Improvement in mechanical properties of hypereutectic Al-Si-Cu alloys through sonosolidified slurry

For the wider applications,it is necessary to improve the ductility as well as the strength and wear-resistance of hypereutectic AlSi-Cu alloys,which are typical light-weight wear-resistant materials.An increase in the amounts of primary silicon particles causes the modified wear-resistance of hypereutectic Al-Si-Cu alloys,but leads to the poor strength and ductility.It is known that dual phase steels composed of hetero-structure have succeeded in bringing contradictory mechanical properties of high strength and ductility concurrently.In order to apply the idea of hetero-structure to hypereutectic Al-Si-Cu alloys for the achievement of high strength and ductility along with wear resistance,ultrasonic irradiation of the molten metal during the solidification,which is called sono-solidification,was carried out from its molten state to just above the eutectic temperature.The sono-solidified Al-17Si-4Cu alloy is composed of hetero-structure,which are,hard primary silicon particles,soft non-equilibrium a-Al phase and the eutectic region.Rheo-casting was performed at just above the eutectic temperature with sono-solidified slurry to shape a disk specimen.After the rheo-casting with modified sonosolidified slurry held for 45 s at 570 oC,the quantitative optical microscope observation exhibits that the microstructure is composed of 18area%of hard primary silicon particles and 57area%of soft a-Al phase.In contrast,there exist only 5 area%of primary silicon particles and no a-Al phase in rheo-cast specimen with normally solidified slurry.Hence the tensile tests of T6 treated rheo-cast specimens with modified sono-solidified slurry exhibit improved strength and 5%of elongation,regardless of having more than 3 times higher amounts of primary silicon particles compared to that of rheo-cast specimen with normally solidified slurry.

Fabrication of solid-phase-sintered Si C-based composites with short carbon fibers

Solid-phase-sintered Si C-based composites with short carbon fibers（Csf/SSi C） in concentrations ranging from 0 to 10wt% were prepared by pressureless sintering at 2100°C. The phase composition, microstructure, density, and flexural strength of the composites with different Csf contents were investigated. SEM micrographs showed that the Csf distributed in the SSi C matrix homogeneously with some gaps at the fiber/matrix interfaces. The densities of the composites decreased with increasing Csf content. However, the bending strength first increased and then decreased with increasing Csf content, reaching a maximum value of 390 MPa at a Csf content of 5wt%, which was 60 MPa higher than that of SSi C because of the pull-out strengthening mechanism. Notably, Csf was graphitized and damaged during the sintering process because of the high temperature and reaction with boron derived from the sintering additive B4C; this graphitization degraded the fiber strengthening effect.

Storage life of silicone rubber sealing ring used in solid rocket motor

It is urgent to carry out detailed research on storage performance of rubber sealing ring to get the criterion for its storage life. This paper acquires material ageing regularity by theoretical analysis and experimental confirmation. On this condition, failure mode and failure criterion of typical sealing structure is studied, and the failure mechanism is found. Thus by analyzing the stress distribution, the relationship between ageing state and sealing condition is established. Rationalization proposal is put forward and storage life of sealing ring is evaluated. The research mentionedabove has special reference to the design of sealing structures and can provide reference for prolonging their service life.