Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of CNT-Reinforced AZ91D Composites Fabricated by Ultrasonic Processing

Carbon nanotube(CNT)-reinforced AZ91 D alloy composite was fabricated by ultrasonic processing.The microstructure and mechanical properties of the CNTs/AZ91 D composites were investigated.Obvious grain refinement was achieved with the addition of 0.5 wt%CNTs.The SEM observation indicated that CNTs were distributed near the grain boundary or around the inter-grain β-Mg_(17)Al_(12) phase.No evident reaction product was found at the interface between CNTs and AZ91 D matrix.Compared to the monolithic AZ91 D alloy,the yield strength,ultimate tensile strength,and elongation of the 0.5 wt%CNTs/AZ91 D composite were improved significantly.However,the poor interface bonding between CNTs and AZ91 D matrix restricted further improvement in mechanical properties.     

Fabrication of carbon nanotubes reinforced AZ91D composites by ultrasonic processing

Magnesium matrix nanocomposite reinforced with carbon nanotubes （CNTs/AZ91D） was fabricated by mechanical stirring and high intensity ultrasonic dispersion processing. The microstructures and mechanical properties of the nanocomposite were investigated. The results show that CNTs are well dispersed in the matrix and combined with the matrix very well. As compared with AZ91D magnesium alloy matrix, the tensile strength, yield strength and elongation of the 1.5%CNTs/AZ91D nanocomposite are improved by 22%, 21% and 42% respectively in permanent mold casting. The strength and ductility of the nanocomposite are improved simultaneously. The tensile fracture analysis shows that the damage mechanism of nanocomposite is still brittle fracture. But the CNTs can prevent the local crack propagation to some extent.     

CNTs/AZ91D镁基纳米复合材料的热处理及其力学性能

采用高能超声分散技术和金属型重力铸造工艺制备了CNTs/AZ91D镁基纳米复合材料,并对复合材料进行了固溶T4热处理和固溶时效T6热处理。T4态1.0CNTs/AZ91D复合材料的抗拉强度、伸长率分别为285 MPa、17.3%,与铸态复合材料的抗拉强度(196MPa)和伸长率(4.1%)相比,分别提高了45%、322%。T6态的抗拉强度进一步提高到296MPa,特别是屈服强度显著提高到155MPa,伸长率有所降低,但仍有5.5%。利用OM、SEM、TEM观察1.0CNTs/AZ91D复合材料的显微组织。结果表明,碳纳米管具有细化晶粒、促进滑移和孪生、载荷转移等作用,从而能够明显提高CNTs/AZ91D复合材料的综合力学性能。     

Magnesium matrix nanocomposites fabricated by ultrasonic assisted casting

Abstract

Magnesium matrix composites reinforced with nano-sized SiC particles (n-SiC_p/AZ91D) were fabricated by high intensity ultrasonic assisted casting. The microstructure of the nanocomposites was investigated by optical microscopy, scanning electronic microscopy (SEM), high resolution transmission electronic microscopy (HRTEM) and Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS) methods. The results showed that the dispersion and distribution of n-SiC_p in magnesium alloy melts were significantly improved by ultrasonic processing. Compared to the unreinforced AZ91D matrix, mechanical properties of the nanocomposites including tensile and yield strengths were remarkably improved and the yield strength increased by 117% after gravity permanent mould casting.     

不同纳米碳材料增强镁基复合材料的显微组织与力学性能

以AZ91合金为基体,采用液态分散技术+粉末冶金工艺+热处理工艺制备了四种纳米碳材料(碳纳米管、包覆氧化镁碳纳米管、石墨烯纳米片和氧化石墨烯)增强的镁基复合材料;测试了复合材料的力学性能,并利用光学显微镜、X射线衍射仪、扫描电子显微镜、透射电子显微镜等对复合材料微观组织、界面结构和断口形貌进行了表征及分析。结果表明:制备的四种复合材料料中,氧化石墨烯增强的镁基复合材料屈服强度和伸长率最好,分别为(312±4.5)MPa和11.3%±0.2%,比AZ91基体分别提高了85.7%和61.4%,表明四种纳米碳材料增强体中,氧化石墨烯更有益于提高镁合金的力学性能,有利于制备高性能镁基复合材料。     

AZ91镁合金的挤压和析出硬化行为(英文)

挤压比为4:1,将铸态AZ91镁合金分别在250,300和350℃下进行挤压,随后进行析出硬化处理(T6)。经过热挤压和析出硬化处理后,铸态AZ91镁合金中粗大的和偏析Mg17Al12析出相被细化并均匀分布在α-镁基体中。在不同的挤压温度下合金中发生了部分或全部动态再结晶。经挤压后,该合金的极限抗拉强度从铸态的190MPa增加到570MPa。AZ91镁合金的时效硬化特征与晶粒尺寸有关。在250、300和350℃下以4:1的挤压比挤压该合金后,获得峰值硬度的时效时间分别为35、30和20h。SEM观察到在AZ91基体中存在均匀细小的Mg17Al12析出相。     

Microstructure and mechanical properties of AZ91 magnesium alloy with minor additions of Sm,Si and Ca elements

The effects of Sm, Si and Ca on the microstructure and mechanical property of AZ91 magnesium alloy were investigated by means of optical microscopy(OM), differential scanning calorimetry(DSC), scanning electronic microscopy(SEM), X-ray diffraction(XRD) and tensile testing. The results indicated that the addition of 1.5 wt.% Sm with or without 0.8 Si/Ca led to a decrease in the volume fraction of the β-Mg17 Al12 phase and the formation of the intermetallic compounds of Al-Sm, Mg2 Si, Mg Al Ca and Al2 Ca. The microstructure of AZ91 alloy was significantly refined and distribution became discrete with additions of Sm and Ca; the average grain size of the α-Mg matrix was reduced from 239.7 ± 16.9 μm to 66.34 ± 5.10 μm. The AZ91-Sm-Ca alloy exhibited a good combination of yield strength at 135 MPa, ultimate tensile strength at 199 MPa and elongation at 4.32%, which was ascribed to grain refinement strengthening. Furthermore, the T6 treated AZ91-Sm-Ca alloy possessed yield strength of 154 MPa and elongation of 7.1%, which was due to grain refinement strengthening and reduction in discontinuous precipitates.     

Microstructure and mechanical properties of AZ91D magnesium alloy by expendable pattern shell casting with different mechanical vibration amplitudes and pouring temperatures

To refine the microstructure and improve the mechanical properties of AZ91 D alloy by expendable pattern shell casting(EPSC),the mechanical vibration method was applied in the solidification process of the alloy.The effects of amplitude and pouring temperature on microstructure and mechanical properties of AZ91 D magnesium alloy were studied.The results indicated that the mechanical vibration remarkably improved the sizes,morphologies and distributions of the primaryα-Mg phase andβ-Mg17 Al12 phase,and the densification and tensile properties of the AZ91 D alloy.With an increase in amplitude,the microstructures were gradually refined,resulting in a continuous increase in mechanical properties of the AZ91 D alloy.While,with the increase of pouring temperature,the microstructures were continuously coarsened,leading to an obvious decrease of the mechanical properties.The tensile strength and yield strength of the AZ91 D alloy with a vibration amplitude of 1.0 mm and a pouring temperature of 730℃were 60%and 38%higher than those of the alloy without vibration,respectively.     

Effect of heat treatment on microstructure and properties of semi-solid squeeze casting AZ91D

Semi-solid AZ91D magnesium alloy billets were prepared by near-liquidus heat holding. Semi-solid squeeze casting was conducted at 575, 585 and 595 ℃, respectively, with 1 mm·s~(-1) squeeze speed. The semisolid squeeze casting AZ91D samples were heat treated by T4(solution at 415 ℃ for 24 h) and T6(solution at 415 ℃ for 24 h + 220 ℃ for 8 h) processes, respectively. The microstructure and mechanical properties of the alloy in different states were investigated by means of OM, SEM and tensile testing machine. The results show that compared to as-cast alloy, the grain size of the semi-solid squeezed AZ91D decreased significantly, and with the increase of semi-solid squeeze temperature, the grain size of AZ91D increased. The grains of the alloy were refined by T4 treatment, and further refined by T6 treatment. T6 treatment greatly improved the tensile strength, elongation, and hardness, but did not significantly improve yield strength. After 575 ℃ squeeze casting and T6 treatment, the ultimate tensile strength(UTS) reached 285 MPa, the elongation reached 13.36%, and the hardness also reached the maximum(106.8 HV), but the yield strength(YS) was only 180 MPa. During the process of semi-solid squeeze casting and heat treatment, the matrix grain was refined and a large number of precipitated and secondary precipitated phases of Mg_(17)Al_(12) appeared. Both the average size of matrix grain and secondary precipitated phase decreased, while the volume fraction of secondary precipitated phase increased. All these resulted in high tensile strength, elongation and hardness.     

Grain-Refined AZ92 Alloy with Superior Strength and Ductility

Grain-refined AZ92 (GR-AZ92) alloy with superior tensile properties is developed by adding 1 wt% Zn and a very small amount of SiC (0.17 wt%) to commercial AZ91 alloy for enhancing the solid-solution strengthening effect and refining the crystal grains, respectively. The homogenized GR-AZ92 alloy with an average grain size of 91 μm exhibits a tensile yield strength (TYS) of 125 MPa, ultimate tensile strength (UTS) of 281 MPa, and elongation of 12.1%, which are significantly higher than those of AZ91 alloy with a grain size of 420 μm (TYS of 94 MPa, UTS of 192 MPa, and elongation of 7.0%). The peak-aging time of GR-AZ92 alloy (8 h) is significantly shorter than that of AZ91 alloy (32 h) owing to a larger amount of grain boundaries in the former, which serve as nucleation sites of Mg₁₇Al₁₂ precipitates. A short-aging treatment for less than 1 h of the GR-AZ92 alloy causes an effective improvement in its strength without a significant reduction in its ductility. The 30-min-aged GR-AZ92 alloy has an excellent combination of strength and ductility, with a TYS of 142 MPa, UTS of 304 MPa, and elongation of 8.0%.     

Suppression of discontinuous precipitation in AZ91 by addition of Sn

The effect of Sn (5 wt%) addition on the aging behavior of the AZ91 alloy has been investigated in the present study. The addition of Sn effectively suppresses the discontinuous precipitation during aging treatment. The aging response of the Sn containing AZ91 alloy is far better than that of the AZ91 alloy due to much higher density of continuous precipitation in the matrix. The yield strength and total elongation to failure at the peak aged condition of the AZ91 and Sn containing AZ91 alloys are 119.4 and 161.9 MPa and 8.8 and 8.6%, respectively, indicating that 35.6% increase of yield strength can be obtained by the addition of Sn in the AZ91 alloy maintaining almost same level of ductility.     

TiC/AZ91D composites fabricated by in situ reactive infiltration process and its tensile deformation

1 Introduction Relative to aluminum matrix composites, magnesium-matrix composites are receiving interests increasingly in recent years due to their low densities and high specific properties. They are potentially attractive for the applications in aeros…     

Distribution of TiB2 reinforcements in magnesium matrix composites by a multi-physical coupling field

TiB₂/AZ31 magnesium matrix composites were prepared under the separate effects of an electromagnetic field, ultrasound and of both in combination. The electromagnetic field appeared to expand the zone of ultrasonic action, resulting in fine grained and more uniform microstructure with a more homogeneous distribution of the reinforcing TiB₂ particle clusters in the magnesium alloy matrix. Subsequent hot-rolling further improved the microstructural homogeneity. The resulting TiB₂/AZ31 composite sheets exhibited excellent overall mechanical properties, with an ultimate tensile strength of 350 MPa and a tensile ductility approaching 8%.     

Preparation of submicrocrystal Al-Ti-B master alloy and its influence on microstructure and properties of AZ91D

To improve the mechanical properties of AZ91D magnesium alloy,the submicrocrystal Al-Ti-B master alloy was prepared with copper mold inject casting method,and the influence of submicrocrystal Al-Ti-B master alloy on the microstructure and mechanical properties of AZ91D was investigated.Results show that,the distribution of Ti B_2 phase in submicrocrystal Al-Ti-B alloy is even and disperse,and the average size of Ti Al_3 phase is reduced from 10-30μm to～1μm.The properties of AZ91D refined with submicrocrystal Al-Ti-B master alloy are better than that with coarse-grained Al-Ti-B master alloy without copper mold inject casting.The tensile strength,elongation and Brinell hardness of AZ91D are increased by 10.6%,25%and 18.1%,respectively.Therefore,refinement of AZ91D with submicrocrystal Al-Ti-B that is obtained by copper mold inject casting is an effective method to improve its mechanical properties.     

Microstructures and mechanical properties of AZ91D/0Cr19Ni9 bimetal composite prepared by liquid-solid compound casting

The liquid-solid compound casting technology was used to produce the AZ91D/0Cr19Ni9 bimetal composite without and with hot dipping aluminium, respectively. The influences of Al coating on microstructures and mechanical properties of AZ91D/0Cr19Ni9 interface were investigated. The results showed that the mechanical bonding was obtained between AZ91D and bare steel 0Cr19Ni9 where a gap existed at the interface; the metallurgical bonding was formed between AZ91D and Al-coated 0Cr19Ni9, which could be divided into two different intermetallic layers: layer I was mainly composed of α-Mg+β-Mg₁₇Al₁₂ eutectic structure and a small amount of MgAl₂O₄, and layer II mainly comprised of Fe₂Al₅ intermetallic compound. Furthermore, the hardness value of interface was obviously higher than that of AZ91D matrix, and the average hardness values of layers I and II were HV 158 and HV 493, respectively. The shear strength of AZ91D/Al-coated 0Cr19Ni9 interface was higher than that of AZ91D/bare 0Cr19Ni9 interface, which confirmed that Al coating could improve the adhesive strength between AZ91D and 0Cr19Ni9 during liquid-solid compound casting process.     

Composite cerium oxide/titanium oxide thin films for corrosion protection of AZ91D magnesium alloy via sol–gel process

Anti‐corrosive composite cerium oxide/titanium oxide (CeO₂/TiO₂) thin films were successfully prepared on an AZ91D magnesium alloy substrate by applying cerium oxide (CeO₂) thin films as the inner layer with a sol–gel process. Composition and surface morphology of the thin films were analyzed using X‐ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscope (SEM). XRD showed that the composite films consisted of cerianite and anatase phases. The wettability of the thin films was evaluated by water contact angles measurements. Potentiodynamic polarization curves and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) tests were used to evaluate the corrosion behavior of the bare substrate and coated samples in 3.5 wt% sodium chloride solution (3.5 wt% NaCl). The results demonstrated that titanium oxide (TiO₂) thin film mainly dominated the corrosion resistance of samples and the composite films with excellent hydrophilicity could significantly improve the corrosion resistance of AZ91D magnesium alloy.     

Nd对压铸AZ91D合金组织与性能的影响

传统压铸获得AZ91D和AZ91D-1.11Nd两种合金试样,采用光学金相显微镜、扫描电子显微镜和X射线衍射仪分析了压铸态微观组织和相组成,并测试了其拉伸力学性能、硬度、导热性能和流动性能。结果表明,在AZ91D合金中添加1.11%Nd后,压铸态晶粒有所细化,形成较多弥散分布的细小颗粒状Al2Nd和少量针状Al₁₁Nd₃,原有的半连续网状分布的β-Mg₁₇Al₁₂数量有所减少。压铸态AZ91D-1.11Nd合金呈现良好的综合性能,室温抗拉强度、伸长率和热导率分别为272 MPa、12.0%和69.5 W/(m·K),与AZ91D合金相比分别提高14%、100%和14%;同时呈现与AZ91D合金相当的优异铸造工艺性能,流动长度达到1161 mm。     

添加Si粉对AZ91D镁合金激光表面改性

为提高镁合金的表面硬度,对预置Si粉的AZ91D进行高能CO2激光表面改性处理.采用光学显微镜、扫描电镜、电子探针微区分析和X射线衍射仪等方法研究了激光改性层的组织结构.结果表明:AZ91D表面改性层主要由α-Mg,Al12Mg17和Mg2Si组成.Si粉与镁合金完全发生反应形成金属间化合物Mg2Si,Mg2Si以树枝状分布.Al-Mn相由AZ91D基体中的团聚棒状变为激光改性层中的分散球状.激光表面改性后.由于Mg2Si相产生的强化和Mg17Al12产生的细晶强化,显微硬度从80 HV提高到324 HV.     

Thermal expansion and dimensional stability of unidirectional and orthogonal fabric M40/AZ91D composites

Unidirectional (60%, volume fraction) and orthogonal (50%, volume fraction) M40 graphite fibre reinforced AZ91D magnesium alloy matrix composites were fabricated by pressure infiltration method. The coefficients of thermal expansion (in the temperature range of 20-350 ℃) and dimensional stability (in the temperature range of 20-150 ℃) of the composites and the corresponding AZ91D magnesium alloy matrix were measured. The results show that coefficients of thermal expansion of the composites in longitudinal direction decrease with elevating temperature. The coefficients of thermal expansion (CTE) for unidirectional M40/AZ91D composites and orthogonal M40/AZ91D composites are 1.24×10-6 ℃-1 and 5.71×10-6 ℃-1 at 20 ℃, and 0.85×10-6 ℃-1 and 2.75×10-6 ℃-1 at 350 ℃, respectively, much lower than those of the AZ91D alloy matrix. Thermal cycling testing demonstrates that the thermal stress plays an important role on residual deformation. Thus, a better dimensional stability is obtained for the AZ91D magnesium alloy matrix composites. More extreme strain hysteresis and residual plastic deformation are observed in orthogonally fabric M40 reinforced AZ91D composite, but its net residual strain after each cycle is similar to that of the unidirectional M40/AZ91D composite.     

真空压力浸渗制备SiCp/AZ91复合材料的显微组织、力学性能和磨损行为

采用真空压力浸透法制备SiC_p/AZ91复合材料,研究其显微组织、力学性能和耐磨性。结果表明,SiC颗粒均匀分布于金属基体中,并与基体界面结合良好。Mg₁₇Al₁₂相在SiC颗粒附近优先析出,SiC与AZ91基体的热膨胀系数失配导致高密度位错的产生,加速基体的时效析出。与AZ91合金相比,SiC颗粒的加入提高了复合材料的硬度和抗压强度,这主要是由于载荷传递强化和晶粒细化强化机制。此外,由于SiC具有优异的耐磨性,在磨损过程中形成稳定的支撑面保护基体。