Microstructure of Al-Zn-Mg-Cu-Zr-0.5Er alloy under as-cast and homogenization conditions

The billets of Al-Zn-Mg-Cu-Zr and Al-Zn-Mg-Cu-Zr-0.5Er alloys were prepared by semi-continuous direct chill casting （DCC）.The effects of trace Er on microstructure of Al-Zn-Mg-Cu-Zr alloy under as-cast and homogenization conditions were studied.The results show that the grain morphology is large dendritic structure and the grain size increases obviously by the addition of 0.5% Er.Moreover,most of Er element in the alloy segregates at grain boundary during solidification,resulting in ternary Al8Cu4Er phase.After homogenization,most of the MgZn2 phase at grain boundary has dissolved back to Al matrix in the two alloys.In the Er-containing alloy,the dissolution temperature of Al8Cu4Er phase is about 575 °C.Therefore,the homogenization treatment cannot eliminate Al8Cu4Er phase validity.

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.

Intermetallics and phase relations of Mg-Zn-Ce alloys at 400 ℃

The crystal structures,compositions and phase relations of the intermetallics of Mg-Zn-Ce system in the Mg-rich corner at 400 ℃ were identified through equilibrium alloy method.For Mg-Zn-Ce system,there is a linear ternary compound（T phase）,whose chemical formula is（Mg1-xZnx）11Ce.The range of Zn content in T phase is from 9.6% to 43.6%（molar fraction）.The crystal structure of T phase is C-centered orthorhombic lattice with lattice parameters of a=0.96-1.029 nm,b=1.115-1.204 nm,c=0.940-1.015 nm.And the lattice parameters of T phase are decreasing a little with increasing Zn content.According to the results of composition and crystal structure,the maximal solubility of Zn in Mg12Ce is about 7.8%（molar fraction）,and the chemical formula of the solid solution can be identified as（Mg1-xZnx）12Ce.The isothermal section of Mg-Zn-Ce system in Mg-rich corner at 400 ℃ was constructed.

Production of Mg-Al-Zn magnesium alloy sheets with ultrafine-grain microstructure by accumulative roll-bonding

Accumulative roll-bonding （ARB） was applied to Mg-Al-Zn magnesium alloy sheets to prepare ultrafine-grain microstructure. Significant grain refinement is achieved after three cycles of ARB with average grain size of about 1.3 μm. The microstructure is characterized by nearly uniform ultrafine equiaxed microstructure without twins. The evolution of the misorientation distribution during ARB was measured by EBSD. Grain refinement can be contributed to the grain subdivision induced by severe accumulated strain, the accumulated strain enhanced concurrent dynamic recovery and recrystallization as well as the complicated distribution of interface and shear strain during ARB.

Microstructure evolution and mechanical properties of Mg-x%Zn-1%Mn(x=4,5,6,7,8,9) wrought magnesium alloys

The roles of Zn content and thermo-mechanical treatment in affecting microstructures and mechanical properties of Mg-x%Zn-1%Mn（mass fraction,x=4,5,6,7,8,9） wrought Mg alloys were investigated.The microstructure was extremely refined by dynamic recrystallization（DRC） during extrusion.With increasing Zn content,the DRC grains tended to grow up,at the same time,more second phase streamlines would be present,which restricted the further growing.During solution treatment,the DRC grains would rapidly grow up;however,higher Zn content could hinder the grain boundary expanding,which results in finer ultimate grains.MgZn2 dispersoid particles which are coherent with the matrix would precipitate from the supersaturated solid solution during the one-step aging process,and nano-sized GP zones formed during the pre-aging stage of the two-step aging provide a huge amount of effective nuclei for the MgZn2 phases formed in the second stage,which makes the MgZn2 particles much finer and more dispersed.The mechanical properties of as-extruded samples were not so sensitive to the variation of Zn content,the tensile strength fluctuates between 300 and 320 MPa,and the elongation maintains a high value between 11% and 14%.The strength of aged samples rises as a parabolic curve with increasing Zn content,specifically,the tensile strength of one-step aged samples rises from 278 to 374 MPa,and that of two-step aged ones rises from 284 to 378 MPa,yet the elongation of all aged samples is below 8%.When Zn content exceeds its solid solution limit in Mg-Zn system（6.2%,mass fraction）,the strength rises slowly but the elongation deteriorates sharply,so a Mg-Zn-Mn alloy with 6% Zn possesses the best mechanical properties,that is,the tensile strengths after one-and two-step aging are 352 and 366 MPa,respectively,and the corresponding elongations are 7.98% and 5.2%,respectively.

Microstructural evolution of ultra-high strength Al-Zn-Cu-Mg-Zr alloy containing Sc during homogenization

The microstructural evolution and composition distribution of an Al-Zn-Cu-Mg-Sc-Zr alloy during homogenization were investigated by optical microscopy（OM）,scanning electron microscopy（SEM）,energy dispersive spectrometry（EDS）,X-ray diffraction（XRD） and differential scanning calorimetry（DSC）.The results show that severe dendritic segregation exists in Al-Zn-Cu-Mg-Sc-Zr alloy ingot.There are a lot of eutectic phases at grain boundary and the distribution of the main elements varies periodically along interdendritic region.The main eutectic phases at grain boundary are Al7Cu2Fe phase and T（Al2Mg3Zn3）.The residual phases are dissolved into the matrix gradually during homogenization with increasing temperature and prolonging holding time,which can be described by a constitutive equation in exponential function.The overburnt temperature of the alloy is 473.9 ℃.The optimum parameters of homogenization are 470 ℃ and 24 h,which is consistent with the result of homogenization kinetic analysis.

Microstructure and mechanical properties of high strength Al-Zn-Mg-Cu alloys used for oil drill pipes

Three Al?Zn?Mg?Cu alloys used for oil drill pipes (Alloy A: Al?6.9Zn?2.3Mg?1.7Cu?0.3Mn?0.17Cr; Alloy B: Al?8.0Zn?2.3Mg?2.6Cu?0.2Zr, Alloy C: Al?8.0Zn?2.3Mg?1.8Cu?0.18Zr) were studied by hardness tests, tensile tests and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The results show that the ultimate tensile strength, yield strength and elongation for Alloys A, B and C are 736 MPa, 695.5 MPa and 7%; 711 MPa, 674 MPa and 12.5%; 740.5 MPa, 707.5 MPa and 13%, respectively after solid solution treatment ((450 °C, 2 h)+(470 °C, 1 h)) followed by aging at 120 °C for 12 h. The dominant strengthening phases in Alloy A are GPII zone andη′ phase, the main precipitate in Alloy B isη′ phase, and the main precipitates in Alloy C are GPI zone, GPII zone andη′ phase, which are the reason for better comprehensive properties of Alloy C. The increase of zinc content leads to the improvement of the strength. The increase of copper content improves the elongation but slightly decreases the strength. Large second-phase particles formed by the increase in the manganese content induce a decrease in the elongation of alloys.

Experiments and modeling of double-peak precipitation hardening and strengthening mechanisms in Al-Zn-Mg alloy

The aim of the present work is to develop a model for simulating double-peak precipitation hardening kinetics in Al-Zn-Mg alloy with the simultaneous formation of different types of precipitates at elevated temperatures based on the modified Langer-Schwartz approach. The double aging peaks are present in the long time age-hardening curves of Al-Zn-Mg alloys. The physically-based model, while taking explicitly into account nucleation, growth, coarsening of the new phase precipitations and two strengthening mechanisms associated with particle-dislocation interaction （shearing and bypassing）, was used for the analysis of precipitates evolution and precipitation hardening during aging of Al-Zn-Mg alloy. Model predictions were compared with the measurements of Al-Zn-Mg alloy. The systematic and quantitative results show that the predicted hardness profiles of double peaks via adding a shape dependent parameter in the growth equation for growth and coarsening generally agree well with the measured ones. Two strengthening mechanisms associated with particle-dislocation interaction （shearing and bypassing） were considered operating simultaneously in view of the particle size-distribution. The transition from shearing to bypassing strengthening mechanism was found to occur at rather early stage of the particle growth. The bypassing was found to be the prevailing strengthening mechanism in the investigated alloys.

Microstructural evolution of Al-Zn-Mg-Zr alloy with trace amount of Sc during homogenization treatment

The microstructural evolution of Al-Zn-Mg-Zr alloy with trace amount of Sc during homogenization treatment was studied by means of metallographic analysis, scanning electron microscopy （SEM）, energy dispersive X-ray （EDX） and differential scanning calorimetry （DSC）. The results show that serious dendritic segregation exists in studied alloy ingot. There are many eutectic phases with low melting-point at grain boundary and the distribution of main elements along interdendritic region varies periodically. Elements Zn, Mg and Cu distribute unevenly from grain boundary to the inside of alloy. With increasing the homogenization temperature or prolonging the holding time, the residual phases are dissolved into matrix α（Al） gradually during homogenization treatment, all elements become more homogenized. The overburnt temperature of studied alloy is 476.7 °C. When homogenization temperature increases to 480 °C, some spherical phases and redissolved triangular constituents at grain boundaries can be easily observed. Combined with microstructural evolution and differential scanning calorimeter, the optimum homogenization parameter is at 470 °C for 24 h.

Corrosion and electrochemical behaviors of 7A09 Al-Zn-Mg-Cu alloy in chloride aqueous solution

The corrosion and electrochemical behaviors of 7A09 Al？Zn？Mg？Cu alloy were investigated in 3.5% NaCl （mass fraction） solution using complementary techniques such as scanning electron microscopy （SEM）, metallographic microscopy and electrochemical measurements. The results show that both pitting corrosion from or around the intermetallic particles and intergranular corrosion are observed after the immersion test due to the inhomogeneous nature of the microstructure of the 7A09 alloy. The preferential dissolution of the anodic Cu-depleted zone along grain boundaries is believed to be the possible cause of intergranular corrosion. The passivation and depassivation of this alloy show significant dependence of immersion time, owing to the formation and dissolution of various passive films on the sample surfaces. Furthermore, the corrosion process and corrosion mechanism were also analyzed.

EIS studies the effect of Zinc to Al-Zn alloy used for cathodic protection in 3% NaCl solution

Electrochemical impendence spectroscopy （EIS） is applied to investigate the dissolution behavior of Al-Zn alloys in 3% NaCl solution at different polarization potentials. A new reaction model is proposed, and the activation mechanism of zinc in Al-Zn alloys is achieved. There are three intermediates in the dissolution process： Znad^＋, Znad^2＋ and Alad^＋, ,of which only Zni can activate Al-Zn alloys. Most Znnd^＋ is produced by β-phase,and the alloys with 2. 3% - 3. 8% （wt） Zn dissolve rapidly. The Al-Zn alloys of heart-shaped EIS are active in 3% NaCl solution, thus EIS characteristic can be used to distinguish the activa-tion of Al-Zn alloys.

Mechanical alloying and subsequent heat treatment of Ag-Zn powders

Microstructural evolution during mechanical alloying of Ag and Zn, and subsequent heat treatments were investigated. The mechanical alloying was carried out in a SPEX 8000D miller. The microstructural characterization was obtained by X-ray diffraction （XRD）, transmission electron microscopy （TEM） and scanning electron microscopy （SEM）. The thermal behavior was studied using differential scanning calorimetry （DSC）. Based on the results obtained, it can be concluded that at the early stages of milling was possible to detect the ε, β, β′, α solid solutions and remaining Zn. Later, the ε, β, β′ and Zn phases disappeared while the Zn concentration of the α solid solution was strongly increased. After 7.2 ks of milling, the mechanical alloying process reached a steady state. During this period, both the composition and crystallite size of the α solid solution remained practically unchanged. On the other hand, subsequent heat treatments of milled powders showed that the α solid solution could also be obtained by the combination of mechanical alloying and heat treatment. Finally, the evolution of the microstructure during milling and annealing was combined to propose an optimal processing route in order to obtain a α solid solution.

Microstructure and strengthening mechanism of Mg-5.88Zn-0.53Cu-0.16Zr alloy solidified under high pressure

Mg-5.88 Zn-0.53 Cu-0.16 Zr(wt.%)alloy was solidified at 2-6 GPa using high-pressure solidification technology.The microstructure,strengthening mechanism and compressive properties at room temperature were studied using SEM and XRD.The results showed that the microstructure was refined and the secondary dendrite spacing changed from 35μm at atmospheric pressure to 10μm at 6 GPa gradually.Also,Mg(Zn,Cu)2 and Mg Zn Cu eutectic phases were distributed in the shape of network,while under high pressures the second phases(Mg(Zn,Cu)2 and Mg7 Zn3)were mainly granular or strip-like.The solid solubility of Zn and Cu in the matrix built up over increasing solidification pressure and reached 4.12%and 0.32%respectively at 6 GPa.The hardness value was HV 90 and the maximum compression resistance was 430 MPa.Therefore,the grain refinement strengthening,the second phase strengthening and the solid solution strengthening are the principal strengthening mechanisms.

Influence of heat treatment on microstructure and electrochemical behaviors of Mg-Zn binary alloys prepared by gas-phase alloying technique

Mg-Zn binary alloys fabricated by the gas-phase alloying technique under vacuum condition were investigated in the state of initial state and after heat treatment for the microstructure and electrochemical behaviors.Different from the traditional Mg-Zn alloys preparation methods,alloys prepared by gas-phase alloying have a large number of intermetallic compounds,such as MgZn,Mg7Zn3 and MgZn2.After solution treatment,the boundary of the eutectic disappeared and the size ofα-Mg increased from 100μm to 150μm.At the same time,the value of the resistance of charge transfer increased,which indicates that the resistance of the charge transfer and the corrosion resistance of the alloys increased.After artificial aging treatment,the distribution ofα-Mg was more uniform and its size was reduced to about 50μm,and there was new eutectic structure formed.The newly formed eutectic structure forms galvanic cells with the alloy matrix,which makes the corrosion resistance of the alloy weaken.

Enhanced mechanical properties and formability of hot-rolled Mg-Zn-Mn alloy by Ca and Sm alloying

In order to broaden the application of wrought Mg alloy sheets in the automotive industry,the influence of Ca and Sm alloying on the texture evolution,mechanical properties,and formability of a hot-rolled Mg-2Zn-0.2Mn alloy was investigated by OM,XRD,SEM,EBSD,tensile tests,and Erichsen test.The results showed that the average grain size and basal texture intensity of Mg-2Zn-0.2Mn alloys were remarkably decreased after Ca and Sm additions.0.64 wt.%Ca or 0.48 wt.%Sm addition significantly increased the tensile strength,ductility and formability.Moreover,the synergetic addition of Sm and Ca improved the ductility and formability of Mg-2Zn-0.2Mn alloy,which was due to the change of Ca distribution and further reduction of the size of Ca-containing particles by Sm addition.The results provided a possibility of replacing RE elements with Ca and Sm in Mg alloys which bring about outstanding mechanical properties and formability.

Production and fluoride treatment of Mg-Ca-Zn-Co alloy foam for tissue engineering applications

Highly porous Mg-Ca-Zn-Co alloy scaffolds for tissue engineering applications were produced by powder metallurgy based space holder-water leaching method.Mg-Ca-Zn-Co alloy foam can be used as a scaffold material in tissue engineering.Carbamide was used as a space holder material.Fluoride conversion coating was synthesized on the alloy by immersion treatment in hydrofluoric acid(HF).Increasing Zn content of the alloy increased the elastic modulus.Ca addition prevented the oxidation of the specimens during sintering.Electrochemical corrosion behaviour of the specimens was examined in simulated body fluid.Corrosion rate decreased with Zn addition from1.0%up to3.0%(mass fraction)and then increased.Mass loss of the specimens initially decreased with Zn addition up to about3%and then increased.Fluoride conversion coating increased the corrosion resistance of the specimens.

Strong and ductile Al−Zn−Mg−Zr alloy obtained by equal angular pressing and subsequent aging

An ultrafine-grained Al−Zn−Mg−Zr alloy with superior mechanical performance was obtained by high passes of equal angular pressing(ECAP)and subsequent aging.After 8 ECAP passes and aging,the yield strength(YS)and ultimate tensile strength(UTS)of the solid-solutioned alloy are significantly improved from(98±10)and(226±7)MPa to(405±9)and(427±9)MPa,respectively.A large elongation is also maintained((17.4±2.5)%).The microstructure features including grain refinement,morphology of precipitates,and dislocation density,were revealed with multiscale characterizations,including transmission electron microscopy,electron backscattered diffraction,and X-ray diffraction.After 8 passes of ECAP,the original coarse elongated grains are refined to a unique bimodal grain structure consisting of ultrafine equiaxed and lath-like grains.Additionally,the effects of ECAP and subsequent aging on the strengthening contribution of a variety of strengthening mechanisms,such as dislocation strengthening and precipitation strengthening,were discussed in detail.

Microstructural evolution of new type Al-Zn-Mg-Cu alloy with Er and Zr additions during homogenization

A comprehensive study on the microstructural evolution of a new type Al-Zn-Mg-Cu-Er-Zr alloy duringhomogenization was conducted by optical microscope,scanning electron microscope,transmission electron microscopy and X-raydiffraction analysis.The results show that serious segregation exists in as-cast alloy,and the primary phases are T(AlZnMgCu),S(Al2CuMg)and Al8Cu4Er,which preferentially locate in the grain boundary regions.The soluble T(AlZnMgCu)and S(Al2CuMg)phases dissolve into the matrix gradually during single-stage homogenized at465°C with prolonging holding time,but the residualAl8Cu4Er phase cannot dissolve completely.Compared with the single-stage homogenization,both a finer particle size and a highervolume fraction of L12-structured Al3(Er,Zr)dispersoids can be obtained in the two-stage homogenization process.A suitablehomogenization scheme for the present alloy is(400°C,10h)+(465°C,24h),which is consistent with the results of homogenizationkinetic analysis.

Microstructure and mechanical properties of high strength Mg−15Gd−1Zn−0.4Zr alloy additive-manufactured by selective laser melting process

In order to verify the feasibility of producing Mg−rare earth(RE)alloy by selective laser melting(SLM)process,the microstructure and mechanical properties of Mg−15Gd−1Zn−0.4Zr(wt.%)(GZ151K)alloy were investigated.The results show that fine grains(~2μm),fine secondary phases and weak texture,were observed in the as-fabricated(SLMed)GZ151K Mg alloy.At room temperature,the SLMed GZ151K alloy has a yield strength(YS)of 345 MPa,ultimate tensile strength(UTS)of 368 MPa and elongation of 3.0%.After subsequent aging(200℃,64 h,T5 treatment),the YS,UTS and elongation of the SLMed-T5 alloy are 410 MPa,428 MPa and 3.4%,respectively,which are higher than those of the conventional cast-T6 alloy,especially with the YS increased by 122 MPa.The main strengthening mechanisms of the SLMed GZ151K alloy are fine grains,fine secondary phases and residual stress,while after T5 treatment,the YS of the alloy is further enhanced by precipitates.

Synthesis of biodegradable Mg-Zn alloy by mechanical alloying: Statistical prediction of elastic modulus and mass loss using fractional factorial design

Biodegradable Mg-Zn alloy was synthesized using mechanical alloying where a statistical model was developed using fractional factorial design to predict elastic modulus and mass loss of the bulk alloy.The effects of mechanical alloying parameters(i.e.,milling time,milling speed,ball-to-powder mass ratio and Zn content)and their interactions were investigated involving 4 numerical factors with 2 replicates,thus 16 runs of two-level fractional factorial design.Results of analysis of variance(ANOVA),regression analysis and R2 test indicated good accuracy of the model.The statistical model determined that the elastic modulus of biodegradable Mg-Zn alloy was between 40.18 and 47.88 GPa,which was improved and resembled that of natural bone(30-57 GPa).Corrosion resistance(mass loss of pure Mg,33.74 mg)was enhanced with addition of 3%-10%Zn(between 9.32 and 15.38 mg).The most significant independent variable was Zn content,and only the interaction of milling time and ball-to-powder mass ratio was significant as P-value was less than 0.05.Interestingly,mechanical properties(represented by elastic modulus)and corrosion resistance(represented by mass loss)of biodegradable Mg-Zn alloy can be statistically predicted according to the developed models.