Research status and prospects of the fractal analysis of metal material surfaces and interfaces

As a mathematical analysis method,fractal analysis can be used to quantitatively describe irregular shapes with self-similar or self-affine properties.Fractal analysis has been used to characterize the shapes of metal materials at various scales and dimensions.Conventional methods make it difficult to quantitatively describe the relationship between the regular characteristics and properties of metal material surfaces and interfaces.However,fractal analysis can be used to quantitatively describe the shape characteristics of metal materials and to establish the quantitative relationships between the shape characteristics and various properties of metal materials.From the perspective of two-dimensional planes and three-dimensional curved surfaces,this paper reviews the current research status of the fractal analysis of metal precipitate interfaces,metal grain boundary interfaces,metal-deposited film surfaces,metal fracture surfaces,metal machined surfaces,and metal wear surfaces.The relationship between the fractal dimensions and properties of metal material surfaces and interfaces is summarized.Starting from three perspectives of fractal analysis,namely,research scope,image acquisition methods,and calculation methods,this paper identifies the direction of research on fractal analysis of metal material surfaces and interfaces that need to be developed.It is believed that revealing the deep influence mechanism between the fractal dimensions and properties of metal material surfaces and interfaces will be the key research direction of the fractal analysis of metal materials in the future.

Fabrication of carbon nanotubes reinforced AZ91D composites by ultrasonic processing

Magnesium matrix nanocomposite reinforced with carbon nanotubes(CNTs/AZ91D) was fabricated by mechanical stirring and high intensity ultrasonic dispersion processing.The microstructures and mechanical properties of the nanocomposite were investigated.The results show that CNTs are well dispersed in the matrix and combined with the matrix very well.As compared with AZ91D magnesium alloy matrix,the tensile strength,yield strength and elongation of the 1.5%CNTs/AZ91D nanocomposite are improved by 22%,21%and 42%respectively in permanent mold casting.The strength and ductility of the nanocomposite are improved simultaneously.The tensile fracture analysis shows that the damage mechanism of nanocomposite is still brittle fracture.But the CNTs can prevent the local crack propagation to some extent.

Formation mechanism and control of aluminum layer thickness fluctuation in embedded aluminum-steel composite sheet produced by cold roll bonding process

The influences of rolling reduction and aluminum sheet initial thickness(AIT)on the thickness fluctuation of aluminum layer(TFA)of embedded aluminum?steel composite sheet produced by cold roll bonding were investigated,the formation mechanism of TFA was analyzed and method to improve the thickness uniformity of the aluminum layer was proposed.The results showed that when the reduction increased,TFA increased gradually.When the reduction was lower than40%,AIT had negligible effect on the TFA,while TFA increased with the decrease of AIT when the reduction was higher than40%.The non-uniformities of the steel surface deformation and the interfacial bonding extent caused by the work-hardened steel surface layer,were the main reasons for the formation of TFA.Adopting an appropriate surface treatment can help to decrease the hardening extent of the steel surface for improving the deformation uniformity during cold roll bonding process,which effectively improved the aluminum thickness uniformity of the embedded aluminum/steel composite sheets.

Shape formation of closed-cell aluminum foam in solid–liquid–gas coexisting state

The mold pressing process was applied to investigate the formability of closed-cell aluminum foam in solid–liquid–gas coexisting state.Results show that the shape formation of closed-cell aluminum foam in the solid–liquid–gas coexisting state was realized through cell wall deformation and cell movement caused by primary α-Al grains that slid,rotated,deformed,and ripened within cell walls.During formation,characteristic parameters of closed-cell aluminum foam were almost unchanged.Under proper forming conditions,shaped products of closed-cell aluminum foam could be fabricated through mold pressing.

Second phase refining induced optimization of Fe alloying in Zn:Significantly enhanced strengthening effect and corrosion uniformity

Many non-toxic alloying elements,such as Fe,Ca,and Sr,have negligible solid solubilities in Zn matrix,leading to formation of coarse second phase particles.They exhibit low strengthening effects but highly detrimental to ductility.So refining second phase is a common pursuit for Zn alloys.The present paper takes Zn-0.3Fe alloy suffered from coarse FeZn_(13) second phase particles as a touchstone to testify microstructure refining effect through solidification with an accelerated speed and multi-pass rolling.FeZn_(13) particles are refined from 24 to 2μm,and Zn grains are refined to 5μm.As a result,the strengthening effect of Fe is enhanced significantly,with yield strength and the ultimate tensile strength of the alloy increased from 132 to 218 MPa and from 159 to 264 MPa,respectively.Furthermore,corrosion non-uniformity and penetration are much alleviated.These results show that microstructure refinement,especially on coarse intermetallic second phases,has a great potential to improve mechanical and degradation properties of biodegradable Zn alloys.

Optimization of Cross-sectional Shapes of the Bi-2223/Ag Wires before Flat Rolling

Rolling process plays an important role in the manufacture of Bi-based high temperature superconductor tapes, and the plastic flow regularities of the superconducting wires during deformation will directly affect the ultimate quality of the tapes. In order to investigate the effect of cross-sectional shapes before fiat rolling on the performance and homogeneity of the tapes, some numerical models of Bi-2223/Ag wires with different cross-sectional shapes including circular, square, elliptical and racetrack cross-sections are constructed during the rolling process. By comparing the relative density, logarithmic strain ratio and length-width ratio on the filaments, it is revealed that Bi-2223/Ag wire with special-shaped cross-section can achieve better conductivity than the round wire, in particular, the racetrack cross-sectional wire has the second best performance among four wires. Based on material processability and experimental condition, tri-pass racetrack drawing technique is employed to optimize the process and obtain racetrack cross-sectional wire. The rolling process of Bi-2223/Ag wire with racetrack cross-section causes more intensive deformation of filaments in the center of the tape and achieves the filaments with larger length-width ratio. Also, the deformation distribution of filaments verifies the numerical results. Consequently, the racetrack drawing technique can be utilized for a reference during the mechanical processing and to increase the current transmission capacities of Bi-2223/Ag tapes.

Crystallography of precipitates in Mg alloys

Crystallography of precipitates in Mg alloys is indispensable to explain and predict alloy microstructures and properties.In order to obtain a global understanding of diversified experimental results,a general theory of singular interface is introduced,which provides the physical base and calculation methodology for interpreting precipitate morphology and orientation relationship(OR),especially useful for understanding irrational facets and ORs.Guided by the theory,recent experimental findings are systematically summarized,including thermally stable and metastable precipitates with various crystal structures.Then,theoretical advances inspired by the findings are introduced,which deepens our understanding on OR selection and preference of irrational facets.At last,future research directions in this field are proposed.

Cross-sectional structure, microstructure and mechanical property evolutions of brass cladding pure copper stranded wire composite during drawing

A solid/liquid continuous casting and composite technology was used to produce d8.5 mm brass cladding pure copper stranded wire composite billet and the composite billet was then drawn. The results showed that the composite billet had good surface quality, metallurgical bonding interface between brass and pure copper as well as elongation of 53.1%. Synergistic deformation degree between pure copper wire and brass cladding layer was high during drawing. With an increase of the total deformation amount, the plastic deformation of the pure copper wire reduced triangular arc gaps between the pure copper wires and the triangular arc gaps were fully filled at 50%. When the total deformation amount was increased to 63%, dislocation cells and microbands successively formed in the pure copper wire. In the brass cladding layer, planar dislocation networks, twins and shear bands formed successively, and the main deformation mechanisms were dislocation sliding, twinning and shear deformation. The tensile strength increased from 240 MPa of the composite billet to 519 MPa of the one with the deformation amount of 63%, but the elongation decreased from 53.1% to 3.2%. A process of solid/liquid continuous casting and composite forming→drawing can work as a new compact method to produce brass cladding pure copper stranded wire composite as railway through grounding wire.

Microstructure and properties of rheo-HPDC Al-8Si alloy prepared by air-cooled stirring rod process

A new and effective semisolid slurry preparation process with air-cooled stirring rod(ACSR)is reported,in which the compressed air is constantly injected into the inner cavity of a stirring rod to cool the melt.The slurry of a newly developed high thermal conductivity Al?8Si alloy was prepared,and thin-wall heat dissipation shells were produced by the ACSR process combined with a HPDC machine.The effects of the air flow on the morphology ofα1-Al particles,mechanical properties and thermal conductivity of rheo-HPDC samples were studied.The results show that the excellent slurry of the alloy could be obtained with the air flow exceeding3L/s.Rheo-HPDC samples that were produced with the air flow of5L/s had the maximum UTS,YS,elongation,hardness and thermal conductivity of261MPa,124MPa,4.9%,HV99and153W/(m·K),respectively.Rheo-HPDC samples show improved properties compared to those formed by HPDC,and the increasing rates of UTS,YS,elongation,hardness and thermal conductivity were20%,15%,88%,13%and10%,respectively.

Effects of Ni content on the cast and solid-solution microstructures of Cu-0.4wt% Be alloys

The effects of Ni content（0–2.1wt%）on the cast and solid-solution microstructures of Cu-0.4wt%Be alloys were investigated,and the corresponding mechanisms of influence were analyzed.The results show that the amount of precipitated phase increases in the cast alloys with increasing Ni content.When the Ni content is 0.45wt%or 0.98wt%,needle-like Be_（21）Ni_5 phases form in the grains and are mainly distributed in the interdendritic regions.When the Ni content is 1.5wt%or greater,a large number of needle-like precipitates form in the grains and chain-like Be_（21）Ni_5 and Be Ni precipitates form along the grain boundaries.The addition of Ni can substantially refine the cast and solid-solution microstructures of Cu-0.4wt%Be alloys.The hindering effects of both the dissolution of Ni into the matrix and the formation of Be–Ni precipitates on grain-boundary migration are mainly responsible for refining the cast and solid-solution microstructures of Cu-0.4wt%Be alloys.Higher Ni contents result in finer microstructures;however,given the precipitation characteristics of Be–Ni phases and their dissolution into the matrix during the solid-solution treatment,the upper limit of the Ni content is 1.5wt%–2.1wt%.

Development of Gesture-Changeable under-actuated Humanoid Robotic Finger

Robotic fingers, which are the key parts of robot hand, are divided into two main kinds： dexterous fingers and under-actuated fingers. Although dexterous fingers are agile, they are too expensive. Under-actuated fingers can grasp objects self-adaptively, which makes them easy to control and low cost, on the contrary, under-actuated function makes fingers feel hard to grasp things agilely enough and make many gestures. For the purpose of designing a new finger which can grasp things dexterously, perform many gestures and feel easy to control and maintain, a concept called ＂gesture-changeable under-actuated＂ （GCUA） function is put forward. The GCUA function combines the advantages of dexterous fingers and under-actuated fingers： a pre-bending function is embedded into the under-actuated finger. The GCUA finger can not only perform self-adaptive grasping function, but also actively bend the middle joint of the finger. On the basis of the concept, a GCUA finger with 2 joints is designed, which is realized by the coordination of screw-nut transmission mechanism, flexible drawstring constraint and pulley-belt under-actuated mechanism. Principle analyses of its grasping and the design optimization of the GCUA finger are given. An important problem of how to stably grasp an object which is easy to glide is discussed. The force analysis on gliding object in grasping process is introduced in detail. A GCUA finger with 3 joints is developed. Many experiments of grasping different objects by of the finger were carried out. The experimental results show that the GCUA finger can effectively realize functions of pre-bending and self-adaptive grasping, the grasping processes are stable. The GCUA finger excels under-actuated fingers in dexterity and gesture actions and it is easier to control and cheaper than dexterous hands, becomes the third kinds of finger.

Densification of in situ prepared mesocarbon microbead/carbon nanotube composites by hot-press sintering

In situ prepared mesocarbon microbead/carbon nanotube(MCMB/CNT) composites are potential precursors of high density carbon materials for various applications. Integrated MCMB/CNT composites were successfully fabricated by hot-press sintering at 550 ℃ under 30 MPa. After further calcination at 900 ℃, the hot-press sintering fabricated MCMB block has an apparent density of 1.77 g/cm3 and the open porosity 5.1%. With the addition of 5%(mass fraction) CNTs, the density of the composite block is elevated to 1.84 g/cm3, and its open porosity is reduced to 3.5%. The flexural strength of composite block with 5% CNTs is elevated to 116 MPa. Through the hot-press sintering, pores of 10-50 nm in the calcinated bulks are remarkably eliminated. The interstice between microbeads in the composite blocks is filled up by CNTs together with β-resin and quinoline-insoluble spheres, which can further contribute to the densification.

NUMERICAL SIMULATION OF MECHANICAL BEHAVIORS OF SUPERCONDUCTING POWDER BSCCO (BiSrCaCuO)

An equivalent continuum method and a deformable discrete method to describe the mechanical behaviors of superconducting powder BSCCO （BiSrCaCuO） aggregate are studied syste-matically. The equivalent continuum model idealizes the aggregation of the powder as an equivalent continuum material. The powder aggregate yielding is caused by not only the deviatoric stress but also the hydrostatic stress and the modified Drucker-Prager/Cap model is adopted to describe the mechanical behaviors of BSCCO powder aggregate in continuum method. The deformable discrete model is known as a direct model, which considers the discrete nature of the powder particles. Its framework encompasses the local behaviors between the particles, such as particles contact, sliding and rolling. Based on commercial finite element software ABAQUS, the equivalent continuum model and the deformable discrete model are used to simulate the confined compression of superconducting powder BSCCO, and the numerical results show agreement with experimental results, which verify the correctness of these built models. Compared with the equivalent continuum model based on macroscopic statistics method, the deformable discrete model can present the microscopic information during processing and can describe the nature of mechanical behaviors of superconducting powder BSCCO. But from an industrial viewpoint, the equivalent continuum model has a definitive edge over the microscopic models in that the gross behavior of the powder mass can be modeled and simulated on an industrial scale.

Diffusion mechanism of immiscible Fe-Mg system induced by high-density defects at the steel/Mg composite interface

Due to positive mixing heat between Fe and Mg,it is difficult to diffuse for Fe-Mg at the interface of steel/Mg laminated composites,resulting in the inability to achieve high-strength metallurgical bonding.In this paper,20#steel/Mg laminated composites were prepared by large deformation rolling and subse-quent diffusion heat treatment process.The interfacial bonding strength was improved by constructing high-density crystal defects at the interface to promote element diffusion.The mechanisms of interface morphology evolution and element diffusion were analyzed by finite element simulation and theoretical calculation.The results show after diffusion heat treatment,the bond strength of the large deformation rolled interface was increased from 14 to 30 MPa.Fe-Mg transition layer with about 80 nm thickness as well as high-density vacancies,dislocations and grain boundaries were formed in the large deforma-tion rolled interface region.During diffusion heat treatment,Mg elements diffused into grain interior and grain boundary regions of 20#steel under the effect of heat-force coupling,and the thickness of Fe-Mg transition layer increased to 150 nm,forming an Fe-based supersaturated solid solution.The in-terface with high-density defects constituted a non-equilibrium interface.The 20#steel internal energy in the non-equilibrium interface is able to overcome positive mixing heat of immiscible Fe-Mg system and provide the driving force for Mg elements diffusion.Promoting elemental diffusion by constructing high-density defects can be a new concept to achieve metallurgical bonding at the interface of immiscible metal laminated composites.

Static recrystallization behavior of 25CrMo4 mirror plate steel during two-pass hot deformation

The static recrystallization behavior of 25CrMo4 mirror plate steel has been determined by hot compression testing on a Gleeble 1500 thermal mechanical simulation tester. Compression tests were performed using double hit schedules at temperatures of 950-- 1 150 ~C, strain rates of 0.01--0.5 s-1 , and recrystallization time of 1--100 s. Results show that the kinetics of static recrystallization and the microstructural evolution were greatly influenced by the deformation parameters （deformation temperature, strain rate and pre strain） and the initial austenite grain size. Based on the experimental results, the kinetics model of static recrystallization has been generated and the comparison between the experimental results and the predicted results has been carried out. It is shown that the predicted results were in good agreement with the experimental results.

Effect of Processing Parameters on Thermal Phenomena in Direct Laser Metallic Powder Deposition

Direct laser metallic powder deposition technique is widely used in manufacturing, part repairing, and metallic rapid prototyping. The ability to predict geometrical accuracy and residual stress requires an understanding of temperature distribution during the deposition process. This study presents a numerical model of three-dimensional transient heat transfer in a finite model heated by a moving laser beam. Thermal phenomena in the process were investigated. The complex solid-liquid problem and latent heat of fusion were treated by means of equivalent thermal conductivity and modified specific heat, respectively. Using method of birth and death of elements, the growth of additive layers and the shape of melt pool were obtained. The effect of processing parameters such as absorbed power, travel speed, and preheated temperature on melt pool sizes and cross-section of deposited layer profile was studied. The results show that the melt pool sizes increase with absorbed power and decrease with travel velocity. In addition, the preheated temperature contributes less to the melt pool size. The results are generally in a good agreement with experiments in published literature.

The precipitation behaviours and strengthening mechanism of a Cu-0.4 wt% Sc alloy

The precipitation behaviours during the aging process and the corresponding strengthening mechanism of a Cu-0.4 wt%Sc alloy were systematically investigated in this study.The phase transformation sequence of the precipitation in the aging process of the Cu-0.4 wt%Sc alloy was found to be:supersaturated solid solution→Sc-enriched atomic clusters→metastable phase→Cu4Sc phase.The tetragonal structured lamellar Cu4Sc precipitates,with a habit plane parallel to the{111}plane of the Cu matrix and orientation relationships of(022)_(α)//(211)_(Cu4Sc)and[011]_(α)//[113]_(Cu4Sc),are found homogeneously distributed in the matrix.A combined process of cryogenic rolling(CR)and aging was designed for optimization of the mechanical and electrical properties.Excellent integration of yield strength(696 MPa)and electrical conductivity(62.8%IACS)of this alloy was achieved by cryogenic rolling and subsequent aging process at 400℃for 4 h.The significant precipitation strengthening effect of this alloy is attributed to the Cu4Sc precipitates with an extremely small size of only 1.5–3 nm.The leading strengthening mechanism is considered as the superposition of both coherent strengthening and Orowan strengthening effects.

Effects of annealing and cold roll-bonded interface on the microstructure and mechanical properties of the embedded aluminum-steel composite sheet

Embedded aluminum-steel composite sheets used in heat exchanger were produced by cold roll bonding(CRB). The influences of annealing temperature and annealing time on the microstructure and the bonding strength of the composite sheet were investigated. The recrystallization of the steel layer began at 525℃ and finished at 600℃. With the increase of the annealing temperature, the peel strength of the composite sheet whose original steel sheet surface was treated by scratch brush initially increased and then decreased, which was resulted from the competition of the mechanical locking and metallurgical bonding. After annealing, the cracks which formed between the broken work-hardened steel surface layer and its matrix during cold roll bonding remained. The composite sheet produced by CRB with the steel surface treatment of flap disc had less interfacial defects, higher bonding quality, higher diffusion rate of Al and Fe atoms at the interface and larger metallurgical bonding extent than the composite sheet produced by CRB with the steel surface treatment of scratch brush under the same conditions of annealing,which was helpful to shorten annealing time, reduce energy consumption and improve production efficiency.

Improved Plasticity and Cold-rolling Workability of Fe–6.5wt%Si Alloy by Warm-rolling with Gradually Decreasing Temperature

The effects of warm-rolling process on the microstructure, ordering, mechanical properties and cold- rolling workability of Fe-6.Swt%Si alloy were investigated, where three processes of warm-rolling with the same total reduction of 93% were used, including （1） 500 ℃/12 passes/total reduction of 93%, （2） 500 ℃13 passes/total reduction of 50% ＋ 400 ℃19 passes/total reduction of 86%, and （3） 500 ℃13 passes/total reduction of 50% ＋ 400 ℃15 passes/total reduction of 60% ＋ 300 ℃14 passes/total reduction of 64%. The results show that compared with process （1） warm-rolling with constant temperature of 500 ℃, process （2） and process （3） warm-rolling with gradually decreasing temperature can significantly improve the room temperature plasticity and cold-rolling workability of the Fe-6.5wt%Si alloy. For example, the three point bending fracture deflections are increased by 54.5% and 81.8% for processes （2） and （3）, respectively, and the maximum reductions of single pass cold-rolling without edge crack are increased from 50% of process （1） to 55% of process （2） and 62% of process （3）, respectively. The plasticity improvement of the Fe- 6.5wt%Si alloy can be attributed to both reductions of surface oxidation degree and order degree of the alloy by warm-rolling with gradually decreasing temperature.

Effect of nitrogen on microstructure and secondary hardening of H21 die steel

The effect of nitrogen on the microstructure and secondary hardening of H21 die steel was studied by using scanning electron microscope, X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscope and dilatometer. The results demonstrate that nitrogen can enhance the secondary hardening behavior of H21 hot-working die steel without toughness lose. Nitrogen addition increases the austenitic phase zone, decreasing austenite transformation temperature and martensite transformation temperature, thereby increasing the retained austenite stability. Retained austenite in quenched steel can dissolve a large quantity of alloy, thereby decreasing the coarsening rate of the precipitates. Trace nitrogen could intensify the refinement of pearlite by decreasing the diffusion rate of alloying element into carbides. Nitrogen increases the amounts and precipitation temperature of the undissolved V(C, N) and suppresses the growth of prior austenite before quenching. During tempering process, parts of nitrogen in V(C, N) dissolved back into the matrix, resulting in the distorting lattice of ferrite, thereby reinforcing the matrix. Meanwhile, the solid-dissolved nitrogen inhibits the growth of carbides by decreasing the diffusion rate of alloying elements.