Development of an Aluminum-Based Hybrid Billet Material for the Process-Integrated Foaming of Hollow Co-Extrusions

Metal foams are attractive for lightweight construction in the automotive sector since they provide high-energy absorption and good damping properties, which is crucial, e.g., for crash structures. Currently, however, foams are produced separately and then pasted into the components. Consequently, the overall mechanical properties depend significantly on the quality of the adhesive bond between the foam and the structural component. A new process route for the manufacture of hybrid foamed hollow aluminum profiles is proposed. In this approach, a foamable precursor material is directly integrated into the extrusion process of the hollow structural profile. To this end, special low-melting alloys were developed in this study to enable foaming inside the aluminum profile. The melting intervals of these alloys were examined using differential scanning calorimetry. One of the promising AlZnSi alloys was atomized, mixed with a foaming agent and then compacted into semi-finished products for subsequent co-extrusion. The foaming behavior, which was investigated by means of X-ray microscopy, is shown to depend primarily on the mass fraction of the foaming agent as well as the heat treatment parameters. The results demonstrate that both the melting interval and the foaming behavior of AlZn22Si6 make this particular alloy a suitable candidate for the desired process chain

Corrosion Behavior of an Additively Manufactured Functionally Graded Material

Dissimilar metal welds (DMW) combine the high strength and cost benefits of ferritic stainless steels with the high corrosion resistance of austenitic steels, and are thus commonly used in different types of power plants. However, due to the abrupt change in properties, these joints are susceptible to premature failure. Work pieces with a smooth transition in composition and/or properties are referred to as "functionally graded materials" (FGM). When used as transition joints, FGM can enhance the lifetime of certain components. In the present study, the FGM were manufactured by using wire arc additive manufacturing employing cold-wire gas metal arc welding. Since the corrosion resistance of such FGM are still unknown, the corrosion properties of the FGM work piece were compared to those of a DMW work piece by means of electrochemical analysis using potentiodynamic polarization and a salt spray test. The FGM showed a 24 % lower average corrosion rate compared to the reference piece and no signs of pitting or galvanic corrosion. This shows the potential of FGM and further research should be carried out

An X-ray Microscopy Study of the Microstructural Effects on Thermal Conductivity in Cast Aluminum-Copper Compounds

A metallurgical joint between aluminum and copper established by compound casting provides for high thermal conductivity, which is required for lightweight cooling solutions in applications such as high-power light-emitting diodes or computer processors. If casting is employed in a silane-doped inert gas atmosphere whose oxygen partial pressure is adequate to extreme high vacuum, reoxidation of the active surfaces of aluminum and copper is prevented, and thus a metallurgical bond can be created directly between aluminum and copper. With this approach, thermal conductivities as high as 88.3 W/m·K were realized. In addition, X-ray microscopy was used to shed light on the microstructure–thermal property relationship. It is demonstrated that both porosity and non-bonded areas have a substantial impact on the thermophysical properties of the compound zone. Based on the data obtained, casting parameters can be developed that provide for defect-free bonding zones and optimal heat transfer between the joining partners

Extruded Polystyrene Foams with Enhanced Insulation and Mechanical Properties by a Benzene-Trisamide-Based Additive

Low thermal conductivity and adequate mechanical strength are desired for extruded polystyrene foams when they are applied as insulation materials. In this study, we improved the thermal insulation behavior and mechanical properties of extruded polystyrene foams through morphology control with the foam nucleating agent 1,3,5-benzene-trisamide. Furthermore, the structure⁻property relationships of extruded polystyrene foams were established. Extruded polystyrene foams with selected concentrations of benzene-trisamide were used to evaluate the influence of cell size and foam density on the thermal conductivity. It was shown that the addition of benzene-trisamide reduces the thermal conductivity by up to 17%. An increase in foam density led to a higher compression modulus of the foams. With 0.2 wt % benzene-trisamide, the compression modulus increased by a factor of 4 from 11.7 ± 2.7 MPa for the neat polystyrene (PS) to 46.3 ± 4.3 MPa with 0.2 wt % benzene-trisamide. The increase in modulus was found to follow a power law relationship with respect to the foam density. Furthermore, the compression moduli were normalized by the foam density in order to evaluate the effect of benzene-trisamide alone. A 0.2 wt % benzene-trisamide increased the normalized compression modulus by about 23%, which could be attributed to the additional stress contribution of nanofibers, and might also retard the face stretching and edge bending of the foams

Development of EN AW-6082 Metal Foams and Stochastic Foam Modeling for the Individualization of Extruded Profiles

Lightweight design and hybrid components enable innovative and new component concepts, especially when combining structurally reliable metal components with individualized polymer components. In this research, a process for additive manufacturing polymers on the surface of extruded aluminum profiles is examined. The extrusion process is adapted to produce foamable aluminum profiles, which can be utilized to enable a form fit between the two materials and ensures sufficient bond strength. For this purpose, a novel aluminum block material based on the standard wrought alloy EN AW-6082 was developed. It consists of a solid EN AW-6082 core and powder metallurgically produced outer layer, which allows local foaming of the aluminum profile surface. The main objective of this study was to optimize the bond strength of the hybrid aluminum-polymer components. The methods employed include fabricating aluminum test specimens, performing mechanical tests, x-ray microscopy to analyze the pore structure and evaluating the 3D pore distribution and the wall thickness. Virtual foam models were created to numerically investigate suitable pore sizes and foam geometries for form-fit with the polymer. The porosity achieved as a function of the processing of the components are discussed and a comparison is made between the real and virtual pore structures

Mikronährstoffstatus sächsischer Ackerböden

Die Broschüre vermittelt einen Überblick über die Versorgung sächsischer Ackerböden mit Mikronährstoffen. Die aktuelle Situation wird mit den Ergebnissen des Monitorings im Jahr 2000 verglichen. Der Versorgungszustand sächsischer Ackerflächen mit pflanzenverfügbaren Mikronährstoffen ist zumeist gut bis sehr gut. Gegenüber dem Jahr 2000 ist ein leichter Rückgang der Elementgehalte bei Cu, B und teilweise bei Zn festzustellen. Leichte Böden (D-Standorte) weisen vereinzelt Mangel auf (Mn, Mo, B). Für die Analyse der pflanzenverfügbaren Anteile ist die CAT-Methode für Kupfer und Zink (und evtl. Mangan) anwendbar. Bor sollte mit der Heißwassermethode analysiert werden, Die Analyse von Molybdän erfolgt am besten mit der Oxalatmethode nach GRIGG. Die Veröffentlichung richtet sich an Landwirte, Berater und Fachbehörden

Development of a laser powder bed fusion process tailored for the additive manufacturing of high-quality components made of the commercial magnesium alloy WE43

Additive manufacturing (AM) has become increasingly important over the last decade and the quality of the products generated with AM technology has strongly improved. The most common metals that are processed by AM techniques are steel, titanium (Ti) or aluminum (Al) alloys. However, the proportion of magnesium (Mg) in AM is still negligible, possibly due to the poor processability of Mg in comparison to other metals. Mg parts are usually produced by various casting processes and the experiences in additive manufacturing of Mg are still limited. To address this issue, a parameter screening was conducted in the present study with experiments designed to find the most influential process parameters. In a second step, these parameters were optimized in order to fabricate parts with the highest relative density. This experiment led to processing parameters with which specimens with relative densities above 99.9% could be created. These highdensity specimens were then utilized in the fabrication of test pieces with several different geometries, in order to compare the material properties resulting from both the casting process and the powder bed fusion (PBF-LB) process. In this comparison, the compositions of the occurring phases and the alloys’ microstructures as well as the mechanical properties were investigated. Typically, the microstructure of metal parts, produced by PBF-LB, consisted of much finer grains compared to as-cast parts. Consequently, the strength of Mg parts generated by PBF-LB could be further increased. © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland

Hot forming of shape memory alloys in steel shells: formability, interface, bonding quality

Metal forming of shape memory alloys (SMA) can be challenging since these are very often brittle due to their intermetallic character. However, formability is often needed not only for realising the desired geometry but also for tailoring the microstructure and the functional properties. To investigate whether the encapsulation in a steel shell can improve the formability of shape memory alloys, Co49Ni21Ga30 and Ni49.5Fe14.5Mn4.0Ga26.0Co6.0 samples were subjected to tensile tests, upsetting, rolling and extrusion. A ferritic steel (1.0503) was used as the shell material. The shell was employed to curtail the formation of tensile stresses in the core, to maintain high temperatures during processing and to prevent oxidation. With this approach, not only forming of the SMA in the steel shell was possible but also an intensive metallurgical bond between the SMA and the steel shell can be achieved during hot rolling or extrusion

Process chain for the manufacture of hybrid bearing bushings

The current study presents a novel Tailored Forming process chain developed for the production of hybrid bearing bushings. In a first step, semi-finished products in the form of locally reinforced hollow profiles were produced using a new co-extrusion process. For this purpose, a modular tool concept was developed in which a steel tube made of a case-hardening steel, either C15 (AISI 1015) or 20MnCr5 (AISI 5120), is fed laterally into the tool. Inside the welding chamber, the steel tube is joined with the extruded aluminum alloy EN AW-6082. In the second step, sections from the compound profiles were formed into hybrid bearing bushings by die forging. In order to set the required forming temperatures for each material—aluminum and steel—simultaneously, a tailored heating strategy was developed, which enabled successful die forging of the hybrid workpiece to the desired bearing bushing geometry. Using either of the case-hardening steels in combination with aluminum, this novel process chain made it possible to produce intact hybrid bearing bushings, which showed both macroscopically and microscopically intimate material contact inside the compound zone