Laser powder bed fusion of Zr-modified Al-Cu-Mg alloy:Processability and elevated-temperature mechanical properties

Zr modification is an effective method for improving hot-cracking resistance and elevated-temperature mechanical properties during laser powder bed fusion(L-PBF)of traditional medium and high strength wrought aluminum alloys.This study investigated the l-PBF processability and elevated-temperature mechanical properties of a Zr-modified 2024Al alloy.It was found that the hot-cracking susceptibility increased with the increased scanning speed,which was in reasonable agreement with the modified Rappaz-Drezet-Gremaud criterion.Furthermore,the primary L1_(2)-Al_(3)Zr precipitates,which acted as ef-ficient nucleation sites,precipitated at the fusion boundary of the melt pool,leading to the formation of a heterogeneous grain structure.The yield strength(YS)of the as-fabricated samples at 150,250,and 350℃was 363,210,and 48 MPa,respectively.Despite the slight decrease to 360 MPa of the YS when tested at 150℃,owing to the additional precipitate strengthening from the L1_(2)-Al_(3)Zr precipitates,the YS achieved yield strengths of 253 and 69 MPa,an increase of 20.5%and 30.4%,when tested at 250 and 350℃,respectively.The yield strengths in both the as-fabricated and T6-treated conditions tested at 150 and 250℃were comparable to those of casting Al-Cu-Mg-Ag alloys and superior to those of traditionally heat-resistant 2219-T6 and 2618-T6 of Al-Cu alloys.

基于PC/ABS薄壁成型的雾化器机筒注射模设计

针对雾化机机筒薄壁塑件模腔流长比为77.8,并且采用PC/ABS进行注塑要求的特点,设计了1副两板2次开模的自动化注塑成型。模具中,针对塑件模腔的浇注,设置了2个潜伏式浇口,保证模腔的充填效果。为实现塑件的自动脱模,设计了3个脱模步骤,相应的机构及机构动作为采用了2副哈夫滑块机构用于塑件外壁的脱模,2副哈夫滑块机构均依靠模具打开的开模动力分次实施抽芯;第一副哈夫滑块机构用于定模一侧外壁的侧抽芯脱模,其通过动模侧的第一次开模打开驱动,完成先抽芯动作;第二副哈夫滑块机构用于动模一侧外壁圆环型凹槽的侧抽芯脱模,其通过动模侧的第二次开模打开驱动,完成抽芯动作。为实现模具2次开模按顺序进行,该模具中设计了一种开模控制机构,机构通过解锁插杆驱动移动锁芯实现与锁钩的锁闭/开锁功能,从而实现了模具开/闭模动作的有序进行。

Influence of process parameters and aging treatment on the microstructure and mechanical properties of Al Si8Mg3 alloy fabricated by selective laser melting

Many studies have investigated the selective laser melting(SLM)of AlSi10Mg and AlSi7Mg alloys,but there are still lack of researches focused on Al-Si-Mg alloys specifically tailored for SLM.In this work,a novel high Mg-content AlSi8Mg3 alloy was specifically designed for SLM.The results showed that this new alloy exhibited excellent SLM processability with a lowest porosity of 0.07%.Massive lattice distortion led to a high Vickers hardness in samples fabricated at a high laser power due to the precipitation of Mg_(2)Si nanoparticles from theα-Al matrix induced by high-intensity intrinsic heat treatment during SLM.The maximum microhardness and compressive yield strength of the alloy reached HV(211±4)and(526±12)MPa,respectively.After aging treatment at 150℃,the maximum microhardness and compressive yield strength of the samples were further improved to HV(221±4)and(577±5)MPa,respectively.These values are higher than those of most known aluminum alloys fabricated by SLM.This paper provides a new idea for optimizing the mechanical properties of Al-Si-Mg alloys fabricated using SLM.

Simultaneous enhancement of mechanical properties and corrosion resistance of as-cast Mg-5Zn via microstructural modification by friction stir processing

Magnesium alloys are ideal lightweight materials;however,their applications are extremely limited due to their low strength,poor ductility,and weak corrosion resistance.In the present study,a friction stir processing(FSP)treatment was employed to optimize the mechanical properties and corrosion resistance of an as-cast Mg-5Zn alloy.The average grain size of the Mg-5Zn alloy was refined from 133.8μm to1.3μm as a result of FSP.Along different directions,FSP exhibited the enhancement effects on different mechanical properties.Furthermore,according to the potentiodynamic polarization results,the corrosion current density at the free-corrosion potential of the FSPed sample,was 4.1×10^(-6)A/cm^(2)in 3.5 wt.%Na Cl aqueous solution,which was significantly lower than that of the as-cast sample.Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy revealed that the polarization impedance,Rp,of the FSPed sample was 1534Ω/cm^(2)in 3.5 wt.%NaCl aqueous solution,which was 71.4%greater than that of the as-cast sample.The corrosion morphology of the FSPed sample in 3.5 wt.%NaCl aqueous solution exhibited largely uniform corrosion,rather than severe localized corrosion characteristics,which further reduced the corrosion depth on the basis of reducing the corrosion current density.The results presented herein indicate that FSP is a viable technique for simultaneously improving the mechanical properties and corrosion resistance of the as-cast Mg-5Zn alloy.

Microstructure refinement,mechanical and biocorrosion properties of Mg–Zn–Ca–Mn alloy improved by a new severe plastic deformation process

In this study,the microstructural evolution,mechanical properties and biocorrosion performance of a Mg–Zn–Ca–Mn alloy were investigated under different conditions of heat treatment,extrusion,one pass and two passes of half equal channel angular pressing(HECAP)process.The results showed significant grain refinement of the homogenized alloy after two passes of HECAP process from 345μm to 2μm.Field emission scanning electron microscopy(FESEM)revealed the presence of finer Mg_(6)Zn_(3)Ca_(2)phase as well asα-Mn phase after HECAP process.The results also showed that mechanical characteristics such as yield strength,ultimate tensile strength and elongation of the HECAPed samples improved by~208%,~144%and~100%compared to the homogenized one,respectively.Crystallographic texture analysis indicated that most of the grains at the surface were reoriented parallel to the(0001)basal plane after HECAP process.Electrochemical corrosion tests and immersion results indicated that the sample with two passes of HEACP had the highest biocorrosion resistance confirming that the basal planes had the lowest corrosion rate compared to the non-basal ones.The mechanical behavior and bio-corrosion evaluation demonstrated that the HECAPed Mg–Zn–Ca–Mn alloy has great potential for biomedical applications and a mechanism was proposed to explain the interrelations between the thermomechanical processing and bio-corrosion behavior.

Microstructure and mechanical properties of AZ91-Ca magnesium alloy cast by different processes

The microstructure and mechanical properties of magnesium(Mg) alloys are significantly influenced by the casting process. In this paper, a comparative study on microstructure and mechanical properties at ambient and elevated temperatures of AZ91-2 wt.% Ca(AZX912) Mg alloy samples prepared by gravity casting(GC), squeeze casting(SC) and rheo-squeeze casting(RSC), respectively, was carried out. The results show that α-Mg grains in SC and RSC samples are significantly refined compared to the GC sample. The average secondary dendritic arm spacing of AZX912 alloy samples decreases in the order of GC, SC and RSC. As testing temperature increases from 25 °C to 200 °C, strength of AZX912 alloy samples is reduced, while their elongation is increased continuously. Compared to GC and SC processes, RSC process can improve the mechanical properties of AZX912 alloy at both ambient and elevated temperatures. The enhancement of mechanical properties of RSC sample over GC and SC samples mainly results from grain refinement in the as-cast microstructure of AZX912 alloy.

Evolution of microstructure and mechanical properties of A356 aluminium alloy processed by hot spinning process

The evolution of microstructure and mechanical properties of A356 aluminum alloy subjected to hot spinning process has been investigated. The results indicated that the deformation process homogenized microstructure and improved mechanical properties of the A356 aluminum alloy. During the hot spinning process, eutectic Si particles and Fe-rich phases were fragmented, and porosities were eliminated. In addition, recrystallization of Al matrix and precipitation of Al Si Ti phases occurred. The mechanical property testing results indicated that there was a significant increase of ductility and a decrease of average microhardness in deformed alloy over die-cast alloy. This is attributed to uniform distribution of finer spherical eutectic Si particles, the elimination of casting defects and to the recrystallized finer grain structure.

Microstructure, mechanical properties and deformation mechanisms of an Al-Mg alloy processed by the cyclical continuous expanded extrusion and drawing approach

Al-Mg alloys are an important class of non-heat treatable alloys in which Mg solute and grain size play essential role in their mechanical properties and plastic deformation behaviors.In this work,a cyclical continuous expanded extrusion and drawing(CCEED)process was proposed and implemented on an Al-3Mg alloy to introduce large plastic deformation.The results showed that the continuous expanded extrusion mainly improved the ductility,while the cold drawing enhanced the strength of the alloy.With the increased processing CCEED passes,the multi-pass cross shear deformation mechanism progressively improved the homogeneity of the hardness distributions and refined grain size.Continuous dynamic recrystallization played an important role in the grain refinement of the processed Al-3Mg alloy rods.Besides,the microstructural evolution was basically influenced by the special thermomechanical deformation conditions during the CCEED process.

The Role of Compatibilizers on the Properties of PC/ABS Alloy

Two compatibilizers consisting of styrene-acrylonitrile-glycidyl methacrylate (SAG) terpolymer with different contents of glycidyl methacrylate (GMA), SAG-001 (1 wt% of GMA) and SAG-005 (5 wt% of GMA), and styrene-acry-lonitrile-maleic anhydride terpolymer (SAM), SAM-002 (2 wt% of maleic anhydride ), were used to evaluate the role of compatibilizers in the PC/ABS alloy in terms of the mechanical properties, thermal stability and phase morphology. The tensile strength of SAG modified PC/ABS alloy slightly increased than that of SAM modified system, but the two compatibilizers barely affected the flexural strength of the system. On the other hand, the impact strength of SAG modified PC/ABS was improved. In addition, the MFR (melt flow index) of the SAG modified PC/ABS alloy reduced, implying that the viscosity or molecular weight of the system increased. The HDT (heat distortion temperature) also improved with SAG modified system. Moreover, the phase morphology of the SAG modified PC/ABS alloys much enhanced than that of SAM modified system. As a consequence, SAG compatibilized PC/ABS alloy showed better properties than those of SAM modified system, suggesting that the reaction between carboxylic or epoxy groups in SAG and terminal carboxyl group in PC would be the main factor to bring the enhancement in the mechanical, thermal and morphological properties of the PC/ABS alloy.

Effect of rolling process on microstructures and mechanical properties of AZ31B alloy sheets

AZ31B magnesium extruded slabs prepared from LFEC were rolled at fairly lower temperature at 3, 6 and 16m/min rolling speeds into 1 mm thickness. The results indicate that the microstructures achieved by rolling at low temperature or at low rolling speed are composed of many prismatic regions divided by shear strips due to pile-up of twin crystals; the prismatic regions increase at elevated rolling temperature or at high rolling speed, and finally all are composed of equiaxed crystals without twin crystals due to dynamic recrystallization. After optimizing control of rolling process, excellent mechanical properties would be acquired. The mechanical properties of AZ31B sheet areρb=350 MPa,ρ0.2=300 MPa, andδ=12.0% when rolled at 6 m/min. At the same time, the difference of mechanical properties between transverse and longitudinal direction reduced markedly.

Application of novel constrained friction processing method to produce fine grained biomedical Mg-Zn-Ca alloy

In order to obtain Mg alloys with fine microstructures and high mechanical performances,a novel friction-based processing method,name as“constrained friction processing(CFP)”,was investigated.Via CFP,defect-free Mg-Zn-Ca rods with greatly refined grains and high mechanical properties were produced.Compared to the previous as-cast microstructure,the grain size was reduced from more than 1 mm to around 4μm within 3 s by a single process cycle.The compressive yield strength was increased by 350%while the ultimate compressive strength by 53%.According to the established material flow behaviors by“tracer material”,the plastic material was transported by shear deformation.From the base material to the rod,the material experienced three stages,i.e.deformation by the tool,upward flow with additional tilt,followed by upward transportation.The microstructural evolution was revealed by“stop-action”technique.The microstructural development at regions adjacent to the rod is mainly controlled by twinning,dynamic recrystallization(DRX)as well as particle stimulated nucleation,while that within the rod is related to DRX combined with grain growth.

Effect of hot isostatic pressing processing parameters on microstructure and properties of Ti60 high temperature titanium alloy

Hot isostatic pressing parameters are critical to Ti60 high temperature titanium alloy castings which have wide application perspective in aerospace.In order to obtain optimal processing parameters,the effects of hot isostatic pressing parameters on defects,composition uniformity,microstructure and mechanical properties of Ti60 cast high temperature titanium alloy were investigated in detail.Results show that increasing temperature and pressure of hot isostatic pressing can reduce defects,especially,the internal defects are substantially eliminated when the temperature exceeds 920℃or the pressure exceeds 125 MPa.The higher temperature and pressure can improve the microstructure uniformity.Besides,the higher pressure can promote the composition uniformity.With the temperature increases from 880℃to 960℃,α-laths are coarsened.But with increasing pressure,the grain size of prior-βphase,the widths ofα-laths andα-colony are reduced.The tensile strength of Ti60 alloy is 949 MPa,yield strength is 827 MPa,and the elongation is 11%when the hot isostatic pressing parameters are 960℃/125 MPa/2 h,which exhibits the best match between the strength and plasticity.

Influence of tool rotational speed on mechanical and corrosion behaviour of friction stir processed AZ31/Al_(2)O_(3)nanocomposite

Nano-sized reinforcements improved the mechanical characteristics efficiently by promoting more implicit particle hardening mechanisms compared to micron-sized reinforcements.Nano-sized particles lessen the critical particle solidification velocity for swamp and thus offers better dispersal.In the present investigation,the friction stir processing(FSP)is utilized to produce AZ31/Al_(2)O_(3)nanocomposites at various tool rotation speeds(i.e.,900,1200,and 1500 rpm)with an optimized 1.5%volume alumina(Al_(2)O_(3))reinforcement ratio.The mechanical and corrosion behavior of AZ31/Al_(2)O_(3)-developed nanocomposites was investigated and compared with that of the AZ31 base alloy.The AZ31 alloy experienced a comprehensive dynamic recrystallization during FSP,causing substantial grain refinement.Grain-size strengthening is the primary factor contributed to the enhancement in the strength of the fabricated nanocomposite.Tensile strength and yield strength values were lower than those for the base metal matrix,although an upward trend in both values has been observed with an increase in tool rotation speed.An 19.72%increase in hardness along with superior corrosion resistance was achieved compared to the base alloy at a tool rotational speed of 1500 rpm.The corrosion currents(Jcorr)of all samples dropped with increase in the rotational speed,in contrast to the corrosion potentials(Ecorr),which increased.The values of Jcorr of AZ31/Al_(2)O_(3)were 42.3%,56.8%,and 65.5%lower than those of AZ31 alloy at the chosen rotating speeds of 900,1200,and 1500 rpm,respectively.The corrosion behavior of friction stir processed nanocomposites have been addressed in this manuscript which has not been given sufficient attention in the existing literature.Further,this work offers an effective choice for the quality assurance of the FSP process of AZ31/Al_(2)O_(3)nanocomposites.The obtained results are relevant to the development of lightweight automobile and aerospace structures and components.

Microstructure characteristics and mechanical properties of rheocasting 7075 aluminum alloy

The microstructure characteristics and mechanical properties of 7075 aluminum alloy produced by a new rheoforming technique,under as-cast and optimized heat treatment conditions,were investigated.The present rheoforming combined the innovatively developed rheocasting process,named as ICSPC(inverted coneshaped pouring channel)process,and the existing HPDC(high pressure die casting)process.The experimental results show that the ICSPC can be used to prepare high quality semi-solid slurry for the subsequent die casting.Compared with conventional HPDC process,the ICSPC process can improve the microstructures and mechanical properties of the cast tensile samples.An optimized heat treatment results in significant improvement in ultimate tensile strength.However,the ductility of the samples,both under as-cast and optimized heat treatment conditions,are relatively poor.

Microstructure and mechanical properties of Al-Si-Ni coating on Cu-Cr substrate prepared by multi-permeation and friction stir processing

The surface of copper-chromium alloy was processed by Al-Si-Ni multi-permeation and friction stir processing,and the microstructure and mechanical properties of the surface layer were tested by scanning electron microscopy(SEM),energy dispersive spectroscopy(EDS),microhardness tester and friction testing machine.The results show that Al,Si and Ni elements are fully permeated into the surface of copper-chromium alloy after multielement co-infiltration and friction stir processing.In the observation of the microstructures,we found that the reticular structure is fragmented and distributed in the stir zone region.Microstructure becomes finer and grains refinement.The micro hardness of the copper-chromium alloy increased to 129 HV,44.9%higher than that of the original matrix.The main reasons of microhardness enhancement are solid solution strengthening,fine grains strengthening and dispersion strengthening.The friction test results show that the friction coefficient is basically stable at 0.69 and the wear mass is only 0.0017 g after 10 min of friction test.The improvement of wear resistance was attributed to the increase of microhardness of the alloy surface.

Microstructure evolution and mechanical properties of rheo-squeeze casting AZ91-Ca alloy during heat treatment

The rheo-squeeze casting(RSC)process is a newly-developed casting process for high-performance components.In order to further improve the mechanical properties of magnesium alloys,AZ91-2wt.%Ca(AZX912)alloy was prepared by the RSC process and then subjected to heat treatment.The microstructure evolution and mechanical properties of AZX912 alloy during heat treatment were investigated.It was found that during solid solution treatment at 410°C,β-Mg_(17)Al_(12) phase with low melting point dissolves intoα-Mg matrix,while the connected network-like Al_2Ca phase with high melting point tends to separate gradually,and the tips of Al_2Ca phase is partially spheroidized.With the increase of solid solution time,the yield strength(YS)of AZX912 alloy decreases gradually while the ultimate tensile strength(UTS)and elongation to failure(E_f)increase continuously.Isothermal ageing at 225°C promotes the precipitation ofβ-Mg_(17)Al_(12) phase in the matrix of AZX912 alloy.The hardness reaches the peak after ageing for 96 h and the increase in hardness is about 24.8%.The precipitation ofβ-Mg_(17)Al_(12) phase during ageing treatment is beneficial to YS but harmful to E_f.The mechanism of microstructure evolution during heat treatment and its effect on mechanical properties are discussed.

Effect of the processing route on the microstructure and mechanical behavior of superlight Mg-9Li-1Zn alloy via friction stir processing

In this study, the effect of the processing route using a friction stir processing(FSP) method on the microstructure and mechanical behavior of a Mg-9Li-1Zn alloy was systematically investigated. In the FSP method, the odd-numbered(1st and 3rd) process directions and even-numbered(2nd and 4th) passes were alternated to distribute the strain throughout the whole processed zone uniformly. Consequently, the processed zone had a much more uniform microstructure and hardness distribution than the processed zone obtained using the conventional FSP method. Using this method, the grain size of a Mg-9Li-1Zn sheet alloy was refined from ~31 μm to ~0.21 μm with uniformly distributedα and β phases. The processed alloy exhibited a high strength-ductility synergy with an ultimate tensile strength(UTS) of 220.1 MPa and total elongation of 70.0% at a strain rate of 10^(-3)s^(-1), overwhelmingly higher than those of the base metal, 155.6 MPa in UTS and 36.0%in elongation. The in-situ SEM-DIC analysis and TEM observation demonstrated that such an outstanding ductility with moderate strength is caused by grain boundary sliding, the dominant deformation mechanism of the ultra-fine-grained sample after FSP. The processing route with reverse processing direction was proven to be efficient in producing the ultrafine grain size microstructure and improving the mechanical properties of superlight Mg-9Li-1Zn alloy.

Effect of Si,Cu and Fe on mechanical properties of cast semi-solid 206 alloys

The development of a modified 206 alloy whose composition was optimized to minimize hot tearing during semi-solid forming was reported. The effect of varying silicon, copper and iron contents was investigated using a design of experiment (DOE) approach. Semi-solid slurries were prepared using the SEED process and injected into a high pressure die casting press. The hot tearing sensitivity results were reported for different alloy variants. The microstructure evolution during the semi-solid preparation was presented along with actual die cast components. The effects of silicon, copper and iron on mechanical properties in the T7 condition were also analyzed. Beyond the benefit of reducing hot tearing, it is shown that the tensile and fatigue properties remain compatible with the automotive industry requirements.

Effect of Cooling Conditions on Mechanical and Microstructural Behaviours of Friction Stir Processed AZ31B Mg Alloy

Friction stir processing (FSP) is an important microstructural alteration process used recently in the engineering field. Grains alteration and hence the mechanical properties of the possessed zone are controlled by the temperature, heating and cooling rate. In this work, AZ31B magnesium samples were friction stir processed in three different cooling conditions like air, water and cryogenic (liquid nitrogen) cooling. 1000 rpm and 60 mm/min were kept constant as tool rotation speed and traverse speed respectively in all the three mediums. The consequence of these conditions on thermal fields, axial force, resulting grain structure and mechanical properties?was?studied. It is found that the cryogenic treated friction stir processed samples exhibit fine grain structures and hence offer better mechanical properties than the air and water cooled processed samples.