Effects of cooling rate on the fracture properties of TA15 ELI alloy plates

The effects of cooling rate on the mechanical properties and the fatigue crack growth behavior of TA15 ELI alloy plates with different microstructures were investigated at room temperature. The results indicate that the cooling rate （water quench, air cooling, and furnace cooling） has a pronounced influence on the mechanical properties and on the fatigue crack growth, especially for air cooling and furnace cooling. Optical microstructure observation and scanning electron microscopy of tensile fracture surfaces were performed to gain an insight into the mechanism of properties. The dependence of mechanical properties and fatigue crack growth behavior on the cooling rate can be attributed to the oc lamellae width and the colony size, which induce the change in slip length. The microstmcture produced by air cooling shows the best damage tolerance behavior when compared with water quench and furnace cooling.

Effects of Ho on the microstructure and mechanical properties of Mg-Zn-Ho-Zr magnesium alloys

The microstructure and mechanical properties of Mg-Zn-Ho-Zr alloys have been investigated in detail. The grain size of the as-cast Mg-Zn-Ho-Zr alloy was greatly decreased by the addition of Ho, and the grain growth during solution treatment was suppressed by Mg-Zn-Ho phases formed at grain boundaries. These thermally stable Mg-Zn-Ho phases could not completely dissolve into the matrix dur- ing solution treatment, and the strengthening effect of solution-plus-ageing treatment weakened. The addition of Ho can greatly enhance the high-temperature elongation of the Mg-Zn-Ho-Zr alloy, but the increase of high-temperature tensile strength was just a little.

Effect of graphene on mechanical properties of cement mortars

Functionalized graphene nano-sheets(FGN) of 0.01%-0.05%(mass fraction) were added to produce FGN-cement composites in the form of mortars. Flow properties, mechanical properties and microstructure of the cementitious material were then investigated. The results indicate that the addition of FGN decreases the fluidity slightly and improves mechanical properties of cement-based composites significantly. The highest strength is obtained with FGN content of 0.02% where the flexural strength and compressive strength at 28 days are 12.917 MPa and 52.42 MPa, respectively. Besides, scanning electron micrographs show that FGN can regulate formation of massive compact cross-linking structures and thermo gravimetric analysis indicates that FGN can accelerate the hydration reaction to increase the function of the composite effectively.

Effects of Carbon Nanotubes on Mechanical and 2D-3D Microstructure Properties of Cement Mortar

To study the influence of multi-wall carbon nanotubes （MWCNTs） on the mechanical and microstructural properties of cementitious composites, 0.00, 0.02, 0.08, 0.10, and 0.20 wt% of multi-wall carbon nanotubes were added into cement mortar, in which the cement-sand ratio was 1：1.5. The flexural and compressive strengths of cement mortar at the age of 3, 7, 28 and 90 d and the fracture performance at the age of 28 d were determined, its 2D micrograph was tested by means of SEM, and the 3D defects distribution was firstly determined with or without CNTs by means of XCT （X-ray computerized tomography）. The results showed that 0.08 wt% of CNTs improved the compressive strength and flexural strength by 18% and 19~A, respectively, and a significant improvement of its fracture property was observed. Moreover lower addition of carbon nanotubes to cement mortars can improve its microstructure and decrease the defects significantly compared to the cement mortar without CNTs. With the increase of the content of CNTs, the mechanical properties of cement mortars presented to be declined largely due to the agglomeration of CNTs.

Microstructures and wear resistance of chromium coatings on P110 steel fabricated by pack cementation

In order to obtain a high-performance surface on P110 steel that can meet the requirements in oil/gas field environment, the chromium coatings were fabricated by pack cementation. The chromium coatings differed in with/without the addition of La2O3. Scanning electron microscope （SEM）, energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer （EDS）, X-ray diffractometer （XRD） and microhardness tester were employed to investigate the surface morphologies, surface element distributions, microstructures, phase constitutions and microhardness of the coatings. Friction-wear tests of the P110 steel substrate and the coatings were conducted in air at ambient temperature and humidity. The results show that ＇uniform and continuous coatings are formed on P110 steel regardless of adding La2O3 or not. The chromium coatings consist of Cr23C6, Cr7C3, and （Cr, Fe）7C3. The La2O3-added chromium coating is more beneficial in terms of surface morphology, microstructure, thickness and microharduess as compared with the coating without adding La2O3. Chromizing treatment significantly improves the surface hardness and wear resistance of the P110 steel. The wear resistance of the tested samples can be sorted in the following sequence： La2O3-coating 〉 no RE-coating 〉bare P110 steel.

Reaction procedure of a graphite fiber reinforced Ti-Al composite produced by squeeze casting-in situ reaction

The in situ reaction procedure and microstructure evolution of a graphite fiber reinforced Ti-Al composite （Grf/Ti-Al） was investigated, and the stability of TiAl3 at high temperature was discussed. As-cast material was prepared by pressing molten pure aluminum into a preform, which was composed of titanium particles and graphite fibers. The in situ reaction procedure of the as-cast material was investigated by differential scanning calorimetry （DSC）, and phases in the products were detected by X-ray diffraction （XRD）. Experimental results showed that TiAl3 was formed first. With an increase in temperature, TiC and Al4C3 were observed, but TiAl3 decreased. In the final product, Al2O3 and TiO2 were observed. It was considered that the previous forming TiAl3 decomposed, then TiC precipitated, and subsequently, oxidation resulted in the formation of Al2O3 and TiO2.

Microstructural Feature of As-cast A-356 Alloy Modifiers with the Addition of SrO

To explore the effect of strontium on the structure of as-cast A356 alloy, the strontium was incorporated to the alloy by metallothermic reduction of SrO where the mineral was added to the melt through the submerged powders injection technique. The evaluation of the modification of the eutectie silicon and the chemical analysis of samples were done using optical microscopy （OP） and inductively coupled plasma （ICP）, respectively, while microstructural analyses by scanning electron microscopy （SEM）, and the injection time was variable. Magnesium was added to the melt to increase the reactivity and reduce the surface tension of the molten aluminum. It was possible to increase the strontium content from 0 to 0.027% after 20 minutes treatment. This concentration was sufficient to bring about full modification structure of eutectic silicon of as cast alloy A 356 and the acceptable quality metallurgical of alloy.

Rolling-contact-fatigue behavior in backup roll of 5% Cr forged steel

With a focus on the backup roll, a rolling-contact-fatigue experiment was performed on samples of 5% Cr forged steel. The P-S-N fatigue curves were determined and the fatigue strength was calculated. The emergence of cracks on the test-sample surfaces was observed at different fatigue cycles. A micro-hardness tester was used to measure the hardness of the subsurface fatigue layer. The microstructures were analyzed at various magnifications with an optical microscope, scanning electron microscope, and transmission electron microscope. Based on these tests, the rolling-contact-fatigue mechanism of the large forged steel backup roll was also considered. The results showed that the contact-fatigue strength of the tested backup roll steel was 1 249 MPa;the surface fatigue crack lengthened continuously as the number of cycles increased and followed an S-shaped curve; the subsurface fatigue hardness reached its highest value at about 90 （HV） increment from the matrix hardness of 540 （HV） in the backup roll; the subsurface martensite/bainite microstructure was crushed and the dislocation density was greatly increased. Under alternating contact stresses,the surface/subsurface material was damaged and exhibited many microdefects. At the least, the surface fatigue layer on backup rolls should be fully removed before the microcracks enter a period of rapid propagation.