Study of the microstructure and texture heterogeneities of Fe–48wt%Ni alloy severely deformed by equal channel angular pressing

International audienceA Fe-48wt%Ni alloy was processed by severe plastic deformation using equal channel angular pressing process. A stacking of 9 sheets was introduced and pressed up to two passes into die with an inner angles of Φ=90º and outer arc of curvature ψ= 17° at room temperature following route A. The same material in bulk form was also ECAPed up to one pass. The microstructure and the texture were investigated by means of electron backscattered diffraction and X-ray diffraction, respectively. To evaluate the mechanical response, Vickers microhardness was carried out. The given analyses concern the as-received sample, the peripheral and the central plates of the pressed stacks and the upper, the middle and the lower parts of the pressed bulk material. The deformation was heterogeneous and variations in texture and microstructure, resulting from different efficiencies in the shearing process, were locally noted. For the stacks samples, the microstructure evolved from equiaxed grains of 9 μm with high fraction of high-angle grain boundaries (around 90%) to a heterogeneous fine grain structure with an average grain size of 3 m after two passes. On the contrary, for the bulk sample, the evolution wa

Ni-Mn-Sn-Cu Alloys after Thermal Cycling: Thermal and Magnetic Response

Heusler Ni-Mn-Sn-based alloys are good candidates for magnetic refrigeration. This application is based on cycling processes. In this work, thermal cycles (100) have been performed in three ribbons produced by melt-spinning to check the thermal stability and the magnetic response. After cycling, the temperatures were slowly shifted and the thermodynamic properties were reduced, the entropy changed at about 3–5%. Likewise, the thermomagnetic response remains similar. Thus, these candidates maintain enough thermal stability and magnetic response after cycling. Likewise, Cu addition shifts the structural transformation to higher temperatures, whereas the Curie temperature is always near 310 K. Regarding magnetic shape memory applications, the best candidate is the Ni49Mn36 Sn14Cu1 alloy.This study was funded by University of Girona PONT2020-01 and Spanish Mineco MAT2016-75967-P projects

Dealloying of Cu-Mg-Ca alloys

The chemical dealloying of Cu-Mg-Ca alloys in free corrosion conditions was investigated for different alloy compositions and different leaching solutions. For some of the precursor alloys, a continuous, pure fcc copper with nanoporous structure can be obtained by dealloying in 0.04 M H2SO4 solution. Superficial nanoporous copper structures with extremely fine porous size were also obtained by dealloying in pure water and 0.1 M NaOH solutions. The dealloying of both amorphous and partially crystalline alloys was investigated obtaining bi-phase nanoporous/crystal composites with microstructures depending on the precursor alloy state. The fast dissolution of Mg and Ca makes the Cu-Mg-Ca system an ideal candidate for obtaining nanoporous copper structures with different properties as a function of different factors such as the alloy composition, the quenching process, and leaching conditions.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Microstructure and mechanical properties of AA6082-T6 by ECAP under warm processing

An AA6082 alloy deformed by equal channel angular pressing (ECAP) was studied. The evolution of microstructure as a function of the strain imparted was evaluated by optical microscopy (OM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) coupled with an electron backscattered diffraction (EBSD) detector, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC). XRD showed that MgSi2 precipitates developed in the ECAPed specimens. Texture analysis showed the apparition of two types of textures, one associated with shearing deformation and the second due to the recrystallization phenomena. Mechanical strength properties measured by tensile tests increased in the first ECAP pass, and then progressively diminished. This phenomenon was associated to the activation of continuous softening phenomena. Calorimetric analysis indicated a slightly rise in the recrystallization temperature of the deformed specimens. Also, the stored energy increased with rising ECAP passes due to the production of new dislocations. The average geometrically necessary dislocation (GND) density, measured by EBSD, increased with increasing ECAP passes. However, the rate of increase slows down with the progress of ECAP passes.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

Degradation of azo dyes by rapidly solidified metallic particles

Azo compounds are one of the most common families of dyes used in textile and leather treatments. An important step during the treatment of water polluted by these compounds, is the degradation of the compounds by decomposition of the -N=N- bonds, producing the de-colorization of the water. This de-colorization reaction can be activated by the presence of zero valent metallic particles. The metastable structures generated during rapid solidification tend to increase the chemical activity of the alloys. Recently, it has been discovered that the use of metallic particles in a metastable phase (amorphous or nanocrystalline) multiplies significantly the efficiency of the decolorization water-treatment step. Here we present the results obtained in the decolorization of water using alloys based on different metals (Fe, Mn, Ni and Al) produced by rapid solidification and posterior ball milling. For some Al-containing alloys the results show a fast reaction, even in neutral pH conditions. In this work, the efficiency of the different metastable alloys in the de-colorization process, the effects of the metastable structure and the processing conditions are presented and assessed.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Martensitic Transformation, Thermal Analysis and Magnetocaloric Properties of Ni-Mn-Sn-Pd Alloys

Martensitic transition and magnetic response of Ni50−x Pdx,y Mn36 Sn14−y (x = 0, 1, 2 and y = 0, 1) Heusler alloys were analysed. The crystalline structure of each composition was solved by X-ray diffraction pattern fitting. For x = 1 and 2, the L21 austenite structure is formed and, for y = 1, the crystallographic phase is a modulated martensitic structure. From differential scanning calorimetry scans, we determine characteristic transformation temperatures and the entropy/enthalpy changes. The temperatures of the structural transformation increase with the addition of Pd to replace Ni or Sn, whereas the austenitic Curie temperature remains almost unvarying. In addition, the magneto-structural transition, investigated by magnetic measurements, is adjusted by suitable Pd doping in the alloys. The peak value of the magnetic entropy changes reached 4.5 J/(kg K) for Ni50Mn36Sn13Pd1 (external field: 50 kOe).This research was funded by MINECO grant MAT2016-75967-P and UdG grant PONT2020/01

Microstructural and Magnetic Behavior of Nanocrystalline Fe-12Ni-16B-2Si Alloy Synthesis and Characterization

The nanocrystalline Fe70Ni12B16Si2 (at.%) alloy was prepared by mechanical alloying (MA) of elemental powders in a high-energy planetary ball mill. Phase evolution, microstructure, thermal behavior and magnetic properties were investigated. It was found that a body-centered cubic structured solid solution started to form after 25 h milling and a faced-centered cubic structure solid solution started to form after 50 h of milling; its amount increased gradually with increasing milling time. The BCC and the FCC phases coexisted after 150 h of milling, with a refined microstructure of 13 nm and a 10 nm crystallite size. The as-milled powder was annealed at 450 °C and 650 °C and then investigated by vibrating sample magnetometry (VSM). It was shown that the semi-hard magnetic properties are affected by the phase transformation on annealing. The saturation magnetization decreases after annealing at 450 °C, whereas annealing at 650 °C improves the magnetic properties of 150 h milled powders through the reduction of coercivity from 109 Oe to 70 Oe and the increase in saturation magnetization

Microstructure and Magnetic Properties of Nanocrystalline Fe60−xCo25Ni15Six Alloy Elaborated by High-Energy Mechanical Milling

In the present work, the effect of Si addition on the magnetic properties of Fe60−xCo25Ni15Six (x = 0, 5, 10, 20, and 30 at%) alloys prepared by mechanical alloying was analyzed by X-ray diffraction and magnetic vibrating sample magnetometry and SQUID. The crystallographic parameters of the bcc-solid solutions were calculated by Rietveld refinement of the X-ray diffraction patterns with Maud software. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to determine the morphology of the powdered alloys as a function of milling time. It was found that the Si addition has an important role in the increase of structural hardening and brittleness of the particles (favoring the more pronounced refinement of crystallites). The resulting nanostructure is highlighted in accordance with the concept of the structure of defects. Magnetic properties were related to the metalloid addition, formed phases, and chemical compositions. All processed samples showed a soft ferromagnetic behavior (Hc ≤ 100 Oe). The inhomogeneous evolution of the magnetization saturation as a function of milling time is explained by the magnetostriction effective anisotropy and stress induced during mechanical alloying

Structural, microstructural, and magnetic properties of nanocrystalline-amorphous Fe–Co–Ta–B alloy processed by high-energy mechanical alloying

International audienceThis is a PDF file of an article that has undergone enhancements after acceptance, such as the addition of a cover page and metadata, and formatting for readability, but it is not yet the definitive version of record. This version will undergo additional copyediting, typesetting and review before it is published in its final form, but we are providing this version to give early visibility of the article. Please note that, during the production process, errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal pertain

High efficiency decolorization of azo dye Reactive Black 5 by Ca-Al particles

This work studies the degradation of azo dye Reactive Black 5 by Ca-Al metallic particles prepared by melt-spinning and ball-milling. The morphology and the phase structure of the metallic powders were characterized and the decolorization efficiency of Reactive Black 5 solutions were assessed by monitoring the dye degradation by ultraviolet-visible absorption spectrophotometry. The decolorization process using the Ca-Al powders showed fast kinetics and high efficiency. 40 mg L-1 dye solution was successfully decolorized in 1 min using 0.1 g/100 mL of Ca65Al35 powder, suggesting it as an effective, low-cost means for degradation of azo-compounds.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft