CO-DEPOSITION OF Li(Ⅰ)WITH RE(Ⅲ)AND ITS APPLICATION IN THE PRODUCTION OF Al-Li-Cu-RE ALLOY BY MOLTEN SALT ELECTROLYSIS

The possibility of co-deposition of Li(Ⅰ)and RE(Ⅲ)has been estimated by both theoretical analysis and experimental study on the influences of temperature and concen- tration of chloride on the deposition potential.Both the electrochemical and electrolytic results clearly show that Li(Ⅰ)and RE(Ⅲ)can co-deposit on the Al-Cu electrode under selected conditions.

Corrosion behavior of 2A97 Al-Cu-Li alloys in different thermomechanical conditions by quasi-in-situ analysis

As a promising material in the aircraft industry,2A97 Al-Cu-Li alloy exhibits high corrosion susceptibility that may limit its application.In the present work,to illustrate the influences of precipitate and grain-stored energy on localized corrosion evolution in 2A97 Al-Cu-Li alloy,cold working and artificial aging were carried out to produce 2A97 Al-Cu-Li alloys under different thermomechanical conditions.Quasi-in-situ analysis,traditional immersion test and electrochemical measurement were then conducted to examine the corrosion behavior of 2A97 alloys.It is revealed that precipitate significantly affects Cu enrichment at corrosion fronts,which determines corrosion susceptibility of alloys,whereas grain-stored energy distribution is closely associated with localized corrosion propagation.It is also indicated that quasi-in-situ analysis exhibits a consistent corrosion evolution with traditional immersion tests,which is regarded as a proper method to explore localized corrosion mechanisms by providing local microstructural information with enhanced time and spatial resolutions.

A multi-functional MgF_(2)/polydopamine/hyaluronan-astaxanthin coating on the biodegradable ZE21B alloy with better corrosion resistance and biocompatibility for cardiovascular application

The cardiovascular diseases(CVD)continue to be the major threat to global public health over the years,while one of the effective methods to treat CVD is stent intervention.Biomedical magnesium(Mg)alloys have great potential applications in cardiovascular stents benefit from their excellent biodegradability and absorbability.However,excessive degradation rate and the delayed surface endothelialization still limit their further application.In this study,we modified a Mg-Zn-Y-Nd alloy(ZE21B)by preparing MgF_(2) as the corrosion resistance layer,the dopamine polymer film(PDA)as the bonding layer,and hyaluronic acid(HA)loaded astaxanthin(ASTA)as an important layer to directing the cardiovascular cells fate.The electrochemical test results showed that the MgF_(2)/PDA/HA-ASTA coating improved the corrosion resistance of ZE21B.The cytocompatibility experiments also demonstrated that this novel composite coating also selectively promoted endothelial cells proliferation,inhibited hyperproliferation of smooth muscle cells and adhesion of macrophages.Compared with the HAloaded rapamycin(RAPA)coating,our MgF_(2)/PDA/HA-ASTA coating showed better blood compatibility and cytocompatibility,indicating stronger multi-functions for the ZE21B alloy on cardiovascular application.

Synergistic effect of orientation and temperature on slip behavior and precipitation behavior of Al−Cu−Li single crystals

The slip behavior and precipitation behavior of four Al−Cu−Li single crystals with varying orientations at different temperatures were investigated using electron backscattering diffraction(EBSD)and transmission electron microscopy(TEM).The maximum differences in yield strength and ductility of the single crystals at room temperature are 41.6%and 14.7%,respectively.This indicates that the mechanical properties are strongly influenced by the crystal orientation.Moreover,grains with varying orientations exhibit distinct slip characteristics,including slip homogenization,slip localization,and multiple slip.In single crystal SC1,slip localization primarily contributes to its inferior ductility compared to other grains.Nevertheless,during deformation at 250℃,the distinct morphology and distribution of precipitates in the crystals are also correlated with orientation,which causes the increase in the maximum elongation difference to 20.8%in all selected single crystals.Notably,SC1,with a precipitate volume fraction of 2.65%,exhibits more severe slip localization compared to room temperature conditions,while SC2,with a precipitate volume fraction of 4.79%,demonstrates cross-slip characteristics,significantly enhancing the plastic deformation capacity of the Al−Cu−Li alloy.

Refining Effect of a New Al3Ti1B1RE Master Alloy on Al Sheets Used for Can Manufacture and Behavior of Rare Earths in Master Alloy

The refining effect of Al3Ti1B1RE master alloy on Al sheets used for pressure can manufacture and the behavior of mixed rare earths in master alloy were investigated with XRD, OM, SEM and EDAX. It is found that the refining effect of the refiner on the material has superiority over foreign or domestic Al5Ti1B refiner, and the refiner still retains its refining ability for 6 h after adding it to molten Al, thus improving the strength and plasticity of the material remarkably. The excellent refining effect and stability of AlTiBRE refiner result from that RE can lower the surface energy of molten Al and improve the wetting characteristics of molten Al on refinement nuclei such as TiAl 3, TiB 2, etc., thus giving full play to the effect of heterogeneous nucleation and impeding the congregating tendency of TiB 2 phase in molten Al. At the same time, RE gathering in front of solid/liquid interface are also easy to cause composition supercooling in molten Al, thus impeding the growth of α Al grains and promoting α Al nucleation on refinement nuclei. In addition, RE also play certain role in purification and grain refinement, or modification, especially their effect of purification can improve the metallurgical quality of AlTiBRE master alloy.

Effect of heat treatment on microstructures and mechanical properties of a bulk nanostructured Al-Zn-Mg-Cu alloy

A bulk nanostructured Al-10.0Zn-2.8Mg-1.8Cu alloy was synthesized by cryomilling first and then by spark plasma sintering （SPS）, and the effect of heat treatment on the microstructures and mechanical properties of this alloy were studied. Most MgZn2 particles with a coarse size lie on the grain boundaries of the SPS-processed sample. After solid solution and artificial aging, fine spherical-like MgZn2 particles precipitate uniformly in the grain interiors. No obvious grain growth is found after the heat treatment. A nanoindentation study indicates that no clear change is found in the Yong＇s modulus of the nanostructured alloy after the heat treatment. However, the hardness of the nanostructured alloy increases by about 33% after the heat treatment, which is attributed to the effect of precipitation-hardening.

Effects of shot speed and biscuit thickness on externaly solidified crystals of high-pressure diet cast AM60B magnesium alloy

Standard mechanical test bars with a diameter of 6.4 mm and a gauge length of 50 mm were processed, and the microstructures of die cast AM60B alloy under different die casting process parameters were observed. The influences of the slow shot speed, the fast shot speed and the biscuit thickness on the externally solidified crystals （ESCs） were investigated. With the increase of the biscuit thickness, the number of the ESCs in the cast samples decreases. Under a low slow shot speed, larg ESCs are found in the cast structure and a high fast shot speed results in more spherical ESCs. The relationships between ESCs and process parameters were also discussed.

Creep aging behavior of retrogression and re-aged 7150 aluminum alloy

Creep aging behavior of retrogression and re-aged(RRAed)7150 aluminum alloy(AA7150)was systematically investigated using the creep aging experiments,mechanical properties tests,electrical conductivity tests and transmission electron microscope(TEM)observations.Creep aging results show that the steady-state creep mechanism of RRAed alloys is mainly dislocation climb(stress exponent≈5.8),which is insensitive to the grain interior and boundary precipitates.However,the total creep deformation increases over the re-aging time.In addition,the yield strength and tensile strength of the four RRAed samples are essentially the same after creep aging at 140℃ for 16 h,but the elongation decreases slightly with the re-aging time.What’s more,the retrogression and re-aging treatment are beneficial to increase the hardness and electrical conductivity of the creep-aged 7150 aluminum alloy.It can be concluded that the retrogression and re-aging treatment before creep aging forming process can improve the microstructure within grain and at grain boundary,forming efficiency and comprehensive performance of mechanical properties and electrical conductivity of 7150 aluminum alloy.

Microstructure features and mechanical/electrochemical behavior of directionally solidified Al−6wt.%Cu−5wt.%Ni alloy

The effects of the addition of 5.0 wt.%Ni to an Al−6wt.%Cu alloy on the solidification cooling rate(T),growth rate(V_(L)),length scale of the representative phase of the microstructure,morphology/distribution of intermetallic compounds(IMCs)and on the resulting properties were investigated.Corrosion and tensile properties were determined on samples solidified under a wide range of T along the length of a directionally solidified Al−6wt.%Cu−5.0wt.%Ni alloy casting.Experimental growth laws were derived relating the evolution of primary(λ_(1))and secondary(λ_(2))dendritic spacings with T and V_(L).The elongation to fracture(δ)and the ultimate tensile strength(σ_(U))were correlated with the inverse of the square root of λ_(1) along the length of the casting by Hall−Petch type experimental equations.The reinforcing effect provided by the addition of Ni in the alloy composition is shown to surpass that provided by the refinement of the dendritic microstructure.The highest corrosion resistance is associated with a microstructure formed by thin IMCs evenly distributed in the interdendritic regions,typical of samples that are solidified under higher T.

Effect of Cu addition on overaging behaviour,room and high temperature tensile and fatigue properties of A357 alloy

The aims of the present work are to evaluate the overaging behaviour of the investigated Cu-enriched alloy and to assess its mechanical behaviour,in terms of the tensile and fatigue strength,at room temperature and at 200℃,and to correlate the mechanical performance with its microstructure,in particular with the secondary dendrite arm spacing(SDAS).The mechanical tests carried out on the overaged alloy at 200℃ indicate that the addition of about 1.3 wt.%Cu to the A357 alloy enables to maintain ultimate tensile strength and yield strength values close to 210 and 200 MPa,respectively,and fatigue strength at about 100 MPa.Compared to the quaternary(Al−Si−Cu−Mg)alloy C355,the A357−Cu alloy has greater mechanical properties at room temperature and comparable mechanical behaviour in the overaged condition at 200℃.The microstructural analyses highlight that SDAS affects the mechanical behaviour of the peak-aged A357−Cu alloy at room temperature,while its influence is negligible on the tensile and fatigue properties of the overaged alloy at 200℃.

Effect of rapid cold stamping on fracture behavior of long strip S′phase in Al−Cu−Mg alloy

High-angle annular dark-field scanning transmission electron microscopy and selected area electron diffraction techniques were used to study the mechanism that underlies the influence of rapid cold-stamping deformation on the fracture behavior of the elongated nanoprecipitated phase in extruded Al−Cu−Mg alloy.Results show that the interface between the long strip-shaped S′phase and the aluminum matrix in the extruded Al−Cu−Mg alloy is flat and breaks during rapid cold-stamping deformation.The breaking mechanisms are distortion and brittle failure,redissolution,and necking.The breakage of the long strip S′phase increases the contact surface between the S′phase and the aluminum matrix and improves the interfacial distortion energy.This effect accounts for the higher free energy of the S′phase than that of the matrix and creates conditions for the redissolution of solute atoms back into the aluminum matrix.The brittle S′phase produces a resolved step during rapid cold-stamping deformation.This step further accelerates the diffusion of solute atoms and promotes the redissolution of the S′phase.Thus,the S′phase necks and separates,and the long strip-shaped S′phase in the extruded Al−Cu−Mg alloy is broken into a short and thin S′phase.

Effect of Boron and Cerium on Microstructures and Properties of Cu-Fe-P Alloy

The effects of B and Ce on the removal of inclusions, microstructures, and properties of Cu-Fe-P alloys were studied. Certain impurity elements and the microstructures, mechanical properties, and conductivity of four experimental alloys, Cu-0.22Fe-0.06P, Cu-0.22Fe-0.06P-0.05Ce, Cu-0.22Fe-0.06P-0.02B, and Cu-0.22Fe-0.06P-0.05Ce-0. 02B （ %, mass fraction）, were tested and analyzed. Results show that on one hand, B and Ce have a remarkable function of removing S, Pb, and Bi from copper alloys ; on the other hand, the recrystallization temperature of the Cu-Fe-P alloy is considerably increased by adding trace B and Ce, resulting in the combined strengthening effect of precipitation hardening and cold work hardening after cold working and aging, while the negative effect of B and Ce on conductivity is slight. Therefore, a good combination of high strength and conductivity is achieved.

Microstructure and mechanical properties of Cu/Al joints brazed using(Cu,Ni,Zr,Er)-modified Al−Si filler alloys

To design a promising Al−Si filler alloy with a relatively low melting-point,good strength and plasticity for the Cu/Al joint,the Cu,Ni,Zr and Er elements were innovatively added to modify the traditional Al−Si eutectic filler.The microstructure and mechanical properties of filler alloys and Cu/Al joints were investigated.The result indicated that the Al−Si−Ni−Cu filler alloys mainly consisted of Al(s,s),Al_(2)(Cu,Ni)and Si(s,s).The Al−10Si−2Ni−6Cu filler alloy exhibited relatively low solidus(521℃)and liquidus(577℃)temperature,good tensile strength(305.8 MPa)and fracture elongation(8.5%).The corresponding Cu/Al joint brazed using Al−10Si−2Ni−6Cu filler was mainly composed of Al_(8)(Mn,Fe)_(2)Si,Al_(2)(Cu,Ni)3,Al(Cu,Ni),Al_(2)(Cu,Ni)and Al(s,s),yielding a shear strength of(90.3±10.7)MPa.The joint strength was further improved to(94.6±2.5)MPa when the joint was brazed using the Al−10Si−2Ni−6Cu−0.2Er−0.2Zr filler alloy.Consequently,the(Cu,Ni,Zr,Er)-modified Al−Si filler alloy was suitable for obtaining high-quality Cu/Al brazed joints.

Improving comprehensive properties of Cu-11.9Al-2.5Mn shape memory alloy by adding multi-layer graphene carried by Cu_(51)Zr_(14)inoculant particles

In order to improve the comprehensive properties of the Cu-11.9Al-2.5Mn shape memory alloy(SMA),multilayer graphene(MLG)carried by Cu_(51)Zr_(14)inoculant particles was incorporated and dispersed into this alloy through preparing the preform of the cold-pressed MLG-Cu_(51)Zr_(14)composite powders.In the resultant novel MLG/Cu-Al-Mn composites,MLG in fragmented or flocculent form has a good bonding with the Cu-Al-Mn matrix.MLG can prevent the coarsening of grains of the Cu-Al-Mn SMA and cause thermal mismatch dislocations near the MLG/Cu-Al-Mn interfaces.The damping and mechanical properties of the MLG/Cu-Al-Mn composites are significantly improved.When the content of MLG reaches 0.2 wt.%,the highest room temperature damping of 0.0558,tensile strength of 801.5 MPa,elongation of 10.8%,and hardness of HV 308 can be obtained.On the basis of in-depth observation of microstructures,combined with the theory of internal friction and strengthening and toughening theories of metals,the relevant mechanisms are discussed.

Shortening the manufacturing process of degradable magnesium alloy minitube for vascular stents by introducing cyclic extrusion compression

Due to its excellent biocompatibility and biodegradability,Mg and its alloys are considered to be promising materials for manufacturing of vascular sent.However,the manufacture of high-precision and high-performance Mg alloys minitubes is still a worldwide problem with a long manufacturing processing caused by the poor workability of Mg alloys.To solve this problem,the cyclic extrusion compression(CEC)was used to pretreat the billet by improving the workability of Mg alloys,finally shortening the manufacturing process.After CEC treatment,the size of grains and second phase particles of Mg alloys were dramatically refined to 3.2μm and 0.3μm,respectively.Only after three passes of cold drawing,the wall thickness of minitube was reduced from 0.200 mm to 0.135 mm and a length was more than 1000 mm.The error of wall thickness was measured to be less than 0.01 mm,implying a high dimensional accuracy.The yield strength(YS),ultimate tensile strength(UTS)and elongation of finished minitube were 220±10 MPa,290±10 MPa and 22.0±0.5%,respectively.In addition,annealing can improve mechanical property and corrosion resistance of minitubes by improving the homogeneity of the microstructure and enhancing the density of basal texture.

Interfacial Microstructure between WC-Based Cermet and Cu Alloy

A WC-TiC-Co/CuZnNi composite layer was produced on 1045 steel substrate by means of inside-furnace brazing technique. The microstructure, phase constituent and interfacial diffusion behavior between cermet and CuZnNi alloy were investigated by means of scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscope (TEM), electron probe microanalyzer (EPMA) and X-ray diffraction. The results showed that microstructure of matrix was α and β phases. Cermet particies were surrounded by the α+β phases in the composite layer and their sizes were almost similar to those in original state. The interfacial zone was formed by the mutual diffusion of elements under the condition of high temperature. The interface consists of WC, TiC, CuZn, and CuNi phases, and there are no microcracks and inclusions near the interface.

Loss in coherency and coarsening behavior of Cr precipitates in Cu-Ag-Cr alloy

The coarsening behavior of Cr precipitates in Cu-0.1Ag-0.5Cr alloy was investigated, and the effects of aging processes on the microstructure and properties were discussed. The results show that the radius for coherent/semi-coherent transition of the Cr precipitates is determined from TEM micrographs as 1545nm. The calculated value of critical radius for a particle begining to lose coherency is about 12.5nm. The coherent (r<15nm) precipitates are found to coarsen and become semi-coherent during the passage of low-angle boundaries during recovery. The passage of high-angle boundaries through semi-coherent precipitates during recrystallization occurs by migration of the particle, resulting in the precipitates maintaining semi-coherent with the new grain.

Grain refinement and macrosegregation behavior of direct chill cast Al-Zn-Mg-Cu alloy under combined electromagnetic fields

The combined electromagnetic fields were achieved by the application of an alternating magnetic field and a stationary magnetic field and were used during direct chill(DC) casting process to control the microstructure and macrosegregation of an Al-Zn-Mg-Cu alloy. Ingot microstructures were analyzed under an optical microscope(Leica DMR). The composition at different locations in the ingots was measured with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry(ICP) method. The results showed that the grain structure is transformed from dendrite to equiaxed structure and significantly refined with the application of combined electromagnetic fields. The uniformity of microstructure is also greatly improved. The combined electromagnetic fields show a significant effect on the distribution of elements. The negative macrosegregation in the centre area of the ingot is obviously reduced.

Flow Stress Behavior and Processing Map of Al-Cu-Mg-Ag Alloy during Hot Compression

The hot deformation behavior of Al-Cu-Mg-Ag was studied by isothermal hot compression tests in the temperature range of 573-773 K and strain rate range of 0.001-1 s^-1 on a Gleeble 1500 D thermal mechanical simulator. The results show the flow stress of Al-Cu-Mg-Ag alloy increases with strain rate and decreases after a peak value, indicating dynamic recovery and recrystallization. A hyperbolic sine relationship is found to correlate well the flow stress with the strain rate and temperature, the flow stress equation is estimated to illustrate the relation of strain rate and stress and temperature during high temperature deformation process. The processing maps exhibit two domains as optimum fields for hot deformation at different strains, including the high strain rate domain in 623-773 K and the low strain rate domain in 573-673 K.

Effect of minor B addition on microstructure and properties of AlCoCrFeNi multi-compenent alloy

The influences of slight amount of B element on the microstructure and properties of AlCoCrFeNiBx high entropy alloys（x = 0,0.01,…,0.09 and 0.1,mole fraction） were investigated.The AlCoCrFeNi high entropy alloy exhibits equiaxed grain structures with obvious composition segregation.However,with the addition of B element,the alloys exhibit dendrite structures.Inside the dendrites,spinodal decomposition structure can be clearly observed.With the addition of B element,the crystal structures change from（B2 ＋ BCC） to（B2 ＋ BCC ＋ FCC） structures,and the hardness firstly increases from HV 486.7 to HV 502.4,then declines to HV 460.7（x ≥ 0.02）.The compressive fracture strength firstly shows a trend of increasing,and then declining（x ≥ 0.08）.The coercive forces and the specific saturation magnetizations of the alloys decrease as B addition contents increase,the decreasing coercive forces show a better soft magnetic behavior.