Effect of addition of minor amounts of Sb and Gd on hot tearing susceptibility of Mg-5Al-3Ca alloy

The effects of addition of minor amount of(0.5 wt.%) antimony(Sb) or gadolinium(Gd) and combined addition of Sb and Gd(0.5 wt.%,respectively) on the hot tearing susceptibility(HTS) of Mg-5Al-3Ca alloy were investigated experimentally using a “T-shaped” hot tearing measuring system. Various solidification parameters of the alloys were measured and calculated through thermal analysis experiments. The microstructure, grain size, and morphology of the crack zone were characterized by scanning electron microscopy and electron backscatter diffraction, and the crystal phases of the alloys were analyzed by X-ray diffraction and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. The results showed that the addition of 0.5 wt.% Gd resulted in the increase in the vulnerable temperature range(Tv) and reduced the eutectic structure content that could participate in feeding, thereby improving the HTS of the alloy. However, addition of 0.5 wt.% Sb or combined addition of Gd and Sb(0.5 wt.%, respectively) to the Mg-5Al-3Ca alloy shortened the Tvand improved the skeleton strength of the alloy, thereby reducing HTS. Moreover, significantly refined structure of Mg-5Al-3Ca-0.5Gd-0.5Sb alloy improved the feeding ability of the eutectic structure, thus the alloy exhibited the lowest HTS.

Microstructures and tensile properties of as-cast Mg-5Sn-1Si magnesium alloy modified with trace elements of Y,Bi,Sb and Sr

The microstructures and mechanical properties of as-cast Mg-5 Sn-1 Si magnesium alloy modified with trace elements Y,Bi,Sb and Sr were investigated and compared.Results show that the microstructure of the as-cast Mg-5 Sn-1 Si alloy consists ofα-Mg,Mg_(2) Si,Mg_(2) Sn and Mg_(2)(Si_xSn_(1-x))phases.After adding 0.8 wt.%Y,0.3 wt.%Bi,0.9 wt.%Sb and 0.9 wt.%Sr,respectively into the Mg-5 Sn-1 Si magnesium alloy,Mg_(24)Y_(5),Mg_(3) Bi_(2),Mg_(3) Sb_(2) and Mg_(2) Sr phases are precipitated accordingly.Trace elements can refineα-Mg grain and Chinese scriptshaped Mg_(2) Si phase.Refinement efficiency of different trace elements onα-Mg grain and Mg_(2) Si phase is varied.Sr element has the best refinement effect,followed by Sb and Bi,while Y has the least refinement effect.Mg-5 Sn-1 Si-0.9 Sr alloy has higher tensile properties than the other three modified alloys.The refinement mechanism of Y,Bi and Sr elements on Mg-5 Sn-1 Si magnesium alloy can be explained by the growth restriction factors and the solute undercooling.For Mg-5 Sn-1 Si-0.9 Sb alloy,the heterogeneous nuclei of Mg_(3) Sb_(2) phase is the main reason for the refinement of grains and second phases.

Residual stress and precipitation of Mg-5Zn-3.5Sn-1Mn-0.5Ca-0.5Cu alloy with different quenching rates

The effect of the quenching rate after solution treatment on the residual stress and precipitation behavior of a high strength Mg-5 Zn-3.5 Sn-1 Mn-0.5 Ca-0.5 Cu plate is studied.The simulation results show decreasing temperature gradient in the plate with decreasing quenching rate,which leads to weakened inhomogeneous plastic deformation and decreased residual stress.No dynamic precipitation on the grain boundary happens after either cold water cooling or air cooling,however,air cooling leads to dynamic precipitation of Mg-Zn phase on Mn particles around which a low-density precipitate zone develops after aging treatment.Moreover,the fine and densely distributed Mg-Zn precipitates observed after aging treatment of the cold water cooled alloy are replaced by coarse precipitates with low density for the air cooled alloy.Both the low-density precipitate zone near Mn particles and the coarsening of precipitates are the source of the decrease in hardness and tensile properties of the air cooled alloy.The residual stress drops faster than the hardness with decreasing quenching rate,which makes it possible to lower the residual stress without sacrificing too much age-hardening ability of the alloy.

Ca含量对Mg-5Al-10Zn-xCa镁合金组织与力学性能的影响

采用重力铸造法制备了Mg-5Al-10Zn-xCa(x=0,0.25,0.5,0.75,1.0,1.25,1.5,质量分数,%)镁合金。通过X射线衍射仪、光学显微镜和扫描电镜等研究了Ca含量对合金组织与力学性能的影响。结果表明:铸态Mg-5Al-10Zn-xCa合金主要由α-Mg基体、β-Mg17Al12、Mg32(Al,Zn)49、MgZn2和Al2Ca相组成。当Ca含量从0.25%增加到1.25%时,β-Mg17Al12相由粗大的网状转变为细小的网状分布于晶界上,基体晶粒显著细化,此时合金的室温抗拉强度达到最大值157 MPa,较未加Ca时提高了49.5%;Ca含量继续增加至1.5%,晶粒及β-Mg17Al12相又发生粗化,抗拉强度发生下降;拉伸断裂形式均为准解理脆性断裂。

Ca对Mg-5Al合金热裂敏感性的影响

采用等长热裂试棒法评价Ca对Mg-5Al合金热裂敏感性的影响,通过光学显微镜、扫描电镜、X射线衍射仪、拉伸实验机和Image-J软件分析合金的热裂机制。结果表明:Ca含量2.5%时,合金热裂敏感性最低;共晶组织对合金热裂敏感性影响明显,单一、充足的共晶组织有利于对初生热裂纹补缩,降低合金热裂敏感性;在凝固末期,若合金力学性能不佳,在树枝晶搭桥区会产生不可补缩热裂纹。

Ca含量对Mg-5Zn-2Al合金铸态组织和性能的影响

采用光学显微镜、XRD和SEM等手段,研究了Ca对Mg-5Zn-2Al合金铸态显微组织和力学性能的影响。结果表明:Ca的加入对Mg-5Zn-2Al合金铸态的晶粒能够显著地细化。合金的抗拉强度和伸长率均呈现先上升后下降的变化趋势。该合金中加入0.2wt%Ca细化效果最明显,其合金铸态时的抗拉强度和伸长率分别为为233MPa和13.33%。

Ca对Mg-5Li-3Al-2Zn合金组织和力学性能的影响

实验研究了添加1%、2%、3%、6%Ca对Mg-5Li-3Al-2Zn合金组织和性能的影响。通过观察显微组织,利用XRD和EDS分析组织成分可知,添加适量的Ca可细化晶粒,Ca主要富集在晶界处,当Ca加入量超过2%时,与Al形成Al_2Ca金属间化合物,Al_2Ca较多时,对基体的割裂作用较强。室温拉伸试验结果表明,添加2%Ca,强度和塑性同时提高,继续增加Ca含量,合金的力学性能下降。

Ca对挤压Mg-10Al-1.5Zn-0.4Mn镁合金组织和性能的影响

采用传统的熔炼工艺制成Mg-10Al-1.5Zn-0.4Mn-xCa镁合金铸锭并经挤压变形,借助OM、SEM和XRD分析了合金显微组织和相组成,研究了Ca对该镁合金铸态和挤压态显微组织和力学性能的影响。

Effect of ultrasonic melt treatment on degassing of Mg-6Zn-1Ca alloy

The effect of ultrasonic power and treatment time on degassing of Mg-6Zn-1Ca alloy was studied in this paper. The degassing effect was characterized by measuring densities of ingots. The results show that proper ultrasonic treatment can remove hydrogen from the melt of the Mg-6Zn-1Ca alloy. The ultrasonic degassing effect is closely related to the ultrasonic power density and treatment time. The degassing efficiency increases with an increase in ultrasonic power density when the melt is treated at 690 °C for 120 s, reaching its highest value at 1.2 W·cm-3. When the power density is 1.2 W·cm-3, with an increase in ultrasonic treatment time, the degassing efficiency increases at first, reaches its peak value at 120 s, then decreases as the ultrasonic treatment is further prolonged. In this experiment, the optimum degassing effect with an efficiency of 67.5 % is obtained by ultrasonic treatment with the power density of 1.2 W·cm-3 for 120 s. The maximum density of ingot can be increased from 1.8069 g·cm-3 to 1.8146 g·cm-3(increased by 0.43%).

Friction and wear behavior of Mg–11Y–5Gd–2Zn–0.5Zr(wt%)alloy with oil lubricant

The sliding friction and wear behaviors of Mg-11Y-5Gd-2Zn-0.5Zr （wt%） alloy were investigated under oil lubricant condition by pin-on-disk configuration with a constant sliding distance of 1,000 m in the temperature range of 25-200℃. Results indicate that the volumetric wear rates and average friction coefficients decrease with the increase of sliding speeds, and increase with the increase of test temperature below 150℃. The hard and thermally stable Mg12（Y,Gd）Zn phase with long-period stacking order structure in the alloy presents significant wear resistance, The wear mechanism below 100℃ is abrasive wear as a result of plastic extrusion deformation. The corporate effects of severe abrasive, oxidative, and delaminating wear result in the tribological mechanism above 100℃.

Deformation mechanism of fine grained Mg-7Gd-5Y-l.2Nd-0.5Zr alloy under high temperature and high strain rates

Fine grained Mg-7Gd-5Y-1.2Nd-0.5Zr alloy was investigated by dynamic compression tests using a Split Hopkinson Pressure Bar under the strain rates in the range 1000-2000 s^(-1) and the temperature range 293-573 K along the normal direction.The microstructure was measured by optical microscopy,electron back-scattering diffraction,transmission electron microscopy and X-ray diffractometry.The results showed that Mg-7Gd-5Y-1.2Nd-0.5Zr alloy had the positive strain rate strengthening effect and thermal softening effect at high temperature.The solid solution of Gd and Y atoms in Mg-7Gd-5Y-1.2Nd-0.5Zr alloy reduced the asymmetry of α-Mg crystals and changed the critical shear stress of various deformation mechanisms.The main deformation mechanisms were prismatic slip and pyramidal(a)slip,{102}tension twinning,and dynamic recrystallization caused by local deformation such as particle-stimulated nucleation.c 2020 Published by Elsevier B.V.on behalf of Chongqing University.

The Solidification Behavior of Mg-9Al-2Ca Alloy under Furnace Cooling

To understand the solidification pathway and microstructure evolution of Mg-9Al-2Ca alloy,the cooling curve of the alloy solidified under furnace cooling was measured and the water-quenched samples were observed.The experimental results show that the matrix phase of α-Mg dendrites is first generated at 596℃ during the solidification process,then the eutectic phases of Al_(2)Ca and Mg_(17)Al_(12) are formed at 518 and 447℃,respectively,and the solidification is terminated at 436℃.In the process of solidification,the seaweed dendrites of α-Mg get coarser and are gradually transformed into the global dendrites;besides,the secondary dendrite arms spacing(SDAS)of α-Mg as well as the solid fraction are both increased,while the increasing rate of SDAS of α-Mg and the solid fraction in the temperature region of 600-550℃ is faster than that in the temperature region of 550-436℃.And a power function relationship can be used to illustrate the change of the SDAS and the solid fraction with the temperature of solidification.

Improving the strength and SCC resistance of an Al-5Mg-3Zn alloy with low-angle grain boundary structure

The strength of traditional Al-Mg alloys is relatively low because it mainly relies on solid solution strengthening.Adding a third component to form precipitation can improve their strength,but it usually leads to high-stress corrosion cracking(SCC)sensitivity due to the formation of high-density precipitates at grain boundaries(GBs).So far,it is still challenging to improve the strength of Al-Mg alloys without re-ducing SCC resistance.Herein,a nanostructured Al-5Mg-3 Zn alloy with a good yield strength of 336 MPa and good elongation was successfully produced.By dynamic plastic deformation and appropriate anneal-ing treatment,near-equiaxed nanograins were introduced in the nanostructured Al-5Mg-3 Zn alloy with a high proportion(71%)of the low-angle grain boundary.TEM statistical investigations show that the pre-cipitation of active T’phase at GBs has been greatly suppressed in the nanostructured Al-5Mg-3 Zn alloy at sensitized conditions,and the area fraction of GB precipitates is reduced from 72%to 21%,which sig-nificantly decreases the SCC susceptibility.This study provides guidance for developing advanced Al-Mg alloy with high SCC resistance.

Hot Tearing of Sand Cast Mg-5 wt.% Y-4 wt.% RE (WE54) Alloy

Hot tearing is a common and severe defect occurring during solidification of castings. The rational understand- ing of hot tearing formation mechanism is beneficial to the foundry process design. In the present research, a new developed instrumented ＂CRC＂ equipment was applied in characterization of hot tearing in sand cast Mg-5 wt.% Y-4 wt.% RE （WE54） alloy with and without Zr addition. Microstructure observation and thermal analysis were carried out to help analyzing the results. The results showed that hot tearing onset occurs at a relatively low solid fraction （fs） in WE54 alloy sand castings, which indicates the participation of remaining liquid during hot tearing formation. Microstructure observation of the hot tearing surface also proves the liquid film existence between solidifying dendrites. The contraction strain caused by casting solidification induces the flowing of remaining liquid between solidifying dendrites and results in formation of interdendritic liquid films. These liquid films are separated by sufficient contraction stress and form hot cracks. The addition of Zr in WE54 alloy significantly refines the alloy microstructure and increases the solid fraction at hot tearing onset, both of which result in increasing of the fracture stress of interdendritic liquid film. Thus the hot tearing susceptibility of WE54 alloy is weakened by Zr addition.

Microstructure and Corrosion Behavior of the As-Extruded Mg-4Zn-2Gd-0.5Ca Alloy

In order to study the corrosion resistance of extruded magnesium alloys,the Mg-4Zn-2Gd-0.5Ca alloy was extruded at the speed of 0.01-0.1 mm/s with the temperature of 280-360℃in present study.Hot extrusion results show that the volume fraction of precipitates(Vpre),VDRX(the dynamic recrystallization rate) and the average size of DRXed grain(dDRX) decrease with the decrease in extrusion speed,and the corrosion rate of the alloy also shows a downward trend.On the contrary,the values of Vpre,VDRX and dDRX increase with the increase in extrusion temperature,and the corrosion resistance of Mg-4Zn-2Gd-0.5Ca alloy decreases.When the extrusion speed is 0.01 mm/s and the extrusion temperature is 280℃,the alloy has the best corrosion resistance.The corrosion of extruded Mg-4Zn-2Gd-0.5Ca alloy occurs preferentially on the magnesium matrix around W and I phases in the DRXed zone.With the further corrosion,the corrosion continues to spread along the phase,and the corrosion area gradually increases.Galvanic corrosion plays a leading role in the corrosion process.Moreover,there are a large number of basal plane textures in the unDRXed region,which is conducive to improving the corrosion resistance of magnesium alloys.In addition,the decrease in grain size also makes the corrosion of magnesium alloy more uniform.

时效对Mg-5Y-3Sm-0.8Ca合金组织及硬度的影响

采用组织分析和硬度测试,研究了时效对Mg-5Y-3Sm-0.8Ca合金的影响。结果表明：Mg-5Y-3Sm-0.8Ca合金经525℃×6 h固溶处理,在225℃进行时效时,随时效时间延长显微硬度迅速上升,在12 h出现峰值,然后基本不变,48 h后逐渐降低。当时效时间从12 h增加到48 h时,合金中析出了纳米级的β＇相,且其形貌和尺寸没有发生明显变化。

不同气氛下Mg-5Ca合金表面形貌研究

对Mg-5Ca合金在不同气氛下生成的表面膜形貌结构及阻燃机理进行了研究。结果表明,740℃保温2h后,合金在普通工业氮气(99.5%)中生成的表面膜呈淡黄色且平整连续;高纯氮气(99.995%)中表面由大量颗粒堆积而成,存在破裂的现象;大气中表面呈菜花状,结构疏松,开裂变形非常严重。阻燃机理分析表明,Mg-5Ca合金在普通工业氮气下形成了表层由CaO、MgO和Mg3N2、Ca3N2组成,里层由CaO和MgO组成的双层复合膜;其中Ca元素在膜表面褶皱、杂质、裂纹处以及膜与基体的交界处存在明显聚集的现象。这种特殊的双层复合膜填补了单一膜中的疏松和孔洞,阻止了镁合金的燃烧;而高纯氮气下合金表面只能形成一层很薄的Mg3N2和Ca3N2,不能完全覆盖表面,其阻燃效果相对较差;大气中形成的表面膜非常厚,导致膜所受的压力过大而产生破裂,故其表面质量最差。

Characterization of β precipitate phase in Mg-7Gd-5Y-1Nd-0.5Zr alloy

As reported in our previous works, a Mg-7Gd-5Y-1Nd-0.5Zr alloy recently developed exhibited remarkable age-hardening responses and excellent mechanical properties at both room and elevated temperatures. In Mg-7Gd-5Y-1Nd-0.5Zr alloy, the β pre- cipitate phase was assumed to he one of the main strengthening phases in peak-aged samples. This study aimed to determine the crys- tal structure and orientation relationship of the β precipitate phase in Mg-7Gd-5Y-INd-0.5Zr alloy using transmission electron mi- croscopy and high-resolution electron microscopy. The results indicated that the β precipitate had a face-centered cubic structure with a lattice parameter of a=2.22 nm. The orientation relationship between the β precipitate phase and the ct-Mg matrix was （i-12）β（1-100）α, [110]β[0001 ]α. Theβ plates formed on prismatic planes could play an important role in alloy strengthening by proving effective barriers to gliding dislocations. A single β plate often contained several domains of （1 11）β twin-related variants. A composition of Mgs（Y0.4Gdo.4Nd0.2） was suggested for the β phase in Mg-7Gd-5Y-1Nd-0.5Zr alloy.

Microstructural control and hardening response of Mg–6Zn–0.5Er–0.5Ca alloy

The effects of heat treatment on microstructures and hardening response of Mg-6Zn4）.5Er4）.5Ca （wt%） alloy were investigated by optical microscope （OM）, scanning elec- tron microscope （SEM）, and transmission electron microscope （TEM） in this paper. The results show that the Mg（Zn4）.5Er- 0.5Ca alloy contains Mg3Zn6Erx quasicrystalline phase （I- phase） and Ca2Mg6Zn3 phase under as-cast condition. Most of the Ca2Mg6Zn3 phases and I-phases dissolve into matrix during heat treatment at 475 ℃ for 5 h. After the as-solution alloy was aged at 175 ℃ for 36 h, a large amount of MgZn2 precipitate with several nanometers precipitate. It is suggested that the trace addition of Ca results in refining the size of the precipitate, and the presence of the nanoscale MgZn2 phase is the main factor to improve the peak-aged hardness greatly to 87 HV, which in- creases about 40 % compared with that of as-cast alloy.

Corrosion behaviors for peak-aged Mg-7Gd-5Y-lNd-0.5Zr alloys with oxide films

The corrosion behaviors of T5 （225 ℃, 6.5 h） and T6 （460 ℃, 2 h ＋ 225 ℃, 12 h） peak-aged Mg-7Gd- 5Y-1Nd-0.5Zr alloys with oxide films were investigated by optical microscope （OM）, scanning electron microscopy （SEM）, and energy-dispersive spectroscopy （EDS）. The weight loss rates and electrochemical tests were also analyzed. The thicknesses of T5 and T6 oxide films are roughly 0.6 and 1.0 μm, respectively. The components of oxide films mainly consist of O, Mg, Y, Nd, and Gd, and the T6 oxide film results in surfaces with larger peaks than T5 oxide film. In addition, Y, Nd, and Gd peaks are all higher than those of Mg-7Gd-5Y- 1Nd-0.5Zr alloys, but Mg peak is consistently far below than that of the alloys. The specimens could be arranged in de- creasing order of corrosion rates and corrosion current densi- ties： T6 oxide film 〈 T5 oxide film 〈 T6 without oxide film 〈 T5 without oxide film. The oxide films are compact to increase the corrosion resistance for Mg-7Gd-5Y-1Nd-0.5Zr alloys, which will provide a guiding insight into the corrosion and protection of Mg-RE alloys in atmospheric environments.