Effects of Heating and Hot Extrusion Process on Microstructure and Properties of Inconel 625 Alloy

The effects of the heating process and hot extrusion on the microstructure and properties of inconel 625 alloy were studied. The experimental results showed that the properties of Inconel 625 alloy could be improved through the heating process and hot extrusion concomitant with a reduced corrosion rate. The M23C6 carbide, generated in the heating process, was retained and distributed at the grain boundary during the process of hot extrusion, which had an important influence on both elongation and corrosion resistance. The improvement of the comprehensive properties of the material, as measured by a tensile test at room temperature, was correlated with the dissolution of segregation Nb. A typical ductile fracture changed to a cleavage fracture where secondary cracks could be clearly seen. With the increase of the extrusion ratio, the real extrusion temperature was higher, which led to more dissolution of the M23C6 carbide, decreased the number of secondary cracks, enhanced the effect of solid solution strengthening, and reduced the intergranular corrosion rate. Under the condition of a high extrusion ratio and a high extrusion speed, the less extrusion time made it possible to obtain organization with a smaller average grain size. Moreover, in this case, the M23C6 carbide and segregated Nb did not have enough time to diffuse. Thus all samples exhibited medium strengths and corrosion rates after extrusion.

Microstructure and mechanical properties of the micrograined hypoeutectic Zn–Mg alloy

A biodegradable Zn alloy, Zn-1.6Mg, with the potential medical applications as a promising coating material for steel components was studied in this work. The alloy was prepared by three different procedures： gravity casting, hot extrusion, and a combination of rapid solidification and hot extrusion. The samples prepared were characterized by light microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and X-ray diffraction analysis. Vickers hardness, tensile, and compressive tests were performed to determine the samples＇ mechanical properties. Structural examination reveals that the average grain sizes of samples prepared by gravity casting, hot extrusion, and rapid solidification followed by hot extrusion are 35.0, 9.7, and 2.1 μm, respectively. The micrograined sample with the finest grain size exhibits the highest hardness（Hv = 122 MPa）, compressive yield strength（382 MPa）, tensile yield strength（332 MPa）, ultimate tensile strength（370 MPa）, and elongation（9%）. This sample also demonstrates the lowest work hardening in tension and temporary softening in compression among the prepared samples. The mechanical behavior of the samples is discussed in relation to the structural characteristics, Hall-Petch relationship, and deformation mechanisms in fine-grained hexagonal-close-packed metals.

Microstructure and mechanical properties of Mg-14Li-1Al-0.3La alloys produced by two-pass extrusion

The microstructure of as-cast and extruded Mg-14 Li-1 Al-（0, 0.3） La alloys was examined with XRD,OM, SEM, and EDS. The mechanical properties of the extruded specimens with and without La were compared. The results show that La addition has an obvious effect on the microstructure of the as-cast LA141 alloy by reducing the average grain size from 600 to 220 μm. β-Li and LiMgAl2 phases are observed in both alloys, and long-rod-shaped Al2 La phase is also observed in the La containing alloy. After extrusion, Al2 La phases are short-rod-shaped and distribute evenly in the alloy. LAl41-0.3 La alloy has higher elongation（34%）, which is attributed to refined microstructure and weak texture due to shortrod-like Al2 La phase.

Effect of Extrusion Temperature on the Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Mg–5Al–2Ca Alloy

In this work, the Mg–5Al–2Ca alloy was extruded at 573, 623 and 673 K, with a ratio of 16：1 and a constant speed of 3 mm/s. Results demonstrate that the Al2Ca particle is formed in Mg–5Al–2Ca alloy. The size, amount and distribution of Al2Ca particles are influenced evidently by extrusion temperature. Unlike previous reports, the intensity of basal texture increases with increasing extrusion temperature, and the reasons are analyzed and given. Even though the average grain size increases as the extrusion temperature increased from 573 to 623 K, the YS, UTS and elongation of asextruded Mg–5Al–2Ca alloy are almost kept the same at 573 and 623 K. The reason is speculated as the balance of grain size, Al2Ca phase and texture at the two temperatures. The work hardening rate depends on extrusion temperature, and the largest θ value of Mg–5Al–2Ca alloy is obtained when the extrusion was performed at 623 K.

Influence of size and distribution of W phase on strength and ductility of high strength Mg-5.1Zn-3.2Y-0.4Zr-0.4Ca alloy processed by indirect extrusion

A high strength Mg-5.1Zn-3.2Y-0.4Zr-0.4Ca （wt%） alloy containing W phase （Mg3Y2Zn3） prepared by permanent mold direct-chill casting is indirectly extruded at 350 ℃ and 400 ℃, respectively. The extruded alloys show bimodal grain structure consisting of fine dynamic recrystallized （DRXed） grains and unre- crystallized coarse regions containing fine W phase and β2′ precipitates. The fragmented W phase particles induced by extrusion stimulate nucleation of DRXed grains, leading to the formation of fine DRXed grains, which are mainly distributed near the W particle bands along the extrusion direction. The alloy extruded at 350 ℃ exhibits yield strength of 373 MPa, ultimate tensile strength of 403 MPa and elongation to failure of 5.1%. While the alloy extruded at 400 ℃ shows lower yield strength of 332 MPa, ultimate tensile strength of 352 MPa and higher elongation to failure of 12%. The mechanical properties of the as-extruded alloys vary with the distribution and size of W phase. A higher fraction of DRXed grains is obtained due to the homogeneous distribution of micron-scale broken W phase particles in the alloy extruded at 400 ℃, which can lead to higher ductility. In addition, the nano-scale dynamic W phase precipitates distributed in the unDRXed regions are refined at lower extrusion temperature. The smaller size of nano-scale W phase precipitates leads to a higher fraction of unDRXed regions which contributes to higher strength of the alloy extruded at 350 ℃.

Enhanced Strength and Ductility Due to Microstructure Refinement and Texture Weakening of the GW102K Alloy by Cyclic Extrusion Compression

The cyclic extrusion compression （CEC） was applied to severely deform the as-extruded GW102K （Mg- 10.0Gd-2.0Y-0.5Zr, wt%） alloy at 350, 400, and 450 ℃, respectively. The microstructure, texture, and grain boundary character distribution of the CECed alloy were investigated in the present work. The mechan- ical properties were measured by uniaxial tension at room temperature. The crack initiation on the longitudinal section near the tensile fracture-surface was investigated by high-resolution scanning elec- tron microscopy （SEM）. The result shows that the microstructure was dramatically refined by dynamic recrystallization （DRX）. The initial fiber texture was disintegrated and obviously weakened. The 8-passes/ 350 ℃ CECed alloy exhibited yield strength of 318 MPa with an elongation-to-fracture of 16.8%, increased by 41.3% and 162.5%, respectively. Moreover, the elongation-to-fracture of the 8-passes/450 ℃ CECed alloy significantly increased more than 3 times than that of the received alloy. The cracks were mainly initi- ated at twin boundaries and second phase/matrix interfaces during tensile deformation. The microstructure refinement was considered to result in the dramatically enhanced of the strength and ductility. In ad- dition, the texture randomization during CEC is beneficial for enhancing ductility. The standard positive Hall-Petch relationships have been obtained for the CECed GW102K alloy.

Heat-treatable Mg-9Al-6Sn-3Zn extrusion alloy

Mg-9Al-6Sn-3Zn （wt%） alloy was extruded and heat treated in T5 and T6 conditions, and its mechanical properties and microstructures were investigated. The extruded product can be slightly strengthened by the T5 treatment as a result of sparse and heterogeneous precipitation. Significant increase in strength is achieved by the T6 treatment, and this is mostly attributed to the formation of lamellar discontinuous Mg17Al12 precipitates. The segregation of Al and Zn at grain boundaries is responsible for the discontinuous Mg17Al12 nucleation. The T6-treated alloy exhibits a tensile yield strength of 341 MPa and an ultimate tensile strength of 409 MPa, together with an elongation to fracture of 4%.

Correlation between microstructures and mechanical properties of high-speed friction stir welded aluminum hollow extrusions subjected to axial forces

The AA6005A-T6 aluminum hollow extrusions were friction stir welded at a high welding speed of 2000mm/min and various axial forces. The results show that the nugget zone （NZ） is characterized by fine equiaxed grains, in which a low density of equilibrium phase β is observed. The grains in the thermo-mechanically affected zone （TMAZ） are elongated, and the highest density of dislocations and a low density of β precipitates can be found in grains. The heat affected zone （HAZ） only experiences a low thermal cycle, and a high density of β precipitates and a low density of β precipitates remain in the coarsened grains. The microhardness evolutions in the NZ, TMAZ and HAZ are governed by the grain refinement and dislocation strengthening, the dislocation and precipitation strengthening, and the precipitation and solid solution strengthening, respectively. When increasing the axial force, the changing trend of one strengthening mechanism is contrary to the other in each zone, and the microhardness increases in different zones. As a result, the tensile strength roughly increases with raising the axial force, and all joints show good tensile properties as the high welding speed inhibits the coarsening and dissolution of strengthening precipitates significantly.

Vibration Assisted Extrusion of Polypropylene

A new homemade apparatus, i.e. vibration assisted extrusion equipment, is employed to extrude polypropylene. Vibration assisted extrusion is based on the application of a specific macroscopic shear vibration field. Reduction of apparent melt viscosity as a function of vibration frequency is measured at different screw speeds and die temperatures. The effect of the process is investigated by performing mechanical tests, differential scanning calorimetry studies, polarized light microscopy and wide-angle X-ray diffraction. It is found that, compared with conventional extrusion, vibration assisted extrusion could effectively improve the rheological properties of PP melt by incorporating an extra shear vibration field. Both the tensile strength and elongation at break increased under the shear vibration field. For vibration assisted extrusion samples, both the melting temperature and crystallinity increased, accompanied by remarkable grain refinement. Vibration assisted extrusion induced a significantly enhanced bimodal orientation with a high fraction of a^＊-oriented α-crystallites, while only a limited improvement in the flow direction orientation. A structural model, i.e. bimodal c-axis and a^＊-axis orientation of PP macromolecular chains, was adopted to explain the experimental results.

Microstructure, Mechanical Properties, Corrosion Behavior and Biocompatibility of As-Extruded Biodegradable Mg–3Sn–1Zn–0.5Mn Alloy

The microstructure evolution and mechanical properties of biodegradable Mg-3Sn-1Zn-0.5Mn alloys were investigated by the optical microscopy, X-ray diffractometer and a universal material testing machine. The corrosion and degradation behaviors were studied by potentiodynamic polarization method and immersion test in a simulated body fluid （SBF）. It was found that the as-extruded Mg-3Sn-1Zn-0.5Mn alloy has the fine equiaxed grains which underwent complete dynamic recrystallization during the hot extrusion process, with the second phase particles of Mg2Sn precipitated on the grain boundaries and inside the grains. The tensile strength and elongation of as-extruded Mg-3Sn-1Zn-0.5Mn alloys were 244 ± 3.7 MPa and 19.3% ± 1.7%, respectively. The potentiodynamic polarization curves in SBF solution indicated the better corrosion resistance of the as-extruded Mg-3Sn-1Zn-0.5Mn alloy in the SBF solution. Immersion test in the SBF solution for 720 h revealed that the corrosion rate of as-extruded Mg-3Sn-1Zn-0.5Mn alloy was nearly 4±0.33 ram/year. The hemolysis rate of as-extruded Mg-3Sn-1Zn-0.5Mn alloy was lower than the safe value of 5% according to ISO 10993-4. As-extruded Mg-3Sn- 1Zn-0.5Mn alloy showed good biocompatibility after being implanted into the dorsal muscle and the femoral shaft of the rabbit, and no abnormalities were found after short-term implantation. It was revealed that the as-extruded Mg-3Sn-1Zn-0.5Mn alloy is a promising material for biodegradable implants, which possesses an interesting combination of preferred mechanical properties, better corrosion resistance and biocompatibility.

Physical properties of WSTi3515S burn-resistant titanium alloy

Development of burn-resistant titanium alloys is the most direct way of mitigating the ignition and propagation of titanium fires in jet engines. WSTi3515S alloy（Ti–35V–15Cr–0.3Si–0.1C） is a new high alloying beta type burn-resistant titanium alloy, belonging to Ti–V–Cr type alloys which have been made significant progress in engineering technology in the past 5 years. The physical properties of WSTi3515S burn-resistant titanium alloy such as the elastic properties and thermal properties were measured and analyzed in different conditions. The results show that both the Young＇s modulus and shear modulus of WSTi3515S alloy decrease slightly with the temperature increasing at the tested temperature range. The Poisson＇s ratio of WSTi3515S alloy is around 0.36. However, the thermal properties such as the specific heat, thermal diffusivity, thermal conductivity and thermal expansion increase with the temperature increasing, which results from the strengthening of lattice heat vibration at elevated temperature. And the room temperature density of WSTi3515S alloy is 5.295 gácm^（-3）.

Evolution of microstructure and tensile properties of extruded Mg-4Zn-1Y alloy

In order to investigate the effect of extrusion on Mg-4Zn-1Y alloy, microstructure and mechanical properties were analyzed by optical microscopy（OM）, scanning electron microscopy（SEM）, transmission electron microscopy（TEM）, X-ray diffraction（XRD）, energy dispersive spectrum（EDS） and tensile testing.The results indicated that the microstructure was obviously refined by extrusion and dynamic recrystallization.The second phases were dynamic precipitated and distributed more dispersively through extrusion.W-Phases（Mg3Zn3Y2） were twisted and broken, while I-Phases（Mg3Zn6Y） were spheroidized by deformation.Twin bands were formed to achieve the large deformation and hinder the slip of dislocations effectively to improve tensile properties.The tensile strength and elongation of extruded Mg-4Zn-1Y alloy were 254.94 MPa and 17.9% respectively which were improved greatly compared with those of as-cast alloy.The strengthening mechanisms of the extruded alloy were mainly fine-grain strengthening and distortion strengthening.