Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Novel Heat Resistant Cast Al-Cu-Yb(Gd)-Mg-Mn-Zr Alloys

The present study focused on the development of the novel heat resistant cast Al-Cu-Yb(Gd)-Mg-Mn-Zr alloys based on the prevue investigations. Microstructures and mechanical properties were investigated by optical, scanning and transmission electron microscopy, hardness measurements, and tensile and creep tests at room and elevated temperatures. Ytterbium in combination with Zr and Ti provide greater Al grain refining than gadolinium. The L12-Al3(Zr,Yb) or L12-Al3(Zr,Gd) and Al20Cu2Mn3 phase precipitates were nucleated during solution treatment. The average sizes of L12-Al3(Zr,Yb) and L12-Al3(Zr,Gd) are 28 ± 6 nm and 32 ± 4 nm, respectively. Al20Cu2Mn3 phase precipitates formed with a more coarse size of 100–200 nm. The highest hardening effect was achieved after 3 h of aging at 210 °C in both alloys due to S’(Al2CuMg) precipitates. The ultimate tensile strengths (UTS) of the AlCuYbMg and AlCuGdMg alloys at room temperature are 338 and 299 MPa, respectively. The UTS decreases to 220–272 MPa when increasing the temperature of the tensile test to 200–250 °C. The rupture stress at 250 °C for 100 h under stress is 111–113 MPa. The contribution from different structure parts in the yield strength was calculated. The main strengthening effects of 54–60 MPa and 138–153 MPa were achieved from L12 and S’ precipitates, respectively. The calculated values of yield strength (YS) are consistent with the experimental data. Novel AlCuYbMg and AlCuGdMg alloys are a potential option for castings for high temperature application

United Approach to Modelling of the Hot Deformation Behavior, Fracture, and Microstructure Evolution of Austenitic Stainless AISI 316Ti Steel

Hot deformation is one of the main technological stages of products made from metallic materials. It is strictly required to decrease the costs of developing optimized technologies at this stage without a significant decrease in the products’ quality. The present investigation offers an algorithm to unite three different models to predict the hot deformation behavior, fracture, and microstructure evolution. The hot compression and tension tests of the AISI 316Ti steel were conducted using the thermomechanical simulator Gleeble 3800 for the models’ construction. The strain-compensated constitutive model and the Johnson–Mehl–Avrami–Kolmogorov (JMAK)-type model of the grain structure evolution show a satisfactory accuracy of 4.38% and 6.9%, respectively. The critical values of the modified Rice and Tracy fracture criteria were determined using the experimental values of the relative cross-section reduction and finite element calculation of the stress triaxiality. The developed models were approved for the stainless AISI 316Ti steel by the hot torsion with tension test

Effect of Zr on Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of the Al–Cu–Yb and Al–Cu–Gd Alloys

The effect of zirconium on the microstructure, phase composition, and mechanical properties of AlCuYb and AlCuGd alloys was studied. The microstructure of the as-cast alloys did not consist of new intermetallic phases of zirconium with other elements, so the zirconium was fully dissolved in the aluminum matrix. The AlCuYbZr/AlCuGdZr alloys demonstrated higher hardness values compared to the AlCuYb/AlCuGd alloys due to the precipitation of the Al3(Zr,Yb) and Al3(Zr,Gd) phases, which were formed during the homogenization treatment. The AlCuYbZr alloy had a 10–20 MPa higher yield and tensile strength than the AlCuGdZr alloy at the same annealing temperature and time. The AlCuYbZr alloy exhibited good mechanical tensile properties at an annealing temperature of 100 °C for 1 h, with a yield strength of 276 MPa, ultimate tensile strength of 312 MPa, and elongation of 3.1%, while the as-rolled AlCuGdZr alloy had similar mechanical tensile properties, with a yield strength of 279 MPa, ultimate tensile strength of 307 MPa, and elongation of 4.8%. At an annealing temperature of 300 °C for 10 min, The AlCuYbZr and AlCuGdZr alloys showed a good ductility of 10.5% and 8%, respectively, with 207 MPa yield strength for both alloys. AlCuYbZr and AlCuGdZr alloys are a prospective base composition for developing novel high technology heat resistant aluminum alloys