The papers collected in this special issue clearly reflect the modern research trends in materials science. These fields of specific attention are high-Mn TWIP steels, high-Cr heat resistant steels, ...aluminum alloys, ultrafine grained materials including those developed by severe plastic deformation, and high-entropy alloys. The major portion of the collected papers is focused on the mechanisms of microstructure evolution and the mechanical properties of metallic materials subjected to various thermo-mechanical, deformation or heat treatments. Another large portion of the studies is aimed on the elaboration of alloying design of advanced steels and alloys. The changes in phase content, transformation and particle precipitation and their effect on the properties are also broadly presented in this collection, including the microstructure/property changes caused by irradiation.
Crack-free functionally graded TiC particle (TiCp) reinforced Ti6Al4V (TiCp/Ti6Al4V) composite was manufactured by laser melting deposition (LMD) technology with TiC volume fraction changing ...gradually from 0% to 50%. This research focuses on the relationship between the microstructure and mechanical properties (microhardness and tensile properties) of TiCp/Ti6Al4V composites under different TiC volume fractions. Besides the unmelted TiC particles, the granular and chain shaped eutectic TiC phases are observed in the composite with 5vol% TiC due to the melting and dissolution of TiC particles into matrix. The granular and dendritic primary TiC phases are obtained in the composite with 10vol% TiC, while the chain shaped eutectic TiC phases can scarcely be seen. The main reinforcement phases are primary TiC phases when the TiC volume fraction exceeds 15%. (i) The quantity of unmelted TiC particles, (ii) the quantity and size of primary TiC phases and (iii) the porosity of composite increase gradually when the TiC volume fraction increases. The interfaces exhibit good bonding between consecutive layers. The microhardness of the functionally graded TiCp/Ti6Al4V composite increases gradually with TiC volume fraction increasing. It is attributed to the C element in solid solution and the appearance of eutectic and primary TiC phases. The microhardness at the top layer with 50vol% TiC is improved by nearly 94% compared with that at the Ti6Al4V side. The tensile strength of TiCp/Ti6Al4V composite with 5vol% TiC is enhanced by nearly 12.3% compared with that of the Ti6Al4V matrix alloy. However, both the tensile strength and elongation of composite decrease gradually when the TiC volume fraction exceeds 5%. The reason is that the quantity of brittle unmelted TiC particles and the quantity and size of dendritic TiC phases increase with TiC volume fraction increasing. The fracture mechanism of the TiCp/Ti6Al4V composite is quasi-cleavage fracture.
Microstructure features directly reflect mechanical responses during material deformation and can influence the surface integrity of machined components, which is of great interest to both academic ...communities and industries. This paper summarizes the state of the art in modeling approaches for the effect of the microstructures and its evolution during metal-cutting processes. The aim of this paper is to analyze the advantages and drawbacks of current methods to improve modeling work and direct future orientations. First, dominant numerical modeling approaches for metal-cutting processes are reviewed. The finite element method (FEM) and mesh-free methods widely applied in professional research are discussed. Following this, approaches to modeling the effect of microstructures and their evolution are reviewed for two major categories—homogeneous field distribution and heterogeneous characteristics. Both the advantages and disadvantages of these two categories are analyzed and discussed in detail. Experimental techniques based on advanced characterization approaches to the validation of pertinent models are also discussed. Finally, a brief summary is presented and an outlook for future work is delineated.
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•Numerical modeling approaches with the consideration of microstructure features towards metal cutting are reviewed.•Modeling through treating microstructures as homogeneous characteristics and pertinent validation techniques are reviewed.•Modeling of heterogeneous microstructure evolution in metal-cutting and pertinent characterization techniques are reviewed.•Future orientations of modeling the effect of the microstructure and its evolution in metal-cutting are recommended.
Since the 1960s, it has been a common practice worldwide to pursue a homogeneous distribution of reinforcements within a matrix material, discontinuous metal matrix composites (DMMCs) in particular. ...Taking an overview of the worldwide activities in DMMC research, despite many favourable attributes such as improved specific strength, stiffness and superior wear resistance, DMMCs with a homogeneous microstructure tend to exhibit a very low room temperature damage tolerance even with a highly ductile matrix material such as aluminium. In this review, a range of uniquely multi-scale hierarchical structures have been successfully designed and fabricated by tailoring reinforcement distribution for DMMCs in order to obtain superior performance. A variety of specific microstructures that were developed in Al, Mg, Cu, Fe, Co and TiAl matrices indicate that there must be adequate plastic regions among the reinforcements to blunt or deflect cracks if one wants to toughen DMMCs. Following this path, aided by theoretical analyses, the most recent success is the design and fabrication of a network distribution of in situ reinforcing TiB whiskers (TiBw) in titanium matrix composites (TMCs), where a tailored three-dimensional (3D) quasi-continuous network microstructure displays significant improvements in mechanical properties. This resolves the brittleness surrounding TMCs fabricated by powder metallurgy. It is the large reinforcement-lean regions that remarkably improve the composite's ductility by bearing strain, blunting the crack and decreasing the crack-propagation rate. The fracture, strengthening and toughening mechanisms are comprehensively elucidated in order to further understand the advantages of such an inhomogeneous microstructure, and to justify the development of novel techniques to produce such inhomogeneous microstructures. This approach opens up a new horizon of research and applications of DMMCs and can be easily extended to general multi-phase composites with enhanced physical and mechanical properties.
Liquid metal embrittlement (LME) has emerged as a major concern when developing high-strength automotive steels. However, information regarding the impact of initial microstructure on LME severity is ...limited in the Fe/Zn couple. Specifically, there is no consensus as to which ferritic and austenitic microstructures are more susceptible to LME cracking. The present study aims to examine the LME cracking behavior of fully ferritic and austenitic microstructures under the same thermomechanical conditions. It was shown that the ferritic microstructure has a higher sensitivity to LME crack initiation, whereas the austenitic specimen displayed a much longer average crack length, which indicates higher crack propagation rate than the ferritic specimen. It has been determined that in-situ austenite to ferrite transformations during Zn diffusion, as well as grain boundary segregation of alloying elements such as Cr and Ti, contribute to the LME propagation rate.
In this article, we report a novel but simple method for the phase transformation of ZnO sub(2) to flower-like ZnO microstructures hydrothermally at 90 degree C with and without the assistance of ...hexadecylamine as surfactant. The generation of zincate ion ZnO \documentclass{article}\usepackage{amssymb}\begin{document}\pagest y le{empty}$2-}_{2}$\end{document}Imageomitted as a growth unit from the reaction between ZnO sub(2) and peroxide ion O \documentclass{article}\usepackage{amssymb}\begin{document}\pagest y le{empty}$2-}_{2}$\end{document}Imageomitted in situ plays a key role in the phase transformation of ZnO sub(2) to ZnO. The morphology, structure, and composition of the products have been investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) and energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX). It has been demonstrated that the as-fabricated ZnO flowers are composed of self-assembled brooms and rods in the presence and absence of hexadecylamine respectively. On the basis of experimental results, a possible reaction mechanism and the growth processes involved in the formation of flower-like ZnO microstructures are discussed. In this article, we report a novel but simple method for the phase transformation of ZnO sub(2) to flower-like ZnO microstructures hydrothermally at 90 degree C with and without the assistance of hexadecylamine as surfactant. The generation of zincate ion ZnO \documentclass{article}\usepackage{amssymb}\begin{document}\pagest y le{empty}$2-}_{2}$\end{document}Imageomitted as a growth unit from the reaction between ZnO sub(2) and peroxide ion O \documentclass{article}\usepackage{amssymb}\begin{document}\pagest y le{empty}$2-}_{2}$\end{document}Imageomitted in situ plays a key role in the phase transformation ...
The oxidation-induced microstructure evolution of nuclear graphite (IG-110 and NBG-17) is studied. Graphite samples were oxidized in air at 500 °C. Complicated oxidation paths were observed on the ...ion-milled surface of oxidized graphite samples. The weight loss of graphite samples during oxidation is mainly attributed to the oxidation paths which are extended and broadened constantly. In contrast, the original gas-escape pores do not show obvious change in sizes during oxidation. The oxidation paths are characterized to be much thinner and more tortuous than the gas-escape pores, which should be taken into account in estimating the oxygen diffusivity in oxidized graphite. The edges of graphite sheets exposed in the oxidation paths could scatter the phonon and electrons strongly. Therefore, the thermal conductivity declines dramatically with oxidation time. At weight loss around 30 %, the thermal conductivity of the oxidized graphite decreased to ∼16.8 % of the corresponding original value.
•TIP-TIG was employed to achieve reliable welding of 20 mm thick TC4 alloy.•Mutually interlocked basket-weave microstructure is the key to joint strengthening.•Hot wire + swing process ensures the ...formation of the joint target microstructure.
In this study, narrow-gap hot wire vibrating tungsten inert gas arc welding (TIP-TIG) technology was employed to achieve reliable welding of 20 mm thick TC4 alloy plates. Microstructure and mechanical properties of different regions within the welded joint were particularly investigated. The results show that the heat-affected zone (HAZ) exhibited a typical bimodal microstructure consisting of equiaxial α phase, αʹ phase, and β phase. Meanwhile, the weld center showed a basket-weave pattern of α phase and β phase. Microhardness gradually decreased from the base metal towards the weld center, with an average microhardness of 315 HV0.2 at the weld center. The welded joints exhibited an average tensile strength of 1043 MPa, and all samples underwent ductile fracture.
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