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Volume 7
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Metals, Volume 7, Issue 8 (August 2017) – 40 articles

Cover Story (view full-size image): Modern products and machines have to satisfy several needs like lightness, strength, durability, reuse. Multi-material design is the response to those needs and dissimilar joining is a major issue for the manufacturing industry. The laser technology is capable of producing dissimilar aluminum steel welds, although welding between Fe and Al alloys is difficult because of a significant difference in thermal properties and poor mutual solid-state solubility. The laser beam can be used alone in the off-set welding mode or coupled with the arc torch like in the hybrid welding mode. The success of welding depends on the composition and shape of the intermetallic compound layer, which forms between the two metals. Those compounds are brittle and are the week point of the joint. Laser off-set welding can produce a thin and regular intermetallic layer, which is desirable for a better weld.View this paper
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22709 KiB  
Article
Crystallization and Beneficiation of Magnetite for Iron Recycling from Nickel Slags by Oxidation-Magnetic Separation
by Yongbo Ma, Xueyan Du, Yingying Shen, Guozhou Li and Ming Li
Metals 2017, 7(8), 321; https://doi.org/10.3390/met7080321 - 22 Aug 2017
Cited by 18 | Viewed by 4998
Abstract
The iron resources in nickel slag were recycled by oxidation and magnetic separation. The effects of holding time, temperature, air flow rate and basicity on the crystallization of magnetite were investigated systematically. Moreover, the influence of particle size and magnetic flux density on [...] Read more.
The iron resources in nickel slag were recycled by oxidation and magnetic separation. The effects of holding time, temperature, air flow rate and basicity on the crystallization of magnetite were investigated systematically. Moreover, the influence of particle size and magnetic flux density on the recovery and grade of iron during the magnetic separation was also explored. Results showed that the magnetite particles were significantly influenced by holding time, and the average diameter size reached about 20 μm after holding for 20 min at 1623 K. The holding temperature obviously affected the microstructure of magnetite phases: with the increase in holding temperature, the shapes of the magnetite particles changed from polyhedral form to skeletal particles. As the air flow rate was increased to 170 mL/min, the magnetite developed into tiny spherical particles due to the strong stirring. It was also found that the crystallization of magnetite was slightly effected by basicity. The iron recovery reduced with the decrease of particle size, while the iron grade first increased to a maximal value of 38 μm, and then decreased. As the magnetic flux density increased, the iron recovery initially increased rapidly, reaching a maximal value at 120 mT, while the iron grade remained almost constant. The final iron recovery and grade were 75.99% and 54.08%, respectively, via multi-step magnetic separation instead of single magnetic separation. Iron in concentrate mainly exists in the form of magnetite and magnesium ferrite, and contents of siderophile elements (Ni, Co) in final concentrate were also higher than that of raw slags. Full article
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4857 KiB  
Article
Effects of Alloying Elements (Mo, Ni, and Cu) on the Austemperability of GGG-60 Ductile Cast Iron
by Erkan Konca, Kazım Tur and Erkin Koç
Metals 2017, 7(8), 320; https://doi.org/10.3390/met7080320 - 22 Aug 2017
Cited by 31 | Viewed by 7530
Abstract
The interest in austempered ductile irons (ADI) is continuously increasing due to their various advantageous properties over conventional ductile irons and some steels. This study aimed to determine the roles of alloying elements Ni, Cu, and Mo, on the austemperability of GGG-60 ductile [...] Read more.
The interest in austempered ductile irons (ADI) is continuously increasing due to their various advantageous properties over conventional ductile irons and some steels. This study aimed to determine the roles of alloying elements Ni, Cu, and Mo, on the austemperability of GGG-60 ductile cast iron. Two different sets of GGG-60 (EN-GJS-600-3) samples, one set alloyed with Ni and Cu and the other set alloyed with Mo, Ni, and Cu, were subjected to austempering treatments at 290 °C, 320 °C, and 350 °C. A custom design heat treatment setup, consisting of two units with the top unit (furnace) serving for austenitizing and the 200 L capacity bottom unit (stirred NaNO2-KNO3 salt bath) serving for isothermal treatment, was used for the experiments. It was found that austempering treatment at 290 °C increased the hardness of the Ni-Cu alloyed GGG-60 sample by about 44% without causing a loss in its ductility. In the case of the Mo-Ni-Cu alloyed sample, the increase in hardness due to austempering reached to almost 80% at the same temperature while some ductility was lost. Here, the microstructural investigation and mechanical testing results of the austempered samples are presented and the role of alloying elements (Mo, Ni, and Cu) on the austemperability of GGG-60 is discussed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Selected Papers from the 3rd International Iron and Steel Symposium)
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8179 KiB  
Article
Study on Hot Deformation Behavior and Microstructure Evolution of Ti55 High-Temperature Titanium Alloy
by Fengyong Wu, Wenchen Xu, Xueze Jin, Xunmao Zhong, Xingjie Wan, Debin Shan and Bin Guo
Metals 2017, 7(8), 319; https://doi.org/10.3390/met7080319 - 20 Aug 2017
Cited by 19 | Viewed by 5571
Abstract
The isothermal compression experiment of as-rolled Ti55 alloy was carried out on a Gleeble-3800 thermal simulation test machine at the deformation temperature range of 700–1050 °C and strain rate range of 0.001–1 s−1. The hot deformation behavior and the microstructure evolution [...] Read more.
The isothermal compression experiment of as-rolled Ti55 alloy was carried out on a Gleeble-3800 thermal simulation test machine at the deformation temperature range of 700–1050 °C and strain rate range of 0.001–1 s−1. The hot deformation behavior and the microstructure evolution were analyzed during thermal compression. The results show that the apparent activation energy Q in α+β dual-phase region and β single-phase region were calculated to be 453.00 KJ/mol and 279.88 KJ/mol, respectively. The deformation softening mechanism was mainly controlled by dynamic recrystallization of α phase and dynamic recovery of β phase. Discontinuous yielding behavior mainly occurred in β phase region, which weakened gradually with the increase of deformation temperature (>990 °C) and strain rate (0.01–1 s−1) in β phase region. The processing map derived from Murty’s criterion was more accurate in predicting the hot workability than that derived from Prasad’s criterion. The optimized hot working window was 850–975°C/0.001–1 s−1, in which sufficient dynamic recrystallization occurred and α + β-transus microstructure was obtained. When deformed at higher temperature (≥1000 °C), coarsened lath-shape β-transus microstructure was formed, while deformed at lower temperature (≤825 °C) and higher strain rate (≥0.1 s−1), the dynamic recrystallization was not sufficient, thus flow instability appeared because of shear cracking. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Titanium Alloys 2017)
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8176 KiB  
Article
Influence of Build Orientation, Heat Treatment, and Laser Power on the Hardness of Ti6Al4V Manufactured Using the DMLS Process
by Anna Guzanová, Gabriela Ižaríková, Janette Brezinová, Jozef Živčák, Dagmar Draganovská and Radovan Hudák
Metals 2017, 7(8), 318; https://doi.org/10.3390/met7080318 - 18 Aug 2017
Cited by 44 | Viewed by 5342
Abstract
This contribution is focused on the influence of build orientation on hardness of materials sintered using direct metal laser sintering (DMLS) technology. It builds on the current research works that has monitored the influence of build orientation on a fatigue life, mechanical properties, [...] Read more.
This contribution is focused on the influence of build orientation on hardness of materials sintered using direct metal laser sintering (DMLS) technology. It builds on the current research works that has monitored the influence of build orientation on a fatigue life, mechanical properties, roughness after machining, etc. In the mentioned work, a slight influence of build orientation on the above properties was shown. The hardness was measured on a Ti6Al4V alloy which was made of powder by DMLS technology. The individual materials were sintered at different laser powers, then annealed to remove internal stresses. Part of the experiment examined the metallographic analysis of materials in the direction perpendicular to the sintered layers and parallel with the sintered layers. Microhardness was measured on metallographic cross-sections and the results were statistically processed. The influence of laser power on a respective material hardness was assessed by one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), a comparison of the hardness between sintered and sintered-annealed samples, as well as the comparison of hardness in the two considered directions was performed by t-test and F-test. A statistically significant difference in the hardness of the materials prepared at different laser powers was found. The influence of heat treatment, as well as the direction of material building also showed a statistically significant difference. Full article
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1897 KiB  
Article
First-Principles Investigation of Structural, Electronic and Elastic Properties of HfX (X = Os, Ir and Pt) Compounds
by Xianfeng Li, Cunjuan Xia, Mingliang Wang, Yi Wu and Dong Chen
Metals 2017, 7(8), 317; https://doi.org/10.3390/met7080317 - 18 Aug 2017
Cited by 12 | Viewed by 4581
Abstract
The structural, electronic and elastic properties of B2 structure Hafnium compounds were investigated by means of first-principles calculations based on the density functional theory within generalized gradient approximation (GGA) and local density approximation (LDA) methods. Both GGA and LDA methods can make acceptable [...] Read more.
The structural, electronic and elastic properties of B2 structure Hafnium compounds were investigated by means of first-principles calculations based on the density functional theory within generalized gradient approximation (GGA) and local density approximation (LDA) methods. Both GGA and LDA methods can make acceptable optimized lattice parameters in comparison with experimental parameters. Therefore, both GGA and LDA methods are used to predict the electronic and elastic properties of B2 HfX (X = Os, Ir and Pt) compounds. Initially, the calculated formation enthalpies have confirmed the order of thermodynamic stability as HfPt > HfIr > HfOs. Secondly, the electronic structures are analyzed to explain the bonding characters and stabilities in these compounds. Furthermore, the calculated elastic properties and elastic anisotropic behaviors are ordered and analyzed in these compounds. The calculated bulk moduli are in the reduced order of HfOs > HfIr > HfPt, which has exhibited the linear relationship with electron densities. Finally, the anisotropy of acoustic velocities, Debye temperatures and thermal conductivities are obtained and discussed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue First-Principles Approaches to Metals, Alloys, and Metallic Compounds)
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8517 KiB  
Article
Study on Microstructure and Properties of Bimodal Structured Ultrafine-Grained Ferrite Steel
by Gang Niu, Huibin Wu, Da Zhang, Na Gong and Di Tang
Metals 2017, 7(8), 316; https://doi.org/10.3390/met7080316 - 18 Aug 2017
Cited by 15 | Viewed by 7145
Abstract
The objective of the study research was to obtain bimodal structured ultrafine-grained ferrite steel with outstanding mechanical properties and excellent corrosion resistance. The bimodal microstructure was fabricated by the cold rolling and annealing process of a dual-phase steel. The influences of the annealing [...] Read more.
The objective of the study research was to obtain bimodal structured ultrafine-grained ferrite steel with outstanding mechanical properties and excellent corrosion resistance. The bimodal microstructure was fabricated by the cold rolling and annealing process of a dual-phase steel. The influences of the annealing process on microstructure evolution and the mechanical properties of the cold-rolled dual-phase steel were investigated. The effect of bimodal microstructure on corrosion resistance was also studied. The results showed that the bimodal characteristic of ferrite steel was most apparent in cold-rolled samples annealed at 650 °C for 40 min. More importantly, due to the coordinated action of fine-grained strengthening, back-stress strengthening, and precipitation strengthening, the yield strength (517 MPa) of the bimodal microstructure improved significantly, while the total elongation remained at a high level of 26%. The results of corrosion experiments showed that the corrosion resistance of bimodal ferrite steel was better than that of dual-phase steel with the same composition. This was mainly because the Volta potential difference of bimodal ferrite steel was smaller than that of dual-phase steel, which was conducive to forming a protective rust layer. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Structural Metals and Alloys)
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172 KiB  
Erratum
Erratum: Structure, Texture and Phases in 3D Printed IN718 Alloy Subjected to Homogenization and HIP Treatments. Metals 2017, 7, 196
by Ahmad Mostafa, Ignacio Picazo Rubio, Vladimir Brailovski, Mohammad Jahazi and Mamoun Medraj
Metals 2017, 7(8), 315; https://doi.org/10.3390/met7080315 - 16 Aug 2017
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 3101
Abstract
The authors wish to make the following corrections to the main text in the published paper [1]. In this paper, the weight of CuCl2 should be changed from 5 mg to 5 g to provide accurate recipe for the IN718 etchant.[...] Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Selective Laser Melting)
7120 KiB  
Article
Broadband Dual-Phase Plasmons through Metallization of Polymeric Heterojunctions
by Cuiying Huang and Xinping Zhang
Metals 2017, 7(8), 314; https://doi.org/10.3390/met7080314 - 16 Aug 2017
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 4175
Abstract
Large-area dual-phase plasmonic gold nanostructures were produced using the phase-separation pattern of a polymer blend film, where two typical light-emitting polymeric semiconductors of poly (9,9-dioctylfluorene-co-benzothiadiazole) (F8BT) and poly (9,9-dioctylfluorene-co-bis-N,N′-(4-butylphenyl)-bis-N,N′-phenyl-1,4 phenylenediamine) (PFB) [...] Read more.
Large-area dual-phase plasmonic gold nanostructures were produced using the phase-separation pattern of a polymer blend film, where two typical light-emitting polymeric semiconductors of poly (9,9-dioctylfluorene-co-benzothiadiazole) (F8BT) and poly (9,9-dioctylfluorene-co-bis-N,N′-(4-butylphenyl)-bis-N,N′-phenyl-1,4 phenylenediamine) (PFB) have been employed to construct the heterojunction patterns. The laser-induced selective cross-linking of F8BT molecules and the subsequent rinsing process using the good solvent of chloroform for PFB supplies a stable template for a further metallization process. When colloidal gold nanoparticles were spin-coated onto the surface of the template, a majority of the gold nanoparticles were confined into the “holes” of originally PFB-rich phase, while a minor portion stays on the “ridges” of F8BT-rich phase. After the annealing process, larger gold nanoparticles were produced inside the holes and smaller ones on the ridges, which induced localized surface plasmon resonance in the near infrared and in the visible, respectively. The structural parameters of the gold plasmonic pattern can be tuned by different surface modification and annealing processes, which can tune the spectroscopic response in the spectral position and in the spectral intensity. The produced nanostructures with broadband plasmon resonance can be used as a template for random lasers with strong optical scattering at both the pump and emission wavelengths and for photovoltaic devices with strong absorption in the visible and near infrared. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Metallic Films: From Nanofabrication and Nanostructuration to Characterizations and Applications)
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6238 KiB  
Article
Preparing Ferro-Nickel Alloy from Low-Grade Laterite Nickel Ore Based on Metallized Reduction–Magnetic Separation
by Zhihao Wang, Mansheng Chu, Zhenggen Liu, Hongtao Wang, Wei Zhao and Lihua Gao
Metals 2017, 7(8), 313; https://doi.org/10.3390/met7080313 - 16 Aug 2017
Cited by 31 | Viewed by 6595
Abstract
Nickel, a valued metal, mainly exists as nickel oxide in laterite nickel ore. Furthermore, a large part of the laterite nickel ore is low-grade saprolitic ore. In this paper, a research on preparing ferro-nickel alloy from low-grade saprolitic laterite nickel ore using metallized [...] Read more.
Nickel, a valued metal, mainly exists as nickel oxide in laterite nickel ore. Furthermore, a large part of the laterite nickel ore is low-grade saprolitic ore. In this paper, a research on preparing ferro-nickel alloy from low-grade saprolitic laterite nickel ore using metallized reduction-magnetic separation was studied. In the research, the carbothermic reductions of iron oxide and nickel oxide were analyzed in terms of thermodynamics. The influences of reduction temperature, reduction time, carbon ratio, and CaO addition on the recoveries and grades of iron and nickel were experimentally investigated. To analyze and clarify the related mechanism, the microstructure of ferro-nickel alloy was observed by optical microscope (OM) and scanning electron microscope/energy dispersive spectrometer (SEM/EDS). Accordingly, the results showed that, increasing reduction temperature can improve the grades and recoveries of nickel and iron; appropriate reduction time, carbon ratio and CaO addition can favor aggregation and growing up of the ferro-nickel particles, improving the grades and recoveries of nickel and iron. The optimal process parameters obtained were a reduction temperature of 1350 °C, reduction time of 2 h, carbon ratio of 1.2, and CaO addition of 10%. In this case, the ferro-nickel alloy with nickel grade 7.90% and iron grade 77.32% was prepared successfully from the low-grade saprolitic ore with nickel content 1.82%. The nickel and iron recoveries were 89.36% and 95.87% respectively, which achieved the highly efficient recovery and utilization of iron and nickel of low-grade laterite nickel ore. Full article
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2790 KiB  
Article
Statistical Analysis and Fatigue Life Estimations for Quenched and Tempered Steel at Different Tempering Temperatures
by Changyou Li, Shuangfeng Li, Fei Duan, Yuewu Wang, Yimin Zhang, David He, Zhenyuan Li and Wei Wang
Metals 2017, 7(8), 312; https://doi.org/10.3390/met7080312 - 16 Aug 2017
Cited by 12 | Viewed by 4316
Abstract
In this paper, the statistical properties and fatigue life estimations of 0.44% carbon steel at different tempering temperatures are presented. The specimens were austenized at 900 °C for 10 min, quenched in water, tempered at different temperatures, and then machined to the design [...] Read more.
In this paper, the statistical properties and fatigue life estimations of 0.44% carbon steel at different tempering temperatures are presented. The specimens were austenized at 900 °C for 10 min, quenched in water, tempered at different temperatures, and then machined to the design geometry and average surface roughness of Ra = 0.4 μm. The effect of tempering temperature on the fatigue life of 0.44% carbon steel was investigated using 75 fatigue tests, divided into three groups at temperatures 500 °C, 600 °C, and 700 °C. S–N and P–S–N curves were established. Two methods of estimating the mean fatigue life are presented. One is based on dislocation dipole accumulation and Paris’ law; another is based on the kriging model. Six more fatigue tests were carried out to validate the presented methods. Test results showed that the first method is superior to the second in terms of estimating accuracy from the validation datum. However, the second method could estimate the mean fatigue life of quenched and tempered 0.44% carbon steel with an average surface roughness of Ra = 0.4 μm when the tempering temperature was set to a value other than 500 °C, 600 °C, or 700 °C, with no additional fatigue test needed. Full article
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3078 KiB  
Article
An Algorithm for Surface Defect Identification of Steel Plates Based on Genetic Algorithm and Extreme Learning Machine
by Siyang Tian and Ke Xu
Metals 2017, 7(8), 311; https://doi.org/10.3390/met7080311 - 15 Aug 2017
Cited by 42 | Viewed by 9109
Abstract
Defects on the surface of steel plates are one of the most important factors affecting the quality of steel plates. It is of great importance to detect such defects through online surface inspection systems, whose ability of defect identification comes from self-learning through [...] Read more.
Defects on the surface of steel plates are one of the most important factors affecting the quality of steel plates. It is of great importance to detect such defects through online surface inspection systems, whose ability of defect identification comes from self-learning through training samples. Extreme Learning Machine (ELM) is a fast machine learning algorithm with a high accuracy of identification. ELM is implemented by a hidden matrix generated with random initialization parameters, while different parameters usually result in different performances. To solve this problem, an improved ELM algorithm combined with a Genetic Algorithm was proposed and applied for the surface defect identification of hot rolled steel plates. The output matrix of the ELM’s hidden layers was treated as a chromosome, and some novel iteration rules were added. The algorithm was tested with 1675 samples of hot rolled steel plates, including pockmarks, chaps, scars, longitudinal cracks, longitudinal scratches, scales, transverse cracks, transverse scratches, and roll marks. The results showed that the highest identification accuracies for the training and the testing set obtained by the G-ELM (Genetic Extreme Learning Machine) algorithm were 98.46% and 94.30%, respectively, which were about 5% higher than those obtained by the ELM algorithm. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Researches and Simulations in Steel Rolling)
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10875 KiB  
Article
Microstructure and Strengthening-Toughening Mechanism of Nitrogen-Alloyed 4Cr5Mo2V Hot-Working Die Steel
by Jinbo Gu, Jingyuan Li and Yulai Chen
Metals 2017, 7(8), 310; https://doi.org/10.3390/met7080310 - 14 Aug 2017
Cited by 15 | Viewed by 5344
Abstract
The microstructure and strengthening-toughening mechanism of a modified 4Cr5Mo2V hot-working die steel with nitrogen (0.08% N) were investigated using hardness and toughness measurements, optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction experiments, transmission electron microscopy, and dilatometry. The results showed that the nitrogen addition [...] Read more.
The microstructure and strengthening-toughening mechanism of a modified 4Cr5Mo2V hot-working die steel with nitrogen (0.08% N) were investigated using hardness and toughness measurements, optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction experiments, transmission electron microscopy, and dilatometry. The results showed that the nitrogen addition could increase the hardness and temperability of 4Cr5Mo2V steel without toughness loss with a suitable heat treatment procedure. The fair match of high strength and toughness of the nitrogen-alloyed 4Cr5Mo2V steel is associated with the refinement of the prior austenite grain, the solution hardening of nitrogen atoms, and the increase of retained austenite. Before quenching, nitrogen tends to precipitate in the form of a large amount of undissolved finer V(C, N), imposing a stronger effect on restricting the growth of prior austenitic grains and increasing the grain refining efficiency of VC by 6.8 times according to an estimate. During the quenching process, the nitrogen decreases the MS of the martensitic transformation, increasing retained austenite, which is a benefit for toughness. During the tempering process, some of the N atoms in M(C, N) were dissolved in the matrix, causing crystal lattice distortions, thus boosting the solution reinforcing effect. Meanwhile, the solid-dissolved nitrogen inhibits the diffusion of carbon, decreasing the growth rate of the carbides and increasing tempering resistance. Full article
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1805 KiB  
Article
Microstructure, Mechanical Property, and Phase Transformation of Quaternary NiTiFeNb and NiTiFeTa Shape Memory Alloys
by Yulong Liang, Shuyong Jiang, Yanqiu Zhang and Junbo Yu
Metals 2017, 7(8), 309; https://doi.org/10.3390/met7080309 - 12 Aug 2017
Cited by 12 | Viewed by 5654
Abstract
Based on ternary Ni45Ti51.8Fe3.2 (at %) shape memory alloy (SMA), Nb and Ta elements are added to an NiTiFe SMA by replacing Ni element, and consequently quaternary Ni44Ti51.8Fe3.2Nb1 and Ni44 [...] Read more.
Based on ternary Ni45Ti51.8Fe3.2 (at %) shape memory alloy (SMA), Nb and Ta elements are added to an NiTiFe SMA by replacing Ni element, and consequently quaternary Ni44Ti51.8Fe3.2Nb1 and Ni44Ti51.8Fe3.2Ta1 (at %) SMAs are fabricated. The microstructure, mechanical property, and phase transformation of NiTiFeNb and NiTiFeTa SMAs are further investigated. Ti2Ni and β-Nb phases can be observed in NiTiFeNb SMA, whereas Ti2Ni and Ni3Ti phases can be captured in NiTiFeTa SMA. As compared to NiTiFe SMA, quaternary NiTiFeNb and NiTiFeTa SMAs possess the higher strength, since solution strengthening plays a considerable role. NiTiFeNb and NiTiFeTa SMAs exhibit a one-step transformation from B2 austenite to B19’ martensite during cooling, but they experience a two-step transformation of B19’-R-B2 during heating. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Shape Memory Alloys 2017)
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4157 KiB  
Article
Surface Characterization and Corrosion Resistance of 36Cr-Ni-Mo4 Steel Coated by WC-Co Cermet Electrode Using Micro-Electro Welding
by Mohamad Azhideh, Hossein Aghajani and Hadi Pourbagheri
Metals 2017, 7(8), 308; https://doi.org/10.3390/met7080308 - 12 Aug 2017
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 5417
Abstract
In this paper the influence of spark energy on corrosion resistance, hardness, surface roughness and morphology of WC-Co coated 36Cr-Ni-Mo4 steel by Micro-Electro Welding (MEW) was investigated. Frequencies of 5, 8 and 11 kHz, currents of 15, 25 and 35 A and duty [...] Read more.
In this paper the influence of spark energy on corrosion resistance, hardness, surface roughness and morphology of WC-Co coated 36Cr-Ni-Mo4 steel by Micro-Electro Welding (MEW) was investigated. Frequencies of 5, 8 and 11 kHz, currents of 15, 25 and 35 A and duty cycles of 10, 30 and 50 % were applied for coating of the samples using a WC-Co cermet electrode. The results indicate that increasing the current, Duty cycle and frequency of the process increases spark energy. As spark energy increases, efficiency of coating increases to 80% and then decreases. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis was used to identify the phases. The results indicated that other than the peaks obtained for the metallic Iron with BCC (Body Centered Cubic) structure, Tungsten Carbide, Cr7C3 and Titanium Carbide phases were also seen on the surface. Vickers micro hardness method was used for hardness measurement of the samples. Surface hardness increases to 817.33 HV0.05 with spark energy increasing up to 1.03 mJ, and then reducing. Optical Microscopy (OM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to study Microstructural and atomic force microscopy (AFM) to study the topography, morphology and roughness were used. Polarization technique in 3.5 wt % NaCl solution was used to evaluate the corrosion properties. The results of the energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) analysis indicate that with increasing spark energy, the amount of Tungsten in surface increases to 41.95 wt % and then decreases. As spark energy increases up to 2.17 mJ, thickness of coating increases to 8.31 μm and then decreases. As spark energy increases, surface roughness is also increased. Corrosion test results indicated that the lowest corrosion rate (2.6 × 10−8 mpy) is related to the sample with the highest level of efficiency. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cermets and Hardmetals)
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12594 KiB  
Article
FEM Simulation of Dissimilar Aluminum Titanium Fiber Laser Welding Using 2D and 3D Gaussian Heat Sources
by Sonia D’Ostuni, Paola Leo and Giuseppe Casalino
Metals 2017, 7(8), 307; https://doi.org/10.3390/met7080307 - 10 Aug 2017
Cited by 45 | Viewed by 9009
Abstract
For a dissimilar laser weld, the model of the heat source is a paramount boundary condition for the prediction of the thermal phenomena, which occur during the welding cycle. In this paper, both two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) Gaussian heat sources were studied [...] Read more.
For a dissimilar laser weld, the model of the heat source is a paramount boundary condition for the prediction of the thermal phenomena, which occur during the welding cycle. In this paper, both two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) Gaussian heat sources were studied for the thermal analysis of the fiber laser welding of titanium and aluminum dissimilar butt joint. The models were calibrated comparing the fusion zone of the experiment with that of the numerical model. The actual temperature during the welding cycle was registered by a thermocouple and used for validation of the numerical model. When it came to calculate the fusion zone dimensions in the transversal section, the 2D heat source showed more accurate results. The 3D heat source provided better results for the simulated weld pool and cooling rate. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Laser Welding)
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2507 KiB  
Article
Microstructural, Mechanical, Texture and Residual Stress Characterizations of X52 Pipeline Steel
by Olivier Lavigne, Andrei Kotousov and Vladimir Luzin
Metals 2017, 7(8), 306; https://doi.org/10.3390/met7080306 - 9 Aug 2017
Cited by 13 | Viewed by 7353
Abstract
In this paper, the microstructural and mechanical properties of a high-strength low-alloy (HSLA) API 5L X52 steel, which is widely utilized in the construction of gas pipelines, were characterized with optical microscopy, electron backscatter diffraction, and standard mechanical tests. The outcomes of these [...] Read more.
In this paper, the microstructural and mechanical properties of a high-strength low-alloy (HSLA) API 5L X52 steel, which is widely utilized in the construction of gas pipelines, were characterized with optical microscopy, electron backscatter diffraction, and standard mechanical tests. The outcomes of these characterizations were used to evaluate the strengthening contributions of the solid solution, grain size, dislocations, and precipitates to the overall strength of the steel. In addition, texture and residual stresses were determined with neutron diffraction. The residual stresses were found to be low in comparison with the expected stresses due to the operating pressure. However, these stresses could contribute to the initiation and propagation of stress corrosion cracking at the outer surface of the pipe. Neutron diffraction results also suggested that the outer surface of the pipe had a texture that is expected to have a low resistance to high pH stress corrosion cracking. Both conclusions were found to be consistent with field observations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mechanical Behavior of High-Strength Low-Alloy Steels)
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5262 KiB  
Article
Inspection of Prebaked Carbon Anodes Using Multi-Spectral Acousto-Ultrasonic Excitation
by Moez Ben Boubaker, Donald Picard, Carl Duchesne, Jayson Tessier, Houshang Alamdari and Mario Fafard
Metals 2017, 7(8), 305; https://doi.org/10.3390/met7080305 - 8 Aug 2017
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 4543
Abstract
Reduction cell operation in primary aluminum production is strongly influenced by the properties of baked anodes. Producing consistent anode quality is more challenging nowadays due to the increasing variability of raw materials. Taking timely corrective actions to attenuate the impact of raw material [...] Read more.
Reduction cell operation in primary aluminum production is strongly influenced by the properties of baked anodes. Producing consistent anode quality is more challenging nowadays due to the increasing variability of raw materials. Taking timely corrective actions to attenuate the impact of raw material fluctuations on anode quality is also difficult based on the core sampling and characterization scheme currently used by most anode manufacturers, because it is applied on a very small proportion of the anode production (about 1%), and long-time delays are required for lab characterization. The objective of this work is to develop rapid and non-destructive methods for the inspection of baked anodes. Previous work has established that sequential excitation of smaller parts collected from an industrial sized anode using acousto-ultrasonic signals at different frequencies allowed detecting and discriminating anode defects (pores and cracks). This was validated qualitatively using X-ray computed tomography. This work improves the method by using frequency-modulated excitation and building quantitative relationships between the acousto-ultrasonic signals and defects extracted from tomography images using Wavelet Transforms and Partial Least Squares (PLS) regression. The new excitation approach was found to provide similar or better inspection performance compared with sequential excitation, while requiring a shorter cycle time. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Selected Papers from the International Committee for Study of Bauxite, Alumina & Aluminium 2016)
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2980 KiB  
Review
Neutron Reflectometry for Studying Corrosion and Corrosion Inhibition
by Mary H. Wood and Stuart M. Clarke
Metals 2017, 7(8), 304; https://doi.org/10.3390/met7080304 - 8 Aug 2017
Cited by 16 | Viewed by 9450
Abstract
Neutron reflectometry is an extremely powerful technique to monitor chemical and morphological changes at interfaces at the angstrom-level. Its ability to characterise metal, oxide and organic layers simultaneously or separately and in situ makes it an excellent tool for fundamental studies of corrosion [...] Read more.
Neutron reflectometry is an extremely powerful technique to monitor chemical and morphological changes at interfaces at the angstrom-level. Its ability to characterise metal, oxide and organic layers simultaneously or separately and in situ makes it an excellent tool for fundamental studies of corrosion and particularly adsorbed corrosion inhibitors. However, apart from a small body of key studies, it has yet to be fully exploited in this area. We present here an outline of the experimental method with particular focus on its application to the study of corrosive systems. This is illustrated with recent examples from the literature addressing corrosion, inhibition and related phenomena. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Corrosion Inhibition)
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5931 KiB  
Article
High-Yield One-Pot Recovery and Characterization of Nanostructured Cobalt Oxalate from Spent Lithium-Ion Batteries and Successive Re-Synthesis of LiCoO2
by Young Min Park, Hana Lim, Ji-Hoon Moon, Ho-Nyun Lee, Seong Ho Son, Hansung Kim and Hyun-Jong Kim
Metals 2017, 7(8), 303; https://doi.org/10.3390/met7080303 - 7 Aug 2017
Cited by 24 | Viewed by 9059
Abstract
A complete recycling process for the cathode material of spent lithium-ion batteries is demonstrated with a simple two-step process comprised of one-pot cobalt recovery to nanostructured materials and single step synthesis of LiCoO2. For the facile and efficient recovery of cobalt, [...] Read more.
A complete recycling process for the cathode material of spent lithium-ion batteries is demonstrated with a simple two-step process comprised of one-pot cobalt recovery to nanostructured materials and single step synthesis of LiCoO2. For the facile and efficient recovery of cobalt, we employ malic acid as a leaching agent and oxalic acid as a precipitating agent, resulting in nanostructured cobalt oxalate. X-ray diffraction and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) analysis clearly show that cobalt species are simultaneously leached and precipitated as cobalt oxalate with a high yield of 99.28%, and this material can then be used as a reactant for the synthesis of LiCoO2 for use as a cathode material. In addition to its advantages in simplifying the process, the proposed method allows for not only enhancing the efficiency of cobalt recovery, but also enabling reaction without a reducing agent, H2O2. Through successive single-step reaction of the obtained cobalt oxalate without any purification process, LiCoO2 is also successfully synthesized. The effect of the annealing temperature during synthesis on the nanostructure and charge–discharge properties is also investigated. Half-cell tests with recycled LiCoO2 exhibit a high discharge capacity (131 mA·h·g−1) and 93% charge–discharge efficiency. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Synthesis and Properties of Bulk Nanostructured Metallic Materials)
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4753 KiB  
Article
Reaction Mechanism and Distribution Behavior of Arsenic in the Bottom Blown Copper Smelting Process
by Qinmeng Wang, Xueyi Guo, Qinghua Tian, Mao Chen and Baojun Zhao
Metals 2017, 7(8), 302; https://doi.org/10.3390/met7080302 - 5 Aug 2017
Cited by 34 | Viewed by 8546
Abstract
The control of arsenic, a toxic and carcinogenic element, is an important issue for all copper smelters. In this work, the reaction mechanism and distribution behavior of arsenic in the bottom blown copper smelting process (SKS process) were investigated and compared to the [...] Read more.
The control of arsenic, a toxic and carcinogenic element, is an important issue for all copper smelters. In this work, the reaction mechanism and distribution behavior of arsenic in the bottom blown copper smelting process (SKS process) were investigated and compared to the flash smelting process. There are obvious differences of arsenic distribution in the SKS process and flash process, resulting from the differences of oxygen potentials, volatilizations, smelting temperatures, reaction intensities, and mass transfer processes. Under stable production conditions, the distributions of arsenic among matte, slag, and gas phases are 6%, 12%, and 82%, respectively. Less arsenic is reported in the gas phase with the flash process than with the SKS process. The main arsenic species in gas phase are AsS (g), AsO (g), and As2 (g). Arsenic exists in the slag predominantly as As2O3 (l), and in matte as As (l). High matte grade is harmful to the elimination of arsenic to gas. The changing of Fe/SiO2 has slight effects on the distributions of arsenic. In order to enhance the removal of arsenic from the SKS smelting system to the gas phase, low oxygen concentration, low ratios of oxygen/ore, and low matte grade should be chosen. In the SKS smelting process, no dust is recycled, and almost all dust is collected and further treated to eliminate arsenic and recover valuable metals by other process streams. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Heavy Metal Determination and Removal)
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4269 KiB  
Article
Effects of Vacuum-Carburizing Conditions on Surface-Hardened Layer Properties of Transformation-Induced Plasticity-Aided Martensitic Steel
by Koh-ichi Sugimoto, Tomohiko Hojo and Yuta Mizuno
Metals 2017, 7(8), 301; https://doi.org/10.3390/met7080301 - 5 Aug 2017
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 6213
Abstract
The effects of carbon potential in vacuum-carburization on the surface-hardened layer properties of the 0.2%C-1.5%Si-1.5%Mn-1.0%Cr-0.05%Nb transformation-induced plasticity-aided martensitic steel were investigated for the fabrication of precision gears. The volume fraction of retained austenite and hardness in the surface hardened layer of the steel [...] Read more.
The effects of carbon potential in vacuum-carburization on the surface-hardened layer properties of the 0.2%C-1.5%Si-1.5%Mn-1.0%Cr-0.05%Nb transformation-induced plasticity-aided martensitic steel were investigated for the fabrication of precision gears. The volume fraction of retained austenite and hardness in the surface hardened layer of the steel increased with increasing carbon potential. Subsequent fine-particle peening enhanced the hardness and the compressive residual stress via severe plastic deformation and strain-induced martensite transformation, especially under a high carbon potential. The severe plastic deformation mainly contributed to increased hardness and compressive residual stress and the contribution of the strain-induced martensitic transformation was relatively small. Full article
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5036 KiB  
Article
X-ray Tomography Characterisation of Lattice Structures Processed by Selective Electron Beam Melting
by Everth Hernández-Nava, Samuel Tammas-Williams, Christopher Smith, Fabien Leonard, Philip J. Withers, Iain Todd and Russell Goodall
Metals 2017, 7(8), 300; https://doi.org/10.3390/met7080300 - 5 Aug 2017
Cited by 14 | Viewed by 6825
Abstract
Metallic lattice structures intentionally contain open porosity; however, they can also contain unwanted closed porosity within the structural members. The entrained porosity and defects within three different geometries of Ti-6Al-4V lattices, fabricated by Selective Electron Beam Melting (SEBM), is assessed from X-ray computed [...] Read more.
Metallic lattice structures intentionally contain open porosity; however, they can also contain unwanted closed porosity within the structural members. The entrained porosity and defects within three different geometries of Ti-6Al-4V lattices, fabricated by Selective Electron Beam Melting (SEBM), is assessed from X-ray computed tomography (CT) scans. The results suggest that horizontal struts that are built upon loose powder show particularly high (~20 × 10−3 vol %) levels of pores, as do nodes at which many (in our case 24) struts meet. On the other hand, for struts more closely aligned (0° to 54°) to the build direction, the fraction of porosity appears to be much lower (~0.17 × 10−3%) arising mainly from pores contained within the original atomised powder particles. Full article
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7258 KiB  
Article
Hot Deformation Behavior of a Spray-Deposited Al-8.31Zn-2.07Mg-2.46Cu-0.12Zr Alloy
by Xiaofei Sheng, Qian Lei, Zhu Xiao and Mingpu Wang
Metals 2017, 7(8), 299; https://doi.org/10.3390/met7080299 - 4 Aug 2017
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 4086
Abstract
Metallic materials have a significant number of applications, among which Al alloys have drawn people’s attention due to their low density and high strength. High-strength Al-based alloys, such as 7XXX Al alloys, contain many alloying elements and with high concentration, whose microstructures present [...] Read more.
Metallic materials have a significant number of applications, among which Al alloys have drawn people’s attention due to their low density and high strength. High-strength Al-based alloys, such as 7XXX Al alloys, contain many alloying elements and with high concentration, whose microstructures present casting voids, segregation, dendrites, etc. In this work, a spray deposition method was employed to fabricate an Al-8.31Zn-2.07Mg-2.46Cu-0.12Zr (wt %) alloy with fine structure. The hot deformation behavior of the studied alloy was investigated using a Gleeble 1500 thermal simulator and electron microscopes. The microstructure evolution, variation in the properties, and precipitation behavior were systematically investigated to explore a short process producing an alloy with high property values. The results revealed that the MgZn2 particles were detected from inside the grain and grain boundary, while some Al3Zr particles were inside the grain. An Arrhenius equation was employed to describe the relationship between the flow stress and the strain rate, and the established constitutive equation was that: ε ˙ = [ sinh ( 0.017 σ ) ] 4.049 exp [ 19.14 − ( 129.9 / R T ) ] . An appropriate hot extrusion temperature was determined to be 460 °C. Hot deformation (460 °C by 60%) + age treatment (120 °C) was optimized to shorten the processing method for the as-spray-deposited alloy, after which considerable properties were approached. The high strength was mainly attributed to the grain boundary strengthening and the precipitation strengthening from the nanoscale MgZn2 and Al3Zr precipitates. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Light Weight Alloys: Processing, Properties and Their Applications)
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1145 KiB  
Article
Coalescence Avalanches in Liquid Aluminum Foams
by Marlen Paeplow, Francisco García-Moreno, Aaron Joseph Meagher, Alexander Rack and John Banhart
Metals 2017, 7(8), 298; https://doi.org/10.3390/met7080298 - 4 Aug 2017
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 4466
Abstract
Coalescence is the rupture of a film between two adjacent bubbles in any type of liquid foam and has pronounced influence on the development of its macrostructure after solidification, mostly leading to larger pores and a wider size distribution. Foamable AlSi6Cu4 + 0.5 [...] Read more.
Coalescence is the rupture of a film between two adjacent bubbles in any type of liquid foam and has pronounced influence on the development of its macrostructure after solidification, mostly leading to larger pores and a wider size distribution. Foamable AlSi6Cu4 + 0.5 wt % TiH2 precursors made following the powder metallurgical route were foamed in a gas-tight X-ray transparent furnace under 500 kPa (5 bar) pressure with subsequent pressure release. Coalescence was investigated by fast X-ray radioscopy at a frame rate of 1250 Hz and an effective pixel size of 9 µm at the beamline ID-19, European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF), Grenoble, France. A self-developed program yielded the temporal and spatial detection of coalescence events in the acquired radioscopies. We observed the occurrence of film ruptures in a short temporal and spatial distance and we will refer to these phenomena as “avalanches”. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Porous Metals and Metallic Foams)
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4835 KiB  
Article
Deformation Structure and Mechanical Properties of Pure Titanium Produced by Rotary-Die Equal-Channel Angular Pressing
by Yanxia Gu, Aibin Ma, Jinghua Jiang, Yuchun Yuan and Huiyun Li
Metals 2017, 7(8), 297; https://doi.org/10.3390/met7080297 - 3 Aug 2017
Cited by 12 | Viewed by 5251
Abstract
Pure titanium was efficiently processed up to four passes at 420 °C by rotary-die equal-channel angular pressing (RD-ECAP). The deformation structure and mechanical properties of pure titanium with various RD-ECAP passes were subsequently investigated. Microstructure evolution revealed that plastic deformation was accommodated mainly [...] Read more.
Pure titanium was efficiently processed up to four passes at 420 °C by rotary-die equal-channel angular pressing (RD-ECAP). The deformation structure and mechanical properties of pure titanium with various RD-ECAP passes were subsequently investigated. Microstructure evolution revealed that plastic deformation was accommodated mainly by twins during the first and second passes, while the predominant deformation mechanism was dislocation slip during the third and fourth passes. { 10 1 ¯ 2 } twins were detected in the first pass, and { 10 1 ¯ 1 } twins occurred in the second pass of RD-ECAP. The ultimate tensile strength of pure titanium increased from 450 MPa in the as-received state to 627 MPa with a fracture elongation of 29% after four passes of RD-ECAP. Full article
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5258 KiB  
Article
Effects of SiC Nanoparticles on the Properties of Titanium-Matrix Foams Processed by Powder Metallurgy
by Ensieh Edalati, Seyed Abdolkarim Sajjadi and Abolfazl Babakhani
Metals 2017, 7(8), 296; https://doi.org/10.3390/met7080296 - 3 Aug 2017
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 4547
Abstract
Metal-matrix foams are used widely for structural applications such as impact energy absorption, vibration resistance and weight reduction. In this study titanium nanocomposite foams with different porosity percentages were produced using TiH2, as foaming agent, by powder metallurgy technique. At first, [...] Read more.
Metal-matrix foams are used widely for structural applications such as impact energy absorption, vibration resistance and weight reduction. In this study titanium nanocomposite foams with different porosity percentages were produced using TiH2, as foaming agent, by powder metallurgy technique. At first, raw materials including titanium powder and different weight percentages of SiC nanoparticles were mixed and then different amounts of TiH2 were added to the mixture. The mixture was compacted at 200 MPa. The samples were heat treated in two stages, first at 400 °C for 1 h, as a partial sintering, and then at 1050 °C for 2 h, as foaming treatment. Mechanical and structural properties such as compressive strength, energy absorption, porosity percentage and relative density of samples were measured and compared together. Thermo gravimetric analysis (TGA), differential thermal analysis (DTA), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) were performed on foaming agent and samples. The results showed uniform distribution of SiC nanoparticles in titanium matrix and also homogenous pore structure. It was concluded that with increasing SiC weight percent, relative density is increased to 0.43 in the sample with 1.5 wt % SiC. Besides, the measured compressive strength of samples was in the range of 14.4–32.3 MPa. Moreover, it was concluded that the energy absorption of samples increases with increasing SiC nano particles up to 33.09 MJ/m3. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Synthesis and Properties of Bulk Nanostructured Metallic Materials)
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13332 KiB  
Article
Self-Propagating High Temperature Synthesis of TiB2–MgAl2O4 Composites
by Nina Radishevskaya, Olga Lepakova, Natalia Karakchieva, Anastasiya Nazarova, Nikolai Afanasiev, Anna Godymchuk and Alexander Gusev
Metals 2017, 7(8), 295; https://doi.org/10.3390/met7080295 - 3 Aug 2017
Cited by 13 | Viewed by 4498
Abstract
Metal borides are widely used as heat-insulating materials, however, the range of their application in high-temperature conditions with oxidative medium is significantly restricted. To improve the thermal stability of structural materials based on titanium boride, and to prevent the growth of TiB2 [...] Read more.
Metal borides are widely used as heat-insulating materials, however, the range of their application in high-temperature conditions with oxidative medium is significantly restricted. To improve the thermal stability of structural materials based on titanium boride, and to prevent the growth of TiB2 crystals, additives based on alumina-magnesia spinel with chemical resistant and refractory properties have been used. The aim of this work is to study the structure of TiB2 with alumina-magnesia spinel additives obtained by self-propagating high-temperature synthesis (SHS). TiB2 structure with uniform fine-grained distribution was obtained in an MgAl2O4 matrix. The material composition was confirmed by X-ray diffraction analysis (DRON-3M, filtered Со kα-emission), FTIR spectroscopy (Thermo Electron Nicolet 5700, within the range of 1300–400 cm−1), and scanning electron microscopy (Philips SEM 515). The obtained material represents a composite, where the particles of TiB2 with a size of 5 µm are uniformly distributed in the alloy of alumina-magnesia spinel. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Titanium Alloys 2017)
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5426 KiB  
Article
Deformation Behavior and Microstructure Evolution of NiTiCu Shape Memory Alloy Subjected to Plastic Deformation at High Temperatures
by Shuyong Jiang, Dong Sun, Yanqiu Zhang and Li Hu
Metals 2017, 7(8), 294; https://doi.org/10.3390/met7080294 - 3 Aug 2017
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 5640
Abstract
Deformation behavior and microstructure evolution of NiTiCu shape memory alloy (SMA), which possesses martensite phase at room temperature, were investigated based on a uniaxial compression test at the temperatures of 700~1000 °C and at the strain rates of 0.0005~0.5 s−1. The [...] Read more.
Deformation behavior and microstructure evolution of NiTiCu shape memory alloy (SMA), which possesses martensite phase at room temperature, were investigated based on a uniaxial compression test at the temperatures of 700~1000 °C and at the strain rates of 0.0005~0.5 s−1. The constitutive equation of NiTiCu SMA was established in order to describe the flow characteristic of NiTiCu SMA, which is dominated by dynamic recovery and dynamic recrystallization. Dislocations become the dominant substructures of martensite phase in NiTiCu SMA compressed at 700 °C. Martensite twins are dominant in NiTiCu SMA compressed at 800 and 900 °C. Martensite twins are not observed in NiTiCu SMA compressed at 1000 °C. The microstructures resulting from dynamic recovery or dynamic recrystallization significantly influences the substructures in the martensite phase of NiTiCu SMA at room temperature. Dislocation substructures formed during dynamic recovery, such as dislocation cells and subgrain boundaries, can suppress the formation of twins in the martensite laths of NiTiCu SMA. The size of dynamic recrystallized grains affects the formation of martensite twins. Martensite twins are not easily formed in the larger recrystallized grain, since the constraint of the grain boundaries plays a weak role. However, in the smaller recrystallized grain, martensite twins are induced to accommodate the transformation from austenite to martensite. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Shape Memory Alloys 2017)
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16582 KiB  
Article
Particle Size and Particle Percentage Effect of AZ61/SiCp Magnesium Matrix Micro- and Nano-Composites on Their Mechanical Properties Due to Extrusion and Subsequent Annealing
by Weigang Zhao, Song-Jeng Huang, Yi-Jhang Wu and Cheng-Wei Kang
Metals 2017, 7(8), 293; https://doi.org/10.3390/met7080293 - 1 Aug 2017
Cited by 21 | Viewed by 5685
Abstract
Magnesium metal matrix composites (Mg MMCs) possess relatively more favorable mechanical properties than Mg alloys because they add reinforcements, such as small particles, short fibers, or continuous fibers, into the matrix. This study investigated the influence of adding different sizes and percentages of [...] Read more.
Magnesium metal matrix composites (Mg MMCs) possess relatively more favorable mechanical properties than Mg alloys because they add reinforcements, such as small particles, short fibers, or continuous fibers, into the matrix. This study investigated the influence of adding different sizes and percentages of silicon carbide particles (SiCp) for manufacturing AZ61/SiCp Mg alloy composite extrusion plates on the mechanical properties of SiCp. We also examined the impact and discussed the evolution of microstructures, changes of material strength, ductility, formability, and other mechanical properties caused by a subsequent annealing treatment after plate extrusion. The results showed that the mechanical properties of plates can be improved by adding reinforcement particles. The effects of grain refinement were as follows: the smaller the size of the reinforcement particles, the greater the enhancement of mechanical properties. Among them, the AZ61/1 wt % SiCp/50 nm MMC plate had relatively excellent mechanical properties. Specifically, the ultimate tensile strength, yielding strength, ductility, hardness, and grain size of the plate were 331 MPa, 136.4 MPa, 43.1%, 62 HV, and 3.3 μm, respectively. Compared with SiCp-free Mg MMC plates, these properties of the AZ61/1 wt % SiCp/50 nm MMC plate were enhanced (or refined) by 6.4%, 3.4%, 83.4%, 2%, and 13.2%, respectively; by contrast, formability decreased by 9.1%. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Plastic Forming of Metals)
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11022 KiB  
Article
Effects of Pulsed Nd:YAG Laser Welding Parameters on Penetration and Microstructure Characterization of a DP1000 Steel Butt Joint
by Xin Xue, António B. Pereira, José Amorim and Juan Liao
Metals 2017, 7(8), 292; https://doi.org/10.3390/met7080292 - 1 Aug 2017
Cited by 40 | Viewed by 8167
Abstract
Of particular importance and interest are the effects of pulsed Nd:YAG laser beam welding parameters on penetration and microstructure characterization of DP1000 butt joint, which is widely used in the automotive industry nowadays. Some key experimental technologies including pre-welding sample preparation and optimization [...] Read more.
Of particular importance and interest are the effects of pulsed Nd:YAG laser beam welding parameters on penetration and microstructure characterization of DP1000 butt joint, which is widely used in the automotive industry nowadays. Some key experimental technologies including pre-welding sample preparation and optimization design of sample fixture for a sufficient shielding gas flow are performed to ensure consistent and stable testing. The weld quality can be influenced by several process factors, such as laser beam power, pulse duration, overlap, spot diameter, pulse type, and welding velocity. The results indicate that these key process parameters have a significant effect on the weld penetration. Meanwhile, the fusion zone of butt joints exhibits obviously greater hardness than the base metal and heat affected zone of butt joints. Additionally, the volume fraction of martensite of dual-phase steel plays a considerable effect on the hardness and the change of microstructure characterization of the weld joint. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Laser Welding)
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