Investigation of the tensile and fatigue properties of cast magnesium alloys, created by the heated mold continuous casting process (HMC),
was conducted. The mechanical properties of the Mg-HMC alloys were overall higher than those for the Mg alloys, made by the
conventional gravity casting process (GC), and especially excellent mechanical properties were obtained for the Mg97Y2Zn1
-HMC alloy.
This was because of the fine-grained structure composed of the -Mg phases with the interdendritic LPSO phase. Such mechanical
properties were similar levels to those for conventional cast aluminum alloy (Al84.7Si10.5Cu2.5Fe1.3Zn1 alloys: ADC12), made by the GC
process. Moreover, the tensile properties (UTS and f
) and fatigue properties of the Mg97Y2Zn1
-HMC alloy were about 1.5 times higher
than that for the commercial Mg90Al9Zn1
-GC alloy (AZ91). The high correlation rate between tensile properties and fatigue strength
(endurance limit: l
) was obtained. With newly proposed etching technique, the residual stress in the Mg97Y2Zn1 alloy could be revealed,
and it appeared that the high internal stress was severely accumulated in and around the long-period stacking-order phases (LPSO). This
was made during the solidification process due to the different shrinkage rate between α-Mg and LPSO. In this etching technique, microcracks
were observed on the sample surface, and amount of micro-cracks (density) could be a parameter to determine the severity of the
internal stress, i.e., a large amount to micro-cracks is caused by the high internal stress.
This study was carried out to evaluate the aspect of microstructure and mechanical property development on additive manufactured pure Ti at elevated heat-input. For this work, pure Ti powder (commercial purity, grade 1) was selected, and selective laser melting was conducted from 0.5 to 1.4 J/mm. As a result, increase in heat-input led to the significant grain growth form 4 μm to 12 μm, accompanying with the change of grain shape, correctly widmanstätten structured grains. In addition, Vickers microhardness was notably increased from 228 Hv to 358 Hv in accordance with elevated heat-input, which was attributed to the increased concentration of oxygen and nitrogen mainly occurred during selected laser melting process.
The results presented in this article are part of the research on fatigue life of various foundry alloys carried out in recent years in the Lukasiewicz Research Network – Institute of Precision Mechanics and AGH University of Science and Technology, Faculty of Foundry Engineering. The article discusses the test results obtained for the EN-GJS-600-3 cast iron in an original modified low-cycle fatigue test (MLCF), which seems to be a beneficial research tool allowing its users to evaluate the mechanical properties of materials with microstructural heterogeneities under both static and dynamic loads. For a comprehensive analysis of the mechanical behaviour with a focus on fatigue life of alloys, an original modified low cycle fatigue method (MLCF) adapted to the actually available test machine was used. The results of metallographic examinations carried out by light microscopy were also presented. From the analysis of the results of the conducted mechanical tests and structural examinations it follows that the MLCF method is fully applicable in a quick and economically justified assessment of the quality of ductile iron after normalizing treatment.
In this study, the extrusion characteristics of Al-2Zn-1Cu-0.5Mg-0.5RE alloys at 450, 500, and 550℃ were investigated for the high formability of aluminum alloys. The melt was maintained at 720℃ for 20 minutes, then poured into the mold at 200℃ and hot-extruded with a 12 mm thickness bar at a ratio of 38:1. The average grain size was 175.5, 650.1, and 325.9 μm as the extrusion temperature increased to 450, 500 and 550℃, although the change of the phase fraction was not significant as the extrusion temperature increased. Cube texture increased with the increase of extrusion temperature to 450, 500 and 550℃. As the extrusion temperature increased, the electrical conductivity increased by 47.546, 47.592 and 47.725%IACS, and the tensile strength decreased to 92.6, 87.5, 81.4 MPa. Therefore, the extrusion temperature of Al extrusion specimen was investigated to study microstructure and mechanical properties.
The effect of CaSiAl modification (43-49% Ca, 43-48% Si, 2% Al) on the non-metallic inclusions and mechanical properties of cast lowcarbon steel is discussed. Tests were carried out on the cast steel with 0.2% C and micro-additives of V and Nb, used mainly for heavy steel castings (e.g. slag ladles). The modifier in an amount of 1.5 and 3 kg / Mg was introduced to the liquid steel before tapping the metal into a ladle. Test ingots of Y type and a weight of 10 kg were cast and then subjected to a normalizing heat treatment. Using light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy, qualitative and quantitative evaluation of the non-metallic inclusions present in as-cast samples was carried out. Additionally, tests of mechanical strength and impact strength were performed on cast steel with and without the different content of modifier. It was found that increasing the modifier addition affected impact strength but had no significant effect on tensile strength and yield strength. The material with high impact strength had the smallest area fraction of non-metallic inclusions in the microstructure (0.20%). The introduction of modifiers changed the morphology of non-metallic inclusions from dendritic to regular and nodular shapes.
For quality grey cast iron production, the challenging issues are to avoid cementite structure and obtain the desired graphite morphology with proper matrix as well as hardness. The objective of the present research is to find out the right combination of preconditioner and inoculant that may help to overcome the challenges. In this work, sulphur content is kept low (0.01%). Two preconditioners namely metallurgical SiC and zirconium bearing FeSi with two types of inoculant are individually used to make four combinations of sample and for each case metal is poured into the green sand mould. Finally Brinell hardness and graphite morphology is observed in the thickest and thinnest portions of the castings. Metallurgical SiC with barium bearing inoculant gives better graphite morphology and hardness than strontium bearing inoculant, on the other hand zirconium bearing FeSi gives more satisfying result than SiC with every type of inoculant. Among all of the combinations Zr bearing preconditioner with Ba bearing inoculant gives good graphite morphology with best mechanical properties in both thickest and thinnest portions of the casting.
The paper presents low-cycle fatigue (LCF) characteristics of selected magnesium alloys used, among others, in the automotive and aviation industries. The material for the research were bars of magnesium alloys AZ31 and WE43 after hot plastic working. Due to their application(s), these alloys should have good/suitable fatigue properties, first of all fatigue durability in a small number of cycles.
Low-cycle fatigue tests were carried out on the MTS-810 machine at room temperature. Low-cycle fatigue trials were conducted for three total strain ranges Δεt of 0.8%, 1.0% and 1.2% with the cycle asymmetry factor R = –1. Based on the results obtained, fatigue life characteristics of materials, cyclic deformation characteristics σa = f(N) and cyclic deformation characteristics of the tested alloys were developed. The tests have shown different behaviors of the tested alloys in the range of low number of cycles. The AZ31 magnesium alloy was characterized by greater fatigue life Nf compared to the WE43 alloy.
In the present time, advanced high strength steel (AHSS) has secured a dominant place in the automobile sector due to its high strength and good toughness along with the reduced weight of car body which results in increased fuel efficiency, controlled emission of greenhouse gases and increased passengers’ safety. In the present study, four new advanced high strength steels (AHSS) have been developed using three different processing routes, i.e., thermomechanical controlled processing (TMCP), quenching treatment (QT), and quenching & tempering (Q&T) processes, respectively. The current steels have achieved a better combination of the high level of strength with reasonable ductility in case of TMCP as compared to the other processing conditions. The achievable ultrahigh strength is primarily attributed to mixed microstructure comprising lower bainite and lath martensite as well as grain refinement and precipitation hardening.
Electrochemical Cr coatings doped with diamond nanoparticles were deposited on sintered steels with different carbon contents (0.2-0.8 wt.-%). The mechanical properties of surfaces as hardness and wear resistance increase as compared to the steel substrate. Microcutting and microgridding mechanisms were observed after tribological tests, but also adhesive wear in some areas was observed. X-ray examination indicated that the layer was textured, with the exception of the sample with the highest concentration of diamond nanoparticles in the electrolyte (42 g/l). The intensity ratio ICr110/ICr200 was calculated and compared with the indices for a standard sample. The greatest differences in the intensity ratio occurred for the samples with low carbon content (0.2%C). On the other hand, more the material is textured the greater the difference.
The article is an attempt to compare the impact of the use of various types of limestone as the main constituent of cement on selected mortar properties. Four different limestones were added in amount of 15, 30, 40% to CEM I 42.5 R to obtain limestone cemens. Rheological properties (yield stress, plastic viscosity) of fresh mortar, tensile and compressive mortar strength, early shrinkage, and drying shrinkage were tested. Obtained results indicate that both tensile and compressive strength decreases with the increase of the limestone content in cement. Limestone can worsen or improve workability, depending on distribution of limestone grains. The addition of limestone increases the early shrinkage, but reduces the shrinkage after 28 days. Studies show that the granulation of limestone plays an important role in determining the influence of limestone on mortar properties.