The effect of pre-annealing on the evolution of the 2 microstructure and mechanical behavior of 3 aluminum processed by a novel SPD method

A novel continuous process of severe plastic deformation (SPD) named continuous close die forging (CCDF) is presented. The CCDF process combines all favorite advances of multidirectional forging and other SPD methods, and it can be easily scaled up for industrial use. Keeping constant both the cross section and the length of the sample, the new method promotes a refinement of the microstructure. The grain refinement and mechanical properties of commercially pure aluminum (AA1050) were studied as a function of the number of CCDF repetitive passes and the previous conditioning heat treatment. In particular, two different pre-annealing treatments were applied. The first one consisted of a reheating to 623 K (350 °C) for 1 h aimed at eliminating the effect of the deformation applied during the bar extrusion. The second pre-annealing consisted on a reheating to 903 K (630 °C) for 48 h plus cooling down to 573 K (300 °C) at 66 K/h. At this latter temperature, the material remained for 3 h prior to a final cooling to room temperature within the furnace, i.e., slow cooling rate. This treatment aimed at increasing the elongation and formability of the material. No visible cracking was detected in the workpiece of AA1050 processed up to 16 passes at room temperature after the first conditioning heat treatment, and 24 passes were able to be applied when the material was subjected to the second heat treatment. After processing through 16 passes for the low temperature pre-annealed samples, the microstructure was refined down to a mean grain size of 0.82 µm and the grain size was further reduced to 0.72 µm after 24 passes, applied after the high temperature heat treatment. Tensile tests showed the best mechanical properties after the high temperature pre-annealing and 24 passes of the novel CCDF method. A yield strength and ultimate tensile strength of 180 and 226 MPa, respectively, were obtained. Elongation to fracture was 18%. The microstructure and grain boundary nature are discussed in relation to the mechanical properties attained by the current ultrafine-grained (UFG) AA1050 processed by this new method.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Superplastic behaviour of AZ91 magnesium alloy processed by high– pressure torsion

An investigation has been conducted on the tensile properties of a fine–grained AZ91 magnesium alloy processed at room temperature by high pressure torsion (HPT). Tensile testing was carried out at 423 K, 473 K and 573 K using strain rates from 1×10–1 s–1 to 1×10–4 s–1 for samples processed in HPT for N = 1, 3, 5 and 10 turns. After testing was completed, the microstructures were investigated by scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive spectroscopy. The alloy processed at room temperature in HPT exhibited excellent superplastic behaviour with elongations higher than elongations reported previously for fine–grained AZ91 alloy produced by other severe plastic deformation processes, e.g. HPT, ECAP and EX–ECAP. A maximum elongation of 1308 % was achieved at a testing temperature of 573 K using a strain rate of 1×10–4 s–1, which is the highest value of elongation reported to date in this alloy. Excellent high–strain rate superplasticity (HSRSP) was achieved with maximum elongations of 590 % and 860 % at temperatures of 473 K and 573 K, respectively, using a strain rate of 1×10–2 s–1. The alloy exhibited low–temperature superplasticity (LTSP) with maximum elongations of 660 % and 760 % at a temperature of 423 K and using strain rates of 1×10–3 s–1 and 1×10–4 s–1, respectively. Grain–boundary sliding (GBS) was identified as the deformation mechanism during HSRSP, and the glide–dislocation creep accommodated by GBS dominated during LTSP. Grain–boundary sliding accommodated with diffusion creep was the deformation mechanism at high test temperature and slow strain rates. An enhanced thermal stability of the microstructure consisting of fine equiaxed grains during deformation at elevated temperature was attributed to the extremely fine grains produced in HPT at room temperature, a high volume fraction of nano ?–particles, and the formation of ?–phase filaments

A critical examination of pure tantalum processed by high-pressure torsion

Tantalum, a common refractory metal with body-centred cubic (BCC) crystalline structure, was processed by high-pressure torsion (HPT) at room temperature through different numbers of rotations. Significant grain refinement and high strength were achieved with a reduction in grain size from ?60 ?m to ?160 nm and an increase in strength from ?200 to >1300 MPa. Hardness measurements revealed a high level of homogeneity after 10 turns of HPT but the hardness after 10 turns was slightly lower than after 5 turns indicating the occurrence of some recovery. Tensile testing at a strain rate of 1.0×10?3 s?1 gave high strengths of ?1200 MPa but little or no ductility after processing through 1, 5 and 10 turns. The introduction of a short-term (15 min) anneal immediately after HPT processing led to significant ductility in all samples and a reasonable level of strength at ?800 MPa

In-situ nanocomposite in friction stir welding of 6061-T6 aluminum alloy to AZ31 magnesium alloy

Prior to friction stir welding (FSW), silicon carbide (SiC) nanopowders were placed inside the groove on the adjacent side of magnesium sheet. In order to make a good distribution of these nanoparticles, first, friction stir processing (FSP) with a pinless tool was conducted on this side. Second, using a frustum pin tool, a combination of two travel speeds (25 and 35¿mm/min) and three rotation speeds (550, 600 and 650¿rpm) were employed to obtain the optimal conditions for FSW of AZ31 magnesium alloy to 6061 aluminum alloy. The joint fabricated at 35¿mm/min and 650¿rpm, exhibited improvement of 28% in tensile strength and enhancement about three times in elongation, compared with the joint without nanoparticles. SiC nanoparticles had an effective role on the grain refining of the stirred zone and improving the microstructural characteristics of the banded structure zone. Due to the decreased grain size and the presence of ceramic nanoparticles (SiC) with high value of hardness, the hardness level of the reinforced samples was greater than that of the non-reinforced samples. Fracture of the non-reinforced sample was completely brittle, while in the reinforced samples, fracture features changed to the ductile mode.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

Temperature and strain rate dependence of microstructural evolution and dynamic mechanical behavior in nanocrystalline Ti

The mechanical behavior of commercial purity titanium with a nanocrystalline (NC) grain size was investigated using split Hopkinson pressure bar tests at high strain rates and over a range of temperatures. The study was accompanied by detailed microstructural investigations before and after compression testing. The results show that rotary dynamic recrystallization operates during compressive deformation at strain rates of ~3000 and ~4500 s?1 at temperatures from 298 to 573 K but cells form at 673 K. The dynamic mechanical behavior of NC Ti shows a strong dependence on temperature and strain rate such that the flow stress and the strain hardening rate both increase with increasing strain and decreasing temperature. A constitutive equation is derived to relate the flow stress to the temperature, strain rate and true strain and to predict the yield strength and the peak stress of NC Ti subjected to dynamic deformation at elevated temperatures

Peak Stir Zone Temperatures during Friction Stir Processing

The stir zone (SZ) temperature cycle was measured during the friction stir processing (FSP) of NiAl bronze plates. The FSP was conducted using a tool design with a smooth concave shoulder and a 12.7-mm step-spiral pin. Temperature sensing was accomplished using sheathed thermocouples embedded in the tool path within the plates, while simultaneous optical pyrometry measurements of surface temperatures were also obtained. Peak SZ temperatures were 990 ⁰Cto 1015 ⁰C (0.90 to 0.97 TMelt) and were not affected by preheating to 400⁰C, although the dwell time above 900 ⁰C was increased by the preheating. Thermocouple data suggested little variation in peak temperature across the SZ, although thermocouples initially located on the advancing sides and at the centerlines of the tool traverses were displaced to the retreating sides, precluding direct assessment of the temperature variation across the SZ. Microstructure-based estimates of local peak SZ temperatures have been made on these and on other similarly processed materials. Altogether, the peak-temperature determinations from these different measurement techniques are in close agreement