Effects of pre-aging on microstructure evolution and deformation mechanisms of hot extruded Mg–6Zn–1Gd–1Er Mg alloys

The influence of pre-aging treatment on the microstructure,texture and mechanical properties of the Mg–6Zn–1Gd–1Er(wt.%)alloy was investigated.The microstructure analysis shows that the presence of pre-aging is beneficial to{1012}twin nucleation at the early stage of extrusion and inhibits the growth of twins and promotes the formation of[1010]-fiber texture components,thus accelerating the complex process of recrystallization.In the middle stage of extrusion,the extruded samples under the condition of solid solution were subjected to dynamic precipitation during severe shear deformation.The precipitation of the second phase particles followed the particle stimulating nucleation(PSN)mechanism,which increased the volume fraction of DRX grains during extrusion.In the extruded samples under the peak-aged condition,the particles appear dissolved during the severe shear deformation strain,which slows down the DRX process.In the later stage of extrusion,the small rod-shaped particles followed the PSN mechanism,and finally formed the strong fiber texture.The extruded alloy exhibits the strongest mechanical properties under the peak-aged state,with ultimate tensile strength(UTS)of 346 MPa,tensile yield strength(TYS)of 217 MPa,and elongation to failure(EL)of 13.6%.The improvement of mechanical properties is mainly attributed to the existence of strong fiber texture,small rod-shaped and block-shaped phases.

Effect of pre-deformation on microstructure and mechanical properties of WE43 magnesium alloy II: Aging at 250 and 300℃

In this work,the microstructural evolution and mechanical properties of a pre-deformed WE43 magnesium alloy when aged at 250 and 300℃ were further investigated.It is found that the abundant deformation twins introduced by pre-deformation were maintained within the alloy during the aging treatment.Second particles formed at the twin boundaries and coarsened with aging time,especially at 300℃.When peak-aged at 250℃,the fine metastable β'''and β' precipitates formed in the un-deformed alloy have been transformed into relatively large β1 and β precipitates by the pre-deformation.While peak-aged at 300℃,the pre-deformation obviously refined the β precipitates.Mechanical properties indicate that pre-deformation can increase the yield strength by 19MPa and 54MPa for the peak-aged alloy at 250℃ and 300℃,respectively,and will not obviously deteriorate the tensile elongations.

Microstructures and properties of Al_2O_3 dispersion-strengthened copper alloys prepared through different methods

Al2O3 dispersion copper alloy powder was prepared by intemal oxidation, and three consolidation methods--high-velocity compaction （HVC）, hot pressing （HP）, and hot extrusion （HE）--were used to prepare Al2O3 dispersion-strengthened copper （Cu-Al2O3） alloys. The microstructures and properties of these alloys were investigated and compared. The results show that the alloys prepared by the HP and HE methods exhibited the coarsest and finest grain sizes, respectively. The alloy prepared by the HVC method exhibited the lowest relative density （98.3% vs. 99.5% for HP and 100% for HE）, which resulted in the lowest electrical conductivity （81% IACS vs. 86% IACS for HP and 87% IACS for HE）. However, this alloy also exhibited the highest hardness （77 HRB vs. 69 HRB for HP and 70 HRB for HE）, the highest compressive strength （443 MPa vs. 386 MPa for I/P and 378 MPa for HE）, and the best hardness retention among the investigated alloys. The results illustrate that the alloy prepared by the HVC method exhibits high softening temperature and good mechanical properties at high temperatures, which imply long service life when used as spot-welding electrodes.

Microstructure and properties of 7A52 Al alloy welded joint

7A52 Al alloy plate aged at 105 ℃ for 8 h and then at 130 ℃ for 24 h was welded by means of TIG using Al- 6.3Mg-0.35Sc-0.1Zr-0.1Cr solder wire. Mechanical properties and microstructures of welded joint were studied. There are two obviously soft areas in the welded joint, welding seam and over-aging zone. The mechanical properties of welded joint are that σb is 358 MPa, σ0.2 is 238 MPa and δ5 is 6.6%. 75.6% of welding coefficient can be achieved. The addition of scandium leads to very significant grain refinement in the fusion zone, which results in a reduction in solidification cracking tendency. The solidification cracking isn’t observed.

Design and calculation of low infrared transmittance and low emissivity coatings for heat radiative applications

The infrared transmittance and emissivity of heat-insulating coatings pigmented with various structural particles were studied using Kubelka-Munk theory and Mie theory. The primary design purpose was to obtain the low transmittance and low emissivity coatings to reduce the heat transfer by thermal radiation for high-temperature applications. In the case of silica coating layers constituted with various structural titania particles （solid, hollow, and core-shell spherical）, the dependence of transmittance and emissivity of the coating layer on the particle structure and the layer thickness was investigated and optimized. The results indicate that the coating pigmented with core-shell titania particles exhibits a lower infrared transmittance and a lower emissivity value than that with other structural particles and is suitable to radiative heat-insulating applications.

Effect of Ti and Al on microstructure and partitioning behavior of alloying elements in Ni-based powder metallurgy superalloys

The microstructure and partitioning behaviors of alloying elements in the γ and γ′ phases in Ni-based powder metallurgy superalloys with different Ti and Al contents were investigated. The results showed that Ti and Al were mainly enriched in the γ′ phase, partially partitioned in the γ matrix, and slightly distributed in the carbides. Different Ti and Al contents in various alloys influenced the composition and amount of MC carbides but did not influence the MC carbides' morphology. With increasing Ti and Al contents, γ + γ′ fan-type structures formed at the grain boundary, eventually resulting in a coarsened γ′ phase. In addition, the morphology of the secondary γ′ phase transformed from nearly spherical to cuboidal. The saturation degrees of Cr, Co, and Mo in the γ matrix were substantially improved with increasing Ti and Al contents.

Microstructure, Texture, and Hardness Evolutions of Al-Mg-Si-Cu Alloy during Annealing Treatment

Microstructure, texture and hardness evolutions of Al-Mg-Si-Cu alloy during annealing treatment were studied by microstructure, texture and hardness characterization in the present study. The experimental results show that microstructure, texture and hardness will change to some extent with the increase of annealing temperature. The microstructure transforms from the elongated bands to elongated grains first, and then the grains grow continuously. The texture transforms from the initial deformation texture β fiber to recrystallization texture mainly consisting of CubeND {001}<310> and P {011}<122> orientations first, and then the recrystallization texture may be enhanced continuously as a result of the grain growth. Hardness decreases slowly at first, and then decreases sharply and increases significantly finally. Besides, the particle distributions also have great changes. As the annealing temperature increases, they increase firstly as a result of precipitation, and then gradually disappear as a result of dissolution. Finally, the effect of annealing temperature on microstructure, texture and hardness evolutions is discussed.

Metallurgical modeling of microcrack repairment during welding nonferrous materials: non-equilibrium solidification behavior of weld pool (Ⅰ)

Metallurgical modeling of synergistic microcrack self-repairmen during welding single crystal and polycrystalline superalloys of high-temperature aerospace materials has been properly established. The idea of improvement of nickel-based superalloys weldability through non-equilibrium solidification behavior of backfill to self-repair arterial crack network is usefully proposed. Crystallographic control strategy of crack self-repairmen of fusion zone interdendritic solidification cracking and heat-affected zone （HAZ） intergranular liquation cracking is technically achievable, indicating that optimal niobium alloying beneficially refines weld microstructure, stabilizes the primary solidification path, increases the solidification temperature and concomitantly decreases the weld pool geometry. High-carbon grain boundary is more thermal stable and less contributes to incipient intergranular liquid film than that of low-carbon grain boundary. The theoretical predictions of cracking susceptibility are indirectly verified in a rather satisfactory manner. Additionally, the metallurgical modeling enhances predicative capabilities and thereby is readily applicable for other alloy systems.

Metallurgical modeling of microcrack repairment during welding nonferrous materials: non-equilibrium grain boundary segregation(Ⅱ)

Metallurgical modeling of microalloying boron behavior in nickel-based superalloys during pre-weld heat treatment and welding has been systematically established. Non-equilibrium grain boundary resegregation is physically coupled with non-equilibrium solidification of the weld pool for improved quantitative understanding of the imminent detriment of boron near the as-transformed grain boundary of the mushy zone and weldability. A strategic priority of the reduction in boron through low heat input and pre-weld heat treatment to suppress massive boride nucleation and grain boundary liquation are introduced.Both factors are capable of reducing the material response to boron-assisted intergranular liquation cracking at the high-energy sites of the grain-coarsened heat-affected zone( HAZ) beneath the surface and are of practical importance to provide robust integrity of joints. The synergistic self-repairment arterial crack network with the crystallographic substructure of the backfill enables amelioration of the HAZ crack resistance. The theoretical predictions are in satisfactory agreement with the phenomenological microanalysis, indirectly. This metallurgical modeling is also applicable to other high-temperature aerospace materials with similar metallurgical properties.

Hot deformation behavior of Al-Cu-Li-Mg-Zr alloy containing Zn and Mn

The hot deformation behavior of a new Al-Cu-Li-Mg-Zr alloy was studied,and its microstructure and true stress were characterized as function of the deformation temperature and the strain rate using Gleeble-1500 thermal mechanical simulator. The results show that,with the increase of the strain rate from 0.001 s-1 to 10 s-1,the peak value of true stress is elevated at the same deformation temperature,and at the same strain rate the peak value of the true stress decreases with the increase of the deformation temperature from 360 ℃ to 520 ℃. Dynamic recrystallization easily occurs in the new Al-Cu-Li-Mg-Zr alloy under the lower strain rate and the higher deformation temperature,and dynamic recovery can usually be seen in this alloy under the higher strain rate of 10 s-1 and the lower deformation temperature.

HIP diffusion bonding of P/M titanium alloy Ti-6Al-4V and stainless steel 1Cr18Ni9Ti

The HIP diffusion bonding of P/M titanium alloy Ti-6Al-4V and stainless steel 1Cr18Ni9Ti using pure Ni as intermediate layer was studied. Bonding joint with complex bonding interface was obtained by HIPing pre-alloyed Ti-6Al-4V powders and stainless steel 1Cr18Ni9Ti in a vacuum canning. The joint strengths were examined and the characteristics of bonding joint were observed. The result shows that the maximized strength of HIP diffusion bonding between P/M titanium alloy Ti-6Al-4V and stainless steel 1Cr18Ni9Ti can be up to 388 MPa and the microstructure of bonding joint is acceptable.

Superplasticity and Superplastic Bulging Behavior of ZrO_2/Ni Nanocomposite

ZrO2/Ni nanocomposite was produced by pulse electrodeposition and its superplastic properties were investigated by the tensile and bulging tests. The as-deposited nickel matrix has a narrow grain size distribution with a mean grain size of 45 nm. A maximum elongation of 605% was observed at 723 K and a strain rate of 1.67×10-3s-1 by tensile test. Superplastic bulging tests were subsequently performed using dies with diameters of 1 mm and 5 mm respectively based on the optimal superplastic forming temperature. The effects of forming temperature and gas pressure on bulging process were experimentally investigated. The results indicated that ZrO2/Ni nanocomposite samples can be readily bulged at 723 K with H/d value （defined as dome apex height over the die diameter） larger than 0.5, indicating that the nanocomposite has good bulging ability. SEM and TEM were used to examine the microstructure of the as-deposited and bulged samples. The observations showed that significant grain coarsening occurs during superplastic bulging, and the microstructure is found to depend on the forming temperature.

Simulation on Pyrolysis Products of Thermoset Phenolic Resin with Different Chemical Structure and Experimental Validation

The simulation on pyrolysis products of pure PF resin with different chemical structure was investigated and validated by pyrolysis gas-chromatography mass spectrometry(Py-GC/MS).The simulation of pyrolysis products of phenolic resin with different chemical structure was investigated by AMBER(Assisted Model Building with Energy Refinement)force field.The content of pyrolysis products phenol and cresol decreases with the increase of F/P(formaldehyde/phenol)value.The content of pyrolysis products dimethylphenol and trimethylphenol increases with the enhancement of F/P value.The crosslink density of phenolic mixture can be measured by the content of pyrolysis products dimethylphenol and trimethylphenol.Consequently,the results of simulation were validated by the Py-GC/MS experiment.

Effect of Deposition Time on Microstructures and Growth Behavior of ZrC Coatings Prepared by Low Pressure Chemical Vapor Deposition with the Br2-Zr-C3H6-H2-Ar System

ZrC coatings were deposited on graphite substrates by low pressure chemical vapor deposition（LPCVD） with the Br2-Zr-C3H6-H2-Ar system. The effects of deposition time on the microstructures and growth behavior of ZrC coatings were investigated. ZrC coating grew in an island-layer mode. The formation of coating was dominated by the nucleation of ZrC in the initial 20 minutes, and the rapid nucleation generated a fine-grained structure of ZrC coating. When the deposition time was over 30 min, the growth of coating was dominated by that of crystals, giving a column-arranged structure. Energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy showed that the molar ratio of carbon to zirconium was near 1：1 in ZrC coating, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy showed that ZrC was the main phase in coatings, accompanied by about 2.5mol% ZrO2 minor phase.

Observation and verification of surface electrical explosion driven by radial-distributed pulsed current in laboratory lightning strike test

The laboratory lightning test is essential for assessing the effectiveness of lightning strike protection(LSP).Particularly,direct lightning strike damage can be performed with pulsed current injection into the specimen.This paper focuses on the dynamic process of arc plasma and shock wave behaviour in the vicinity of the‘strike’point.A rod-plate discharge load is built for testing aluminium and coated plate under 40-kA-level pulsed current.The visualisation of the luminous discharge plasma and its flow field via high-speed photography(from different angles)is meticulously designed and implemented,synchronised with electro-physical diagnostics.The results indicate some new mechanisms for lightning strike damage,apart from the impulse heat loading from the thermal arc.The transient current injection through the arc root concentrates on a thin skin layer(skin-depth effect),with the radial-attenuated current density,driving asynchronously electrical explosions on the plate surface.The inhomogeneous Joule heating of the plate leads to outwardly propagating phase transition and shock wave along the conductive surface.In addition,the electro-thermal instability is observed and regarded as the seed of irregular erosion region.Spectroscopic information reveals two different plasma states of main discharge arc channel and adjacent surface electrical explosion.The correspondence of the physical mechanism of electrical explosion and optical radiation is established.Microscopic images for different regions depict erosion characteristics and summarise influencing factors,further confirming the mechanism above.The research clarifies the role of skin-depth effect in transaction arc erosion for electrode,complements the electrical explosion theory with unevenly distributed current and helps optimise strategies of LSP.

Matching Performance among Visible and near Infrared Coating,Low Infrared Emitting Coating and Microwave Absorbing Coating

The matching performance among the visible and near infrared coating.the low infrared emitting coating and the microwave absorbing coating was investigated.Experimental results show that the resulting malerial is characteristic of wideband effect ranging from the visible,near infrared and 3-5μm,8-14μm infrared protion of the spectrum,as well as the radar region from 8 to 18GHz when these three materials form αlayerstructure material system.The microwave absorbing ability of material is hardly changed.The resonance peak moves towards lower frequency as the thickness of the visible,near infrared coating and the low infrared emitting coating increases.This problem can be resolved by controlling the thickness of the matrial.On the other hand, the infrared emissivity εof the material system increases as the thickness of the visible,near infrared coating increases.This can be resolved by increasing infrared transparency of the visible and near infrared topcoating or controlling its thickness.The experimental resulting material system has spectral reflection characteristics in visible and near infrared regions that are similar to those of the natural background.

A Novel Approach for the Effective Thermal Conductivity of Porous Ceramics

A new approach in combination of the effective medium theory with the equivalent unit in numerical simulation was developed to study the effective thermal conductivity of porous ceramics. The finite element method was used to simulate the heat transfer process which enables to acquire accurate results through highly complicated modeling and intensive computation. An alternative approach to mesh the material into small cells was also presented. The effective medium theory accounts for the effective thermal conductivity of cells while the equivalent unit is subsequently applied in numerical simulation to analyze the effective thermal conductivity of the porous ceramics. A new expression for the effective thermal conductivity, allowing for some structure factors such as volume fraction of pores and thermal conductivity, was put forward, and the results of its application was proved to be close to those of the mathematical simulation.

Thermal stability of different texture components in extruded Mg-3Al-1Zn alloy

Grain growth can modify the texture orientation and the fraction of different texture component.The thermal stability of two texture component in an extruded magnesium AZ31 alloy was investigated.Three types samples with different texture distribution were prepared.The results show that normal grain growth takes place in the magnesium AZ31 alloy during annealing at 300℃ and 450℃.But the grain growth does not lead to the strengthening of either texture component.Both the<0002>⊥ED texture and<0002>//ED texture components show good thermal stability,without influence of the texture volume fraction.The two different texture component possess comparable boundary migration ability,so grains of the two texture component consume indifferently the other grains,or are equally consumed during annealing.

On the rule of mixtures for bimetal composites without bonding

In the present study,three types of bimetal composites,Al 6082 sleeve/Al 6082 core,Mg AZ31 sleeve/Mg AZ31 core and Al 6082 sleeve/Mg AZ31 core,were fabricated by drilling and assembling.The rule of mixtures(ROM)for the flow curves and yield strengths during compressive test were addressed.Our results show that the ROM can predict well the experimental flow curves and yield strengths of bimetal composites without bonding,irrespectively of the different strain hardening behavior between the two components.

Enhanced Thermal Conductivity of Carbon Nanotube Arrays by Carbonizing Impregnated Phenolic Resins

A carbonization method is reported to improve the thermal conductivity of carbon nanotube (CNT) arrays. After being impregnated with phenolic resins, CNT arrays were carbonized at a temperature up to 1400°C. As a result, pyrolytic carbon was formed and connected non-neighboring CNTs. The pyrolysis improved the room temperature conductivity from below 2 W/m·K up to 11.8 and 14.6 W/m·K with carbonization at 800°C and 1400°C, respectively. Besides the light mass density of 1.1 g/cm3, the C/C composites demonstrated high thermal stability and a higher conductivity up to 21.4 W/m·K when working at 500°C.