Drag Effects of Solute and Second Phase Distributions on the Grain Growth Kinetics of Pre-Extruded Mg-6Zn Alloy

In order to control the grain size during hot forming,grain growth behavior of a pre-extruded Mg-6Zn magnesium alloy and its correlation with solute and second phase distribution were investigated.Isothermal annealing was conducted on a Gleeble-1500 thermo-mechanical simulator.The mean grain size Dg of each annealed specimen was measured by the quantitative metallography technique.The grain growth kinetics of the Mg-6Zn alloy annealed at 473-623 K was obtained as Dg^4- Dg0^4=2.25 ×10^11 exp（-95450）by the least square linear regression method.The deviation of grain growth exponent n = 4 from the theoretical value of 2 may be attributed to the presence of solute zinc and second phases which will retard the boundary migration.Microscopic observations show that the non-uniform distribution of grain size for samples pre-extruded or annealed at low temperatures is closely related to the non-uniform distribution of fine and dispersed second phases but not to the non-uniform distribution of solute zinc.This indicates that second phase pinning effect plays an important role in microstructure refinement.

Micro-alloying Effects of Yttrium on Recrystallization Behavior of an Alumina-forming Austenitic Stainless Steel

Micro-alloying effects of yttrium on the recrystallization behavior of an alumina-forming austenitic（AFA）stainless steel were investigated.It was found that the grain growth kinetics of the steels doped with different amounts of yttrium（i.e.,0,0.05 and 0.10mass% Y）could be described by an Arrhenius type empirical equation.Added Y could interact with carbon and influence the morphology of carbides both inside grains and on the grain boundaries,thus altering the grain boundary mobility and grain growth.The steel doped with 0.05mass% yttrium showed the highest activation energy of grain growth and the most retarded recrystallization behavior,which mainly resulted from the high density of fine carbides both inside grains and on the grain boundaries.However,excess addition of0.10mass% Y induced coarsening and then lowered density of carbides,which alleviated the yttrium effects.The results also manifest that micro-alloying of rare-earth elements such as yttrium is an effective way for controlling grain growth behavior during recrystallization of AFA steels,which may have great implications on engineering applications.

Assessment of Potential Nutrient Release from Phosphate Rock and Dolostone for Application in Acid Soils

Finding alternative local sources of plant nutrients is a practical, low-cost, and long-term strategy. In this study, laboratory column experiments were conducted in a completely randomized design to evaluate the feasibility of using phosphate rock and dolostone as fertilizers or acid-neutralizing agents for application in tropical acid soils. The dissolution rates of different particle-size fractions(0.063–0.25, 0.25–0.5, and 0.5–2 mm) of both rocks were studied by citric acid solution at p H 4 and 2 and water, with extraction times of 1, 3, 5, 7, 12, 24, 72, 144, 240, and 360 h. The results showed that the dissolution of both rocks depended on the particle size,leaching solution, and extraction time. The dissolution rate of rock-forming minerals increased as the specific surface area increased,corresponding to a decrease in particle size. In all cases, the release kinetics was characterized by two phases: 1) a first stage of rapid release that lasted 24 h and would ensure short-term nutrient release, and 2) a second stage of slow release after 24 h, representing the long-term nutrient release efficiency. Both rocks were suitable as slow-release fertilizers in strongly acid soils and would ensure the replenishment of P, Ca, and Mg. A combination of fine and medium particle-size fractions should be used to ensure high nutrient-release efficiency. Much work could remain to determine the overall impact of considerable amounts of fresh rocks in soils.