To investigate the effects of Al-Ti-B-RE grain refiner on microstructure and mechanical properties of Al-7.0Si-0.55Mg （A357） alloy, some novel Al-7.0Si-0.55Mg alloys added with different amount of Al-STi-1B-RE grain...To investigate the effects of Al-Ti-B-RE grain refiner on microstructure and mechanical properties of Al-7.0Si-0.55Mg （A357） alloy, some novel Al-7.0Si-0.55Mg alloys added with different amount of Al-STi-1B-RE grain refiner with different RE composition were prepared by vacuum-melting. The microstructure and fracture behavior of the AI-7.0Si-0.55Mg alloys with the grain refiners were observed by X-ray diffraction （XRD）, optical microscopy （OM）, scanning electron microscopy （SEM）, and the mechanical properties of the alloys were tested in mechanical testing machine at room temperature. The observation of AI-Ti-B-RE morphology and internal structure of the particles reveals that it exhibits a TiAl3/Ti2Al20RE core-shell structure via heterogeneous TiB2 nuclei. The tensile strength of Al-7.0Si-0.55Mg alloys with Al-5Ti-1B-3.0RE grain refiner reaches the peak value at the same addition （0.2%） of grain refiner.展开更多
Al-Ti-C grain refiner was prepared by SHS （self-propagating high-temperature synthesis ）-melting technique. The effect of La on the microstructures of grain refiner was studied by OM, TEM, SEM, XRD, and EDS. The exp...Al-Ti-C grain refiner was prepared by SHS （self-propagating high-temperature synthesis ）-melting technique. The effect of La on the microstructures of grain refiner was studied by OM, TEM, SEM, XRD, and EDS. The experimental results indicate that La can improve the wettability between liquid aluminum and graphite ; the addition of La results in dispersive distribution of TiAl3 and TiC particles in the matrix. An excellent grain refining performance of Al-Ti-C grain refiner on commercially pure Al was obtained.展开更多
An Al-3Ti-0.2C-1RE grain refiner was prepared by in-situ reaction method.The microstructure was investigated by optical microscopy(OM),scanning electron microscopy(SEM) equipped with energy-dispersive spectrometry(EDS...An Al-3Ti-0.2C-1RE grain refiner was prepared by in-situ reaction method.The microstructure was investigated by optical microscopy(OM),scanning electron microscopy(SEM) equipped with energy-dispersive spectrometry(EDS) and X-ray diffraction(XRD).The results show that the Al-3Ti-0.2C-1RE grain refiner is composed of α-Al,TiAl3,TiC and Ti2 Al20 Ce phases.Compared with Al-3Ti-0.2C refiner,the morphology of TiAl3 phase is changed and Ti2 Al20 Ce phases form with the addition of RE.Accordingly,the refining performance is improved.The phase forming process of the refiner is as follows: Blocky Ti2 Al20 Ce and fine blocky TiAl3 form in the melt at the initial stage of reaction,then the fine blocky TiAl3 gradually disappears,and the blocky Ti2 Al20 Ce grows bigger with the increase of holding time.The predominant mechanism to synthesize TiC particles is the reaction between high concentration of solute Ti atoms and graphite particles.展开更多
An electrostrictive uniaxial ultrasonic levitation reaction system was designed to perform TiC synthesis reaction by suspending graphite powder in Al-3Ti melt and an Al-3Ti-0.15C grain refiner alloy was obtained. The ...An electrostrictive uniaxial ultrasonic levitation reaction system was designed to perform TiC synthesis reaction by suspending graphite powder in Al-3Ti melt and an Al-3Ti-0.15C grain refiner alloy was obtained. The results show that sound pressure node in which graphite suspends is formed in the melt between radiation block and reflecting board by ultrasonic and TiAl3 particles congregate around C powder. Meanwhile, due to ultrasonic cavitation, dissolved TiAl3 provides better surface condition for the synthesis reaction of TiC. The reaction route is that C and dissolved Ti react to form TiC. Ultrasonic cavitation has a thermal activation effect on TiC particles and Al-3Ti-0.15C refiner has excellent microstructural refining effect on α-Al.展开更多
An alloy of A1-8wt% Si-0.8wt% Fe was cast in a metallic die, and its microstrucmral changes due to Ti-B refiner and Sr modifier additions were studied. Apart from usual refinement and modification of the microstructur...An alloy of A1-8wt% Si-0.8wt% Fe was cast in a metallic die, and its microstrucmral changes due to Ti-B refiner and Sr modifier additions were studied. Apart from usual refinement and modification of the microstructure, some mutual influences of the additives took place, and no mutual poisoning effects by these additives, in combined form, were observed. It was noticed that the dimensions of the iron-rich intermetallics were influenced by the additives causing them to become larger. The needle-shaped intermetallics that were obtained from refiner addition became thicker and longer when adding the modifier. It was also found that a-Al and eutectic silicon phases preferentially nucleate on different types of intermetallic compounds. The more iron content of the intermetallic compounds and the more changes in their dimensions occurred. Formation of the shrinkage porosities was also observed.展开更多
The potency of Al3Zr and Al3Nb as grain refiners for Al alloys was investigated from a crystallographic point of view using the edge-to-edge matching （E2EM） model. The results show that both Al3Zr and Al3Nb have sma...The potency of Al3Zr and Al3Nb as grain refiners for Al alloys was investigated from a crystallographic point of view using the edge-to-edge matching （E2EM） model. The results show that both Al3Zr and Al3Nb have small values of interatomic spacing misfit and interplanar spacing mismatch with respect to Al. Furthermore, energetically favourable orientation relationships predicted by the model exist between Al and each of these two intermetallic phases. In the light of the edge-to-edge matching model predictions, it is suggested that both Al3Zr and Al3Nb are potent heterogeneous nucleation refiners for Al grains from the crystallographic point of view. The present crystallographic analysis provides a more reasonable explanation for the significant grain refinement obtained in the peritectic Al-Zr and Al-Nb alloys and also provides fresh insight into the understanding of the grain refinement mechanism of Al alloys.展开更多
The Al-5Ti-0.2C-based grain refiners with different contents of rare earth （RE） were successfully prepared via powder metallurgy and vacuum casting. The microstructural evolution has been studied by X-ray diffracti...The Al-5Ti-0.2C-based grain refiners with different contents of rare earth （RE） were successfully prepared via powder metallurgy and vacuum casting. The microstructural evolution has been studied by X-ray diffraction （XRD）, differential scanning calorimetry （DSC）, scanning electron microscopy （SEM） and transmission electron microscopy （TEM）. The results showed that the RE addition resulted in the formation of TiAl3/Ti2Al20RE core-shell structured primary particles, and the size of TiAl3 core decreased, while the thickness of Ti2Al20RE increased with increase of RE contents. As compared to Al-5Ti-0.2C grain refiner, the grain refining efficiency was gradually improved with increase of RE contents, which was mainly attributed to the TiAl3/Ti2Al20RE core-shell structured primary particles and insoluble TiC nuclei formed inα-Al matrix. The formation mechanism of core-shell structure was further investigated based on Ginstling-Brounstein model.展开更多
This work aims to present a perspective for porosity formation in three different alloys:A356,A413 and A380.1 by taking into account the addition of Al-B grain refiners:AlTi5B1 and Al3B.The directional solidification ...This work aims to present a perspective for porosity formation in three different alloys:A356,A413 and A380.1 by taking into account the addition of Al-B grain refiners:AlTi5B1 and Al3B.The directional solidification method was used,and microstructural changes of the alloys and its correlation with porosity formation were investigated.Pore size,number of pores,average pore length and distribution of pores were statistically analyzed.Also,external shrinkage was examined,and the volume of external shrinkage was calculated.It was found that there was a relationship between external shrinkage and the size and number of pores.As the size and number of pores internally decrease,external shrinkage increases.Additionally,porosity is decreased in all the three Al-Si alloys when Al-B grain refiners are used.The distribution of pore diameters is low when AlTi5B1 is used.Grain refiners have a different effect on porosity formation of Al-Si alloys with regard to their solidification morphology.展开更多
The cooling rate sensitivities of A1TiB, RE and A1TiB-RE refiners were investigated using laboratory experiments and the actual industrial applications of A356 automotive wheel via low pressure die casting technology....The cooling rate sensitivities of A1TiB, RE and A1TiB-RE refiners were investigated using laboratory experiments and the actual industrial applications of A356 automotive wheel via low pressure die casting technology. Their impact mechanisms on the microstructure and mechanical properties of the A356 alloy were discussed. The results demonstrated that the AITiB-RE refiner possessed most effective and synergetic refinement effects compared to the individual A1TiB or RE refiners. The A1TiB-RE refiner exhibited the least sensitivity to the cooling rate changes than the other refiners. The comprehensive properties of alloy wheel refined by the A1TiB-RE refiner were improved significantly. The tensile strength, yield strength, and elongation of wheel spoke improved by approximately 11.3%, 10.8% and 44.1%, respectively. The property difference values of the tensile strength, yield strength, and elongation in different positions of the wheel decreased from 14.8%, 31.2% and 47.7% to 8.6%, 27.1% and 30.9%, respectively.展开更多
Two different Ti alloys were cast in a graphite mould using vacuum induction skull melting furnace. The first alloy was Ti-6Al-4V and the second was Ti-6Al-4V 0.5Si. Silicon as a grain refiner was added into Ti-6Al-4V...Two different Ti alloys were cast in a graphite mould using vacuum induction skull melting furnace. The first alloy was Ti-6Al-4V and the second was Ti-6Al-4V 0.5Si. Silicon as a grain refiner was added into Ti-6Al-4V alloy, and the effects of Si-addition on the microstructure and properties of the as-cast and swaged alloys were investigated. Hot swaging at 900 °C was performed on the cast samples and then two different thermal treatments were applied. The first treatment was done by heating the swaged samples at 1050 °C to produce fine lamella structure, while the second treatment was carried out at 1050 °C and then decreased the temperature to 800 °C for getting coarse lamella structure. An addition of 0.5% Si to Ti-6Al-4V alloy decreased the grain size of the as-cast sample from 627 to 337 μm. There was an increase in ultimate tensile strength of about 25 MPa for the as-cast Ti-6Al-4V 0.5Si alloy compared to Ti-6Al-4V due to the refinement effect caused by Si addition. A maximum ultimate tensile strength of 1380 MPa and a minimum corrosion rate （1.35×10 6 mm/a in Hank’s solution and 5.78×10 4 mm/a in NaCl solution） were reported for the heat treated fine lamella structure of Ti-6Al-4V 0.5Si alloy. The wear rate was decreased to about 50% by adding 0.5% Si at low sliding speeds and to about 73% at high sliding speeds.展开更多
The Al-5Ti-0.5B-0.5C grain refiner was pre-pared by powder metallurgy(PM).Microstructures of the grain refiner and its grain refinement performance in commercially pure aluminum(Al)were investigated by X-ray diffracti...The Al-5Ti-0.5B-0.5C grain refiner was pre-pared by powder metallurgy(PM).Microstructures of the grain refiner and its grain refinement performance in commercially pure aluminum(Al)were investigated by X-ray diffraction(XRD),scanning electron microscopy(SEM),and differential scanning calorimetry(DSC).It is found that the average grain size of commercially pure Al can be reduced from~15,000 to~180μm by the addition of Al-5Ti-0.5B-0.5C grain refiner prepared by PM,based on 0.01 wt%Ti addition.The grain refinement efficiency begins to decrease slightly when the grain refiner is kept in the melt for 60 min.The grain refinement is attributed to high stability,proper size,and high density of Al3Ti,TiB2,and TiC particles.展开更多
Al-3Ti-1B master alloys were prepared at different processing parameters by the reaction of halide salts,and the grain refining response of Al-7Si alloy was investigated with Al-3Ti-B master alloy.The microstructure o...Al-3Ti-1B master alloys were prepared at different processing parameters by the reaction of halide salts,and the grain refining response of Al-7Si alloy was investigated with Al-3Ti-B master alloy.The microstructure of master alloy and its grain refining effect on Al-7Si alloy were investigated by means of OM,XRD and SEM.Experimental results show that,the size of Al3Ti particles presented in Al-3Ti-1B master alloys increases with the increase of reaction temperature and decreases with the increase of cooling rate.The grain refining efficiency of Al-3Ti-1B master alloy on Al-7Si alloy is mainly attributed to heterogeneous nucleation of Al3Ti particles,and the morphology ofα(Al)changes from coarse dendritic to fine equiaxed.As a result,Al-3Ti-1B master alloy is prepared by permanent mold,and holding at 800 ℃for 30min,which has better grain refining performance on Al-7Si alloy.展开更多
Grain refinement is a satisfying method to enhance the comprehensive performance of Mg alloys,and using grain refiners to improve the quality of Mg castings has become a common practice in the current casting industry...Grain refinement is a satisfying method to enhance the comprehensive performance of Mg alloys,and using grain refiners to improve the quality of Mg castings has become a common practice in the current casting industry.In this study,the effects of Al-CeO_(2)-Mg grain refiner addition on microstructure,cast fluidity,and mechanical properties of AZ91 alloy were systemically investigated by OM,SEM,DSC,TEM,sand Archimedean spiral mold fluidity test,and tensile test.The results show that the Al-CeO_(2)-Mg grain refiner has a remarkable effect on as-cast AZ91 alloy including notable grain refinement,enhancement of cast fluidity,and improvement of tensile properties.The average grain size of AZ91 alloy is refined by 63%with 1.0wt.%Al-CeO_(2)-Mg grain refiner.Meanwhile,the casting flow length of the as-cast AZ91 alloy is increased from 332 mm to 440 mm.The improvement of cast fluidity is attributed to the decreased liquidus temperature,shortening of solid-liquid two-phase temperature range,and refinement of microstructure.展开更多
Al-Ti-B-Er refiner was successfully prepared by CR （contact reaction process）, a process based on SHS （self propagating high-temperature synthesis）. The microstructure of the alloy was studied by optical microscop...Al-Ti-B-Er refiner was successfully prepared by CR （contact reaction process）, a process based on SHS （self propagating high-temperature synthesis）. The microstructure of the alloy was studied by optical microscopy, X-ray diffraction （XRD）, scanning electron microscopy （SEM） equipped with energy-dispersive spectrometry. The results showed that Al-Ti-B-Er alloy was composed of α-Al, block-like TiAl3 and flocked TiB2. Compared with Al-Ti-B refiner, formation of TiAlEr compounds, Er modified the morphology of TiAl3 phase, and dispersed the TiB2 and TiAl3. An excellent grain refining performance was obtained when adding 1 wt.% Al-Ti-B-Er in Al-10Zn-1.9Mg-1.6Cu-0.12Zr alloy, the average grain size was about 40 μm. The refinement mechanism of Al-Ti-B-Er was also discussed. Er changed the morphology of TiAl3, TiB2 phase, the refiner would be more efficient. The decomposition of TiAlEr compounds which released Er refrained the growth of TiAl3 and made TiB2 difficult to aggregate or deposit, therefore resulted in more particles being efficient nucleation substrate.展开更多
Al-V-B master alloy is promising for refining Al-Si alloys,yet its optimal composition with superior efficacy remains to be explored.In this work,the evolution of refining phases in the Al-10 Si/Al-V-B system with dif...Al-V-B master alloy is promising for refining Al-Si alloys,yet its optimal composition with superior efficacy remains to be explored.In this work,the evolution of refining phases in the Al-10 Si/Al-V-B system with different V:B ratios was evaluated by thermodynamic calculations,based on which the Al-V-B refiners with V:B=1:1 and 5:1 were designed.Refining trails demonstrated that they could significantly reduce the grain size of Al-10 Si(wt.%)alloy from 1736 to 184-245μm with industrial addition amount.Detailed examinations results clarify that when V:B ratio is 1:1 the nucleation particle is(V,Al)B_(2),which has a VB_(2)-AlB_(2) core-shell structure and therefore presents the nucleation capability as AlB_(2) particle.When V:B ratio is as high as 5:1,the nucleation particle is pure VB_(2).Density functional theory(DFT)calculation indicates that(0001)VB_(2)/(111)α-Al interface has the lowest interfacial energy such that highest nucleation potency among other types of diboride/α-Al interfaces under consideration.The outcomes of this work provide fundamental guidance to develop superior V-B based refiners for Al-Si alloys.展开更多
The mechanical properties of as-cast metallic materials depend strongly on the size and shape of grains,which are critical microstructural parameters dictated by the interplay of nucleation and growth of crys-talline ...The mechanical properties of as-cast metallic materials depend strongly on the size and shape of grains,which are critical microstructural parameters dictated by the interplay of nucleation and growth of crys-talline solids during solidification.In our experiments,the microstructure transition from coarse colum-nar crystals into fine equiaxed crystals for dilute Al-Mn-Si alloys was achieved by using sub-rapid so-lidification with the addition of Al-5Ti-1B grain refiner.The average grain size of Al alloy was reduced from a millimeter size to 73μm.Through temperature gradient calculation,we found that the acqui-sition of fine equiaxed crystals could be attributed to the existence of a high number density of TiB2,acting as effective nucleation sites with an increase in total undercooling.Furthermore,the curvature su-percooling,constitutional undercooling,thermal undercooling,and kinetic undercooling during sub-rapid solidification were quantitatively determined for given solidification rates.Our results showed that con-stitutional undercooling,rather than thermal undercooling,was primarily responsible for the formation of fine equiaxed grains,with the assistance of Al-5Ti-1B grain refiner.This work provides a new insight into the grain refining mechanism under sub-rapid solidification.展开更多
This study investigates the adsorption mechanism,the film formation process,and the inhibition performance of benzotriazole(BTAH)on carbon steels with different grain sizes(i.e.,24.5,4.3,and 0.6μm)in 3.5 wt.%NaCl sol...This study investigates the adsorption mechanism,the film formation process,and the inhibition performance of benzotriazole(BTAH)on carbon steels with different grain sizes(i.e.,24.5,4.3,and 0.6μm)in 3.5 wt.%NaCl solution.The results demonstrate that grain refinement significantly impacts the adsorption and inhibition performance of BTAH on carbon steels.Ultra-refinement of steel grains to 0.6μm improves the maximum inhibition efficiency of BTAH to 90.0%within 168 h of immersion,which was much higher than that of the steels with 24.5μm(73.6%)and 4.3μm grain sizes(81.7%).Notably,grain sizes of 4.3 and 0.6μm facilitate a combination of physisorption and chemisorption of BTAH after 120 h of immersion,as evidenced by the X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS)results and Langmuir adsorption isotherms,while BTAH adsorbed on carbon steels with a grain size of 24.5μm through physisorption during the 168 h of immersion.Ultra-refinement of grains has beneficial impacts on promoting the formation of a stable and dense corrosion inhibitor film,leading to improved corrosion resistance and the mitigation of non-uniform corrosion.These advantageous effects can be attributed to the higher adsorption energy at grain boundaries(approximately-3.12 eV)compared to grain interiors(ranging from-0.79 to 2.47 eV),promoting both the physisorption and chemisorption of organic corrosion inhibitors.The investigation comprehensively illustrates,for the first time,the effects of grain size on the adsorption mechanism,film formation process,and inhibition performance of organic corrosion inhibitors on carbon steels.This study demonstrates a promising approach to enhancing corrosion inhibition performance through microstructural design.展开更多
The pursuit of Ag-based alloys with both high strength and toughness has posed a longstanding chal-lenge.In this study,we investigated the cluster strengthening and grain refinement toughening mecha-nisms in fully oxi...The pursuit of Ag-based alloys with both high strength and toughness has posed a longstanding chal-lenge.In this study,we investigated the cluster strengthening and grain refinement toughening mecha-nisms in fully oxidized AgMgNi alloys,which were internally oxidized at 800℃ for 8 h under an oxy-gen atmosphere.We found that Mg-O clusters contributed to the hardening(138 HV)and strengthening(376.9 MPa)of the AgMg alloy through solid solution strengthening effects,albeit at the expense of duc-tility.To address this limitation,we introduced Ni nanoparticles into the AgMg alloy,resulting in signifi-cant grain refinement within its microstructure.Specifically,the grain size decreased from 67.2μm in the oxidized AgMg alloy to below 6.0μm in the oxidized AgMgNi alloy containing 0.3 wt%Ni.Consequently,the toughness increased significantly,rising from toughness value of 2177.9 MJ m^(-3) in the oxidized AgMg alloy to 6186.1 MJ m^(-3) in the oxidized AgMgNi alloy,representing a remarkable 2.8-fold enhancement.Furthermore,the internally oxidized AgMgNi alloy attained a strength of up to 387.6 MPa,comparable to that of the internally oxidized AgMg alloy,thereby demonstrating the successful realization of concurrent strengthening and toughening.These results collectively offer a novel approach for the design of high-performance alloys through the synergistic combination of cluster strengthening and grain refinement toughening.展开更多
Due to the low content of alloying elements and the lack of effective nucleation sites,the fusion zone(FZ)of tungsten inert gas(TIG)welded AZ31 alloy typically exhibits undesirable coarse columnar grains,which can res...Due to the low content of alloying elements and the lack of effective nucleation sites,the fusion zone(FZ)of tungsten inert gas(TIG)welded AZ31 alloy typically exhibits undesirable coarse columnar grains,which can result in solidification defects and reduced mechanical properties.In this work,a novel welding wire containing MgO particles has been developed to promote columnar-to-equiaxed transition(CET)in the FZ of TIG-welded AZ31 alloy.The results show the achievement of a fully equiaxed grain structure in the FZ,with a significant 71.9%reduction in grain size to 41 μm from the original coarse columnar dendrites.Furthermore,the combination of using MgO-containing welding wire and pulse current can further refine the grain size to 25.6 μm.Microstructural analyses reveal the homogeneous distribution of MgO particles in the FZ.The application of pulse current results in an increase in the number density of MgO(1-2 μm)from 5.16 × 10^(4) m^(-3) to 6.18 × 10^(4) m^(-3).The good crystallographic matching relationship between MgO and α-Mg matrix,characterized by the orientation relationship of[11(2)0]α-Mg//[0(1)1]MgO and(0002)_(α-Mg)//(111)_(MgO),indicates that the MgO particles can act as effective nucleation sites for α-Mg to reduce nucleation undercooling.According to the Hunt criteria,the critical temperature gradient for CET is greatly enhanced due to the significantly increased number density of MgO nucleation sites.In addition,the correlation with the thermal simulation results reveals a transition in the solidification conditions within the welding pool from the columnar grain zone to the equiaxed grain zone in the CET map,leading to the realization of CET.The exceptional grain refinement has contributed to a simultaneous improvement in the strength and plasticity of welded joints.This study presents a novel strategy for controlling equiaxed microstructure and optimizing mechanical properties in fusion welding or wire and arc additive manufacturing of Mg alloy components.展开更多
Titanium alloys,usually known as non-corrodible material,are susceptible to microbiologically influenced corrosion(MIC)in marine environment.While titanium-zirconium(TiZr)alloys have been extensively studied in medica...Titanium alloys,usually known as non-corrodible material,are susceptible to microbiologically influenced corrosion(MIC)in marine environment.While titanium-zirconium(TiZr)alloys have been extensively studied in medical applications,the influence of microorganisms,especially marine microorganisms,on their corrosion behavior has not been explored.In this work,a TiZrCu alloy with a combination of excel-lent mechanical,anti-corrosion,and antibacterial properties was developed by optimizing the Cu content and grain refinement.Its MIC and antibacterial mechanisms against Pseudomonas aeruginosa,a represen-tative marine microorganism,were systematically investigated.5.5 wt%was determined as the optimal copper content.The fine-grained Ti-15Zr-5.5Cu(TZC-5.5FG)alloy maintained high MIC resistance,exhibit-ing a corrosion current of 5.7±0.1 nA/cm^(2) and an antibacterial rate of 91.8% against P.aeruginosa.The mechanism of improved corrosion resistance was attributed to the denser passive film with high TiO2 content and the lower surface potential differenceΔE.The release of Cu^(2+)ions,ΔE,and the generation of ROS are three major factors that contribute to the antibacterial performance of TiZrCu alloys.Com-pared to other available marine metals,TZC-5.5FG alloy exhibited superior comprehensive performance,including excellent mechanical properties and anti-MIC capacity,which make it a promising material for load-bearing applications in marine environment.展开更多
基金Project(2012CB619503)supported by the Natioanl Basic Research Program of ChinaProject(2013AA031001)supported by the National High-tech Research and Development Program of ChinaProject(2012DFA50630)supported by the International Science&Technology Cooperation Program of China
文摘To investigate the effects of Al-Ti-B-RE grain refiner on microstructure and mechanical properties of Al-7.0Si-0.55Mg （A357） alloy, some novel Al-7.0Si-0.55Mg alloys added with different amount of Al-STi-1B-RE grain refiner with different RE composition were prepared by vacuum-melting. The microstructure and fracture behavior of the AI-7.0Si-0.55Mg alloys with the grain refiners were observed by X-ray diffraction （XRD）, optical microscopy （OM）, scanning electron microscopy （SEM）, and the mechanical properties of the alloys were tested in mechanical testing machine at room temperature. The observation of AI-Ti-B-RE morphology and internal structure of the particles reveals that it exhibits a TiAl3/Ti2Al20RE core-shell structure via heterogeneous TiB2 nuclei. The tensile strength of Al-7.0Si-0.55Mg alloys with Al-5Ti-1B-3.0RE grain refiner reaches the peak value at the same addition （0.2%） of grain refiner.
基金Project supported by the Natural Science Foundation of Shanxi Province (20011047)Patent Generalization Project ofShanxi Province (051025)
文摘Al-Ti-C grain refiner was prepared by SHS （self-propagating high-temperature synthesis ）-melting technique. The effect of La on the microstructures of grain refiner was studied by OM, TEM, SEM, XRD, and EDS. The experimental results indicate that La can improve the wettability between liquid aluminum and graphite ; the addition of La results in dispersive distribution of TiAl3 and TiC particles in the matrix. An excellent grain refining performance of Al-Ti-C grain refiner on commercially pure Al was obtained.
基金Project(51174177)supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China
文摘An Al-3Ti-0.2C-1RE grain refiner was prepared by in-situ reaction method.The microstructure was investigated by optical microscopy(OM),scanning electron microscopy(SEM) equipped with energy-dispersive spectrometry(EDS) and X-ray diffraction(XRD).The results show that the Al-3Ti-0.2C-1RE grain refiner is composed of α-Al,TiAl3,TiC and Ti2 Al20 Ce phases.Compared with Al-3Ti-0.2C refiner,the morphology of TiAl3 phase is changed and Ti2 Al20 Ce phases form with the addition of RE.Accordingly,the refining performance is improved.The phase forming process of the refiner is as follows: Blocky Ti2 Al20 Ce and fine blocky TiAl3 form in the melt at the initial stage of reaction,then the fine blocky TiAl3 gradually disappears,and the blocky Ti2 Al20 Ce grows bigger with the increase of holding time.The predominant mechanism to synthesize TiC particles is the reaction between high concentration of solute Ti atoms and graphite particles.
基金Funded by National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.50774023)
文摘An electrostrictive uniaxial ultrasonic levitation reaction system was designed to perform TiC synthesis reaction by suspending graphite powder in Al-3Ti melt and an Al-3Ti-0.15C grain refiner alloy was obtained. The results show that sound pressure node in which graphite suspends is formed in the melt between radiation block and reflecting board by ultrasonic and TiAl3 particles congregate around C powder. Meanwhile, due to ultrasonic cavitation, dissolved TiAl3 provides better surface condition for the synthesis reaction of TiC. The reaction route is that C and dissolved Ti react to form TiC. Ultrasonic cavitation has a thermal activation effect on TiC particles and Al-3Ti-0.15C refiner has excellent microstructural refining effect on α-Al.
文摘An alloy of A1-8wt% Si-0.8wt% Fe was cast in a metallic die, and its microstrucmral changes due to Ti-B refiner and Sr modifier additions were studied. Apart from usual refinement and modification of the microstructure, some mutual influences of the additives took place, and no mutual poisoning effects by these additives, in combined form, were observed. It was noticed that the dimensions of the iron-rich intermetallics were influenced by the additives causing them to become larger. The needle-shaped intermetallics that were obtained from refiner addition became thicker and longer when adding the modifier. It was also found that a-Al and eutectic silicon phases preferentially nucleate on different types of intermetallic compounds. The more iron content of the intermetallic compounds and the more changes in their dimensions occurred. Formation of the shrinkage porosities was also observed.
基金the Australian Research Council for funding supportthe support of China Scholarship Council
文摘The potency of Al3Zr and Al3Nb as grain refiners for Al alloys was investigated from a crystallographic point of view using the edge-to-edge matching （E2EM） model. The results show that both Al3Zr and Al3Nb have small values of interatomic spacing misfit and interplanar spacing mismatch with respect to Al. Furthermore, energetically favourable orientation relationships predicted by the model exist between Al and each of these two intermetallic phases. In the light of the edge-to-edge matching model predictions, it is suggested that both Al3Zr and Al3Nb are potent heterogeneous nucleation refiners for Al grains from the crystallographic point of view. The present crystallographic analysis provides a more reasonable explanation for the significant grain refinement obtained in the peritectic Al-Zr and Al-Nb alloys and also provides fresh insight into the understanding of the grain refinement mechanism of Al alloys.
基金Project supported by National High Technology Research and Development Program of China(2013AA031001)the National Basic Research Program of China(2012CB619503)International Science&Technology Cooperation Program of China(2012DFA50630)
文摘The Al-5Ti-0.2C-based grain refiners with different contents of rare earth （RE） were successfully prepared via powder metallurgy and vacuum casting. The microstructural evolution has been studied by X-ray diffraction （XRD）, differential scanning calorimetry （DSC）, scanning electron microscopy （SEM） and transmission electron microscopy （TEM）. The results showed that the RE addition resulted in the formation of TiAl3/Ti2Al20RE core-shell structured primary particles, and the size of TiAl3 core decreased, while the thickness of Ti2Al20RE increased with increase of RE contents. As compared to Al-5Ti-0.2C grain refiner, the grain refining efficiency was gradually improved with increase of RE contents, which was mainly attributed to the TiAl3/Ti2Al20RE core-shell structured primary particles and insoluble TiC nuclei formed inα-Al matrix. The formation mechanism of core-shell structure was further investigated based on Ginstling-Brounstein model.
文摘This work aims to present a perspective for porosity formation in three different alloys:A356,A413 and A380.1 by taking into account the addition of Al-B grain refiners:AlTi5B1 and Al3B.The directional solidification method was used,and microstructural changes of the alloys and its correlation with porosity formation were investigated.Pore size,number of pores,average pore length and distribution of pores were statistically analyzed.Also,external shrinkage was examined,and the volume of external shrinkage was calculated.It was found that there was a relationship between external shrinkage and the size and number of pores.As the size and number of pores internally decrease,external shrinkage increases.Additionally,porosity is decreased in all the three Al-Si alloys when Al-B grain refiners are used.The distribution of pore diameters is low when AlTi5B1 is used.Grain refiners have a different effect on porosity formation of Al-Si alloys with regard to their solidification morphology.
基金financially supported by the National High Technology Research and Development Program(No.2013AA031002)
文摘The cooling rate sensitivities of A1TiB, RE and A1TiB-RE refiners were investigated using laboratory experiments and the actual industrial applications of A356 automotive wheel via low pressure die casting technology. Their impact mechanisms on the microstructure and mechanical properties of the A356 alloy were discussed. The results demonstrated that the AITiB-RE refiner possessed most effective and synergetic refinement effects compared to the individual A1TiB or RE refiners. The A1TiB-RE refiner exhibited the least sensitivity to the cooling rate changes than the other refiners. The comprehensive properties of alloy wheel refined by the A1TiB-RE refiner were improved significantly. The tensile strength, yield strength, and elongation of wheel spoke improved by approximately 11.3%, 10.8% and 44.1%, respectively. The property difference values of the tensile strength, yield strength, and elongation in different positions of the wheel decreased from 14.8%, 31.2% and 47.7% to 8.6%, 27.1% and 30.9%, respectively.
文摘Two different Ti alloys were cast in a graphite mould using vacuum induction skull melting furnace. The first alloy was Ti-6Al-4V and the second was Ti-6Al-4V 0.5Si. Silicon as a grain refiner was added into Ti-6Al-4V alloy, and the effects of Si-addition on the microstructure and properties of the as-cast and swaged alloys were investigated. Hot swaging at 900 °C was performed on the cast samples and then two different thermal treatments were applied. The first treatment was done by heating the swaged samples at 1050 °C to produce fine lamella structure, while the second treatment was carried out at 1050 °C and then decreased the temperature to 800 °C for getting coarse lamella structure. An addition of 0.5% Si to Ti-6Al-4V alloy decreased the grain size of the as-cast sample from 627 to 337 μm. There was an increase in ultimate tensile strength of about 25 MPa for the as-cast Ti-6Al-4V 0.5Si alloy compared to Ti-6Al-4V due to the refinement effect caused by Si addition. A maximum ultimate tensile strength of 1380 MPa and a minimum corrosion rate （1.35×10 6 mm/a in Hank’s solution and 5.78×10 4 mm/a in NaCl solution） were reported for the heat treated fine lamella structure of Ti-6Al-4V 0.5Si alloy. The wear rate was decreased to about 50% by adding 0.5% Si at low sliding speeds and to about 73% at high sliding speeds.
基金financially supported by the National Basic Research Program of China (No. 2012CB619503)the National High Technology Research and Development Program of China (No. 2013AA031001)the International Science & Technology Cooperation Program of China (No. 2012DFA50630)
文摘The Al-5Ti-0.5B-0.5C grain refiner was pre-pared by powder metallurgy(PM).Microstructures of the grain refiner and its grain refinement performance in commercially pure aluminum(Al)were investigated by X-ray diffraction(XRD),scanning electron microscopy(SEM),and differential scanning calorimetry(DSC).It is found that the average grain size of commercially pure Al can be reduced from~15,000 to~180μm by the addition of Al-5Ti-0.5B-0.5C grain refiner prepared by PM,based on 0.01 wt%Ti addition.The grain refinement efficiency begins to decrease slightly when the grain refiner is kept in the melt for 60 min.The grain refinement is attributed to high stability,proper size,and high density of Al3Ti,TiB2,and TiC particles.
文摘Al-3Ti-1B master alloys were prepared at different processing parameters by the reaction of halide salts,and the grain refining response of Al-7Si alloy was investigated with Al-3Ti-B master alloy.The microstructure of master alloy and its grain refining effect on Al-7Si alloy were investigated by means of OM,XRD and SEM.Experimental results show that,the size of Al3Ti particles presented in Al-3Ti-1B master alloys increases with the increase of reaction temperature and decreases with the increase of cooling rate.The grain refining efficiency of Al-3Ti-1B master alloy on Al-7Si alloy is mainly attributed to heterogeneous nucleation of Al3Ti particles,and the morphology ofα(Al)changes from coarse dendritic to fine equiaxed.As a result,Al-3Ti-1B master alloy is prepared by permanent mold,and holding at 800 ℃for 30min,which has better grain refining performance on Al-7Si alloy.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(52171030)the National Key Research and Development Program of China(2018YFA0702903).
文摘Grain refinement is a satisfying method to enhance the comprehensive performance of Mg alloys,and using grain refiners to improve the quality of Mg castings has become a common practice in the current casting industry.In this study,the effects of Al-CeO_(2)-Mg grain refiner addition on microstructure,cast fluidity,and mechanical properties of AZ91 alloy were systemically investigated by OM,SEM,DSC,TEM,sand Archimedean spiral mold fluidity test,and tensile test.The results show that the Al-CeO_(2)-Mg grain refiner has a remarkable effect on as-cast AZ91 alloy including notable grain refinement,enhancement of cast fluidity,and improvement of tensile properties.The average grain size of AZ91 alloy is refined by 63%with 1.0wt.%Al-CeO_(2)-Mg grain refiner.Meanwhile,the casting flow length of the as-cast AZ91 alloy is increased from 332 mm to 440 mm.The improvement of cast fluidity is attributed to the decreased liquidus temperature,shortening of solid-liquid two-phase temperature range,and refinement of microstructure.
基金supported by Beijing Municipal Natural Science Foundation(KZ20122100050008)National Basic Research Program of China(2012CB6198503)
文摘Al-Ti-B-Er refiner was successfully prepared by CR （contact reaction process）, a process based on SHS （self propagating high-temperature synthesis）. The microstructure of the alloy was studied by optical microscopy, X-ray diffraction （XRD）, scanning electron microscopy （SEM） equipped with energy-dispersive spectrometry. The results showed that Al-Ti-B-Er alloy was composed of α-Al, block-like TiAl3 and flocked TiB2. Compared with Al-Ti-B refiner, formation of TiAlEr compounds, Er modified the morphology of TiAl3 phase, and dispersed the TiB2 and TiAl3. An excellent grain refining performance was obtained when adding 1 wt.% Al-Ti-B-Er in Al-10Zn-1.9Mg-1.6Cu-0.12Zr alloy, the average grain size was about 40 μm. The refinement mechanism of Al-Ti-B-Er was also discussed. Er changed the morphology of TiAl3, TiB2 phase, the refiner would be more efficient. The decomposition of TiAlEr compounds which released Er refrained the growth of TiAl3 and made TiB2 difficult to aggregate or deposit, therefore resulted in more particles being efficient nucleation substrate.
基金financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.51871138)the Science and Technology Commission of Shanghai Municipality(No.19010500400)the"111"projects(No.D16002)。
文摘Al-V-B master alloy is promising for refining Al-Si alloys,yet its optimal composition with superior efficacy remains to be explored.In this work,the evolution of refining phases in the Al-10 Si/Al-V-B system with different V:B ratios was evaluated by thermodynamic calculations,based on which the Al-V-B refiners with V:B=1:1 and 5:1 were designed.Refining trails demonstrated that they could significantly reduce the grain size of Al-10 Si(wt.%)alloy from 1736 to 184-245μm with industrial addition amount.Detailed examinations results clarify that when V:B ratio is 1:1 the nucleation particle is(V,Al)B_(2),which has a VB_(2)-AlB_(2) core-shell structure and therefore presents the nucleation capability as AlB_(2) particle.When V:B ratio is as high as 5:1,the nucleation particle is pure VB_(2).Density functional theory(DFT)calculation indicates that(0001)VB_(2)/(111)α-Al interface has the lowest interfacial energy such that highest nucleation potency among other types of diboride/α-Al interfaces under consideration.The outcomes of this work provide fundamental guidance to develop superior V-B based refiners for Al-Si alloys.
基金Financial supports from the National Natural Science Foun-dation of China(Nos.52222409,52074132,U19A2084,and U22A20109)are greatly acknowledgedPartial financial support came from the National Key Research and Development Program(No.2022YFE0122000)+1 种基金the Interdisciplinary Integration and Inno-vation Project of JLU(No.JLUXKJC2021ZZ08)the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities,JLU.
文摘The mechanical properties of as-cast metallic materials depend strongly on the size and shape of grains,which are critical microstructural parameters dictated by the interplay of nucleation and growth of crys-talline solids during solidification.In our experiments,the microstructure transition from coarse colum-nar crystals into fine equiaxed crystals for dilute Al-Mn-Si alloys was achieved by using sub-rapid so-lidification with the addition of Al-5Ti-1B grain refiner.The average grain size of Al alloy was reduced from a millimeter size to 73μm.Through temperature gradient calculation,we found that the acqui-sition of fine equiaxed crystals could be attributed to the existence of a high number density of TiB2,acting as effective nucleation sites with an increase in total undercooling.Furthermore,the curvature su-percooling,constitutional undercooling,thermal undercooling,and kinetic undercooling during sub-rapid solidification were quantitatively determined for given solidification rates.Our results showed that con-stitutional undercooling,rather than thermal undercooling,was primarily responsible for the formation of fine equiaxed grains,with the assistance of Al-5Ti-1B grain refiner.This work provides a new insight into the grain refining mechanism under sub-rapid solidification.
基金support of the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Nos.52171063,52274362,and 52371049)the Key R&D projects of Henan Province(No.221111230800)+1 种基金the Doctoral Fund of Henan University of Technology(No.2023BS047)the Natural science Project of Zhengzhou Science and Technology Bureau(No.22ZZRDZX04)。
文摘This study investigates the adsorption mechanism,the film formation process,and the inhibition performance of benzotriazole(BTAH)on carbon steels with different grain sizes(i.e.,24.5,4.3,and 0.6μm)in 3.5 wt.%NaCl solution.The results demonstrate that grain refinement significantly impacts the adsorption and inhibition performance of BTAH on carbon steels.Ultra-refinement of steel grains to 0.6μm improves the maximum inhibition efficiency of BTAH to 90.0%within 168 h of immersion,which was much higher than that of the steels with 24.5μm(73.6%)and 4.3μm grain sizes(81.7%).Notably,grain sizes of 4.3 and 0.6μm facilitate a combination of physisorption and chemisorption of BTAH after 120 h of immersion,as evidenced by the X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS)results and Langmuir adsorption isotherms,while BTAH adsorbed on carbon steels with a grain size of 24.5μm through physisorption during the 168 h of immersion.Ultra-refinement of grains has beneficial impacts on promoting the formation of a stable and dense corrosion inhibitor film,leading to improved corrosion resistance and the mitigation of non-uniform corrosion.These advantageous effects can be attributed to the higher adsorption energy at grain boundaries(approximately-3.12 eV)compared to grain interiors(ranging from-0.79 to 2.47 eV),promoting both the physisorption and chemisorption of organic corrosion inhibitors.The investigation comprehensively illustrates,for the first time,the effects of grain size on the adsorption mechanism,film formation process,and inhibition performance of organic corrosion inhibitors on carbon steels.This study demonstrates a promising approach to enhancing corrosion inhibition performance through microstructural design.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Nos.51977027 and 51967008)the Scientific and Technological Project of Yunnan Precious Metals Lab-oratory(Nos.YPML-2023050250 and YPML-2022050206).
文摘The pursuit of Ag-based alloys with both high strength and toughness has posed a longstanding chal-lenge.In this study,we investigated the cluster strengthening and grain refinement toughening mecha-nisms in fully oxidized AgMgNi alloys,which were internally oxidized at 800℃ for 8 h under an oxy-gen atmosphere.We found that Mg-O clusters contributed to the hardening(138 HV)and strengthening(376.9 MPa)of the AgMg alloy through solid solution strengthening effects,albeit at the expense of duc-tility.To address this limitation,we introduced Ni nanoparticles into the AgMg alloy,resulting in signifi-cant grain refinement within its microstructure.Specifically,the grain size decreased from 67.2μm in the oxidized AgMg alloy to below 6.0μm in the oxidized AgMgNi alloy containing 0.3 wt%Ni.Consequently,the toughness increased significantly,rising from toughness value of 2177.9 MJ m^(-3) in the oxidized AgMg alloy to 6186.1 MJ m^(-3) in the oxidized AgMgNi alloy,representing a remarkable 2.8-fold enhancement.Furthermore,the internally oxidized AgMgNi alloy attained a strength of up to 387.6 MPa,comparable to that of the internally oxidized AgMg alloy,thereby demonstrating the successful realization of concurrent strengthening and toughening.These results collectively offer a novel approach for the design of high-performance alloys through the synergistic combination of cluster strengthening and grain refinement toughening.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.51871155).
文摘Due to the low content of alloying elements and the lack of effective nucleation sites,the fusion zone(FZ)of tungsten inert gas(TIG)welded AZ31 alloy typically exhibits undesirable coarse columnar grains,which can result in solidification defects and reduced mechanical properties.In this work,a novel welding wire containing MgO particles has been developed to promote columnar-to-equiaxed transition(CET)in the FZ of TIG-welded AZ31 alloy.The results show the achievement of a fully equiaxed grain structure in the FZ,with a significant 71.9%reduction in grain size to 41 μm from the original coarse columnar dendrites.Furthermore,the combination of using MgO-containing welding wire and pulse current can further refine the grain size to 25.6 μm.Microstructural analyses reveal the homogeneous distribution of MgO particles in the FZ.The application of pulse current results in an increase in the number density of MgO(1-2 μm)from 5.16 × 10^(4) m^(-3) to 6.18 × 10^(4) m^(-3).The good crystallographic matching relationship between MgO and α-Mg matrix,characterized by the orientation relationship of[11(2)0]α-Mg//[0(1)1]MgO and(0002)_(α-Mg)//(111)_(MgO),indicates that the MgO particles can act as effective nucleation sites for α-Mg to reduce nucleation undercooling.According to the Hunt criteria,the critical temperature gradient for CET is greatly enhanced due to the significantly increased number density of MgO nucleation sites.In addition,the correlation with the thermal simulation results reveals a transition in the solidification conditions within the welding pool from the columnar grain zone to the equiaxed grain zone in the CET map,leading to the realization of CET.The exceptional grain refinement has contributed to a simultaneous improvement in the strength and plasticity of welded joints.This study presents a novel strategy for controlling equiaxed microstructure and optimizing mechanical properties in fusion welding or wire and arc additive manufacturing of Mg alloy components.
基金supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China(No.2022YFB3808800)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.52425112 and 52401178)+1 种基金the IMR Innovation Fund(No.2024-PY06)the CAS-WEGO Research and Development Plan Project.
文摘Titanium alloys,usually known as non-corrodible material,are susceptible to microbiologically influenced corrosion(MIC)in marine environment.While titanium-zirconium(TiZr)alloys have been extensively studied in medical applications,the influence of microorganisms,especially marine microorganisms,on their corrosion behavior has not been explored.In this work,a TiZrCu alloy with a combination of excel-lent mechanical,anti-corrosion,and antibacterial properties was developed by optimizing the Cu content and grain refinement.Its MIC and antibacterial mechanisms against Pseudomonas aeruginosa,a represen-tative marine microorganism,were systematically investigated.5.5 wt%was determined as the optimal copper content.The fine-grained Ti-15Zr-5.5Cu(TZC-5.5FG)alloy maintained high MIC resistance,exhibit-ing a corrosion current of 5.7±0.1 nA/cm^(2) and an antibacterial rate of 91.8% against P.aeruginosa.The mechanism of improved corrosion resistance was attributed to the denser passive film with high TiO2 content and the lower surface potential differenceΔE.The release of Cu^(2+)ions,ΔE,and the generation of ROS are three major factors that contribute to the antibacterial performance of TiZrCu alloys.Com-pared to other available marine metals,TZC-5.5FG alloy exhibited superior comprehensive performance,including excellent mechanical properties and anti-MIC capacity,which make it a promising material for load-bearing applications in marine environment.
