Effect of partial recrystallization on microstructure and tensile properties of NiFeCoCrMn high-entropy alloy

To obtain a balance between strength and ductility in NiFeCoCrMn high-entropy alloy, the degree of dislocation strengthening was tuned via partial recrystallization during traditional thermomechanical processing(cold rolling and recrystallization). The tensile properties in each state were then examined. Significant improvements in uniform elongation and work hardening rate, with decrease in yield strength and ultimate tensile strength, are associated with increase in the recrystallized fraction, i.e., reductions in the degree of strain hardening. In particular, recrystallized fractions of 37% and 74% are obtained by annealing at 650 ℃ for 10 min and 15 min, respectively, which results in yield strengths of 1003 MPa and 742 MPa and uniform elongations of 4% and 24%, respectively. The strengthening is due to the unrecrystallized grains with a high density of dislocations, whereas the ductility benefits from the presence of recrystallized strain-free grains.

Modeling of microstructural evolution during dynamic recrystallization in coarse Nb microalloyed austenite

The aim of the current study was to investigate the microstructural evolution during dynamic recrystallization in coarse Nb microalloyed austenite in thin slab direct rolling （TSDR） processing. A model was developed to predict the change of the austenite grain size during the dynamic recrystallization, by using the law of mixtures. The equations initially developed for partial static recrystallization were used for partial dynamic recrystallization, by adjusting the value of the constant. The results show that the change of the austenite grain size can be reasonably described by using the equations developed according to the law of mixtures.

Microstructure evolution and mechanical properties of ZK60 magnesium alloy produced by SSTT and RAP route in semi-solid state

The microstructure evolution and mechanical properties of a ZK60 magnesium alloy produced by the semi-solid thermal transformation （SSTT） route and the recrystallization and partial melting （RAP） route were studied, respectively. The microstructure evolution during partial remelting was studied at different temperatures for different time. The tensile mechanical properties of thixoformed components by the two routes at room temperature were examined. The results show that coalescence is dominant in the SSTT alloy and Ostwald ripening is dominant in the RAP alloy. Compared with the SSTT route, the RAP route can produce finer semi-solid microstructure under the similar isothermal holding condition. The microstructure of the RAP alloy is much more spheroidized compared with the SSTT alloy. Thixoforming for the ZK60 magnesium alloy produced by the SSTT and RAP route results in successful filling of the die, and the thixoforming process improves the mechanical properties of ZK60 magnesium alloy. The RAP alloy shows significantly advantageous mechanical properties over that of the SSTT alloy.

Effects of Extrusion Processing on Microstructure of 7075Al Alloy in the Semi-solid State

A recrystallization and partial melting(RAP) process was introduced to prepare the semi-solid 7075 aluminum alloy used for thixoforming. In order to obtain an ideal semi-solid microstructure, a series of extrusion experiments were conducted to comparatively investigate the optimum extrusion process parameters. Commercial 7075 Al alloy samples were firstly extruded with varying extrusion ratios below the recrystallization temperature followed by homogenization, then these samples were reheated to the semi-solid state and held in the range of 5 to 50 minutes. The experimental results show that varying process cause the difference in the deformation degree and microstructure for as-extruded samples, resulting in various semi-solid microstructure. It is verified that the formation of equiaxed grains in semi-solid microstructure depends on recrystallization behavior of extruded samples during partial melting. Both relative high extrusion temperature and low extrusion ratio lead to high volume fraction of recrystallized area, thus entirely equiaxed solid grains in semi-solid 7075 Al alloy samples can be obtained finally. In addition, Ostwald ripening was determined as the dominate coarsening mechanism of solid grains in semi-solid state for this 7075 Al alloy during the RAP route. The influence of predeformation on recrystallization behavior of this 7075 Al alloy was discussed in detail.

Endless recrystallization of high-entropy alloys at high temperature

In traditional physical metallurgy,once recrystallization occurs,it will proceed to 100%along with time even at relatively low temperatures,resulting in the limited thermal stability of partially recrystallized alloys.Here,we proposed the strategy of achieving the endless recrystallization state at high temperature(~0.6T_(m))in high entropy alloys for the first time.The partially recrystallized microstructures remained stable after annealing at 700℃ for 1440 h toward endless recrystallization with kinetics analysis.Benefiting from the ultra-thermostable heterostructures,the alloy exhibited excellent mechanical properties of~1.6 GPa tensile strength at room temperature and~1.1 GPa tensile strength at 600°C even after exposure at 700℃ for 720 h.The kinetics of recovery,recrystallization,grain growth,and precipitate coarsening were quantitatively analyzed to uncover the mechanisms of endless recrystallization.The results revealed that the stable state of 50%recrystallization at 700℃ can be attributed to the precipitates inhibited recrystallization and the continued recovery decreased stored energy in the non-recrystallized regions.Furthermore,the grain size was stable in the recrystallized regions due to the strong pinning effect of the intergranular precipitates with slow coarsening rates.These findings created a brand-new state of endless recrystallization with the combination of recovery and recrystallization,which can significantly broaden the service temperature range of heterogeneous materials.

Laminated Fe-34.5 Mn-0.04C composite with high strength and ductility

To obtain a good combination of strength and ductility, a laminated composite structure composed of recovered hard lamellae and soft recrystallized lamellae has been produced in a single phase austenitic Fe-34.5 Mn-0.04C steel by cold rolling and partial recrystallization. Enhanced mechanical properties in both strength and ductility have been obtained in the composite structure compared to a fully recrystallized coarse grain structure. A further increase in strength with only minor loss in total elongation has been achieved by a slight cold rolling of the composite structure, which also removes the small yield drop and Luders elongation observed in the composite structure.