A Fast Method for Predicting the Mechanical Properties of Precipitation-Hardenable Aluminum Alloys

Most heat treatment simulations of precipitation-hardenable aluminum alloys are incomplete or restricted to sub-steps of the process chain. In general, the studies addressing the heat treatment of aluminum components have only provided a qualitative guidance of heat treatment, which does not match the heat treatment that is necessary for specific parts with specific requirements. Thus, a quick and accurate simulation of the whole heat treatment process would hold great economic benefit for industrial applications in predicting suitable heat treatment processes that are able to meet the required mechanical properties of proposed novel aluminum components. In this paper, the development of a time and cost efficient method for generating such prediction models is presented by means of an example aluminum alloy EN AW-6082. During the process sub-steps of solution annealing, quenching and aging, the time-temperature correlations connected to the precipitation-hardening conditions were analyzed. The precision of the prediction model depends on the size of the material database, which should be able to be adjusted to the individual requirements of the simulation user. In order to obtain the greatest time and cost efficiency in generating such a model, a specific experimental design was developed. The results of the method development are presented and discussed

Tensile properties of α-titanium alloys at elevated temperatures

Hot-deep drawing is an innovative processing technology to produce complex shaped sheet metal components with constant wall thickness from high-strength lightweight materials. For some aerospace and automotive applications oxidation resistance at medium to high temperatures is an important aspect. In terms of this titanium α-alloys are often used due to their balanced relation of strength and oxidation resistance. In the presented study the stress-strain characteristics of several α-titanium alloys were determined at ambient and elevated temperatures by means of hot tensile tests. Besides the commercially pure Titanium alloy ASTM-Grade 4, two novel α-titanium alloys were investigated. Regarding the hot forming properties a comparison with α-β Ti-6Al-4V alloy was conducted. The hot tensile tests were carried out by means of a particular forming dilatometer type “Gleeble 3500” at 400, 500, 600, 650, 700 and 800 °C. The test showed favorable peak plasticity for all α-alloys at the temperature range between 600 and 650 °C in contrast to lower or higher temperatures. All samples were metallographically characterized. Key words: titanium α-alloys, hot tensile properties, elevated temperatures, Gleeble 3500

Tensile properties of α-titanium alloys at elevated temperatures

Hot-deep drawing is an innovative processing technology to produce complex shaped sheet metal components with constant wall thickness from high-strength lightweight materials. For some aerospace and automotive applications oxidation resistance at medium to high temperatures is an important aspect. In terms of this titanium α-alloys are often used due to their balanced relation of strength and oxidation resistance. In the presented study the stress-strain characteristics of several α-titanium alloys were determined at ambient and elevated temperatures by means of hot tensile tests. Besides the commercially pure Titanium alloy ASTM-Grade 4, two novel α-titanium alloys were investigated. Regarding the hot forming properties a comparison with α-β Ti-6Al-4V alloy was conducted. The hot tensile tests were carried out by means of a particular forming dilatometer type “Gleeble 3500” at 400, 500, 600, 650, 700 and 800 °C. The test showed favorable peak plasticity for all α-alloys at the temperature range between 600 and 650 °C in contrast to lower or higher temperatures. All samples were metallographically characterized. Key words: titanium α-alloys, hot tensile properties, elevated temperatures, Gleeble 3500

State of the Art and Emerging Trends in Additive Manufacturing: From Multi-Material processes to 3D printed Electronics

Additive manufacturing is considered a disruptive technology that is expected to revolutionize production technology and affect value chains on a global scale. The scope of accessible materials ranges from polymers to metals and ceramics as well as composites. The keynote will provide an overview of available manufacturing processes for the various material groups and discuss the specific advantages of additive manufacturing – e.g. realization of complex geometries, part count and assembly effort reduction, art-to-part approach - in view of selected applications and production scenarios. Further to this, selected emerging trends in additive manufacturing will be presented and discussed, including fabrication of composites, hybrid structures, multi-material techniques and associated promises with respect to local tailoring of material properties, and the integration of sensors and/or electronic systems in AM parts

Analysis of Different 100Cr6 Material States Using Particle-Oriented Peening

As part of a novel method for evolutionary material development, particle-oriented peening is used in this work to characterize 100Cr6 (AISI 52100) microparticles that were heat-treated by means of a differential scanning calorimeter (DSC). The plastic deformation of the samples in particle-oriented peening is correlated with the microstructural properties considering different heat-treatment variations. While the heating rate was kept constant (10 K/min) for all heat treatments, different heating temperatures (500 °C, 800 °C, 1000 °C and 1100 °C) were realized, held for 20 min and then cooled down at a rate of 50 K/min. Thereby, microstructural states with different (mechanical) properties are generated. For validation, microsections of the particles were analyzed and additional universal microhardness measurements (UMH) were performed. It could be shown that the quickly assessable plastic deformation descriptor reacts sensitively to the changes in the hardness due to the heat treatment

Measurement and Evaluation of Calorimetric Descriptors for the Suitability for Evolutionary High-Throughput Material Development

A novel method for evolutionary material development by using high-throughput processing is established. For the purpose of this high-throughput approach, spherical micro samples are used, which have to be characterized, up-scaled to macro level and valued. For the evaluation of the microstructural state of the micro samples and the associated micro-properties, fast characterization methods based on physical testing methods such as calorimetry and universal microhardness measurements are developed. Those measurements result in so-called descriptors. The increase in throughput during calorimetric characterization using differential scanning calorimetry is achieved by accelerating the heating rate. Consequently, descriptors are basically measured in a non-equilibrium state. The maximum heating rate is limited by the possibility to infer the microstructural state from the calorimetric results. The substantial quality of the measured descriptors for micro samples has to be quantified and analyzed depending on the heating rate. In this work, the first results of the measurements of calorimetric descriptors with increased heating rates for 100Cr6 will be presented and discussed. The results of low and high heating rates will be compared and analyzed using additional microhardness measurements. Furthermore, the validation of the method regarding the suitability for the evolutionary material development includes up-scaling to macro level and therefore different sample masses will be investigated using micro and macro samples during calorimetry

Eccentric rotary swaging variants

Rotary swaging is an incremental cold forming process that changes beneath the geometry also the microstructure and mechanical properties of workpiece. Especially a new process design with Eccentric Flat Shaped Dies (EFSD) influences both the kind and amount of stress and plastic strain and consequently the material structure and hence the material and workpiece properties. Eccentric rotary swaging typically provides a helical material flow. According to the process parameters the microstructure features a typical eddy pattern with a spiral shaped grain orientation. The forming process can be carried out in one or more process steps. In a multi-stage process, it is possible to change the feed direction and, hence, the material flow helix direction. This approach can be used as a possibility to improve the homogeneity of the workpiece and material properties. In addition, for this aims an intermediate heat treatment in multi-stage forming operations could be realised. Following the goal of optimising the final properties, the question arises how these mechanical and thermal treatments affect the material microstructure and the forming properties of the workpiece and how they interact. Experiments were conducted with austenitic stainless steel rods of grade AISI304. The effects of the varied feed direction, feed velocity and heat treatment between the forming operations are discussed