Effects of Be additions on microstructure, hardness and tensile properties of A380 aluminum alloy

The effects of beryllium (Be) on the microstructure, hardness and tensile properties of A380 aluminum alloy were investigated. The base and Be-containing A380 alloys were conventionally cast in a ductile iron mold. The microstructure evolution was investigated using SEM and optical microscope. The mechanical properties were assessed using tensile and hardness tests, finally the rapture surfaces of the used samples were studied to reveal the fracture mechanism in the presence of Be. The results revealed that the plateletβ intermetallic phases were transformed into relatively harmless Chinese script Be?Fe phase and eutectic Si phases changed from flake-like particles into fine ones. The corresponding ultimate tensile strength (UTS) and elongation values increased from 270 MPa to 295 MPa and 3.7% to 4.7%, respectively. Additionally, the hardness of A380 alloy decreased continuously with increasing Be content. While the fracture surfaces of the unmodified A380 alloy tensile samples showed a clear brittle fracture nature, while finer dimple and fewer brittle cleavage surfaces were seen in the alloys with Be addition. Moreover, in the presence of Be, due to the refined phases, there has been a decrease in the values of hardness.

Semisolid slurry of 7A04 aluminum alloy prepared by electromagnetic stirring and Sc, Zr additions

Slurry preparation is one of the most critical steps for semisolid casting, and its primary goal is to prepare slurry with uniformly distributed fine globules. In this work, electromagnetic stirring(EMS) and the addition of Sc and Zr elements were used to prepare semisolid slurry of 7A04 aluminum alloy in a large diameter slurry maker. The effects of different treatments on the microstructure, composition and their radial homogeneity were investigated. The results show that, compared to the slurry without any treatment, large volume slurry with finer and more uniform microstructure can be obtained when treated by EMS, Sc, or Zr additions individually. EMS is more competent in the microstructural and chemical homogenization of the slurry while Sc and Zr additions are more excellent in its microstructural refinement. The combined treatment of EMS, Sc and Zr produces premium 7A04 aluminum alloy slurry with uniformly distributed fine α-Al globules and composition. The interaction mechanism between EMS and Sc and Zr additions was also discussed.

Mechanism of strengthening of cube texture for high purity aluminum foils by additional-annealing

The mechanism of strengthening of cube texture ({001}<100>) by additional annealing of high purity aluminum foils was investigated by using orientation distribution functions (ODFs) and electron back scattered diffraction (EBSD). The results of ODFs and fiber show that the orientation densities of the S {123}<634> and Cu {112}<111> components increase in both the additional annealed samples and the 0.11 mm final cold rolled foils. And the EBSD results demonstrate that cube nuclei can be identified in the deformed matrix of those additional annealed samples. It is suggested that the strengthening of cube texture can be brought out by the increasing of components of S and Cu and the formation of cube nuclei caused by additional annealing. Moreover, it is found that the cube texture increases first and then decreases with increasing additional annealing temperature, and it is the strongest at 180 ℃.The strengthening of cube texture by additional annealing is proposed as the result of oriented growth of cube subgrains.

Microstructure and tensile properties of AE42-based magnesium alloys with calcium addition

The as-cast microstructure of AE42 was of typical dendritic and composed of the a matrix and some needle-shaped interphases Al11RE3. A small mount of Ca addition results in significant microstructural refinement and formation of a Al2Ca phase, which showed two kinds of morphologies, lamellar and tiny granular. The former distributes on grain boundaries and the later is within the matrix grains. With the increase of Ca addition the volume fraction of Al-RE compound (Al11RE3) decreases, but Al2Ca increases. Addition of Ca causes a significant increase of yield strength of the alloy both at ambient and elevated temperatures, but a little decrease of the ductility. With calcium addition the ultimate strength decreases at ambient temperature and 150°t, but increases at 175°C and 200°C.

TENSILE STRENGTH AND CREEP RESISTANCE OF Mg-9Al-1Zn BASED ALLOYS WITH CALCIUM ADDITION

Small amount of calcium addition to the Mg-9Al-0.8Zn-0.2Mn (AZ91) alloy resulted in obvious influence on mechanical properties. The yield strength of the alloys increased with the increase of Ca addition and the maximum strength was obtained from the alloy containing 0.15% of Ca. The creep resistance at the temperatures between 150-220°C was also significantly increased with Ca addition. The creep rate (at 200°C, 50 MPa) of the alloy with 0.15% Ca addition was one order of magnitude lower than that of the base alloy (AZ91). Microstructural observations revealed that the addition of calcium refined the microstructure and enhanced the thermal stability of the β precipitates, which accounted for the improvement of creep resistance at high temperatures.

Preparation and characterization of porous ceramics prepared by kaolinite gangue and Al(OH)_3 with double addition of MgCO_3 and CaCO_3

Porous ceramics were prepared from kaolinite gangue and Al（OH）3 with double addition of MgCO3 and CaCO3 by the pore-forming in-situ technique.The characterizations of porous ceramics were investigated by X-ray diffractometry,scanning electron microscopy,and mercury porosimetry measurements,etc.It is found that although the decomposition of MgCO3 and CaCO3 has little contribution to the porosity,the double addition of MgCO3 and CaCO3 strongly affects the formation of liquid phase,and then changes the phase compositions,pore characterization,and strength.The appropriate mode is the sample containing 1.17wt% MgCO3 and 1.17wt% CaCO3,which has high apparent porosity（41.0%）,high crushing strength（53.5 MPa）,high mullite content（76wt%）,and small average pore size（3.24 μm）.

Effects of La addition on the microstructure and tensile properties of Al-Si-Cu-Mg casting alloys

The effects of La addition on the microstructure and tensile properties of B-refmed and Sr-modified A1-1 1Si-1.5Cu-0.3Mg cast- ing alloys were investigated. With a trace addition of La （0.05wt%-0. lwt%）, the mutual poisoning effect between B and Sr can be neutral- ized by the formation of LaB6 rather than SrB6. By employing a La/B weight ratio of 2：1, uniform microstructures, which are characterized by well refined ct-A1 grains and adequately modified eutectic Si particles as well as the incorporation of precipitated strengthening intermetal- lics, are obtained and lead to appreciable tensile properties with an ultimate tensile strength of 270 MPa and elongation of 5.8%.

Effect of rare earth samarium addition on the kinetics of precipitation in Al-Cu-Mn casting alloy

The mechanical properties of Al-Cu-Mn casting alloy mainly depend on the morphology, distribution, size, and number ofθ′（Al2Cu） precipitates. In this study, we have analyzed the effect of rare earth samarium （Sm） addition on the kinetics of precipitation in the Al-Cu-Mn casting alloy by using differential scanning calorimetry （DSC） and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. Thermal ef-fect peaks that are attributed to the formation and the dissolution of Guinier-Preston （GP） zone andθ′phase were identified from the DSC curves. The activation energy ofθ′formation was calculated by using both the Kissinger method and the analytical model, and the corre-sponding results were compared. Results suggest that the activation energy ofθ′formation in Al-Cu-Mn alloy is dramatically higher than that in Al-Cu-Mn-Sm alloy. Accordingly, it is concluded that the addition of rare earth Sm decreases the activation energy ofθ′formation and promotes the formation ofθ′precipitates.

MICROSTRUCTURE AND TENSILE PROPERTIES OF Fe_3Al-BASED ALLOYS WITH VC AND TiC ADDITIONS

Microstructure and tensile properties of Fe3 Al-based alloys with the additions of TiC and VC particles have been investigated. Results show that the formation of TiC particles results in the refinement of the macrostructure of as-cast ingots. Although the addition of VC particles does not cause any significant change of the as-cast microstructure, the microstructure of the alloy after hot-working and recrystallization has been found to be refined. The formation of both VC and TiC particles results in the increase of yield strength, especially at the high temperature of 600°C.

Effect of aluminum-containing additives on the reactivity in air and CO_2 of carbon anode for aluminum electrolysis

Airburn reaction and carboxy reaction result in the excess consumption ofcarbon anode in aluminum electrolysis. To reduce the excess carbon consumption, carbon anode wasdoped with aluminum-containing additives, such as Al, Al_4C_3, AlF_3 and Al_2O_3. Their reactivityin air and CO_2 was determined with an isothermal-gravimetric method to study the effect ofaluminum-containing additives on the reactivity in air and CO_2 of carbon anode. Results shown thatthe airburn reactivity at 450℃ and carboxy reactivity at 970℃ of carbon anode both decreased withAl-containing additives adding, while shown a minimum with the amount of Al_4C_3, AlF_3 and Al_2O_3increasing. However, all Al-containing additives increase the airburn reactivity at 550℃ of carbonanodes. Coke yield measurement and XRD examination with aluminum containing additives doped pitchcokes revealed that the effect of Al-containing additives on the airburn reactivity and carboxyreactivity of carbon anode would result from chemical factors and structural factors.

Effect of Yb addition on precipitation and microstructure of Al-Cu-Mg-Ag alloys

Al-Cu-Mg-Ag alloys with different Yb contents were prepared by ingot metallurgy and thermomechanical treatment. The effect of Yb addition on the precipitation and microstructure of the alloys was investigated using mechanical properties testing, optical microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry(DSC), scanning electron microscopy(SEM) and transmission electron microscopy(TEM). The results show that adding 0.10%-0.35% Yb accelerates the aging hardening process, increases the maximum hardness and the tensile strength of the extruded alloys from room temperature to 300 ℃. Trace Yb element addition refines the grains of the casting alloys from 85 μm to 30 μm, decreases the precipitation temperature of Ω phase. Moreover, the addition of Yb into Al-Cu-Mg-Ag alloy decreases the precipitates size, and improves the density and the thermal stability of Ω phase between 200 ℃ and 300 ℃ .

Effect of Rare Earth Sc Addition on Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of an Al-Cu-Mg-Ag Alloy

Al-5.3Cu-0.8Mg-0.6Ag alloys containing 0, 0.1, 0.3 and 0.5 (mass. %) Sc were prepared by ingot metallurgy and thermomechanical treatment. The effect of Sc addition on the precipitation and microstructure of the alloys has been investigated using mechanical testing, optical microscope, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). It has been shown that trace Sc element refines the grains of the casting alloys and the average grain size decreases from 85 μm to 30 μm. Increasing Sc content from 0.1 to 0.3% accelerates the aging hardening process, increases the maximum hardness and the tensile strength of the extruded alloys from room temperature to 300 ℃. The high strength of the alloys with Sc is attributed to the high density and high thermal stability of fine Ω precipitates, and nanosized Al3(Sc,Zr) and AlCu(Zr, Sc) particles.

Review on laser directed energy deposited aluminum alloys

Lightweight aluminum(Al)alloys have been widely used in frontier fields like aerospace and automotive industries,which attracts great interest in additive manufacturing(AM)to process high-value Al parts.As a mainstream AM technique,laser-directed energy deposition(LDED)shows good scalability to meet the requirements for large-format component manufacturing and repair.However,LDED Al alloys are highly challenging due to their inherent poor printability(e.g.low laser absorption,high oxidation sensitivity and cracking tendency).To further promote the development of LDED high-performance Al alloys,this review offers a deep understanding of the challenges and strategies to improve printability in LDED Al alloys.The porosity,cracking,distortion,inclusions,element evaporation and resultant inferior mechanical properties(worse than laser powder bed fusion)are the key challenges in LDED Al alloys.Processing parameter optimizations,in-situ alloy design,reinforcing particle addition and field assistance are the efficient approaches to improving the printability and performance of LDED Al alloys.The underlying correlations between processes,alloy innovation,characteristic microstructures,and achievable performances in LDED Al alloys are discussed.The benchmark mechanical properties and primary strengthening mechanism of LDED Al alloys are summarized.This review aims to provide a critical and in-depth evaluation of current progress in LDED Al alloys.Future opportunities and perspectives in LDED high-performance Al alloys are also outlined.

Influence of Yb_2O_3 addition on microstructure and corrosion resistance of 10Cu/(10NiO-NiFe_2O_4)cermets

10Cu/(10NiO-NiFe2O4)cermets doped with Yb2O3 were prepared by conventional powder metallurgy technique.The effects of Yb2O3 content and sintering temperature on the relative density,phase composition,microstructure of the sintered cermets and the corrosion resistance to Na3AlF6-Al2O3 melts were investigated by sintered density test,XRD analysis and SEM.YbFeO3 phase,which distributes in the ceramics grain boundary as particles or film,is produced by the reaction between Yb2O3 and ceramics. The addition of Yb2O3 accelerates the sintering process of ceramics matrix,eliminates pores in the boundary and results in coarsened crystalline grain.The relative density of the cermets with about 1%(mass fraction)Yb2O3 sintered at 1 275℃increases to above 95%.Addition of about 1.0%Yb2O3 can inhibit obviously the corrosion of NiFe2O4 grain boundary and Cu phase in Na3AlF6-Al2O3 melts.

Effects of Al-Si Addition on Thermomechanical Properties of Low-carbon MgO-C Materials

Effects of Al- Si addition on hot modulus of rup- ture ~ HMOR） . thermal shock resistance ~ TSR~ . phase composition and mierostructure of low-carbon MgO - C materials were investigated. The results show that： Al and Si addition to low-carbon MgO - C materials leads to dramatic increase in MOR at elevated temperatures; it increases from 4 MPa to 11 -21 MPa at 1 200 ℃ and from 2 MPa to 21 -29 MPa at 1 400 ℃. Al and Si addition to low-carbon MgO - C materials also improves TSR： residual strength ratio after thermal shock when △T = 1 200 ℃ is increased,from 44% to 73% - 77%. Al reacts with C and N2 to form, Al4C3 and AlN, Si reacts with C to form SiC. Ultimately. in-situ formed non- oxides increase appreciably with temperature rising and are well interlaced in periclase skeleton structure at 1 300 -1 400 ℃. which is beneficial to thermomechanical properties.

Microstructural heterogeneity and bonding strength of planar interface formed in additive manufacturing of Al-Mg-Si alloy based on friction and extrusion

Single-pass deposits of 6061 aluminum alloy with a single-layer thickness of 4 mm were fabricated by force-controlled friction-and extrusion-based additive manufacturing.The formation characteristics of the interface,which were achieved by using a featureless shoulder,were investigated and elucidated.The microstructure and bonding strength of the final build both with and without heat treatment were explored.A pronounced microstructural heterogeneity was observed throughout the thickness of the final build.Grains at the interface with Cu,{213}<111>,and Goss orientations prevailed,which were refined to approximately 4.0μm.Nearly all of the hardening precipitates were dissolved,resulting in the bonding interface displaying the lowest hardness.The fresh layer,subjected to thermal processes and plastic deformation only once,was dominated by a strong recrystallization texture with a Cube orientation.The previous layer,subjected twice to thermal processes and plastic deformation,was governed by P-and Goss-related components.The ultimate tensile strength along the build direction in asdeposited and heat-treated states could reach 57.0%and 82.9%of the extruded 6061-T651 aluminum alloy.

Effect of interlayer cooling time on the temperature field of 5356-TIG wire arc additive manufacturing

In the paper, the finite element model(FEM) of wire arc additive manufacturing(WAAM) by TIG method was established by the ABAQUS soft, and the phase transformation latent heat was considered in the model. The evolution rules of temperature field at the interlayer with the cooling time of 10 s, 30 s and 50 s were obtained by the model. The WAAM experiment were performed by 5356 aluminum alloy welding wire with φ1.2 mm, and the simulated temperature field were varified by the thermocouple. The result shows that the highest temperature at the molten pool center increases with the increased interlayers at the same interlayer cooling time;the highest temperature drops gradually and the decline is smaller with the increased interlayer cooling time at the same layer. No remelting occurs at the top layer, and at least two remelting times occur in the other layers, resulting in complex temperature field evolution.

Wire and arc additive manufacturing of 4043 Al alloy using a cold metal transfer method

Cold metal transfer plus pulse(C+P)arc was applied in the additive manufacturing of 4043 Al alloy parts.Parameters in the manufacturing of the parts were investigated.The properties and microstructure of the parts were also characterized.Experimental results showed that welding at a speed of 8 mm/s and a wire feeding speed of 4.0 m/min was suitable to manufacture thin-walled parts,and the reciprocating scanning method could be adopted to manufacture thick-walled parts.The thin-walled parts of the C+P mode had fewer pores than those of the cold metal transfer(CMT)mode.The thin-and thick-walled parts of the C+P mode showed maximum tensile strengths of 172 and 178 MPa,respectively.Hardness decreased at the interface and in the coarse dendrite and increased in the refined grain area.

Dynamic wetting of rolling oil on aluminum surfaces

Static and dynamic contact angles of stock oil and its solutions with additives（fatty acid, fatty alcohol, fatty methyl ester usually used in rolling aluminum） were measured on aluminum surface （Alloy 1145） by sessile drop technique on an OCA35 dynamic contact angle tester. The effect of additive on the drop spreading was investigated as well. It is shown that the drop spreads very quickly in the first 500 ms after the lubricant contacts with the aluminum surface, and then does slowly later. The dynamic contact angle decreases exponentially with time. In contrast to the stock oil, although addition of polarity additive of long chain alkyl into stock oil is able to decrease the surface tension of solutions, it weakens the wetting dynamic, which results fi＇om the adsorption at the expanding solid/liquid interface. Among the same long chain polarity organic compounds used, dynamic wetting decreases in the order of fatty acid, fatty alcohol and fatty ester. The blend of fatty alcohol and fatty methyl ester can improve the oil wetting dynamics and promote the lubricant spreading.

Experimental investigation and multi-objective optimization of wire electrical discharge machining(WEDM) of 5083 aluminum alloy

The experimental analysis presented aims at the selection of the most optimal machining parameter combination for wire electrical discharge machining （WEDM） of 5083 aluminum alloy. Based on the Taguchi experimental design （L9 orthogonal array） method, a series of experiments were performed by considering pulse-on time, pulse-off time, peak current and wire tension as input parameters. The surface roughness and cutting speed were considered responses. Based on the signal-to-noise （S/N） ratio, the influence of the input parameters on the responses was determined. The optimal machining parameters setting for the maximum cutting speed and minimum surface roughness were found using Taguchi methodology. Then, additive model was employed for prediction of all （34） possible machining combinations. Finally, a handy technology table has been reported using Pareto optimality approach.