Microstructure of Al-Zn-Mg-Cu-Zr-0.5Er alloy under as-cast and homogenization conditions

The billets of Al-Zn-Mg-Cu-Zr and Al-Zn-Mg-Cu-Zr-0.5Er alloys were prepared by semi-continuous direct chill casting （DCC）.The effects of trace Er on microstructure of Al-Zn-Mg-Cu-Zr alloy under as-cast and homogenization conditions were studied.The results show that the grain morphology is large dendritic structure and the grain size increases obviously by the addition of 0.5% Er.Moreover,most of Er element in the alloy segregates at grain boundary during solidification,resulting in ternary Al8Cu4Er phase.After homogenization,most of the MgZn2 phase at grain boundary has dissolved back to Al matrix in the two alloys.In the Er-containing alloy,the dissolution temperature of Al8Cu4Er phase is about 575 °C.Therefore,the homogenization treatment cannot eliminate Al8Cu4Er phase validity.

Effects of P and B addition on as-cast microstructure and homogenization parameter of Inconel 718 alloy

The effects of phosphorus and boron addition on the as-cast microstructure and homogenization parameters of Inconel 718 were studied. The results indicate that the addition of phosphorus and boron promotes the formation of blocky Laves phase. Due to the strong segregation behavior of boron in the final residual liquid, a low melting B-bearing phase enriched in Nb, Mo and Cr is observed. According to the differential scanning calorimeter results and electron probe micro-analysis characterization, the solidification sequence of Inconel 718 with phosphorus and boron addition in best combination is determined as L→L＋γ→L＋γ＋MC→L＋γ＋MC＋Laves→γ＋MC＋Laves＋MC＋Laves＋B-bearing phase. Accordingly, the homogenization temperature is recommended to be adjusted at least 40°C lower than that of standard Inconel 718 due to the existence of low melting B-bearing phase.

Microstructure and homogenization process of as-cast GH4169D alloy for novel turbine disk

To investigate the microstructure, segregation, and suitable homogenization process of as-cast GH4169D alloy, the microstructure, elements segregation, and precipitates of cast GH4169D ingots prepared by vacuum induction melting (VIM) and vacuum arc remelting (VAR) were observed by optical microscopy (OM), scanning electron microscopy, and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). According to the residual segregation model and simulation results of DICTRA thermodynamic software, the homogenization temperature and time range were set as 1120–1170°C and 5–20 h, respectively. The experimental results showed that microscopic dendrite and element segregation occurred in the interior of ingots and the main segregation elements were Nb and Ti. In addition, the precipitates were mainly distributed in interdendritic regions and were composed of NbC, Laves,γ′, and δ phases. The homogenization process suggested that the interdendritic detrimental precipitated Laves phase can be eliminated or redissolved after homogenization at 1150°C for 20 h, suggesting it was the most suitable homogenization treatment. Thermal compression test results showed that the GH4169D alloys after homogenization treatment had no cracks and dynamic recrystallization occurred, with recrystallization volume fraction increasing with temperature, indicating a good working plasticity at temperatures from 1050 to 1200°C.

Research on microstructure in as-cast 7A55 aluminum alloy and its evolution during homogenization

The microstructure of the as-cast 7A55 aluminum alloy and its evolution during homogenization were investigated by means of optical microscopy （OM）, scanning electron microscopy （SEM）, energy dispersive spectroscopy （EDS）, X-ray diffraction （XRD）, and differential scanning calorimetry （DSC） analysis. The results indicate that the microstructure of the as-cast 7A55 aluminum alloy mainly consists of the dendritic network of aluminum solid solution, Al/AIZnMgCu eutectic phases, and intermetaUic compounds MgZn2, Al2CuMg, Al7Cu2Fe, and Al23CuFe4. After homogenization at 470℃ for 48 h, Al/AlZnMgCu eutectic phases are dissolved into the matrix, and a small amount of high melting-point secondary phases were formed, which results in an increasing of the starting melting temperature of 7A55 aluminum alloy The high melting-point secondary phases were eliminated mostly when the homogenization time achieved to 72 h. Therefore, the reasonable homogenization heat treatment process for 7A55 aluminum alloy ingots was chosen as 470℃/72 h.

Effect of homogenization treatment on microstructure and mechanical properties of DC cast 7X50 aluminum alloy

The evolution of the eutectic structures in the as-cast and homogenized 7X50 aluminum alloys was studied by scanning electron microscopy(SEM), transmission electron microscopy(TEM), energy dispersive spectrometer(EDS), differential scanning calorimetry(DSC), X-ray diffraction(XRD) and tensile test. The results show that the main phases are S(Al2CuMg), T(Al2Mg3Zn3) and Mg Zn2, with a small amount of Al7Cu2 Fe and Al3 Zr in the as-cast 7X50 alloy. The volume fraction of the dendritic-network structure and residual phase decreases gradually during the homogenization. After homogenization at 470 °C for 24 h and then 482 °C for 12 h, the T(Al2Mg3Zn3) phase disappears and minimal S(Al2CuMg) phase remains, while almost no change has happened for Al7Cu2 Fe. There is a strong endothermic peak at 477.8 °C in the DSC curve of as-cast alloy. A new endothermic peak appears at 487.5 °C for the sample homogenized at 470 °C for 1 h. However, this endothermic peak disappears after being homogenized at 482 °C for 24 h. The T(Al2Mg3Zn3) phase cannot be observed by XRD, which is consistent with that T phase is the associated one of S(Al2CuMg) phase and Mg Zn2 phase. The volume fraction of recrystallized grains is substantially less in the plate with pre-homogenization treatment. The strength and fracture toughness of the plate with pre-homogenization treatment are about 15 MPa and 3.3 MPa·m1/2 higher than those of the material with conventional homogenization treatment.

Effect of homogenization annealing on microstructure, composition and mechanical properties of 7050/6009 bimetal slab

Homogenization annealing of the 7050/6009 bimetal slab prepared by direct-chill casting was investigated and its effects on microstructural evolution, composition distribution and mechanical properties in the interfacial region of the bimetal were studied. The results show that the optimized homogenization annealing process was 460℃for 24 h. After homogenization annealing, the Zn-rich phases and Al15（FeMn）3Si2phases were precipitated at the interface of the bimetal. The diffusion layer thickness of homogenized bimetal increased by 30 μm from 440 to480℃for 24 h, while it increased by 280 μm from 12 to 36 h at 460℃. The Vickers hardnessesat 6009 alloy side and interface of the bimetal decreased after homogenized annealing and grain coarsening was considered asthedominating softening mechanism.The hardness variation at 7050 alloy side was complicated due to the combined action of solution strengthening, dispersion strengthening and dissolution of reinforced phases.

Microstructure homogeneity and mechanical properties of laser-arc hybrid welded AZ31B magnesium alloy

Laser-arc hybrid welding of AZ31B magnesium alloy was carried out,the effects of welding parameters on weld formation,microstructure homogeneity and mechanical properties were investigated.The results showed that laser-arc hybrid welding was beneficial to improve the weld formation of magnesium alloy by inhibiting the defect of undercut and pores.The weld microstructure was mainly columnar grains neighboring the fusion line and equiaxed grains at the weld center.It was interesting that the grain size at the upper arc zone was smaller than that at the lower laser zone,with the difference mainly affected by laser power rather than welding current and welding speed.The welding parameters were optimized as laser power of 3.5 kW,welding current of 100 A and welding speed of 1.5 m/min.In this case,the weld was free of undercut and pores,and the tensile strength and elongation rate reached 252 MPa and 11.2%,respectively.Finally,the microstructure homogeneity was illustrated according to the heat distribution,and the evolution law of tensile properties was discussed basing on the weld formation and microstructure characteristics.

Microstructure evolution and mechanical properties of a large-sized ingot of Mg–9Gd–3Y–1.5Zn–0.5Zr(wt%) alloy after a lower-temperature homogenization treatment

In this paper,a large-sized ingot of Mg–9Gd–3Y–1.5Zn–0.5Zr(wt%) alloy with a diameter of 600 mm was successfully prepared by the semi-continuous casting method.The alloy was subsequently annealed at a relatively low temperature of 430°C for 12 h as a homogenization treatment.The microstructure and room-temperature mechanical properties of the alloy were investigated systematically.The results show that the as-cast alloy contained a mass of discontinuous lamellar-shaped 18 R long-period stacking ordered(LPSO) phases with a composition of Mg10 Zn Y and an α-Mg matrix,along with net-shaped Mg5(Y,Gd) eutectic compounds at the grain boundaries.Most of the eutectic compounds dissolved after the homogenization treatment.Moreover,the amount and dimensions of the lamellar-shaped LPSO phase obviously increased after the homogenization treatment.The structure of the phase transformed into 14H-type LPSO with composition Mg12Zn(Y,Gd).The mechanical properties of the heat-treated large-sized alloy ingot are uniform.The ultimate tensile strength(UTS) and tensile yield strength(TYS) of the alloy reached 207.2 MPa and 134.8 MPa,respectively,and the elongation was 3.4%.The high performances of the large-sized alloy ingot after the homogenization treatment is attributed to the strengthening of the α-Mg solid solution and to the plentiful LPSO phase distributed over the α-Mg matrix.

Investigation on the homogenization treatment and element segregation on the microstructure of a γ/γ′-cobalt-based superalloy

The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of element segregation on the microstructure and γ′ phase in a γ/γ′ cobalt-based superalloy. Several samples were prepared from a cast alloy and homogenized at 1300°C for different times, with a maximum of 24 h. A microstructural study of the cast alloy using wavelength-dispersive spectroscopic analysis revealed that elements such as Al, Ti, and Ni segregated mostly within interdendritic regions, whereas W atoms were segregated within dendrite cores. With an increase in homogenization time, segregation decreased and the initial dendritic structure was eliminated. Field-emission scanning electron microscopy micrographs showed that the γ′ phases in the cores and interdendritic regions of the as-cast alloy were 392 and 124 nm, respectively. The size difference of γ′ was found to be due to the different segregation behaviors of constituent elements during solidification. After homogenization, particularly after 16 h, segregation decreased; thus, the size, chemical composition, and hardness of the precipitated γ′ phase was mostly uniform throughout the samples.

Influence of Rare Earth Modification and Homogenization on the Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Recycled Can 3004 Aluminum

The microscopic structure of waste can aluminum material was researched by adding A15TiB refining agent, La-Ce rare earth and mixed rare earth modifiers, and the microstructure and mechanical performance of the modified aluminum material were studied. The experimental results show that the optimal refiner addition amount is 1.1wt%; the material performance can be significantly improved when the content of La-Ce rare earth ranges to a certain degree, but the mixed rare earth barely affects the refinement effect of the aluminum. When being homogenized, the mixed rare earth plays more obvious role in refining the aluminum material than La-Ce rare earth. The optimal plan is modifying the aluminum material with 3wt% mixed rare earth and homogenizing with annealing temperature of 580℃, annealing time of 12 hours and heating rate of 5℃/min while refining the material with 1.1wt% A1-5Ti-IB.

Evolution of microstructures in Al-Mn-Mg alloys during homogenization

The microstructures of five Al Mn Mg alloys with different Mn, Si and Fe contents were investigated in as cast and homogenized states. The influences of chemical composition and homogenizing process on the microstructure were studied. The results show that the morphology of the primary second particles are not influenced by the variation of Mn, Si and Fe level, and the amount of the primary α phase, the α precipitates and Mg 2Si phase are enhanced by the addition of Si; The average size of primary intermetallic particles reduces and the volume fraction of them decreases slightly with the increase in homogenization temperature and time; However, the volume fraction of primary secondary particles is increased by adding more Mn, Si and Fe elements in alloys. Moreover, a new MgSiCu rich eutectic in the as cast ingot has been found.

Effect of homogenization treatment on microstructure evolution and the distributions of RE and Zr elements in various MgeLieREeZr alloys

Mge3Lie0.4Zr alloys containing RE elements(Gd,La,Nd)(Mge3LieREe0.4Zr alloys)are investigated to reveal the influence of homogenization treatment on microstructures and distributions of RE,Zr elements.It is found that 300
C24 h homogenization treatment shows better improvement on the microstructure including the refinement of grain size,the dispersion of cellular dendrite and low melting point particles.Before treatment,La and Nd segregate effectively at grain boundary and Zr segregates in the form of precipitates.Homogenization treatment induces the reduction of RE segregation.However,the segregation of Zr in precipitates cannot be abated due to the relatively low diffusion rate compared with RE elements.

Microstructure and texture evolution of TRC A8006 alloy by homogenization

The microstructure and texture evolution of twin-roll cast A8006 alloy by homogenization were characterized using scanning and transmission electron microscopy, and the microhardness was tested as well. According to the relation- ship between dendritic arm spacing and cooling rate the cooling rate of the as-cast twin-roll cast A8006 sheet of 6 mm in thickness was estimated as 1.48×10^3 K·s^-1. It is found that the grains and the nanostructural precipitates of the twin-roll cast sheet become coarser after homogenization at 580℃ for 4 h in comparison with those after homogenization at 500℃ for 8 h. The textures formed after cold rolling and became weaker during homogenization. The increase in hardness of the as-cast twin-roll cast sheets is related in hardness after homogenization can to the supersaturated a-A1 solid solution and be attributed to the coarsening of grains and fine microstructure, but the decrease Al6Fe（Mn） precipitates.

Microstructure evolution and Al_3(Sc_(1-x)Zr_x) precipitates' kinetics in Al-Zn-Mg alloy during homogenization

The microstructure evolutions of two A1-Zn-Mg alloys, one of which was alloyed with Sc and Zr, and the kinetics of A13（SCl-xZrx） precipitates in the A1-Zn-Mg alloy during homogenization were investigated. Both alloys under as-cast condition with supersaturated, non-equilibrium T（Mg32（A1, Zn）49） phase and impurities phase were displayed. When the homogenization temperatures are below 350 ~C, Zn and Mg atoms precipitate from matrix; however, when the temperatures are above 400 ~C, T phase dissolves into matrix, enhancing solid-solution strengthening. Kinetics of A13（Scl.xZrx） precipitates was studied based on Jmat Pro software calculation and the difference values between the hardness of the two alloys in each homogenization condition. The calculations predict that the Sc and Zr solubilities in ct-A1 decline with the presence of Mg and Zn. Investigation of the difference values reveals that when the temperature is between 300 ~C and 350 ~C, the nucleation rate of A13（Sc1-xZrx） precipitates is the highest and the strengthening effect from A13（SCl_xZrx） precipitates is the best. After homogenization at 470℃ for 12 h, non-equilibrium T phase disappears, while impurity phase remains. The mean diameter of A13（Scl_xZrx） precipitates is around 18 urn. Ideas about better fulfilling the potentials of Sc and Zr were proposed at last.

Influence of Homogenization on the Microstructure and Tensile Properties of Extruded Mg-Zn-Zr-RE Alloy

The microstructure and tensile properties of the extruded Mg-Zn-Zr-RE alloy bars are studied.The extruded bar without previous homogenization has the highest tensile strength,whereas the tensile strength of the extruded bar previously homogenized at 400℃ or 380℃ is lower.During long time homogenization,the trans- formation of rare earth compounds Mg_3REZn_6(Z phase)and Mg_3RE_2Zn_3(W phase)into Mg_(41)RE_5 and Mg Zn phases occurr and the MgZn phase grow up.In addition,the dynamic recrystallization takes place in sub- sequent extrusion that caused decrease of the tensile strength.

Effect of homogenization treatment on microstructure and properties of Al-Mg-Mn-Sc-Zr alloy

The effect of homogenization on the hardness,tensile properties,electrical conductivity and microstructure of as-cast Al-6Mg-0.4Mn-0.25Sc-0.12Zr alloy was studied.The results show that during homogenization as-cast studied alloy has obviously hardening effect that is similar to aging hardening behavior in traditional Al alloys.The precipitates are mainly Al3(Sc,Zr)and Al6Mn.When homogenization temperature increases the hardness peak value is declined and the time corresponding to hardness peak value is shortened.The electrical conductivity of the alloy monotonously increases with increasing homogenization temperature and time.The decomposition of the supersaturated solid solution containing Sc and Zr which is formed during direct chilling casting and the precipitation of Al3(Sc,Zr)cause hardness increasing.The depletion of the matrix solid solubility decreases the ability of electron scattering in the alloy,resulting in the electrical conductivity increased.Tensile property result at hot rolling state shows that the optimal homogenization treatment processing is holding at 300-350 ℃ for 6-8 h.

EFFECT OF HOMOGENIZATION PROCESSING ON MICROSTRUCTURE AND PROPERTIES OF Ti-34Al-2Mn ALLOY

A γ-TiAl base alloy with the composition of Ti-34Al-2Mn（wt--%）was prepared by consum-able electrode arc-melting technique.The effect of homogenization processing following arc-melt-ing on its microstructure and mechanical properties was investigated.The emphases were placedon the microstructural evolution during solidification and homogenization,and the relationship be-tween microstructure and ductility.It has been determined that the samples annealed at 900℃for 20 h exhibit the best ductility compared with those treated at other temperatures up to 1100℃,and they have a mixed structure of equiaxed grain of γ-TiAl single phase and some prima-ry lamellar grains which include three types of interfaces,i.e.,α2/γ,/γ/γS,γ/γT,maintainingspecific orientaion relationships between both sides.The ductility improvement is believed to be as-sociated with existence of suitable amount of α2-Ti3Al phase and the refinement of grains ob-tained at 900℃.

Effect of homogenization treatment in electric field on microstructure and properties of 1420 Al-Li alloy

In comparison with the homogenization treatment without an electric field prior to the same solid solution and aging treatment, the homogenization treatment in an electric field increases the hardness and strength of 1420 Al Li alloy, but somewhat decreases the elongation of the alloy. Moreover, the elongation of the alloy increases with the homogenization temperature in an electric field increasing. TEM observation showed that the homogenization treatment in an electric field can accelerate the dissolution of the coarse particles of second phase on the grain boundary as well as make δ′phase precipitated in subsequent aging process finer and more numerous.

Microstructural evolution of ultra-high strength Al-Zn-Cu-Mg-Zr alloy containing Sc during homogenization

The microstructural evolution and composition distribution of an Al-Zn-Cu-Mg-Sc-Zr alloy during homogenization were investigated by optical microscopy（OM）,scanning electron microscopy（SEM）,energy dispersive spectrometry（EDS）,X-ray diffraction（XRD） and differential scanning calorimetry（DSC）.The results show that severe dendritic segregation exists in Al-Zn-Cu-Mg-Sc-Zr alloy ingot.There are a lot of eutectic phases at grain boundary and the distribution of the main elements varies periodically along interdendritic region.The main eutectic phases at grain boundary are Al7Cu2Fe phase and T（Al2Mg3Zn3）.The residual phases are dissolved into the matrix gradually during homogenization with increasing temperature and prolonging holding time,which can be described by a constitutive equation in exponential function.The overburnt temperature of the alloy is 473.9 ℃.The optimum parameters of homogenization are 470 ℃ and 24 h,which is consistent with the result of homogenization kinetic analysis.

Microstructural evolution during homogenization of Al-Cu-Li-Mn-Zr-Ti alloy

The microstructure evolution of Al-Cu-Li-Mn-Zr-Ti alloy during homogenization was investigated by optical microscopy （OM）, scanning electron microscopy （SEM）, energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry （EDX）, and differential scanning calorimeter （DSC） methods. The results show that severe dendritic segregation exists in the experimental alloy ingot. Numerous eutectic phases can be observed in the grain boundary, and the distribution of the main elements along the interdendritic region varies periodically. The main secondary phase is Al2Cu. The overburnt temperature of the alloy is 520 °C. The second phases are gradually dissolved into the matrix, and the grain boundaries become spare and thin during homogenization with increasing temperature or prolonging holding time. Homogenization can be described by a constitutive equation in exponential function. The suitable homogenization treatment for the alloy is （510 °C, 18 h）, which agrees well with the results of homogenization kinetic analysis.