Effective inhibition of anomalous grain coarsening in cast AZ91 alloys during fast cooling via nanoparticle addition

In this work, the effects of Ti CN and γ-Al_(2)O_(3) nanoparticle(NP) addition on the microstructural evolution of cast AZ91 alloys at the cooling rate ranging from 15 to 120 K/s have been systematically investigated. Experimental results reveal that grain coarsening occurs in cast AZ91 alloys when the cooling rate exceeds 90 K/s, while it can be effectively inhibited upon addition of NPs. The marked inhibition effect may originate from the formation of Ti CN or γ-Al_(2)O_(3) NP-induced undercooling zone ahead of solid/liquid(S/L) front of α-Mg, which not only can restrict grain growth effectively, but also can reactivate the native nucleants that are inactive in AZ91 melts to participate in nucleation events. And if possessing high nucleation potency, NPs can also promote further nucleation events and lead to significant grain refinement. An analytical model has been established to quantitatively account for the restriction effect of NPs on grain growth. The present work may shed a new light on the grain coarsening of cast alloys during fast cooling and provide an effective approach to circumvent it.

Microscopic phase-field study on directional coarsening mechanism caused by interaction between precipitates in Ni-Al-V alloy

A microscopic phase-field model was used to investigate a directional coarsening mechanism caused by the anisotropic growth of long period stacking and different effects of phases on precipitation in Ni-Al-V alloy.The results show that DO22 mainly coarsens along its short axis,which may press the neighboring L12,leading to the interaction among atoms.Diffusion channels of Al are formed in the direction where the mismatch between γ＇ and γ reduces;the occupation probabilities are anisotropic in space;and direction coarsening of L12 occurs finally.With a rise of ageing temperature,phases appear later and DO22 is much later at a higher temperature,the average occupation probabilities of Al and V reduce,and Al changes more than V.

Precipitation behavior and martensite lath coarsening during tempering of T/P92 ferritic heat-resistant steel

Tempering is an important process for T/P92 ferritic heat-resistant steel from the viewpoint of microstructure control, as it facili- tates the formation of final tempered martensite under serving conditions. In this study, we have gained deeper insights on the mechanism underlying the microstructural evolution during tempering treatment, including the precipitation of carbides and the coarsening of martensite laths, as systematically analyzed by optical microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and high-resolution transmission electron mi- croscopy. The chemical composition of the precipitates was analyzed using energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. Results indicate the for- mation of M3C （cementite） precipitates under normalized conditions. However, they tend to dissolve within a short time of tempering, owing to their low thermal stability. This phenomenon was substantiated by X-ray diffraction analysis. Besides, we could observe the precipitation of fine carbonitrides （MX） along the dislocations. The mechanism of carbon diffusion controlled growth of M23C6 can be expressed by the Zener＇s equation. The movement of Y-junctions was determined to be the fundamental mechanism underlying the martensite lath coarsening process. Vickers hardness was estimated to determine their mechanical properties. Based on the comprehensive analysis of both the micro- structural evolution and hardness variation, the process of tempering can be separated into three steps.

Coarsening behavior of MX carbonitrides in type 347H heat-resistant austenitic steel during thermal aging

In this work, the growth kinetics of MX （M - metal, X - C/N） nanoprecipitates in type 347H austenitic steel was systematically studied. To investigate the coarsening behavior and the growth mechanism of MX carbonitrides during long-term aging, experiments were performed at 700, 800, 850, and 900℃ for different periods （1, 24, 70, and 100 h）. The precipitation behavior of carbonitrides in specimens subjected to various aging conditions was explored using carbon replicas and transmission electron microscopy （TEM） observations. The corresponding sizes ofMX carbonitrides were measured. The results demonstrates that MX carbonitrides precipitate in type 347H austenitic steel as Nb（C,N）. The coarsening rate constant is time-independent; however, an increase in aging temperature results in an increase in coarsening rate of Nb（C,N）. The coarsening process was analyzed according to the calculated diffusion activation energy of Nb（C,N）. When the aging temperature was 800-900℃, the mean activation energy was 294 kJ·mol -1, and the coarsening behavior was controlled primarily by the diffusion of Nb atoms.

Coarsening behavior of γ' particles in a nickel-base superalloy

The coarsening behavior of γ particles in a nickel-base superalloy FGH95 was investigated by means of experimental observations and growth kinetics calculations. The results show that when aging at 1000,1080 and 1140°C for different times,the relation of average particle size to time obeys the cube law ( a /2)3= kt,where k is 15.49 × 103,77.5 × 103 and 230.04 × 103 nm3/min,respectively. The particle size distributions are better fit to the LSW theoretical distributions when aging at 1000°C within 1440 min....

Grain Coarsening Behavior of Mg-Al Alloys with Mischmetal Addition

Small addition of mischmetal （MM） into aluminum alloys can lead to grain refinement. However, it is still uncertain whether the same effect applies to Mg-Al alloys. This work indicated that small amount of mischmetal addition ranging from 0.1% to 1.2% （mass fraction） did not cause grain refinement in Mg-Al alloys. On the contrary, they tended to coarsen the grains. When added into Mg-Al alloys, MM reacted preferentially with Al to form Al11 MM3 phase. As Al11 MM3 phase mainly distributed within α-Mg grains than at grain boundaries, it had little effect in restricting grain growth. In addition, MM reacted with Al8（Mn, Fe）5 or ε-AlMn particles to form Al-MM-Mn compounds, thus it reduced the amount of heterogeneous nuclei in the melt and resulted in remarkable grain coarsening.

Kinetic Model of TiN Particle Dissolution and Coarsening during Welding Thermal Cycle

With carbon extraction replica technique, electron diffraction and EDAX analysis, second particle size distribution in two Ti microalloyed steels and their heat-affected zones were investigated. The results show that the particles in the Ti microalloyed steels are TiN particles, and the TiN particles in the steel with lower Ti/N ratio exhibit smaller size and lower dissolution and coarsening rate and extent. Based on the investigation results, kinetic models for TiN particle dissolution and coarsening during welding thermal cycle were developed. The predicted values calculated by using the models are in good agreement with the experimental ones.

GRAIN COARSENING BEHAVIOR OF V-Ti-N MICROALLOYED STEELS

The effects of chemical composition and cooling rate after solidication on the grain coarsening temperature,T_(GC),of the V-Ti-N microalloyed steels have been investigated.It is shown that the T_(GC) may be obviously raised by adding even a little Ti to the base steel so as to pre- cipitate a great deal of fine Ti-bearing particles of about 10 nm.The T_(GC) does not increase with the cooling rate,as it is over a certain critical value.The T_(GC) is insensitive to any varia- tion of N content at simulated cooling condition of 150 mm continuous cast slab.The T_(GC) may be dropped down about 100℃ by adding 0.33 wt-%Mo to the steels.The sensitivi- ty of T_(GC) to cooling condition relates to the Ti and V contents.

Coarsening Manner and Microstructure Evolution of Al-In Hypermonotectic Alloy during Rapidly Cooling Process

A numerical model reflecting the real physical processes well has been developed to predict the coarsening manner of the second phase droplets and the microstructural evolution under the common action of nucleation, diffusional growth, colliding coagulation during rapid cooling Al-ln hypermonotectic alloys. The model reflects the real physical processes well and is also applicable to other immiscible alloys.

Microscopic phase-field simulation of the coarsening behavior of coherent precipitates in Ni-Al alloys

On the basis of the microscopic phase-field dynamic model and the microelasticity theory, the characteristics of the coarsening behavior of γ＇ phase in Ni-Al alloys have been systematically studied in a certain volume fraction of the precipitates. It was found that the initial irregular shape, randomly distributed γ＇ phase, gradually transformed into cuboidal shape, regularly aligned along the [100] and [010] directions, and a highly preferential selected microstructure was formed during the later stage of precipitation. The volume fraction of the precipitates produced some effects on the precipitate morphology but did not produce an obvious effect on the regularities of precipitate distribution. The coarsening rate constant from the cubic growth law decreased as a function of volume fraction for small volume fractions, remained constant for intermediate volume fractions, and increased as a function of volume fraction for large volume fractions. During the coherent coarsening process, four ＂splitting＂ patterns between γ＇ phases, which belonged to different antiphase domains, were produced via particle aggregation, such as an L-shaped pattern, a doublet, a triplet, and a quartet.

Effect of cold rolling and first precipitates on the coarsening behavior of γ″-phases in Inconel 718 alloy

The coarsening behaviors of γ″-phase particles in Inconel 718 alloy aged at 750, 800, and 850℃ were investigated by scanning electron microscopy（SEM）. Detailed observations and quantitative measurements were conducted to characterize the coarsening behavior of the γ″-phase under various aging conditions. The experimental results indicate that the existence of the δ-phase retards the formation and coarsening of the γ″-phase, without influencing its final particle size or amount. Moreover, when cold rolled with a reduction of 50%, the dimensions of the γ″ particles in Inconel 718 alloy decrease with increasing aging time. Furthermore, the coarsening behavior of the γ″-phase in the Inconel 718 alloy after a normal aging treatment（sample A） and that of the primary δ-phase（sample B） follow the Lifshitz–Slyozov–Wagner（LSW） diffusion-controlled growth theory; the thus-obtained activation energies for the γ″-phase are 292 k J·mol^-1 and 302 k J·mol^-1, respectively.

Morphology of discontinuous coarsening in fully lamellar TiAl

The morphology of discontinuous coarsening in Ti 48Al 2Cr(mole fraction, %) was investigated. Three types of morphology were observed in TiAl specimens heat treated at temperatures ranging from 950 ℃ to 1 250 ℃. Type Ⅰ has straight coarsened secondary lamellae nearly parallel to the colony boundary, and it forms along the colony boundaries nearly normal to the primary lamellae. Type Ⅱ has straight coarsened secondary lamellae nearly normal to the colony boundary. Type Ⅲ consists of curved secondary lamellae that have no distinct orientation with the colony boundary and the primary lamellae. At the same time, the effect of temperature and the orientation between the lamellae and the colony boundaries on the morphology was analyzed.

COLLISION COARSENING OF DISPERSION DROPLETS IN SOLIDIFICATION PROCESS OF MONOTECTIC ALLOY

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Simulations of Coarsening Behavior for M_(23)C_6 Carbides in AISI H13 Steel

Based on the local equilibrium assumption, coarsening behavior of M23C6 carbide at 700℃ in H13 steel was simulated by DICTRA software. The results from the calculations were compared with transmission electron microscopy （TEM） observations. The results show the interracial energy for M23C6 in H13 steel at 700℃ is thus probably 0.7J·m^-2, which fits the experiments well. The influence of composition and temperature on the coarsening rate was also investigated by simulations. Simulations show a decrease in the coarsening rate when V/Mo ratio is increased, while the coarsening rate increases with increasing temperature.

Simulation of the coarsening behavior of intermetallic precipitates in Ni_(75)Al_xV_(25-x) alloys

The coarsening behavior of L12 and D022 in Ni75AlxV25-x （x,at.%） alloys including coherent strain was investigated using the microscopic phase-field model. The simulation results indicate that the shape transition and spatial correlation of L12 and D022 are caused by the morphological-dependent anisotropic elastic interactions in the system. The coarsening process of the particles is by means of neighbor particles impingement and aggregation into larger ones. For the strain-induced interactions between the precipitates,the LSW theory is altered for the coarsening behavior of L12 and D022. In addition,the simulation reveals that the growth and coarsening of D022 present two obvious stages at lower Al concentration regions and proceed simultaneously at high Al concentration regions. The growth and coarsening processes of L12 at the same regions is reverse to those of D022.

Coarsening rate of microstructure in semi-solid aluminium alloys

The rate of microstructural coarsening of recrystallisation and partial melting (RAP) and cooling slope (CS) processed materials in the semi-solid state is compared with rates found in the literature.The rate of coarsening depended on the liquid fraction but RAP route 2014 alloy with 37% liquid coarsened slightly more slowly than the CS route 2014 alloy with a lower liquid fraction of 17%, contrary to expectations.For the CS route, an increase in liquid fraction resulted in faster coarsening.A modified 2014 alloy with Fe, Mn and Zn stripped out of the composition gave a relatively high coarsening rate.The coarsening rate was also relatively high for CS 201 alloy in comparison with either RAP 2014 or CS 2014.Low coarsening rates are thought to be associated with the presence of particles which inhibit the migration of liquid film grain boundaries.This could be the result of pinning or of the liquid film impeding diffusion at the boundary.

Static coarsening behavior of equiaxed α phase in Ti-8Al-1Mo-1V alloy

To get a deep understanding of the evolution behavior of equiaxedαphase in Ti−8Al−1Mo−1V alloy during annealing,its static coarsening mechanism was studied based on the calculations of coarsening exponent n and the activation energy forαboundary migration.The result of n=6 indicates a special coarsening mechanism of equiaxedαphase.The activation energy forαboundary migration is calculated to be 138 kJ/mol,which is close to the activation energy for grain growth of pureα-Ti.It is revealed that the coarsening of equiaxedαcan be mainly attributed to the self-diffusion of Ti atoms across theα/αboundaries.Based on the experimental findings,a static coarsening kinetics model of equiaxedαgrains in theα+βfield is established.At last,the effects of the coarsening behavior of equiaxedαon tensile properties were studied.

Isothermal coarsening of primary particles during rheocasting

The isothermal coarsening behavior of primary solid particles in A356 aluminum alloy semi-solid slurry produced by angular oscillation (AO) technique was investigated.The comparison between the calculation and experimental results shows good quantitative agreement with Lifshitz-Slyozov-Wagner theory.The results show that the variation in shape factor and solid fraction is not significant,the average particle size increases with increasing holding time at the expense of the particle density.Ostwald repining is most likely the predominant growth mechanism in the AO-treated semi-solid slurry during rheocasting.The differences of coarsening occurred in rheocasting and partial re-melting process were also discussed.

Phase field modeling of dendritic coarsening during isothermal solidification

Dendritic coarsening in AI-2mol%Si alloy during isothermal solidification at 880K was investigated by phase field modeling. Three coarsening mechanisms operate in the alloy： （a） melting of small dendrite arms; （b） coalescence of dendrites near the tips leading to the entrapment of liquid droplets; （c） smoothing of dendrites. Dendrite melting is found to be dominant in the stage of dendritic growth, whereas coalescence of dendrites and smoothing of dendrites are dominant during isothermal holding. The simulated results provide a better understanding of dendrite coarsening during isothermal solidification.

OSTWALD COARSENING UNDER CHANGING VOLUME FRACTION CONDITION

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