Static spheroidization and its effect on superplasticity of fine lamellae in nugget of a friction stir welded Ti-6Al-4V joint

The spheroidization of the lamellar structure can greatly contribute to the superplasticity of the nugget zone(NZ)of Ti alloy welds,which is the key to achieve the integral superplastic forming of welds for the fabrication of large-scale complex components.However,the spheroidization process is complex and costly since it cannot be obtained generally,unless the lamellae suffers from a large deformation.In this study,the static spheroidization was achieved for the fine lamellae structure in the nugget of a friction stir welded(FSW)Ti-6Al-4V joint,particularly by the annealing without any deformation.The specialα/βinterface obeying a Burgers orientation relationship(BOR)after FSW was first time directly observed,whose effect on the spheroidization was discussed.A new static spheroidization mechanism with the gradual coalescence of the adjacent lamellae was discovered,which we named as“termination coalescence”.There was a slower coarsening rate in the lamellar structure than in the classical equiaxed one,due to the BOR in the lamellae,although both of them exhibited a volume diffusion character during annealing.Consequently,the similar superplasticity can be achieved for the base material and NZ after annealing.This study can provide a new way to the spheroidization and a theoretical basis for the integral superplastic forming of welds during production.

Effect of Subcritical Annealing Temperature on Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of SCM435 Steel

The effect of subcritical annealing temperature on microstructure and mechanical properties of SCM435 steel was investigated through changing the heating and soaking temperature as 660 °C, 680 °C, 700 °C, 720 °C and 745 °C. The microstructure and mechanical properties of intercritically annealed specimens were analyzed. With increasing the subcritical annealing temperature from 660 °C to 720 °C, the spheroidization ratio gradually increased, and the mechanical properties, formability and Vickers hardness were improved. According to the comprehensive comparison of mechanical properties and formability, the subcritical process at soaking temperature of 680-720 °C could achieve similar annealing effect as that of intercritical process. Therefore, the subcritical annealing temperature could be set as 700 °C in practice, with the Ac1 temperature fluctuation within ±20 °C, and the applicability and stability of subcritical annealing were guaranteed in industrial application. The plant results of the cold heading showed that the subcritical annealing could replace original intercritical annealing successfully with significantly saving time and energy.

Spheroidizing Behavior and Spheroidizing Kinetics of W-phase During Solid-Solution Treatment in Mg–Zn–Y–Mn–(B)Alloys

The spheroidizing mechanism of W-phase in the Mg–Zn–Y–Mn–（B） alloys during solid-solution treatment was investigated by using kinetic methodologies. The microstructure and mechanical properties of heat-treated Mg_（94）Zn_（2.5）-Y_（2.5）Mn_1 alloy containing 0.003 wt% B were compared with heat-treated Mg_（94）Zn_（2.5）-Y_（2.5）Mn_1 alloy. The heat-treated Mg_（94）Zn_（2.5）-Y_（2.5）Mn_1 alloy with 0.003 wt% B contained fine and uniform W-phase particles, which exhibited optimal mechanical performance. The ultimate tensile strength, yield strength and elongation were 287.7, 125.5 MPa and 21.1%,respectively.