Study on the low mechanical anisotropy of extruded Mg-Zn-Mn-Ce-Ca alloy tube in the compression process

In this study,the extruded Mg-Zn-Mn-Ce-Ca alloy tube with a low compression anisotropy along the ED,45ED and TD was prepared.The effect of the second phases,initial texture and deformation behavior on this low mechanical anisotropy was investigated.The results revealed that the alloy tube contains the high content(Mg1-xZnx)11Ce phase and the low content of Mg12Ce phase.These second phases are respectively incoherent and coherent with the Mg matrix,and their influence can be ignored.Additionally,the alloy tube exhibited a weak basal fiber texture,where the c-axis was aligned along the 0°∼30°tilt from TD to ED.Such a texture made the initial deformation(at 1.0%∼1.6%strain)of the three samples controlled by comparable basalslip.As deformation progressed(1.6∼9.0%strain),larger amounts of ETWs nucleated and gradually approached saturation in the three samples,re-orienting the c-axis to a 0°∼±30°deviation with respect to the loading directions.Meanwhile,the prismatic and pyramidal<c+a>slips replaced the dominant deformation progressively until fracture.Eventually,the similar deformation mechanisms determined by the weak initial texture in the three samples contribute to the comparable strain hardening rates,resulting in the low compressive anisotropy of the alloy tube.

Creep rupture properties and microstructure stability of the GH984G alloy tube

GH984G alloy is a significant candidate material for 650-700℃ ultra-supercritical coal-fired generating units.In this paper,creep rupture properties and microstructure stability of the GH984G alloy tube were studied,and the findings indicated excellent creep rupture properties at 700℃.Furthermore,the extrapolated strength for 100000 h was found to be 153.8 MPa,which satisfies the requirements for the long-term performance of high-temperature materials in power stations.Aging at 700℃ with the extension of time,the grain boundary carbides and the particle size of the γ′phase on the matrix gradually coarsen,but its spherical morphology remains uniformly distributed.However,no harmful phase precipitates were found even after aging at 700℃ for up to 19144 h.Excellent microstructure stability guarantees the 700℃ creep rupture properties of the GH984G alloy tube.

Microstructure Distribution Characteristics of High-Strength Aluminum Alloy Thin-Walled Tubes during Multi-Passes Hot Power Backward Spinning Process

The microstructure of the thin-walled tubes with high-strength aluminum alloy determines their final forming quality and performance. This type of tube can be manufactured by multi-pass hot power backward spinning process as it can eliminate casting defects, refine microstructure and improve the plasticity of the tube. To analyze the microstructure distribution characteristics of the tube during the spinning process, a 3D coupled thermo-mechanical FE model coupled with the microstructure evolution model of the process was established under the ABAQUS environment. The microstructure evolution characteristics and laws of the tube for the whole spinning process were analyzed. The results show that the dynamic recrystallization is mainly produced in the spinning deformation zone and root area of the tube. In the first pass, the dynamic recrystallization phenomenon is not obvious in the tube. With the pass increasing, the trend of dynamic recrystallization volume percentage gradually increases and extends from the outer surface of the tube to the inner surface. The fine-grained area shows the states of concentration, dispersion, and re-concentration as the pass number increases. .

Analysis and Optimization of the Electrohydraulic Forming Process of Sinusoidal Corrugation Tubes

Aluminum alloy thin-walled structures are widely used in the automotive industry due to their advantages related to light weight and crashworthiness.They can be produced at room temperature by the electrohydraulic forming process.In the present study,the influence of the related parameters on the forming quality of a 6063 aluminum alloy sinusoidal corrugation tube has been assessed.In particular,the orthogonal experimental design(OED)and central composite design(CCD)methods have been used.Through the range analysis and variance analysis of the experimental data,the influence degree of wire diameter(WD)and discharge energy(DE)on the forming quality was determined.Multiple regression analysis was performed using the response surface methodology.A prediction model for the attaching-die state coefficient was established accordingly.The following optimal arrangement of parameters was obtained(WD=0.759 mm,DE=2.926 kJ).The attaching-die state coefficient reached the peak value of 0.001.Better optimized wire diameter and discharge energy for a better attaching-die state could be screened by CCD compared with OED.The response surface method in CCD was more suitable for the design and optimization of the considered process parameters.

Simulation of temperature field and metal flow during continuous semisolid extending extrusion process of 6201 alloy tube

A continuous semisolid extending extrusion （CSEP） method was proposed. Temperature field and metal flow during continuous semisolid extending extrusion process of 6201 alloy tube were studied. During the process, the temperature in the roll-shoe cavity decreases gradually, and the isothermal lines of the alloy deviate from the shoe side to the work roll side in the roll–shoe gap. Metal flow velocity decreases gradually from the surface of the work roll to the surface of the shoe. In the extrusion mould, alloy temperature decreases gradually from the entrance to the exit and from the center to the sidewall of the mould. The extending cavity is radially filled with the alloy. The flow lines in the tube corresponding to the centers of the splitflow orifices and the welding gaps are dense, and the corresponding harness values are high; there are 8 transitional bands between them. In order to prepare 6201 alloy tubes with good surface quality, the pouring temperature from 750 ℃ to 780 ℃ was suggested.

Finite element simulation of ball spinning of NiTi shape memory alloy tube based on variable temperature field

As a new attempt,ball spinning was used to manufacture the nickel-titanium shape memory alloy（NiTi SMA） tube at elevated temperature.The NiTi bar with a nominal composition of Ni50.9Ti49.1（mole fraction,%） was solution treated and was used as the original tube blank for ball spinning.Based on the variable temperature field and the constitutive equation,rigid-viscoplastic finite element method（FEM） was applied in order to simulate the ball spinning of NiTi SMA tube.The temperature field,the stress field,the strain field and the load prediction were obtained by means of FEM.FEM results reveal that there is a temperature increase of about 160 ℃ in the principal deformation zone of the spun part.It can be found from the stress fields and the strain fields that the outer wall of NiTi SMA tube is easier to meet the plastic yield criterion than the inner wall,and the plastic deformation zone is caused to be in a three-dimensional compressive stress state.The radial strain and the tangential strain are characterized by the compressive strain,while the axial strain belongs to the tensile strain.The variation of spinning loads with the progression of the ball is of great importance in predicting the stable flow of the spun part.

Equal channel angular extrusion of NiTi shape memory alloy tube

As a new attempt, equal channel angular extrusion （ECAE） of nickel-titanium shape memory alloy （NiTi SMA） tube was investigated by means of process experiment, finite element method （FEM） and microscopy. NiTi SMA tube with the steel core in it was inserted into the steel can during ECAE of NiTi SMA tube. Based on rigid-viscoplastic FEM, multiple coupled boundary conditions and multiple constitutive models were used for finite element simulation of ECAE of NiTi SMA tube, where the effective stress field, the effective strain field and the velocity field were obtained. Finite element simulation results are in good accordance with the experimental ones. Finite element simulation results reveal that the velocity field shows the minimum value in the corner of NiTi SMA tube, where severe shear deformation occurs. Microstructural observation results reveal that severe plastic deformation leads to a certain grain orientation as well as occurrence of substructures in the grain interior and dynamic recovery occurs during ECAE of NiTi SMA tube. ECAE of NiTi SMA tube provides a new approach to manufacturing ultrafine-grained NiTi SMA tube.

Microstructural effects in corrosion of aluminium tube alloys

Fine gauge extruded aluminium alloy tubes can experience preferential corrosion and early failure when they are formed into ＂u-bend＂ via cold deformation. The relationship between the electrochemical reactivity and the microstructure of the bent vs straight parts of the tube was established. Investigations were carried out on two alloys containing 0.08% and 0.22% （mass fraction） of manganese. The corrosion morphology of bent tubes after immersion in salt water acetic acid test （SWAAT） solution showed the highest attack at the bent region of the high-Mn alloy. SEM characterisation of the alloys showed that each alloy has one main type of coarse intermetallic particle. However, TEM observation showed that there is a distinct difference in particle morphology between the bent and straight regions of the high-Mn tubes, the bent region revealed an additional population of 10 50 nm Mn-rich intermetallic particles, which increased both the anodic and cathodic reactivity. For the low-Mn alloy, no such effects were observed. The results suggested that cold deformation of the high-Mn tube allowed room temperature precipitation of fine Mn-rich particles, which increased the cathodic reactivity of that region by providing more cathodic sites, and increased the susceptibility to pitting by removing noble Mn from solid solution. Such an effect was not observed for the low-Mn alloy.

Microstructure and mechanical properties of BFe10 cupronickel alloy tubes fabricated by a horizontal continuous casting with heating-cooling combined mold technology

A new horizontal continuous casting method with heating-cooling combined mold （HCCM） technology was explored for fabri- cating high-quality thin-wall cupronickel alloy tubes used for heat exchange pipes. The microstructure and mechanical properties of BFe 10 cupronickel alloy tubes fabricated by HCCM and traditional continuous casting （cooling mold casting） were comparatively investigated. The results show that the tube fabricated by HCCM has smooth internal and external surfaces without any defects, and its internal and external surface roughnesses are 0.64 μm and 0.85 μm, respectively. The tube could be used for subsequent cold processing without other treatments such as surface planning, milling and acid-washing. This indicates that HCCM can effectively reduce the process flow and improve the pro- duction efficiency of a BFel0 cupronickel alloy tube. The tube has columnar grains along its axial direction with a major casting texture of {012}〈 621 〉. Compared with cooling mold casting （6 = 36.5%）, HCCM can improve elongation （3 = 46.3%） by 10% with a slight loss of strength, which indicates that HCCM remarkably improves the cold extension performance of a BFe 10 cupronickel alloy tube.

Liquid-solid interface control of BFe10-1-1 cupronickel alloy tubes during HCCM horizontal continuous casting and its effect on the microstructure and properties

Based on horizontal continuous casting with a heating-cooling combined mold （HCCM） technology, this article investigated the effects of processing parameters on the liquid-solid interface （LSI） position and the influence of LSI position on the surface quality, microstructure, texture, and mechanical properties of a BFe10-1-1 tube （φ50 mm × 5 mm）. HCCM efficiently improves the temperature gradient in front of the LSI. Through controlling the LSI position, the radial columnar-grained microstructure that is commonly generated by cooling mold casting can be eliminated, and the axial columnar-grained microstructure can be obtained. Under the condition of 1250℃ melting and holding temperature, 1200-1250℃ mold heating temperature, 50-80 mm/min mean drawing speed, and 500-700 L/h cooling water flow rate, the LSI position is located at the middle of the transition zone or near the entrance of the cooling section, and the as-cast tube not only has a strong axial columnar-grained microstructure （{hkl}〈621〉, {hkl}〈221〉） due to strong axial heating conduction during solidification but also has smooth internal and external surfaces without cracks, scratches, and other macroscopic defects due to short solidified shell length and short contact length between the tube and the mold at high temperature. The elongation and tensile strength of the tube are 46.0%-47.2% and 210-221 MPa, respectively, which can be directly used for the subsequent cold-large-strain processing.

Sequential multi-objective optimization of thin-walled aluminum alloy tube bending under various uncertainties

Combining the design of experiments(DOE)and three-dimensional finite element(3D-FE)method,a sequential multiobjectiveoptimization of larger diameter thin-walled(LDTW)Al-alloy tube bending under uncertainties was proposed andimplemented based on the deterministic design results.Via the fractional factorial design,the significant noise factors are obtained,viz,variations of tube properties,fluctuations of tube geometries and friction.Using the virtual Taguchi’s DOE of inner and outerarrays,considering three major defects,the robust optimization of LDTW Al-alloy tube bending is achieved and validated.For thebending tools,the robust design of mandrel diameter was conducted under the fluctuations of tube properties,friction and tubegeometry.For the processing parameters,considering the variations of friction,material properties and manufacture deviation ofmandrel,the robust design of mandrel extension length and boosting ratio is realized.

Significance-based optimization of processing parameters for thin-walled aluminum alloy tube NC bending with small bending radius

Thin-walled aluminum alloy tube numerical control （NC） bending with small bending radius is a complex process with multi-factor coupling effects and multi-die constraints. A significance-based optimization method of the parameters was proposed based on the finite element （FE） simulation, and the significance analysis of the processing parameters on the forming quality in terms of the maximum wall thinning ratio and the maximum cross section distortion degree was implemented using the fractional factorial design. The optimum value of the significant parameter, the clearance between the tube and the wiper die, was obtained, and the values of the other parameters, including the friction coefficients and the clearances between the tube and the dies, the mandrel extension length and the boost velocity were estimated. The results are applied to aluminum alloy tube NC bending d50 mm×1 mm×75 mm and d70 mm×1.5 mm×105 mm （initial tube outside diameter D0 × initial tube wall thickness t0 × bending radius R）, and qualified tubes are produced.

Wrinkling behavior of magnesium alloy tube in warm hydroforming

In tube hydroforming with axial feeding,under the effect of coupled internal pressure and axial stress,wrinkles often occur and affect the forming results.Wrinkling behavior of an AZ31B magnesium alloy tube was experimentally investigated with different loading paths at different temperatures.Features of wrinkles,including shape,radius and width,were acquired from the experiments,as well as the thickness distribution.Numerical simulations were carried out to reveal the stress state during warm hydroforming,and then the strain history of material at the top and bottom of the wrinkles were analyzed according to the stress tracks and yielding ellipse.Finally,effects of loading paths on expansion ratio limit of warm hydroforming were analyzed.It is verified that at a certain temperature,expansion ratio limit can be increased obviously by applying a proper loading path and realizing enough axial feeding.

FEM simulation of extrusion of 3003 alloy tubes

In manufacturing 3003 small tubes, impact extrusion was applied in order to obtain seamless tubes with high accuracy and high surface finish. In impact extrusion of such tubes, die damages are often observed. These damages are related to process variables such as tools structure and temperature, extrusion ratio, initial billet temperature, characteristics of the extrusion speed and lubrication. It is economical and efficient to use FEM (finite element method) to simulate metal flow, stress, strain and temperature under different extrusion conditions. The simulation results are helpful to the investigation of die damages and the optimization of extrusion process parameters. [

Microstructure and performance of biodegradable magnesium alloy tubes fabricated by local-heating-assisted dieless drawing

Magnesium(Mg)alloy stents are expected to be the next generation of stents because of good biocompatibility and biodegradability.Compared with cold drawing,dieless drawing with local heating is an effective method for manufacturing the Mg alloy microtubes since a large reduction in area can be achieved in a single pass.However,the microstructure and properties of dieless drawn tubes have not been clarified,leading to the problems in practical application of dieless drawn tubes.In this study,the microstructure and performance of dieless drawn tubes are clarified.The results show that temperature and speed in the dieless drawing process are two factors in determining the grain size of dieless drawn tubes since decreasing the temperature or increasing the speed promotes the generation of fine-grained microstructure.Twins are also generated during the dieless drawing process,which 1)disintegrates grains leading to refinement and 2)causes Hall-Petch law effect on dieless drawn tubes.Tensile tests show that grain size is the main factor in determining the mechanical properties of dieless drawn tubes,namely,0.2%proof stress 135-180MPa,ultimate tensile strength(UTS)200-250MPa,and elongation 8-12%.In 0.9 wt%NaCl solution,localized corrosion is the key factor in initiating the corrosion of dieless drawn tubes,but refined grains and fewer twins can alleviate local corrosion.These results imply that dieless drawn tubes are promising in the clinical application of Mg alloy stents for cardiovascular disease.

Warm hydroforming of magnesium alloy tube with large expansion ratio

Process of warm tube hydroforming was experimentally investigated for forming an AZ31B magnesium alloy tubular part with a large expansion ratio. Effects of temperature on the mechanical properties and formability were studied by uniaxial tensile test and hydraulic bulge test. Total elongation increases with temperature up to 250℃, but uniform elongation and maximum expansion ratio get the highest value at 175℃. Different axial feeding amounts were applied in experiments to determine the reasonable loading path. A preform with useful wrinkles was then realized and the tubular part with an expansion ratio of 50% was formed. Finally, mechanical condition to produce useful wrinkles is deduced and the result illustrates that useful wrinkles are easier to be obtained for tube with higher strain hardening coefficient value and tubular part with smaller expansion ratio.

Effects of process parameters on numerical control bending process for large diameter thin-walled aluminum alloy tubes

Numerical control(NC) bending experiments with different process parameters were carried out for 5052O aluminum alloy tubes with outer diameter of 70 mm, wall thickness of 1.5 mm, and centerline bending radius of 105 mm. And the effects of process parameters on tube wall thinning and cross section distortion were investigated. Meanwhile, acceptable bending of the 5052O aluminum tubes was accomplished based on the above experiments. The results show that the effects of process parameters on bending process for large diameter thin-walled aluminum alloy tubes are similar to those for small diameter thin-walled tubes, but the forming quality of the large diameter thin-walled aluminum alloy tubes is much more sensitive to the process parameters and thus it is more difficult to form.

Effects of Ca addition on tensile properties and microstructures of hot-extruded AZ91 alloy tube

As-cast AZ91+XCa (X=0, 0.5%, 1.0%, 1.5%, mass fraction) magnesium alloys were extruded into tube at 380℃with an extrusion ratio of 6:1. The tensile properties and microstructures of extruded AZ91+XCa alloy tubes were investigated. The microstructural observation indicates that Ca can obviously refine bothα-Mg grains and Mg17Al12 phase of AZ91 magnesium alloy. XRD analysis shows that the microstructure of AZ91+0.5Ca alloy consists ofα-Mg solid solution and Mg17Al12 phase, while AZ91+1.5Ca alloy contains additionally Al2Ca phase. The tensile experimental results show that for the AZ91 alloy, the addition of Ca has little influence on the ambient temperature tensile properties but can improve the elevated temperature tensile properties. For the extruded AZ91+XCa alloys, the elevated temperature tensile strength decreases, and elongation increases with increasing the Ca content. The improvement in elevated temperature tensile strength of the alloy can be attributed to the presence of a Ca-containing phase, which can increase the microstructural stability of the alloy at elevated temperature.

Rapid solidification of Al-18%Si hypereutectic alloy in drop tube

The drop tube technique was performed to achieve rapid solidification of undercooled Al 18%Si hypereutectic alloy. The droplets ranging from 60～1 000 μm in diameter were obtained. The regular polygonal primary Si and lamellar eutectic homogeneously distribute on α (Al) matrix in the droplets larger than 500 μm. While in the droplets smaller than 500 μm the five star primary Si was found, which is often accompanied by some spherical eutectic grains. The different morphologies of primary Si are due to varied undercoolings. Scanning electron microscopy suggests that the spherical eutectic grain is composed of anomalous eutectic in its core and lamellar eutectic radiating outside from its periphery. Such eutectic microstructure is presumed to be the result of combining large undercooling, microgravity with containerless processing during free fall. [