Analysis of precipitation and dissolution in overaged 7xxx aluminium alloys using DSC

To improve the understanding of the relation between composition, precipitation and the balance of strength and electrical conductivity (as a measure of the stress-corrosion resistance), a number of Al Zn Mg Cu Zr aluminium alloy plates with different Zn, Mg and Cu contents were produced and studied by Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC). It is shown that detailed analysis of the DSC data produces valuable information on the optimal Mg, Zn and Cu contents

Analysis of nucleation and growth with the model for diffusion-controlled precipitation reactions based on the extended volume concept

Recently (M.J. Starink, Thermochim Acta 596, 2014, 109-119) a new model for diffusion-controlled precipitation reactions based on the extended volume concept was derived. The model leads to an analytical equation describing the relation between the fraction transformed, alfa, the reaction time, t, and the reaction exponent, n, as:alfa = {exp(-2(kt)^n)-1}/(2(kt)^n) + 1In the present work, new analysis methods are derived which allow determination of the reaction exponent n. The new methods are applied to analysis of nucleation and it is shown that generally during a reaction with growth in 3 dimensions there are only 2 modes: either the nucleation rate in the extended volume is constant or it is negligibly small. A new approach to the interaction of diffusion-controlled growth and nucleation is proposed to rationalise these findings. The exponential decay of the average solute content predicted by the new model is further analysed and compared with a range of experimental data and contrasted with other models. The new model is found to correspond excellently to these solute decay data.<br/

Experimental analysis of toughness in 6156 Al-alloy sheet for aerospace application

Analysis of toughness in 6156 Al-Mg-Si-Cu sheet has been performed using enhanced Kahn tear tests on samples quenched at different rates, whilst microstructures of the samples have been assessed using differential scanning calorimetry, scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. Crack initiation energies were unaffected by changing water quench temperature from 20°C to 60°C, however a significant reduction was evident on air cooling. Crack propagation resistance was reduced for both 60°C water quenched and air cooled materials. The failure morphology of the air cooled material appears consistent with classical intergranular ductile failure. Coarse voiding and shear decohesion was prevalent in the 20°C water quenched material, whilst the 60°C water quenched material showed a mixture of transgranular and intergranular fracture modes. Changes in microstructure and precipitation behaviour resulting from reduced quenching rate were identified and related to the observed fracture behaviour, particularly in terms of precipitate free zone formation and the simultaneous presence of coarse particles at grain boundaries

Short crack initiation and growth at 600 °C in notched specimens of Inconel718

The natural initiation and growth of short cracks in Inconel®718 U-notch specimens has been studied at 600 °C in air. U notches were introduced through broaching, and hardness traces and optical microscopy on cross-sections through the U notch broaching showed that the broaching process had introduced a deformed, work hardened layer. Fatigue tests were conducted under load control using a 1-1-1-1 trapezoidal waveform, on specimens with as-broached and polished U-notches. Multi-site crack initiation occurred in the notch root. Many of the cracks initiated at bulge-like features formed by volume expansion of oxidising (Nb,Ti)C particles. In unstressed samples, oxidation of (Nb,Ti)C particles occurred readily, producing characteristic surface eruptions. Scanning electron microscopy on metallographic sections revealed some sub-surface (Nb,Ti)C oxidation and localised matrix deformation around oxidised particles. A mechanism for crack initiation by carbide expansion during oxidation is discussed. Surface short crack growth rates in the notch root of polished specimens were measured using an acetate replica technique. Observed short-crack growth rates were approximately constant across a wide range of crack lengths. However, there was a transition to rapid, accelerating crack growth once cracks reached several hundred micrometers in length. This rapid propagation in the latter stages of the fatigue life was assisted by crack coalescence. Polishing the U-notch to remove broaching marks resulted in a pronounced increase in fatigue life

Quench sensitivity of Al-Mg-Si alloys: a model for linear cooling and strengthening

In this work quench-induced precipitation during continuous cooling of five Al-Mg-Si alloys is studied over a wide range of cooling rates of 0.05 K/min - 2x10^4 K/min using Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC), X-ray diffraction, optical microscopy (OM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and hardness testing. The DSC data shows that the cooling reactions are dominated by a high temperature reaction (typically 500 °C down to 380 °C) and a lower temperature reaction (380 °C down to 250 °C), and the microstructural analysis shows they are Mg2Si phase formation and B’ phase precipitation on dispersoids, respectively. A new, physically-based model is designed to model the precipitation during the quenching as well as the strength after cooling and after subsequent age hardening. After fitting of parameters, the highly efficient model allows to predict accurately the measured quench sensitivity, the volume fractions of quench induced precipitates, enthalpy changes in the quenched sample and hardness value

A comparison of high temperature fatigue crack propagation in various sub-solvus heat treated turbine disc alloys

The microstructure and fatigue performance of three sub-solvus heat treated nickel based disc superalloys for turbine disc applications are reported. The alloy variants studied are RR1000, N18 and Udimet 720 Low Interstitial (U720Li), with the latter tested both in a standard and large grain variant (LG). Their microstructures are examined in terms of grain and gamma prime size. Fatigue crack growth (FCG) rates for all materials at 650ºC show that RR1000 provides the best performance, followed by U720Li-LG, N18 and U720Li. In general, the failure modes become increasingly intergranular with increasing ?K. Some of the variations in FCG rate between the alloys are due to reduction in grain boundary oxidation processes with increased grain size, but more subtle interplays between grain boundary character, alloy composition and slip character are also importan

The role of the Treaty of Waitangi in contemporary public law : does the Treaty have to be incorporated into municipal law to be of effect?

Recent work on Al-Cu-Mg based alloys with Cu:Mg atomic ratio close to unity is reviewed to clarify the mechanisms for age hardening. During the first stage of hardening a substantial exothermic heat evolution occurs whilst the microstructural change involves the formation of initially Cu-rich / Mg-rich clusters and later Cu-Mg co-clusters. The data show that the first stage of the age hardening is due to the formation of Cu-Mg co-clusters. The combined experimental methods show the second stage hardening is dominated by formation of S phase, which forms a dense precipitation at the peak hardness stage, whilst no significant amounts of other phases or zones are detected. S phase strengthens the alloy predominantly through the Orowan looping mechanism. These findings are incorporated into a multi-phase, multi-mechanism model for yield strength of Al-Cu-Mg based alloys

Hardening mechanism of commercially pure Mg processed by high pressure torsion at room temperature

Coarse-grained Mg in the as-cast condition and fine-grained Mg in the extruded condition were processed by high pressure torsion (HPT) at room temperature for up to 16 turns. Microstructure observation and texture analysis indicate that to fulfil the Von Mises criterion, the non-basal slip is activated in the as-cast Mg and tension twinning is activated in the as-extruded Mg. Although the deformation mechanism is different in the as-cast Mg and the as-extruded Mg during HPT, their hardening evolutions are similar, i.e. after 1/8 turn of HPT, microhardness of the as-cast Mg and the extruded Mg both show a significant increase and further HPT processing does not significantly further increase the microhardness. Texture strengthening can explain the rapid hardening. Hardness anisotropy and texture data results suggest that texture strengthening plays an important role for both types of samples. Texture strengthening weakens with decreasing grain size

Experimental and computational analysis of toughness anisotropy in an AA2139 Al-alloy for aerospace applications

International audienceFracture toughness anisotropy of AA2139 (Al-Cu-Mg) in T351 and T8 conditions has been investigated via mechanical testing of smooth and notched specimens of different geometries, loaded in the rolling direction (L) or in the transverse direction (T). Fracture mechanisms were investigated via SEM and synchrotron radiation computed tomography (SRCT). Contributions to failure anisotropy are identified with: (i) anisotropic initial void shape and growth, (ii) plastic behaviour including isotropic/kinematic hardening and plastic anisotropy, and (iii) nucleation at a 2nd population of 2nd phase particles leading to coalescence via narrow crack regions. A model based in part on the Gurson-Tvergaard-Needleman approach is constructed to describe and predict deformation behaviour, crack propagation and, in particular, toughness anisotropy. Model parameters are fitted using microstructural data and data on deformation and crack propagation for a range of small test samples. Its transferability has been shown by simulating tests of large M(T) samples