Revealing precipitation behavior and mechanical response of wire-arc directed energy deposited Mg-Gd-Y-Zr alloy by tailoring aging procedures

Mg-Gd-Y-Zr alloy,as a typical magnesium rare-earth(Mg-RE)alloy,is gaining popularity in the advanced equipment manufacturing fields owing to its noticeable age-hardening properties and high specific strength.However,it is extremely challenging to prepare wrought components with large dimensions and complex shapes because of the poor room-temperature processability of Mg-Gd-Y-Zr alloy.Herein,we report a wire-arc directed energy deposited(DED)Mg-10.45Gd-2.27Y-0.52Zr(wt.%,GW102K)alloy with high RE content presenting a prominent combination of strength and ductility,realized by tailored nanoprecipitates through an optimized heat treatment procedure.Specifically,the solution-treated sample exhibits excellent ductility with an elongation(EL)of(14.6±0.1)%,while the aging-treated sample at 200°C for 58 h achieves an ultra-high ultimate tensile strength(UTS)of(371±1.5)MPa.Besides,the aging-treated sample at 250°C for 16 h attains a good strength-ductility synergy with a UTS of(316±2.1)MPa and a EL of(8.5±0.1)%.Particularly,the evolution mechanisms of precipitation response induced by various aging parameters and deformation behavior caused by nanoprecipitates type were also systematically revealed.The excellent ductility resulted from coordinating localized strains facilitated by active slip activity.And the ultra-high strength should be ascribed to the dense nano-β'hampering dislocation motion.Additionally,the shearable nano-β1 contributed to the good strength-ductility synergy.This work thus offers insightful understanding into the nanoprecipitates manipulation and performance tailoring for the wire-arc DED preparation of large-sized Mg-Gd-Y-Zr components with complex geometries.

Microstructure and mechanical properties of Mg-Gd-Y-Zr alloy cast by metal mould and lost foam casting

The microstructure and mechanical properties of Mg-10.1Gd-3.74Y-0.25Zr （mass fraction, %） alloy （GW104 alloy） cast by metal mould casting （MMC） and lost foam casting （LFC） were evaluated, respectively. It is revealed that different forming modes do not influence the phase composition of as-cast alloy. In the as-cast specimens, the microstructures are similar and composed of α-Mg solid solution, eutectic compound of α-Mg＋Mg 24 （Gd, Y） 5 and cuboid-shaped Mg 5 （Gd, Y） phase; whereas the average grain size of the alloy produced by metal mould casting is smaller than that by lost foam casting. The eutectic compound of the alloy is completely dissolved after solution treatment at 525 ℃for 6 h, while the Mg 5 （Gd, Y） phase still exists after solution treatment. After peak-ageing, the lost foam cast alloy exhibits the maximum ultimate tensile strength of 285 MPa, and metal mould cast specimen 325 MPa at room temperature, while the tensile yield strengths of them are comparable. It can be concluded that GW104 alloy cast by lost foam casting possesses similar microstructure and evidently lower mechanical strength compared with metal mould cast alloy, due to slow solidification rate and proneness to form shrinkage porosities during lost foam casting process.

Influence of pouring temperature on solidification behavior, microstructure and mechanical properties of sand-cast Mg-10Gd-3Y-0.4Zr alloy

Influence of the pouring temperature ranging from 680 to 780 ℃ on the solidification behavior, the microstructure and mechanical properties of the sand-cast Mg-10Gd-3Y-0.4Zr alloy was investigated. It was found that the nucleation undercooling of the a-Mg phase increased from 2.3 to 6.3 ℃. The average a-Mg grain size increased from 44 to 71 μm, but then decreased to 46 μm. The morphology of the eutectic compound transformed from a continuous network into a discontinuous state and then subsequently into an island-like block. The volume fraction of β-Mg_24RE_5 phase increased and its morphology transformed from particle into rod-like. The increase in pouring temperature increased the solute concentration. YS increased from 138 to 151 MPa, and UTS increased from 186 to 197 MPa. The alloy poured at 750 ℃ had optimal combining strength and ductility. The fracture surface mode transformed from quasi-cleavage crack into transgranular fracture, all plus the dimple-like fracture, with the micro-porosity and the re-oxidation inclusion as major defects. The average a-Mg grain size played a main role in the YS of sand-cast Mg-10Gd-3Y-0.4Zr alloy, besides other factors, i.e. micro-porosity, morphology of eutectic compounds, re-oxidation inclusion and solute concentration.

Effect of purification treatment on corrosion resistance of Mg-Gd-Y-Zr alloy

Mg-Gd-Y-Zr alloys were purified by filtering purification with and without vacuum. The type, morphology, size distribution and volume fraction of inclusion were analyzed with OM and SEM. The effect of inclusion in Mg-Gd-Y-Zr alloys on anticorrosion ability was investigated with salt spray test and electrochemical test. The results show that the inclusions in the alloy can be removed effectively by filtering purification. The average size of inclusions in the alloys is decreased from 12.7 μm to 2.0 μm and the volume fraction of inclusions is reduced from 0.30% to 0.04%. With the decrease of the size of inclusions in the alloys, the corrosion rate of the alloys decreases dramatically from 38.8 g/（m 2 ·d） to 2.4 g/（m 2 ·d） in the salt spray test. The corrosion potential increases while the corrosion current decreases and the polarization resistance increases in the electrochemical tests, which indicates that the anticorrosion ability is improved.

Effects of plastic deformation on precipitation behavior and tensile fracture behavior of Mg-Gd-Y-Zr alloy

The effects of plastic deformation on precipitation behavior and tensile fracture behavior of Mg-10Gd-3Y-0.6Zr alloy were investigated.The results indicate that more precipitation cores can be provided by the crystal defects caused by the plastic deformation,as well as increasing the amount of β＇ phases,and the formation of precipitations at grain boundaries and interfaces between the twins and matrix.Because of an increase in precipitations,the dislocation slipping during deformation process is effectively hindered and the matrix is strengthened,especially for the 2% deformed alloy which can achieve a good combination of strength and ductility.With increasing the plastic deformation,the microcracks occur at the interface between grain boundary precipitations and matrix,and then propagate intergranularly.When intergranular fracture combines with the formation of smoothing facets on the fracture surface,the tensile properties decrease.

Effect of heat treatment on microstructures and mechanical properties of sand-cast Mg-4Y-2Nd-1Gd-0.4Zr magnesium alloy

Influence of heat treatment on the microstructures and mechanical properties of sand-cast Mg-4Y-2Nd-1Gd-0.4Zr magnesium alloy was investigated,and the tensile fracture mechanisms of the studied alloys under different conditions were also discussed.The results show that the optimum T4 and T6 heat treatment conditions for the as-cast Mg-4Y-2Nd-1Gd-0.4Zr alloy are 525°C,8 h and（525°C,8 h）＋（225°C,16 h）,respectively,with regard to the microstructure observation,DSC heating curve and mechanical properties.The hardness,yield strength,ultimate tensile strength and elongation of the Mg-4Y-2Nd-1Gd-0.4Zr alloy treated by optimum T6 heat treatment are HV91,180 MPa,297 MPa and 7.4%,respectively.Moreover,the Mg-4Y-2Nd-1Gd-0.4Zr alloys under different heat treatment conditions exhibit different tensile fracture modes.

Microstructure and mechanical properties of Mg-Gd-Y-Zr alloy processed by equal channel angular pressing

Microstructure evolution and texture development and their effects on mechanical properties of a Mg-Gd-Y-Zr alloy during equal channel angular pressing（ECAP） were investigated.It is found that the microstructure is still inhomogeneous after four passes,and two zones,namely the fine grain zone（FGZ） and the coarse grain zone（CGZ） are formed.The grain refinement occurs mainly by particle-stimulated nucleation（PSN） mechanism,which led to a more random texture after four passes of ECAP.In the ECAP-processed alloy,the strength did not increase while the ductility was enhanced dramatically compared with the as-received condition.The change of ductility of this alloy was discussed in terms of texture and second phase particles.

Effect of complex melt-refining treatment on microstructure and mechanical properties of sand-cast Mg–10Gd–3Y–0.5Zr alloy

The effect of complex melt-refining treatment （melt flux incorporating with rotating gas bubble stirring） on microstructure and mechanical behavior of the sand-cast Mg-10Gd-3Y-0.5Zr alloy was investigated. In addition, the melt purifying mechanism of the complex melt-refining treatment for the sand-cast alloy was discussed systematically. The results show that the new melt-refining method can significantly improve melt quality and mechanical behavior of the tested alloy, i.e., compared to the reference unpttdfied alloy, the volume fraction of inclusions decreased from 0.47% to 0.28%, the ultimate tensile strength and elongation for T6-treated alloy increased from 245 MPa and 0.7% to 312 MPa and 4.5%, respectively. Especially, combining 1% flux with rotating gas bubble stirring can get even better purifying effectiveness than conventional sole 2% flux purification; the use of melt flux decreased by 50% and significantly reduced environmental pollution.

Enhanced strength and ductility of Mg-Gd-Y-Zr alloys by secondary extrusion

The Mg-12Gd-3Y-0.6Zr(GW123,wt.%)alloy was prepared by cast,and thermo-mechanically treated by single and secondary hot extrusion techniques.The microstructure,texture and mechanical properties of the extruded alloy were investigated.The results show that in different treated conditions the microstructure is mainly composed ofα-Mg solid solution and second phases of Mg_(3)Y_(3)Gd_(2) and Mg_(5)(GdY)precipitates.The best mechanical properties are achieved in the secondary extruded alloy after ageing,with the ultimate tensile strength(UTS),tensile yield strength(TYS)and elongation(ɛ)being 446 MPa,350 MPa and 10.2%at room temperature.A weak texture aligned with〈101¯0〉||ED(extrusion direction)component and spread from〈101¯0〉to〈112¯0〉poles was obtained in secondary extrusion,which is caused by the occurrence of dynamic recrystallization(DRX)in shear bands for texture randomization.The fracture modes in extruded GW123 alloy are mixed pattern of transgranular and intergranular fracture,as well as cleavage fracture.The strengthening mechanisms were quantitatively analysed from the different aspects using the measured microstructural parameters.The grain boundaries and solid solution strengthening were the main contributors to the high tensile strength of the GW123 alloy.

Effect of purification treatment on properties of Mg-Gd-Y-Zr alloy

Mg-Gd-Y-Zr alloy was purified by the method of filtering purification. The type, morphology, size distribution and volume fraction of inclusions in the alloy were analyzed using optical microscope and scanning electron microscope, and the effects of the inclusions on the mechanical and corrosion properties of the alloy were investigated. The results indicate that the filtering purification method is effective to remove inclusions in the alloy. By the filtering purification method, the average size of inclusions in the alloy reduces from 12.7 μm to 4.3 μm and the average volume fraction of inclusions in the alloy reduces from 0.26% to 0.06%. The ultimate tensile strength, yield strength and elongation of the alloy are improved from 200 MPa, 156 MPa and 3.4% to 232 MPa, 167 MPa and 7.0%, respectively. The corrosion rate of the alloy decreases dramatically from 38.8g/（mLd） to 2.5 g/（mZ.d） in the salt spray test.

Corrosion resistance of cerium conversion film electrodeposited on Mg-Gd-Y-Zr magnesium alloy

The cerium conversion film was applied to improving the corrosion resistance of Mg-Gd-Y-Zr magnesium alloy. The film was electrodeposited on the surface of the Mg-RE alloy in cerium nitrate solution. The compositions and morphologies were analyzed by X-ray diffraction(XRD), scanning election microscopy (SEM). The corrosion behaviors of the film were investigated electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), potentiodynamic polarization tests and immersion tests. The results show that the optimum parameters for electrochemical deposition are as follows: pH 10.0, time 30 min, 50 mmol/L Na2CO3 and temperature 25 ℃ by the designed experiments according to the orthogonal table L(9, 34). The corrosion protection efficiency is dependent on the deposition parameters. The cerium conversion film shows better corrosion protection behavior than chromate conversion film on Mg-Gd-Y-Zr magnesium alloy.

Microstructure and mechanical properties of repair welds of low-pressure sand-cast Mg?Y?RE?Zr alloy by tungsten inert gas welding

The sand castings of Mg-Y-RE-Zr series alloys are widely utilized in the large scales and complex shapes in the aerospace industry,as a result of which there are always some cast defects in the products. In this study, the feasibility of repair welding of sand-cast Mg-4 Y-3 RE-0.5 Zr alloy by tungsten inert gas(TIG) welding was scrutinized with different welding currents from 150 to 210 A. The results indicated that defect-free repaired joints with good appearance could be acquired at 170 and 190 A. Interestingly, the grain size of the fusion zone(FZ) was refined initially and then increased with the linear increment of welding current. Because at the higher heat inputs, although the cooling rate of the molten pool was reduced, substantial constitutional supercooling for the grain refinement was attained after the Zr particles were transformed into Zr solutes. The tensile strength of the repaired joint at 170 A was 195 MPa with the maximum joint efficiency of 87.8%, and the elongation reached to 124.4% of the sand-cast base material(BM). However, serious grain coarsening and continuous eutectic structures generated in heat-affected zone(HAZ) above 190 A resulted in the weakening of the joint due to the brittle intergranular fracture.

Effect of heat treatment on the microstructures and mechanical properties of the sand-cast Mg-2.7Nd-0.6Zn-0.5Zr alloy

The tensile testing bars of the Mg-2.7Nd-0.6Zn-0.5Zr(wt.%)alloy were prepared by sand casting.The effect of solution temperature and aging time on the microstructures and mechanical properties were investigated.The as-cast alloy was composed ofαmagnesium matrix and Mg12Nd eutectic compounds.After solution treatment at 500℃ for 18 h,the volume fraction of eutectic compounds decreased from∼7.8%to∼2.3%,and some small Zr-containing particles were observed to precipitate at grain interiors.As the solution temperature increased to 525℃ for 14 h,most of the eutectic compounds dissolved into the matrix.Peak-aged at 200℃ for 12 h,fineβ″particles was the dominant strengthening phase.The yield strength,ultimate tensile strength and elongation in the peak-aged condition were 191 MPa,258 MPa and 4.2%,respectively.Moreover,the Mg-2.7Nd-0.6Zn-0.5Zr alloys under different heat treatment conditions exhibited different tensile fracture modes.

Microstructure,mechanical properties and fracture behaviors of large-scale sand-cast Mg-3Y-2Gd-1Nd-0.4Zr alloy

In order to improve the ductility of commercial WE43 alloy and reduce its cost,a Mg-3Y-2Gd-1Nd-0.4Zr alloy with a low amount of rare earths was developed and prepared by sand casting with a differential pressure casting system.Its microstructure,mechanical properties and fracture behaviors in the as-cast,solution-treated and as-aged states were evaluated.It is found that the aged alloy exhibited excellent comprehensive mechanical properties owing to the fine dense plate-shapedβ'precipitates formed on prismatic habits during aging at 200℃for 192 hrs after solution-treated at 500℃for 24 hrs.Its ultimate tensile strength,yield strength,and elongation at ambient temperature reach to 319±10 MPa,202±2 MPa and 8.7±0.3%as well as 230±4 MPa,155±1 MPa and 16.0±0.5%at 250℃.The fracture mode of as-aged alloy was transferred from cleavage at room temperature to quasi-cleavage and ductile fracture at the test temperature 300℃.The properties of large-scale components fabricated using the developed Mg-3Y-2Gd-1Nd-0.4Zr alloy are better than those of commercial WE43 alloy,suggesting that the new developed alloy is a good candidate to fabricate the large complex thin-walled components.

Mechanical properties of Mg-6Gd-1Y-0.5Zr alloy processed by low temperature thermo-mechanical treatment

An as-solution treated Mg-6Gd-1Y-0.4Zr alloy was processed by low temperature thermo-mechanical treatments （LT-TMT）, including cold tension with various strains followed by aging at 200 °C to peak hardness. The results show that the precipitation kinetics of the alloy experienced LT-TMT is greatly accelerated and the aging time to peak hardness is greatly decreased with increasing tensile strain. The tensile yield strength, ultimate tensile strength and elongation at room temperature of the alloy after cold tension with strain of 10% and peak aging at 200 °C are 251 MPa, 296 MPa and 8%, respectively, which are superior to the commercial heat-resistant WE54 alloy, although the latter has a higher rare earth element content.

Microstructure and texture evolution during high-strain-rate superplastic deformation of coarse-grained Mg-Gd-Y-Zr rolled sheet

Microstructure and texture evolution during high-strain-rate superplastic deformation of the rolled Mg-Gd-Y-Zr sheet were investigated.The tensile tests at the strain rate of 0.01 s-1 achieved the elongations of 180%-266% in the deformation temperature range of 400-500 ℃.Post-deforming microstructures were characterized by optical microscopy,scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy,while crystallographic orientation information was obtained from macro-texture analysis.The results show that the high strain-rate superplasticity was attributed to class-I dislocation creep accommodated by dynamic recrystallization （DRX）.During preheating at 435 ℃ for 600 s,twinning-induced recrystallization occurred.The initial strain of 80% made original grains fragmented and produced homogenous DRX grains.The interaction between dynamic recrystallization and dynamic precipitation yielded out such a phenomenon that finer DRX grains were often accompanied by denser particles.The macro-texture evolution exhibited some characteristics of the crystal rotation arising from basal slip and prismatic slip despite the occurrence of DRX.

Microstructure and mechanical properties of Mg-6Gd-3Y-0.5Zr alloy processed by high-vacuum die-casting

GW63K （Mg-6Gd-3Y-0.5Zr） magnesium alloys were prepared successfully by high-vacuum die-casting. Effects of fast shot speed and vacuum level on the grain size and mechanical properties of this alloy were studied. Microstructure of the alloys was analyzed by SEM, EDX and optical microscope （OM）. The effect of heat treatment on high vacuum die-casting （HVDC） GW63K alloy was also studied. The results indicate that with the increase of fast velocity, the tensile yield strength hardly changes, but the elongation first increases, then decreases. The optimum heat treatment process is solution treatment at 748 K for 2 h and aging at 473 K for 80 h. Under this condition, GW63K magnesium alloy exhibits a maximum tensile strength and elongation of 308 MPa and 9.45%. There is significant correlation between ductility and the presence of external solidified cells （ESCs）. The as-cast GW63K alloy consists ofα-Mg and Mg24（Gd,Y）5 particles. After heat treatment, Gd and Y atoms dissolve intoα-Mg matrix.

Effects of heat treatments on microstructure and mechanical properties of Mg-15Gd-5Y-0.5Zr alloy

Microstructure and mechanical properties of Mg-15wt.%Gd-5 wt.%Y-0.5wt.% Zr alloy were investigated in a series of conditions. The eutectic was dissolved into the matrix and there was no evident grain growth after solntionized at 525 ℃ for 12 h. The evolution of the phase constituents from as-cast to cast-T4 was as follows： α-Mg solid solution＋Mg5（Gd,Y） entectic compound→α-Mg solid solution＋ spheroidized Mg5（Gd, Y） phase→α-Mg supersaturated solid solution＋cuboid-shaped compound （Mg2Y3Gd2）. And the precipitation sequences of Mg-15Gd-5Y-0.5Zr alloy were observed, according to the hardness response to isothermal ageing at 225-300 ℃ for 0-128 h.

Mechanical properties of Mg-8Gd-3Y-0.5Zr alloy with bimodal grain size distributions

The Mg-Gd-Y-Zn-Zr alloys are representational and potential age-hardening systems as reported in the past ten years,but their mechanical properties are still dependent on the grain size and its distribution.The effect of bimodal structure on mechanical properties of Mg-8Gd-3Y-0.5Zr alloy with bimodal grain size distributions was investigated.The results suggested that the volume fraction of fine grain(FG)and coarse grain(CG)could be controlled by combined processes of hot forging,extrusion and annealing.And for the present alloys with bimodal grain size distribution,the improvement of strength is still attributed to the grain refinement.The morphology of bimodal grain size distribution has a marked impact on the ductility of the alloy,i.e.with the increase of coarse grain volume fraction,the elongation to failure increases at the beginning and then decreases.The mechanism of the toughening effect of bimodal grain size distribution on the Mg-Gd-Y-Zn-Zr alloys with bimodal grain size structure has been discussed.

Constitutive modeling of flow behavior and processing maps of Mg-8.1 Gd-4.5Y-0.3Zr alloy

High temperature deformation behavior and workability of Mg-8.1 Gd-4.5Y-0.3Zr alloy were studied by compression tests.Arrhenius equation with strain compensation and processing maps were established.The results show that the activation energy Q,structure factor a,n and In A varies with the strain,its relationship fit well by fifth order polynomial.The flow stresses predicted by the extracted model are in good agreement with the experimental results.There are five typical domains in the processing map,and the deformation mechanisms in different domains were determined by microstructure analysis.The feasible processing window of the alloy is in the areas of 400-500℃/0.001-0.1 s^(-1).