Papers by Keyword: Aging Treatment

Abstract: Aging treatments of an Al-9.0Zn-2.0Mg-2.0Cu alloy, which belongs to high strength aluminum alloy widely used in aerospace industry, are investigated by various techniques, including hardness, electrical conductivity, mechanical properties, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and high-resolution electron microscopy (HREM). The result shows that hardness and conductivity for one-step aging treatment increase with aging time prolongs while those for two-step aging treatment exhibit increment and decrement, respectively. Besides, the ultimate tensile strength (UTS) and yield strength (YS) for one-step and two-step aging treatments show slow increase and obvious decrease, respectively. Based on these, typical T6 and T76 aging regimes are extracted for microstructure observation. The matrix precipitates for the T6 alloy have small size and dispersive distribution while that for the T76 alloy has big size and sparse distribution. The grain boundary precipitates for both exhibit discontinuous distribution and the T76 alloy has larger size and broader precipitate free zones. The selected area diffraction patterns and HREM observations reveal that main precipitates for the T6 alloy are GPI zone, GPII zone and η' phase while for the T76 alloy are η' phase and η phase.

Abstract: In order to analyze aging behavior of an Al-8.0Zn-1.8Mg-2.0Cu alloy, the microstructure of the alloy subjected to T6 and T76 states are investigated by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and high-resolution electron microscopy (HREM). Based on the precipitate observations, precipitate size distributions and average precipitate size are extracted from bright-field TEM images projected along 〈110〉_Al orientation with the aid of an imaging analysis. The results indicate that the main precipitates are GPI zone, GPII zone and η' phase in the T6 alloy while η' phase and η phase in the T76 alloy. The bright-field TEM observations reveal that the matrix precipitates for the T6 alloy have small size and dispersive distribution while that for the T76 alloy has big size and sparse distribution. Both have discontinuously distributed grain boundary precipitates. Quantitative structural information including precipitate size distribution and average precipitate size has been calculated by an image analysis based on the bright-field TEM images projected along 〈110〉_Al orientation. The results show that the T6 alloy has a narrower precipitate size range than the T76 alloy and thus the T6 alloy possesses a smaller average precipitate size than the T76 alloy.

Abstract: The effects of heat treatment on microstructure and mechanical properties of Ti-38644 alloy were investigated by scanning electron microscope (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) as well as uniaxial tensile test. The results show that when the solution temperature is lower than 845°C, the microstructure of Ti-38644 alloy is equiaxed β phase with the grain size of 20μm, and the tensile strength is about 960MPa. As raising solution temperature to 860°C, the grain size of Ti-38644 alloy increases to 100μm and the tensile strength decreased to 870MPa. There are a large number of secondary α phase precipitated from the grain boundaries and within grain of β phase undergoing aging treatment. Secondary α phase coarsens with increasing the aging temperature, leading to the decrease of tensile strength. After solution treatment at 815°C for 1.5h, water quenching plus aging at 520°C for 10h, air cooling, Ti-38644 alloy shows a better mechanical property with the tensile strength 1330MPa, elongation and reduction of area 10% and 45% respectively.

Abstract: In this paper, the aging treatment is performed to Mg-Zn alloy with different Zinc contents,the effect of aging treatment on the microstructure of Mg-Zn alloy was studied. The experimental results show that Zinc precipitated from the mg substrate, and exists in the form of Mg-Zn phase after aging treatment of Mg-Zn alloy, which greatly improves the Mg-Zn alloy's mechanical properties. After heat treatment of Mg-Zn alloy, the second phase along the grain boundary changes from the patch distribution to the network distribution with the increase of the content of Zn.

Abstract: Co-Ni alloys in which Co, Ni, Cr and Mo are principal elements, exhibit an impressive combination of high strength, high toughness, and excellent corrosion resistance. In this study, the effects of cold-rolled combined with the heat-treatment ranged from 673 to 973 K from 1hour to 10 hours on the mechanical properties and microstructures of Co-Ni alloys were investigated systematically. The relations between the aging temperature and mechanical properties were concluded. The initial ultimate tensile strength of 790 MPa increased to 1808 MPa by cold rolled 80 pct. After aging the cold-rolled alloy (80 pct ) at temperature 773K for 4hours, the ultimate tensile strength and the hardness reached to 2220MPa and 759(HV), respectively. It is found that the material was hardened by the cold working and aging which provided the second hardening. However, TEM observations and X-ray diffractions suggested that no structural change could be found. The cold deformation introduced platelets of a few atomic layers in thickness less than 100 nm, which were identified as stacking faults. A high density of nanoplatelets and dislocations, piled up in the vicinity of twin plate strengthened materials. The aging treatment provided the second major source of strengthening after cold-working (and only after cold-working) by the formation of secondary twins. The ultimate strength resulted from that the intersection of deformation twins and secondary twins blocking the dislocation movement.

Abstract: The effects of grain boundary characters on the morphology evolution of grain boundary carbides in Inconel Alloy 600 with high proportional low Σ coincidence site lattice (CSL) boundaries aged at 715 ^oC for 1-100 h were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD). During the aging process, the carbides precipitated at coherent twin (Σ3) boundaries are very few and finest within all the aging time. Bar like carbides precipitated near both sides of the incoherent twin (Σ3) boundaries, and bigger carbides than that of coherent Σ3 boundaries had been found on the incoherent Σ3 boundaries. Bar like carbides precipitated near only one side of Σ9 boundaries, and much bigger carbides than that of Σ3 boundaries have been found on the Σ9 boundaries. The morphology of carbides precipitated at Σ27 and random grain boundaries are similar, and is bigger than that of precipitated at other grain boundaries. The carbides precipitated at grain boundaries with all types grow bigger with the aging time prolonging, but their growth rates are different.

Abstract: This paper addresses the collective effects of aging treatment and addition of SiC particles (SiCp) on both the compression performance and corrosion behavior of Mg-10Zn-0.6Zr alloy through experimental study. The results indicate that aging treatment at 180°C for 18h while adding SiCp can improve both the compressive strength and the corrosion rate of Mg-10Zn-0.6Zr alloy. The microstructure analysis and corrosion mechanism analysis justify the effects observed. Specifically, the improvement of compressive strength is due to the fine grain strengthening and second phase strengthening. Acceleration of corrosion is attributed to two factors. The first is the precipitation of the second phase after aging treatment. The second is the morphological changes of corrosion products resulted from aging treatment and addition of SiCp.

Abstract: The 6xxx series aluminium alloy wires (with the diameters of 2.84 mm) produced by the continuous drawing and rotary-wheel continuous casting, were directly aged in different conditions. The results show that, when ageing temperature is at 150°C, the tensile strength of the wire firstly decreased from 283 MPa to 265 MPa as the ageing time extended from 0 to 4 hours, and then increased from 265 MPa to 270 MPa as the ageing time extended from 4 to 12 hours, and finally decreased from 270 MPa 263 MPa as the ageing time extended from 12 to 24 hours. The electrical resistively of the wires continued decreases with the ageing time extend from 0 to 24 hours. When the ageing temperature is at 160, 170, 180 and 190 °C, both the tensile strength and the electrical resistively of the wire continuously decreased with the ageing time extended from 0 to 24 hours. When the ageing time was identical, the wires with higher ageing temperature possessed lower tensile strength and electrical resistively.

Abstract: 0.15 wt. % Ti-microalloyed Co-28.5Cr-5.9Mo-0.27C alloy has been developed by examining the effect of solution and aging treatment on microstructure, mechanical and corrosion properties. The results showed that elongation of the cast specimen were lower than 8%, while reached 18% after solution-treated at 1220 °C for 4 h. Phase transformation from austenite to martensite was observed after aging at 800°C and the amount of transformed martensite increased with aging time. Polarization tests of the samples after solution and aging treatment were carried out in physiological saline at 37 °C, which showed a stable passive film formed on the surface and no apparent pitting phenomenon occurred on the specimens, which indicated that heat treatment has not significant influence on the corrosion resistance of Co-Cr-Mo-0.27C-0.15Ti alloy.

Abstract: The effects of different aging processes on microstructure and properties of Fe-26Mn-7Al-1.3C austenitic steel were investigated by mechanical properties testing, optical microscopy (OM). And scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were also used to study the deposition, morphology and composition of the precipitates. The experimental results showed that after homogenized at 1050°C for 1 h, the best aging process was aged at 550°C for 2 h, then air cooled to room temperature. Through the best heat treatment process, some fine κ-carbides with a modulated structure ((Fe, Mn)₃AlC_x) were found to precipitate within the austenitic matrix, which significantly enhanced the austenitic matrix. Its best comprehensive mechanical properties were tensile strength of 789MPa, yield strength of 612MPa, impact toughness values (V-notch) of 168J/cm², surface hardness of HB272. Nevertheless, as the aging time prolonged, the fine globular κ-carbides became coarse and grew along austenite grain boundaries and were harmful to mechanical properties of the experiment steel.