Electrical and mechanical properties of Cu-Cr-Zr alloy aged under imposed direct continuous current

The Cu-Cr-Zr alloys were aged at different temperatures for different time with different current densities. The results show that both the electrical conductivity and hardness are greatly improved after being aged with current at a proper temperature. The electrical conductivity increases approximately linearly with increasing current density while the hardness remains constant. The microstructure observation reveals that a much higher density of dislocations and nanosized Cr precipitates appear after the imposition of current, which contributes to the higher electrical conductivity and hardness. The mechanism is related with three factors： 1） Joule heating due to the current, 2） migration of mass electrons, 3） solute atoms, vacancies, and dislocations promoted by electron wind force.

Effects of aging parameters on hardness and electrical conductivity of Cu-Cr-Sn-Zn alloy by artificial neural network

In order to predict and control the properties of Cu-Cr-Sn-Zn alloy,a model of aging processes via an artificial neural network(ANN) method to map the non-linear relationship between parameters of aging process and the hardness and electrical conductivity properties of the Cu-Cr-Sn-Zn alloy was set up.The results show that the ANN model is a very useful and accurate tool for the property analysis and prediction of aging Cu-Cr-Sn-Zn alloy.Aged at 470-510 ℃ for 4-1 h,the optimal combinations of hardness 110-117(HV) and electrical conductivity 40.6-37.7 S/m are available respectively.

Effect of Deformation and Aging Treatment on Electrical Conductivity of Cu-Cr Alloy

The effect of deformation and aging treatment on the electrical conductivity of Cu-Cr alloy was studied. The results show that deformation can reduce the electrical conductivity of Cu-Cr alloy, but deformation followed by optimum aging treatment can effectively improve the electrical conductivity of Cu-Cr alloy, under the condition of 0～70% deformation, and the electrical conductivity of Cu-Cr alloy by aging treatment increases and the aging time of obtaining much better electrical conductivity of Cu-Cr alloy decreases with increase in deformation quantity of Cu-Cr alloy. The best electrical conductivity of Cu-Cr alloy after deformation can be obtained by aging treatment at 500 ℃. And also the reasons for the variations of alloy's electrical conductivity and the function of adding RE were analyzed.

Electric field assisted chemical conversion process of AZ91D magnesium alloy in HCO_3^-/CO_3^(2-) solution

A new method for synthesizing Mg-Al hydrotalcite conversion coating on AZ91D Mg alloy was developed by the application of electric field （EF）. By using EF technique, the formation time of the coating can be significantly reduced. The SEM results indicate that a continuous and compact Mg-Al hydrotalcite coating is formed on the surface of Mg alloy after short time EF treatment. However, a long time treatment would make the coating partially exfoliate. The corrosion current density （Jcor ） of the coated sample （EF1＋1 h） is approximately two orders of magnitude lower than that of Mg alloy substrate. The test of electrochemical impedance spectroscopy （EIS） and immersion corrosion also suggest that the coating can effectively protect Mg alloy against corrosion.

Influence of alloy components on arc erosion morphology of Ag/MeO electrical contact materials

Arc erosion morphologies of Ag/MeO（10） electrical contact materials after 50000 operations under direct current of 19 V and 20 A and resistive load conditions were investigated using scanning electron microscope（SEM） and a 3D optical profiler（3DOP）. The results indicated that 3DOP could supply clearer and more detailed arc erosion morphology information. Arc erosion resistance of Ag/SnO_2（10） electrical contact material was the best and that of Ag/CuO（10） was the worst. Arc erosion morphology of Ag/MeO（10） electrical contact materials mainly included three different types. Arc erosion morphologies of Ag/ZnO（10） and Ag/SnO_2（10） electrical contact materials were mainly liquid splash and evaporation, and those of Ag/CuO（10） and Ag/CdO（10） were mainly material transfer from anode to cathode. Arc erosion morphology of Ag/SnO_2（6）In_2O_3（4） electrical contact materials included both liquid splash, evaporation and material transfer. In addition, the formation process and mechanism on arc erosion morphology of Ag/MeO（10） electrical contact materials were discussed.

Mechanical properties,electrical conductivity and microstructure of CuCrZr alloys treated with thermal stretch process

CuCrZr alloys were treated with the thermal stretch process at various temperatures from 100 to 300℃.The results reveal that the thermal stretch process is successfully developed to manufacture the precipitation hardening CuCrZr alloys with a good combination of microhardness and electrical conductivity.By increasing the tensile elongations at each temperature from 100 to 300℃,the microhardness increases whereas the electrical conductivity decreases slightly.Cr-containing precipitate phases with a Nishiyama-Wasserman orientation relationship to the copper matrix were observed by TEM.The achievement of high micro-hardness and acceptable electrical conductivity in the thermal stretch treated alloys is ascribed to the interactions of the heteroatom solution,dislocation increment,grain refinement and dispersive precipitation effect.

Precipitation of metastable phases and its effect on electrical resistivity of Al-0.96Mg_2Si alloy during aging

The precipitation behavior and its influence on the electrical resistivity of the Al-0.96Mg2Si alloy during aging were investigated with in-situ resistivity measurement and transmission electron microscopy （TEM）. The precipitates of the peak aged alloy include both β＂ and if, but the amount ratio of β＂ to β＂ varies with the aging temperature and time increasing. The precipitates during aging at 175 ℃ are dominated by needle-like β＂ phases （including pre-β＂ phase）, the size of which increases with the time prolonging, but does not increase substantially after further aging. The evolution of electrical conductivity is directly related to such microstructural evolution. However, the hardness of the alloy stays at the peak value for a long term. When the alloy is aged at 195 ℃, the ratio of β＂ to β＇ becomes the main factor to influence relative resistivity （Ap） value. The higher the temperature is, the smaller the ratio is, and the faster the Ap value decreases. Moreover, the hardness peak drops with the decrease of the ratio. With the size and distribution parameters measured from TEM images, a semi-quantitative relationship between precipitates and the electrical resistivity was established.

Effects of electric parameters on microstructure and properties of MAO coating fabricated on ZK60 Mg alloy in dual electrolyte

Micro-arc oxidation (MAO) process was carried out in a dual electrolyte system of NaAlO 2 and Na 3 PO 4 on ZK60 Mg alloys to explore the effect of electric parameters including current density, frequency, duty cycle and oxidation time on the evolution of coatings and other characteristics. The microstructural characteristics of coatings were observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) combined with the analysis of voltage-time responses during MAO process. Test of weight loss was conducted at a 3.5% NaCl solution to assess the resistance to corrosion. The results indicate that the current density and duty cycle play key roles on the coating quality. The peak voltage during MAO process increased with the increase in current density but the coating would be more easily detached when the current density was beyond a critical value. Voltage during MAO and microstructure of the coating were affected remarkably by duty cycle, and corrosion resistance was improved greatly when duty cycle was 40%. By means of single variable experiments, MAO process with optimized electric parameters was developed, which corresponds to the current density of 20 A dm 2 , frequency of 500 Hz, duty cycle of 40% and oxidation time of 15 min.

Coarsening behavior of γ' and γ'' phases in GH4169 superalloy by electric field treatment

The coarsening behaviors of γ′ and γ″ phases in GH4169 alloy aged at 1023 and 1073 K with electric field treatment （EFT） were investigated by transmission electron microscopy （TEM） and positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy （PALS）. It is demonstrated that precipitation coarsening occurs, and the growth activation energies of γ′ and γ″phases can be decreased to 115.6 and 198.1 kJ.mo1-1, respectively, by applying the electric field. The formation of a large number of vacancies in the matrix is induced by EFT. Due to the occurrence of vacancy migration, the diffusion coefficients of A1 and Nb atoms are increased to be 1.6-5.0 times larger than those without EFT at 1023 or 1073 K. Furthermore, the formation of vacancy clusters is promoted by EFT, and the increase in strain energy for the coarsening of γ′ and γ″ phases can be counterbalanced by the formation of vacancy clusters.

Effect of electric pulse treatment on solidification structure of an Al-15%Si alloy

The effect of electric pulse modifying on the solidification structure of an Al-15%Si alloy was investigated. The result shows that the primary silicon disappears sometimes and the eutectic phase is refined after the treatrnent of EP （electric pulse） though there are different modalities in different treating durations. DSC （differential scanning calorimetry） analysis indicates that the super-cooling texture decreases and the freezing range narrows evidently after the electric pulse treatment.

Effects of Annealing on Microstructure, Mechanical and Electrical Properties of AlCrCuFeMnTi High Entropy Alloy

The multi-component A1CrCuFeMnTi high entropy alloy was prepared using a vacuum arc melting process. Serial annealing processes were subsequently performed at 590 ℃, 750 ℃, 955 ℃ and 1 100 ℃ respectively with a holding time of 4 h at each temperature. The effects of annealing on microstructure, mechanical and electrical properties of as-cast alloy were investigated by using differential thermal analysis （DTA）, X-ray diffraction （XRD）, scanning electron microscopy （SEM） and transmission electron microscopy （TEM）. The experimental results show that two C14 hexagonal structures remain unchanged after annealing the as-cast A1CrCuFeMnTi alloy specimens being heated to 1 100℃. Both annealed and as-cast microstructures show typical cast-dendrite morphology and similar elemental segregation. The hardness of alloys declines as the annealing temperature increases while the strength of as-cast alloy improves obviously by the annealing treatment. The electrical conductivities of annealed and as-cast alloys are influenced by the distribution of interdendrite re^ions which is rich in Cu element.

Effects of electric pulse on microstructure of Al-Si alloy in liquid and solid states

In order to investigate the change in liquid microstructure of Al-Si alloytreated by electric pulse (EP), X-ray diffraction tests with liquid Al-Si alloy and ZL109 alloytreated or not by EP were carried out. The results show that the number of Al-Si atomic clustersdecreases and that of Al-Al and Si-Si atomic clusters increases for the treated samples. The testswith ZL109 alloy indicate that a large amount of primary crystal Si appears in the solidifiedmicrostructure after treated by EP. It is found that EP can change the microstructure of liquidmetal by affecting the probability of electrons appearing in different atoms (Al and Si) in theliquid metal. The combining force of different atoms decreases relatively, and that of the sameatoms increases, which is the main reason of reducing the atomic cluster with different atoms(Al-Si) and increasing the atomic cluster with the same atoms (Al-Al, Si-Si). The increasing of theatomic cluster with the same atom cluster resulted in the increasing of Si activity and the higherpoint of eutectics in the phase diagram. It makes a lot of primary silicon appeared in ZL109 alloy.

Electrical conductivity optimization of the Na3AlF6–Al2O3–Sm2O3 molten salts system for Al–Sm intermediate binary alloy production

Metal Sm has been widely used in making Al–Sm magnet alloy materials. Conventional distillation technology to produce Sm has the disadvantages of low productivity, high costs, and pollution generation. The objective of this study was to develop a molten salt electrolyte system to produce Al–Sm alloy directly, with focus on the electrical conductivity and optimal operating conditions to minimize the energy consumption. The continuously varying cell constant(CVCC) technique was used to measure the conductivity for the Na3AlF6–AlF3–LiF–MgF2–Al2O3–Sm2O3electrolysis medium in the temperature range from 905 to 1055°C. The temperature(t) and the addition of Al2O3(W(Al2O3)), Sm2O3(W(Sm2O3)), and a combination of Al2O3and Sm2O3into the basic fluoride system were examined with respect to their effects on the conductivity(κ) and activation energy. The experimental results showed that the molten electrolyte conductivity increases with increasing temperature(t) and decreases with the addition of Al2O3or Sm2O3or both. We concluded that the optimal operation conditions for Al–Sm intermediate alloy production in the Na3AlF6–AlF3–LiF–MgF2–Al2O3–Sm2O3system are W(Al2O3) + W(Sm2O3) = 3wt%, W(Al2O3):W(Sm2O3) = 7:3, and a temperature of 965 to 995°C, which results in satisfactory conductivity, low fluoride evaporation losses, and low energy consumption.

Electrical conductivity of molten LiF–DyF3–Dy2O3–Cu2O system for Dy–Cu intermediate alloy production

Dy–Cu intermediate alloys have shown substantial potential in the field of magnetostrictive and magnetic refrigerant materials.Therefore,this study focused on investigating the electrical conductivity of molten-salt systems for the preparation of Dy–Cu alloys and on optimizing the corresponding operating parameters.The electrical conductivity of molten LiF–DyF3–Dy2O3–Cu2O systems was measured from 910 to 1030°C using the continuously varying cell constant method.The dependencies of the LiF–DyF3–Dy2O3–Cu2O system conductivity on the melt composition and temperature were examined herein.The optimal operating conditions for Dy–Cu alloy production were determined via analyses of the electrical conductivity and activation energies for conductance,which were calculated using the Arrhenius equation.The conductivity of the molten system regularly increases with increasing temperature and decreases with increasing concentration of Dy2O3 or Cu2O or both.The activation energy Eκof the LiF–DyF3–Dy2O3 and LiF–DyF3–Cu2O molten-salt systems increases with increasing Dy2O3 or Cu2O content.The regression functions of conductance as a function of temperature(t)and the addition of Dy2O3(W(Dy2O3))and Cu2O(W(Cu2O))can be expressed asκ=-2.08435+0.0068t-0.18929W(Dy2O3)-0.07918W(Cu2O).The optimal electrolysis conditions for preparing the Dy–Cu alloy in LiF–DyF3–Dy2O3–Cu2O molten salt are determined to be 2.0wt%≤W(Dy2O3)+W(Cu2O)≤3.0wt%and W(Dy2O3):W(Cu2O)=1:2 at 970 to 1000°C.

Microstructure and properties of ultra-fine tungsten heavy alloys prepared by mechanical alloying and electric current activated sintering

The microstructure and properties of the 93W-4Ni-2Co-1Fe(mass fraction,%) tungsten heavy alloys prepared by mechanical alloying and electric current activated sintering from mixed elemental powders were investigated.After 15 h milling,the average W grain size in the powders is decreased to 120 nm.For the powders milled for 15 h,the density,hardness and transverse rupture strength of the alloys sintered only by an intensive pulse electric current are the maximum.When the total sintering time keeps constant,the properties of the sintered alloys can be obviously improved by optimizing the sintering time of pulse-and constant-currents.A bulk ultrafine alloy with an average W grain size of about 340 nm can be obtained by sintering 15 h-milled powders in a total sintering time of 6 min.The corresponding sintered density,hardness and transverse rupture strength reach 16.78 g /cm3,HRA84.3 and 968 MPa,respectively.

Influences of pulse electric current treatment on solidification microstructures and mechanical properties of Al-Si piston alloys

Three kinds of AI-Si piston alloys were prepared and subjected to pulse electric current treatment （PECT） at different pouring temperatures. Some aspects of the solidification microstructures were examined including the morphology and the distribution of the matrix and the secondary phases by using of optical microscopy （OM）, SEM and EDS methods. Results indicate that PECT can refine the grains of α-AI in the alloys as effectively as chemical modification by sodium salt. The processing parameters of PECT on the multi-component AI-Si alloys were then optimized through the testing of tensile strength, elongation and microhardness of the prepared alloys. A new theory was put forward to explain the mechanism of PECT.

Effect of Heat Treatment on Electrical Conductivity of Multi-Element Cu Alloy

The effect of heat treatment on electrical conductivity of Cu alloy containing Ni, Al, and rare earth(Ce) alloying elements was studied by metallographic microscope, TEM, SEM/EDS and conductance instrument. The results indicate that heat treatment can improve the electrical conductivity of the material due to the reducing of the solid solution of Cr element in Cu matrix. The better conductivity was obtained after getting solid solution at 980 ℃ for 1 h, and then aging at 500 ℃ for 4 h.

Influences of electric pulse on solidification structure of LM-29 Al-Si alloy

The metallographic structure of LM-29 aluminum-silicon alloy modified by electric pulse treatment has been investigated and compared with those untreated.The solidification structure of LM-29 alloy has been analyzed by means of M1AP3 Quantimet image processing and analysis system,and then the solidification process has been analyzed by means of differential scanning calorimetry(DSC).The results indicate that the primary silicon phase was refined remarkably by electric pulse while the tensile strength and elongation properties increased accordingly.Electric pulse treatment can also increase the binding power between silicon clusters and alloy melt matrix,as a result,the precipitation of primary silicon phase is suppressed to meet the demand of supercooling degree for nucleating,correspondingly.The electric pulse modification has great influence on the size of silicon atomic cluster as well as its distribution in the melt,subsequently,leads to the refinement of solidification structure.

EFFECT OF SOLUTION TREATMENT IN AN ELECTRIC FIELD ON MECHANICAL PROPERTIES AND MICROSTRUCTURE OF 2091 Al—Li ALLOY

Solution treatment of 20% Al-Li alloy in an electric field has been studied. The results show that it increases the solubility of elements and accelerates the nucleation of T1-phase and promotes the formation of the precipitation free zones(PFZ), and increases the strength and decreases the plasticity of the alloy.

Microstructure and electrical conductivity of electroless copper plating layer on magnesium alloy micro-arc oxidation coating

In order to impart electrical conductivity to the magnesium alloy micro-arc oxidation(MAO)coating,the electroless copper plating was performed.Effects of plating temperature and complexing agent concentration on the properties of the electroless copper plating layers were studied by measuring their microstructure,corrosion resistance and electrical conductivity.It was found that the optimized plating temperature was 60°C,and the most suitable value of the complexing agent concentration was 30 g/L.Under this condition,a complete and dense plating layer could be obtained.The formation mechanism of the plating layer on magnesium alloy MAO coating was analyzed.A three-stage model of the plating process was proposed.The square resistance of the plated specimen was finally reduced to 0.03Ω/□after the third stage.Through electroless copper plating,the MAO coated sample obtained excellent electrical conductivity without significantly reducing its corrosion resistance.