Influence of introducing Zr,Ti,Nb and Ce elements on externally solidified crystals and mechanical properties of high-pressure die-casting Al–Si alloy

High pressure die casting(HPDC)AlSi10Mn Mg alloy castings are widely used in the automobile industry.Mg can optimize the mechanical properties of castings through heat treatment,while the release of thermal stress arouses the deformation of large integrated die-castings.Herein,the development of non-heat treatment Al alloys is becoming the hot topic.In addition,HPDC contains externally solidified crystals(ESCs),which are detrimental to the mechanical properties of castings.To achieve high strength and toughness of non-heat treatment die-casting Al-Si alloy,we used AlSi9Mn alloy as matrix with the introduction of Zr,Ti,Nb,and Ce.Their influences on ESCs and mechanical properties were systematically investigated through three-dimensional reconstruction and thermodynamic simulation.Our results reveal that the addition of Ti increased ESCs'size and porosity,while the introduction of Nb refined ESCs and decreased porosity.Meanwhile,large-sized Al_3(Zr,Ti)phases formed and degraded the mechanical properties.Subsequent introduction of Ce resulted in the poisoning effect and reduced mechanical properties.

Ultrahigh strength and improved electrical conductivity in an aging strengthened copper alloy processed by combination of equal channel angular pressing and thermomechanical treatment

In this paper,equal channel angular pressing and thermomechanical treatment was employed to improve the strength and electrical conductivity of an aging strengthened Cu-Ti-Cr-Mg alloy,and the microstructure and properties of the alloy were investigated in detail.The results showed that the samples deformed by the combination of cryogenic equal channel angular pressing(ECAP)and rolling had good comprehensive properties after aging at 400℃.The tensile strength of the peak-aged and over-aged samples was 1120 MPa and 940 MPa,with their corresponding electrical conductivity of 14.7%IACS and 22.1%IACS,respectively.ECAP and cryogenic rolling introduced high density dislocations,leading to the inhibition of the softening effects and refinement of the grains.After a long time aging at 400℃,the alloy exhibited ultra-high strength with obvious increasing electrical conductivity.The high strength was attributed to the synergistic effect of work hardening,grain refinement strengthening and precipitation strengthening.The precipitation of a large amount of Ti atoms from the matrix led to the high electrical conductivity of the over-aged sample.

Effect of solution treatment and aging on microstructural evolution and mechanical behavior of NiTi shape memory alloy

As-received nickel-titanium （NiTi） shape memory alloy with a nominal composition of Ni50.9Ti49.1 （mole fraction,%） was subjected to solution treatment at 1123 K for 2 h and subsequent aging for 2 h at 573 K, 723 K and 873 K, respectively. The influence of solution treatment and aging on microstructural evolution and mechanical behavior of NiTi alloy was systematically investigated by transmission electron microscopy （TEM）, high resolution transmission electron microscopy （HRTEM）, scanning electron microscopy （SEM） and compression test. Solution treatment contributes to eliminating the Ti2Ni phase in the as-received NiTi sample, in which the TiC phase is unable to be removed. Solution treatment leads to ordered domain of atomic arrangement in NiTi alloy. In all the aged NiTi samples, the Ni4Ti3 precipitates, the R phase and the B2 austenite coexist in the NiTi matrix at room temperature, while the martensitic twins can be observed in the NiTi samples aged at 873 K. In the NiTi samples aged at 573 and 723 K, the fine and dense Ni4Ti3 precipitates distribute uniformly in the NiTi matrix, and thus they are coherent with the B2 matrix. However, in the NiTi sample aged at 873 K, the Ni4Ti3 precipitates exhibit the very inhomogeneous size, and they are coherent, semi-coherent and incoherent with the B2 matrix. In the case of aging at 723 K, the NiTi sample exhibits the maximum yield strength, where the fine and homogeneous Ni4Ti3 precipitates act as the effective obstacles against the dislocation motion, which results in the maximum critical resolved shear stress for dislocation slip.

Effect of solution treatment and artificial aging on microstructure and mechanical properties of Al-Cu alloy

In order to achieve good mechanical properties of Al-Cu alloys such as high strength and good toughness,precipitation hardening and artificial aging treatment were applied.As defined by the T6 heat treatment,the standard artificial aging treatment for Al-Cu alloy followed heat treatments of solution treatment at 510-530 ℃ for 2 h,quenching in water at 60 ℃ and then artificial aging at 160-190 ℃ for 2-8 h.The effects of solution treatment and artificial aging on the microstructure and mechanical properties of Al-Cu alloy were studied by optical microscopy（OM）,scanning electron microscopy（SEM）,energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy（EDS）,transmission electron microscopy（TEM） and tensile test.The results of solution treatment indicate that the mechanical properties of Al-Cu alloy increase and then decrease with the increase of solution temperature.This is because the residual phases dissolve gradually into the matrix,and the fraction of the precipitation and the size of the re-crystallized grain increased.Compared to the solution temperature,the solution holding time has less effect on the microstructure and the mechanical properties of Al-Cu alloy.The artificial aging treatments were conducted at 160-180 ℃ for 2-8 h.The results show that the ultimate tensile strength can be obtained at 180 ℃ for 8 h.Ultimate tensile strength increased with increasing time or temperature.Yield strength was found as the same as the ultimate tensile strength result.

Transformation behavior and shape memory effect of Ti_(50-x)Ni_(48)Fe_2Nb_x alloys by aging treatment

The influence of aging treatment on transformation behavior and shape memory of the Ti 50_x Ni_(48) Fe_2 Nb_x(x=0,0.6,0.8,1.0,and 1.2) alloys was investigated using differential scanning calorimeter(DSC),mechanical drawing machine,and microhardness tester in this paper.It is indicated that the aging treatment has a significant effect on the phase transformation temperatures(M_s,M_f,M_p,A_s,A_f,and A_p) and microhardness of the samples.The phase transformation temperatures are found to decrease initially with the increasing aging temperature from 300 to 500 ℃ and increase with further increase of the aging temperature.The aging treatment at intermediate temperature between 400 and 500 ℃ results in an improved shape memory effect.In addition,the highest microhardness value is also obtained.

Effects of Aging Treatment on Intergranular Corrosion and Stress Corrosion Cracking Behavior of AA7003

In order to study the effects of aging treatment on the intergranular corrosion（IGC） and stress corrosion cracking（SCC） of 7003 aluminum alloy（AA7003）, the intergranular corrosion test, electrochemical test and slow strain rate test（SSRT）, combined with optical microscopy（OM） and scanning electron microscopy（SEM） as well as transmission electron microscopy（TEM） observations have been carried out. The IGC and electrochemical test results showed that the IGC resistance of AA7003 for peak aged（PA） temper is the lowest, with double peak aged（DPA） the moderate, and retrogression and re-aging（RRA） the highest among three tempers, which is attributed to the continuous feature of precipitation on grain boundary of PA temper and the interrupted feature of precipitation on grain boundary of DPA and RRA tempers, as well as the wide precipitation free zones（PFZ） of RRA temper. In addition, the SSRT results indicated that all three tempers AA7003 are susceptible to SCC in IGC solution, and the change tendency of SCC susceptibility（ISCC） of AA7003 for three tempers follows the order： ISCC（RRA）

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.

Influence of process parameters and aging treatment on the microstructure and mechanical properties of Al Si8Mg3 alloy fabricated by selective laser melting

Many studies have investigated the selective laser melting(SLM)of AlSi10Mg and AlSi7Mg alloys,but there are still lack of researches focused on Al-Si-Mg alloys specifically tailored for SLM.In this work,a novel high Mg-content AlSi8Mg3 alloy was specifically designed for SLM.The results showed that this new alloy exhibited excellent SLM processability with a lowest porosity of 0.07%.Massive lattice distortion led to a high Vickers hardness in samples fabricated at a high laser power due to the precipitation of Mg_(2)Si nanoparticles from theα-Al matrix induced by high-intensity intrinsic heat treatment during SLM.The maximum microhardness and compressive yield strength of the alloy reached HV(211±4)and(526±12)MPa,respectively.After aging treatment at 150℃,the maximum microhardness and compressive yield strength of the samples were further improved to HV(221±4)and(577±5)MPa,respectively.These values are higher than those of most known aluminum alloys fabricated by SLM.This paper provides a new idea for optimizing the mechanical properties of Al-Si-Mg alloys fabricated using SLM.

Effects of solution treatment and aging process on microstructure refining of semi-solid slurry of wrought aluminum alloy 7A09

A new method was exploited using solution treatment and aging process as a pretreatment in preparing semi-solid slurry with fine microstructure before isothermal treatment of wrought aluminum alloy 7A09.Parameters of pretreatment were optimized by orthogonal experiment design and proper precursor was prepared.The evolution of microstructure of semi-solid slurry during isothermal treatment was analyzed and the mechanism of microstructure refining was discussed.The result of orthogonal experiment design shows that the optimum parameters are 462 ℃for solution temperature,40min for solution time,132 ℃for aging temperature and 14 h for aging time.Microstructure of isothermal treatment is fine,homogenous,with globular solid grains and a solid fraction between 50%and 70%,which is qualified for later semi-solid forming process.Mechanism of microstructure evolution includes the agglomeration ofα-phase and Ostwald ripening.Precipitations prepared by solution and aging treatment prevent the grains from coarsening and promote the grain ripening to globular shape.

Effect of aging treatment on evolution of S'phase in rapid cold punched Al−Cu−Mg alloy

High-resolution transmission electron microscopy(TEM),X-ray diffractometer(XRD),and hardness test were used to study the evolution of long plate-shaped S'phase in the spray-formed fine-grained Al−Cu−Mg alloy during aging after rapid cold punching deformation.Results show that the long plate-shaped S'phase in the extruded Al−Cu−Mg alloy undergoes evident distortion,brittle failure,separation and redissolution,during rapid cold punching deformation,leading to the transformation of long plate-shaped S'phase into short rod or even redissolution and disappearance,causing the matrix to become a supersaturated solid solution.After the aging treatment,the reprecipitation of the phases occurs,and these aging phases are mainly long plate-shaped and granular.The incompletely dissolved S'phase acts as nucleation core,promoting uphill diffusion of the surrounding solute atoms.The S'phase gradually grows with increasing the aging time.The completely dissolved S'phase forms the incoherent equilibrium phase with the matrix to reduce its free energy.After rapid cold punching,the aging response of the deformed Al−Cu−Mg alloy is accelerated,and the hardness of the alloy is substantially increased.

A New Aging Treatment Way for Near α High Temperature Titanium Alloys

Two near α titanium alloys, Ti-5.6Al-4.8Sn-2.0Zr-1Mo-0.35Si （1#） and Ti-6.0AI-4.8Sn-2.0Zr-1Mo-0.35Si （2#）, were solution-treated in the upper α＋β phase fields, and the duplex mixture microstructures consisting of the less volume fraction primary α phase （αp） and the transformed β phase （βt） were obtained. The aging treatments were carried out at 700℃ for 1# alloy and 760℃ for 2# alloy under varied terms, respectively. It guaranteed α2 ordered phase to precipitate only in αp but not in βt for the two alloys. The slower precipitation and growth of the α2 ordered phase and silicide was observed in 1# alloy in comparison with 2# alloy. The mechanical properties including tensile strength and ductility, the creep and lasting properties at 600℃ were investigated. Prolonging aging time did not predominantly change the tensile strength and ductility for the two alloys. The 600℃/100 h thermal exposure caused a notable decrease of tensile ductility in 2# alloy though no distinct decrease could be observed in 1# alloy after the thermal exposure. The lasting property of i# alloy was increased with prolonging aging time and finally was equal to or even better than that of 2# alloy. Nevertheless, no evident increase emerged in 2# alloy with prolonging aging time. Similarly, the creep property of 1# alloy monotonously increased with increasing aging time and finally was equal to or even better than that of 2# alloy. No evident increase could be observed for 2# alloy. It can be deduced that the overgrowth of α2 ordered phase and silicide is unable to enhance hot strength properties but cause an unacceptable damage to tensile ductility. The optimum equilibrium of the comprehensive properties depending on the proper control of α2 ordered phase and silicide can be achieved by properly selecting aging temperature and time.

Effect of aging treatment on the precipitation transformation and age hardening of Mg-Gd-Y-Zn-Zr alloy

In this study, the precipitation transformation and age hardening of solution-treated Mg-9Gd-4Y-2Zn-0.5Zr(wt.%) alloy were investigated at different aging treatment parameters. The precipitation sequences of the alloy aged at 200℃, 250℃ and 300℃ are β’’(DO19) → β’(BCO) → β(FCC), β’’(DO19) → β’(BCO) → β_(1)(FCC) → β(FCC) and β(FCC), respectively. The streaks sequences of the alloy aged at 200℃, 250℃ and 300℃ are SF, SF → 14H-LPSO and SF → 14H-LPSO, respectively. For the alloy aged at 200℃ and 250℃, the increase in hardness with increasing aging time is contributed from the increase in precipitate volume fraction and the transformation from β’’ to β’ phase with basal → prismatic and spherical → spindle-like precipitate changes. The decrease in hardness after the peak-aging stage is attributed to the appearance of micro-sized β precipitates. Because of the smaller size of precipitates and the triangular arrangement of β’ precipitate, the hardness of the alloy aged at 200℃ is higher than that aged at 250℃. For the alloy aged at 300℃, the appearance of only micro-sized β precipitate and its coarsening with increasing aging time leads to the lowest hardness and an overall decrease in hardness with the aging time.

Mechanism of high temperature oxidation of Inconel 625 superalloy with various solution and ageing heat treatment processes

The high-temperature oxidation behaviour of the Inconel 625 alloy at 950℃ was investigated after different ageing treatments.The effect of heat treatment on the oxidation behaviour of the alloy was analysed by characterizing the structure and elemental distribution before and after oxidation.The results reveal that the two ageing treatments at 650℃ for 500 h and at 750℃ for 400 h both reduced the oxidation mass gain.After oxidation at 950℃,an outer Cr_(2)O_(3) layer and inner Al_(2)O_(3) are identified as the main oxidation products.Moreover,Nb_(2)O_(5) andδ(Ni_(3)Nb)phases precipitated after oxidation.The ageing treatments cause the rapid generation of a dense Cr_(2)O_(3) layer on the surface,which prevents the diffusion of oxygen into the matrix,reduce the Al_(2)O_(3) inward growth depth,and improve the oxidation resistance of the alloy.

Effect of solution plus aging heat treatment on microstructural evolution and mechanical properties of near-β titanium alloy

The microstructural evolution, mechanical properties and fracture mechanism of a Ti.5Al.5Mo.5V.3Cr.1Zr (Ti-55531) alloy after solution (760.820℃) plus aging (580.640℃) treatments were investigated. The results show that the volume fraction of the primary α(αp) phase decreases with the increase of solution temperature, and the length of the secondary α phase (αs) decreases while its width increases with the increase of aging temperature. Yield and tensile strengths decrease with the increase of solution temperature, while increase with the increase of aging temperature. A good balance of tensile strength and ductility of the alloy is obtained under solution of 800℃ for 2 h plus aging of 640℃ for 8 h, in which the tensile strength is 1434 MPa and the elongation is 7.7%. The coarsening αs phase makes crack propagation paths deflected and tortuous, which increases the crack propagation resistance and improves the ductility and fracture toughness.

Influence of aging treatment on corrosion behavior and mechanism of Mg–Y alloys

This paper studied the influence of aging treatment on the corrosion behavior and mechanism of Mg-Y alloys with different Y content through corrosion mass loss test, electrochemical test and corrosion morphologies observation. Results show that the peak-aging times of Mg-（0.25, 2.5, 5, 8 and 15） Y alloys at 250 ℃ were 4, 6, 10, 12 and 16 h. The aging treatment reduced the corrosion resistance of Mg-Y alloys, and the corrosion resistance of Mg-Y alloys became worse with increasing of the aging time. The change magnitude of the open circuit potentials for Mg-（0.25, 2.5）Y alloys was greater than that of Mg-（5, 8 and 15）-Y alloys. The polarization curves of Mg （0.25, 2.5, 5, 8 and 15） Y alloys had the similar shape after aging treatment, and the slopes of the anodic branch were greater than those of the cathodic branches. After aging treatment, the corrosion modes of Mg-0.25Y and Mg-（2.5, 5, 8 and 15） Y alloys were uniform corrosion and pitting corrosion with small local deep corrosion.

Effect of cryogenic and aging treatments on low-energy impact behaviour of Ti-6Al-4V alloy

The objective of this study is to examine the effects of cryogenic and aging treatments on the impact strength andmechanical properties of Ti?6Al?4V alloy.To accomplish that objective,cryogenic treatment(CT),aging treatment(AT)andcryogenic treatment followed by aging treatment(CAT)were conducted on Ti?6Al?4V alloy.Impact tests were performed onheat-treated and untreated samples using different impactor nose geometries(hemispherical,60°and90°conical)to determine theeffect of impactor nose geometry on the damage characteristic.The findings showed that energy absorption increased and areas ofdamage decreased as a result of heat treatment in all treated samples.The highest energy absorption was observed in the CATsamples,due to the increase in energy absorption,the smallest damaged area occurred in the CAT sample,and the largestdeformation was seen in the untreated samples.Additionally,it was seen that the damaged area and deflection were stronglydependent on impactor nose geometry.The maximum deflection and narrowest deformation area were seen with60o conical nosegeometry.The deformation area increased with increasing impactor nose angle.

Effect of Aging Treatment on Microstructural and Mechanical Characteristics of PEO Coatings on Mg-Al Alloy

Cast Mg-6 wt pct Al alloy solution-treated at 683 K for 16 h and aged at 498 K was coated by plasma electrolytic oxidation （PEO） method.The Mg-6 wt pct Al alloy aged for 16 h exhibited the highest microhardness and wear resistance.After PEO coating,however,the microhardness and wear resistance of coatings on Mg- 6 wt pct Al alloy showed a tendency to decrease with increasing aging time,which was in aggrement with the change of thickness with aging time.In addition,the coatings on solution-treated Mg-6 wt pct Al alloy had better microhardness and wear resistance than those on aged Mg-6 wt pct Al alloys.Consequently,it can be understood that the aging treatment has a deleterious influence on the mechanical properties of coatings on Mg-6 wt pct Al alloy.

Optimal Selection and Control for Precipitation of α_2 Phase in Near α High Temperature Ti Alloys during Aging Treatment

The characteristic of the precipitation and growth of α2 ordered phase during aging treatment in near α Ti alloys have been investigated in terms of the influences of aging temperature, aging time and aging manner. The results exhibit that aging temperatures influence the distribution of α2 phase precipitated and cause the changes in growth speed of α2 phase. For various aging temperatures, the time to finish precipitation of α2 phase is different. The facts that various distribution characteristics and growth speed of α2 ordered phase are caused by changed aging condition imply optimal selection and control for precipitation of α2 ordered phase reachable. Some discussions on adoptable aging steps are presented.

Effect of optimal aging treatment on magnetic performance and mechanical properties of sintered Nd-Fe-B permanent magnets

The magnetic performance and mechanical properties including hardness, brittleness, fracture toughness and strength characteristics of the as-sintered and the optimal aged Nd-Fe-B magnets were examined in this work. A new method of Vickers hardness indentation combined with acoustic emission was used to test the brittleness of the magnets.The results show that the magnetic properties of the magnets could be improved through aging treatment, especially the intrinsic coercive force. But it is accompanied by a decrease of strength and fracture toughness. Theoretical calculation confirms that acoustic emission energy accumulated count value could be used to characterize the material brittleness. The bending fracture morphologies of the as-sintered and the optimal aged Nd Fe B magnets were investigated with the emphasis on the relationship between mechanical properties and microstructure using a field emission scanning electron microscopy(FE-SEM). The research results indicate that the intergranular fracture is the primary fracture mechanism for both as-sintered and optimal aged Nd Fe B magnets. Aging treatment changes the morphology and distribution of the Nd-rich phases, reducing the sliding resistance between Nd_2Fe_(14)B main crystal grains and lowers the grain boundary strength, which is the main reason for the strength and fracture toughness decrease of the aged Nd-Fe-B magnets.

Scaling and clogging treatment of aging tunnel drainage pipes in karst areas using eco-friendly acid agent

In karst areas,the drainage pipes of aging tunnels are prone to be clogged by precipitated carbonates,resulting in lining cracking and tunnel leaking.As a result,not only the driving safety will be deteriorated,but also the water pressure on the lining might also be elevated significantly.For the structural stability and service lifespan of old tunnels,it is of great importance to remove these precipitated carbonates in time.Traditional treatment methods are often destructive to some extent or not efficient enough.This study aims to experimentally develop an eco-friendly acid-based chemical cleaning method to remove carbonate precipitations efficiently.The proposed chemical cleaning agent is an aqueous solution with strong acidity,consisting of sulfamic acid,water,and additives.The factors affecting the cleaning efficiency include the acid solubility,temperature and flow rate of the cleaning agent,as well as additives.Elevating the solution temperature to 50
C or a flow rate of no less than 0.2 m/s can improve cleaning efficiency.Although the salt effect cannot work,1 wt%of polymaleic acid as a surfactant could further promote the cleaning rate.The cleaning efficiency will increase with the flow rate in a power function.The relatively low flow rate that improves the cleaning rate considerably can avoid highpressure-induced mechanical damage to tunnel drainpipes.The waste could be easily treated to acceptable levels using commercial sewage treatment products and can also be recycled in agriculture.With the chemical cleaning,the water pressure at the arch springing of the lining will reduce with the increased radius of transverse drainpipes in a power function.The proposed acid-based cleaning method,which is highly efficient,non-or low-destructive to aging tunnels,sufficiently safe for humans,and friendly enough to the environment,will offer a promising alternative to remove the precipitated carbonates in tunnel drainpipes efficiently.