Effects of La-Ce addition on microstructure and mechanical properties of Al-18Si-4Cu-0.5Mg alloy

The microstructural evolution and mechanical properties of Al-18 Si-4 Cu-0.5 Mg alloy modified by the addition of La-Ce rare earth elements through OM,SEM,EPMA and tensile tests were investigated.The results of OM and SEM analyses indicated that primary Si particles were significantly refined from coarse block-like and irregular polygonal shapes into fine flaky shapes,while eutectic Si particles were modified from coarse and needle-like into fine and rod-or coral-like shapes with increase of La-Ce addition.The alloy exhibited the minimum primary Si particle size and the best mechanical properties with the addition of 0.3 wt.%La-Ce.The average particle size decreased from 61 to 28 μm,the ultimate tensile strength increased from 222 to 242 MPa and the elongation increased from 3.2% to 6.3%.In addition,modification mechanisms and fracture modes were explored by the means of SEM and EPMA.

New method of direct chill casting of Al-6Si-3Cu-Mg semisolid billet by annulus electromagnetic stirring

The electromagnetic direct chill （EMDC） casting process is a welt-established production route for aluminum alloy ingot, however, the skin effect restricts the casting diameter. In order to avoid this problem, annulus electromagnetic direct chill （A-EMDC） casting process has been developed. A three-dimension finite element computational model of A-EMDC casting process was established by using ANSYS Magnetic-Nodal programs and FLOTRAN CFD programs. Microstruetures of A-EMDC casting semi-solid Al-6Si-3Cu-Mg alloy billets were investigated. Two pairs of vortexes occur within the crystallizer with opposite direction in A-EMDC. The annulus gap is advantageous to increasing circulate flow, reducing the temperature gradient as well as shallowing liquid sump depth. The microstructure obtained by A-EMDC is globular or rosette-like, and the microstructure is homogeneous in the billet.

Yield strength prediction of rolled Al-(1.44-12.40)Si-0.7Mg alloy sheets under T4 condition

The effects of Si content on the microstructure and yield strength of Al-(1.44-12.40)Si-0.7 Mg(wt.%)alloy sheets under the T4 condition were systematically studied via laser scanning confocal microscopy(LSCM),DSC,TEM and tensile tests.The results show that the recrystallization grain of the alloy sheets becomes more refined with an increase in Si content.When the Si content increases from 1.44 to 12.4 wt.%,the grain size of the alloy sheets decreases from approximately 47 to 10μm.Further,with an increase in Si content,the volume fraction of the GP zones in the matrix increases slightly.Based on the existing model,a yield strength model for alloy sheets was proposed.The predicted results are in good agreement with the actual experimental results and reveal the strengthening mechanisms of the Al-(1.44-12.40)Si-0.7 Mg alloy sheets under the T4 condition and how they are influenced by the Si content.

Continuous cooling precipitation diagram of cast aluminium alloy Al-7Si-0.3Mg

The precipitation behaviour during quenching of cast Al-7Si-0.3Mg aluminium alloy was investigated by DSC in the cooling rate range of 0.01 K/s to 3 K/s and by quenching dilatometry for higher rates. Two main precipitation reactions were observed during cooling, a high temperature reaction starting almost directly with quenching from 540℃ and a low temperature reaction starting at about 400℃. Quenching with 3 K/s already significantly suppresses precipitation during quenching. Hardness after T6 ageing increases with increasing quenching rate, due to the increasing content of supersaturated solid solution. By dilatometry and hardness results the critical cooling rate can be estimated as about 60 K/s. Quenched Al-7Si-0.3Mg microstructures have been investigated by light microscopy. The microstructures consist of an aluminium-silicon eutectic structure, aluminium solid solution dendrites and precipitates inside the aluminium dendrites, depending on quenching rate.

Dynamic Mechanical Behavior and Microstructural Evolution of the Al-6Mg Alloy Subjected to Three Treatment Conditions

The mechanical properties of Al-6Mg alloy with three treatment states （H112, O and cold-extruded states） were investigated at room and high temperatures using an INSTRON machine and a Split Hopkinson Pressure Bar （SHPB）. Stress-strain curves of the alloy with different processes were obtained at a quasi-static strain rate of 5×10-4 s-1and dynamic strain rates of 1 400-4 200 s-1, respectively. The results suggest that, at room temperature, the three processed Al-6Mg alloys are all low sensitive to strain rate. The O state Al-6Mg alloy （Al-6Mg-O） exhibits the most ductility, while the cold-extruded Al-6Mg alloy （Al-6Mg-C） displays the highest strength. At elevated temperatures, the yield stresses and the differences in yield stress of the three processed alloys all decrease with increasing temperature under the quasi-static strain rate of 5×10-4 s-1. Based on test results, modified Johnson-Cook （JC） constitutive models for the three processed Al-6Mg alloys were developed. The microstructures before and after deformation were examined by electron backscattered diffraction （EBSD） and further dynamic recrystallization （DRX） at the strain rate of 3 300 s-1 was discussed.

0.15%Ce微合金化对Al-6Si-4Cu-0.25Mg合金组织和力学性能的影响

本文通过设计和制备合金,对比分析添加0.15%Ce元素微合金化后对Al-6Si-4Cu-0.25Mg合金组织和力学性能的影响,为后续深入挖掘微合金化Ce对Al-6Si-4Cu-0.25Mg合金性能研究打下基础。

Microstructure of Mg-8Zn-4Al-1Ca aged alloy

The microstructure of Mg-8Zn-4Al-1Ca aged alloy was investigated by TEM and HRTEM. The results show that the hardening produced in the Mg-8Zn-4Al-1Ca alloy is considerably higher than that in the Mg-8Zn-4A1 alloy. A dense dispersion of disc-like Ca2Mg6Zn3 precipitates are formed in Mg-8Zn-4Al-1Ca alloy aged at 160 ℃ for 16 h. In addition, the lattice distortions, honeycomb-looking Moir＆#233; fringes, edge dislocations and dislocation loop also exist in the microstructure. The precipitates of alloy aged at 160 ℃ for 48 h are coarse disc-like and fine dispersed grainy. When the alloy is subjected to aging at 160 ℃ for 227 h, the microstructure consists of numerous MgZn2 precipitates and Ca2Mg6Zn3 precipitates. All the analyses show that Ca is a particularly effective trace addition in improving the age-hardening and postponing the formation of MgZn2 precipitates in Mg-8Zn-4Al alloy aged at 160 ℃.

Effects of conform continuous extrusion and heat treatment on the microstructure and mechanical properties of Al–13Si–7.5Cu–1Mg alloy

The effects of conform continuous extrusion and subsequent heat treatment on the mechanical and wear-resistance properties of high-alloying Al–13Si–7.5Cu–1Mg alloy were investigated.The microstructures of alloys before and after conform processing and aging were compared by transmission electron microscopy and scanning electron microscopy,respectively.The results reveal that the primary phases were broken and refined by intense shear deformation during conform processing.After the conform-prepared Al–13Si–7.5Cu–1Mg alloy was subjected to solid-solution treatment at 494℃for 1.5 h and aging at 180℃for 4 h,its hardness improved from HBS 115.8 to HBS 152.5 and its ultimate tensile strength increased from 112.6 to 486.8 MPa.Its wear resistance was also enhanced.The factors leading to the enhanced strength,hardness,and wear resistance of the alloy were discussed in detail.

Microstructure and mechanical properties of Al-7Si-0.7Mg alloy formed with an addition of(Pr+Ce)

Effects of （Pr＋Ce） addition on the Al-7Si-0.7Mg alloy were investigated by optical microscope （OM）, energy diffraction spectrum （EDS）, X-ray diffraction （XRD） and tensile tests. The results showed that the Al-7Si-0.7Mg alloy was modified with （Pr＋Ce） addition. The needle-like eutectic silicon phase developed into rose form and the crystalline grains decreased in size and showed a high degree of spheroidization. When the amount of the （Pr＋Ce） addition reached 0.6 wt.%, the mean diameter was 31.8μm （refined by 50%）. The aspect ratio decreased to 1.35, and the tensile strength and ductility reached 192.4 MPa and 2.18%, respectively At higher levels of addition, over-modification occurred, as indicated by increased grain size and reduced mechanical properties. The poisoning effect of the （Pr＋Ce） addition on eutectic silicon and the constitutional supercooling caused by the （Pr＋Ce） addition were the major causes of alloy modification, grain refinement, and the improvement of mechanical properties.

Effect of Zener–Hollomon Parameter on High-Temperature Deformation Behaviors of Mg–6Zn–1.5Y–0.5Ce–0.4Zr Alloy

High-temperature compressive deformation behaviors of Mg–6Zn–1.5Y–0.5Ce–0.4Zr alloy were investigated at temperatures and strain rates ranging from 523 to 673 K and from 0.001 to 1 s~(-1),respectively.The studied alloy was mainly composed ofα-Mg,Mg_(3)Zn_(6)Y(I phase),Mg–Zn–Ce and Mg_(3)Zn_(3)Y_(2)(W phase).The constitutive equation of Mg alloy was obtained,and the apparent activation energy(Q)was determined as 200.44 k J/mol,indicating that rare earth phase increases the difficulty of deformation.The work hardening involves three stages:(1)linear hardening stage;(2)strain hardening stage;and(3)softening and steady-state stage.During these three stages,the dislocation aggregation and tangling,dynamic recovery and recrystallization occur sequentially.To characterize the dynamic recrystallization(DRX)volume fraction,the DRX kinetics was investigated using the Avrami-type equation.The deformation mechanism of magnesium alloy under different Zener–Hollomon parameter(Z)value conditions was also studied.At high Z values and intermediate conditions,dislocations rapidly generate and pile up in the alloy.Recrystallization is hardly seen at this time.At low Z condition,the DRX occurs in the alloy.

T6处理对半固态压铸Al-27Si合金组织与性能的影响

采用纯铜质蛇形通道复合Sr变质制备了Al-27Si-4.5Cu-0.6Mg合金的半固态浆料,并进行了压铸,研究了在不同Sr加入量时,T6处理对流变压铸试样的性能和组织的影响。结果表明,复合工艺充分细化了初生Si和有效变质了共晶Si,再经T6处理后可以得到圆整的颗粒状共晶Si和棱角被钝化的初生Si,并且热处理前的变质效果越好,T6处理后得到的共晶Si形貌越圆整细小。T6处理进一步提高了复合处理制备的Al-27Si-4.5Cu-0.6Mg合金半固态流变压铸试样的抗拉强度,热处理前后的最高抗拉强度都出现在Sr含量为0.02%条件下,分别为228.8 MPa和254.7 MPa。

铸造铝硅合金的深冷处理与其组织和性能的研究

采用金相显微镜、透射电镜和拉伸试验机等手段,研究了深冷和时效处理对Al-6Si-0.4Mg合金显微组织以及25℃和-60℃拉伸性能的影响。结果表明,对固溶态Al-6Si-0.4Mg合金进行深冷处理有助于细化合金晶粒,且晶粒尺寸随着深冷时间延长而呈现先减小而后增大的趋势。在深冷时间为18 h时细化效果最好,此时合金中Si相等效圆直径最小、单位面积Si相数量最多。在深冷时间18 h、时效时间6 h时,Al-6Si-0.4Mg合金具有最佳的强塑性结合。固溶+深冷处理+时效态合金相较传统固溶+时效态合金在低温强度提高的同时,塑性也得到了明显改善,这主要与深冷处理可以细化合金晶粒、降低Si相等效圆直径、增加单位面积Si相数量以及起到预时效作用有关。