Effects of stabilizing heat treatment on microstructures and creep behavior of Zn-10Al-2Cu-0.02Ti alloy

The microstructures of as-extruded and stabilizing heat-treated Zn-10Al-2Cu-0.02Ti alloys were observed by scanning electron microscopy,transmission electron microscopy,electron probe microanalysis and X-ray diffraction analysis techniques.The change in structure after heat treatment and its effects on room temperature creep behavior were investigated by creep experiments at constant stress and slow strain rate tensile tests.The results show that after stabilizing heat treatment（（350℃,30 min,water-cooling）＋（100℃,12 h,air-cooling））,the amount of α＋η lamellar structure decreases,while the amount of cellular and granular structure increases.The heat-treated Zn-10Al-2Cu-0.02Ti alloy exhibits better creep resistance than the as-extruded alloy,and the rate of steady state creep decreases by 96.9% after stabilizing heat treatment.

Effects of Stabilization Heat Treatment on Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Si‑Bearing 15Cr–9Ni–Nb Austenitic Stainless Steel Weld Metal

Two 15Cr–9Ni–Nb austenitic stainless steel weld metals with 2.5%Si and 3.5%Si(namely 2.5Si and 3.5Si samples,respectively)were designed and prepared through tungsten inert gas(TIG)welding and then hold at 800℃ or 900℃ for 3 h for stabilization.The microstructure and mechanical properties were investigated both for the as-welded and after-stabilization heat treatment(SHT)weld metals.There are 3.0–4.0%martensite and 2.5–3.5%δferrite in the 2.5Si as-welded weld metal and 6.0–7.0%δferrite in the 3.5Si as-welded weld metal.After SHT,a large amount of martensite formed in the 2.5Si weld metal,andδ→γtransition occurred during the SHT process both for the 2.5Si and 3.5Si weld metals.There were a large amount of coarse NbC and few nanoscale NbC in the as-welded weld metal.During the SHT,a large amount of nanoscale NbC formed in the matrix,while a large number of G phases formed at the austenite grain boundaries and theδ/γinterfaces.The decrease in solid solution C andδferrite content led to the decline of the yield strength of the weld metal after SHT.The martensite formed in 2.5Si weld metal after SHT had less effect on strength because of its low carbon content.The G phases formed during the SHT reduced the impact energy of the weld metal because it promoted the intergranular fracture,while theδ→γtransition reduced the amount of theδ/γinterfaces and avoided the intergranular fracture,which was beneficial for the impact toughness of the weld metals.

Microstructural and mechanical properties of ZA10 alloy tubes and their weld seams prepared by Conform continuous extrusion

In the present work,Zn-10 Al-2 Cu-0.05 Ti(ZA10)alloy tubes with a diameter of 12.5 mm and wall thickness of 1.2 mm were fabricated by one-pass and double-pass Conform continuous extrusion.A stabilizing heat treatment[350℃,30 min(furnace cooling)+120℃,12 h(air cooling)]was also applied to some of the double-pass tubes to improve the quality of their weld seams.The yield strength,ultimate tensile strength,elongation and expansion ratio of the one-pass continuous extrusion tube were 268.4 MPa,294.3 MPa,13.8%and 5.5%,respectively.Double-pass continuous extrusion improved these values to 278.4 MPa,317.2 MPa,15.4%and 11.4%,respectively.Double-pass tubes also had fewer aggregations of Al-αprecipitates along the welding seam,which improved seam quality and caused cracks to appear in the matrix,away from the weld-affected zone,during expansion testing.Heat-treated double-pass tubes exhibited superior yield strength(283.9 MPa)and ultimate tensile strength(328.5 MPa)but lower elongation(10.2%)and expansion ratios(10.3%).Additionally,the heat-treated tubes exhibited markedly lower elongation at room temperature due to the remarkable blockage of dislocation motions by fine-scale lamellar(α+η)eutectoid structures and a lower size effect when stretched.

Structural Modification of Al65Cu16.5Ti18.5 Amorphous Powder through Annealing and Post Milling： Improving Thermal Stability

To improve thermal stability of the Al65Cu16.5Ti18.5 amorphous powder,structural modification of the amorphous powder was performed through annealing and post milling.Annealing above the crystallization temperature（Tx） not only induced nanoscale intermetallics to precipitate in the amorphous powder,but also increased Cu atomic percentage within the residual amorphous phase.Post milling induced the amorphization of the nanocrystal intermetallics and the formation of Cu9Al4 from the residual amorphous phase.Thus,a mixed structure consisting of amorphous phase and Cu9Al4 was obtained in the powder after annealing and post milling（the APMed powder）.The phase constituent in the APMed powder did not change during the post annealing,which exhibited significantly improved thermal stability in comparison with the as-milled amorphous powder.