Role of alloying and heat treatment on microstructure and mechanical properties of cast Al-Li alloys:A review

Due to the prominent advantages of low density,high elastic modulus,high specific strength and specific stiffness,cast Al-Li alloys are suitable metallic materials for manufacturing complex large-sized components and are ideal structural materials for aerospace,defense and military industries.On the basis of the microstructural characteristics of cast Al-Li alloys,exploring the role of alloying and micro-alloying can stabilize their dominant position and further expand their application scope.In this review,the development progress of cast Al-Li alloys was summarized comprehensively.According to the latest research highlights,the influence of alloying and heat treatment on the microstructure and mechanical properties was systematically analyzed.The potential methods to improve the alloy performance were concluded.In response to the practical engineering requirements of cast Al-Li alloys,the scientific challenges and future research directions were discussed and prospected.

Current progress of research on heat -resistant Mg alloys: A review

With the increasing attention received by lightweight metals,numerous essential fields have increased requirements for mag-nesium(Mg)alloys with good room-temperature and high-temperature mechanical properties.However,the high-temperature mechanic-al properties of commonly used commercial Mg alloys,such as AZ91D,deteriorate considerably with increasing temperatures.Over the past several decades,extensive efforts have been devoted to developing heat-resistant Mg alloys.These approaches either inhibit the gen-eration of thermally unstable phases or promote the formation of thermally stable precipitates/phases in matrices through solid solution or precipitation strengthening.In this review,numerous studies are systematically introduced and discussed.Different alloy systems,includ-ing those based on Mg–Al,Mg–Zn,and Mg–rare earth,are carefully classified and compared to reveal their mechanical properties and strengthening mechanisms.The emphasis,limitations,and future prospects of these heat-resistant Mg alloys are also pointed out and dis-cussed to develop heat-resistant Mg alloys and broaden their potential application areas in the future.

Customized heat treatment process enabled excellent mechanical properties in wire arc additively manufactured Mg-RE-Zn-Zr alloys

Customized heat treatment is essential for enhancing the mechanical properties of additively manufactured metallic materials,especially for alloys with complex phase constituents and heterogenous microstructure.However,the interrelated evolutions of different microstructure features make it difficult to establish optimal heat treatment processes.Herein,we proposed a method for customized heat treatment process exploration and establishment to overcome this challenge for such kind of alloys,and a wire arc additively manufactured(WAAM)Mg-Gd-Y-Zn-Zr alloy with layered heterostructure was used for feasibility verification.Through this method,the optimal microstructures(fine grain,controllable amount of long period stacking ordered(LPSO)structure and nano-scaleβ'precipitates)and the corresponding customized heat treatment processes(520°C/30 min+200°C/48 h)were obtained to achieve a good combination of a high strength of 364 MPa and a considerable elongation of 6.2%,which surpassed those of other state-of-the-art WAAM-processed Mg alloys.Furthermore,we evidenced that the favorable effect of the undeformed LPSO structures on the mechanical properties was emphasized only when the nano-scaleβ'precipitates were present.It is believed that the findings promote the application of magnesium alloy workpieces and help to establish customized heat treatment processes for additively manufactured materials.

Microstructures and mechanical properties of Mg-Al-Sm series heat-resistant magnesium alloys

The microstructures and phase compositions of the as-cast and die-cast Mg-6.02Al-1.03 Sm, Mg-6.05Al-0.98Sm-0.56 Bi and Mg-5.95Al-1.01Sm-0.57 Zn alloys were investigated. Meanwhile, the tensile mechanical and flow properties were tested. The results show that the as-cast microstructure of Mg-6.02Al-1.03 Sm alloy is composed of δ-Mg matrix, discontinuous δ-Mg17Al12 phase and small block Al2 Sm phase with high thermal stability. Rod Mg3Bi2 phase precipitates when Bi is added, while the added metal Zn dissolves into δ-Mg matrix and δ-Mg17Al12 phase. The as-cast alloys exhibit the excellent tensile mechanical property. The tensile strength（δb） and elongation（δ） can reach 205-235 MPa and 8.5%-16.0% at ambient temperature, respectively. Meanwhile, they can also exceed 160 MPa and 14.0% at 423 K, respectively. The die-cast microstructures are refined obviously, and meanwhile the broken second phases distribute dispersedly. The die-cast alloys exhibit better tensile mechanical properties with the values of δb and δ of 240-285 MPa and 8.5%-16.5% at ambient temperature, respectively, and excellent flow property with the flow length of 1870-2420 mm. The die-cast tensile fractures at ambient temperature exhibit a typical character of ductile fracture.

Effect of heat treatment on microstructure and tensile properties of A356 alloys

Two heat treatments of A356 alloys with combined addition of rare earth and strontium were conducted.T6 treatment is a long time treatment（solution at 535 ℃ for 4 h ＋ aging at 150 ℃ for 15 h）.The other treatment is a short time treatment（solution at 550 ℃ for 2 h ＋ aging at 170 ℃ for 2 h）.The effects of heat treatment on microstructure and tensile properties of the Al-7%Si-0.3%Mg alloys were investigated by optical microscopy,scanning electronic microscopy and tension test.It is found that a 2 h solution at 550 ℃ is sufficient to make homogenization and saturation of magnesium and silicon in α（Al） phase,spheroid of eutectic Si phase.Followed by solution,a 2 h artificial aging at 170 ℃ is almost enough to produce hardening precipitates.Those samples treated with T6 achieve the maximum tensile strength and fracture elongation.With short time treatment（ST）,samples can reach 90% of the maximum yield strength,95% of the maximum strength,and 80% of the maximum elongation.

Effects of heat treatment on microstructure and microhardness of linear friction welded dissimilar Ti alloys

A detailed investigation for the influence of post weld heat treatment （PWHT） on the microstructure of TC4 and TC17 dissimilar joints was analyzed. The fully transformed microstructure in the as-welded zone indicated that the peak temperature exceeded theβ-transus temperature at the weld interface during linear friction welding. TC4 side was mainly composed of martensiteα′phase with random distribution and it was singleβfor that of TC17. In the thermomechanically affected zones of TC4 and TC17, the structure undergoes severe plastic deformation and re-orientation, yet without altering the phase fractions. After PWHT, in the weld zone of TC4 alloy, the phase transformationα′→α＋βoccurred and the acicularαwas coarsened, which resulted in a decrease in hardness. In the weld zone of TC17 alloy, fineαphase precipitated at the grain boundary and withinβgrains, which resulted in a sharp increase in hardness.

Microstructure evolution of spray-formed hypereutectic Al-Si alloys in semisolid reheating process

The Al-27%Si alloy was prepared by the spray forming process,and its microstructure evolution during the semisolid reheating process was investigated.The results show that,the primary Si phase coarsens during the reheating process and the coarsening rate increases with the increase of reheating temperature.The eutectic phase is produced in the molten region when quenched in the cold water.The microstructure evolution in the semisolid state can be divided into three stages.The remarkable characteristic of the first stage is only a solid-state phase transformation process.However,the region around the α（Al） matrix gradually melts in the second stage.The primary Si in the liquid phase coarsens obviously,and the eutectic phase is produced in the molten region when the specimens are quenched in cold water.In the last stage,the same thing as that in the second stage happens except that all the α（Al） matrixes are melted.

Effect of Sn substitution and heat treatment on microstructure and microhardness of Co_(38)Ni_(34)Al_(28-x)Sn_x magnetic shape memory alloys

Sn was used to replace Al in Co38Ni34Al28 alloy. The microstructure and microhardness of Co38Ni34Al28-xSnx （x=0, 1, 2, 3） magnetic shape memory alloys were investigated at different heat treatment temperatures （1373 K, 1473 K, and 1573 K） for 2 h. The results show that more Sn substitution reduces the content of γ-phase and a partial phase of martensite can be obtained in Co38Ni34Al28-xSnx （x=1, 2, 3） alloys after treatment at 1573 K for 2 h. The maximum martensite phase appears when 2% Al is substituted by Sn. The reverse martensitic transformation temperature of Co38Ni34Al28-xSnx alloys increases at x=1 and 2, then decreases as x=3. As the content of Sn and the temperature increase, the microhardness will increase.

Effects of melt overheating degree on undercooling degree and amorphous forming of Nd_9Fe_(85-x)Ti_4C_2B_x(x=10, 12) magnetic alloys

The effectsof melt overheating degree on the undercooling degree and resultant solidification structures of Nd9Fe85-xTi4C2Bx（x=10, 12） glass-forming alloyswerestudied by differential thermal analysis combining with solidification structure analysis. The results indicate that the undercooling degree of Nd9Fe85-xTi4C2Bx（x=10, 12） alloys significantly increaseswith the rise of melt overheating degree, and two overheating degree thresholds corresponding to the drastic increase of the mean undercooling degree are found for each of the alloys. The existence of two turning points of the mean undercooling degreescan be linked to the structure transitions inside the overheated melts, which result in the evident increase of volume fraction of amorphous phasein the solidified structures.

Microstructure evolution and phase transformation of traditional cast and spray-formed hypereutectic aluminium-silicon alloys induced by heat treatment

Microstructural evolution and phase transformation induced by different heat treatments of the hypereutectic aluminium-silicon alloy, Al-25Si-5Fe-3Cu （wt%, signed as 3C）, fabricated by traditional cast （TC） and spray forming （SF） processes, were investigated by differential scanning calorimetry （DSC） and scanning electron microscopy （SEM） combined with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction techniques. The results show that A17Cu2Fe phase can be formed and transformed in TC- and SF-3C alloys between 802-813 K and 800-815 K, respectively. The transformation from β-Al5FeSi to δ-Al4FeSi2 phase via peritectic reaction can occur at around 858-870 K and 876-890 K in TC- and SF-3C alloys, respectively. The starting precipitation temperature of δ-Al4FeSi2 phase as the dominant Fe-bearing phase in the TC-3C alloy is 997 K and the exothermic peak about the peritectic transformation of δ-Al4FeSi2→β-Al5FeSi is not detected in the present DSC experiments. Also, the mechanisms of the microstructural evolution and phase transformation are discussed.

Formation and Evolution of Non-dendritic Microstructures of Semisolid Alloys Prepared by Shearing/Cooling Roll Process

The shearing/cooling roll （SCR） process was adopted to prepare semi-solid A2017 alloy. The formation and evolution of non-dendritic microstructures in semi-solid A2017 alloy were studied. It is shown that the microstructures of semi-solid billets transform from coarse dendrites into fine equiaxed grains as the pouring temperature of molten alloy decreases o.r roll-shoe cavity height is reduced. From the inlet to the exit of roll-shoe cavity, microstructure of semi-solid slurry near the shoe surface is in the order of coarse dendrites, degenerated dendrites or equiaxed grains, but fine equiaxed grains are near the roll surface. Microstructural evolution of semi-solid slurry prepared by SCR process is that the molten alloy nucleates and grows into dendrite firstly on the roll and shoe＇s surface. Under the shearing and stirring given by the rotating roll, the dendrites crush off and disperse into the melt. Under the shearing and stirring on semi-solid slurry with high volume fraction of solid, the dendrite arms fracture and form equiaxed grain microstructures.

Gradual solution heat treatment of AlSiCuMg cast alloys

The microstructure characteristics of AlSiCuMg cast alloys were studied withdifferent Cu content and the gradual solution treatment by DSC, SEM, TEM and mechanical method. Themelting point of alpha (Al) + Si decreases and polynary eutectic phases with low melting point formwith increase of Cu content. Gradual solution treatment includes two steps: solution treating nearthe melting point of polynary eutectic phase to take it dissolve first, and then increasing solutiontemperature to take the remainder copper intermetallics dissolved into alpha (Al). Grain boundariesmelting can be avoided by gradual solution treatment, even the maximum solution temperature isabove final solidification point, and the age hardening response increases correspondingly

Microstructure, cold rolling, heat treatment, and mechanical properties of Mg-Li alloys

The magnesium-lithium （Mg-Li） alloy exhibits two phase structures between 5.7wt% and 10.3wt% Li contents, consisting of the a （hcp） Mg-rich and the β （bcc） Li-rich phases, at room temperature. In the experiment, Mg-5Li-2Zn, Mg-9Li-2Zn, Mg-16Li-2Zn, Mg-22Li-2Zn, Mg-5Li-2Zn-2Ca, Mg-9Li-2Zn-2Ca, Mg-16Li-2Zn-2Ca, and Mg-22Li-2Zn-2Ca （wt%） were melted. During the melting process, the flux, which was composed of lithium chloride （LiCl） and lithium fluoride （LiF） in the proportion of 3：1 （mass ratio） and argon gas were used to protect the alloys from oxidation. The microstructure, mechanical properties, and cold-rolling workability of the wrought alloys were studied. The crystal grain of the alloys （adding Ga） is fine . The hardness of the studied alloys decreases with an increase in element Li. The density of the studied alloys is in the range of 1.187 to 1.617 g/cm^3. The reduction of the Mg-16Li-2Zn and Mg-22Li-2Zn alloys can exceed 85% at room temperature. The Mg-9Li-2Zn-2Ca alloy was heat treated at 300℃ for 8, 12, 16, and 24 h, respectively. The optimum heat treatment of the Mg-9Li-2Zn-2Ca alloy is 300℃×12h by metallographic observation and by studying the mechanical properties of the alloys.

Butt-welding Residual Stress of Heat Treatable Aluminum Alloys

This study, taking three types of aluminum alloys 2024-T351, 6061-T6 and 7075-T6 as experimental materials, conducted single V-groove GTAW （gas tungsten arc welding） butt-welding to analyze and compare the magnitude and differences of residual stress in the three aluminum alloys at different single V-groove angles and in restrained or unrestrained conditions. The results show that the larger the grooving angle of butt joint, the higher the residual tensile stress. Too small grooving angle will lead to dramatic differences due to the amount of welding bead filler metal and pre-set joint geometry. Therefore, only an appropriate grooving angle can reduce residual stress. While welding, weldment in restrained condition will lead to a larger residual stress. Also, a residual stress will arise from the restraint position. The ultimate residual stress of weldment is determined by material yield strength at equilibrium temperature. The higher the yield strength at equilibrium temperature, the higher the material residual stress. Because of its larger thermal conductivity, aluminum alloy test specimens have small temperature differential. Therefore, the residual tensile stress of all materials is lower than their yield strength.

Effect of Heat-Treatment Process on Properties of Rare Earth Mg-Based System Hydrogen Storage Alloys with AB_3-Type

The effect of heat-treatment process on the properties of Mm0.8Mg0.2(NiCoAlMn)3.5 hydrogen storage alloy was discussed . The electrochemical properties such as cycling stability, activation property, and the plateau voltage of the alloy which was heat-treated in various temperatures and times had different changes during the cycle process, the optimum heat-treatment conditions of this alloy were determined by this work.

Variation of the mechanical properties of tungsten heavy alloys tested at different temperatures

The high-temperature mechanical properties of 95W-3.5Ni-1.5Fe and 95W-4.5Ni-0.5Co alloys were investigated in the temperature range of room temperature to1100℃. The yield strength and tensile strengths declined gradually, and the ductility of both alloys increased as the testing temperature was increased to 300℃. All the three properties reached a plateau at temperatures between 300 and 500℃ in the case of 95W-3.5Ni-l.5Fe and at temperatures between 350 and 700℃ in the case of 95W-4.5Ni-0.5Co. Thereafter, the ductility as well as yield and tensile strengths decreased considerably.

Low Superheat Pouring with a Shear Field in Rheoeasting of Aluminum Alloys

A new rheocasting process, Low Superheat Pouring with a Shear Field （LSPSF）, was developed to produce semi-solid slurry for the rheo-forming process. The LSPSF process is one of controlled nucleation and limited growth techniques in which effective nucleation rate is controlled by passive mixing and localized rapid cooling near the liquidus temperature; dendrite growth is limited by a much slower cooling process. The experimental results of rheocast Al-Cu alloy 201 and secondary diecasting alloy A380 demonstrate that LSPSF process is capable of producing high-quality slurry in a matter of seconds. It is concluded that maximizing nucleation and nuclei survival directly lead to the grain refinement of the rheocasting microstructure, and high nuclei density combined with a slower cooling afterwards leads to a globular structure of primary phases.

Effects of high-pressure heat treatment on the solid-state phase transformation and microstructures of Cu_(61.13)Zn_(33.94)Al_(4.93) alloys

The phase transformation activation energy of the Cu61.13Zn33.94A14.93 alloys, which were treated at 4 GPa and 700 ℃ for 15 minutes, was calculated by means of differential scanning calorimetry curves obtained at various heating and cooling rates. Then, the effects of high-pressure heat treatments on the solid-state phase transformation and the microstructures of Cu61.13Zn33.94A14.93 alloys were investigated. The results show that high-pressure heat treatments can refine the grains and can change the preferred orientation from （111） to （200） of α phase. Compared with the as-cast alloy, the sample with high-pressure heat treatment has finer grains, lower β＇→β and/β→β＇ transformation temperature and activation energy. Furthermore, we found that high cooling rate favours the formation of fine needle-like α phase in the range of 5-20℃/min.

Research of heat treatment of low-Co AB_5 type hydrogen storage alloys for MH-Ni batteries

The effects of low-Co AB_5 type hydrogen storage alloys prepared by quenchingand annealing on the performances of MH-Ni batteries were investigated, and the characteristics ofthe low-Co AB_5 type hydrogen storage alloys were compared with those of the high-Co AB_5 typehydrogen storage alloy as well. The results showed that the faster the cooling of the low-Cohydrogen storage alloy is, the better homogeneity of the chemical composition for the alloy and thelonger cycle life of the battery are, but the electrochemical discharge capacity and high-ratedischarge ability are reduced. The high-rate discharge ability and charge retention of MH-Nibatteries for the conventional as-cast annealed low-Co hydrogen storage alloy were superior to thosefor the rapidly quenched low-Co hydrogen storage alloy and the high-Co hydrogen storage alloy, buta little inferior in the cycle life.

Effect of heat treatment on shape memory properties of ductile CuAlMn alloys

The effect of heat treatment on shape memory properties of the ductile CuAlMn alloys was studied. The results show that the heating temperature for the solution treatment should be around 100 ℃ above the transformation temperature in order to obtain good shape memory properties, heating for 10 min at this temperature doesn’t have much influence on the shape memory properties, faster cooling rate helps to obtain good shape memory properties and the shape recovery rate(SRR) decreases with raising ageing temperatures. For Cu 16Al 10Mn alloy, the heat treatment process to acquire higher recovery rate is heating at 800 ℃ for 15 min, quenching into ice water and ageing below 150 ℃ for 15 min. For Cu 17Al 10Mn alloy, the process is the same except heating at 700 ℃.[