Effect of nano TiN/Ti refiner on as-cast and hot-working microstructure of commercial purity aluminum

A novel type nano TiN/Ti composite grain refiner （TiN/Ti refiner） was prepared by high energy ball milling, and its effect on as-cast and hot-working microstructure of commercial purity aluminum （pure Al） was investigated. The results show that TiN/Ti refiner exhibits excellent grain refining performances on pure Al. With an addition of 0.2% TiN/Ti refiner, the average grain size of pure Al decreases to 82 μm, which is smaller than that of pure Ti and Al 5Ti 1B master alloy as refiners. The microstructure of weld joint of pure Al with 0.1% TiN/Ti refiner is fine equiaxed grains and the hardness of weld joint is higher than that of the base metal. For pure Al with 40% cold deformation and recrystallization at 250 °C for 1.0 h, the grains of the sample added 0.1% Ti powder have an obvious grain growth behavior. In contrast, oriented grains caused by deformation have been eliminated, and there is no obvious grain growth in pure Al refined with 0.1% TiN/Ti refiner, indicating that nano TiN in the refiner inhibits the growth of grain during recrystallization.

Modification Behavior of Trace Rare Earth on Impurity Phases in Commercial Purity Aluminum

Modifying effect and mechanism of trace rare earth on Fe(Si) rich impurity phases in commercial purity aluminum were studied with the aids of SEM, EDAX, TEM, etc. It is found that Ce rich mixed rare earth (RE) is an effective modifying agent, which makes the coarse Fe rich impurity phases transform into complex compounds of tiny, sphere/short stick form, thus improving mechanical properties of this material; its modifying mechanism is in that RE gathering in front of solid/liquid interface enters into the impurity phases, forming complex (AlFeSiRE) compounds; or is adsorbed in the impurity phases surface, impeding the growth of impurity phases; however, excessive RE will result in the increasing of RE compounds (secondary phases), and plasticity reduction of this material. Therefore, its addition amount should be less than 0 07% (mass fraction).

Self-corrosion, electrochemical and discharge behavior of commercial purity Al anode via Mn modification in Al-air battery

The self-corrosion, electrochemical and discharge behavior of commercial purity Al anode via Mn modification in Al-air battery was studied by the hydrogen evolution, weight loss, electrical conductivity, electrochemical and discharge tests. Results show that the synergetic effects of the dissolved Mn and Mn-modifying Al_(3)Fe intermetallic decrease the weight loss and inhibit the hydrogen evolution of commercial purity Al in Na OH solution when minor Mn is introduced. However, more Mn addition leads to the formation of Al_6Mn intermetallic,which has little effect on the weight loss, but accelerates the hydrogen evolution. Mn introduction plays a positive role in activating Al anodes, resulting in a decrease in the anodic polarization and an increase in the discharge voltage. Among all the commercial purity Al-x Mn anodes, 0.1 wt% Mn addition exhibits the best discharge efficiency for Al-air battery.

Microstructure and Hardness of Laser Shocked Ultra-fine-grained Aluminum

Ultra-fine-grained commercial purity aluminum was produced by severe cold rolling, annealing and then strain- ing at ultra-high rate by a single pass laser shock. Resulted microstructure was investigated by transmission electron microscopy. Microhardness of annealed 0.6μm ultra-fine grained aluminum increased by 67% from 24 to 40 HV. Many 0.3 μm sub-grains appeared at the shock wave center after a single pass laser shock, while high density dislocation networks were observed in some grains at the shock wave edges. Accordingly, microhardness at the impact center increased by 37.5% from 40 to 55 HV. From the impact center to the edge, microhardness decreased by 22% from 55 to 45 HV.

Titania coating formation on hydrostatically extruded pure titanium by micro-arc oxidation method

In this work,the microstructure of titania coating fabricated on the surface of hydrostatically extruded titanium grade 4 with the use of the micro-arc oxidation method was studied.The surface topography and microstructure investigations performed with atomic force microscopy and scanning and transmission electron microscopy revealed that,by using an Na_(2)HPO_(4)electrolyte,a well-adherent porous coating is produced on the top surface and side walls of the extruded rod.The distribution of chemical elements was analyzed by using energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy.The chemical elements dissolved in the electrolyte(Na,P and O)incorporated into the coating.Sodium locates preferentially in the outer part of the coating,while phosphorus and oxygen are distributed throughout the whole coating.The most relevant finding shows that a grain refinement caused by a hydrostatic extrusion provoked an increase in density of high-angle grain boundaries(HAGB),which in turn secured the formation of a continuous amorphous layer close to the substrate.The presence of this layer compensates for the effect of anisotropic substrate,producing a comparable and homogenous microstructure with a large number of micropores.