Microstructure evolution and mechanical properties of ZK60 magnesium alloy produced by SSTT and RAP route in semi-solid state

The microstructure evolution and mechanical properties of a ZK60 magnesium alloy produced by the semi-solid thermal transformation （SSTT） route and the recrystallization and partial melting （RAP） route were studied, respectively. The microstructure evolution during partial remelting was studied at different temperatures for different time. The tensile mechanical properties of thixoformed components by the two routes at room temperature were examined. The results show that coalescence is dominant in the SSTT alloy and Ostwald ripening is dominant in the RAP alloy. Compared with the SSTT route, the RAP route can produce finer semi-solid microstructure under the similar isothermal holding condition. The microstructure of the RAP alloy is much more spheroidized compared with the SSTT alloy. Thixoforming for the ZK60 magnesium alloy produced by the SSTT and RAP route results in successful filling of the die, and the thixoforming process improves the mechanical properties of ZK60 magnesium alloy. The RAP alloy shows significantly advantageous mechanical properties over that of the SSTT alloy.

Effects of Extrusion Processing on Microstructure of 7075Al Alloy in the Semi-solid State

A recrystallization and partial melting(RAP) process was introduced to prepare the semi-solid 7075 aluminum alloy used for thixoforming. In order to obtain an ideal semi-solid microstructure, a series of extrusion experiments were conducted to comparatively investigate the optimum extrusion process parameters. Commercial 7075 Al alloy samples were firstly extruded with varying extrusion ratios below the recrystallization temperature followed by homogenization, then these samples were reheated to the semi-solid state and held in the range of 5 to 50 minutes. The experimental results show that varying process cause the difference in the deformation degree and microstructure for as-extruded samples, resulting in various semi-solid microstructure. It is verified that the formation of equiaxed grains in semi-solid microstructure depends on recrystallization behavior of extruded samples during partial melting. Both relative high extrusion temperature and low extrusion ratio lead to high volume fraction of recrystallized area, thus entirely equiaxed solid grains in semi-solid 7075 Al alloy samples can be obtained finally. In addition, Ostwald ripening was determined as the dominate coarsening mechanism of solid grains in semi-solid state for this 7075 Al alloy during the RAP route. The influence of predeformation on recrystallization behavior of this 7075 Al alloy was discussed in detail.

Progress in Recrystallized SiC and Its Composites

Recrystallized silicon carbide（ RSi C）,a high purity Si C material sintered by the process of evaporation-condensation without any additives,is one of the most important structural materials in the fields of high temperatures. However,its low density and porous structure caused by the sintering mechanism in the absence of shrinkage,restrict its wide applications in engineering.This paper reviews the research progress and related technologies on the preparation of high-density RSi C and its composites. RSi C with relative high density up to 2. 75g·cm- 3can be obtained by a combination of pretreatment to Si C raw materials such as reshaping,modification and particle size distribution,and appropriate forming method. Post treatments such as cyclic pyrolysis and impregnation- recrystallization,and slurry impregnation- recrystallization are needed for the further density increase of RSi C（ 2. 99 g·cm- 3）. In addition,high performance RSi C- Mo Si2 and RSi C- Al composites obtained by melt infiltration are also reviewed.

Molecular Dynamics Simulations of Stretch-Induced Crystal Changes in Crystallized Polyethylene/Carbon Nanotubes Nanocomposites

Understanding deformation mechanisms in semi-crystalline polymers during stretching is useful for guiding the processing of highperformance polymer products. In the current work, molecular dynamics simulations were performed to investigate the crystal changes in crystallized polyethylene/carbon nanotube nanocomposites during uniaxial stretching. Both crystal fragmentation and melting occur at low strains. Crystals with small sizes are easier to melt, while those with large sizes would break into smaller crystals. In addition, crystals in interfacial regions are more likely to melt or break due to the orientation motion of carbon nanotubes. It was also found that the recrystallization process is closely related to the stretch-induced orientation of chain segments. After orientation of chain segments along stretching direction is saturated,the recrystallization of highly oriented segments dominates. The current simulation findings are effective complements to the theories of the mechanism of plastic deformation in semicrystalline polymers.