Microstructure refinement was observed in the fusion zone of AZ31 magnesium (Mg) alloy resistance spot welds when an inoculant was added, either Ti, Al8Mn5, or Mn. The dependence of inoculant potency on the lattice disregistry between inoculants and matrix, and on the liquid cooling rate was studied. Microstructural characterization was performed via optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Thin foils containing the interface of the inoculant particles and Mg matrix were prepared using a focused ion beam (FIB) technique. Columnar dendritic structures in the vicinity of the fusion boundary and equiaxed dendritic structures in the central area were observed in the fusion zone of welds in the SA and SB AZ31Mg alloys from different suppliers. However, the columnar dendritic zone (CDZ) was well restricted, and the width of the CDZ and the diameters of equiaxed dendrites were much smaller in the SA alloy than those in the SB alloy due to the earlier columnar-equiaxed-transition (CET) in the SA alloy. The refined microstructure in the fusion zone of the SA alloy welds is attributed to the pre-existence of the larger Al8Mn5 particles of 4-10 microns in length in the SA alloy which act as an inoculant for alpha-Mg heterogeneous nucleation. Fatigue life and dislocation substructure were compared between the SA and SB welds. The SA welds with the refined microstructure displayed an enhanced fatigue resistance compared to the SB welds, when the interfacial failure took place across the fusion zone. The increased number and dispersion of slip systems in the fine-grained SA welds contributed to the improvement of fatigue life. The well-developed columnar dendritic grains were successfully restricted and the coarse equiaxed dendritic grains were efficiently refined by intentionally adding Ti or Mn inoculant particles into the as-received SB alloy welds. The Ti and Mn particles of about 8μm diameter were observed to promote the nucleation of alpha-Mg grains during welding. TEM examinations showed the existence of local orientation relationships between the respective inoculants Ti, Mn, and Al8Mn5 with the Mg matrix. The further lattice matching was observed between the Al8Mn5 particles and Mg. The diameter of the added inoculant should be larger than 1.8 microns to make it a potent inoculant based on the thermodynamic calculation. Microstructural examinations of samples with different inoculant additions and under different cooling rates showed that the inoculant potency was high for the Ti inoculant, medium for the Al8Mn5, but low for the Mn, when the cooling rate was low. This order in the decrease of grain refinement efficiency is inversely proportional with the order of crystallographic lattice disregistry between inoculants and matrix, which is calculated based on a crystallographic matching model. This implies that the lattice disregistry determines the potency of inoculants at the low cooling rates. In comparison, the lattice disregistry did not influence the heterogeneous nucleation, when the cooling rate was high. It could be inferred that an extremely high cooling rate produces a large supercooling, and provides a sufficient driving force for heterogeneous nucleation.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-18T21:36:00Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 5 Gisele Fabiane Costa Almeida1.pdf: 1559852 bytes, checksum: e3b64fa01d9ed0c356ae71c2a82587a7 (MD5) Gisele Fabiane Costa Almeida2.pdf: 1613261 bytes, checksum: 3e72985f0d62cd4fa325c96f8006249d (MD5) Gisele Fabiane Costa Almeida3.pdf: 3272753 bytes, checksum: 0b5a3898ec5da9039eac14745eea284c (MD5) Gisele Fabiane Costa Almeida4.pdf: 3370583 bytes, checksum: 7f72a8ed429e200e2f55f2d29cc98be5 (MD5) Gisele Fabiane Costa Almeida5.pdf: 1976497 bytes, checksum: dbd9cfe819655d89788c98248e292c2c (MD5) Previous issue date: 2009-08-12 / In this paper the microstructure and the mechanical properties of the hypoeutectic Al-Si alloy (7%Si) casted in a green sand mold were investigated. About 90% of the aluminum alloys have presented the silicon as the main element. The process of green sand casting is largely used due to its facility, versatility and low cost. However, to reach a more refined microstructure and component phases with expected morphology, it is necessary to use aluminum α grain refiners and the eutectic β silicon modifier. The aim of this paper is to identify the effects of the aluminum grain refinement and the eutectic silicon modification at the mechanical properties of the alloy Al-7%Si. There were made several additions of the Nucleant 100 (titanium and boron based) and TiBAl refiner (5/1) and sodium salt based and the SrAl 10% alloy modifiers. The alloy with no eutectic silicon modifiers addition presented the eutectic silicon as a plate-like structure. The addition of grain modifiers, both sodiumbased and strontium based, promotes a change in the eutectic silicon morphology, making it have a less angular and more rounded appearance. The overage of sodium in the modification leads to a reduction in the alloy ductility. Strontium modified alloys present a mild reduction in the yield strength with a significant improvement in the tensile strength and elongation. These properties are strictly connected with the alloy modification rate. The addition of grain refiners, not only the Nucleant 100 but also the TiBAl improves the yield and ultimate strength and elongation, with or without the modifier addition. / Neste trabalho foram investigadas a microestrutura e as propriedades mecânicas da liga Al-Si hipoeutética (7%Si) fundida em molde de areia verde. Dentre as ligas de alumínio, cerca de 90% tem o silício como principal elemento de liga. O processo de fundição em areia verde é amplamente utilizado devido a ser um processo simples, versátil e de baixo custo. Contudo, para se obter um controle da microestrutura e das fases constituintes é necessário a utilização de refinadores de grão do alumínio α e modificadores do silício eutético β. O objetivo deste trabalho foi identificar os efeitos do refino de grão do alumínio e da modificação do silício eutético nas propriedades mecânicas da liga Al-7%Si. Foram feitas adições diversas dos refinadores Nucleant 100, à base de titânio e boro, e TiBAl (5/1) e dos modificadores à base de sais de sódio e a liga SrAl 10%. A liga sem adições de modificadores apresentou o silício eutético na forma de plaquetas. A adição dos modificadores de grão, tanto à base de sódio como estrôncio, acarretou uma mudança na morfologia do silício eutético, tornando-o com uma aparência menos angular e mais arredondada. O excesso de sódio na modificação conduz a uma diminuição da ductilidade da liga. As ligas modificadas com estrôncio apresentam uma leve diminuição no limite de escoamento e um aumento mais significativo do limite de resistência e do alongamento. Estas propriedades estão diretamente relacionadas com o grau de modificação da liga. A adição de refinadores de grão, tanto o Nucleant 100 como o TiBAl melhoram os limites de escoamento e de resistência e o alongamento da liga, com ou sem adição de modificador.

The need to produce lighter components due to environmental aspects and the development of electrical vehicles represents an opportunity for cast aluminium-silicon alloys. With high specific strength, good castability, high corrosion resistance and recyclability, these alloys offer an attractive combination of properties as an alternative to steel, cast iron and titanium-based components in certain applications. To take advantage of such a combination of properties, there is a need to ensure that they can be reliably achieved. In other words, high performing components need to be produced. For that, the production cycle, from alloy selection and melt preparation, to the casting and heat treatment of the component must be understood and controlled as a whole. The different steps in the production cycle will affect the microstructure of the components and hence the resulting mechanical properties. Understanding the relation between the different steps in the production cycle, its consequences on the microstructural features and on the mechanical properties constitutes the aim of this thesis. Experiments applying state-of-the-art knowledge regarding effect of casting process, alloying system and post-process variables were performed aimed at achieving properties similar to those of high pressure die casting (HPDC) components. Different melt quality determination tools were evaluated on three different EN AC-46000 melt qualities. The influence of modification, grain refinement and both treatments together was assessed on an Al-10Si alloy solidified under different cooling rates. The tensile behaviour and the impact of features such as secondary dendrite arm spacing (SDAS) or grain sizes was quantified. It was corroborated that by appropriate selection and control of such alloying system, process and post-process variables it is possible to achieve HPDC EN AC-46000 tensile and fatigue properties through a T5 treated sand cast EN AC-42100 alloy. On the other hand, the available techniques for melt quality assessment are inadequate, requiring further analysis to successfully identify the melt quality. Additionally, it was observed that decreasing the melt quality by additions of 25 wt.% of machining chips did not significantly decrease the tensile properties but slightly increased the variation in them. In relation to the modification and grain refinement of Al-10Si alloys it was concluded that with the slowest cooling rate tested, additions of only grain refiner did not successfully produce equiaxed grains. For cooling rates corresponding to dendrite arm spacings of 15 μm and slower, combined additions of grain refiner and modifier can lead to higher tensile properties compared to the corresponding separate additions. SDAS was observed to describe flow stress through the Hall-Petch equation but grain size did not show a physically meaningful relationship. Furthermore, beginning of cracking was detected in the plastic deformation region at dendrite/eutectic boundaries and propagated in a trans-granular fashion.

Products manufactured by aluminium casting have become very popular and already replaced many parts that were once produced by iron and steel casting. This trends upwards especially in the automotive industry as it has become extremely important to reduce vehicle weight due to environmental requirements and economical aspects. This popularity of aluminium alloys could be ascribed to their light weights and many other advantages including excellent castability, good corrosion resistance, good thermal and electrical conductivity, good machinability, low melting temperatures and minimal gas solubility with the exception of hydrogen. The most important alloy group among casting alloys is Aluminium Silicon (Al - Si).   Al-Si alloys must undergo a specific melt treatment procedure prior to casting. This treatment consists of several steps including degassing of hydrogen, grain refinement and eutectic modification. The aim of this study is to make an assessment of the metal treatment process of an (Al-Si) casting alloy at Unnaryd Modell AB for the purpose of improving the melt conditions and thus the quality of the final product. A rotary degasser provided by Foseco is also tested instead of the traditional tablet degassing method to see if this technique would result in any significant improvement of the melt quality. The results show that Unnaryd modell AB follows a proper treatment routine. It shows moreover that the rotary degassing is superior to the tablet degassing in many aspects including the level of degassing achieved, time efficiency, environmental consideration and personnel security.

This project was funded by Automotive Partnership Canada (APC), an initiative created by the Government of Canada in an attempt to support significant, collaborative R&D activities in order to benefit the entire Canadian automotive industry. / High strength Al-Zn-Mg-Cu alloys have been increasingly employed in the transportation industry due to the increased demands for light structural components. However, their applications have been limited to relatively expensive wrought products. Application of the shape cast Al-Zn-Mg-Cu parts has never been the focus of attention due to their poor castability and mechanical properties. Improving the casting quality is expected to increase their utilization within the automotive industry. The poor castability and mechanical properties of some alloys in this family may be effectively improved through optimized chemistry control and melt treatment including grain refinement. The primary objective of this project is to optimize the chemistry and heat treatment of the Al-Zn-Mg-Cu alloy family that results in improved strength with acceptable level of ductility and casting quality relative to other shape cast Al alloys. The Taguchi experimental design method was used to narrow down the number of required casting experiments required to meet the research objective. Three levels across four elements yielded a total of 9 Al-Zn-Mg-Cu alloys, which were cast using a tilt pour permanent mold process. The effect of each major alloying element on the microstructure, and mechanical properties was investigated. Tensile measurements were made on the 9 alloys subjected to two steps solution treatments. Mechanical properties such as yield strength (YS), ultimate tensile strength (UTS), and elongation at fracture (El.%) were experimentally measured and statistically analyzed. An ANOVA analysis was employed to quantify the percentage contribution of the alloying elements on the material properties. Grain refinement was found to play a significant role in improving the hot tearing resistance and, thereby ameliorating quality. The alloying element that affected the YS and UTS to the greatest extent was Cu, followed by Zn. In contrast, the effect of Mg and Ti on YS and UTS was insignificant. Moreover, a decrease in Mg content had the greatest effect in enhancing the El.%. A regression analysis was used to obtain statistical relationships (models) correlating the material properties with the variations in the content of the major alloying elements. The R-square values of YS, UTS, and El.% were 99.7 %, 98 %, and 90 %, respectively, showing that the models replicated the experimental results. Verification measurements made on shape cast Al-6Zn-2Mg-2Cu alloy revealed that the material property model predictions were in agreement with the experimentally measured values. The results show that secondary and over ageing treatments of the shape cast Al-Zn-Mg-Cu alloys lead to superior combination of YS and El.%. The ongoing advances in shape casting of Al-Zn-Mg-Cu alloys with high will make them suitable choices for commercial load-bearing automotive components, when it comes to the selection of a material meeting the minimum requirements for strength, damage tolerance, cost and weight. / Thesis / Master of Applied Science (MASc)

No description available.

The present thesis investigates the grain refinement in solidifying Al-7wt%Si hypoeutectic alloy driven by electric currents. The grain size reduction in alloys generated by electric currents during the solidification has been intensively investigated. However, since various effects of electric currents have the potential to generate the finer equiaxed grains, it is still argued which effect plays the key role in the grain refinement process. In addition, the knowledge about the grain refinement mechanism under the application of electric currents remains fragmentary and inconsistent. Hence, the research objectives of the present thesis focus on the role of electric current effects and the grain refinement mechanism under the application of electric currents. Chapter 1 presents an introduction with respect to the subject of grain refinement in alloys driven by electric current during the solidification process in particular, including the research objectives; the research motivation; a brief review about the research history; a short introduction on the electric currents effects and a review relevant to the research status of grain refinement mechanism. Chapter 2 gives a description of research methods. This chapter shows the employed experiment materials, experimental setup, experimental procedure, the analysis methods of solidified samples, and numerical method, respectively. Chapter 3 focuses on the role of electric current effects in the grain refinement process. A series of solidification experiments are performed under various values of effective electric currents for both, electric current pulse and direct current. The corresponding temperature measurements and flow measurements are carried out with the increase of effective electric current intensity. Meanwhile, numerical simulations are conducted to present the details of the flow structure and the distribution of electric current density and electromagnetic force. Finally, the role of electric current effects is discussed to find the key effect in the grain refinement driven by electric currents. Chapter 4 investigates the grain refinement mechanism driven by electric currents. This chapter mainly focuses on the origin of finer equiaxed grain for grain refinement under the application of electric current on account of the importance of the origin for understanding the grain refinement mechanism. A series of solidification experiments are carried out in Al-7wt%Si alloy and in high purity aluminum. The main origin of equiaxed grain for grain refinement is concluded based on the experiment results. Chapter 5 presents three further investigations based on the achieved knowledge in chapter 3 and 4 about the role of electric current effects and the grain refinement mechanism. According to the insight into the key electric current effect for the grain refinement shown in chapter 3, this chapter presents a potential approach to promote the grain refinement. In addition, the solute distribution under the influence of electric current is examined based on the knowledge about the electric current effects. Moreover, the grain refinement mechanism under application of travelling magnetic field is investigated by performing a series of solidification experiments to compare with the experiments about the grain refinement mechanism driven by electric currents shown in chapter 4. Chapter 6 summarizes the main conclusions from the presented work.

Approved for public release, distribution is unlimited / The extreme strain, strain rate and temperature gradients during Friction Stir Processing (FSP) render measurement of key parameters in the stir zone infeasible with common methods. The objective of this research was to separate the effects that temperature and deformation in an experimental study of the microstructure and mechanical properties of Ni-AL bronze (NAB). This was accomplished by subjecting as-cast NAB material to several isothermal annealing and quenching treatments as well as isothermal hot rolling processes. Sufficient material was generated to provide results and data for subsequent optical microscopy, tensile, & hardness tests. All results were then compared to similar data collected from previous works completed here at Naval Postgraduate School and with other DARPA FSP program participants. During the course of this work correlations were drawn between FSP material and the material subjected to isothermal hotworking, which may enhance our understanding of the roles that various FSP process parameters have on the microstructural transformation sequence within this material. The hot-rolling study conducted here suggests that FSP process parameters leading to severe deformation at temperatures between 950-1000 C in the NAB material provides high ductility (elongation approximately 28%) with moderate strengths. / Lieutenant, United States Coast Guard

The vehicles industry is facing increasing demands for fuel efficiency and cost reduction due to environmental legislation, sustainability and customer demands. Therefore, there is a great need to develop and produce lightweight components by using materials and processes that offer higher specific strength and/or design optimization. Semi‐solid aluminium casting offers design freedom and castings with lower shrinkage and gas entrapment defects compared to high pressure die castings. The lack of understanding of microstructure and defect formation, and design data, for semi‐solid castings is a barrier for foundries and designers in the vehicles industry to use semi‐solid castings. In this study, the effect of two grain refiners on slurry formation and surface segregation of semi‐solid Al‐7Si‐0.3Mg castings produced by the Rheometal™ process was evaluated. The influence of grain refinement on primary α‐Al grain size, shape factor and solid fraction was analysed in addition to the solute content of the surface segregation layer. The influence of magnesium on the formation of intermetallic phases during solidification and the heat treatment response of Al‐7Si‐Mg semi‐solid castings was investigated. The magnesium content was varied from 0.3 to 0.6wt.% and the semi-solid castings were analysed in the T5 and T6 conditions. Energy dispersive spectroscopy was used to identify the intermetallic phases formed during solidification. Tensile testing was performed and the results were correlated to the magnesium and silicon concentration measured in the interior of the α‐Al globules formed during slurry preparation. The results suggest that the addition of grain refiner decreases the solid fraction obtained in the Rheometal™ process. However, no significant effect was observed on the α‐Al grain size and shape factor. A good correlation was obtained between the magnesium concentration in the interior of the α‐Al globules formed during slurry preparation and the offset yield strength for all alloys. The low magnesium solubility in α‐Al at temperatures in the solidification range of the Al‐7Si‐Mg alloys is suggested to be the reason for the low hardening response for the T5 heat treatment compared to the T6 condition.

Abstract Stabilized ferritic stainless steel grades are attractive alternatives to common austenitic grades in sheet metal applications. Compared with older unstabilized ferritic grades, the mechanical and corrosion properties are usually improved. The impurity level, mainly the amount of interstitial carbon and nitrogen, plays an important role in these steels. There are notable issues in the welding of these steels, the most apparent difference to austenitic steels is the susceptibility to brittle failure. This research focused on the influence of minor elements, especially aluminium, calcium, silicon, titanium, niobium, nitrogen and oxygen, on the weldability of modern intermediate purity level stabilized ferritic stainless steels. The research proceeded in several stages. At first, the general characteristics and performance data about the welds in currently manufactured 11 to 21 mass percent chromium ferritic stainless steels in Europe was obtained. The research then focused on novel high chromium stabilized ferritic stainless steels. Lastly, the influence of various steelmaking practices on weldability were investigated. The results showed that in stabilized ferritic stainless steels, slag islands are frequently seen in the molten weld pools. These islands can have many origins, e.g. deoxidation, calcium treatment and stabilization practices, and they can be roughly assessed from the chemical composition of the steel. The nature and the influence of these slags varies and can be related to irregularities in the weldability and molten metal fluid flow. Large grain size and titanium carbonitride particles impair the toughness of the heat-affected zone. Generally, stabilization with niobium is preferred. However, solely niobium stabilized steel welds run the risk of forming coarse columnar grains in welds deteriorating some of the properties. A breakdown of the columnar grains is possible to achieve in autogenous welds with minor titanium and aluminium alloying, provided that small amounts of nitrogen and oxygen are induced from the shielding gas. However, grain refinement may not improve the properties, if it is accomplished with an increase in the total interstitial content. / Tiivistelmä Stabiloidut ferriittiset ruostumattomat teräkset soveltuvat korvaamaan tavanomaisia austeniittisia ruostumattomia teräksiä ohutlevysovelluksissa. Näillä teräksillä keskeiset mekaaniset ja korroosio-ominaisuudet ovat usein paremmat kuin varhaisilla, stabiloimattomilla ferriittisillä teräksillä. Hiili ja typpi ovat näissä teräksissä kuitenkin epäpuhtauksia. Toisin kuin austeniittiset teräkset, ferriittiset teräkset ovat alttiita haurasmurtumalle, erityisesti hitsatuissa rakenteissa. Tässä väitöstutkimuksessa keskityttiin mikroseosaineiden ja epäpuhtauksien vaikutukseen keskipuhtaiden stabiloitujen ferriittisten teräslajien hitsauksessa. Tutkimus kohdistui erityisesti alumiinin, kalsiumin, piin, titaanin, niobin, typen ja hapen vaikutuksiin. Aluksi tutkittiin kaupallisten terästen hitsien keskeisiä ominaisuuksia. Tämän jälkeen tutkittiin uusia ns. korkeakromisia stabiloituja ferriittisiä teräslajeja. Lopuksi tutkittiin teräksen valmistuksen vaikutuksia stabiloitujen ferriittisten ruostumattomien terästen hitsattavuuteen. Tutkituilla teräksillä hitsauksen aikana muodostui runsaasti kuonalauttoja. Näillä kuonilla on monta alkuperää, esim. deoksidointi, kalsiumkäsittely ja stabilointiaineet. Hitsien kuonaisuutta voidaan karkeasti arvioida teräksen kemiallisen koostumuksen perusteella. Muodostuvilla kuonilla on useita vaikutuksia hitsauksessa, mm. epäjatkuvuuksiin ja sulan virtauksiin. Hitsauksessa muodostuva suuri raekoko ja stabiloinnin titaanikarbonitridipartikkelit heikentävät oleellisesti hitsin muutosvyöhykkeen sitkeyttä. Stabilointi käyttäen pääasiassa niobia on toivottavaa, mutta jos stabilointiin käytetään vain niobia, tulee hitsin mikrorakenteesta karkea ja hitsin ominaisuudet voivat heikentyä. Karkean mikrorakenteen hienontaminen on mahdollista käyttäen suojakaasuna argonia, jossa on hieman typpeä ja happea, mikäli teräkseen on seostettu hieman alumiinia ja titaania. Raerakenteen hienontaminen ei kuitenkaan yksiselitteisesti paranna hitsin ominaisuuksia, mikäli hienontaminen saavutetaan kasvattamalla epäpuhtauspitoisuutta tarpeettoman korkeaksi.