Microstructure formation and grain refinement of Mg-based alloys by electromagnetic vibration technique

The microstructure formation and grains refinement of two Mg-based alloys,i.e.AZ31 and AZ91D,were reported using an electromagnetic vibration(EMV) technique.These two alloys were solidified at various vibration frequencies and the microstructures were observed.The average size of grains was quantitatively measured as a function of vibration frequencies. Moreover,the grain size distribution was outlined versus number fraction.A novel model was proposed to account for the microstructure formation and grain refinement when considering the significant difference of the electrical resistivity properties of the solid and the liquid during EMV processing in the semisolid state.The remarkable difference originates uncoupled movement between the mobile solid and the sluggish liquid,which can activate melt flow.The microstructure evolution can be well explained when the fluid flow intensity versus vibration frequency is taken into account.Moreover,the influence of the static magnetic field on texture formation is also considered,which plays an important role at higher vibration frequencies.

Formation mechanism of calcium hexaluminate

To investigate the formation mechanism of calcium hexaluminate（CaAl_（12）O_（19）, CA_6）, the analytically pure alumina and calcia used as raw materials were mixed in CaO/Al_2O_3 ratio of 12.57：137.43 by mass. The raw materials were ball-milled and shaped into green specimens, and fired at 1300-1600°C. Then, the phase composition and microstructure evolution of the fired specimen were studied, and a first principle calculation was performed. The results show that in the reaction system of CaO and Al_2O_3, a small amount of CA_6 forms at 1300°C, and greater amounts are formed at 1400°C and higher temperatures. The reaction is as follows： CaO ·2Al_2O_3（CA_2） ＋ 4Al_2O_3 → CA_6. The diffusions of Ca^（2＋） in CA_2 towards Al_2O_3 and Al^（3＋） in Al_2O_3 towards CA_2 change the structures in different degrees of difficulty. Compared with the difficulty of structural change and the corresponding lattice energy change, it is deduced that the main formation mechanism is the diffusion of Ca^（2＋） in CA_2 towards Al_2O_3.

Microstructural Characterizations and Mechanical Properties of Mg-8Sn-1Al-1Zn-xCu Alloys

Microstructural characterization and mechanical properties of as-cast Mg-8Sn-1Al-1Zn-xCu（x=0wt%, 1wt%, 1.5wt% and 2.0wt%） alloys were studied by OM, Pandat software, XRD, SEM, DSC and a standard universal testing machine. The experimental results indicate that adding Cu to TAZ811 alloy leads to the formation of the AlMgCu and Cu3 Sn phases. Tensile tests indicate that yield strength increases fi rstly and then decreases with increasing Cu content. The alloy with the addition of 1.5wt% Cu exhibits optimal mechanical properties among the studied alloys. The improved mechanical properties can be ascribed to the second phase strengthening and fi ne-grain strengthening mechanisms resulting from the more dispersed second phases and smaller grain size, respectively. The decrease in ultimate tensile strength and elongation of TAZ811-2.0wt% Cu alloy at room temperature is ascribed to the formation of continuous AlMgCu and coarse Mg2 Sn phases in the liquid state.

Microstructure characteristics of Ni/WC composite cladding coatings

A multilayer tungsten carbide particle（WCp）-reinforced Ni-based alloy coating was fabricated on a steel substrate using vacuum cladding technology.The morphology,microstructure,and formation mechanism of the coating were studied and discussed in different zones.The microstructure morphology and phase composition were investigated by scanning electron microscopy,optical microscopy,X-ray diffraction,and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy.In the results,the coating presents a dense and homogeneous microstructure with few pores and is free from cracks.The whole coating shows a multilayer structure,including composite,transition,fusion,and diffusion-affected layers.Metallurgical bonding was achieved between the coating and substrate because of the formation of the fusion and diffusion-affected layers.The Ni-based alloy is mainly composed of y-Ni solid solution with finely dispersed Cr7C3/Cr（23）C6,CrB,and Ni＋Ni3Si.WC particles in the composite layer distribute evenly in areas among initial Ni-based alloying particles,forming a special three-dimensional reticular microstructure.The macrohardness of the coating is HRC 55,which is remarkably improved compared to that of the substrate.The microhardness increases gradually from the substrate to the composite zone,whereas the microhardness remains almost unchanged in the transition and composite zones.

Thermodynamic Simulation on the Change in Phase for Carburizing Process

The type of technology used to strengthen the surface structure of machine parts,typically by carbon-permeation,has made a great contribution to the mechanical engineering industry because of its outstanding advantages in corrosion resistance and enhanced mechanical and physical properties.Furthermore,carbon permeation is considered as an optimal method of heat treatment through the diffusion of carbon atoms into the surface of alloy steel.This study presented research results on the thermodynamic calculation and simulation of the carbon permeability process.Applying Fick’s law,the paper calculated the distribution of carbon concentration in the alloy steel after it is absorbed from the surface into the internal of the sample.Using the SYSWELD software,an analysis was performed on the carbon permeability process to determine the distribution of carbon concentrations in 20CrMo steel that was then followed by a detailed analysis of the microstructure of the sample post the carburizing process.According to the calculation results,the surface carbon content was 0.9%and steadily decreased into the core.After 3 hours,the depth of the absorbent layer was measured at 0.5 mm for both the cylindrical and cubic samples.By analyzing the phase,the distribution of martensite phases such as ferrite/pearlite and residual austenite was also determined after the carburizing process.

Investigation of Different Coke Samples Adhering to Cyclone Walls of a Commercial RFCC Reactor

The microstructure and properties of the coke samples collected from 4 different wall regions of the cyclone in the reactor of a residue fluid catalytic cracking unit(RFCCU) were analyzed by using the scanning-electron microscope(SEM), and the possible coke formation processes were investigated as well. The results showed that some of the heavy nonvolatile oil droplets entrained in the flowing oil and gas mixture could possibly deposit or collide on the walls by gravity settling or turbulence diffusion, and then were gradually carbonized into solid coke by condensing and polymerization along with dehydrogenation. Meanwhile some of fine catalyst particles also built up and integrated into the solid coke. The coke can be classified into two types, namely, the hard coke and the soft coke, according to its property, composition and microstructure. The soft coke is formed in the oil and gas mixture's stagnant region where the oil droplets and catalyst particles are freely settled on the wall. The soft coke appears to be loose and contains lots of large catalyst particles. However, the hard coke is formed in the oil and gas mixture's flowing region where the oil droplets and catalyst particles diffuse towards the wall. This kind of coke is nonporous and very hard, which contains a few fine catalyst particles. Therefore, it is clear that the oil and gas mixture not only carries the oil droplets and catalyst particles, but also has the effects on their deposition on the wall, which can influence the composition and characteristics of deposited coke.

Properties and microstructure of copper–titanium alloys with magnesium additions

The volume fractions and morphology of precipitates in precipitation-strengthened Cu-Ti alloys,which precipitate mainly as continuous and discontinuous precipitates,are important for the application of the alloy.This study employed hardness and electrical conductivity tests transmission electron microscopy(TEM),atom probe tomography(APT),and first-principles calculations to demonstrate that the addition of Mg is effective for accelerating nanosized continuousβ'-Cu_(4)Ti precipitation as well as for suppressing the precipitation of coarse lamellar discontinuousβ-Cu_(4)Ti precipitates along the grain boundaries,resulting in Cu-Ti alloys with high yield strength and good electrical conductivity.The results showed that the continuous precipitation ofβ'-Cu_(4)Ti was accelerated by the Mg additions,which reduced the supersaturation of the matrix,thereby reducing the chemical driving force for the discontinuous precipitates.On the other hand,Mg additions increased the mismatch between the discontinuousβ-Cu_(4)Ti precipitates and matrix decreased the nucleation rate of the discontinuous precipitates,and increased the spacing of the discontinuous precipitation layer,resulting in a lower growth rate of the discontinuous precipitates.Therefore,the addition of Mg to Cu-Ti alloys enhances the strength and improves the resistance to over-ageing.

Current development in quantitative phase-field modeling of solidification

The quantitative phase-field simulations were reviewed on the processes of solidification of pure metals and alloys.The quantitative phase-field equations were treated in a diffuse thin-interface limit,which enabled the quantitative links between interface dynamics and model parameters in the quasi-equilibrium simulations.As a result,the quantitative modeling is more effective in dealing with microstructural pattern formation in the large scale simulations without any spurious kinetic effects.The development of the quantitative phase-field models in modeling the formation of microstructures such as dendritic structures,eutectic lamellas,seaweed morphologies,and grain boundaries in different solidified conditions was also reviewed with the purpose of guiding to find the new prospect of applications in the quantitative phase-field simulations.

Principle for obtaining high joint quality in dissimilar friction welding of Ti-6Al-4V alloy and SUS316L stainless steel

Ti-6Al-4V alloy(Ti64)and SUS316 L stainless steel rods were dissimilarly friction welded.Especially focusing on the detailed observation of interface microstructural evolution during the friction welding(FW),the relationship between the processing conditions,weld interface microstructure,and mechanical properties of the obtained joints were systematically investigated to elucidate the principle for obtaining a high joint quality in the FW of Ti64 and SUS316L.A higher friction pressure produced a lower welding temperature in the FW,hence suppressing the thick intermetallic compound layer formation.However,hard and brittle Ti64/SUS316L mechanically mixed layers generally formed especially at the weld interface periphery due to the high temperature increasing rate,high rotation linear velocity and high outward flow velocity of the Ti64.These harmful layers tended to induce the cracks/voids formation at the weld interfaces hence deteriorating the joints’mechanical properties.The rotation speed reduction and liquid CO2 cooling during the entire processing decreased the temperature increasing rate,rotation linear velocity and outward flow velocity of the Ti64 at the weld interface periphery.Therefore,they suppressed the formation of the harmful mechanically mixed layers,facilitated the homogeneous and sound interface microstructure generation,and finally produced a high-quality dissimilar joint in the FW of Ti64 and SUS316L.

Solidification of Pb–Al Alloys Under the Influence of Electric Current Pulses

Continuous solidification experiments are carried out with Pb–Al alloys under the influence of the electric current pulses（ECPs）. The results demonstrate that the ECPs mainly affect the microstructure formation through changing the energy barrier for the nucleation of the minority phase droplets（MPDs） and minority phase particles（MPPs） during cooling Pb–Al alloys in the liquid–liquid and liquid–solid phase transformation temperature ranges in advance of the solidification of the matrix liquid. For Pb–Al alloys with Al-rich droplets/particles as the minority phase, the ECPs lower the energy barriers for the nucleation of the MPDs/MPPs and cause a significant increase in the nucleation rate of the MPDs/MPPs and, thus,promote the formation of Pb–Al alloys with a well-dispersed or even nanoparticles dispersed microstructure. The ECPs parameters show an important influence on the microstructure formation of Pb–Al alloys. The refinement extent of the MPDs/MPPs increases with the increase in the peak current density. For a given peak current density, the refinement extent of the MPDs/MPPs increases with the increases in the pulse frequency and pulse width first, and then level off and become asymptotic.

Science and technology in high-entropy alloys

As human improve their ability to fabricate materials, alloys have evolved from simple to complex compositions, accordingly improving functions and performances,promoting the advancements of human civilization. In recent years, high-entropy alloys（HEAs） have attracted tremendous attention in various fields. With multiple principal components, they inherently possess unique microstructures and many impressive properties, such as high strength and hardness, excellent corrosion resistance, thermal stability, fatigue,fracture, and irradiation resistance, in terms of which they overwhelm the traditional alloys. All these properties have endowed HEAs with many promising potential applications.An in-depth understanding of the essence of HEAs is important to further developing numerous HEAs with better properties and performance in the future. In this paper, we review the recent development of HEAs, and summarize their preparation methods, composition design, phase formation and microstructures, various properties, and modeling and simulation calculations. In addition, the future trends and prospects of HEAs are put forward.

Density functional theory study on the influence of cation ratio on the host layer structure of Zn/Al double hydroxides

A density functional theory （DFT） study has been carried out for [Zn-1AI（OH2）n＋6（OH）2n-2]^3＋ （n=3-6） and [Znn-1AI（OH2）2n-2（OH）2n-2]^3＋ （n = 7） clusters, which include the basic structural information of the brucite-like lattice structure of Zn/Al layered double hydroxides （LDHs） with Zn/AI molar ratio （R） in the range 2-6, in order to understand the effect of the Zn/Al ratio on the structure and stability of binary Zn/Al LDHs. Based on systematic calculations of the geometric parameters and formation energies of the cluster models, it was found that it is possible for Zn^2＋ and Al^3＋ cations to replace Mg^2＋ isomorphously in the brucite-like structure with different R values, resulting in differences in microstructure of the clusters and unit cell parameter a of the Zn/Al LDHs. Analysis of the geometry and bonding around the trivalent Al^3＋ or divalent Zn^2＋ cations reveals that Al^3＋ plays a more significant role than Zn^2＋ in determining the microstructure properties, formation and bonding stability of the corresponding ZnRAl clusters when R〈5, while the influence of Zn^2＋ becomes the dominant factor in the case of R〉 5. These findings are in good agreement with experiments. This work provides a detailed electronic-level understanding of how the composition of cations affects the microstructure and stability of Zn-containing binary LDH layers.