ,tended to increase as the volume fraction of the worked grains increased.However,the KQ values in the T-L orientation,where the loading direction was perpendicular to the ED,decreased with an increase in the volume fraction of the worked grains.This suggests strong anisotropy in the fracture toughness of the specimen with a high volume fraction of the worked grains,relative to the test direction.The worked grains,which included the LPSO phase and were elongated perpendicular to the initial crack plane,suppressed the straight crack extension,causing crack deflection,and generating secondary cracks.Thus,these worked grains significantly contributed to the fracture toughness of the extruded Mg-1Zn-2Y alloys in the L-T orientation.

Constructing high-toughness polyimide binder with robust polarity and ion-conductive mechanisms ensuring long-term operational stability of silicon-based anodes

Silicon-based materials have demonstrated remarkable potential in high-energy-density batteries owing to their high theoretical capacity.However,the significant volume expansion of silicon seriously hinders its utilization as a lithium-ion anode.Herein,a functionalized high-toughness polyimide(PDMI) is synthesized by copolymerizing the 4,4'-Oxydiphthalic anhydride(ODPA) with 4,4'-oxydianiline(ODA),2,3-diaminobenzoic acid(DABA),and 1,3-bis(3-aminopropyl)-tetramethyl disiloxane(DMS).The combination of rigid benzene rings and flexible oxygen groups(-O-) in the PDMI molecular chain via a rigidness/softness coupling mechanism contributes to high toughness.The plentiful polar carboxyl(-COOH) groups establish robust bonding strength.Rapid ionic transport is achieved by incorporating the flexible siloxane segment(Si-O-Si),which imparts high molecular chain motility and augments free volume holes to facilitate lithium-ion transport(9.8 × 10^(-10) cm^(2) s^(-1) vs.16 × 10^(-10) cm^(2) s~(-1)).As expected,the SiO_x@PDMI-1.5 electrode delivers brilliant long-term cycle performance with a remarkable capacity retention of 85% over 500 cycles at 1.3 A g^(-1).The well-designed functionalized polyimide also significantly enhances the electrochemical properties of Si nanoparticles electrode.Meanwhile,the assembled SiO_x@PDMI-1.5/NCM811 full cell delivers a high retention of 80% after 100 cycles.The perspective of the binder design strategy based on polyimide modification delivers a novel path toward high-capacity electrodes for high-energy-density batteries.

Instrumented oscillographic study on impact toughness of an axle steel DZ2 with different tempering temperatures

Compared with the conventional Charpy impact test method,the oscillographic impact test can help in the behavioral analysis of materials during the fracture process.In this study,the trade-off relationship between the strength and toughness of a DZ2 axle steel at various tempering temperatures and the cause of the improvement in impact toughness was evaluated.The tempering process dramatically influenced carbide precipitation behavior,which resulted in different aspect ratios of carbides.Impact toughness improved along with the rise in tempering temperature mainly due to the increase in energy required in impact crack propagation.The characteristics of the impact crack propagation process were studied through a comprehensive analysis of stress distribution,oscilloscopic impact statistics,fracture morphology,and carbide morphology.The poor impact toughness of low-tempering-temperature specimens was attributed to the increased number of stress concentration points caused by carbide morphology in the small plastic zone during the propagation process,which resulted in a mixed distribution of brittle and ductile fractures on the fracture surface.

A modified 3D mean strain energy density criterion for predicting shale mixed-mode Ⅰ/Ⅲ fracture toughness

The fracture toughness of rocks is a critical fracturing parameter in geo-energy exploitation playing a significant role in fracture mechanics and hydraulic fracturing.The edge-notched disk bending(ENDB)specimens are employed to measure the entire range of mixed-modeⅠ/Ⅲfracture toughness of Longmaxi shale.To theoretically interpret the fracture mechanisms,this research first introduces the detailed derivations of three established fracture criteria.By distinguishing the volumetric and distortional strain energy densities,an improved three-dimensional mean strain energy density(MSED)criterion is proposed.As the critical volumetric to distortional MSED ratio decreases,the transition from tensiondominated fracture to shear-dominated fracture is observed.Our results indicate that both peak load and applied energy increase significantly with the transition from pure mode I(i.e.,tension)to pure modeⅢ(i.e.,torsion or tearing)since mode-Ⅲcracking happens in a twisted manner and mode-Ⅰcracking occurs in a coplanar manner.The macroscopic fracture signatures are consistent with those of triaxial hydraulic fracturing.The average ratio of pure mode-Ⅲfracture toughness to pure mode-Ⅰfracture toughness is 0.68,indicating that the obtained mode-Ⅲfracture resistance for a tensionbased loading system is apparent rather than true.Compared to the three mainstream fracture criteria,the present fracture criterion exhibits greater competitiveness and can successfully evaluate and predict mixed-modeⅠ/Ⅲfracture toughness of distinct materials and loading methods.

Effects of heterogeneous microstructure evolution on the tensile and fracture toughness properties of extruded AZ31B alloys

This study aims to investigate the extrusion temperature effects on the development of heterogeneous microstructures and mechanical properties,focusing on their impact on the fracture toughness of AZ31B alloys.Magnesium AZ31B(Mg-3wt%Al-1wt%Zn)alloys with high strength and reasonable fracture toughness,featuring heterogeneous microstructures,were fabricated via warm/hot extrusion at temperatures ranging from 523 to 723 K.The AZ31B alloy extruded at 523 K was bimodally grained into coarse worked grains with high Kernel average misorientation(KAM)values and fine dynamically recrystallized(DRXed)grains(<10μm)with intermediate KAM values.The 523 K-extruded alloy exhibited a high tensile yield strength of∼280 MPa and fracture toughness KJIC of∼26 MPa·m^(1/2).Conversely,the 723 K-extruded AZ31B alloy was trimodally grained into a small amount of worked grains,fine DRXed grains,and coarse DRXed grains(>10μm)with low KAM values.The 723 K-extruded alloy exhibited low tensile yield strength but a high KJIC value of∼36 MPa·m^(1/2)owing to the high energy dissipation for crack extension in the coarse DRXed grains.

3D Printing of Tough Hydrogel Scaffolds with Functional Surface Structures for Tissue Regeneration

Hydrogel scaffolds have numerous potential applications in the tissue engineering field.However,tough hydrogel scaffolds implanted in vivo are seldom reported because it is difficult to balance biocompatibility and high mechanical properties.Inspired by Chinese ramen,we propose a universal fabricating method(printing-P,training-T,cross-linking-C,PTC&PCT)for tough hydrogel scaffolds to fill this gap.First,3D printing fabricates a hydrogel scaffold with desired structures(P).Then,the scaffold could have extraordinarily high mechanical properties and functional surface structure by cycle mechanical training with salting-out assistance(T).Finally,the training results are fixed by photo-cross-linking processing(C).The tough gelatin hydrogel scaffolds exhibit excellent tensile strength of 6.66 MPa(622-fold untreated)and have excellent biocompatibility.Furthermore,this scaffold possesses functional surface structures from nanometer to micron to millimeter,which can efficiently induce directional cell growth.Interestingly,this strategy can produce bionic human tissue with mechanical properties of 10 kPa-10 MPa by changing the type of salt,and many hydrogels,such as gelatin and silk,could be improved with PTC or PCT strategies.Animal experiments show that this scaffold can effectively promote the new generation of muscle fibers,blood vessels,and nerves within 4 weeks,prompting the rapid regeneration of large-volume muscle loss injuries.

Product Development of High Strength and Toughness Spring Flat Steel

With the continuous development of mechanical industry,higher requirements are put forward for the comprehensive properties of spring steel.The chemical composition and production process of spring flat steel are designed to meet the requirements of high strength and high toughness of spring flat steel,through the test,the product surface quality and internal quality all meet the national standards,the performance indicators to meet user requirements.

Effect of heat treatment on stress corrosion cracking, fracture toughness and strength of 7085 aluminum alloy

The influences of heat treatment on stress corrosion cracking （SCC）, fracture toughness and strength of 7085 aluminum alloy were investigated by slow strain rate testing, Kahn tear testing combined with scanning electron microscopy （SEM） and transmission electron microscopy （TEM）. The results show that the fracture toughness of T74 overaging is increased by 22.9% at the expense of 13.6% strength, and retrogression and reaging （RRA） enhances fracture toughness 14.2% without reducing the strength compared with T6 temper. The fracture toughness of dual-retrogression and reaging （DRRA） is equivalent to that of T74 with an increased strength of 14.6%. The SCC resistance increases in the order： T6〈RRA〈DRRA≈T74. The differences of fracture toughness and SCC were explained on the basis of the role of matrix precipitates and grain boundary orecioitates.

Effects of cubic carbides and La additions on WC grain morphology,hardness and toughness of WC-Co alloys

Effects of Cr3C2,VC and La2O3 additions on the WC grain morphology,hardness and toughness of WC-10Co alloys were investigated.To intensify the grain growth driving force,nano W and nano C,instead of the conventionally used WC,were used as the starting materials.To obtain a three-dimensional WC grain morphology,the natural sinter skins of the alloys were observed directly by scanning electron microscopy.It is shown that the additions have a strong ability in regulating the WC grain morphological and grain size distribution characteristics and the combinations of hardness and toughness.Due to the formation of regular and homogeneous triangular platelet WC grains,WC-10Co-0.6Cr3C2-0.06La2O3 alloy shows an excellent combination of hardness and toughness.The morphological regulation mechanism,the relationship between the WC grain morphology and the properties were discussed.

Microstructure and indentation toughness of Cr/CrN multilayer coatings by arc ion plating

Cr/CrN multilayer coatings with bilayer periods in the range from 1351 to 260 nm were prepared on 304 stainless steel substrates by arc ion plating to study the microstructure and properties of multilayer coatings and stimulate their application.SEM results confirm the clear periodicity of the Cr/CrN multilayer coatings and the clear interface between individual layers.XRD patterns reveal that these multilayer coatings contain Cr,CrN and Cr_2N phases.Because Cr layer is softer than its nitride layer,the hardness decreases with the shortening of the bilayer period(or increasing volume fraction of Cr layer).The Cr/CrN multilayer coating with 862 nm period possesses the highest indentation toughness due to a proper individual Cr and nitride layer thickness.However,for the Cr/CrN multilayer with the bilayer period of 1351 nm,it possesses the lowest toughness due to more nitride phase.The indentation toughness of Cr/CrN multilayer coatings is related with their bilayer period.A coating with a proper individual Cr and nitride layer thickness possesses the highest indentation toughness.

Microstructure and fracture toughness of a TiAl-Nb composite consolidated by spark plasma sintering

A TiAl-Nb composite was prepared by spark plasma sintering （SPS） at 1250 °C and 50 MPa for 5 min from prealloyed TiAl powder and elemental Nb powder in a molar ratio of 9：1 for improving the fracture toughness of TiAl alloy at room temperature. The microstructure, phase constitute, fracture surface and fracture toughness were determined by X-ray diffractometry, electron probe micro-analysis, scanning and transmission electron microscopy and mechanical testing. The results show that the sintered samples mainly consist of γ phase, O phase, niobium solid solution （Nbss） phase and B2 phase. The fracture toughness is as high as 28.7 MPa？m1/2 at room temperature. The ductile Nbss phase plays an important role in absorbing the fracture energy in front of the cracks. Moreover, B2 phase can branch the propagation of the cracks. The microhardness of each phase of the composite was also tested.

Effect of microstructure on impact toughness of magnesium alloys

Microstructures of as-cast and extruded ZK60-xRE （RE=Dy, Ho and Gd, x=0-5, mass fraction） alloys were investigated. Meanwhile, the impact toughness was tested and then the relationship was discussed. The results show that as-cast microstructure is refined gradually with increasing the RE content. Mg-Zn-RE new phase increases gradually, while MgZn2 phase decreases gradually to disappear. Second phase tends to distribute along grain boundary in continuous network. Extruded microstructure is refined obviously to reach the micron level. Broken second phase tends to distribute along the extrusion direction in zonal shape. Impact toughness value -nK increases from 9-17 J/cm2 for as-cast state to 26-54 J/cm2 for extruded state. With increasing the value of -nK, fracture macro-morphology changes from a rough plane via multi-plane with step to V-type plane; and from single radiation zone to two zones of fiber and shear lip, respectively. Fracture micro-morphology changes from the brittle fracture to the ductile fracture. Fine grain and few fine dispersed second phase can enhance the impact toughness of magnesium alloys effectively.

INTERLAMINAR FRACTURE TOUGHNESS OF MULTI-DIRECTIONAL LAMINATES

Based on the conventional compliance and area methods, a high precision method named the angle method is presented in this work. The interlaminar fracture toughness is determined by measurement of the load and the bending angle at the loading point without measurement of the crack length, and the improvement of the conventional compliance method is made, which is more precise and can be used to general DCB specimen with unequal flexural stiffness of the cantilevers. The interlaminar fracture toughness in 0/ θ(θ =0°,30°,60°,90°) interfaces of two epoxy composites, one being the carbon fibre reinforced brittle matrix T300/4211, the other the carbon fibre reinforced tough matrix T300/3261, is measured by both compliance and angle methods, and the relationship between fracture toughness and the ply angle θ is obtained. It is found that the interlaminar fracture toughness is correlated with the type of matrix and the ply angles near the crack front.

Effect of Microstructure Refinement on the Strength and Toughness of Low Alloy Martensitic Steel

Martensitic microstructure in quenched and tempered 17CrNiMo6 steel with the prior austenite grain size ranging from 6 μm to 199 μm has been characterized by optical metallography （OM）, scanning electron microscopy （SEM） and transmission electron microscopy （TEM）. The yield strength and the toughness of the steel with various prior austenite grain sizes were tested and correlated with microstructure characteristics. Results show that both the prior austenite grain size and the martensitic packet size in the 17CrNiMo6 steel follow a HalI-Petch relation with the yield strength. When the prior austenite grain size was refined from 199 μm to 6 μm , the yield strength increased by 235 MPa, while the Charpy U-notch impact energy at 77 K improved more than 8 times, indicating that microstructure refinement is more effective in improving the resistance to cleavage fracture than in increasing the strength. The fracture surfaces implied that the unit crack path for cleavage fracture is identified as being the packet.

Mechanics Behavior of Ultra High Toughness Cementitious Composites after Freezing and Thawing

Mechanical behaviors of UHTCC after freezing and thawing were investigated,and compared with those of steel fiber reinforced concrete（SFRC）,air-entrained concrete（AEC） and ordinary concrete（OC）.Four point bending tests had been applied after different freezing-thawing cycles（0,50,100,150,200 and 300 cycles,respectively）.The results showed that residual flexural strength of UHTCC after 300 freezing-thawing cycles was 10.62 MPa（70% of no freezing thawing ones）,while 1.58 MPa（17% of no freezing thawing ones） for SFRC.Flexural toughness of UHTCC decreased by 17%,while 70% for SFRC comparatively.It has been demonstrated experimentally that UHTCC without any air-entraining agent could resist freezing-thawing and retain its high toughness characteristic in cold environment.Consequently,UHTCC could be put into practice for new-built or retrofit of infrastructures in cold regions.

Microstructures and impact toughness behavior of Al 5083 alloy processed by cryorolling and afterwards annealing

The influence of rolling at liquid nitrogen temperature and annealing on the microstructure and mechanical properties of Al 5083 alloy was studied in this paper. Cryorolled samples of Al 5083 show significant improvements in strength and hardness. The ultimate tensile strength increases up to 340 MPa and 390 MPa for the 30% and 50% cryorolled samples, respectively. The cryorolled samples, with 30% and 50% reduction, were subjected to Charpy impact testing at various temperatures from 190℃ to 100℃. It is observed that increasing the percentage of reduction of samples during cryorolling has significant effect on decreasing impact toughness at all temperatures by increasing yield strength and decreasing ductility. Annealing of samples after cryorolling shows remarkable increment in impact toughness through recovery and recrystallization. The average grain size of the 50% cryorolled sample （14 μm） after annealing at 350℃ for 1 h is found to be finer than that of the 30% cryorolled sample （25 μm）. The scanning electron microscopy （SEM） analysis of fractured surfaces shows a large-size dimpled morphology, resembling the ductile fracture mechanism in the starting material and fibrous structure with very fine dimples in cryorolled samples corresponding to the brittle fracture mechanism.

Microstructures and Toughness of Weld Metai of Ultrafine Grained Ferritic Steel by Laser Welding

3 mm thick 400 MPa grade ultrafine grained ferritic steel plates were bead-on-plate welded by CO2 laser with heat input of 120-480 J/mm. The microstructures of the weld metal mainly consist of bainite, which form is lower bainite plates or polygonal ferrite containing quantities of dispersed cementite particles, mixed with a few of low carbon martensite laths or ferrite, depending on the heat input. The hardness and the tensile strength of the weld metal are higher than those of the base metal, and monotonously increase as the heat input decreases. No softened zone exists in heat affected zone (HAZ). Compared with the base metal, although the grains of laser weld are much larger, the toughness of the weld metal is higher within a large range of heat input. Furthermore, as the heat input increases, the toughness of the weld metal rises to a maximum value, at which point the percentage of lower bainite is the highest, and then drops.