Grain refinement impact on the mechanical properties and wear behavior of Mg-9Gd-3Y-2Zn-0.5Zr alloy after decreasing temperature reciprocating upsetting-extrusion

Based on the deforming technique of severe plastic deformation(SPD), the grain refinement of a Mg-9Gd-3Y-2Zn-0.5Zr alloy treated with decreasing temperature reciprocating upsetting-extrusion(RUE) and its influence on the mechanical properties and wear behavior of the alloy were studied. The RUE process was carried out for 4 passes in total, starting at 0 ℃ and decreasing by 10 ℃ for each pass. The results showed that as the number of RUE passes increased, the grain refinement effect was obvious, and the second phase in the alloy was evenly distributed. Room temperature tensile properties of the alloy and the deepening of the RUE degree showed a positive correlation trend, which was due to the grain refinement, uniform distribution of the second phase and texture weakening. And the microhardness of the alloy showed that the microhardness of RUE is the largest in 2 passes. The change in microhardness was the result of dynamic competition between the softening effect of DRX and the work hardening effect. In addition, the wear resistance of the alloy showed a positive correlation with the degree of RUE under low load conditions. When the applied load was higher, the wear resistance of the alloy treated with RUE decreased compared to the initial state alloy. This phenomenon was mainly due to the presence of oxidative wear on the surface of the alloy, which could balance the positive contribution of severe plastic deformation to wear resistance to a certain extent.

Effects of stress loading mode on microstructures and properties of Mg-9Gd-2Nd-0.5Zr alloy treated by creep aging

Creep aging forming(CAF) is a potential process used to manufacture large integral components of magnesium(Mg) alloys. The selected stress plays a crucial role in creep aging processes but the mechanism by which stress loading method affects creep aging of Mg alloys is still unclear. In this paper, the microstructural evolution of precipitated phases and precipitation-free zones(PFZ) at grain boundaries with different stress loading modes(unstressed, unidirectional tensile stress, and cyclic stress) at 250 ℃ were investigated along with changes in mechanical properties. The results showed that the addition of stress during aging effectively promoted the precipitation of precipitated phases, while unaffecting grain size. Unidirectional tensile stress caused directional growth of β phase([1010]), as well as rotation of weave towards the basal plane texture, resulting in namely stress orientation effect. Solute atoms diffused in the direction of tensile stress while vacancies moved perpendicular to the direction of tensile stress, resulting in PFZ at grain boundaries(157.06 nm). By contrast, cyclic stresses led to the growth of β phase in three directions([1010], [1100] and [0110]). The solute atoms and vacancies were uniformly distributed in the Mg matrix instead of directional diffusion, effectively reducing the width of PFZ(112.39 nm) at the grain boundary. These features significantly improved the mechanical properties of alloy specimens after cyclic stress creep aging when compared to unidirectional stress creep aging, with yield strength(YS), ultimate tensile strength(UTS), and elongation(EL) enhanced from 171.6 MPa, 305.5 MPa, and 4.4%to 174.8 MPa, 326.3 MPa, and 6.9%, respectively.

Effects of Sn on microstructure of as-cast and as-extruded Mg-9Li alloys

The effects of Sn addition on the microstructure of as-cast and as-extruded Mg-9Li alloys were investigated. The results show that α-Mg, β-Li, Li2MgSn, and Mg2Sn are primary phases in the microstructures of the as-cast and as-extruded Mg-9Li-xSn （x=0, 5; in mass fraction, %） alloys. Li2MgSn phase evolves from continuously net-like structure in the as-cast state to fine granular in the as-extruded state. After the extrusion, Mg-9Li-5Sn alloy has finer microstructures. Li2MgSn or Mg2Sn compound can act as the heterogeneous nucleation sites for dynamic recrystallization during the extrusion due to the crystallography matching relationship Extrusion deformation leads to dynamic recrystallization, which results in the grain refinement and uniform distribution. The as-extruded Mg-9Li-5Sn alloy possesses the lowest grain size of 45.9 μm.

Microstructure and room temperature mechanical properties of directionally solidified Mg-2.35Gd magnesium alloy

Directional solidification of Mg-2.35Gd （mass fraction, %） magnesium alloy was carried out to investigate the effects of the solidification parameters （growth rate v and temperature gradient G） on microstructure and room temperature mechanical properties under the controlled solidification conditions. The specimens were solidified under steady state conditions with different temperature gradients （G=20, 25 and 30 K/mm） in a wide range of growth rates （v=10-200 μm/s） by using a Bridgman-type directional solidification furnace with liquid metal cooling （LMC） technology. The cellular microstructures are observed. The cellular spacing 2 decreases with increasing v for constant G or with increasing G for constant v. By using a linear regression analysis the relationships can be expressed as 2=136.216v^-0.2440 （G=30 K/mm） and 2=626.5630G^-0.5625 （v=10 μm/s）, which are in a good agreement with Trivedi model. An improved tensile strength and a corresponding decreased elongation are achieved in the directionally solidified experimental alloy with increasing growth rate and tempertaure gradient. Furthermore, the directionally solidified experimental alloy exhibits higher room temperature tensile strength than the non-directionally solidified alloy.

Growth process and corrosion resistance of micro-arc oxidation coating on Mg-Zn-Gd magnesium alloys

A Mg-6Zn-3Gd(mass fraction,%) alloy,noted as ZG63,was coated by different micro-arc oxidation(MAO) processes,and the coating structure and corrosion resistance of the alloy were studied using scanning electron microscopy(SEM),glancing angle X-ray diffractometry(GAXRD) and various electrochemical methods.The micro-arc oxidation process consists of three stages and corresponds with different coating structures.In the initial stage,the coating thickness is linearly increased and is controlled by electrochemical polarization.In the second stage,the coating grows mainly inward and accords with parabolic regularity.In the third stage,the loose coating forms and is controlled by local arc light.The looser coating is mainly composed of MgSiO3 and the compact coating is mainly composed of MgO.From micro-arc oxidation stage to local arc light stage,the corrosion resistance of the coated alloy firstly increases and then decreases.The satisfied corrosion resistance corresponds to the coating time ranging from 6 to10 min.

Flow stress and dynamic recrystallization behavior of Al-9Mg-1.1Li-0.5Mn alloy during hot compression process

The flow stress behavior of spray-formed Al-9Mg-1.1Li-0.5Mn alloy was studied using thermal simulation tests on a Gleeble-3500machine over deformation temperature range of300-450℃and strain rate of0.01-10s^-1.The microstructural evolution of the alloy during the hot compression process was characterized by transmission electron microscopy(TEM)and electron back scatter diffractometry(EBSD).The results show that the flow stress behavior and microstructural evolution are sensitive to deformation parameters.The peak stress level,steady flow stress,dislocation density and amount of substructures of the alloy increase with decreasing deformation temperature and increasing strain rate.Conversely,the high angle grain boundary area increases,the grain boundary is in serrated shape and the dynamic recrystallization in the alloy occurs.The microstructure of the alloy is fibrous-like and the main softening mechanism is dynamic recovery during steady deformation state.The flow stress behavior can be represented by the Zener-Hollomon parameter Z in the hyperbolic sine equation with the hot deformation activation energy of184.2538kJ/mol.The constitutive equation and the hot processing map were established.The hot processing map exhibits that the optimum processing conditions for Al-9Mg-1.1Li-0.5Mn alloy are in deformation temperature range from380to450℃and strain rate range from0.01to0.1s^-1.

Effective femtosecond laser shock peening on a Mg-3Gd alloy at low pulse energy 430 μJ of 1 kHz

In this paper,microstructure evolution and hardness of Mg-3 Gd alloy treated by femtosecond(fs)laser shock peening(LSP)with direct and confined ablation m odes were investigated in detail.Under a relatively low pulse energy of 430μJ with a repetition of 1 kHz,the surface hardness of sample has been enhanced by 70%effectively.Comp a r e d with ns-LSP with pulse fluence of 71.7J/cm2,fs-LSP with pulse fluence of 34.2 J/cm2 is superior in the hardness increment,both of which are in the same order of magnitude.A distinct grain refinement of surface layer has been discovered and results in the increase of hardness.Nonuse of absorption and confining layers and the employment of the industry commercial fs laser with high repetition can inspire big potential L S P application in special metal material.©2019 Published by Elsevier B.V.on behalf of Chongqing University.

(Y,Gd)H_(2) phase formation in as-cast Mg-6Gd-3Y-0.5Zr alloy

In this work,a new(Y,Gd)H_(2) precipitate was identified and systematically investigated in the as-cast Mg-6Gd-3Y-0.5Zr alloy by XRD,SEM with EDS,TEM with EDS techniques and thermodynamics analysis.Results show that the as-cast alloy contains α-Mg,Mg_(24)(Gd,Y)_(5),and(Y,Gd)H_(2) phase.The(Y,Gd)H_(2) phase usually forms near the eutectic phase Mg_(24)(Gd,Y)_(5) or in the α-Mg grains,displaying a rectangle-shape.The Mg_(24)(Gd,Y)_(5) and(Y,Gd)H_(2) phases crystalize in bcc and fcc structure,respectively,and the(Y,Gd)H_(2) phase has a semi-coherent relationship with α-Mg matrix.The thermodynamics calculation results reveal that the hydrogen dissolved in the melt leads to the formation of hydrides.It is also found that the(Y,Gd)H_(2) hydride can form directly from the liquid phase during solidification.Additionally,it can precipitate by the decomposition of Mg_(24)(Gd,Y)_(5) phase due to absorbing hydrogen from the remaining melt.

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.

Effect of Ca addition on grain refinement of Mg–9Li–1Al alloy

The as-cast and as-extruded Mg–9Li–1Al–xCa alloys(x=0,0.2;wt%)were prepared by a simple alloying process followed by hot extrusion with an extrusion ratio of 28.2.The microstructures of the as-cast and as-extruded Mg–9Li–1Al–xCa alloys were observed to investigate the effect of calcium(Ca)element on the Mg–9Li–1Al(LA91)alloy,and the crystallographic calculations between Al_(2)Ca and the matrix(α-Mg andβ-Li phases)were examined on the basis of the edge-to-edge matching model.The experimental results indicate that the addition of 0.2 wt%Ca into LA91 alloy reduce the size of theα-Mg phases in the as-cast alloy and that ofβ-Li phases in the as-extruded alloy due to the Al_(2)Ca particles distributed inside the matrix.Crystallographic calculation results suggested that there is a good crystallographic matching between the matrix and Al_(2)Ca,which confirmed that Al_(2)Ca particles can act as a heterogeneous nucleation site for bothα-Mg andβ-Li phases and were effective grain refiners for LA91 alloy.

不同工艺处理后镁钆合金的组织与力学性能

对铸态Mg-9Gd镁合金挤压变形后再进行不同的热处理,研究了不同处理后Mg-9Gd镁合金的组织与力学性能。结果表明:挤压态Mg-9Gd合金的显微组织由大量的细小等轴晶粒和少量中间相组成,中间相破碎成大量细小的块状颗粒,沿平行于应力方向呈带状分布;相比铸态合金,挤压态合金的σ_b提高了89.8%,σ_(0.2)提高了44.1%,δ达到了19.5%;挤压态合金经520℃×2 h+200℃×8 h处理后,强度和塑性降低,σ_b,σ_(0.2)分别为231.4,129.3 MPa,δ为15.2%;经200℃×14 h处理后,挤压态合金的强度明显提高,σ_b,σ_(0.2)分别达到254.2,180.3 MPa,但塑性进一步降低,δ为10.5%。