Coarsening kinetics and strengthening mechanisms of core-shell nanoscale precipitates in Al-Li-Yb-Er-Sc-Zr alloy

The tailored nanoparticles with a complex core/shell structure can satisfy a variety of demands, such as lattice misfit, shearability and coarsening resistance. In this research, core-shell nanoscale Al3(Yb, Er, Sc,Zr, Li) composite particles were precipitated in Al-2 Li-0.1 Yb-0.1 Er-0.1 Sc-0.1 Zr(wt%) alloy through the double-aging treatment, in which the core was(Yb, Er, Sc, Zr)-rich formed at 300°C and the shell was Li-rich formed at 150°C. The coarsening kinetics and precipitate size distributions(PSDs) of Al3(Yb, Er, Sc,Zr, Li) particles aged at 150°C previously aged at 300°C for 24 h showed a better fit to the relation of 2∝ kt and normal distribution, indicating that the coarsening of precipitates was controlled by interface reaction, not diffusion. The Orowan bypass strengthening was operative mechanism at 150°C.

Coarsening Kinetics of γ' Precipitates in Dendritic Regions of a Ni_3 Al Base Alloy

Coarsening behavior of γ＇ precipitates in the dendritic regions of a Ni 3 Al base alloy containing chromium,molybdenum,zirconium and boron was investigated.Annealing treatment was performed up to 50 h at 900,1000 and 1100℃.The alloy was produced by vacuum-arc remelting technique.Results show that coarsening of the γ＇ precipitates in this complex alloy containing high volume fractions of γ＇ phase follows Lifshitz-Slyozov-Wagner（LSW） theory.Coarsening activation energy of the γ＇ precipitates was evaluated to be about 253.5 kJ.mol-1 which shows that the growth phenomenon is controlled by volume diffusion of aluminum.With an innovative approach,diffusion coefficient of the solute element（s） and the interfacial energy between γ＇ precipitates and γ＇（matrix） were estimated at 900,1000 and 1100℃.Accordingly,the interfacial energies at 900,1000 and 1100℃ are 4.49±1.48,2.08±0.69 and 0.98±0.32 mJ.m-2,respectively.Also the diffusivities of solute element（s） at these temperatures are 3.41±1.08,30±9.5 and 145.15±45.85（10-15 m-2.s-1）,respectively.

Precipitation and coarsening kinetics of H-phase in NiTiHf high temperature shape memory alloy

Precipitate hardening is the most easiest and effective way to enhance strain recovery properties in NiTiHf high-temperature shape memory alloys.This paper discusses the precipitation,coarsening and age hardening of H-phase precipitates in Ni_(50)Ti_(30)Hf_(20)alloy during isothermal aging at temperatures between 450℃and 650℃for time to 75 h.The H-phase mean size and volume fraction were determined using transmission electron microscopy.Precipitation kinetics was analyzed using the Johnson-Mehl-Avrami-Kolmogorov equation and an Arrhenius type law.From these analyses,a Time-Temperature-Transformation diagram was constructed.The evolution of H-phase size suggests classical matrix diffusion limited Lifshitz-Slyozov-Wagner coarsening for all considered temperatures.The coarsening rate constants of H-phase precipitation have been determined using a modified coarsening rate equation for nondilute solutions.Critical size of H-phase precipitates for breaking down the precipitate/matrix interface coherency was estimated through a combination of age hardening and precipitate size evolution data.Moreover,time-temperature-hardness diagram was constructed from the precipitation and coarsening kinetics and age hardening of H-phase precipitates in Ni_(50)Ti_(30)Hf_(20)alloy.

Coarsening Kinetics of a Two Phase Mixture with Highly Disparate Diffusion Mobility

The coarsening kinetics of a two-phase mixture with a large diffusional mobility disparity between the two phases is studied using a variable-mobility Cahn Hilliard equation.The semi-implicit spectral numerical technique was employed,and a number of interpolation functions are considered for describing the change in diffusion mobility across the interface boundary from one phase to another.The coarsening rate of domain size was measured using both structure and pair correlation functions as well as the direct computation of particle sizes in real space for the case that the coarsening phase consists of dispersed particles.We discovered that the average size(R)versus time(t)follows the R^(10/3)∝t law,in contrast to the conventional LSW theory,R^(3)∝t,and the interface-diffusion dominated two-phase coarsening,R^(4)∝t.

Coarsening and Age Hardening Behaviors of γ' Particles in GH742 During High Temperature Treatment

The coarsening and ageing hardening behaviors of γ′ particles in superalloy GH742 have been investigated by field emission scanning electron microscopy （FESEM）, coarsening kinetics calculation and microhardness testing when ageing at 1 050, 950 and 900 ℃ for different time. The cube of γ′ particle size and ageing time follows a linear law as predicted by LSW theory. The particle size distributions give better fit to the LSW theoretical distribution. The activation energy for γ′ coarsening is accurately determined to have 245. 06±14.42 kJ/mol when considering the effect of temperature on the solution concentrations in matrix. Based on the activation energy, the coarsening kinetics of γ′ particle is predicted as r^-t^3=7.35×10^15 Ce/T exp -（245060±14420）/RT t.The microhardness studies indicate that microhardness decreases rapidly with increasing the ageing temperature and it has a maximum value corresponding to a critical particle size beyond which the microhardness increase stalls with increasing the ageing time.

A strong and ductile NiCoCr-based medium-entropy alloy strengthened by coherent nanoparticles with superb thermal-stability

In this work,we designed a novel NiCoCr-based medium-entropy alloy(MEA)strengthened by coher-ent L12-nanoparticles,i.e.,(NiCoCr)92 Al 6 Ta 2(at.%).The strengthening and deformation mechanisms of the material and the coarsening kinetics of the coherent precipitates were systematically investigated.The results indicated that giant precipitation hardening and its synergy with other strengthening contributors confer on the aged material a yield strength as high as 1.0 GPa.Moreover,a unique particle-features-dependent plasticity mechanism was revealed in this alloy.That is,the alloy with a lower volume frac-tion,denser distribution,and finer particles mainly deformed by dislocation planar slip,otherwise,stack-faults-mediated plasticity was favored,rationalized by the cooperative/competitive effect of stack-fault energy,spatial confinement,and applied stress.Furthermore,the coarsening behavior of precipitate fol-lowed a modified Lifshitz-Slyozov-Wagner(LSW)model,and the nanoparticles displayed remarkably su-perior thermal stability compared to most traditional superalloys and reported multicomponent alloys.The superb coarsening resistance of precipitate originated from the coupled effect of intrinsic sluggish diffusion in multi-principal alloys and the dual-roles of Ta species as a precipitate stabilizer.This work provides a new pathway to develop strong-yet-ductile multicomponent alloys as promising candidates for high-temperature applications.

Thermal stability and deformation mechanisms in Ni-Co-Fe-Cr-Al-Ti-Nb-type nanoparticle-strengthened high-entropy alloys

The precipitate morphologies,coarsening kinetics,elemental partitioning behaviors,grain structures,and tensile properties were explored in detail for L1_(2)-strengthened Ni_(39.9)Co_(20)Fe_(15)Cr_(15)Al_(6)Ti_(4-x)Nb_(x)B_(0.1)(x=0 at.%,2 at.%,and 4 at.%)high-entropy alloys(HEAs).By substituting Ti with Nb,the spheroidal-to-cuboidal precipitate morphological transition,increase in the coarsening kinetics,and phase decomposition upon aging at 800°C occurred.The excessive addition of Nb brings about the grain boundary precipitation of an Nb-rich phase along with the phase decomposition from the L1_(2)to lamellar-structured D019 phase upon the long-term aging duration.By partially substituting Ti with Nb,the chemically complex and thermally stable L12 phase with a composition of(Ni_(58.8)Co_(9.8)Fe_(2.7))(Al_(12.7)Ti_(5.8)Nb_(7.5)Cr_(2.3))ensures the stable phase structure and clean grain boundaries,which guarantees the superb high-temperature mechanical properties(791±7 MPa for yielding and 1013±11 MPa for failure)at 700℃.Stacking faults(SFs)were observed to prevail during the plastic deformation,offering a high work-hardening capability at 700°C.An anomalous rise in the yield strength at 800℃was found,which could be ascribed to the multi-layered super-partial dislocations with a cross-slip configuration within the L1_(2)particles.

Short‑Term Splitting and Long‑Term Stability of Cuboidal Nanoparticles in Ni_(44)Co_(22)Cr_(22)Al_(6)Nb_(6) Multi‑Principal Element Alloy

Multi-principal element alloys(MPEAs)composed of thermally stable high-density cuboidal nanoparticles have revealed great potential for high-temperature applications.In this work,we systematically studied the growth behavior and coarsening kinetics of the cuboidal nanoparticles in Ni_(44)Co_(22)Cr_(22)Al_(6)Nb_(6) MPEA.In the initial stage of isothermal aging,the nanoparticles exhibit growth and split behavior,resulting in the improvement of mechanical performance,then the cuboidal nanoparticles retain superior thermal and mechanical stability during long-term isothermal aging.The 288 kJ/mol activation energy of Ni_(44)Co_(22)Cr_(22)Al_(6)Nb_(6) MPEA,which is higher than that in Ni-based superalloys,reveals the obvious elemental sluggish diffusion in Ni_(44)Co_(22)Cr_(22)Al_(6)Nb_(6) MPEA.Meanwhile,coarsening rate constant determined by the volume diffusion mechanism in Ni_(44)Co_(22)Cr_(22)Al_(6)Nb_(6) MPEA is 1–2 orders of magnitude less than that of the traditional Ni-based superalloys.The shortterm regulation and long-term stability of the cuboidal nanoparticles endow the Ni_(44)Co_(22)Cr_(22)Al_(6)Nb_(6) MPEA with superior mechanical performance and thermal stability for high temperature applications.

A correlative multidimensional study ofγ’precipitates with Ta addition in Re-containing Ni-based single crystal superalloys

The microstructural evolution in Re-containing Ni-based single crystal superalloys with different Tantalum(Ta)content(2 Ta,5 Ta and 8 Ta in wt%)was investigated.Ta addition significantly affected theγ’precipitate morphology,γ/γ’lattice misfit and microstructural stability during long-term aging.Results showed that the partitioning behaviors of solutes were enhanced by Ta addition,meanwhile,the reversal partitioning behavior of W was triggered which partitioned fromγ’precipitate to matrix.The elemental concentration redistribution caused variations in lattice misfit from positive to negative,the values of lattice misfit were measured to be 0.16%for 2 Ta alloy,then decreased to-0.07%for 5 Ta alloy and negatively increased to-0.23%for 8 Ta alloy.These variations in the lattice misfit were reflected on the transition ofγ’morphology from round-cornered cuboidal shape to cuboidal with sharp corners,accomplished with increasing shape parameter ratioη.Consequently,the optimalγ’shape could be obtained at lattice misfit of approximately 0.3%.Theγ’coarsening investigation at 900℃(up to 2000 h)indicated that Ta addition was beneficial for improving the microstructural stability by reducing the coarsening rate and interfacial energy,accompanied by the enhanced capability of resistingγ’coalescence.By incorporating the calculated interfacial energy,computational modeling,Thermo-Calc and PrecipiCalc,were employed to elucidate theγ’kinetic pathways,the simulation results agreed with experiments,indicating that the model and parameters were reasonable.Additionally,it was found that there was no overlap betweenγ’nucleation and coarsening when theγ/γ’interfacial energy increased to a critical value.