MICROSTRUCTURE AND MACROSEGREGATION OF Al-7%Si ALLOY SOLIDIFIED UNDER COMPLEX EFFECTS OF ELECTROMAGNETIC AND CENTRIFUGAL FORCES

Macrosegregations and microstructures of Al-7%Si alloy solidified under complex of fects of magnetic field and centrifugal forces are studied by means of a set of selfdesigned electromagnetic centrifugal casting (EMCC) device. It is shown that electromagnetic field (EMF) has an important effect on the macrosegregation of centrifugal casting specimen of Al-7%Si alloy in two respects: one is that there exists always a kind of convection in the liquid in front of the S/L interface caused by effect ofthe electromagnetic force; the other is that different atomic clusters of solidparticles with different physical characteristics are subjected to quite different electromagnetic (Lorentz) force. Therefore, their movements get changed. In addition, the formation process of a complex band structure consisting of primary α-Al dendrites and (α-Al+β-Si) eutectics in hypoeutectic Al-Si alloys during EMCC and the effect of EMF are discussed.

Melt Treatment of Al-7%Si Alloy by Flux Injection

The melt treatment of A1-7%Si alloy by the flux injection method in a resistance furnance was investigated. The experimental results show that the flux injection method can realize the melt treatment of A1-7%Si alloy. In purification, the flux injection method is superior to the standard lance degassing method. For the injection flux, the purifier Na2SiF6 is more powerful than Na3A1F6, the modifiers SrCl2, and R.E. Cl3 are quick acting, like NaF, but less powerful, the grain refiner containing K2TiF6 and KBF4 with Ti/B=1 is more potent than that with Ti/B=5. The analytical results indicate that the mass-transfer rate for the flux injection method is much higher than that for the conventional method .

Promoting dynamic recrystallization and improving strength and ductility of Mg-7Bi alloy through Al addition

This study investigated the influence of the addition of Al to a Mg-7Bi(B7,wt%)alloy,particularly its recrystallization behavior during extrusion and its resulting mechanical properties.The addition of 2 wt%Al to the B7 alloy resulted in a lower grain size,a reduction in the number density of fine Mg3Bi2 particles,and a higher area fraction of relatively coarse Mg3Bi2 particles in the extrusion billet.These microstructural changes increased the nucleation sites for recrystallization,reduced the Zener pinning effect,and enhanced particle-stimulated nucleation,all of which promoted dynamic recrystallization behavior during extrusion.As a result,the area fraction of recrystallized grains in the extruded alloy increased from 77%to 94%.The extruded B7 alloy exhibited a strong<10-10>fiber texture,whereas the extruded Mg-7Bi-2Al(BA72)alloy had a weak<10-10>-<2-1-10>texture,which was attributed to the minimal presence of unrecrystallized grains and the dispersed orientation of the recrystallized grains.The tensile yield strength(TYS)of the extruded BA72 alloy was higher than that of the extruded B7 alloy(170 and 124 MPa,respectively),which resulted from the enhanced grain-boundary and solid-solution strengthening effects.The tensile elongation(EL)of the BA72 alloy also exceeded that of the B7 alloy(20.3%and 6.1%,respectively),the result of the uniform formation of fine twins under tension in the former and the formation of a few coarse twins among the unrecrystallized grains in the latter.Consequently,the addition of a small amount of Al to the B7 alloy significantly improved both the strength and ductility of the extruded alloy,resulting in a remarkable increase in the product of the TYS and EL from 756 to 3451 MPa%and expanding its potential range of applications as a lightweight extruded structural component.

Structural evolution of spray-formed Al-70wt.%Si alloys during iso-thermal holding in the semi-solid state

The grain growth behavior of spray-formed Al-70wt.%Si alloys was studied in the semi-solid state. The specimens were isothermally heat-treated at various temperatures between the solidus and liquidus of Al-Si alloys and then quenched in water. The microstructure of reheated specimens was characterized using optical and scanning electron microscopies. The isothermal holding experiment was carried out to investigate grain growth behavior as a function of holding time and temperature in the semi-solid state. The coarsening mechanism and the effect of porosity on microstructure were also studied.

Impact of cooling rate on exfoliation corrosion resistance of a Li-containing 7xxx aluminum alloy

The impact of cooling rate after solution heat treatment on exfoliation corrosion resistance of a Li-containing 7xxx aluminum alloy was investigated by accelerated immersion and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy test,optical microscope,electron backscatter diffraction and scanning transmission electron microscope.With the decrease of cooling rate from 1700℃/s to 4℃/s,exfoliation corrosion resistance of the aged specimens decreases with rating changing from EA to EC and the maximum corrosion depth increasing from about 169.4μm to 632.1μm.Exfoliation corrosion tends to develop along grain boundaries in the specimens with cooling rates higher than about 31℃/s and along both grain boundaries and sub-grain boundaries in the specimens with lower cooling rates.The reason has been discussed based on the changes of the microstructure and microchemistry at grain boundaries and sub-grain boundaries due to slow cooling.

Two-stage dynamic recrystallization and texture evolution in Al-7Mg alloy during hot torsion

Hot torsion tests were performed on the Al-7Mg alloy at the temperature ranging from 300 to 500℃ and strain rates between 0.05 and 5 s^(-1) to explore the progressive dynamic recrystallization(DRX)and texture behaviors.The DRX behavior of the alloy manifested two distinct stages:Stage 1 at strain of≤2 and Stage 2 at strains of≥2.In Stage 1,there was a slight increase in the DRXed grain fraction(X_(DRX))with predominance of discontinuous DRX(DDRX),followed by a modest change in X_(DRX) until the transition to Stage 2.Stage 2 was marked by an accelerated rate of DRX,culminating in a substantial final X_(DRX) of~0.9.Electron backscattered diffraction(EBSD)analysis on a sample in Stage 2 revealed that continuous DRX(CDRX)predominantly occurred within the(121)[001]grains,whereas the(111)[110]grains underwent a geometric DRX(GDRX)evolution without a noticeable sub-grain structure.Furthermore,a modified Avrami’s DRX kinetics model was utilized to predict the microstructural refinement in the Al-7Mg alloy during the DRX evolution.Although this kinetics model did not accurately capture the DDRX behavior in Stage 1,it effectively simulated the DRX rate in Stage 2.The texture index was employed to assess the evolution of the texture isotropy during hot-torsion test,demonstrating significant improvement(>75%)in texture randomness before the commencement of Stage 2.This initial texture evolution is attributed to the rotation of parent grains and the substructure evolution,rather than to an increase in X_(DRX).

Effect of interrupted aging on mechanical properties and corrosion resistance of 7A75 aluminum alloy

The effects of interrupted aging on mechanical properties and corrosion resistance of 7A75 aluminum alloy extruded bar were investigated through various analyses,including electrical conductivity,mechanical properties,local corrosion properties,and slow strain rate tensile stress corrosion tests.Microstructure characterization techniques such as metallographic microscopy,scanning electron microscopy(SEM),and transmission electron microscopy(TEM)were also employed.The results indicate that the tensile strength of the alloy produced by T6I6 aging is similar to that produced by T6I4 aging,and it even exceeds 700 MPa.Furthermore,the yield strength increases by 52.7 MPa,reaching 654.8 MPa after T6I6 aging treatment.The maximum depths of intergranular corrosion(IGC)and exfoliation corrosion(EXCO)decrease from 116.3 and 468.5μm to 89.5 and 324.3μm,respectively.The stress corrosion factor also decreases from 2.1%to 1.6%.These findings suggest that the alloy treated with T6I6 aging exhibits both high strength and excellent stress corrosion cracking resistance.Similarly,when the alloy is treated with T6I4,T6I6 and T6I7 aging,the sizes of grain boundary precipitates(GBPs)are found to be 5.2,18.4,and 32.8 nm,respectively.The sizes of matrix precipitates are 4.8,5.7 and 15.7 nm,respectively.The atomic fractions of Zn in GBPs are 9.92 at.%,8.23 at.%and 6.87 at.%,respectively,while the atomic fractions of Mg are 12.66 at.%,8.43 at.%and 7.00 at.%,respectively.Additionally,the atomic fractions of Cu are 1.83 at.%,2.47 at.%and 3.41 at.%,respectively.

Effect of one-step and two-step homogenization treatments on distribution of Al_3Zr dispersoids in commercial AA7150 aluminium alloy

Semi-quantitative electron probe microanalysis （EPMA） mapping, scanning electron microscopy （SEM） and transmission electron microscopy （TEM） were employed to study the effect of one-step and two-step treatments on the Zr distribution and Al3Zr dispersoid characteristics in as-cast commercial AA7150 aluminum alloy. It is shown that the Zr concentration in the dendrite centre regions is higher than that near the dendrite edges in the as-cast condition, and that homogenization at 460 °C for 20 h is insufficient to remove these concentration gradients. After homogenizing at 460-480 °C, a high number density of larger dispersoids can be observed in dendrite centre regions but not near dendrite edges. Furthermore, the dispersoid size increases with increasing the temperature during both one-step and two-step homogenization treatments.

Fatigue behavior and life prediction of A7N01 aluminium alloy welded joint

Fatigue characteristics of A7N01 aluminium alloy welded joint were investigated and a fatigue crack initiation life-based model was proposed. The difference of fatigue crack initiation life among base metal, weld metal and heat affected zone (HAZ) is slight. Furthermore, the ratio of fatigue crack initiation life (Ni) to fatigue life to failure(Nf) is a material dependent parameter, 26.32%, 40.21% and 60.67% for base metal, HAZ and weld metal, respectively. Total fatigue life predicted using the presented model is in good agreement with the experimental data and that using Basquin’s model. The observation results of fatigue fracture surfaces, using scanning electron microscope (SEM), demonstrate that fatigue crack initiates from smooth surface due to welding process for weld metal, blowhole in HAZ causes fatigue crack initiation, and the crushed second phase particles play an important part in fatigue crack initiation in base metal.

Interface analysis of 7B52 Al alloy laminated composite fabricated by hot-roll bonding

The bonding interface of 7B52 Al alloy laminated composite （ALC） fabricated by hot rolling was investigated using optical microscopy （OM）, transmission electron microscopy （TEM）, scanning electron microscopy （SEM）, ultrasonic flaw detection （UFD）, and bonding strength tests. The results show that metallurgical bonding is achieved at the interface after composite rolling. The TEM analysis and tensile tests indicate that the 7B52 ALC plate combines high strength of the hard individual layer and good toughness of the soft individual layer. However, UFD technology and SEM analysis prove that the defects （thick oxide films, acid washed residues, air, oil and coarse particles） existing in the bonding interface are harmful to the bonding strength. To sum up, the composite roiling process is suitable for 7B52 ALC plate, and the content and size of the defects should be controlled strictly. Advanced surface treatment of each individual layer would be beneficial to further improve the bonding quality.

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.

Non-isothermal retrogression kinetics for grain boundary precipitate of 7A55 aluminum alloy

The retrogression kinetics for grain boundary precipitate （GBP） of 7A55 aluminum alloy was investigated by transmission electron microscopy （TEM） observation. The results reveal that the coarsening behavior of GBP obeys “LSW” theory, namely, the cube of GBP average size has a linear dependence relation to retrogression time, and the coarsening rate accelerates at the elevated retrogression temperature. The GBP coarsening activation energy Qo of （115.2±1.3） kJ/mol is obtained subsequently. Taking the retrogression treatment schedule of 190℃, 45 min derived from AA7055 thin plate as reference, the non-isothermal retrogression model for GBP coarsening behavior is established based on “LSW”theory and “iso-kinetics” solution, which includes an Arrhenius form equation. After that, the average size of GBP r（t） is predicted successfully at any non-isothermal process T（t） when the initial size of GBP r0 is given. Finally, the universal characterization method for the microstructure homogeneity along the thickness direction of TA55 aluminum alloy thick plate is also set up.

Structures and electrochemical hydrogen storage performance of Si added A_2B_7-type alloy electrodes

In order to ameliorate the electrochemical hydrogen storage performance of La-Mg-Ni system A2B7-type electrode alloys, a small amount of Si was added. The La0.8Mg0.2Ni3.3Co0.2Six （x=0-0.2） electrode alloys were prepared by casting and annealing. The effects of adding Si on the structure and electrochemical hydrogen storage characteristics of the alloys were investigated systematically. The results indicate that the as-cast and annealed alloys hold multiple structures, involving two major phases of （La, Mg）2Ni7 with a Ce2Ni7-type hexagonal structure and LaNi5 with a CaCu5-type hexagonal structure as well as one residual phase LaNi3. The addition of Si results in a decrease in （La, Mg）2Ni7 phase and an increase in LaNi5 phase without changing the phase structure of the alloys. What is more, it brings on an obvious effect on electrochemical hydrogen storage characteristics of the alloys. The discharge capacities of the as-cast and annealed alloys decline with the increase of Si content, but their cycle stabilities clearly grow under the same condition. Furthermore, the measurements of the high rate discharge ability, the limiting current density, hydrogen diffusion coefficient as well as electrochemical impedance spectra all indicate that the electrochemical kinetic properties of the electrode alloys first increase and then decrease with the rising of Si content.

Corrosion and electrochemical behaviors of 7A09 Al-Zn-Mg-Cu alloy in chloride aqueous solution

The corrosion and electrochemical behaviors of 7A09 Al？Zn？Mg？Cu alloy were investigated in 3.5% NaCl （mass fraction） solution using complementary techniques such as scanning electron microscopy （SEM）, metallographic microscopy and electrochemical measurements. The results show that both pitting corrosion from or around the intermetallic particles and intergranular corrosion are observed after the immersion test due to the inhomogeneous nature of the microstructure of the 7A09 alloy. The preferential dissolution of the anodic Cu-depleted zone along grain boundaries is believed to be the possible cause of intergranular corrosion. The passivation and depassivation of this alloy show significant dependence of immersion time, owing to the formation and dissolution of various passive films on the sample surfaces. Furthermore, the corrosion process and corrosion mechanism were also analyzed.

Rate controlling mechanisms in hot deformation of 7A55 aluminum alloy

The hot deformation behavior of 7A55 aluminum alloy was investigated at the temperature ranging from 300 ℃ to 450 ℃ and strain rate ranging from 0.01 s-1 to 1 s-1 on a Gleeble-3500 simulator. Processing maps were established in order to apprehend the kinetics of hot deformation and the rate controlling mechanism was interpreted by the kinetic rate analysis obeying power-law relation. The results indicated that one significant domain representing dynamic recrystallization （DRX） existed on the processing maps and lying in 410-450 ＆#176;C and 0.05-1 s-1. The conclusions of kinetic analysis correlated well with those obtained from processing maps. The apparent activation energy values calculated in the dynamic recrystallization （DRX） domain and the stability regions except dynamic recrystallization （DRX） domain were 91.2 kJ/mol and 128.8 kJ/mol, respectively, which suggested that grain boundary self-diffusion and cross-slip were the rate controlling mechanisms.

Evolution of secondary phases and properties of 7B04 aluminum alloy during DC homogenization

The effects of the direct current （DC） on the evolutions of hardness and morphology of the secondary phases in 7B04 aluminum alloy homogenized at 380？465 ℃ for 2 h were investigated in detail by electric conductivity measurement, hardness test, X-ray diffraction analysis, field emission scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive spectrometry. The results show that with increasing temperature from 380 to 465 ℃, the electric conductivity of normal homogenized sample decreases from 34.9%IACS to 28.7%IACS, the hardness increases from HV 96 to HV 146, and the area fraction of secondary phase reduces from 4.5% to 1.89%. While, DC homogenized sample has a higher hardness, a lower electric conductivity and a smaller area fraction of secondary phases at the same temperature. The DC enhances the homogenization process by promoting the diffusibility of the solute atoms and the mobility of vacancy.

Effects of Mn and Sn on microstructure of Al-7Si-Mg alloy modified by Sr and Al-5Ti-B

The effects of Mn and Sn on the microstructure of Al?7Si?Mg alloy modified by Sr and Al?5Ti?B were studied. The results show that the columnar dendrites structure is observed with high content of Sr, indicating a poisoning effect of the Al?5Ti?B grain refinement. In addition, Sr intermetallic compounds distribute on the TiB2 particles, which agglomerate inside the eutectic Si. The mechanism responsible for such poisoning was discussed. The addition of Mn changes the morphology of iron intermetallic compounds fromβ-Al5FeSi toα-Al(Mn,Fe)Si. Increasing the amount of Mn changes the morphology ofα-Al(Mn,Fe)Si from branched shape to rod-like shape with branched distribution, and finally convertsα-Al(Mn,Fe)Si to Chinese script shape. The microstructure observed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) shows that Mg is more likely to interact with Sn in contrast with Si under the effect of Sn. Mg2Sn compound preferentially precipitates between the Si/Si interfaces and Al/Si interfaces.

Characterization of pitting corrosion of 7A60 aluminum alloy by EN and EIS techniques

The pitting corrosion behaviors of 7A60 aluminum alloy in the retrogression and re-aging （RRA） temper were investigated by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy （EIS） and electrochemical noise （EN） techniques, and the microstructure and the second phase content of the alloy were observed and determined by scanning electron microscopy （SEM） and energy dispersive spectrometer （EDS）. The results show that there exist two different corrosion stages for 7A60 alloy in 3.5%NaCl solution, and the corrosion process can be detected by the appearance of EIS spectrum with two capacitive time constants and the wavelet fractal dimension D extracted from EN. SEM and EDS results also demonstrate that severe pitting corrosion in 7A60 alloy is mainly caused by electrochemical active MgZn2 particles, secondly by Al2MgCu and Mg2Si. Al7Cu2Fe particles make little contribution to the pitting corrosion of 7A60 alloy.

Molecular dynamics simulation of relationship between local structure and dynamics during glass transition of Mg_7Zn_3 alloy

The rapid solidification process of Mg7Zn3 alloy was simulated by the molecular dynamics method. The relationship between the local structure and the dynamics during the liquid-glass transition was deeply investigated. It was found that the Mg-centered FK polyhedron and the Zn-centered icosahedron play a critical role in the formation of Mg7Zn3 metallic glass. The self-diffusion coefficients of Mg and Zn atoms deviate from the Arrhenius law near the melting temperature and then satisfy the power law. According to the time correlation functions of mean-square displacement, incoherent intermediate scattering function and non-Gaussian parameter, it was found that the β-relaxation in Mg7Zn3 supercooled liquid becomes more and more evident with decreasing temperature, and the α-relaxation time rapidly increases in the VFT law. Moreover, the smaller Zn atom has a faster relaxation behavior than the Mg atom. Some local atomic structures with short-range order have lower mobility, and they play a critical role in the appearance of cage effect in theβ-relaxation regime. The dynamics deviates from the Arrhenius law just at the temperature as the number of local atomic structures begins to rapidly increase. The dynamic glass transition temperature （Tc） is close to the glass transition point in structure （TgStr）.

Comparative study on corrosion behavior of as-cast and extruded Mg-5Y-7Gd-1Nd-0.5Zr alloy in 5% NaCl aqueous solution

The corrosion behaviours of Mg-5Y-7Gd-1Nd-0.5Zr magnesium alloys prepared by as-casting and extrusion were investigated in 5% NaCl aqueous solution by immersion and electrochemical tests. The microstructure indicates the mean grain size of 15 μm for the extruded and 100 μm for the as-cast Mg-5Y-7Gd-1Nd-0.5Zr magnesium alloys. The corrosion morphology of as-cast sample shows pitting corrosion and little filiform corrosion, but that of the extruded sample shows pitting corrosion at the initial stage. The corrosion rate of extruded sample is higher than that of as-cast Mg-5Y-7Gd-1Nd-0.5Zr alloy according to the immersion test. The second phases containing RE acting as cathodes improve the corrosion properties. The corrosion potentials of as-cast and extruded Mg-5Y-7Gd-1Nd-0.5Zr alloys are -1.658 V and -1.591 V, respectively. The origins of the distinctive corrosion behavior of as-cast and extruded Mg-5Y-7Gd-1Nd-0.5Zr Mg alloys were discussed.