Effect of Solution Temperature on Microstructure and Properties of Thixotropic Back-Extruded Tin–Bronze Shaft Sleeve

To study the heat-treatment process of a semi-solid copper alloy, a thixotropic back-extruded tin–bronze shaft sleeve was heat-treated at 630 °C, 660 °C, 690 °C and 720 °C for 1 h, respectively. Microstructure changes and mechanical properties under different solution temperatures of shaft sleeve were characterized using a metallographic microscope (OM), scanning electron microscope (SEM), transmission electron microscope (TEM), hardness tester, and tensile tester. The results show that the tensile strength first increases and then decreases; the elongation decreases; and the Brinell hardness increases gradually with increasing solution temperature. When the solution treatment is at 690 °C, the tin–bronze shaft sleeve’s microstructure and comprehensive mechanical properties are the best. The shape factor is 0.75, the average grain size is 82.52 μm, the Brinell hardness is 122 HBW, the tensile strength is 437 MPa, and the elongation is 17.4%, which is 3.4 times higher than that before solution treatment.     

Sintering Behavior of Bi-Material Micro-Component of 17-4PH Stainless Steel and Yttria-Stabilized Zirconia Produced by Two-Component Micro-Powder Injection Molding Process

In this research, we investigated the influence of the sintering temperature on the physical and mechanical properties of micro-sized bi-material components of 17-4PH stainless steel and 3 mol% yttria-stabilized zirconia fabricated using a two-component micro-powder injection molding (2C-μPIM) process. First, 17-4PH and zirconia powders were separately mixed with binders to obtain feedstocks, which were then injection-molded into the dumbbell shape, followed by the binder extraction process. Subsequently, the debound micro-specimens were subjected to sintering between 1250 °C and 1350 °C for 3 h. Per the observations of the microstructures using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), a strong bond between metal and ceramic in micro-sized 17-4PH/zirconia components was formed when the sintering temperature exceeded 1300 °C. The maximum relative density of 99% was achieved when the bi-material micro-part was sintered at 1350 °C. The linear shrinkage increased from 9.6% to 17.4% when the sintering temperature was increased from 1250 °C to 1350 °C. The highest hardness value of 1439.6 HV was achieved at 1350 °C along the bi-material bonding region. Moreover, a maximum tensile strength of 13.7 MPa was obtained at 1350 °C.     

Wear-Resistance Improvement of 65Mn Low-Alloy Steel through Adjusting Grain Refinement by Cyclic Heat Treatment

Refined microstructures achieved by cyclic heat treatment significantly contribute to improving the wear resistance of steels. To acquire the refined microstructures of 65Mn low-alloy steel, first, the specimens were solid solution-treated; then, they were subjected to cyclic heat treatment at cyclic quenching temperatures of 790–870 °C and quenching times of 1–4 with a fixed holding time of 5 min. The mechanical properties of 65Mn low-alloy steel in terms of hardness, tensile strength, elongation and wear resistance were characterized. Afterwards, the effect of cyclic heat treatment on microstructure evolution and the relationships between grain refinement and mechanical properties’ improvement were discussed. The results show that the average grain size firstly decreased and then increased with the increase in the quenching temperature. Hardness increased with grain refinement when the temperature was lower than 830 °C. Once the temperature exceeded 830 °C, hardness increased with the temperature increase owing to the enrichment of carbon content in the martensite. With the increase in cyclic quenching times, hardness continuously increased with grain refinement strengthening. In addition, both tensile strength and elongation could be significantly improved through grain refinement. The relationships among wear loss, hardness and average grain size showed that wear resistance was affected by the synthesis reaction of grain refinement and hardness. Higher hardness and refined grain size contributed to improving the wear resistance of 65Mn low-alloy steel.     

Preparation and Characterization of Pure SiC Ceramics by HTPVT Induced by Seeding with SiC Nanoarrays

Dense SiC ceramics were fabricated by high-temperature physical vapor transport (HTPVT) growth process using SiC nanoarrays as the crystal seeds, which was obtained by vacuum heat treatment of amorphous SiC films prepared by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) with a porous anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) template. In the HTPVT process, two-step holding was adopted, and the temperature at the first step was controlled at 2100 and 2150 °C to avoid SiC nanoarrays evaporation, and the grain size of SiC crystal increased with the increase in temperature and decrease in the pressure of Ar. The temperature of the second step was 2300 °C, and rapid SiC grain growth and gradual densification were achieved. The prepared SiC ceramics exhibited a relative density of more than 99%, an average grain size of about 100 μm, a preferred orientation along the (0 0 0 6) plane, a Vickers hardness of about 29 GPa, a flexural strength of about 360 MPa, and thermal conductivity at room temperature of more than 200 W·m⁻¹·K⁻¹.     

Effect of Pressure and Temperature on Densification in Electric Field-Assisted Sintering of Inconel 718 Superalloy

Electric field-assisted sintering has ubiquitous merits over conventional sintering technology for the fabrication of difficult-to-deform materials. To investigate the effect of sintering pressure and temperature on the densification of Inconel 718 superalloy, a numerical simulation model was established based on the Fleck-Kuhn-McMeeking (FKM) and Gurson-Tvergaard-Needleman (GTN) models, which covers a wide range of porosity. At a sintering pressure below 50 MPa or a sintering temperature below 950 °C, the average porosity of the sintered superalloy is over 0.17 with low densification. Under a pressure above 110 MPa and a temperature above 1250 °C, the sintered superalloy quickly completes densification and enters the plastic yield stage, making it difficult to control the sintering process. When the pressure is above 70 MPa while the temperature exceeds 1150 °C, the average porosity is 0.11, with little fall when the pressure or temperature rises. The experimental results indicated that the relative density of the sintered superalloy under 70 MPa and 1150 °C is 94.46%, and the proportion of the grain size below 10 μm is 73%. In addition, the yield strength of the sintered sample is 512 MPa, the compressive strength comes to 1260 MPa when the strain is over 0.8, and the microhardness is 395 Hv, demonstrating a better mechanical property than the conventional superalloy.     

Achieving Ti-5Al-4Sn-2Zr-1Mo-0.25Si-1Nb Alloys with High Strength and Moderate Ductility through Selective Laser Melting

Ti-5Al-4Sn-2Zr-1Mo-0.25Si-1Nb (TA32) titanium alloy is a kind of near α high temperature titanium alloy with great application prospects in aero-engine afterburners and cruise missiles. However, there are still few studies on the microstructure and mechanical properties of TA32 specimens produced by selective laser melting (SLM) technology. In this study, TA32 specimens with high strength (tensile strength of 1267 MPa) and moderate ductility (elongation after fracture of 8%) were obtained by selective laser melting. The effect of laser power on the microstructure and mechanical behavior was studied and the results demonstrated that the average grain size increases with increasing laser power from 200 W to 400 W. Micro-zone composition analysis was carried out by energy dispersion spectrum (EDS), showing that the Al concentration inner grains is higher than that near grain boundaries. Fracture analysis results demonstrated that the fracture mode of SLM TA32 specimens was cleavage fracture. The tensile strength of the specimens built with a laser power of 250 W at 500 °C, 550 °C and 600 °C was measured as 869 MPa, 819 MPa and 712 MPa, respectively.     

Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Friction Stir Welded 2205 Duplex Stainless Steel Butt Joints

Friction stir welding (FSW) as a solid-state process is an excellent candidate for high softening temperature materials welding; however, extending the tool life is required to make the process cost-effective. This work investigates the use of a high pin to shoulder ratio (65%) tungsten carbide (WC) tool for friction stir welding of 5 mm thick 2205 DSS to extend the tool life of this low-cost tool material. In addition, the effect of FSW parameters in terms of rotational rates, travel speeds, and downward forces on the microstructural features and mechanical properties of the welded joints were investigated. Characterization in terms of visual inspection, macro and microstructures, hardness, and tensile testing was conducted. The obtained results indicated that the combined rotational rate, travel speed, and downward force parameters govern the production of defect-free joints. The 2205 DSS friction stir welds show an enhancement in hardness compared to the base material. The stir zone showed a significantly refined grain structure of ferrite and austenite with the reduction in the average grain size from 8.8 µm and 13.3 µm for the base material to 2.71 µm and 2.24 µm, respectively. Moreover, this joint showed higher yield strength and ultimate tensile strength compared to the DSS as-received material.     

Microstructural Evolution and Tensile Properties of Al0.3CoCrFeNi High-Entropy Alloy Associated with B2 Precipitates

The room-temperature strength of Al_0.3CoCrFeNi high-entropy alloys (HEAs) is relatively low owing to its intrinsic fcc structure. In the present study, the as-cast HEAs were subjected to cold rolling and subsequent annealing treatment (800, 900, and 1000 °C) to adjust the microstructures and tensile properties. This treatment process resulted in the partial recrystallization, full recrystallization, and grain coarsening with increasing the annealing temperature. It was found that the large and spherical B2 precipitates were generated in the recrystallized grain boundaries of three annealing states, while the small and elongated B2 precipitates were aligned along the deformation twins in the non-recrystallized region of the 800 °C-annealing state. The former B2 precipitates assisted in refining the recrystallized grains to quasi ultra-fine grain and fine grain regimes (with the grain sizes of ~0.9, ~2.2, and ~7.2 μm). The tensile results indicated that the decreased annealing temperature induced the gradual strengthening of this alloy but also maintained the ductility at the high levels. The yield strength and ultimate tensile strength in 800 °C-annealed specimen were raised as high as ~870 and ~1060 MPa and the ductility was maintained at ~26%. The strengthening behavior derived from the heterogeneous microstructures consisting of quasi ultra-fine recrystallized grains, non-recrystallized grains, deformation twins, dislocations, and B2 precipitates. Current findings offer the guidance for designing the HEAs with good strength and ductility.     

Powder Metallurgical Processing and Characterization of Molybdenum Addition to Tungsten Heavy Alloys by Spark Plasma Sintering

The effect of adding molybdenum to the heavy tungsten alloy of W-Ni-Fe on its material characteristics was examined in the current study. The elemental powders of tungsten, iron, nickel, and molybdenum, with a composition analogous to W-3Fe-7Ni-xMo (x = 0, 22.5, 45, 67.5 wt.%), were fabricated using the spark plasma sintering (SPS) technique at a sintering temperature of 1400 °C and under pressure of 50 MPa. The sintered samples were subjected to microstructural characterization and tested for mechanical strength. The smallest grain size of 9.99 microns was observed for the 45W-45Mo alloy. This alloy also gave the highest tensile and yield strengths of 1140 MPa and 763 MPa, respectively. The hardness increased with the increased addition of molybdenum. The high level of hardness was observed for 67.5Mo with a 10.8% increase in the base alloy’s hardness. The investigation resulted in the alloy of 45W-7Ni-3Fe-45Mo, observed to provide optimum mechanical properties among all the analyzed samples.     

Effects of Preparation Methods on the Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Graphene-Reinforced Alumina Matrix Composites

Recent years have witnessed a growing research interest in graphene-reinforced alumina matrix composites (Al₂O₃-G). In this paper, to better achieve the dispersion of graphene in composites, a ball milling method for adding raw materials step by step, called stepwise feeding ball milling, was proposed. The Al₂O₃-1.0 wt % graphene composites were prepared by this stepwise feeding ball milling and hot pressing. Then, the effects of sintering temperature and sintering pressure on the microstructure and mechanical properties of composites were studied. Results showed that the bending strength, fracture toughness and Vickers hardness of composites increased firstly and then decreased with increasing sintering temperature. The mechanical properties of composites were all at their maximum with the sintering temperature of 1550 °C. For example, the bending strength of composites reached 754.20 MPa, which was much bigger than 478.03 MPa at 1500 °C and 364.01 MPa at 1600 °C. Analysis suggested that the strength of composites was mainly related to the grain size, microflaw size and porosity.     

Fabrication of SiC Sealing Cavity Structure for All-SiC Piezoresistive Pressure Sensor Applications

High hardness and corrosion resistance of SiC (silicon carbide) bulk materials have always been a difficult problem in the processing of an all-SiC piezoresistive pressure sensor. In this work, we demonstrated a SiC sealing cavity structure utilizing SiC shallow plasma-etched process (≤20 μm) and SiC–SiC room temperature bonding technology. The SiC bonding interface was closely connected, and its average tensile strength could reach 6.71 MPa. In addition, through a rapid thermal annealing (RTA) experiment of 1 min and 10 mins in N₂ atmosphere of 1000 °C, it was found that Si, C and O elements at the bonding interface were diffused, while the width of the intermediate interface layer was narrowed, and the tensile strength could remain stable. This SiC sealing cavity structure has important application value in the realization of an all-SiC piezoresistive pressure sensor.     

Influence of Post Weld Heat Treatment on the Grain Size,and Mechanical Properties of the Alloy-800H Rotary Friction Weld Joints

This study evaluated the microstructure, grain size, and mechanical properties of the alloy 800H rotary friction welds in as-welded and post-weld heat-treated conditions. The standards for the alloy 800H not only specify the composition and mechanical properties but also the minimum grain sizes. This is because these alloys are mostly used in creep resisting applications. The dynamic recrystallization of the highly strained and plasticized material during friction welding resulted in the fine grain structure (20 ± 2 µm) in the weld zone. However, a small increase in grain size was observed in the heat-affected zone of the weldment with a slight decrease in hardness compared to the base metal. Post-weld solution heat treatment (PWHT) of the friction weld joints increased the grain size (42 ± 4 µm) in the weld zone. Both as-welded and post-weld solution heat-treated friction weld joints failed in the heat-affected zone during the room temperature tensile testing and showed a lower yield strength and ultimate tensile strength than the base metal. A fracture analysis of the failed tensile samples revealed ductile fracture features. However, in high-temperature tensile testing, post-weld solution heat-treated joints exhibited superior elongation and strength compared to the as-welded joints due to the increase in the grain size of the weld metal. It was demonstrated in this study that the minimum grain size requirement of the alloy 800H friction weld joints could be successfully met by PWHT with improved strength and elongation, especially at high temperatures.     

Simulation of Subrapid Solidification and Secondary Cooling for the Strip Casting of IF Steel

A combination of droplet solidification tester and confocal laser scanning microscope was used to simulate subrapid solidification and secondary cooling process pertinent to the strip casting. The IF steel droplet had a delamination structure and the bottom part went through sub-rapid solidification. During secondary cooling, γ/α transformation mechanism belonged to interface-controlled massive transformation and the ferrite grains grew quickly. With the increase of cooling rate, the γ/α transformation temperature decreased and the incubation period and phase transformation duration reduced. The hardness showed a slight increase due to fine-grain strengthening. With coiling temperature increasing from 600 °C to 800 °C, the grain size became larger, precipitates became coarse, and defects in grain were recovered. Consequently, the hardness decreased.     

Research on Microstructure and Properties of AlSi10Mg Fabricated by Selective Laser Melting

In order to obtain high-performance aluminum alloy parts fabricated by selective laser melting, this paper investigates the relationship between the process parameters and microstructure properties of AlSi10Mg. The appropriate process parameters are obtained: the layer thickness is 0.03 mm, the laser power is 370 W, the scanning speed is 1454 mm/s, and the hatch spacing is 0.16 mm. With these process parameters, the ultimate tensile strength of the as-printed status is 500.7 ± 0.8 MPa, the yield strength is 311.5 ± 5.9 MPa, the elongation is 7.7 ± 0.5%, and the relative density is 99.94%. After annealing treatment at 275 °C for 2 h, the ultimate tensile strength is 310.8 ± 1.3 MPa, the yield strength is 198.0 ± 2.0 MPa, and the elongation is 13.7 ± 0.6%. The mechanical properties are mainly due to the high relative density, supersaturate solid solution, and fine dispersed Si. The supersaturate solid solution and nano-sized Si formed by the high cooling rate of SLM. After annealing treatment, the Si have been granulated and grown significantly. The ultimate tensile strength and yield strength are reduced, and the elongation is significantly improved.     

Effect of Post-Fabricated Aging on Microstructure and Mechanical Properties in Underwater Friction Stir Additive Manufacturing of Al–Zn–Mg–Cu Alloy

The fabricated Al–Zn–Mg–Cu alloy build has low mechanical properties due to the dissolution of strengthening precipitates back into the matrix during friction stir additive manufacturing (FSAM). Post-fabricated aging was considered an effective approach to improve the mechanical performance of the build. In this study, various post-fabricated aging treatments were applied in the underwater FSAM of Al–7.5 Zn–1.85 Mg–1.3 Cu–0.135 Zr alloy. The effect of the post-fabricated aging on the microstructure, microhardness, and local tensile properties of the build was investigated. The results indicated that over-aging occurred in the low hardness zone (LHZ) of the build after artificial aging at 120 °C for 24 h as the high density of grain boundaries, subgrain boundaries, dislocations, and Al₃Zr particles facilitated the precipitation. Low-temperature aging treatment can effectively avoid the over-aging problem. After aging at 100 °C for 48 h, the average microhardness value of the build reached 178 HV; the yield strength of the LHZ and high hardness zone (HHZ) was 453 MPa and 463 MPa, respectively; and the ultimate tensile strength of the LHZ and HHZ increased to 504 MPa and 523 MPa, respectively.     

Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of an Al–Mg–Si–Zr Alloy Processed by L-PBF and Subsequent Heat Treatments

The aim of this study was to develop a new Al–Mg–Si–Zr alloy with a high magnesium content to achieve a wide range of mechanical properties using heat treatment and at a lower cost. Additive manufacturing was conducted using a powder bed fusion process with various scan speeds to change the volumetric energy density and establish optimal process conditions. In addition, mechanical properties were evaluated using heat treatment under various conditions. The characterization of the microstructure was conducted by scanning electron microscopy with electron backscatter diffraction and transmission electron microscopy. The mechanical properties were determined by tensile tests. The as-built specimen showed a yield strength of 447.9 ± 3.6 MPa, a tensile strength of 493.4 ± 6.7 MPa, and an elongation of 9.6 ± 1.1%. Moreover, the mechanical properties could be adjusted according to various heat treatment conditions. Specifically, under the HT1 (low-temperature artificial aging) condition, the ultimate tensile strength increased to 503.2 ± 1.1 MPa, and under the HT2 (high-temperature artificial aging) condition, the yield strength increased to 467 ± 1.3 MPa. It was confirmed that the maximum elongation (14.3 ± 0.8%) was exhibited with the HT3 (soft annealing) heat treatment.     

Effect of Age-Hardening Temperature on Mechanical and Wear Behavior of Furnace-Cooled Al7075-Tungsten Carbide Composite

In this study, aluminum alloy (Al7075) composites with a 4% weight fraction of tungsten carbide (WC) were manufactured using a stir casting process and the developed composites were subjected to various ageing temperatures. An attempt has been made to predict the age-hardening temperature with the enhanced mechanical and wear properties of Al7075-WC. The result shows that the composite specimen aged at 250 °C offered maximum tensile strength and the Brinell hardness number was increased by 37.1% and 50.5%, respectively; the maximum impact energy was observed to be 92.2% for the 450 °C aged composites, compared to the non-aged Al7075-WC composites. The strength properties of the Al7075-WC composite decreased to 30.86%, 4.7%, and 24.9% when the composite specimens aged at 350 °C. The mechanical properties of the Al7075-WC composite were increased at the age-hardening temperatures from 150 °C to 250 °C and decreased from 250 °C to 350 °C. The wear testing pin-on-disc setup utilized to determine the wear characteristics of the prepared MMC with wear parameters of load and sliding distance and the wear resistance of the composite specimens increased due to ageing. The fractography analysis of the composite samples carried out by scanning electron microscope (SEM) images revealed that the fracture of the composite during the tensile test is a mixture of ductile and brittle modes.     

Effect of Initial Temperature on the Microstructure and Properties of Stellite-6/Inconel 718 Functional Gradient Materials Formed by Laser Metal Deposition

Stelite-6/Inconel 718 functionally gradient materials (FGM) is a heat-resisting functional gradient material with excellent strength performance under ultra-high temperatures (650–1100 °C) and, thus, has potential application in aeronautic and aerospace engineering such as engine turbine blade. To investigate the effect of initial temperature on the microstructure and properties of laser metal deposition (LMD) functional gradient material (FGM), this paper uses the LMD technique to form Stelite-6/Inconel 718 FGM at two different initial temperatures: room temperature and preheating (300 °C). Analysis of the internal residual stress distribution, elemental distribution, microstructure, tensile properties, and microhardness of 100% Stelite-6 to 100% Inconel 718 FGM formed at different initial temperatures in a 10% gradient. The experimental results prove that the high initial temperature effectively improves the uneven distribution of internal residual stresses. Preheating slows down the solidification time of the melt pool and facilitates the escape of gases and the homogeneous diffusion of elements in the melt pool. In addition, preheating reduces the bonding area between the gradient layers, enhancing the metallurgical bonding properties between the layers and improving the tensile properties. Compared with Stellite-6/Inconel 718 FGM formed at room temperature, the mean yield strength, mean tensile strength, and mean elongation of Stellite-6/Inconel 718 FGM formed at 300 °C are increased by 65.1 Mpa, 97 MPa, and 5.2%. However, the high initial temperature will affect the hardness of the material. The average hardness of Stellite-6/Inconel 718 FGM formed at 300 °C is 26.9 HV (Vickers hardness) lower than that of Stellite-6/Inconel 718 FGM formed at 20 °C.     

Effect of Sc on the Hot Cracking Properties of 7xxx Aluminum Alloy and the Microstructure of Squeeze Castings

In this paper, the effect of adding the refiner Sc to the high Zn/Mg ratio 7xxx series aluminum alloy melt on the hot tearing performance, microstructure, and mechanical properties of the alloy is studied. The hot tearing performance test (CRC) method is used to evaluate the hot tearing performance of the alloy. The squeeze casting process was used to form solid cylindrical parts to analyze the structure and properties of the alloy. This study shows that the hot cracking sensitivity of the alloy after the addition of the refiner Sc is significantly reduced. The ingot grain size is significantly reduced, and the average grain size is reduced from about 86 μm to about 53 μm. While the mechanical properties are significantly improved, and the tensile strength reduced from 552 MPa is increased to 571 MPa, and the elongation rate is increased from 11% to 14%.     

Effects of Zn Contents on Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Semisolid Rheo-Diecasting Al-xZn-2Mg-1.5Cu Alloys

The microstructure and mechanical properties of semisolid rheo-diecasting Al-xZn-2Mg-1.5Cu alloys with different Zn contents were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), hardness testing (HV) and room temperature tensile testing. Results show that the as-cast microstructure mainly consists of spherical α-Al and Mg(Al, Cu, Zn)₂ phases. Furthermore, a small amounts of Al₇Cu₂Fe phases were also detected along the grain boundary. Increasing the Zn contents from 8–12%, the volume fraction of the Mg(Al, Cu, Zn)₂ phases increases from 4.9–7.4%. After solution heat treatment at 470 °C for 8 h, most of the Mg(Al, Cu, Zn)₂ dissolves into the α-Al matrix, while the Al₇Cu₂Fe phase keeps with remains. The yield strength linearly increases from 482 ± 5 MPa of 8% Zn to 529 ± 5 MPa of 12% Zn. While, the ultimate strength of 10% Zn is 584 ± 2 MPa, which is higher than that of the other two alloys. Moreover, the average elongation dramatically decreases from 13% for the 8% Zn alloy to 2% for the 12% Zn alloy.