Thermal Fatigue Behaviour of Co-Based Alloy Coating Obtained by Laser Surface Melt-Casting on High Temperature Alloy

A thermal fatigue behaviour of Co-based alloy coating obtained by laser surface meltcasting on the high temperature alloy GH33 was studied.The results show that after each time of thermal cycling,the final residual stress was formed in the melt-casting layer which is attributed to the thermal stress and structural stress.Through the first 50 times of thermal cycling,the morphology of coating still inherits the laser casting one,but the dendrites get bigger;After the second 50 times of thermal cycling,corrosion pits emerge from coating,and mostly in the places where coating and substrate meet.The fatigue damage type of coating belongs to stress corrosion.

Effect of Yttrium on Microstructure and Hot Corrosion Preformance of Laser Clad Co-Based Alloy

The structure of the yttrium modified Co-base alloy layers formed by laser cladding on 2Cr13 and 1Cr18Ni9Ti steel surfaces and its hot corrosion performance have been investigated systematically.The re- sults show that the Y-containing cobalt base clad alloy has a finer microstructure and higher corrosion re- sistance to the salt mixture of 75% Na_2SO_4+25%NaCl at high temperature.The unique properties are ob- tained with addition of 0.875% Y for the formation of a continuous and compact oxide scale.The compact scale may act as a barrier for the inward diffusion of oxygen and sulphur and also for the outward diffusion of alloying elements.

Role of alloying and heat treatment on microstructure and mechanical properties of cast Al-Li alloys:A review

Due to the prominent advantages of low density,high elastic modulus,high specific strength and specific stiffness,cast Al-Li alloys are suitable metallic materials for manufacturing complex large-sized components and are ideal structural materials for aerospace,defense and military industries.On the basis of the microstructural characteristics of cast Al-Li alloys,exploring the role of alloying and micro-alloying can stabilize their dominant position and further expand their application scope.In this review,the development progress of cast Al-Li alloys was summarized comprehensively.According to the latest research highlights,the influence of alloying and heat treatment on the microstructure and mechanical properties was systematically analyzed.The potential methods to improve the alloy performance were concluded.In response to the practical engineering requirements of cast Al-Li alloys,the scientific challenges and future research directions were discussed and prospected.

A new vacuum-assisted low-pressure investment casting process for K446 alloy

Non-metallic inclusions and zyglo indications frequently occur in the superalloy castings produced through the traditional vacuum gravity investment casting process,particularly in components with thin-walled and complex structural features.The vacuum-assisted low-pressure casting(VLC),a type of counter-gravity casting(CGC)method,has been developed to minimize non-metallic inclusions and zyglo indications in superalloy castings.Rectifying frames for gas turbines made from K446 alloy were produced semi-continuously using the VLC process and subsequently evaluated through tensile testing,chemical composition analysis,X-ray diffraction,and zyglo penetrant inspection.The results indicate a roughly 10%improvement in tensile strength at 800℃ compared to gravity casting.Moreover,no significant changes are observed in the chemical composition of the alloys from the beginning to the end of a casting campaign,indicating that the developed VLC process is viable for the engineering-scale production of superalloy castings.Compared to traditional vacuum gravity casting(GC)method,the application of VLC can reduce the numbers of non-metallic inclusions and Zyglo indications in the castings by over 80%.At the same time,it significantly shortens the production time by 3 to 5 days.

Optimization of pressurization process in low-pressure casting of a 5.4-ton gigantic C95800 copper alloy casting

During the low-pressure casting of extra-large size C95800 copper alloy components,traditional linear pressurization technique leads to a rapid surge of liquid metal inlet velocity at the regions where the mold cavity cross-section enlarges.This rapid increasement of liquid metal inlet velocity causes serious entrapment of gas and oxide films,and results in various casting defects such as the bifilm defects.These defects detrimentally deteriorate mechanical properties of the castings.To address this issue,an innovative nonlinear pressurization strategy timely matching to the casting structure was proposed.The pressurization rate decreases at sections where the cross-section widens,but it gradually increases as the liquid metal level rises.By this way,the inlet velocity remains below a critical threshold to prevent the entrapment of gas and oxide films.Comparative analyses involving numerical simulations and casting verification illustrate that the nonlinear pressurization technique,compared to the linear pressurization,effectively diminishes both the size and number of bifilm defects.Furthermore,the nonlinear pressurization method enhances the casting yield strength by 10%,tensile strength by 14%,and elongation by 10%.Examination through scanning electron microscopy highlights that the bifilm defects arising from the linear pressurization process result in the reduction of the castings’mechanical properties.These observations underscore the efficacy of nonlinear pressurization in enhancing the quality and reliability of gigantic castings,as exemplified by a 5.4-ton extra-large sized C95800 copper alloy propeller hub with complex structures in the current study.

Microstructure and Hot Tearing Sensitivity Simulation and Parameters Optimization for the Centrifugal Casting of Al-Cu Alloy

Four typical theories on the formation of thermal tears:strength,liquid film,intergranular bridging,and solidifica-tion shrinkage compensation theories.From these theories,a number of criteria have been derived for predicting the formation of thermal cracks,such as the stress-based Niyama,Clyne,and RDG(Rapaz-Dreiser-Grimaud)criteria.In this paper,a mathematical model of horizontal centrifugal casting was established,and numerical simulation analysis was conducted for the centrifugal casting process of cylindrical Al-Cu alloy castings to investigate the effect of the centrifugal casting process conditions on the microstructure and hot tearing sensitivity of alloy castings by using the modified RDG hot tearing criterion.Results show that increasing the centrifugal rotation and pouring speeds can refine the microstructure of the alloy but increasing the pouring and mold preheating temperatures can lead to an increase in grain size.The grain size gradually transitions from fine grain on the outer layer to coarse grain on the inner layer.Meanwhile,combined with the modified RDG hot tearing criterion,the overall distribution of the castings’hot tearing sensitivity was analyzed.The analysis results indicate that the porosity in the middle region of the casting was large,and hot tearing defects were prone to occur.The hot tearing tendency on the inner side of the casting was greater than that on the outer side.The effects of centrifugal rotation speed,pouring temperature,and preheating temperature on the thermal sensitivity of Al-Cu alloy castings are summarized in this paper.This study revealed that the tendency of alloy hot cracking decreases with the increase of the centrifugal speed,and the maximum porosity of castings decreases first and then increases with the pouring temperature.As the preheating temperature increases,the overall maximum porosity of castings shows a decreasing trend.

Thin-walled and large-sized magnesium alloy die castings for passenger car cockpit:Application,materials,and manufacture

In order to effectively reduce energy consumption and increase range mile,new energy vehicles represented by Tesla have greatly aroused the application of integrated magnesium(Mg)alloy die casting technology in automobiles.Previously,the application of Mg alloys in automobiles,especially in automotive cockpit components,is quite extensive,while it has almost disappeared for a period of time due to its relatively high cost,causing a certain degree of information loss in the application technology of Mg alloy parts in automobiles.The rapid development of automotive technology has led to a higher requirement for the automotive components compared with those traditional one.Therefore,whatever the components themselves,or the Mg alloy materials and die casting process have to face an increasing challenge,needing to be upgraded.In addition,owing to its high integration characteristics,the application of Mg alloy die casting technology in large-sized and thin-walled automotive parts has inherent advantages and needs to be expanded urgently.Indeed,it necessitates exploring advance Mg alloys and new product structures and optimizing die casting processes.This article summarizes and analyzes the development status of thin-walled and large-sized die casting Mg alloy parts in passenger car cockpit and corresponding material selection methods,die casting processes as well as mold design techniques.Furthermore,this work will aid researchers in establishing a comprehensive understanding of the manufacture of thin-walled and large-sized die casting Mg alloy parts in automobile cockpit.It will also assist them in developing new Mg alloys with improved comprehensive performance and new processes to meet the high requirements for die casting automotive components.

Experimental observations on the nonproportional multiaxial ratchetting of cast AZ91 magnesium alloy at room temperature

The nonproportional multiaxial ratchetting of cast AZ91 magnesium (Mg) alloy was examined by performing a sequence of axial-torsional cyclic tests controlled by stress with various loading paths at room temperature (RT).The evolutionary characteristics and path dependence of multiaxial ratchetting were discussed.Results illustrate that the cast AZ91 Mg alloy exhibits considerable nonproportional additional softening during cyclic loading with multiple nonproportional multiaxial loading paths;multiaxial ratchetting presents strong path dependence,and axial ratchetting strains are larger under nonproportional loading paths than under uniaxial and proportional45°linear loading paths;multiaxial ratchetting becomes increasingly pronounced as the applied stress amplitude and axial mean stress increase.Moreover,stress-strain curves show a convex and symmetrical shape in axial/torsional directions.Multiaxial ratchetting exhibits quasi-shakedown after certain loading cycles.The abundant experimental data obtained in this work can be used to develop a cyclic plasticity model of cast Mg alloys.

Research progress on semi-continuous casting of magnesium alloys under external field

High-performance magnesium alloys are moving towards a trend of being produced on a large scale and in an integrated manner.The foundational key to their successful production is the high-quality cast ingots.Magnesium alloys produced through the conventional semi-continuous casting process inevitably contain casting defects,which makes it challenging to manufacture high-quality ingots.The integration of external field assisted controlled solidification technology,which combines physical fields such as electromagnetic and ultrasonic fields with traditional semi-continuous casting processes,enables the production of high-quality magnesium alloy ingots characterized by a homogeneous microstructure and absence of cracks.This article mainly summarizes the technical principles of those external field assisted casting process.The focus is on elaborating the refinement mechanism of different types of electromagnetic fields,ultrasonic fields,and combined physical fields during the solidification of magnesium alloys.Finally,the development prospects of producing highquality magnesium alloy ingots through semi-continuous casting under the external field were discussed.

I-DCGAN and TOPSIS-IFP:A simulation generation model for radiographic flaw detection images in light alloy castings and an algorithm for quality evaluation of generated images

The intelligent detection technology driven by X-ray images and deep learning represents the forefront of advanced techniques and development trends in flaw detection and automated evaluation of light alloy castings.However,the efficacy of deep learning models hinges upon a substantial abundance of flaw samples.The existing research on X-ray image augmentation for flaw detection suffers from shortcomings such as poor diversity of flaw samples and low reliability of quality evaluation.To this end,a novel approach was put forward,which involves the creation of the Interpolation-Deep Convolutional Generative Adversarial Network(I-DCGAN)for flaw detection image generation and a comprehensive evaluation algorithm named TOPSIS-IFP.I-DCGAN enables the generation of high-resolution,diverse simulated images with multiple appearances,achieving an improvement in sample diversity and quality while maintaining a relatively lower computational complexity.TOPSIS-IFP facilitates multi-dimensional quality evaluation,including aspects such as diversity,authenticity,image distribution difference,and image distortion degree.The results indicate that the X-ray radiographic images of magnesium and aluminum alloy castings achieve optimal performance when trained up to the 800th and 600th epochs,respectively.The TOPSIS-IFP value reaches 78.7%and 73.8%similarity to the ideal solution,respectively.Compared to single index evaluation,the TOPSIS-IFP algorithm achieves higher-quality simulated images at the optimal training epoch.This approach successfully mitigates the issue of unreliable quality associated with single index evaluation.The image generation and comprehensive quality evaluation method developed in this paper provides a novel approach for image augmentation in flaw recognition,holding significant importance for enhancing the robustness of subsequent flaw recognition networks.

Al-CeO_(2)-Mg refiner on grain refinement,cast fluidity and mechanical properties of AZ91 alloy

Grain refinement is a satisfying method to enhance the comprehensive performance of Mg alloys,and using grain refiners to improve the quality of Mg castings has become a common practice in the current casting industry.In this study,the effects of Al-CeO_(2)-Mg grain refiner addition on microstructure,cast fluidity,and mechanical properties of AZ91 alloy were systemically investigated by OM,SEM,DSC,TEM,sand Archimedean spiral mold fluidity test,and tensile test.The results show that the Al-CeO_(2)-Mg grain refiner has a remarkable effect on as-cast AZ91 alloy including notable grain refinement,enhancement of cast fluidity,and improvement of tensile properties.The average grain size of AZ91 alloy is refined by 63%with 1.0wt.%Al-CeO_(2)-Mg grain refiner.Meanwhile,the casting flow length of the as-cast AZ91 alloy is increased from 332 mm to 440 mm.The improvement of cast fluidity is attributed to the decreased liquidus temperature,shortening of solid-liquid two-phase temperature range,and refinement of microstructure.

Characteristics and distribution of microstructures in high pressure die cast alloys with X-ray microtomography:A review

Al and Mg alloy high pressure die castings(HPDC)are increasingly used in automotive industries.The microstructures in the castings have decisive effect on the casting mechanical properties,in which the microstructure characteristics are fundamental for the investigation of the microstructure-property relation.During the past decade,the microstructure characteristics of HPDC Al and Mg alloys,especially micro-pores andα-Fe,have been investigated from two-dimensional(2D)to threedimensional with X-ray micro-computed tomography(μ-CT).This paper provides an overview of the current understanding regarding the 3D characteristics and formation mechanisms of microstructures in HPDC alloys,their spatial distributions,and the impact on mechanical properties.Additionally,it outlines future research directions for the formation and control of heterogeneous microstructures in HPDC alloys.

Microstructure and properties of 35 kg large aluminum alloy flywheel housing components formed by squeeze casting with local pressure compensation

The squeeze casting method with local pressure compensation was proposed to form a flywheel housing component with a weight of 35 kg.The numerical simulation,microstructure observation and phase characterization were performed,and the influence of local pressure compensation on feeding of thick-wall position,microstructure and mechanical properties of the formed components were discussed.Results show that the molten metal keeps a good fluidity and the filling is complete during the filling process.Although the solidification at thick-wall positions of the mounting ports is slow,the local pressure compensation effectively realizes the local forced feeding,significantly eliminating the shrinkage cavity defects.In the microstructure of AlSi9Mg alloy,α-Al primarily consists of fragmented dendrites and rosette grains,while eutectic Si predominantly comprises needles and short rods.The impact of local pressure compensation on strength is relatively minimal,yet its influence on elongation is considerable.Following local pressure compensation,the average elongation at the compensated areas is 9.18%,which represents a 44.90%higher than that before compensation.The average tensile strength is 209.1 MPa,and the average yield strength is 100.6 MPa.The local pressure compensation can significantly reduce or even eliminate the internal defects in the 35 kg large-weight components formed by squeeze casting.

Effect of slow shot speed on externally solidified crystal,porosity and tensile property in a newly developed high-pressure die-cast Al-Si alloy

The effect of slow shot speed on externally solidified crystal(ESC),porosity and tensile property in a newly developed high-pressure die-cast Al-Si alloy was investigated by optical microscopy(OM),scanning electron microscopy(SEM)and laboratory computed tomography(CT).Results showed that the newly developed AlSi9MnMoV alloy exhibited improved mechanical properties when compared to the AlSi10MnMg alloy.The AlSi9MnMoV alloy,which was designed with trace multicomponent additions,displays a notable grain refining effect in comparison to the AlSi10MnMg alloy.Refining elements Ti,Zr,V,Nb,B promote heterogeneous nucleation and reduce the grain size of primaryα-Al.At a lower slow shot speed,the large ESCs are easier to form and gather,developing into the dendrite net and net-shrinkage.With an increase in slow shot speed,the size and number of ESCs and porosities significantly reduce.In addition,the distribution of ESCs is more dispersed and the net-shrinkage disappears.The tensile property is greatly improved by adopting a higher slow shot speed.The ultimate tensile strength is enhanced from 260.31 MPa to 290.31 MPa(increased by 11.52%),and the elongation is enhanced from 3.72%to 6.34%(increased by 70.52%).

Improvement of microstructure and mechanical properties of Al−Cu−Li−Mg−Zn alloys through water-cooling centrifugal casting technique

The microstructure and mechanical properties of as-cast Al−Cu−Li−Mg−Zn alloys fabricated by conventional gravity casting and centrifugal casting techniques combined with rapid solidification were investigated.Experimental results demonstrated that compared with the gravity casting technique,the water-cooling centrifugal casting technique significantly reduces porosity,refinesα(Al)grains and secondary phases,modifies the morphology of secondary phases,and mitigates both macro-and micro-segregation.These improvements arise from the synergistic effects of the vigorous backflow,centrifugal field,vibration and rapid solidification.Porosity and coarse plate-like Al13Fe4/Al7Cu2Fe phase result in the fracture before the gravity-cast alloy reaches the yield point.The centrifugal-cast alloy,however,exhibits an ultra-high yield strength of 292.0 MPa and a moderate elongation of 6.1%.This high yield strength is attributed to solid solution strengthening(SSS)of 225.3 MPa,and grain boundary strengthening(GBS)of 35.7 MPa.Li contributes the most to SSS with a scaling factor of 7.9 MPa·wt.%^(-1).The elongation of the centrifugal-cast alloy can be effectively enhanced by reducing the porosity and segregation behavior,refining the microstructure and changing the morphology of secondary phases.

Microstructures and properties of Co-based alloy coatings prepared on surface of H13 steel

The Co-based alloy coatings had been prepared by laser cladding and vacuum fusion sintering. Microstructures of the coatings were investigated and the performance of thermal cycling was also tested using scanning electron microscopy （ SEM） and X-ray diffraction （ XRD ）. The results show that the coatings and substrates combine well. The main phase compositions of laser cladding coating are T-Co, Cr23 C6 and Ni2 9 Cro. 7 Feo. 36, while vacuum fusion sintering coating consists of Co, Cr7 C3, and Ni2.9 Cro. 7 Feo. 36. After thermal cycling, the minimum hot cracking width of laser cladding coating is 14 μm; moreover, laser cladding coating maintains high hardness and hot-cracking susceptibility. Those are beneficial to high temperature wear resistance of hot work dies.

Mechanical Evaluation of AZ80 Magnesium Alloy in Cast Wrought Form

Wrought magnesium alloy AZ80 with a thick section of 20 mm was prepared by squeeze casting (SC) and permanent steel mold casting (PSMC). The porosity measurements of the SC and PSMC depicted that SC AZ80 had a pore content of 0.52%, which was 77% lower than 2.21% of PSMC AZ80 counterpart. The YS, UTS, ef, E and strengthening rate of cast AZ80 were determined by mechanical pulling. The engineering stress versus strain bended lines showed that SC AZ80 had a YS of 84.7 MPa, a UTS of 168.2 MPa, 5.1% in ef, and 25.1 GPa in modulus. But, the YS, UTS and ef of the PSMC AZ80 specimen were only 71.6 MPa, 109.0 MPa, 1.9% and 21.9 GPa. The findings of the mechanical pulling evidently depicted that the YS, UTS, ef and E of SC AZ80 were 18%, 54%, 174% and 15% higher than PSMC counterpart. The computed resilience and toughness suggested that the SC AZ80 exhibited greater resistance to tensile loads during elastic deformation and possessed higher capacity to absorb energy during plastic deformation compared to the PSMC AZ80. At the beginning of permanent change, the strengthening rate of SC AZ80 was 10,341 MPa, which was 9% greater than 9489 MPa of PSMC AZ80. The high mechanical characteristics of SC AZ80 should be primarily attributed to its low porosity level. .

Microstructure and mechanical properties of Mg-Gd-Y-Zr alloy cast by metal mould and lost foam casting

The microstructure and mechanical properties of Mg-10.1Gd-3.74Y-0.25Zr （mass fraction, %） alloy （GW104 alloy） cast by metal mould casting （MMC） and lost foam casting （LFC） were evaluated, respectively. It is revealed that different forming modes do not influence the phase composition of as-cast alloy. In the as-cast specimens, the microstructures are similar and composed of α-Mg solid solution, eutectic compound of α-Mg＋Mg 24 （Gd, Y） 5 and cuboid-shaped Mg 5 （Gd, Y） phase; whereas the average grain size of the alloy produced by metal mould casting is smaller than that by lost foam casting. The eutectic compound of the alloy is completely dissolved after solution treatment at 525 ℃for 6 h, while the Mg 5 （Gd, Y） phase still exists after solution treatment. After peak-ageing, the lost foam cast alloy exhibits the maximum ultimate tensile strength of 285 MPa, and metal mould cast specimen 325 MPa at room temperature, while the tensile yield strengths of them are comparable. It can be concluded that GW104 alloy cast by lost foam casting possesses similar microstructure and evidently lower mechanical strength compared with metal mould cast alloy, due to slow solidification rate and proneness to form shrinkage porosities during lost foam casting process.

As-cast structure and tensile properties of AZ80 magnesium alloy DC cast with low-voltage pulsed magnetic field

The effects of a low-voltage pulsed magnetic field on the solidified structure and mechanical properties of DC casting AZ80 magnesium alloy were investigated.The results showed that the solidified structure of the DC casting AZ80 magnesium alloy was refined obviously by the low-voltage pulsed magnetic field and significant grain refinement in the DC casting ingot of AZ80 magnesium alloy was achieved.Meanwhile,the morphology of the dentritic in the DC casting ingot was transformed from coarse dentritic to fine rosette with the application of low-voltage pulsed magnetic field.The ability of deformation of the ingot was enhanced and especially the plasticity of the ingot center after upsetting was improved greatly by more than 80%after deformation.

Microstructure and mechanical properties of A356 aluminum alloy wheels prepared by thixo-forging combined with a low superheat casting process

The A356 aluminum alloy wheels were prepared by thixo-forging combined with a low superheat casting process. The as-cast microstructure, microstructure evolution during reheating and the mechanical properties of the thixo-forged A356 aluminum alloy wheels were investigated. The results show that the A356 aluminum alloy billet with fine, uniform and non-dendritic grains can be obtained when the melt is cast at 635 ℃. When the billet is reheated at 600 ℃ for 60 min, the non-dendritic grains are changed into spherical ones and the billet can be easily thixo-forged into wheels. The tensile strength and elongation of thixo-forged wheels with T6 heat treatment are 327.6 MPa and 7.8%, respectively, which are higher than those of a cast wheel. It is suggested that the thixo-forging combined with the low superheat casting process is an effective technique to produce aluminum alloy wheels with high mechanical properties.