Metals — Open Access Metallurgy Journal

The paper presents test results for the mechanical and creep properties of European aluminium alloy EN 6082AW T6 at high temperatures. Mechanical properties of the aluminium alloy were determined by means of two types of test: constant stress-rate and stationary creep tests. Mechanical properties were determined up to a temperature of 350 °C, while the creep tests were conducted within the temperature interval 150–300 °C. The creep tests conducted identified the critical temperature interval for creep development, which represents an important factor when analysing creep behaviour of aluminium structures. This temperature interval was found to be within the range 200–300 °C. Test results for stress at 0.2% strain and modulus of elasticity at different temperatures showed good agreement with the codified values from Eurocode 9 and with other comparable studies. Full article

A bimetal composite of 2205 duplex stainless steel and AZ31B magnesium alloy was cladded successfully through the method of explosive welding. The microstructural characteristics and mechanical properties of 2205/AZ31B bimetal composite are discussed. The interface of 2205/AZ31B bimetallic composite was a less regular wavy morphology with locally melted pockets. Adiabatic shear bands occurred only in the AZ31B side near explosive welding interface. The microstructure observed with EBSD showed a strong refinement near the interface zones. Line scan confirmed that the interface had a short element diffusion zone which would contribute to the metallurgical bonding between 2205 duplex stainless steel and AZ31B magnesium alloy. The value of micro-hardness near the bonding interface of composite plate increased because of work hardening and grain refinement. The tensile shear strength of bonding interface of 2205/AZ31B composite was 105.63 MPa. Tensile strength of 2205/AZ31B composite material was higher than the base AZ31B. There were two abrupt drops in stress in the stress–strain curves of the 2205/AZ31B composite materials. Full article

In this work, TiC–Cu composites containing 20 and 30 vol % of nano-sized titanium carbide (TiC) particles were prepared by powder metallurgy using copper powders with micrometer-sized and nanometer-sized particles. Mixtures of TiC and Cu powders were ball milled for 10 h and spark plasma sintered at 800–900 °C under an applied pressure of 50 MPa. The relative density of the sintered composites was 95.0%–96.5%. The composites fractured in a ductile mode. The crystallite size of the copper matrix in the composites prepared using the nanometer-sized copper powder was smaller than that in composites prepared using the micrometer-sized copper powder, which was confirmed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The hardness of the composites increased as the sintering temperature was increased from 800 to 900 °C. When the TiC content increased from 20 to 30 vol %, the hardness of the composites obtained from the micrometer-sized copper powder and sintered at 900 °C increased from 284 to 315 HV, while in composites obtained from the nanometer-sized copper, the hardness decreased from 347 to 337 HV. Full article

In this work, the effects of NbC additions on the microstructure and mechanical properties were examined. In order to do this, NbC compounds were added into the Fe matrix at the weight percentage of 0.1–2 with individually to obtain powder mixture. The microstructure of the powder metallurgy (PM) steels were characterized by optic microscope, scanning electron microscope (SEM) and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). Experimental results indicated that NbC alloyed steels can be produced by PM technology. An increase in strength was observed when the amount of NbC compounds increased for all PM steels. The precipitation of carbides and nitrides in these steels limits austenite grain growth and increases the precipitation hardening or clustering hardening that results in significant improvement in strength. Full article

A pyro-electro-chemical catalytic dye decomposition using lead-free BaTiO₃ nanofibers was realized under room-temperature cold–hot cycle excitation (30–47 °C) with a high Rhodamine B (RhB) decomposition efficiency ~99%, which should be ascribed to the product of pyro-electric effect and electrochemical redox reaction. Furthermore, the existence of intermediate product of hydroxyl radical in pyro-electro-chemical catalytic process was also observed. There is no significant decrease in pyro-electro-chemical catalysis activity after being recycled five times. The pyro-electrically induced pyro-electro-chemical catalysis provides a high-efficient, reusable and environmentally friendly technology to remove organic pollutants from water. Full article

Microstructure and mechanical properties development of extruded Mg-1Y (wt. %) binary alloy during equal channel angular pressing (ECAP) with route B_c at 400 °C, and subsequent annealing treatment between 300–400 °C at different holding time of 5–120 min were investigated using an optical and scanning electron microscope (SEM), electron back scattered diffraction (EBSD), tensile test, and hardness test. The grain size of as-extruded material (~10.9 μm) was refined significantly by 1-pass ECAP (~5.8 μm), and resulted in a remarkably enhanced elongation to failure (EL) (~+62%) with a slightly decreased ultimate tensile strength (UTS) (~−3%) comparing to the as-extruded condition (EL = 11.3%, UTS = 200 MPa). The EL was further increased to 27.3% (~+142%) after four passes of ECAP comparing to the as-extruded condition, which was mainly caused by the much more homogenized microstructure. The split basal poles with about 60° rotations to the extruded direction (ED), the relatively coarsened grain size by static recrystallization (SRX) and post-dynamic recrystallization (PDRX) after four passes of ECAP might be responsible for the decreased strength with increasing ECAP pass. During the annealing treatment, recovery dominantly occurred at 300 °C, SRX and grain growth emerged at 350 °C and 400 °C, respectively. Meanwhile, the grain grew and hardness decreased rapidly even within 5 min for 1-pass ECAPed material at 400 °C, indicating a larger grain boundary mobility of ECAPed materials induced by higher deformation energy than the as-extruded ones. Full article

Metal injection molding (MIM) with the space holder technique is becoming one of the important fabrication methods for a net-shape production of micro-sized, porous, complex-shaped metal parts. For a successful injection molding step, rheological behavior of MIM feedstock is essential, which includes peculiar characteristics, such as a wall slip phenomenon. SUS 316L stainless steel powder, binder systems (paraffin wax, polypropylene, polyethylene, stearic acid) and three different sizes of spherically-shaped polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) as a space-holder were used for this study. The porosity was controlled by varying the volume fraction of the space holder and a total of six different feedstocks were prepared. Rheological characteristics of the feedstock was investigated, especially on viscosities, including wall slip quantification by using a capillary rheometer. By thermogravimetric analysis, the debinding process for completely removing the space holder was proposed. Finally, the shrinkage and porosity of the tensile specimen produced through the sintering process were analyzed and the ultimate tensile strength was obtained. Full article

The wear behavior of two coatings (Fe_49.7Cr₁₈Mn_1.9Mo_7.4W_1.6B_15.2C_3.8Si_2.4 and Fe₄₀Cr₂₃Mo₁₄C₁₅B₆Y₂) sprayed by high-velocity air fuel technology was investigated through nanoscratch tests under ramping loads. Compared with the substrate, the Fe-based amorphous coatings exhibit lower penetration depth, higher elastic recovery, and lower wear volume, indicating the excellent wear resistance of the coatings. This behavior is related to the high hardness and high hardness/elastic modulus ratio (H/E) of the Fe-based amorphous coatings. From the scanning electron microscopy images of the scratch grooves, it is found out that ploughing governs the wear behavior of the coatings and substrate. In addition, spalling wear easily occurs in the pore regions of the coatings. Full article

This study focuses on the fabrication and microstructural investigation of Cu–TiH2–C and Cu–Ti–C nanocomposites with different volume fractions (10% and 20%) of TiC. Two mixtures of powders were ball milled for 10 h, consequently consolidated by spark plasma sintering (SPS) at 900 and 1000 °C producing bulk materials with relative densities of 95–97%. The evolution process of TiC formation during sintering process was studied by using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). XRD patterns of composites present only Cu and TiC phases, no residual Ti phase can be detected. TEM images of composites with (10 vol % TiC) sintered at 900 °C show TiC nanoparticles about 10–30 nm precipitated in copper matrix, most of Ti and C dissolved in the composite matrix. At the higher sintering temperature of 1000 °C, more TiC precipitates from Cu–TiH2–C than those of Cu–Ti–C composite, particle size ranges from 10 to 20 nm. The hardness of both nanocomposites also increased with increasing sintering temperature. The highest hardness values of Cu–TiH2–C and Cu–Ti–C nanocomposites sintered at 1000 °C are 314 and 306 HV, respectively. Full article

This present research work deals with the development of ultrafine grained cams obtained from previously ECAP (Equal Channel Angular Pressing)-processed material and manufactured by isothermal forging. The design and the manufacturing of the dies required for the isothermal forging of the cams are shown. Optimization techniques based on the combination of design of experiments, finite element and finite volume simulations are employed to develop the dies. A comparison is made between the mechanical properties obtained with the cams manufactured from material with no previous deformation and with those from previously SPD (Severe Plastic Deformation)-processed material. In addition, a comparative study between the experimental results and those obtained from the simulations is carried out. It has been demonstrated that it is possible to obtain ultrafine grained cams with an increase of 10.3% in the microhardness mean value as compared to that obtained from material with no previous deformation. Full article

To determine the appropriate welding heat input for simulated coarse grained heat affected zone (CGHAZ) of 800 MPa-grade steel used in hydropower penstocks, the microstructural evolution, hardness, and 50% fraction appearance transition temperature (50% FATT) were investigated. The results indicated that when the cooling rate (heat input) is reduced (increased), the impact toughness at −20 °C and hardness of the simulated CGHAZ decreased. When the heat input increased from 18 to 81 kJ/cm, the 50% FATT increased from −80 °C to −11 °C. At 18 kJ/cm, the microstructures consisted of lath bainite and granular bainite, but lath bainite decreased with increasing heat input. The increase in the 50% FATT was attributed mainly to an increase in the austenite grain size and effective grain size, and a decrease in lath bainite and the fraction of HAGBs (misorientation: ≥15°). Full article

In this work, the hot deformation behavior of 6A02 aluminum alloy was investigated by isothermal compression tests conducted in the temperature range of 683–783 K and strain-rate range of 0.001–1 s⁻¹. According to the obtained true stress–true strain curves, the constitutive relationship of the alloy was revealed by establishing the Arrhenius-type constitutive model and back-propagation (BP) neural network model. It is found that the flow characteristic of 6A02 aluminum alloy is closely related to deformation temperature and strain rate, and the true stress decreases with increasing temperatures and decreasing strain rates. The hot deformation activation energy is calculated to be 168.916 kJ mol⁻¹. The BP neural network model with one hidden layer and 20 neurons in the hidden layer is developed. The accuracy in prediction of the Arrhenius-type constitutive model and BP neural network model is eveluated by using statistics analysis method. It is demonstrated that the BP neural network model has better performance in predicting the flow stress. Full article

Recently, the API X100 steel has emerged as an important pipeline material for transportation of crude oil and natural gas. At the same time, the presence of significant amounts of hydrogen sulfide (H₂S) in natural gas and crude oil cause pipeline materials to corrode, which affects their integrity. In this study, the effect of H₂S concentration on the corrosion behavior of API X100 in 3.5% NaCl solution is presented. The H₂S gas was bubbled into saline solutions for different durations, and the corrosion tests were then performed using potentiodynamic polarization and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) techniques were used to characterize the corroded surface. The results indicate that the corrosion rate of API X100 steel decreases with increasing H₂S bubbling time due to the increase in H₂S concentration in 3.5% NaCl solutions. It is noticed that an accumulation of a critical amount of hydrogen in the metal can result in hydrogen-induced crack initiation and propagation. It was further observed that, when the stress limit of a crystalline layer is exceeded, micro-cracking of the formed protective sulfide layer (mackinawite) occurs on the API X100 steel surface, which may affect the reliability of the pipeline system. Full article

Anchor volume (AV) might be an important factor affecting mechanical strengths of micro-implant. To investigate the correlation between AV and three mechanical strengths (IT: insertion torque; RF: resonance frequency; HPS: horizontal pullout strength), 55 micro-implants (diameter 1.5 mm: Type A, B, C; diameter 1.3 mm: Type D and E) were driven into the artificial bones at a 7-mm depth. The RF, IT, HPS and AV were measured. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) with Tukey Honestly Significant Difference (HSD) post comparison and Pearson’s correlation were used to detect significant differences. Null hypothesis states that there was no statistically significant correlation between AV and these three forces (IT, RF, and HPS). Type A and Type D had the lowest IT (4.2 Ncm). Type C had the highest RF (9.9 KHz) in the stability test, and Type B had the greatest HPS (190.9 Ncm) in the resistance test. There was significant correlation between the IT and HPS. AV was significantly correlated with RF, IT, and HPS. The null hypothesis was rejected. In this study, each of these brands had its distinct advantages in the RF, IT, and HPS. Moreover, inner diameter/outer diameter ratio and AV affect the magnitude of HPS. Full article

This paper details two case studies that make use of laser metal deposition for local reinforcement of sheet metal components. Two benchmark scenarios are investigated, both using aluminum alloys: (i) using laser cladding to increase the stiffness of a pre-formed component, and (ii) applying a local cladding on sheet metal for increasing the thickness prior to a hole-flanging operation. The results show that both routes are viable. Applying claddings onto sheet metal before a metal forming operation must ensure suitable formability, which may be limited by the layer material and undesired changes in the microstructure of the sheet. The limited formability has to be taken into account in the design of the forming operation. Cladding onto already formed components has to cope with inevitable distortion of the component. Nevertheless, introducing additive manufacturing into the field of sheet metal forming opens the possibility to produce new products such as tailored laser-cladded blanks, combinations of sheet and bulk components and to develop new methods such as stiffness management in lightweight design. Full article

Thermodynamic analysis and computations of the equilibrium solution for the multivariable secondary phase in steels have been conducted, based on the chemical equilibrium. Solid solution precipitation in the Ti–N–C microalloy steel for the secondary phase was analyzed, and its engineering application in the development of carburizing gear steels was investigated. The complete dissolution temperature increases with more C, N, or Ti in gear steels, and the effects of Ti and N are more significant than C. At a given temperature, the amount of [Ti] increases naturally with more Ti element content, while it decreases with more C or N elements content. It declines rapidly in the complete dissolution temperature range in steels until 1100 °C. The effective activity coefficient k₁ increases with the temperature decreases, and increases with the higher content of Ti or C, while it decreases with the higher N content under the same temperature. Thermodynamic analysis shows that nitrogen has been precipitated largely as TiN micron-particles above 1400 °C in gear steels. Then, titanium precipitated mainly as TiC nano-particles, thus this secondary phase can hinder grain coarsening during heat treatment. Full article

Cold rolling with subsequent annealing can be used to produce the recrystallized structure in high entropy alloys (HEAs). The Al_0.25CoCrFeNi HEAs rolled to different final thickness (230, 400, 540, 800, 1000, 1500 μm) are prepared to investigate their microstructure evolutions and mechanical behaviors after annealing. Only the single face-centered cubic phase was obtained after cold rolling and recrystallization annealing at 1100 °C for 10 h. The average recrystallized grain size in this alloy after annealing ranges from 92 μm to 136 μm. The annealed thin sheets show obviously size effects on the flow stress and formability. The yield strength and tensile strength decrease as t/d (thickness/average grain diameter) ratio decreases until the t/d approaches 2.23. In addition, the stretchability (formability) decreases with the decrease of the t/d ratio especially when the t/d ratio is lower than about 6. According to the present results, yield strength can be expressed as a function of the t/d ratio. Full article

Orientation contrast microscopy (i.e., electron backscattered diffraction, EBSD) was employed to monitor the plastic strain in loaded tensile samples of aluminium alloy Al6061 in T4 condition. The kernel average misorientation (KAM) is known to be an appropriate parameter in orientation contrast microscopy which has the potential to characterise the plastic strain by monitoring the local misorientations. This technique was applied here to gauge the extent of the plastic zone around a fatigue crack. To establish the magnitude of strain (which can be identified by the KAM parameter), a series of tensile samples were strained in the range of 1% to 25%. KAM maps were compared, and the average misorientations were related to the tensile strain values. The KAM distribution functions for all the strained samples were derived from a large scanned area. In addition, Vickers microhardness tests were conducted for these series of samples. This allowed the comparison of the mesoscopic plastic strain measured by Vickers microhardness with the micro plastic strain locally obtained by KAM. Noise was observed in the average KAM values up to a plastic strain of 1.5%. For the plastic strain exceeding 1.5%, noise no longer dominates the KAM map, and a positive—though not linear—correspondence between plastic strain and KAM was observed. The observed plastic zone at the tip of the fatigue crack by micro-Vickers hardness measurements was about an order of magnitude higher than the plastic zone observed on the KAM maps. In view of the calibration of KAM values on the tensile samples, it could be concluded that in the larger area of the plastic zone, the strain did not exceed the critical value of 1.5%. Full article

Isothermal interrupted hot compression tests of 5754 aluminum were conducted on a Gleeble-3500 thermo-mechanical simulator at temperatures of 350 °C and 450 °C, and strain rates of 0.1 s⁻¹ and 1 s⁻¹. To investigate the metadynamic recrystallization behavior, a range of inter-pass delay times (5–60 s) was employed. These tests simulated flat rolling to investigate how softening behaviors respond to controlled parameters, such as deformation temperature, strain rate, and delay times. These data allowed the parameters for the hot rolling process to be optimized. The dynamic softening at each pass and the effect of metadynamic recrystallization on flow properties and microstructural evolution were analyzed in detail. An offset yield strength of 0.2% was employed to calculate the softening fraction undergoing metadynamic recrystallization. A kinetic model was developed to describe the metadynamic recrystallization behaviors of the hot-deformed 5754 aluminum alloy. Furthermore, the time constant for 50% recrystallization was expressed as functions related to the temperature and the strain rate. The experimental and calculated results were found to be in close agreement, which verified the developed model. Full article

The preparation of highly pure vanadyl sulfate from sulfate solutions containing impurities of iron and aluminumwas investigated by solvent extraction with 2-ethylhexyl phosphoric acid mono-2-ethylhexyl ester (EHEHPA) and tri-n-butyl phosphate (TBP) as the phase modifier. The extraction and stripping conditions of vanadium (IV) and its separation from iron and aluminum were optimized. Under the optimal extraction conditions, the extraction of vanadium (IV) and iron were 68% and 53%, respectively, while only 2% aluminum was extracted in a single contact, suggesting good separation of vanadium (IV) from aluminum. Sulfuric acid solution was used for the stripping. Nearly 100% vanadium (IV) and 95% aluminum were stripped, while only 10% iron was stripped under the optimal stripping conditions in a single contact, suggesting good separation of vanadium (IV) from iron. After five stages of extraction and stripping, highly pure vanadyl sulfate containing 76.5 g/L V (IV) with the impurities of 12 mg/L Fe and 10 mg/L Al was obtained, which is suitable for the electrolyte of a vanadium redox flow battery. Organic solution was well regenerated after stripping by oxalic acid solution to remove the remaining iron. The mechanism of vanadium (IV) extraction using EHEHPA was also discussed based on the Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) analysis. Full article