Structural evolution of spray-formed Al-70wt.%Si alloys during iso-thermal holding in the semi-solid state

The grain growth behavior of spray-formed Al-70wt.%Si alloys was studied in the semi-solid state. The specimens were isothermally heat-treated at various temperatures between the solidus and liquidus of Al-Si alloys and then quenched in water. The microstructure of reheated specimens was characterized using optical and scanning electron microscopies. The isothermal holding experiment was carried out to investigate grain growth behavior as a function of holding time and temperature in the semi-solid state. The coarsening mechanism and the effect of porosity on microstructure were also studied.

Effect of graphite powder as a forming filler on the mechanical properties of SiCp/Al composites by pressure infiltration

（38vo1% SiCp ＋ 2vo1% A1203f）/2024 A1 composites were fabricated by pressure infiltration. Graphite powder was introduced as a forming filler in preform preparation, and the effects of the powder size on the microstructures and mechanical properties of the final com- posites were investigated. The results showed that the composite with 15 μm graphite powder as a forming filler had the maximum tensile strength of 506 MPa, maximum yield strength of 489 MPa, and maximum elongation of 1.2%, which decreased to 490 MPa, 430 MPa, and 0.4%, respectively, on increasing the graphite powder size from 15 to 60 μm. The composite with 60 μm graphite powder showed the highest elastic modulus, and the value decreased from 129 to 113 GPa on decreasing the graphite powder size from 60 to 15 μm. The differences between these properties are related to the different microstructures of the corresponding composites, which determine their failure modes.

Experimental study on Ti+Nb bearing ultra-low carbon bake hardening sheet steel hot-rolled in the ferrite region

A Ti＋Nb bearing ultra-low carbon bake hardening sheet steel hot-rolled in the conventional austenite region and in the ferrite region with lubrication was experimentally studied. Subsequent cold rolling and continuous annealing processes were also conducted. The results show that microstructures of ultra-low carbon bake hardening hot strips at room temperature are basically irregular polygonal ferrites. The yield strength, ultimate tensile strength, n value, and r value of the No.2 specimen hot-rolled in the ferrite region with lubrication are 243 MPa, 364 MPa, 0.29, and 1.74, respectively, which are similar to those of the No.1 specimen hot-roiled in the conventional austenite region. The elongation rate and bake hardening value of No.2 specimen are 51% and 49.4 MPa, respectively, which are greater than those of No. 1 specimen. The No.2 specimen hot-rolled in the ferrite region with lubrication exhibits good mechanical properties and relatively excellent baking hardening performance. Therefore, the hot rolling experiment of Ti＋Nb bearing ultra-low carbon bake hardening steel in the ferrite region with lubrication is feasible and can be considered in the future industrial trial production.

Ultra-fine ferrite grains obtained in the TSDR process

By careful design of rolling schedule,ultra-fine （～2μm） ferrite grains in a low carbon high niobium （0.09wt%Nb） microalloying steel with average austenite grain sizes above 800 μm can be achieved in the simulated thin slab direct rolling process. The 5-pass deformation was divided into two stages： the refinement of austenite through complete recrystallization and the refinement of ferrite through dynamic strain-induced transformation. The effects of Nb in solution and strain-induced NbCN precipitates on the ferrite transformation were also extensively discussed.

Mechanical properties of fine-grained dual phase low-carbon steels based on dynamic transformation

The fine grained dual phase （FG-DP） steel with ferrite grains of 2-4.5 μm and martensite islands smaller than 3 μm was obtained through the mechanism of deformation-enhanced ferrite transformation （DEFT）. Mechanical properties of the steel were tested at room temperature. The results indicated that with a similar volume fraction of martensite （about 20vol%）,FG-DP steel exhibited a superior combination of higher strength and more rapid strain hardening at low strains compared with the coarse-grained dual phase （CG-DP） steel obtained by critical annealing. The combination of higher strength,large elongation,and more rapid strain hardening of FG-DP steel can be attributed to the fine ferrite grain and finely dispersed martensite islands. In addition,the uniformly distributed martensite islands in FG-DP steel have smaller interspacing compared with that of CG-DP steel. So,at the initial plastic deformation stage,the plastic deformation of ferrite was restrained and more pronounced load was transferred from ferrite to martensite. The plastic deformation of martensite in FG-DP steel started earlier.

Modeling of microstructural evolution during dynamic recrystallization in coarse Nb microalloyed austenite

The aim of the current study was to investigate the microstructural evolution during dynamic recrystallization in coarse Nb microalloyed austenite in thin slab direct rolling （TSDR） processing. A model was developed to predict the change of the austenite grain size during the dynamic recrystallization, by using the law of mixtures. The equations initially developed for partial static recrystallization were used for partial dynamic recrystallization, by adjusting the value of the constant. The results show that the change of the austenite grain size can be reasonably described by using the equations developed according to the law of mixtures.

Carbides/nitrides precipitates in a C-Mn strip by CSP technology

The carbides/nitrides precipitates in ferrite grains, on grain boundaries and dislocations were investigated on a hot-rolled C-Mn strip （0.16wt%C-1.22wt%Mn-0.022wt%Ti） produced by the CSP （compact strip production） technology using TEM and X-ray energy dispersive spectroscopy. The Pickering＇s equation for the contribution of precipitates to the yield stress was also discussed. It is shown that there are numerous fine and dispersive precipitates TiC in the ferrite grains, on the grain boundaries and dislocations. Also there are a small amount of coarser Ti（C, N） particles and TiC particles associated with MnS. Precipitation strengthening on steels produced by the CSP technology is significant.