Effect of mischmetal and yttrium on microstructures and mechanical properties of Mg-Al alloy

The effect of yttrium and mischmetal(MMs) on the as-cast and solid solution treated structures of Mg-Al alloys with different Al-contents was investigated. The results show that the MMs in Mg-Al alloy existed in rod Al 4(Ce, La)compound while Y in Mg-Al alloy in polygonal Al 2Y compound. The amount of Mg 17Al 12 in Mg-Al alloy is decreased with increasing Y or MMs addition, and Mg 17Al 12 intermetallic compound is changed from continuous network to discontinuous one. The Al 4(Ce, La) and Al 2Y compounds are not dissolved into Mg-Al alloy matrix during solid solution treatment so that their high heat stability can be exhibited. The experiment of mechanical properties indicate that elongation and impact toughness of the Mg-Al-Y alloy with polygonal Al 2Y compound are higher than those of Mg-Al-MMs alloy with rod Al 4(Ce, La) compound.

FE simulation and process analysis on forming of aluminum alloy multi-layer cylinder parts with flow control forming

The aluminum alloy parts used in airbag of car were studied with flow control forming(FCF) method, which was a good way to low forming force and better mechanical properties. The key technology of FCF was the design of control chamber to divide metal flow. So, the design method of FCF was analyzed and two type of control chamber were put forward. According to divisional principle, calculation model of forming force and approximate formula were given. Then forming process of aluminum alloy multi-layer cylinder parts was simulated. The effect of friction factor, die radius and punch velocity on metal flow and forming force was obtained. Finally, the experiment was preformed under the direction of theory and finite element(FE) simulation results. And the qualified parts were manufactured. The simulation data and experimental results show that the forming sequence of inner wall and outer wall, and then the force step, can be controlled by adjusting the process parameters. And the FCF technology proposed has very important application value in precision forging.

Influence of preparation process on sintering behavior and mechanical properties of ultrafine grained Ti(C, N)-based cermets

The influences of forming and sintering processes on distortion, cracking as well as mechanical properties of sintered bodies of ultrafine grained Ti(C, N)-based cermets were investigated. The results show that lubricant is indispensable to fabrication of ultrafine Ti(C, N)-based cermets, however, with low binder content in powder mixture, the lubrication action of paraffin is attenuated. A appropriate level of 2% (mass fraction) paraffin is determined for a cermet with binder content of 36% (mass fraction). It is also found that the influence of compaction pressure on distortion and cracking of sintered bodies presents a complex relationship. A relatively lower or higher compaction pressure, less than 100 MPa and more than 400 MPa respectively, favors uniform density distribution in green compact. The heating rate of sintering should be strictly controlled. Too fast heating rate results in enclosed pores to burst and forms large size pores in sintering body. A heating rate of 3 ℃/min is recommended.

Microstructure and mechanical properties of Ti(C, N)-based cermets with different molybdenum contents

The microstructure and mechanical properties of Ti(C, N)-based cermets with different content Mo were studied. Different Mo contents were added into Ti(C, N)-based cermets. Effect of sintering temperature on mechanical properties of the cermets was also investigated. Specimens were fabricated by conventional powder metallurgy techniques and vacuum sintered at different temperatures. The microstructure and the fracture morphology were investigated using scanning electron microscope. Transverse strength and hardness were measured. The results show that the microstructure is uniform and the thickness of rim phase is moderate when the content of Mo is 8%. The mechanical properties are the best when the content of Mo is 8% and the sintering temperature is 1450℃.

Effect of hot isostatic pressing nitrogen on the microstructure and properties of a Ti(C,N)-based cermet

The high-temperature, high-pressure hot isostatic pressing technology was used for depositing hard coatings on Ti（C, N）-based cermets. The rnicrostructure and properties of the sample were investigated using optical microscopy, scan- ning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, electron probe microanalysis, and microhardness tester. The results showed that the rich titanium and nitrogen in surface zone were induced by the heat treatment. The high nitrogen activity of the surface region was the driving force for outward transport of titanium and inward transport of tungsten in the cobalt binder. The toughness and hardness were improved and a hardness gradient was formed. It is the high-temperature, high-pressure N2 that enables closure of holes, thereby alleviating defects and prolonging tool life.

Characterization of oxide films formed on magnesium alloys using bipolar pulse microarc oxidation in phosphate solutions

The surface morphology and chemical composition of the oxide films formed on pure magnesium and AZ91D alloy in aqueous electrolytes which contained sodium hexafluorinealuminate（Na3AlF6）, potassium hydroxide （KOH）, sodium hexametahposphate（（NaPO3）6）, and triethanolamine were investigated by X-ray diffraction（XRD）, scanning electron microscope（SEM） and energy dispersive spectroscopy（EDX）. The results show that the input of the negative pulse has great influences on the quantity and the appearance of the microdischarges. Three types of pores can be distinguished on the surface of the oxide film and their size ranges are 0.5-1μm, 1-2μm and 4-7μm, respectively. A few microcracks are seen around the large pores. There exists a remarkable fluoride- enriched zone of about 4-6μm for pure magnesium and 3-5μm for AZ91D alloy at the coating/substrate interface.

Electrochemical performance of microarc oxidation films formed on AZ91D alloy in two group electrolytes

The phase composition and electrochemical performances of microarc oxidation（MAO） films prepared on AZ91D alloy by using step-down current method in a phosphate electrolyte（P-film） and silicate electrolyte（Si-film） were studied. The results show that P-film is mainly composed of Mg, MgAl2O4 and MgO, and Si-film is composed of Mg2SiO4 and MgO. There clearly exists a fluoride-enriched zone with the thickness of about 12μm for P-film and 0.71μm for Si-film at the MAO coating/substrate interface. The electrochemical tests show that both P-film and Si-film can enhance the corrosion resistance of AZ91D magnesium alloy significantly. The corrosion failure process of the two films in 5%（mass fraction） NaCl solution is quite different.

Corrosive-wear resistance of stainless steels for the impeller of slurry pump used in zinc hydrometallurgy process

This paper presents corrosive-wear (C-W) behaviors of three kinds of steels under the simulating condition oftraditional zinc hydrometallurgy process by using a self-made rotating disk apparatus. Result shows that pure wear lossrate is significantly larger than pure corrosion loss rate. Under this C-W condition, the ranking of C-W resistance is S2 >S3 > S1 (S1: austenite stainless steel; S2: CD-4MCu duplex stainless steel; S3 :17-4PH stainless steel). S2 has excellentC-W resistance due to strong surface deformation strengthening effect of high-density dislocations of the γ phase. S3 alsohas excellent C-W resistance owing to high hardness and strength. However, S1 does not show good C-W resistanceunder strong erosion of liquid-solid slurry because of its single-phase austenitic structure and very low hardness. As aresult, duplex stainless steels as well as 17-4 PH stainless steel can be used as impeller candidate materials in the zinchydrometallurgy process due to their excellent C-W resistance and lower cost.

Effect of sintering parameters on powder injection molded Ti(C, N)-based cermets

Effect of two-stage sintering parameters such as heating rate, top sintering temperature and holding time, sintering temperature and holding time at the second stage on relative density, transverse rupture strength(TRS) and microstructures of powder injection molded Ti(C, N)-based cermets were investigated, by means of Archimedes’s method, three-point bending test and micrographic analysis. The results show that the optimum sintering cycle for powder injection molded Ti(C, N)-based cermets comprises rapid heating (10℃/min) at low temperatures, slow heating (5℃/min) at intermediate temperatures, holding at the highest sintering temperature (1420℃) for a short time (10min), and holding at the second stage (1360℃) for a longer time (6h) to avoid grain coarsening, and that its TRS reaches 624MPa, and there are little pores in their microstructures.