Corrosion damage evolution and mechanical properties of carbon fiber reinforced aluminum laminate

Fiber metal laminates(FMLs),a kind of lightweight material with excellent comprehensive performance,have been successfully applied in aerospace.FMLs reinforced with carbon fiber have better mechanical properties than those with glass or aramid fiber.However,carbon fiber binding metal may lead to galvanic corrosion which limits its application.In this paper,electrochemical methods,optical microscope and scanning electron microscope were used to analyze the corrosion evolution of carbon fiber reinforced aluminum laminate(CARALL)in corrosive environment and explore anti-corrosion ways to protect CARALL.The results show that the connection between carbon fiber and aluminum alloy changes electric potential,causing galvanic corrosion.The galvanic corrosion will obviously accelerate CARALL corroded in solution,leading to a 72.1%decrease in interlaminar shear strength,and the crevice corrosion has a greater impact on CARALL resulting in delamination.The reduction of interlaminar shear strength has a similar linear relationship with the corrosion time.In addition,the adhesive layers between carbon fiber and aluminum alloy cannot protect CARALL,while side edge protection can effectively slow down corrosion rate.Therefore,the exposed edges should be coated with anti-corrosion painting.CARALL has the potential to be used for aerospace components.

Effect of process parameters on the morphology of aluminum/copper alloy lap joints by red and blue hybrid laser welding

In order to overcome the problems of many pores,large deformation and unstable weld quality of traditional laser welded aluminumcopper alloy joints,a red-blue dual-beam laser source and a swinging laser were introduced for welding.T2 copper and 6063 aluminum thin plates were lap welded by coaxial dual-beam laser welding.The morphology of weld cross section was compared to explore the influence of process parameters on the formation of lap joints.The microstructure characteristics of the weld zone were observed and compared by optical microscope.The results show that the addition of laser beam swing can eliminate the internal pores of the weld.With the increase of the swing width,the weld depth decreases,and the weld width increases first and then decreases.The influence of welding speed on the weld cross section morphology is similar to that of swing width.With the increase of welding speed,the weld width increases first and then decreases,while the weld depth decreases all the time.This is because that the red laser is used as the main heat source to melt the base metals,with the increase of red laser power,the weld depth increases.As an auxiliary laser source,blue laser reduces the total energy consumption,consequently,the effective heat input increases and the spatter is restrained effectively.As a result,the increase of red laser power has an enhancement effect on the weld width and weld depth.When the swing width is 1.2 mm,the red laser power is 550 W,the blue laser power is 500 W,and the welding speed is 35 mm/s,the weld forming is the best.The lap joint of T2 copper and 6063 aluminum alloy thin plate can be connected stably with the hybrid of blue laser.The effect rules of laser beam swing on the weld formation were obtained,which improved the quality of the joints.

Experiment research on mechanical behavior of the aluminum laminate in the low-high temperature

Aluminum laminate is one kind of the rigidizable composite materials and plays an important role in construction of the inflatable space structure(ISS),which has potential application in space in the future.But the study of the predecessors mainly focuses on the research of the mechanical behavior in the room temperature,for this reason,mechanical properties of the aluminum laminate in low-high temperature have been studied in this paper.The failure mechanism of the aluminum laminate is also analyzed in the microscopic view by JCXA-T33 electron probe.The results show uhat the temperature has significant influence on the strength and Young's modulus of the aluminum laminate.With the increase of temperature,both the strength and Young's modulus of the aluminum laminate decrease.A model between Young's modulus of the aluminum laminate and temperatures is obtained by using Arrhenius equation.The predicted values by the model agree well with the experiment values.

Mechanical Properties of Laminated Aluminum-Based Plates with Gradient Interface

Two laminated composites, 2024/3003 and 7075/6009 aluminum alloys were prepared by double-stream-pouring continuous casting (DSPCC) followed by plastic deformation and heat treatment. The interface characteristics between the external and internal layers of the composites in the as-cast and plastic deformation conditions were analyzed. The results show that the macrostructure difference between the external and internal layers of both composite ingots in the as-cast condition can be clearly clarified but the gradient interfaces are not distinct. However, the macro-scale gradient layers can be demonstrated from the hardness distribution in the cross sections of the composite ingots. After plastic deformation, the gradient characteristic of the interface in the laminated composites maintains except for the decrease in the interface thickness. After plastic deformation and T6 heat treatment, the ultimate strength, yield strength and elongation of 2024/3003 composite plate are 2.35, 3.10 and 0.9 times of that of 3003 aluminum alloy, respectively. The ultimate strength and yield strength of 7075/6009 composite plate increase 47 % and 82 % of that of 6009 aluminum alloy, respectively and the elongation of the composite is still as high as 15.3 %.

Numerical simulation of temperature field in horizontal core-filling continuous casting for copper cladding aluminum rods

The steady-state temperature field of horizontal core-filling continuous casting （HCFC） for producing copper cladding aluminum rods was simulated by finite element method to investigate the effects of key processing parameters on the positions of solid-liquid interfaces （SLIs） of copper and aluminum. It is found that mandrel tube length and mean withdrawing speed have significant effects on the SLI positions of both copper and aluminum. Aluminum casting temperature （TAI） （1003-1123 K） and secondary cooling water flux （600-900 L.h-1） have little effect on the SLI of copper but cause the SLI of aluminum to move 2-4 mm. When TA1 is in a range of 1043-1123 K, the liquid aluminum can fill continuously into the pre-solidified copper tube. Based on the numerical simulation, reasonable processing parameters were determined.

Microstructures and properties analysis of dissimilar metal joint in the friction stir welded copper to aluminum alloy

This paper mainly concentrated on the feasibility of friction stir welding of dissimilar metal of aluminum alloy to copper （I2） and a preliminary analysis of welding parameters influencing on the microstructures and properties of joint was carried out. The results indicated that the thickness of workpiece played an important role in the welding parameters which could succeed in the friction stir welding of dissimilar metal of copper to aluminum alloy, and the parameters were proved to be a narrow choice. The interfacial region between copper and aluminum in the dissimilar joint was not uniformly mixed, constituted with part of incomplete mixing zone, complete mixing zone, dispersion zone and the most region＇ s boundary was obvious. Meantime a kind banded structure with inhomogeneous width was formed. The intermetallic compounds generated during friction stir welding in the interfacial region were mainly CugAl4, Al2Cu etc, and their hardness was higher than oihers.

Fabrication of Superhydrophobic Surfaces on Aluminum Alloy Via Electrodeposition of Copper Followed by Electrochemical Modification

Superhydrophobic aluminum surfaces have been prepared by means of electrodeposition of copper on aluminum surfaces, followed by electrochemical modification using stearic acid organic molecules. Scanning electron microscopy(SEM) images show that the electrodeposited copper films follow "island growth mode" in the form of microdots and their number densities increase with the rise of the negative deposition potentials. At an electrodeposition potential of-0.2 V the number density of the copper microdots are found to be 4.5×104cm^(-2)that are increased to 2.9×105cm^(-2)at a potential of-0.8 V. Systematically, the distances between the microdots are found to be reduced from 26.6 μm to 11.03 μm with the increase of negative electrochemical potential from-0.2 V to-0.8 V. X-ray diffraction(XRD) analyses have confirmed the formation of copper stearate on the stearic acid modified copper films. The roughness of the stearic acid modified electrodeposited copper films is found to increase with the increase in the density of the copper microdots. A critical copper deposition potential of-0.6 V in conjunction with the stearic acid modification provides a surface roughness of 6.2 μm with a water contact angle of 157?, resulting in superhydrophobic properties on the aluminum substrates.

Microstructure of aluminum/copper clad composite fabricated by casting-cold extrusion forming

An aluminum/copper clad composite was fabricated by the casting-cold extrusion forming technology and the microstructures of the products were observed and analyzed.It is found that aluminum grains at the interface are refined in the radial profiles of cone-shaped deformation zone,but the grains in the center maintain the original state and the grain size is non-uniform.A clear boundary presents between the refined area and center area.In contrast,the copper grains in the radial profiles have been significantly refined.In the center area of the copper,the grains are bigger than those at the boundary.On the surface of the deformable body,the grain size is the smallest,but with irregular grain morphology.After the product is entirely extruded,all the copper and aluminum grains are refined with small and uniform morphology.In the center area,the average diameter of aluminum grains is smaller than 5 μm,and the copper grain on the surface is about 10 μm.At the interface,the grain size is very small,with a good combination of copper and aluminum.The thickness of interface is in the range of 10-15 μm.Energy spectrum analysis shows that CuAl3 phase presents at the interface.

Cu-Al interfacial compounds and formation mechanism of copper cladding aluminum composites

Copper cladding aluminum(CCA)rods with the section dimensions of12mm in diameter and2mm in sheath thickness were fabricated by vertical core-filling continuous casting(VCFC)technology.The kinds and morphology of interfacial intermetallic compounds(IMCs)were investigated by SEM,XRD and TEM.The results showed that the interfacial structure of Cu/Al was mainly composed of layeredγ1(Cu9Al4),cellularθ(CuAl2),andα(Al)+θ(CuAl2)phases.Moreover,residual acicularε2(Cu3Al2+x)phase was observed at the Cu/Al interface.By comparing the driving force of formation forε2(Cu3Al2+x)andγ1(Cu9Al4)phases,the conclusion was drawn that theε2(Cu3Al2+x)formed firstly at the Cu/Al interface.In addition,the interfacial formation mechanism of copper cladding aluminum composites was revealed completely.

Recovering of copper with metallic aluminum

The cementation of copper ions from aqueous copper sulfate solutions by using spherical aluminum metal particles was examined. The effects of the experimental parameters on copper cementation were investigated and evaluated. Reaction rate increases with increasing copper concentration, reaction temperature, stirring speed and decreasing pH. It was observed that the reaction follows the first-order kinetics, and progresses according to the diffusion controlling step.

Orthogonal tests of copper-clad aluminum bimetal continuous casting by nitrogen pressure core-illing

To provide theoretical basis and practical guidance for preparing composite rods by direct continuous casting, copper-clad aluminum composite rods of external copper layer diameter 12 mm and inner aluminum core diameter 8 mm were manufactured. Orthogonal tests consisted of three factors and three levels were carried out to research the effects of melting copper temperature, continuous casting speed and nitrogen pressure on the performance of composite rods. Results showed that nitrogen pressure is the most important factor in influencing the surface quality; continuous casting speed is the most important factor in influencing copper & aluminum inter diffusion amount. Nitrogen pressure can noticeably improve the surface quality and make the rods easily be drawn out, but the surface quality does not show visible improvement when the nitrogen pressure is above 0.05 MPa. Measured by tests, the compound layer can be divided into three types according to its cladding layer degree: deficient cladding, normal cladding and excess cladding. The diameter of normal copper-clad aluminum composite rods can be successfully drawn less than 0.6 mm without annealing.

Effect of equal-channel angular pressing on pitting corrosion resistance of anodized aluminum-copper alloy

The effect of equal-channel angular pressing(ECAP) on the pitting corrosion resistance of anodized Al-Cu alloy was investigated by electrochemical techniques in a solution containing 0.2 mol/L AlCl3 and also by surface analysis.Anodizing was conducted for 20 min at 200 and 400 A/m2 in a solution containing 1.53 mol/L H2SO4 and 0.018 5 mol/L Al2(SO4)3·16H2O at 20 ℃.Anodized Al-Cu alloy was immediately dipped in boiling water for 20 min to seal the micro pores present in anodic oxide films.The time required before initiating pitting corrosion of anodized Al-Cu alloy is longer with ECAP than without,indicating that ECAP process improves the pitting corrosion resistance of anodized Al-Cu alloy.Second phase precipitates such as Si,Al-Cu-Mg and Al-Cu-Si-Fe-Mn intermetallic compounds are present in Al-Cu alloy and the size of these precipitates is greatly decreased by application of ECAP.Al-Cu-Mg intermetallic compounds are dissolved during anodization,whereas the precipitates composed of Si and Al-Cu-Si-Fe-Mn remain in anodic oxide films due to their more noble corrosion potential than Al.FE-SEM and EPMA observation reveal that the pitting corrosion of anodized Al-Cu alloy occurs preferentially around Al-Cu-Si-Fe-Mn intermetallic compounds,since the anodic oxide films are absent at the boundary between the normal oxide films and these impurity precipitates.The improvement of pitting corrosion resistance of anodized Al-Cu alloy processed by ECAP appears to be attributed to a decrease in the size of precipitates,which act as origins of pitting corrosion.

Vision-based detection of weld pool width in TIG welding of copper-clad aluminum cable

In order to realize automatic control of the width of weld pool, a visual sensor system for the width of weld pool detection is developed. By initiative arc light, the image of copper plate weld pool is taken back of the torch through the process of weakening and filtering arc light. In order to decrease the time of processing video signals, analog circuit is applied in the processing where video signals is magnified, trimmed and processed into binary on the datum of dynamic average value, therefore the waveform of video signals of weld pool is obtained. The method that is used for detecting the width of weld pool is established. Results show that the vision sensing method for real-time detecting weld pool width to copper-clad aluminum wire TIG welding is feasible. The response cycle of this system is no more than 50 ms, and the testing precision is less than 0. 1 mm.

Effect of preparation methods of aluminum emulsions on catalytic performance of copper-based catalysts for methanol synthesis from syngas

Various Cu/ZnO/Al2O3 catalysts have been synthesized by different aluminum emulsions as aluminum sources and their pertormances tor methanol synthesis from syngas have been investigated. The influences of preparation methods of aluminum emulsions on physicochemical and catalytic properties of catalysts were studied by XRD, SEM, XPS,N2 adsorption-desorption techniques and methanol synthesis from syngas. The preparation methods of aluminum emulsions were found to influence the catalytic activity, CuO crystallite size, surface area and Cu0 surface area and reduction process. The results show that the catalyst CN using the aluminum source prepared by addition the ammonia into the aluminum nitrate （NP） exhibited the best catalytic performance for methanol synthesis from syngas.

Effect of continuous induction annealing on the microstructure and mechanical properties of copper-clad aluminum flat bars

Copper-clad aluminum （CCA） flat bars produced by the continuous casting-rolling process were subjected to continuous induction heating annealing （CIHA）, and the effects of induction heating temperature and holding time on the microstructure, interface, and mechanical properties of the fiat bars were investigated. The results showed that complete recrystallization of the copper sheath occurred under CIHA at 460℃ for 5 s, 480℃ for 3 s, or 500℃ for 1 s and that the average grain size in the copper sheath was approximately 10.0 μm. In the case of specimens subjected to CIHA at 460-500℃ for longer than 1 s, complete recrystallization occurred in the aluminum core. In the case of CIHA at 460-500℃ for 1-5 s, a continuous interracial layer with a thickness of 2.5-5.5 μm formed and the thickness mainly increased with increasing annealing temperature. After CIHA, the interracial layer consisted primarily of a Cu9A14 layer and a CuA12 layer; the average interface shear strength of the CCA flat bars treated by CIHA at 460-500℃ for 1-5 s was 45-52 MPa. After full softening annealing, the hardness values of the copper sheath and the aluminum core were HV 65 and HV 24, respectively, and the hardness along the cross section of the CCA flat bar was uniform.

Manufacturing process and microstructure of copper-coated aluminum wires

Copper-coated aluminum wires exhibit good electrical conductivity, high thermal conductivity, low contact resistance of copper and low density, and provide economic advantages over aluminum. However, there are some problems in the manufacring processes of hot-dip copper-coated aluminum wires, such as the difficulties in controlling coating process. In this work, the hot-dip copper-coating method of aluminum wires was investigated for producing copper-coated aluminum wire composites. The interface microstructure between the aluminum wire and the copper coating layer was analyzed by scanning electron microscopy （SEM） and energy-dispersive X-ray spec- trometry （EDS）. Five different fluxing agents were tested. Experimental results show that appropriate conditions for the hot-dip process are determined as the liquid copper temperature of 1085℃ and the treatment time less than 1 s. A success in hot-dip copper-coated aluminum wires is achieved by hot-dipping a low-melting-point metal into a high-melting-point metal liquid, which is significant for the further devel- opment and application of copper-coated aluminum wire composites.

On the direct use of recovered scrap copper and saving copper with aluminum in the Chinese cable industry

The copper consumption by the Chinese cable industry amounted to 354×104 t in 2006, taking over 70 % of the total copper consumption in China in that year. At present, making copper rod directly from recovered scrap copper and saving copper with aluminum have become topics of general interests in the Chinese cable industry. The quality of the copper conductors in the industry is declining, resulting in sharp decrease in the rate of qualified wire and cable products. More and more copper wires are drawn from the rods made directly from scrap copper. The manufacturers know well some of the wires or rods are unqualified products though, they continue to use or produce products not complying with standards in order to make profits. Now the consumption of copper-clad-aluminum and copper-clad-steel is growing gradually. In 2006, the consumption of copper-clad-aluminum in China amounted to ca. 5×104 t. But in some applications, neither the common understanding between buyer and supplier nor the results of feasibility study are achieved in the product orientation and technical/economic feasibility in terms of saving copper with aluminum. This paper presents the status-quo, problems arisen and suggestions in terms of making copper rod directly from recovered scrap copper and saving copper with aluminum, in a view to promote these two topics of general interests to go toward a virtuous circle.

Thick Target Neutron Production on Aluminum and Copper by 40 MeV Deuterons

The thick target neutron yields （TTNYs） of deuteron-induced reaction on AI and Cu isotopes are analyzed by combining the improved nuclear models and particle transport effects. The modified Glauber model is employed mainly to produce the peak of double differential cross section for the breakup process, and the exciton model and the Hauser-Feshbach theory are used for the statistical processes. The thin-layer accumulation method is used to calculate the TTNYs considering the neutron attenuation effects in the target. The calculated results are compared with the existing experimental data, and the analysis method can predict the TTNY data well at the deuteron energy of 40 MeV.

Analysis of Laser Micro Welding of Copper-Aluminum Dissimilar Metals and Its Mechanism

Micro welding of dissimilar metals can meet many performance requirements for modern engineering structures. In this experiment, laser micro welding of copper-aluminum dissimilar metals was conducted with an HWLW-300A energy negative feedback Nd:YAG pulse laser. By using the overlap welding method with copper on aluminum, with the laser energy being distributed unevenly, good weld joints were obtained. In this paper, the welding mechanism was analyzed from aspects such as welding temperature and the specific heat capacity of the solid metal. Existing defects were identified, and a feasible improvement scheme was proposed.

Distribution and engulfment behavior of TiB_2 particles or clusters in wedge-shaped copper casting ingot

Wedge-shaped copper casting experiment was conducted to study the engulfment behavior of TiB2 particle and the interaction between particle or cluster and the solid/liquid front in commercial pure aluminum matrix. The experimental results show that the particle size distribution obeys two separate systems in the whole wedge-cast sample. Furthermore, it is found that the big clusters are pushed to the center of the wedge shaped sample and the single particle or small clusters consisting of few particles are engulfed into the α-Al in the area of the sample edge. The cluster degree of particles varies in different areas, and its value is 0.2 and 0.6 for the cluster fraction in the edge and in the center of the wedge sample, respectively. The cluster diameter does not obey the normal distribution but approximately obeys lognormal distribution in the present work. More importantly, in the whole sample, the particle size obeys two separate log-normal distributions.