Discussion on grain refining mechanism of AM30 alloy inoculated by MgCO_(3)

AM30 was inoculated by MgCO_(3) powder with different holding time.The influence of MgO decomposed by MgCO_(3)on the grain refinement effect was mainly discussed in the present study.Three sets of comparative samples were prepared.They were AM30 alloy inoculated by MgO and pure Mg inoculated by MgO and MgCO_(3).The possible nucleating particles were observed and analyzed by EPMA and SEM.AM30 alloy could be effectively refined by either MgCO_(3)or MgO inoculation.Grain refining efficiency and fading effect of MgO inoculation were better than those of MgCO_(3) inoculation.However,pure Mg could not be refined by these two inoculants.Al is an indispensable element to determine the grain refinement of Mg alloys inoculated by either MgCO_(3)or MgO.MgO should not be the effective substrates forα-Mg phase.A novel grain refining mechanism of MgCO_(3) inoculation on AM30 alloy was proposed by combining experimental results with theoretical calculation,i.e.,MgAl_(2)O_(4) should be the potent nuclei ofα-Mg grain for the AM30 alloy in addition to Al_(4)C_(3).

Towards relieving center segregation in twin-roll cast Al-Mg-Si-Cu strips by controlling the thermal-mechanical process

Serious center segregation greatly limits the application of twin-roll casting(TRC)technology for produc-ing 6xxx alloy strips.Herein,Al-0.9Mg-0.6Si-0.2Cu-0.1Fe(wt.%,6061)strips with different thicknesses were fabricated by TRC,and we found that the center segregation was well relieved with the thick-ness increased from 3 mm to 4 mm.To reveal the mechanisms of mitigation of center segregation in the 4 mm strip,various techniques including solidification simulation,crystallographic calculation,elec-tron backscatter diffraction(EBSD),and electron probe micro-analyzer(EPMA)were utilized.The re-sults disclosed that the Fe-containing phase in the 3 mm strip wasπ-AlFeMgSi,while the counterpart in the 4 mm strip wasα-AlFeSi.Theα-AlFeSi could serve as nucleation substrates for Mg_(2)Si and Q-AlCuMgSi phases,thus promoting the uniform distribution of elements and preventing the accumulation of phases in the center region.Three matching planes between theα-AlFeSi and Q/Mg_(2)Si were exam-ined as:(1120)_(α-AlFeSi)//(0001)_(Q),(0001)_(α-AlFeSi)//(110)_(Mg2Si),and(1120)_(α-AlFeSi)//(110)_(Mg2Si).Meanwhile,the smaller roll separating force during the TRC process in the 4 mm strip could weaken the force-induced liquid flow behavior in the semi-solid region,which is the other reason for the alleviation of center seg-regation.Owing to the elimination of the center segregation,a more excellent fracture elongation was achieved in the as-homogenized 4 mm strip(∼29%)compared with the counterpart of the 3 mm strip(∼20%).This work may provide a strategy to eliminate the center segregation,thus further promoting the application of TRC process and producing high-performance Al alloy strips efficiently.

Effect of Sr on Grain Refinement of Mg–3%Al Alloy Containing Trace Fe by Carbon-Inoculation

Magnesium（Mg）-3% aluminum（Al）（in weight） alloy was modified by carbon（C） inoculation combining with strontium（Sr）.The effects of trace 0.1% iron（Fe） addition and operating sequence of carboninoculation and Fe addition on the grain size of Mg-3%Al alloy were studied.The results reveal that the Sr addition could effectively suppress grain-coarsening resulted from the inclusion of Fe in the carboninoculated Mg-Al alloy.Sr addition could contribute to the formation of the duplex-phase particles that Al-C-rich phases coated on Al-Fe or Al-C-Fe-rich phases,regardless of the Fe addition sequence.These duplex-phase particles should be the potent substrates for α-Mg grains.Consequently,Sr addition could effectively subsidize the inhibiting effect of Fe on grain refinement and the active nuclei were maintained.In other words,Sr plays a counter role in the poisoning effect of Fe on the microstructure of Mg-3%Al alloy.

Self-assembled formation of long, thin, and uncoalesced GaN nanowires on crystalline TiN films

We investigate in detail the self-assembled nucleation and growth of vertically oriented GaN nanowires by molecular beam epitaxy on crystalline TiN films. We demonstrate that this type of substrate allows for the growth of long and thin GaN nanowires that do not suffer from coalescence, a problem common to the growth on Si and other substrates. Only beyond a certain nanowire length that depends on the nanowire density and exceeds here 1.5 bun, coalescence takes place by bundling, i.e. the same process as on Si. By analyzing the nearest neighbor distance distribution, we identify the diffusion-induced repulsion of neighboring nanowires as the main mechanism limiting nanowire density during nucleation on TiN. Since on Si the final density is determined by shadowing of the impinging molecular beams by existing nanowires, it is the difference in adatom surface diffusion that enables the formation of nanowire ensembles with reduced density on TiN. These nanowire ensembles combine properties that make them a promising basis for the growth of core-shell heterostructures.