Papers by Keyword: Rapid Solidification

Abstract: Fe-C-Ti-Cr-Ni alloy powder in diameter of 32-53 μm made by argon atomization is low-pressure plasma sprayed to produce stainless cast iron base deposits with finely dispersed titanium carbide particles. The as-sprayed deposit formed on a water-cooled substrate consists of γFe, αFe, TiC and Cr3C2. Heat treatment of the as-sprayed deposit above 873 K results in the formation of Cr7C3. The fine precipitates of approximately 0.2 μm in the as-sprayed deposit formed on a water-cooled substrate are carbide. The as-sprayed deposit produced on a non-cooled substrate and deposits which are obtained by heat treatment of the as-sprayed deposit are composed of γFe, αFe, TiC, Cr3C2 and Cr7C3. As heat treatment temperature increases, carbide precipitates coarsen. The hardness of deposit decreases with increasing heat treatment temperature. The wear resistance of as-sprayed deposit formed on a non-cooled substrate was higher than that of the deposit heat-treated at 1273 K. The as-sprayed deposit and deposit heat-treated at 1273 K have higher wear resistance than a commercial stainless steel.

Abstract: Thermal desorption spectroscopy (TDS) technique has been used to study hydrogen behaviour in rapidly solidified (RS) aluminium (Al) both as-cast and exposed to humid air (HA). The surface morphology of the foils was studied through atomic force microscopy (AFM). Analysis was made of the effect of rapid solidification processing (RSP) on H/microstructure interactions, including investigation of alloying element (0.05 at % Ti) influence on H trapping in Al.

Abstract: Rapidly solidified hypereutectic Al-21Si was prepared by the single roller melt-spinning technique. The microstructure morphology characteristics and phase structures of the alloy were characterized using SEM, TEM and XRD technique. The results showed that the grains were refined and the micro-nano composite structures were formed under rapid solidification. The microstructure of the Al-21Si alloy was composed of micro-nanostructured α-Al phase and feather-needle-like eutectic α-Al+β-Si phase. The α-Al phase was the leading phase in the eutectic α+Si phase. The nucleation and growth of primary silicon are suppressed and primary silicon could not be precipitated. The hypereutectic Al-21Si alloy showed the hypoeutectic solidification microstructure. Wear resistance was improved obviously when the rapidly solidified and was five times higher than that of the traditional casting alloys.

Abstract: Microstructure of rapidly solidified Ni2MnGa ferromagnetic shape memory alloy has been investigated experimentally by melt-spinning technique. At a constant ribbon width of 3 mm, two speeds of melt spinning 17m/sec and 30m/sec at the extrema of conditions for a good quality of ribbon resulted in two thicknesses of the ribbon, viz., 62 μm and 44 μm, respectively. TEM and AFM analysis reveals the formation of very fine clusters of Ni2MnGa at lower wheel speeds. However at higher wheel speeds nanocrystalline Ni2MnGa particles of size about 10-20 nm and martensitic phases were confirmed.

Abstract: Based on preparation of Al2O3/ZrO2 (4Y) by combustion synthesis in high-gravity field, the microstructure transformation and properties of the materials are investigated through adjusting the ZrO2 (4Y) content in the composites. As the content of ZrO2 changed from 37% to 40%, the microstructures of the ceramics transformed the sphere-like tetragonal ZrO2 crystals from the rod-shaped colonies with nanocrystalline structures. Al2O3/33%ZrO2 (4Y) had the maximum relative density, hardness and flexural strength due to the low solidification temperature, the highest volume fraction of the colonies, small-size defect and high fracture toughness, whereas Al2O3/44%ZrO2 (4Y) was somewhat weakened in strength in despite of its highest fracture toughness.

Abstract: A plasma-sprayed coating is built up by the layering of individual splats. The latter are formed by spreading and solidification of molten particles sprayed onto a solid substrate. The coating properties depend on its microstructure and the quality of contact between the splats and the underlying layer and between the piled-up splats. This work deals with a 1D model of heat transfer between plasma-sprayed alumina splat and smooth substrate. The model is based on heat diffusion in the solidifying splat and substrate and includes undercooling phenomenon, heterogeneous nucleation and crystal growth kinetics. It assumes that splat spreading and solidification are two independent processes. The model predicts splat cooling and solidification taking into account, as far as possible, the in-flight particle properties drawn from the literature in order to study their effect on splat thermal history. The effect of the quality of contact between the splats as well as the already-deposited and solidified layer thickness on the grain size distribution and front solidification velocity is investigated.

Abstract: This paper describes the twin-roll casting technology of magnesium alloys that contain relatively high weight ratios of aluminum, such as AM60, AZ91 and AZ121. The magnesium alloy sheets were cast by a vertical roll caster to manufacture relatively high-strength Mg alloys with high aluminum content. The influences of such process parameters as roll materials, casting temperature, and roll speed were ascertained. A simple method of predicting the convection heat transfer coefficient between casting rolls and molten metal is introduced. The microstructures of cast magnesium alloy sheets are microscopically observed to investigate the effects of roll-casting conditions on crystal growth in the cast products. It was found that Mg alloys with high aluminum content can be fabricated at a roll speed of 90m/min with a vertical-roll caster. The grain size of the manufactured wrought magnesium alloy sheet was about 30 micrometers due to rapid solidification in the proposed process.

Abstract: New Ti-based and Zr-based metallic wires for the future application as biomaterials were developed by arc-melting type melt-extraction method. Zr-based metallic glass wire, -Ti type Ti-Zr binary wire and -Ti type Ti-Nb-Ta-Zr (TNTZ) wire show high tensile strength and good vending ductility. Zr-based metallic glass wire shows extremely high tensile strength over 1GPa and large elastic strain limit reached approximately 2%. Ti-Zr binary alloy shows high wire-shape forming tendency during melt-extraction, and high Ti concentration Ti90Zr10 alloy wire was obtained. TNTZ wire shows superior bending ductility and full ductility is achieved.

Abstract: We used electron beam irradiation on a laminate molded Co-Cr-Mo bulk alloy to reduce the surface roughness and increase hardness. The accelerating voltage and beam current were 40 kV and 0.5~5.0 mA, respectively. Irradiation time for each dot was 0.1 ms and the distance between dots (dot pitch) was either 0.2 or 0.4 mm, which corresponded to a scanning speed of 200 or 400 mm/s, respectively. The roughness value, Ra, decreased to 0.3~0.45 m for a beam current of 1 mA and a dot pitch of 0.02 mm. The coarse grains present in the base alloy were refined to sizes of less than 1m by rapid solidification. An increase in the Knoop hardness from 470 HK for the base metal to about 550 HK was achieved by this technique.

Abstract: Structural relaxation process in the Zr-Cu metallic glasses is investigated by using molecular dynamics simulations. The enthalpy change in isothermal annealing of the glassy state cannot be fitted by a simple exponential function but obeys a stretched exponential function, which indicates that the relaxation in glassy phase is not a single Debye type process. A close examination of individual atomic motion reveals that the enthalpy relaxation is related to a string-like cooperative motion of atoms. The analysis of the local symmetry around each atom shows that a network of the icosahedral clusters grows in the glassy phases during annealing and it closely relates to the free-volume annihilation in the structural relaxation.