Characterization of pitting corrosion of 7A60 aluminum alloy by EN and EIS techniques

The pitting corrosion behaviors of 7A60 aluminum alloy in the retrogression and re-aging （RRA） temper were investigated by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy （EIS） and electrochemical noise （EN） techniques, and the microstructure and the second phase content of the alloy were observed and determined by scanning electron microscopy （SEM） and energy dispersive spectrometer （EDS）. The results show that there exist two different corrosion stages for 7A60 alloy in 3.5%NaCl solution, and the corrosion process can be detected by the appearance of EIS spectrum with two capacitive time constants and the wavelet fractal dimension D extracted from EN. SEM and EDS results also demonstrate that severe pitting corrosion in 7A60 alloy is mainly caused by electrochemical active MgZn2 particles, secondly by Al2MgCu and Mg2Si. Al7Cu2Fe particles make little contribution to the pitting corrosion of 7A60 alloy.

Microstructure and mechanical properties of friction pull plug welding for2219-T87 aluminum alloy with tungsten inert gas weld

The friction pull plug welding(FPPW)of the 2219-T87 tungsten inert gas(TIG)welded joint was investigated,and the microstructures,precipitate evolution,mechanical properties,and fracture morphologies of this joint were analyzed and discussed.In this study,defectfree joints were obtained using a rotational speed of 7000 r/min,an axial feeding displacement of 12 mm,and an axial force of 20-22 kN.The results indicated that within these welding parameters,metallurgical bonding between the plug and plate is achieved by the formation of recrystallized grains.The microstructural features of the FPPW joint can be divided into different regions,including the heat-affected zone(HAZ),thermomechanically affected zone(TMAZ),recrystallization zone(RZ),heat-affected zone in the TIG weld(TIG-HAZ),and the thermomechanically affected zone in the TIG weld(TIG-TMAZ).In the TIG-TMAZ,the grains were highly deformed and elongated due to the shear and the extrusion that produces the plug during the FPPW process.The main reason for the softening in the TMAZ is determined to be the dissolution ofθ’and coarsening ofθprecipitate particles.In a tensile test,the FPPW joint welded with an axial force of 22 kN showed the highest ultimate tensile strength of 237 MPa.The locations of cracks and factures in the TIG-TMAZ were identified.The fracture morphology of the tensile sample showed good plasticity and toughness of the joints.

Human bronchial epithelial cell injuries induced by fine particulate matter from sandstorm and non-sandstorm periods：Association with particle constituents

Epidemiological studies have demonstrated the exacerbation of respiratory diseases following sandstorm-derived particulate matter（PM） exposure.The presence of anthropogenic and biological agents on the sandstorm PM and the escalation of PM 〈 2.5 μm（PM2.5）pollution in China have led to serious concerns regarding the health effects of PM2.5during Asian sandstorms.We investigated how changes in PM2.5composition,as the weather transitioned towards a sandstorm,affected human airway epithelial cells.Six PM2.5samples covering two sandstorm events and their respective background and transition periods were collected in Baotou,an industrial city near the Gobi Desert in China.PM samples from all three periods had mild cytotoxicity in human bronchial epithelial cell line BEAS-2B,which was positively correlated with the contents of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and several metals.All PM samples potently increased the release of interleukin-6（IL-6） and interleukin-8（IL-8）.Endotoxin in all samples contributed significantly to the IL-6 response,with only a minor effect on IL-8.Cr was positively correlated with both IL-6 and IL-8 release,while Si was only associated with the increase of IL-6.Our study suggests that local agricultural and industrial surroundings in addition to the sandstorm play important roles in the respiratory effects of sandstorm-derived PM.