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 the capsule on deformation and densification behavior of nickel-based superalloy compact during hot isostatic pressing

The Shima yield criterion used in finite element analysis for nickel-based superalloy powder compact during hot isostatic pressing(HIP) was modified through uniaxial compression experiments. The influence of cylindrical capsule characteristics on FGH4096M superalloy powder compact deformation and densification behavior during HIP was investigated through simulations and experiments. Results revealed the simulation shrinkage prediction fitted well with the experimental shrinkage including a maximum shrinkage error of 1.5%. It was shown that the axial shrinkage was 1.7% higher than radial shrinkage for a cylindrical capsule with the size of ∮50 mm × 100 mm due to the force arm difference along the axial and radial direction of the capsule. The stress deviated from the isostatic state in the capsule led to the uneven shrinkage and non-uniform densification of the powder compact. The ratio of the maximum radial displacement to axial displacement increased from0.47 to 0.75 with the capsule thickness increasing from 2 to 4 mm. The pressure transmission is related to the capsule thickness, the capsule material performance, and physical parameters in the HIP process.

Effects of microstructure characteristics on the tensile properties and fracture toughness of TA15 alloy fabricated by hot isostatic pressing

Powder hot isostatic pressing(HIP) is an effective method to achieve near-net-shape manufacturing of high-quality complex thinwalled titanium alloy parts, and it has received extensive attention in recent years. However, there are few reports about the microstructure characteristics on the strengthening and toughening mechanisms of powder hot isostatic pressed(HIPed) titanium alloys. Therefore, TA15powder was prepared into alloy by HIP approach, which was used to explore the microstructure characteristics at different HIP temperatures and the corresponding tensile properties and fracture toughness. Results show that the fabricated alloy has a “basket-like structure” when the HIP temperature is below 950℃, consisting of lath clusters and surrounding small equiaxed grains belts. When the HIP temperature is higher than 950℃, the microstructure gradually transforms into the Widmanstatten structure, accompanied by a significant increase in grain size. The tensile strength and elongation are reduced from 948 MPa and 17.3% for the 910℃ specimen to 861 MPa and 10% for the 970℃ specimen.The corresponding tensile fracture mode changes from transcrystalline plastic fracture to mixed fracture including intercrystalline cleavage.The fracture toughness of the specimens increases from 82.64 MPa·m^(1/2)for the 910℃ specimen to 140.18 MPa·m^(1/2)for the 970℃ specimen.Specimens below 950℃ tend to form holes due to the prior particle boundaries(PPBs), which is not conducive to toughening. Specimens above 950℃ have high fracture toughness due to the crack deflection, crack branching, and shear plastic deformation of the Widmanstatten structure. This study provides a valid reference for the development of powder HIPed titanium alloy.

Simple shear extrusion versus equal channel angular pressing:A comparative study on the microstructure and mechanical properties of an Mg alloy

Two severe plastic deformation(SPD)techniques of simple shear extrusion(SSE)and equal channel angular pressing(ECAP)were employed to process an extruded Mg-6Gd-3Y-1.5Ag(wt%)alloy at 553 K for 1,2,4 and 6 passes.The microstructural evolutions were studied by electron back scattered diffraction(EBSD)analysis and transmission electron microscopy(TEM).The initial grain size of 7.5μm in the extruded alloy was reduced to about 1.3μm after 6 SPD passes.Discontinuous dynamic recrystallization was suggested to be operative in both SSE and ECAP,with also a potential contribution of continuous dynamic recrystallization at the early stages of deformation.The difference in the shear strain paths of the two SPD techniques caused different progression rate of dynamic recrystallization(DRX),so that the alloys processed by ECAP exhibited higher fractions of recrystallization and high angle grain boundaries(HAGBs).It was revealed that crystallographic texture was also significantly influenced by the difference in the strain paths of the two SPD methods,where dissimilar basal plane texture components were obtained.The compression tests,performed along extrusion direction(ED),indicated that the compressive yield stress(CYS)and ultimate compressive strength(UCS)of the alloys after both SEE and ECAP augmented continuously by increasing the number of passes.ECAP-processed alloys had lower values of CYS and UCS compared to their counterparts processed by SSE.This difference in the mechanical responses was attributed to the different configurations of basal planes with respect to the loading direction(ED)of each SPD technique.

Effect of hot isostatic pressing processing parameters on microstructure and properties of Ti60 high temperature titanium alloy

Hot isostatic pressing parameters are critical to Ti60 high temperature titanium alloy castings which have wide application perspective in aerospace.In order to obtain optimal processing parameters,the effects of hot isostatic pressing parameters on defects,composition uniformity,microstructure and mechanical properties of Ti60 cast high temperature titanium alloy were investigated in detail.Results show that increasing temperature and pressure of hot isostatic pressing can reduce defects,especially,the internal defects are substantially eliminated when the temperature exceeds 920℃or the pressure exceeds 125 MPa.The higher temperature and pressure can improve the microstructure uniformity.Besides,the higher pressure can promote the composition uniformity.With the temperature increases from 880℃to 960℃,α-laths are coarsened.But with increasing pressure,the grain size of prior-βphase,the widths ofα-laths andα-colony are reduced.The tensile strength of Ti60 alloy is 949 MPa,yield strength is 827 MPa,and the elongation is 11%when the hot isostatic pressing parameters are 960℃/125 MPa/2 h,which exhibits the best match between the strength and plasticity.

Superplastic behavior of a fine-grained Mg-Gd-Y-Ag alloy processed by equal channel angular pressing

An extruded Mg-6Gd-3Y-1.5Ag(wt%) alloy was processed by 6 passes of equal channel angular pressing(ECAP) at 553 K using route Bc to refine the microstructure. Electron back-scattered diffraction(EBSD) analysis showed a fully recrystallized microstructure for the extruded alloy with a mean grain size of 8.6 μm. The microstructure of the ECAP-processed alloy was uniformly refined through dynamic recrystallization(DRX). This microstructure contained fine grains with an average size of 1.3 μm, a high fraction of high angle grain boundaries(HAGBs), and nano-sized Mg_(5)Gd-type particles at the boundaries of the DRXed grains, detected by transmission electron microscopy(TEM). High-temperature shear punch testing(SPT) was used to evaluate the superplastic behavior of both the extruded and ECAP-processed alloys by measuring the strain rate sensitivity(SRS) index(m-value). While the highest m-value for the extruded alloy was measured to be 0.24 at 673 K, the ECAP-processed alloy exhibited much higher m-values of 0.41 and 0.52 at 598 and 623 K, respectively,delineating the occurrence of superplastic flow. Based on the calculated average activation energy of 118 kJ mol^(-1) and m-values close to 0.5, the deformation mechanism for superplastic flow at the temperatures of 598 and 623 K for the ECAP-processed alloys was recognized to be grain boundary sliding(GBS) assisted by grain boundary diffusion.

Diffusion behavior of Nb element in high Nb containing TiAl Alloys by reactive hot pressing

Diffusion behavior of Nb in elemental powder metallurgy high Nb containing TiAl alloys was investigated. The results show that Nb element dissolves into the matrix by diffusion. Pore nests are formed in situ after Nb diffusion. With the increase in hot pressing temperature, the diffusion of Nb will be more sufficient, and the microstructure is more homogeneous. Nb element diffuses completely at 1400℃. Meanwhile, compression deformation and agglomeration phenomena of pores are observed in some pore nests. Hot isostatic pressing （HIP） treatment can only efficiently decrease but not eliminate porosity completely.

EFFECT OF EQUAL-CHANNEL ANGULAR PRESSING ON STRUCTURE OF Al ALLOY 2024

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Reducing the tension-compression yield asymmetry of extruded Mg-Zn-Ca alloy via equal channel angular pressing

The influence of equal channel angular pressing on the tension-compression yield asymmetry of extruded Mg-5.3 Zn-0.6 Ca(weight percent)alloy has been investigated.The microstructure was obviously refined by the large strain during the equal channel angular pressing,accompanied with very fine Ca_(2)Mg_(6)Zn_(3) phases with average diameter of 70 nm.The weak tension-compression yield asymmetry after equal channel angular pressing is mainly attributed to the reduced volume fraction of extension twinning during the compression,because the slope(k)of twinning in Hall-Petch relationship is higher than that of dislocation slip,and the twinning deformation is difficult to take place with decreasing grain size.The basal slip is more active in the alloy after equal channel angular pressing,due to the non-basal texture components,which hinders the twinning activation and reduces the yield asymmetry.Furthermore,the presence of fine precipitate restricts the twinning activation,which also contributes to the reduction of yield asymmetry.

Microstructure and mechanical property of a high-strength Mg-10Gd-6Y-1.5Zn-0.5Zr alloy prepared by multi-pass equal channel angular pressing

In this work,a high-strength Mg–10Gd–6Y–1.5Zn–0.5Zr(wt.%)alloy was fabricated by successive multi-pass equal channel angular pressing(ECAP).The microstructure and mechanical property of as-cast and ECAP alloys were systematically researched by X-ray diffractometer,scanning electron microscopy,transmission electron microscopy and compression test.The results show that the microstructure of as-cast alloy consists ofα-Mg grains,Mg24Y5 networks,18R blocks,fine 14H lamellas,and fewY-rich particles.After 8 passes ECAP,dynamic recrystallization ofα-Mg is developed and their average grain size decreases to about 1μm.The network Mg_(24)Y_(5) phase at grain boundaries is broken into small particles with average diameter lower than 0.5μm.Moreover,18R blocks are kinked and delaminated,or broken into small particles and blended with Mg24Y5 particles.14H lamellas grow gradually or are dynamically precipitated within certainα-Mg grains.Compression tests indicate that 8p ECAP alloy exhibits excellent mechanical property with compressive strength of 537 MPa and fracture strain of 17.0%.The significant improvement for both strength and ductility of deformed alloy could be ascribed to DRX grains,refined Mg24Y5 particles,18R kinking and dynamical precipitation of 14H.

Effect of Y content and equal channel angular pressing on the microstructure, texture and mechanical property of extruded Mg-Y alloys

The microstructure, texture and mechanical property evolution of the extruded Mg-x Y(x = 1, 5 wt.%) alloys during equal channel angular pressing(ECAP) were systematically investigated using an optical microscope, electron backscatter diffraction(EBSD) and uniaxial tensile test. The Mg-Y alloys exhibited a weakened basal texture before the ECAP, and the texture was further weakened with the max basal poles dispersed along ~45° between the extrusion direction and the transverse direction after the ECAP. The Mg-5 Y alloys always exhibited a finer grain size comparing to that of Mg-1 Y for the same ECAP process. With a proper ECAP process, both the strength and elongation of Mg-5 Y alloy could be improved simultaneously after the ECAP, i.e., the yield strength(273.9 ± 1.2 MPa), ultimate strength(306.4 ± 3.0 MPa),and elongation(23.9 ± 1.0%) were increased by 10%, 6%, and 72%, respectively, comparing to that before the ECAP. This was considered to be arose from the combined effects of grain refinement, significant improved microstructure homogeneity and solid solution hardening.In addition, it was found that Mg-Y alloy with better comprehensive properties could be obtained by the decreasing-temperature ECAP processes. The yield strength-grain size relationship could be well described by the Hall-Petch relation for all the ECAPed Mg-Y alloys,which was consistent with that the texture changes did not significantly affect the average Schmid factors of basal, prismatic and pyramidal slips for both Mg-Y alloys.

The effect of Equal Channel Angular Pressing process on the microstructure of AZ31 Mg alloy strip shaped specimens

Equal Channel Angular Pressing(ECAP)is one of the most applicable Sever Plastic Deformation(SPD)processes which leads to strength and ductility improvement through the grain refining and development of a suitable texture.In this study,after designing and manufacturing a suitable die,4 pass ECAP process at route C is done on strip shaped specimens of AZ31 magnesium alloy in order to achieve desirable microstructural and mechanical properties.Microstructure then got studied through the optical microscopy.Results show that mean grain size is decreased and grain size distribution got close to normal distribution state by increasing the pass number.However,the grain size is reduced by increasing of ECAP temperature.

Microstructure evolution of a recycled Al-Fe-Si-Cu alloy processed by tube channel pressing

Although excellent recyclability is one of the advantages of Al alloys, a recycling process can reduce different properties of these alloys by adding coarse AlFeSi particles into the alloys' microstructures. One of the well-known methods for modifying the microstructure of metallic materials is the imposition of severe plastic deformation(SPD). Nevertheless, the microstructure evolutions of recycled Al alloys containing extraordinary fractions of AlFeSi particles during SPD processing have seldom been considered. The aim of the present work is to study the microstructure evolution of a recycled Al–Fe–Si–Cu alloy during SPD processing. For this purpose, tubular specimens of the mentioned alloy were subjected to different numbers of passes of a recently developed SPD process called tube channel pressing(TCP); their microstructures were then studied using different techniques. The results show that coarse AlFeSi particles are fragmented into finer particles after processing by TCP. However, decomposition and dissolution of AlFeSi particles through TCP processing are negligible. In addition, TCP processing results in an increase in hardness of the alloy, which is attributed to the refinement of grains, to an increase of the dislocation density, and to the fragmentation of AlFeSi particles.

Microstructure and tensile properties of ultrafine grained copper processed by equal-channel angular pressing

Equal-channel angular pressing （ECAP） process was applied to a 12 mm ×12 mm ×80 mm billet of pure copper （99.98 wt.%） at room temperature. The shear deformation characteristics, microstructure evolution, and tensile properties were investigated. A combination of high strength （-420 MPa） and high elongation to failure （-25%） was achieved after eight ECAP passes at room temperature. The mixing of ultrafme grains （-0.2 μm） with nanocrystalline grains （-80 nm） resulted in high tensile strength and ductility.

Porous bulk metallic glass fabricated by powder hot pressing

A synthesis method for the production of porous bulk metallic glass (BMG) was introduced. This method utilizes the su- perplastic forming ability of amorphous powder in the supercooled liquid (SCL) state and intenerating salt mixture as a placeholder to produce BMG foam by using a hot die pressing method. Scanning electron microscope (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and dif- ferential scanning calorimetry (DSC) were employed to characterize the morphologies of foaming structure, the crystallization and the percentage of crystallization of the as-produced porous BMG. The results suggested that the formation of porous structure by su- perplastic forming process is feasible. Good bonding effect was observed between amorphous powder particles. Less than 6.5% of crystalline phases were formed during hot pressing, and less than 5.5% of residual salt was enclosed in the foam. To remove any re- sidual salt particles, salt preforms with three-dimensional network and good connectivity is necessary.

Manufacture and Cytotoxicity of a Lead-free Piezoelectric Ceramic as a Bone Substitute—Consolidation of Porous Lithium Sodium Potassium Niobate by Cold Isostatic Pressing

Aim The piezoelectric properties and cytotoxicity of a porous lead-free piezoelectric ceramic for use as a direct bone substitute were investigated. Methodology Cold isostatic pressing （CIP） was applied to fabricate porous lithium sodium potassium niobate （Li0.06Na0.5K0.44） NbO3 specimens using a pore-forming method. The morphologies of the CIP-processed specimens were characterized and compared to those of specimens made by from conventional pressing procedures. The effects of the ceramic on the attachment and proliferation of osteoblasts isolated from the cranium of 1-day-old Sprague- Dawley rats were examined by a scanning electron microscopy （SEM） and metbylthiazol tetrazolium （MTT） assay. Results The results showed that CIP enhanced piezoelectricity and biological performance of the niobate specimen, and also promoted an extracellular matrix-like topography of it. In vitro studies showed that the CIP-enhanced material had positive effects on the attachment and proliferation of osteoblasts. Conclusion Niobate ceramic generated by CIP shows a promise for being a piezoelectric composite bone substitute.

Effects of aluminum and titanium on the microstructure of ODS steels fabricated by hot pressing

Three oxide-dispersion-strengthened(ODS)steels with compositions of Fe-14Cr-2W-0.2V-0.07Ta-0.3Y_2O_3(wt%,so as the follows)(14Y),Fe-14Cr-2W-0.2V-0.07Ta-1Al-0.3Y_2O_3(14YAl),and Fe-14Cr-2W-0.2V-0.07Ta-0.3Ti-0.3 Y_2O_3(14YTi)were fabricated by hot pressing.Transmission electron microscopy(TEM)was used to characterize the microstructures and nanoparticles of these ODS steels.According to the TEM results,14Y,14YAl,and 14YTi ODS steels present similar bimodal structures containing both large and small grains.The addition of Al or Ti has no obvious effect on the microstructure of the steels.The spatial and size distribution of the nanoparticles was also analyzed.The results indicate that the average size of nanoparticles in the 14YTi ODS steel is smaller than that in the 14YAl ODS steel.Nanoparticles such as Y_2O_3,Y_3Al_5O_(12) and YAlO_3,and Y_2Ti_2O_7 were identified in the 14Y,14YAl,and 14YTiODS steels,respectively.

Microstructure,Mechanical,and Thermal Properties of B4C-TiB2-SiC Composites Prepared by Reactive Hot-pressing

B4C-TiB2-SiC composites with excellent properties were prepared by reactive hot-pressing using B4C,TiC,and Si powders as the raw materials.The phase transition process was investigated by heating the powder mixture to different temperatures and combined with XRD tests.TiB2 and SiC phases were synthesized through an in situ reaction,and the mechanical and thermal properties were improved simultaneously.Microstructure and mechanical properties were also studied,and the 60wt% B4C-21.6wt% TiB2-18.4wt% SiC composite showed a relative density of 99.1%,Vickers hardness of 34.6 GPa,flexural strength of 582 MPa,and fracture toughness of 5.08 MPa·m1/2.In addition,the values of thermal conductivity and thermal expansion coefficient were investigated,respectively.

Diffusion Bonding of Al6061 and Cu by Hot Isostatic Pressing

Diffusion bonding between Al and Cu was successfully performed by hot isostatic pressing(HIP). To improve the strength of diffusion bonding joint, pure nickel foils with different thickness were used as intermediate layer. Microstructure of the interface between Al and Cu was investigated by X-ray diffraction(XRD) technique, secondary electron microscopy(SEM), and nano-indentation tests. When the temperature was 500 ℃ and held for 3 h with a processing pressure of 50 MPa, Al and Cu could be bonded with its interface formed by several diffusion layers. With the addition of Ni interlayer, the diffusion of aluminum atoms was effectively hindered, and the interface became smoother. The tensile strength of bonded joints increases with increasing the thickness of Ni interlayer, which contributes to a reduction in the thickness of intermetallic compounds(IMCs) and well bonding quality of Al-Cu joints.

Mechanical and wear properties of Al-Al_3Mg_2 nanocomposites prepared by mechanical milling and hot pressing

β-A13Mg2 intermetallic was used as a reinforcing agent to improve the mechanical properties of an aluminum matrix. Different amounts of A13Mg2 nanoparticles （ranging from 0wt% to 20wt%） were milled with aluminum powders in a planetary ball mill for 10 h. Consolidation was conducted by uniaxial pressing at 400β under a pressure of 600 MPa for 2 h. Microstructural characterization confirms the uniform distribution of A13Mg2 nanoparticles within the matrix. The effects of nano-sized A13Mg2 content on the wear and mechanical properties of the composites were also investigated. The results show that as the A13Mg2 content increases to higher levels, the hardness, compressive strength, and wear resistance of the nanocomposites increase significantly, whereas the relative density and ductility decrease. Scanning electron microscopy （SEM） analysis of worn surfaces reveals that a transition in wear mechanisms occurs from delamination to abrasive wear by the addition of A13Mg2 nanoparticles to the matrix.