Microstructure and mechanical properties of a cast heat-resistant rare-earth magnesium alloy

Microstructure,mechanical properties and phase transformation of a heat-resistant rare-earth(RE)Mg-16.1Gd-3.5Nd-0.38Zn-0.26Zr-0.15Y(wt.%)alloy were investigated.The as-cast alloy is composed of equiaxedα-Mg matrix,net-shaped Mg5RE and Zr-rich phases.According to aging hardening curves and tensile properties variation,the optimized condition of solution treatment at 520℃for 8 h and subsequent aging at 204℃for 12 h was selected.The continuous secondary Mg5RE phase predominantly formed at grain boundaries during solidification transforms to residual discontinuousβ-Mg5RE phase and fine cuboid REH2particles after heat treatment.The annealed alloy exhibits good comprehensive tensile property at 350℃,with ultimate tensile strength of 153 MPa and elongation to fracture of 6.9%.Segregation of RE elements and eventually RE-rich precipitation at grain boundaries are responsible for the high strength at elevated temperature.

Effect of RE addition on solidification process and high-temperature strength of Al-12%Si-4%Cu-1.6%Mn heat-resistant alloy

The effect of RE addition on solidification process and high-temperature strength of Al-12%Si-4%Cu-1.6%Mn(in wt.%)heat-resistant alloy was investigated by microstructure observation and tensile test.A great number of fine needle-like RE-rich phases are observed in the alloys with RE addition. Solutionizing treatment does not change their morphologies and sizes, indicating that they have good thermal stability. The addition of RE totally alters the solidification process of eutectic CruAl2 phase, from network-like phase in the form of segregation at the final eutectic grain boundaries to discretely blocky phase growing on the hair-filamentous RE-rich needles. In the alloys with Ce addition, blocky CuAl2, particulate Al15Mn3Si2 and needle-like RE-rich needle phases grow together, but they did not occur in the alloy with only La addition. The addition of RE does not considerably improve the strength of the alloy at high temperatures. The formation of RE-rich phases also does not significantly alter the originating and propagating of micro-cracks in the alloy during tensile test.

Strengthening and control of second-phase particle precipitation in ferritic/austenitic/martensitic heat-resistant alloys:a review

Heat-resistant alloys with excellent mechanical properties are widely used in various fields,and further improvement in their properties is essential to meet the requirements in new-generation advanced supercritical boilers,nuclear reactors,superheaters,and other new materials applications.To effectively enhance the comprehensive performance of heat-resistant alloys,second-phase particle strengthening has been widely studied,and in the face of different service envi-ronments of advanced heat-resistant steels,the selection of suitable second-phase particles is essential to maximize the performance of these alloys.To this end,three major types of reinforcing phases in heat-resistant alloys such as carbides,rare earth oxides,and intermetallic compounds are summarized.A comparative analysis of the precipitation behavior of the reinforcing phases with different types as well as the risks and means of controlling their use in service,is presented.Key parameters for the application of various types of second-phase particles in heat-resistant alloys are provided to support the design and preparation of new ultrahigh-performance heat-resistant alloys.

Grain refinement and weak-textured structures based on the dynamic recrystallization of Mg–9.80Gd–3.78Y–1.12Sm–0.48Zr alloy

We utilized electron backscatter diffraction to investigate the microstructure evolutions of a newly developed magnesium-rare earth alloy(Mg–9.80 Gd–3.78 Y–1.12 Sm–0.48 Zr)during instantaneous hot indirect extrusion.An equiaxed fine-grained(average grain size of 3.4±0.2μm)microstructure with a weak texture was obtained.The grain refinement was mainly attributed to the discontinuous dynamic recrystallization(DDRX)and continuous DRX(CDRX)processes during the hot indirect extrusion process.The twin boundaries formed during the initial deformation stage effectively increased the number of high angle grain boundaries(HAGBs),which provided sites for new grain nuclei,and hence,resulted in an improved DDRX process.Along with DDRX,CDRX processes characterized by low angle grain boundary(LAGB)networks were also observed in the grain interior due to effective dynamic recovery(DRV)at a relatively high temperature of 773 K and high strain rates.Thereafter,LAGB networks were transformed into HAGB networks by the progressive rotation of subgrains during the CDRX process.

Structure and Property of AgLaY Alloy

The structure of RE-Ag alloy was observed and analyzed using electron probe. The property changes of the alloy containing two rare earth elements AgLaY during cold forming and the high temperature softening-resistance during annealing were studied using Vickers hardness tester. The distribution and action of the rare earth elements in Ag-alloy were also analyzed. Experimental results show that AgLaY alloy has more remarkable work-hardening effect than AgLa and pure silver, and it also has better thermal-resistance. The effects of RE elements, La and Y, on the properties of Ag-alloy are attributable to their symbiotic distribution and complementary function. Because of the common properties of La and Y as RE elements, they have the completely similar distribution in Ag-alloy. At the same time, La and Y make full use of complementary role in the alloy since they belong to different periods in periodic table and have differences in atomic structure and properties.

Effect of rare earth alloying on creep rupture of economical 21Cr-11Ni-N heat-resistant austenitic steel at 650 ℃

The effect of rare earth（RE） on creep rupture of economical 21Cr-11Ni-N heat-resistant austenitic steel was investigated at 650 °C under different stress levels. It was found that RE could increase the time to creep rupture, especially at long-term creep duration. The logarithm of the time to creep rupture（lgtr） was a linear function of the applied stress（σ）. RE addition was favorable to generating a high fraction of low-coincidence site lattice（CSL） boundaries which was a possible cause for improving the creep rupture resistance. The fracture surface of RE-added steel exhibited less intergranular cracks suggesting the alteration on the nature of grain boundaries due to the presence of RE. RE addition changed the morphology of the intergranular chromium carbides from continuous network shape to fragmentary distribution which was another cause for longer creep duration. These results strongly suggested that the effect of RE alloying played a crucial role in improving the creep rupture resistance.