Microstructure characteristics and mechanical properties of rheocasting 7075 aluminum alloy

The microstructure characteristics and mechanical properties of 7075 aluminum alloy produced by a new rheoforming technique,under as-cast and optimized heat treatment conditions,were investigated.The present rheoforming combined the innovatively developed rheocasting process,named as ICSPC(inverted coneshaped pouring channel)process,and the existing HPDC(high pressure die casting)process.The experimental results show that the ICSPC can be used to prepare high quality semi-solid slurry for the subsequent die casting.Compared with conventional HPDC process,the ICSPC process can improve the microstructures and mechanical properties of the cast tensile samples.An optimized heat treatment results in significant improvement in ultimate tensile strength.However,the ductility of the samples,both under as-cast and optimized heat treatment conditions,are relatively poor.

REHEATING TEMPERATURE CONTRAST AND MICROSTRUCTURES OF 7075 Al ALLOY CAST BY LIQUIDUS SEMI-CONTINUOUS CASTING

In this study, reheating of liquidus semi-continuous cast billets of 7075 Al alloy was carried out in a resistance furnace, and the temperature contrast of the outer and the center of the reheated billets was investigated, then the reheating microstructures were investigated. Results show that: the difference of temperature between the outer and center is small and the difference of their microstructures are also small. During reheating at 576℃ the spheroidization of grains is significant after 5min and no rosettes are visible after 20min by optical microscopy. Similar observations were madeon materials reheated at 596℃, but the ripening process is faster. The grains growup to 30-60μm, fine enough for thixoforming.

Dry sliding wear performance of 7075 Al alloy under different temperatures and load conditions

Dry sliding wear tests were performed for 7075Al alloy under a load of 25–250 N at 25–200℃. The wear behaviors and mechanisms under various testing conditions were explored. A mild-to-severe wear transition is noticed to occur with an increase in the load at 25–200℃. With the temperature increasing, the wear loss decreases constantly under the low load of less than 50 N. It can be suggested that the 7075 Al alloy presents a high wear resistance under a high ambient temperature and low load. Its high wear resistance is found to be attributed to the existence of mechanically mixing layer (MML). The predominant wear mechanism is adhesive and abrasive wear at room temperature. With the ambient temperature and load increasing, oxidative wear and plastic extrusive wear successively prevail due to thermal oxidation and softening of matrix.

Microstructure evolution of TiB_（2） particle-reinforced 7075 Al alloy slurry in semisolid state with different holding time

TiB_2particle-reinforced 7075 Al alloy was synthesized to investigate the effect of TiB_2 particles on microstructure of semisolid 7075 Al alloy slurry. The mean grain size and shape factor of 3 wt% TiB_2/7075 composite could reach 92 lm and 0.64 at 630 ℃ for 23 min,respectively, and for 6 wt% TiB_2/7075 composite, they are100 lm and 0.64 at 630 ℃ for 33 min. The microstructure evolution for TiB_2/7075 composites in semisolid state includes three-stage process. a-Al begins to nucleate and grow up into rosette grains due to a low degree of supercooling at first. Then rosette grains begin to fuse or grow up at different rates. Finally, the dissolution rate and the growth rate of α-Al reach equilibrium.