Quantifying Solid Solution Strengthening in Nickel-Based Superalloys via High-Throughput Experiment and Machine Learning

Solid solution strengthening(SSS)is one of the main contributions to the desired tensile properties of nickel-based superalloys for turbine blades and disks.The value of SSS can be calculated by using Fleischer’s and Labusch’s theories,while the model parameters are incorporated without fitting to experimental data of complex alloys.In thiswork,four diffusionmultiples consisting of multicomponent alloys and pure Niare prepared and characterized.The composition and microhardness of singleγphase regions in samples are used to quantify the SSS.Then,Fleischer’s and Labusch’s theories are examined based on high-throughput experiments,respectively.The fitted solid solution coefficients are obtained based on Labusch’s theory and experimental data,indicating higher accuracy.Furthermore,six machine learning algorithms are established,providing a more accurate prediction compared with traditional physical models and fitted physical models.The results show that the coupling of highthroughput experiments and machine learning has great potential in the field of performance prediction and alloy design.

Solid solution strengthening and damping capacity of Mg-Ga binary alloys

The mechanical behaviors and damping capacities of the binary Mg−Ga alloys with the Ga content ranging from 1 to 5 wt.%were investigated by means of optical microscope(OM),scanning electron microscope(SEM),X-ray diffraction(XRD),hardness test,tensile test and dynamic mechanical analyzer(DMA).The hardness(HV_(0.5))increases with the increase of Ga content,which can be described as HV_(0.5)=41.61+10.35c,and the solid solution strengthening effect∆σ_(s)of the alloy has a linear relationship with c^(n),where c is the molar fraction of solute atoms and n=1/2 or 2/3.Ga exhibits a stronger solid solution strengthening effect than Al,Zn or Sn due to the large atomic radius difference and the modulus mismatch between Ga and Mg atoms.The addition of Ga makes the Mg−Ga alloys have better damping capacity,and this phenomenon can be explained by the Granato−Lücke dislocation model.The lattice distortion and the modulus mismatch generated because of the addition of Ga increase the resistance to motion of the dislocation in the process of swinging or moving,and thus the better damping capacity is acquired.

Design of low-alloying and high-performance solid solution-strengthened copper alloys with element substitution for sustainable development

Solid solution-strengthened copper alloys have the advantages of a simple composition and manufacturing process,high mechanical and electrical comprehensive performances,and low cost;thus,they are widely used in high-speed rail contact wires,electronic component connectors,and other devices.Overcoming the contradiction between low alloying and high performance is an important challenge in the development of solid solution-strengthened copper alloys.Taking the typical solid solution-strengthened alloy Cu-4Zn-1Sn as the research object,we proposed using the element In to replace Zn and Sn to achieve low alloying in this work.Two new alloys,Cu-1.5Zn-1Sn-0.4In and Cu-1.5Zn-0.9Sn-0.6In,were designed and prepared.The total weight percentage content of alloying elements decreased by 43%and 41%,respectively,while the product of ultimate tensile strength(UTS)and electrical conductivity(EC)of the annealed state increased by 14%and 15%.After cold rolling with a 90%reduction,the UTS of the two new alloys reached 576 and 627MPa,respectively,the EC was 44.9%IACS and 42.0%IACS,and the product of UTS and EC(UTS×EC)was 97%and 99%higher than that of the annealed state alloy.The dislocations proliferated greatly in cold-rolled alloys,and the strengthening effects of dislocations reached 332 and 356 MPa,respectively,which is the main reason for the considerable improvement in mechanical properties.

Origin of strong solid solution strengthening in the CrCoNi-W medium entropy alloy

Solid solution strengthening is one of the most conventional strategies for optimizing alloys strength,while the corresponding mechanisms can be more complicated than we traditionally thought specifically as heterogeneity of microstructure is involved.In this work,by comparing the change of chemical distribution,dislocation behaviors and mechanical properties after doping equivalent amount of tungsten(W)atoms in CrCoNi alloy and pure Ni,respectively,it is found that the alloying element W in CrCoNi alloy resulted in much stronger strengthening effect due to the significant increase of heterogeneity in chemical distribution after doping trace amount of W.The large atomic scale concentration fluctuation of all elements in CrCoNi-3W causes dislocation motion via strong nanoscale segment detrapping and severe dislocation pile up which is not the case in Ni-3W.The results revealed the high sensitivity of elements distribution in multi-principle element alloys to composition and the significant consequent influence in tuning the mechanical properties,giving insight for complex alloy design.

Tailoring grain growth and solid solution strengthening of single-phase CrCoNi medium-entropy alloys by solute selection

In the present study,we selected solutes to be added to the Cr Co Ni medium-entropy alloy(MEA)based on the mismatch of self-diffusion activation energy(SDQ)between the alloying elements and constituent elements of the matrix,and then investigated their grain growth behavior and mechanical properties.Mo and Al were selected as the solutes for investigation primarily because they have higher and lower SDQ,respectively,than those of the matrix elements;a secondary factor was their higher and lower shear modulus.Their concentrations were fixed at 3 at.%each because previous work had shown these compositions to be single-phase solid solutions with the face-centered cubic structure.Three alloys were produced by arc melting,casting,homogenizing,cold rolling and annealing at various temperatures and times to produce samples with different grain sizes.They were(a)the base alloy Cr Co Ni,(b)the base alloy plus 3 at.%Mo,and(c)the base alloy plus 3 at.%Al.The activation energies for grain growth of the Cr Co Ni,Cr Co Ni-3Mo and CrCo Ni-3Al MEAs were found to be^251,~368 and^219 k J/mol,respectively,consistent with the notion that elements with higher SDQ(in this study Mo)retard grain growth(likely by a solute-drag effect),whereas those with lower values(Al)accelerate grain growth.The roomtemperature tensile properties show that Mo increases the yield strength by^40%but Al addition has a smaller strengthening effect consistent with their relative shear moduli.The yield strength as a function of grain size for the three single-phase MEAs follows the classical Hall-Petch relationship with much higher slopes(>600 MPaμm-0.5)than traditional solid solutions.This work shows that the grain growth kinetics and solid solution strengthening of the Cr Co Ni MEA can be tuned by selecting solute elements that have appropriate diffusion and physical properties.

Effect of lattice distortion on solid solution strengthening of BCC high-entropy alloys

An analytical model is established to study the influence of lattice distortion and fraction of Hf on the yield strength of the BCC TiNbTaZrHfx multi-component high entropy alloys （HEAs）. Meanwhile, the mechanism of solid solution strengthening caused by lattice distortion is also discussed in the HEA. The distorted unit cell is introduced to indicate the lattice distortion effects induced by the differences of the atomic size and shear modulus by doping other elements in Ti-based metal. The results show that the calculated values of the alloying yield strength considering the path of least resistance are obtained with regard to various grain sizes for the equiatomic TiNbTaZrHf HEA, which is well in line with the experimental results. Furthermore, it is predicted that the alloying yield strength is the largest value in the case of the same grain size for the Hf atomic fraction of 0.122. The meaningful modeling could provide a theoretical method to investigate the yield strength and alloying design of other BCC HEAs in the future.

Solid solution strengthening of high-entropy alloys from first-principles study

Solid solution strengthening(SSS)is one kind of strengthening mechanisms and plays an important role in alloy design,in particular for single-phase alloys including high-entropy alloys(HEAs).The classical Labusch–Nabarro model and its expansions are most widely applicable to treating SSS of solid solution alloys including both conventional alloys(CAs)and HEAs.In this study,the SSS effects in a series of Febased CAs and HEAs are investigated by using the classical Labusch–Nabarro model and its expansions.The size misfit and shear modulus misfit parameters are derived from first-principles calculations.Based on available experimental data in combination with empirical SSS model,we propose fitting constants(i.e.,the ratio between experimental hardness and predicted SSS effect)for these two families of alloys.The predicted host/alloy family-dependent fitting constants can be used to estimate the hardness of these SSS alloys.General agreement between predicted and measured hardness values is satisfactory for both CAs and HEAs,implying that the proposed approach is reliable and successful.

Elaborating strengthen mechanism of Pt-Ir solid solution superalloy at finite temperature

Pt-Ir alloy is potential superalloys used above 1300℃because of their high strength and creep resistance.However,the ductility of Pt-Ir alloy has rapidly deteriorated with the increase of Ir,resulting in poor machinability.This work quantitatively evaluated the solid solution strengthening(SSS)and grain refinement strengthening(GRS)of Pt-Ir alloy using first-principles calculations combined with experimental characterization.Here,the stretching force constants in the second nearest neighbor region(SFC^(2nd))of pure Ir(193.7 eV·nm^(-2))are 3.40 times that of pure Pt(57.0 eV·nm^(-2)),i.e.,the interatomic interaction is greatly enhanced with the increase of Ir content,which leads to the decrease of ductility,and modulus misfit plays a dominant role in SSS.Then,the physical mechanisms responsible for the hardness(H_(V))of Pt-Ir alloy,using the power-law-scaled function of electron work function coupled SSS and GRS,are attributed to the electron redistribution caused by different Ir content.Furthermore,a thorough assessment of the thermodynamic characteristics of Pt-Ir binary alloy was conducted,culminating in development of a mapping model that effectively relates enmposition,temperature and strength.The results revealed that the compressive strength incrcases with the Ir content,and the highest strength was observed in Pt_(0.25)Ir_(0.75).This study provides valuable insights into the Pt-Ir alloy system.

Refinement and strengthening mechanism of Mg−Zn−Cu−Zr−Ca alloy solidified under extremely high pressure

Mg−Zn−Cu−Zr−Ca samples were solidified under high pressures of 2-6 GPa.Scanning electron microscopy and electron backscatter diffraction were used to study the distribution of Ca in the microstructure and its effect on the solidification structure.The mechanical properties of the samples were investigated through compression tests.The results show that Ca is mostly dissolved in the matrix and the Mg_(2)Ca phase is formed under high pressure,but it is mainly segregated among dendrites under atmospheric pressure.The Mg_(2)Ca particles are effective heterogeneous nuclei ofα-Mg crystals,which significantly increases the number of crystal nuclei and refines the solidification structure of the alloy,with the grain size reduced to 22μm at 6 GPa.As no Ca segregating among the dendrites exists,more Zn is dissolved in the matrix.Consequently,the intergranular second phase changes from MgZn with a higher Zn/Mg ratio to Mg7Zn3 with a lower Zn/Mg ratio.The volume fraction of the intergranular second phase also increases to 22%.Owing to the combined strengthening of grain refinement,solid solution,and dispersion,the compression strength of the Mg-Zn-Cu-Zr-Ca alloy solidified under 6 GPa is up to 520 MPa.

Effect of magnesium on dispersoid strengthening of Al-Mn-Mg-Si(3xxx) alloys

The effects of magnesium addition on the dispersoid precipitation as well as mechanical properties of 3xxx alloys wereinvestigated. The microstructures in as-cast and heat-treated conditions were evaluated by optical microscopy and transmissionelectron microscopy. The results reveal that Mg has a strong influence on the distribution and volume fraction of dispersoids duringprecipitation heat treatment. The microhardness and yield strength at ambient temperature increase with increasing Mg content. Thesolid solution and dispersoid strengthening mechanisms of materials after heat treatment are quantitatively analyzed. Dispersoidstrengthening for the alloys is the predominant strengthening mechanism after precipitation heat treatment. An analytical model isintroduced to predict the evolution of ambient-temperature yield strength.

Characterization of the A6060 Al Alloy Mainly by Using the Micro-Hardness Vickers Test in Order to Optimize the Industrial Solutionizing Conditions of the As-Cast Billets

Heat treatable Al alloys of the 6xxx series are produced by the industry following a path that consolidates melting of raw materials, casting the melt in billets, solutionizing the billets following a suitable thermal cycle, pre-heating and extruding the material to profiles and finally aging the profiles. Although this procedure is known for pure materials from the scientific point of view, the introduction of scrap to the raw materials for melting modifies to an extent the fabrication conditions that follow casting. This fact affects the production cost. In this article we propose a research way based mainly on micro-Vickers tests that lead to an optimization of the treatment conditions for solutionizing the billets.

Microstructure and properties of plasma remelted AZ91D magnesium alloy

The surface of AZ91 D magnesium alloy was remelted by plasma beam. The microstructure, composition, hardness, wear and corrosion resistance of the plasma remelted layer（PRL） were characterized. The results show that there is extremely fine and dendrite structure in the PRL at low magnification observation, which is still composed of α-Mg and β-Mg17Al12 phases. But at high magnification observation, the microstructure of the PRL is equiaxial crystalline grains with size of 3-5 μm. And also the content of α-Mg phase decreases while that of β-Mg17Al12 increases and distributes more uniformly in α-Mg matrix compared with the substrate. The hardness of the PRL is much higher than that of the substrate. There are plastic deformation, grains uprooting and tearing evidence with tiny even dimples in the tensile fracture of the PRL, which are different from the substrate. Furthermore, the surface wear and corrosion resistance of AZ91 D are improved significantly after plasma remelting.

Role of thermal martensite in shape memory effect of CoAl and CoNi alloys

To address the role of the HCP martensite in CoAl and CoNi shape memory alloys, the relationship between the shape memory effect （SME） and the content of the thermal and stress-induced HCP martensite was investigated in the solution-treated CoAl and CoNi alloys. In-situ optical observations were employed to investigate the contents of thermal HCP martensite before and after deep cooling and its influence on the stress-induced HCP martensite transformation and SME. The results show that the SME in both the CoAl and the CoNi alloys results from the stress-induced HCP martensite. The role of the thermal HCP martensite in both of them is the strengthening of the matrix. The much higher yield strength in the solution-treated CoAl alloy due to solution strengthening of Al is responsible for its better SME compared with the CoNi alloy.

Rolling route for refining grains of super light Mg-Li alloys containing Sc and Be

Pioneering work on Sc or/and Be added Mg-Li alloys with refined grains was initiated. Various rolling-based thermo-mechanical treatments on these Mg-Li alloys were carried out. Four Mg-Li alloys were prepared by vacuum melting process. A unique route for producing fine grains was applied which concluded solution treatment at 350 ℃, cold rolling with 60% thickness reduction and 250 ℃ annealing, successively.

Microstructure and tensile properties of Mg-Li-Al-Zn based alloys with Ce addition

Mg-5Li-3Al-2Zn-xCe（x=0-2.5;mass fraction,%） alloys were prepared by casting,and heat treatments of homogenization at 300 °C and solid solution at 370 °C were carried out.The microstructure and tensile properties of as-cast alloys and their evolutions after solid solution were investigated.The results show that with the increase of Ce content,Al2Ce/Al3Ce precipitates are formed and the alloys mainly consist of α-Mg,Al2Ce,Al3Ce and AlLi phases,and the amount of AlLi and Al-Ce intermetallics decreases after solid solution.The content and morphology of the second phases have important effects on the mechanical properties of the alloys;the alloy with 1.0%Ce content exhibits excellent tensile strength.The tensile strength and elongation of Mg-5Li-3Al-2Zn-0.5Ce alloy is remarkably improved by the solution strengthening effect because of the addition of Ce.

Distribution,evolution and the effects of rare earths Ce and Y on the mechanical properties of ZK60 alloys

Eight kinds of Mg-RE alloys were prepared. The distribution, evolution, and effects of RE Ce and Y in the investigated alloys were studied by examining the mechanical properties of Mg alloys using X-ray diffraction and scan electron analysis, and by TEM observation. The results show that among the investigated alloys, ZK60-1.5%Ce and ZK60-1.0%Y possessed the optimal mechanical properties. Ce and Y were distributed on the grain boundary during casting. After extrusion and T5 （150℃/0-24 h） heattreatment, Ce and Y were distributed along the extrusion direction and they existed in compound form for both as-casting and asextrusion specimens. The mechanical properties of the investigated alloys were better than those of ZK60 because of the solid solution strengthening of RE and the dispersion strengthening of Mg-RE or Mg-Zn-RE compounds.

Ultrafine Grain Tungsten Heavy Alloys with Excellent Performance Prepared by Spark Plasma Sintering

Ultrafine grain tungsten heavy alloys (WHAs) were successfully produced from the nano-crystalline powders using spark plasma sintering.The present study mainly discussed the effects of sintering temperature on the density,microstructure and mechanical properties of the alloys.The relative density of 98.12% was obtained at 1 050 ℃,and the tungsten grain size is about 871 nm.At 1 000 ℃-1 200 ℃,the mechanical properties of the alloys tend to first rise and then goes down.After SPS,the alloy exhibits improved hardness (84.3 HRA at 1 050 ℃) and bending strength (987.16 MPa at 1 100 ℃),due to the ultrafine-grained microstructure.The fracture mode after bending tests is mainly characterized as intergranular or intragranular fracture of W grains,interfacial debonding of W grains-binding phase and ductile tearing of binding phase.The EDS analysis reveals a certain proportion of solid solution between W and Ni-Fe binding phase.The good mechanical properties of the alloys can be attributed to grain refinement and solid solution strengthening.

CALCULATION OF YIELD STRENGTH IN NICKEL BASE SINGLE CRYSTAL SUPERALLOYS

In this article, a quantitative equation was established to determine the relationship between yield strength and composition in nickel base SC superalloys based on Copley Kear precipitation strengthening model. The yield strength of two well known commercial SC superalloys calculated by this equation was compared with experimental data. It was found that the calculated yield strength of these two alloys was fairly correspondent with experimental results reported in the references. This model accurately described the solution strengthening of alloying elements and precipitation strengthening of γ′ phase. Yield strength of SC superalloys can be successfully predicted by this equation.

Effects of Ag,Co,and Ge additions on microstructure and mechanical properties of Be-Al alloy fabricated by investment casting

The effects of Ag,Co,and Ge additions on microstructure and mechanical properties of Be-35Al(wt.%)alloys fabricated by investment casting were studied.The results reveal that the trace metals 1.5wt.%Ag,0.7wt.%Co,and 0.8wt.%Ge additions do not change the nucleation temperature of Be phase.However,the nucleation temperature of the Al phase decreases from 642℃ to 630℃ by DSC due to the Ge addition.The strength of the alloys sharply increases due to the dissolution of the Ag and Ge solutes into the Al phase and the Co into the Be phase characterized by SEM and EDS.Obviously,the strength of Be-Al-Ag-Co-Ge alloy is improved by the solution strengthening.Furthermore,a few Ag_(3) Al particles contribute to the strength of the Al phase.Be-Fe-Al ternary intermetallic compounds which can effectively reduce the negative effect of an impurity element Fe on the mechanical properties of Be-Al alloys are also found by XRD and EDS.

Strengthening in Al-,Mo-or Ti-doped CoCrFeNi high entropy alloys:A parallel comparison

In the current work,a parallel comparison of the influence of Al,Mo and Ti,on the microstructure and strengthening of the CoCrFeNi alloy was conducted.To achieve this,inconsistencies on variables including the extent of alloying,thermomechanical processing and property-evaluation method were avoided.Microstructurally,following cold-rolling,annealing of the 4 at.%Al-doped alloys at 800-1000℃ did not result in phase separation;nevertheless,that of the 4 at.%Mo-and Ti-doped alloys led to the respective formation ofσandηphase and,consequently,caused extra strengthening through the Orowan dislocation bypassing mechanism.Our systematic qualitative analysis and DFT calculations showed that Al and Ti are more effective than Mo in reducing the stacking fault energy(SFE)of the CoCrFeNi alloy,because they can induce more considerable deformation of electronic density,making the gliding of atomic layers easier.Following identical thermomechnical processing,Al-,Mo-,and Ti-doping causes different extent of solid solution strengthening and grain boundary strengthening.Mo causes the most pronounced solid solution strengthening but does not benefit the grain boundary strengthening;in contrast,the effectiveness of grain boundary strengthening is boosted by the doping Al and Ti.Current analyses support that Labusch instead of Fleischer mechanism is applicable to explain the differences in solid solution strengthening,and the observed differences in grain boundary strengthening arise from the different tendency of Al,Mo and Ti to reduce the SFE of CoCrFeNi.In addition,we determined the value of the dimensionless parameter f in the Labusch model for CoCrFeNi-based alloys and observed a close relation between Hall-Petch slope and SFE.Although more in-depth studies are needed to provide full and mechanistic understandings,both these findings in fact presents significant values toward designing novel singlephase high-strength CoCrFeNi-based alloys through manipulating the solid solution and grain boundary strengthening by compositional tuning.