Microstructures,corrosion and mechanical properties of as-cast Mg-Zn-Y-(Gd)alloys

Long period stacking ordered（LPSO） structure phases were prepared by conventional solidification method in Mg（94）Zn3YxGd（3-x）（x=3,2,1.5,1,mole fraction） alloys,the microstructures,corrosion and compressive mechanical properties of which were investigated,separately.The results reveal that the microstructures of the as-cast Mg（94）Zn3YxGd（3-x） alloys,with n（Zn）/n（Y＋Gd）=1：1,consist of α（Mg） phase,Mg3Zn3RE2（W） phase,Mg（12）ZnRE（14H-LPSO） phase and a few bright cube-shaped Mg-Y-Gd phases.The formation and the distribution of LPSO-phase in the alloys can be influenced by the content of Gd.The volume fraction of 14H-LPSO phase increases first and then decreases with the increase of the Gd content.For the electrochemical impedance spectroscopy（EIS） measurement,a R（Q（R（QR））） model was used to fit the test results in 3.5%（mass fraction） NaCl solution at room temperature.The corrosion current densities of all samples are about 10-（-5） A/cm-2.When x（Gd）≤1%,Mg-Zn-Y-（Gd）alloy shows good corrosion resistance,which is better than that of the commercial AZ91 D magnesium alloy.The corrosion rate increases when the Gd content is higher than 1.5%.At room temperature,the compressive properties of Mg-Zn-Y-（Gd） alloys increase remarkably with the increase of the volume fraction of LPSO phase.In addition,the pinning effect of W-phase and dispersive cube-shaped Mg-Y-Gd phase is beneficial to improving the mechanical properties of as-cast Mg（94）Zn3YxGd（3-x） alloy in deformation process.

Microstructure evolution of Ti_(48)Zr_(27)Cu_(6)Nb_(5)Be_(14)amorphous alloy after semi-solid isothermal treatment

The as-cast amorphous Ti_(48)Zr_(27)Cu_(6)Nb_(5)Be_(14)composites,comprising in situ formedβ-Ti ductile crystalline precipitates,were prepared by water cooled copper mold suction casting.Then,the semi-solid composites were obtained after the as-cast composites were treated by semi-solid isothermal treatment.The microstructure evolution and kinetics of the composites were examined.Results show that the microstructures of both the as-cast and semi-solid composites comprise ofβ-Ti crystal phases and amorphous matrix phases.Before and after treatment,the crystals evolve from fine granular or fine dendritic crystals to coarse crystals.As the treatment temperature increasing or the time prolonging,the average crystal size gradually increases and the surface morphology of the crystals gradually becomes regular.By studying the microstructural evolution and dynamics during the isothermal treatment process,it is found that the final morphology ofβ-Ti crystals is influenced by the isothermal treatment temperature and time(t),and theβ-Ti evolution rate increases with an increase in treatment temperature.In addition,a linear relationship was observed between the size of cubicβ-Ti crystals(D^(3))and t;the growth kinetics factor K is 3.8μm^(3)·s^(-1).As the K value closes to 4μm^(3)·s^(-1),it is inferred the morphology evolution ofβ-Ti crystals is a coarsening behavior controlled by the diffusion of solute elements.

Microstructure and room temperature tensile property of as-cast Ti44Al6Nb1.0Cr2.0V alloy

The nominal Ti44Al6Nb1.0Cr2.0V alloy was newly designed and prepared by vacuum consumable melting technique with the ingot sizes of d225 mm×320 mm. The results show that the average lamella colony size is 780-1830 μm. This as-cast alloy has a modified near lamellar(M-NL) structure that is composed of mainly larger(α2+γ) lamella colonies and smaller(B2+equiaxed γ) blocky morphology. It exhibits the moderate tensile properties at room temperature, in which the Region(5) yields the ultimate tensile strength(UTS) about 499 MPa and the elongation about 0.53%. The obvious brittle fracture characteristics and trans-granular interlamellar fracture are the predominant modes. After room temperature tensile testing, there are some <101] and a few 1/2<112] superdislocations in the γ phase. The as-cast microcrack is the main factor to deteriorate the tensile property, which results in the premature fracture, poor ductility and few dislocations. The addition of Nb, Cr and V can decrease stacking fault energy(SFE) obviously, which is helpful to enhancing the ductility of the alloy.

Metadynamic Recrystallization of the As-cast 42CrMo Steel after Normalizing and Tempering during Hot Compression

The existing researches of hot ring rolling process are mainly based on forged billet. Compared with the existing process, the new ring casting-rolling compound forming process has significant advantages in saving materials and energy, reducing emission and reducing the production cost. The microstructure evolution of the casting materials during hot deformation is the basis of the research of the new process. However, the researches on the casting materials are rare. The metadynamic recrystallization of the as-cast 42CrMo steel after normalizing and tempering during the hot compression is investigated. The tests are performed on the Gleeble-1500 thermal-mechanical simulator. The influence rule of the deformation parameters on the metadynamic recrystallization is obtained by analyzing the experimental data. The kinetic model of the rnetadynamic recrystallization is deduced. The analysis results show that the metadynamic recrystallization fraction increases with the increase of the deformation temperature and the strain rate. The metallographic experiments are used to investigate the influence rule of the deformation parameters on the grain size of the metadynamic recrystallization. The experimental results show that the grain of the metadynamic recrystallization could be refined with the increase of the strain rate and the decrease of the deformation temperature during hot compression. The occurrence of the metadynamic recrystallization during the hot deformation is more difficult in as-cast 42CrMo steel than in forged 42CrMo steel. The research can provide the foundation for the further research of the hot deformation behaviors of the as-cast structure and theoretical support for the new ring casting-rolling compound process.

Effect of Trace La Addition on the Microstructure and Mechanical Property of As-cast ADC12 Al-Alloy

The effects of addition of La on the microstructure of as-cast ADC12 A1-Alloy were investigated by using optical microscope （OM）, X-ray diffraction （XRD）, scanning electron microscope （SEM）, and energy disperse spectroscopy （EDS）. The experimental results showed that the a-A1 and eutectic Si crystals were modified with the addition of 0.3 wt% La. The eutectic Si crystals showed a granular distribution. At the same time, the alloy possessed the best mechanical property. When more than 0.3 wt% La was added to ADC12 aluminum alloy, the microstructure of as-cast alloy was coarsening gradually with the increase of the content of La and the mechanical property decreased. The effect of rare earth La which was added in ADC 12 A1-Alloy for up to 0.9 wt% had been investigated in this study. The dendrites ofADC12 Al-alloy was refined obviously and the morphology of Si crystals showed a particle structure when the addition of La reached 0,3 wt%. Besides, the acicular La-rich intermetallics in the alloy deteriorated the mechanical property of alloy： To avoid this unwanted phase, the amount of added rare earth La must be less than 0.6 wt%.

Microstructure and homogenization process of as-cast GH4169D alloy for novel turbine disk

To investigate the microstructure, segregation, and suitable homogenization process of as-cast GH4169D alloy, the microstructure, elements segregation, and precipitates of cast GH4169D ingots prepared by vacuum induction melting (VIM) and vacuum arc remelting (VAR) were observed by optical microscopy (OM), scanning electron microscopy, and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). According to the residual segregation model and simulation results of DICTRA thermodynamic software, the homogenization temperature and time range were set as 1120–1170°C and 5–20 h, respectively. The experimental results showed that microscopic dendrite and element segregation occurred in the interior of ingots and the main segregation elements were Nb and Ti. In addition, the precipitates were mainly distributed in interdendritic regions and were composed of NbC, Laves,γ′, and δ phases. The homogenization process suggested that the interdendritic detrimental precipitated Laves phase can be eliminated or redissolved after homogenization at 1150°C for 20 h, suggesting it was the most suitable homogenization treatment. Thermal compression test results showed that the GH4169D alloys after homogenization treatment had no cracks and dynamic recrystallization occurred, with recrystallization volume fraction increasing with temperature, indicating a good working plasticity at temperatures from 1050 to 1200°C.

Effect of Sn content on microstructure and tensile properties of as-cast and as-extruded Mg-8Li-3Al-(1,2,3)Sn alloys

The effects of Sn content on microstructure and tensile properties of as-cast and as-extruded Mg-8Li-3Al-(1,2,3)Sn(wt.%)alloys were investigated by X-ray diffractometry(XRD),optical microscopy(OM),scanning electron microscopy(SEM)and tensile test.It is found that,as-cast Mg-8Li-3Al-(1,2,3)Sn alloys consist ofα-Mg+β-Li duplex matrix,MgLiAl2 and Li2Mg Sn phases.Increasing Sn content leads to grain refinement ofα-Mg dendrites and increase in content of Li2MgSn phase.During hot extrusion,complete dynamic recrystallization(DRX)takes place inβ-Li phase while incomplete DRX takes place inα-Mg phase.As Sn content is increased,the volume fraction of DRXedα-Mg grains is increased and the average grain size of DRXedα-Mg grains is decreased.Increasing Sn content is beneficial to strength but harmful to ductility for as-cast Mg-8Li-3Al-(1,2,3)Sn alloys.Tensile properties of Mg-8Li-3Al-(1,2,3)Sn alloys are improved significantly via hot extrusion and Mg-8Li-3Al-2Sn alloy exhibits the best tensile properties.

Effects of Zn content on the microstructure and the mechanical and corrosion properties of as-cast low-alloyed Mg–Zn–Ca alloys

The effects of Zn content on the microstxucture and the mechanical and corrosion properties of as-cast low-alloyed Mg-xZn~.2Ca alloys （x = 0.6wt%, 2.0wt%, 2.5wt%, hereafter denoted as 0.6Zn, 2.0Zn, and 2.5Zn alloys, respectively） axe investigated. The results show that the Zn content not only influences grain refinement but also induces different phase precipitation behaviors. The as-cast microstxucture of the 0.6Zn alloy is composed of ct-Mg, Mg2Ca, and Ca2Mg6Zn3 phases, whereas 2.0Zn and 2.5Zn alloys only contain ct-Mg and Ca2Mg6Zn3 phases, as revealed by X-ray diffraction （XRD） and txonsmission electron microscopy （TEM） analyses. Moreover, with in- creasing Zn content, both the ultimate tensile strength （UTS） and the elongation to fracture first increase and then decrease. Among the three investigated alloys, the largest UTS （178 MPa） and the highest elongation to fracture （6.5%） are obtained for the 2.0Zn alloy. In addition, the corrosion rate increases with increasing Zn content. This paper provides on updated investigation of the alloy composi- tion-microstxucture-property relationships of different Zn-containing Mg-Zn-Ca alloys.

Microstructure evolution and deformation behavior of as-cast NiTi shape memory alloy under compression

The as-cast ingot of equiatomic nickel-titanium shape memory alloy （SMA） was prepared via vacuum consumable arc melting. Differential scanning calorimetry （DSC）, X-ray diffraction （XRD） analysis, energy dispersive X-ray （EDX） measurement and microanalysis were adopted in order to understand the microstructure evolution and deformation behavior of the as-cast NiTi SMA under compression at various strain rates and temperatures. The microstructures of as-cast NiTi SMA composed of dendritic grains and equiaxed grains are inhomogeneous and show segregation. The as-cast NiTi SMA consists of B19′ martensite, B2 austenite and Ti2Ni phase simultaneously at room temperature. The as-cast NiTi SMA is sensitive to strain rate under compression at high temperature, at which NiTi SMA is characterized by dynamic recrystallization at strain rates of 0.1 and 0.01 s-1, but by dynamic recovery at strain rate of 0.001s-1. The strain rates have little influence on the true stress—strain curves as well as microstructure of NiTi SMA at room temperature and -100 °C.

Cracking mechanism in as-cast GH4151 superalloy ingot with high γ'phase content

The fundamental mechanism of the cracking formation was investigated for the as-cast GH4151 superalloy.By analyzing the characteristics of cracking,the cracking mechanism was determined to be the cold crack formed during the cooling process.And cold cracking is closely related to severe segregation,complex precipitates and uneven γ'phase distribution.During cooling process,cracks were generated around the precipitates due to their different linear shrinkage coefficients.The annealing treatment process controlling the residual stress,the size and morphology of γ'phase was proposed.The annealing treatment plays a role in reducing residual stress through decreasing the thermal gradient and controlling the size distribution of γ'phase to reduce the strain concentration around the precipitate phases.

Research on microstructure in as-cast 7A55 aluminum alloy and its evolution during homogenization

The microstructure of the as-cast 7A55 aluminum alloy and its evolution during homogenization were investigated by means of optical microscopy （OM）, scanning electron microscopy （SEM）, energy dispersive spectroscopy （EDS）, X-ray diffraction （XRD）, and differential scanning calorimetry （DSC） analysis. The results indicate that the microstructure of the as-cast 7A55 aluminum alloy mainly consists of the dendritic network of aluminum solid solution, Al/AIZnMgCu eutectic phases, and intermetaUic compounds MgZn2, Al2CuMg, Al7Cu2Fe, and Al23CuFe4. After homogenization at 470℃ for 48 h, Al/AlZnMgCu eutectic phases are dissolved into the matrix, and a small amount of high melting-point secondary phases were formed, which results in an increasing of the starting melting temperature of 7A55 aluminum alloy The high melting-point secondary phases were eliminated mostly when the homogenization time achieved to 72 h. Therefore, the reasonable homogenization heat treatment process for 7A55 aluminum alloy ingots was chosen as 470℃/72 h.

Effect of Neodymium on As-Cast Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of AZ31 Wrought Alloy

Nd in the form of powder or intermediate alloy was added to AZ31 wrought alloy. The as-obtained alloy was characterized and tested with respect to its microstructure and mechanical properties. The relationship between the microstructure,mechanical properties and tensile fracture mechanism were discussed, with relevant alloys as reference for comparison. Experimental results show that the same quantity of Nd was added into AZ31 in powder form or in intermediate alloy, the absorption rate of Nd reached only 10.8% for the former case and as high as 95% for the later case. Pure Nd powder was added, no new compound was detected, but it served as reductant and purified alloy melt, resulting in improving the tensile strength while Nd was added into AZ31 as Mg-Nd intermediate alloy. The compound Al2Nd and Mg12Nd were formed in magnesium alloy, which were distributed in the matrix in the shapes of strip and particle, evidently refined the as-cast structure. The as-cast tensile strength (228 MPa) of adding pure Nd powder approximated to the figure (245 MPa) of adding Mg-Nd intermediate alloy. The tensile fracture mechanism of as-cast AZ31 transformed from cleavage fracture into quasi-cleavage fracture.

Quasicrystalline Phase in As-cast Mg-Zn-Y-Zr Alloy

An icosahedral phase in as-cast Mg 5. 78Zn-0.89Y-0.48Zr (wt-%) alloy has been identified with transmission electron microscope (TPM) The selected area diffraction patterns (SADP) from the phase show a five-fold symmetry of a quasicrystalline structure. The energy dispersive X-ray spectra (EDXS) indicate that the quaternary phase has a chemical composition of 67.6Zn-1 9.4Mg-8,1 Y-4 9Zr in at -%

Effects of solution treatment on microstructure and tensile properties of as-cast alloy 625

Effects of solution treatment between 1050 and 1250℃on microstructure and tensile properties of as-cast alloy 625 were investigated.The microstructure and solidification characteristics of the alloy were studied by SEM,EDS,EPMA and DTA.The results showed that the solidification sequence of the alloy should be written as L→L+γ→L+γ+MC→L+γ+MC+γ/Laves→γ+MC+γ/Laves.After solution treatment at 1225 and 1250°C,incipient melting of Laves phase was observed.The ultimate tensile strength decreased monotonically with the increase of solution treatment temperature,and the yield strength had no significant variation.The elongation increased slightly at first and then reached a minimum value at 1250°C.The fracture mechanism changed from transgranular mode to intergranular mode after solution at 1250°C for the reason that numerous Laves phases melted at grain boundaries and microcracks nucleated in the molten pool.The suitable solution treatment temperature of this alloy was 1200°C.

Creep resistance of as-cast Mg-5Al-5Ca-2Sn alloy

In the present study, creep properties of as-cast Mg-5Al-5Ca-2Sn(AXT552) alloy were investigated by means of a GWT304 creep testing machine at temperatures of 175 °C and 200 °C in the stress range of 35-90 MPa. Results show that creep rates increase with applied stress at an identical temperature. Creep strain at 100 hours is 0.0518% and 0.083% at creep conditions of 175°C/75 MPa and 200°C/60 MPa, respectively, which is comparable to MRI230 D and much lower than most of AX series alloys. By the observation and analysis for samples before and after creep tests using a Shimadzu XRD-7000 type X-ray diffractometer(XRD) and a Hitachi S-3400 N type scanning electron microscope(SEM), it was found that Al_2Ca(C15) phase precipitated out of C36 phase or matrix. The cavity formation and connection at the interface of soft matrix and hard intermetallics caused the propagation of cracking along the eutectic phase during creep process and dislocation accommodated grain/phase boundary sliding is expected to be the dominant creep mechanism.

Influence of homogenizing on mechanical properties of as-cast AZ31 magnesium alloy

Forward extrusion experiments of as-cast AZ31 magnesium alloy were conducted at different temperatures and different extrusion ratios using the as-cast billets with and without homogenizing treatment.The mechanical properties of pre-and post-extrusion of the two kinds of billets were investigated.Experimental results show that the mechanical properties of post-extrusion of the two kinds of billets all are obviously improved compared with those of pre-extrusion.The elongation of post-extrusion using the billet with homogenizing is higher than that without homogenizing,but the tensile strength is lower than that without homogenizing.When the extrusion ratio increases,the elongation and tensile strength of post-extrusion of two kinds of billets all will increase obviously.When the extrusion temperature of billet without homogenizing increases,the tensile strength of post-extrusion will decrease obviously and the elongation of post-extrusion will change to a small extent.For the billet with homogenizing,the tensile strength of post-extrusion will decrease in some sort when extrusion temperature increases.

Microstructures and Phase Transition Points of As-Cast Mg-Zn-Y System Alloys

As-east mierostruetures and their distribution of Mg-Zn-Y ternary alloy with high magnesium, low zinc and yttrium were examined using Nikon Epiphot optical microscopy （OM）, RigakuD/max-3C X- ray diffraetion （XRD）, and JEOL JSM-6700F scanning electron microscopy （SEM） equipped with an energydispersive X-ray spectroscopy （EDS）. In the as-east mierostructures, Yttrium and zinc tend to segregate at grain boundaries,

Refinement and fracture mechanisms of as-cast QT700-6 alloy by alloying method

The as-cast QT700-6 alloy was synthesized with addition of a certain amount of copper, nickel, niobium and stannum elements by alloying method in a medium frequency induction furnace, aiming at improving its strength and toughness. Microstructures of the as-cast QT700-6 alloy were observed using a scanning-electron microscope （SEM） and the mechanical properties were investigated using a universal tensile test machine. Results indicate that the ratio of pearlite/ferrite is about 9：1 and the graphite size is less than 40 tJm in diameter in the as-cast QT700-6 alloy. The predominant refinement mechanism is attributed to the formation of niobium carbides, which increases the heterogeneous nucleus and hinders the growth of graphite. Meanwhile, niobium carbides also exist around the grain boundaries, which improve the strength of the ductile iron. The tensile strength and elongation of the as-cast QT700-6 alloy reach over 700 MPa and 6%, respectively, when the addition amount of niobium is 0.8%. The addition of copper and nickel elements contributed to the decrease of eutectoid transformation temperature, resulting in the decrease of pearlite lamellar spacing （about 248 rim）, which is also beneficial to enhancing the tensile strength. The main fracture mechanism is cleavage fracture with the appearance of a small amount of dimples.

Microstructure and dry sliding wear behavior of as-cast TiCp/Ti-1100-0.5Nb titanium matrix composite at elevated temperatures

The microstructure and dry sliding wear performance of as-cast TiCp/Ti-1100-0.5Nb composite at 25℃,500℃ and 600℃ were systematically investigated.Results show that the solidification matrix microstructure is the typical Widmanst?tten structure.The eutectic TiC particles are uniformly distributed in the matrix in the form of feathery,long rod and strip-like shapes.Meanwhile,the interface between TiC and titanium matrix is clear and without any reaction.The wear rate of TiCp/Ti-1100-0.5Nb at 600℃ and 500℃ is reduced by 95.8%and 79.9%,respectively,compared with that of the value of 51.8×10^-6 mm^3·mm^-1 at 25℃.The friction coefficient of the steady-state period at 25℃,500℃,600℃ is 0.48,0.8,1.2,respectively,and the variation extent of the friction coefficient at elevated temperatures is greater than at 25℃.The wear mechanism is changed from the mixture of adhesive wear and abrasive wear to mild oxidation wear with rising temperature.It can also be concluded that the composite possesses excellent high temperature wear resistance.The high-wear resistance of the composite is attributed to the Fe2O3 and TiO2.The presence of Fe2O3 and TiO2 reduces the wear rate,increases the friction coefficient,and also improves the range-ability of the friction coefficient.

As-cast structure of DC casting 7075 aluminum alloy obtained under dual-frequency electromagnetic field

We have experimentally determined the as-cast structures of semi-continuous casting 7075 aluminum alloy obtained in the pres-ence of dual-frequency electromagnetic field. Results suggest that the use of dual-frequency electromagnetic field during the semi-continuous casting process of 7075 aluminum alloy ingots reduces the thickness of the surface segregation layer, increases the height of the melt menis-cus, enhances the surface quality of the ingot, and changes the surface morphology of the melt pool. Moreover, low-frequency electromag-netic field was found to show the most obvious influence on improving the as-cast structure because of its high permeability in conductors.