Effects of different aging treatments on microstructures and mechanical properties of Al-Cu-Li alloy joints welded by electron beam welding

Post-weld single aging treatment(solution treatment at 510 ℃ for 1 h, water quenching,and aging at 155 ℃ for 16 h) and post-weld double aging treatment(solution treatment at 510 ℃ for 1 h, water quenching, aging at 155 ℃ for 16 h, and aging at 130 ℃ for 12 h) are carried out on Al-Cu-Li alloy joints by electron beam welding(EBW) respectively. The effects of aging treatments on microstructures and mechanical properties of welded joints are investigated. Results show that the mechanical properties of welded joints are obviously improved after both aging treatments. The strength coefficient of joints is increased from 0.64 in an as-welded condition(AW) to 0.90 after post-weld double aging treatment. Microstructure analysis shows that the precipitates of the fusion zone within grains and grain boundaries are less in the AW condition. After post-weld heat treatment(PWHT), a lot of fine needle-like phases T_1(Al_2 Cu Li) precipitate in grain boundaries of the fusion zone, and more horseshoe-shaped β' (Al_3 Zr) particles precipitate within grains. In addition,grains of the fusion zone are refined after post-weld double aging treatment, which leads to an effect of grain refinement strengthening. Consequently, the mechanical properties of welded joints are greatly improved.     

Temperature effect on buckling properties of ultra-thin-walled lenticular collapsible composite tube subjected to axial compression

This paper seeks to outline the temperature effect on the buckling properties of ultra-thin-walled lenticular collapsible composite tube(LCCT) subjected to axial compression.The buckling tests of the LCCT specimens subjected to axial compression were carried out on INSTRON-500 N servo-hydraulic machine in dry state and at the temperatures of 25 C, 100 C and 80 C. The load–displacement curves and buckling initiation loads were measured and the buckling initiation mechanism was discussed from experimental observations. Experiments show that the buckling initiation load, on average, is only about 2.2% greater at the low temperature of 80 C than at the room temperature of 25 C due to the material hardening, demonstrating an insignificant increase in the buckling initiation load, whereas it is about 19.5% lower at the high temperature of 100 C than at the room temperature owing to the material softening, implying a significant decrease in the buckling initiation load. The failure mode of the LCCT in axial compression tests at three different temperatures can be reckoned to be characteristic of the buckling initiation and propagation around the central region until rupture. The finite element(FE) model is presented to simulate the buckling initiation mechanism based on the eigenvalue-based methodology. Good correlation between experimental and numerical results is achieved.     

SCC investigation of low alloy ultra-high strength steel 30CrMnSiNi2A in 3.5wt%NaCl solution by slow strain rate technique

To evaluate stress corrosion cracking(SCC) mechanism of low alloy ultra-high strength steel 30CrMnSiNi2 A in environment containing NaCl, SCC behavior of the steel in 3.5wt% NaCl solution is investigated by slow strain rate technique(SSRT) with various strain rates and applied potentials, surface analysis technique, and electrochemical measurements. SCC susceptibility of the steel increases rapidly with strain rate decreasing from 1 · 10 5s 1to 5 · 10 7s 1, and becomes stable when strain rate is lower than 5 · 10 7s 1. SCC propagation of the steel in the solution at open circuit potential(OCP) needs sufficient hydrogen which is supplied at a certain strain rate.Fracture surface at OCP has similar characteristics with that at cathodic polarization 1000 mVSCE, which presents characteristic fractography of hydrogen induced cracking(HIC).All of these indicate that SCC behavior of the steel in the solution at OCP is mainly controlled by HIC rather than anodic dissolution(AD).     

Brazing of C/C composite and Ti-6Al-4V with graphene strengthened AgCuTi filler: Effects of graphene on wettability,microstructure and mechanical properties

Graphene nanosheets(GNSs) strengthened AgCuTi composite filler(AgCuTi_G) was used to braze C/C composite and Ti-6Al-4V. The effects of GNSs on the wettability of AgCuTi_G filler on the C/C composite surface and the interfacial microstructure and mechanical properties of brazed joints were investigated. The results indicate that the addition of GNSs reduced the wettability of AgCuTi_G. The interfacial microstructure of brazed joints evolved with the addition of GNSs, where Ti_3Cu_4 and TiCu_4 were converted to TiCu and the thickness of the reaction layer adjacent to the base material decreased. The maximum shear strength of joints brazed at 0.3 wt% GNSs was 23.3 MPa(880℃/10 min). Further adding GNSs deteriorated the shear strength of the joints. Fracture of the joints occurred in the C/C composite substrate and the TiC layer adjacent to C/C composite.     

Surface integrity and fatigue behavior when turning γ-TiAl alloy with optimized PVD-coated carbide inserts

This paper presents a comprehensive investigation on the effects of tool and turning parameters on surface integrity and fatigue behavior in turning c-Ti Al alloy. The wear of inserts surface, cutting forces, and surface roughness were studied to optimize PVD-coated carbide inserts.Surface topography, residual stresses, microhardness, and microstructure were analyzed to characterize the surfaces layer under different turning parameters. Surface integrity and fatigue life tests of c-Ti Al alloy were conducted under turning and turning-polishing processes. The results show that compared to CNMG120412-MF4, CNMG120408-SM is more suitable because it obtained low cutting force, surface roughness, and tool wear. With increasing the cutting speed and depth, the depths of the compressive residual stress layer, hardening layer, and plastic deformation layer increased. For turning and turning-polishing specimens, the compressive residual stress was relaxed by less than 20%–30% after 10~7 cycles. The fatigue life of a turning-polishing specimen with R_a= 0.15 mm has increased 3 times from that of a turning specimen with R_a= 0.43 mm.     

Fatigue crack propagation of new aluminum lithium alloy bonded with titanium alloy strap

A new type of aluminum lithium alloy (Al-Li alloy) Al-Li-S-4 was investigated by test in this paper. Alloy plate of 400 mm · 140 mm · 6 mm with single edge notch was made into samples bonded with Ti-6Al-4V alloy (Ti alloy) strap by FM 94 film adhesive after the surface was treated. Fatigue crack growth of samples was investigated under cyclic loading with stress ratio (R) of 0.1 and load amplitude constant. The results show that Al-Li alloy plate bonded with Ti alloy strap could retard fatigue crack propagation. Retardation effect is related with width and thickness of strap. Flaws have an observable effect on crack propagation direction.     

Testing and evaluation for fatigue crack propagation of Ti-6Al-4V/ELI and 7050-T7452 alloys at high temperatures

This paper seeks to evaluate crack propagation properties and residual lives of metallic alloys subjected to fatigue loading at room and high temperatures. Fatigue crack growth tests were performed on Ti-6Al-4V/ELI and 7050-T7452 subjected to constant-amplitude and actual randomspectra loading at room temperature of about 25 ℃ and at high temperatures of 250 ℃ and 150 ℃ to determine their crack growth properties and residual lives. The damage mode and mechanisms at high temperature were compared with those at room temperature on the basis of the results of fractographic analysis. Temperature-dependent residual lives under actual random-spectra load history were evaluated based on a modified accumulation damage rule accounting for the load interaction.Good correlation was achieved between the predictions and actual experiments, demonstrating the practical and effective use of the proposed method.     

Springback prediction of thick-walled high-strength titanium tube bending

Significant springback occurs after tube rotary-draw-bending （RDB）, especially for a high-strength Ti-3A1-2.5V tube （HSTT） due to its high ratio of yield strength to Young＇s modulus. The combination scheme of explicit and implicit is preferred to predict the springback. This simulation strategy includes several numerical parameters, such as element type, number of elements through thickness （NEL）, element size, etc. However, the influences of these parameters on spring- back prediction accuracy are not fully understood. Thus, taking the geometrical specification 9.525 mm × 0.508 mm ofa HSTT as the objective, the effects of numerical parameters on prediction accuracy and computation efficiency of springback simulation of HSTT RDB are investigated. The simulated springback results are compared with experimental ones. The main results are： （1） solid and continuum-shell elements predict the experimental results well; （2） for C3DSR elements, NEL of at least 3 is required to obtain reliable results and a relative error of 29% can occur as NEL is varied in the range of 1-3; （3） specifying damping factor typically works well in Abaqus/Emplicit simulation of springback and the springback results are sensitive to the magnitude of damping factor. In addition, the explanations of the effect rules are given and a guideline is added.     

A user-friendly yield criterion for metals exhibiting tension-compression asymmetry

The aim of this paper is to model the yielding asymmetry of pressure-insensitive metals, including but not limited to Ni₃Al alloys. The main focuses are put on the flexibility and manipulative convenience. The parameters of theory are kept to a minimum and can be determined by as few tests as possible. These requirements are fulfilled by constructing a yield function using the second and third-invariants of a linearly transformed stress tensor. The proposed yield criterion has a simple mathematical form and has only seven parameters when used in three-dimensional stresses. Compared with existing theories, the new yield criterion has much fewer parameters, which makes it very convenient for practical applications. The coefficients of the criterion are identified by an error minimization procedure. Applications to a Ni₃Al based intermetallic alloy as well as a Cu-Al-Be shape memory alloy and comparison to other criteria show that the proposed criterion has nearly the same predictive ability and flexibility with other criteria. The proposed yield criterion can estimate the coefficients by using less data, which is a big advantage compared with other similar theories, especially when there is a limited number of experimental data.     

Mechanical Properties and Transformation Behavior of NiTiNb Shape Memory Alloys

NiTiNb shape memory alloys have attracted much attention in pipe coupling or sealing system because of their large transformation hysteresis upon a proper pre-deformation. In order to clarify the effects of adding Nb on the mechanical properties as well as the transformation behavior of NiTiNb shape memory alloys, Ni₄₇Ti₄₄Nb₉ and Ni_49.8Ti_45.2Nb₅ alloys with different microstructures but with similar martensitic transformation start temperature, are prepared. Comparative studies on the microstructures, mechanical properties and transformation characteristics are conducted by means of scanning electron microscopy (SEM), phase transformation measurements and mechanical property tests. It is found that Ni₄₇Ti₄₄Nb₉ and Ni_49.8Ti_45.2Nb₅ alloys possess similar transformation hysteresis in the as-annealed state. However, the presence of Nb and its status exerts important effects on the mechanical properties, especially the yield strength and the yield behavior of the alloys. Ni_49.8Ti_45.2Nb₅ alloy exhibits remarkable increase in the yield strength than the Ni₄₇Ti₄₄Nb₉ alloy. The transformation hysteresis of both alloys under pre-deformation is characterized and the relative mechanism is discussed.     

Low-frequency unsteadiness of vortex wakes over slender bodies at high angle of attack

A type of flow unsteadiness with low frequencies and large amplitude was investigated experimentally for vortex wakes around an ogive-tangent cylinder. The experiments were carried out at angles of attack of 60–80 and subcritical Reynolds numbers of 0.6–1.8×105. The reduced frequencies of the unsteadiness are between 0.038 and 0.072, much less than the frequency of Karman vortex shedding. The unsteady flow induces large fluctuations of sectional side forces. The results of pressure measurements and particle image velocimetry indicate that the flow unsteadiness comes from periodic oscillation of the vortex wakes over the slender body. The time-averaged vortex patterns over the slender body are asymmetric, whose orientation is dependent on azimuthal locations of tip perturbations. Therefore, the vortex oscillation is a type of unsteady oscillation around a time-averaged asymmetric vortex structure.     

Parametric analyses for synthetic jet control on separation and stall over rotor airfoil

Numerical simulations are performed to investigate the effects of synthetic jet control on separation and stall over rotor airfoils. The preconditioned and unsteady Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes equations coupled with a k x shear stream transport turbulence model are employed to accomplish the flowfield simulation of rotor airfoils under jet control. Additionally,a velocity boundary condition modeled by a sinusoidal function is developed to fulfill the perturbation effect of periodic jets. The validity of the present CFD procedure is evaluated by the simulated results of an isolated synthetic jet and the jet control case for airfoil NACA0015. Then, parametric analyses are conducted specifically for an OA213 rotor airfoil to investigate the effects of jet parameters(forcing frequency, jet location and momentum coefficient, jet direction, and distribution of jet arrays) on the control effect of the aerodynamic characteristics of a rotor airfoil. Preliminary results indicate that the efficiency of jet control can be improved with specific frequencies(the best lift-drag ratio at F+= 2.0) and jet angles(40 or 75) when the jets are located near the separation point of the rotor airfoil. Furthermore, as a result of a suitable combination of jet arrays, the lift coefficient of the airfoil can be improved by nearly 100%, and the corresponding drag coefficient decreased by26.5% in comparison with the single point control case.     

NiTiAl Intermetallic Alloys Strengthened by Mo Replacement

 NiTiAl based alloys have attracted attention as potential high temperature structural materials. Alloying is an effective way to improve their mechanical properties. The microstructures and mechanical properties of Ni₅₀Ti_44-xAl₆Mo_x (x = 0, 0.5, 1, 1.5, 3) alloys have been investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), transmission electron mi-croscope (TEM) and compressive tests. It is found that Ni₅₀Ti_44-xAl₆Mo_x alloy is composed of NiTi (B2) and Ti₂Ni (FCC) phases when Mo content is no more than 1 at%. The effect of Mo solid solution hardening at room temperature has been indi-cated by the rise of yield strength and the fall of plasticity with increasing Mo content. For Ni₅₀Ti_42.5Al₆Mo_1.5 and Ni₅₀Ti₄₁Al₆Mo₃ alloys, a Mo solid solution appears and increases the yield strength by precipitation strengthening. The maxi-mum yield strength at 600 °C and elevated temperatures is presented in Ni₅₀Ti₄₃Al₆Mo₁ alloy not in alloys with a higher Mo content, which is possibly due to the softness of Mo-Ti-Ni solid solution phase.     

Ignition enhancement of ethylene/air by NOx addition

Recently, non-equilibrium plasma assisted combustion (PAC) has been found to be promising in reducing the ignition delay time in hypersonic propulsion system. NO x produced by non-equilibrium plasma can react with intermediates during the fuel oxidation process and thereby has influence on the combustion process. In this study, the effects of NO x addition on the ignition process of both the homogeneous ethylene/air mixtures and the non-premixed diffusion layer are examined numerically. The detailed chemistry for ethylene oxidization together with the NO x sub-mechanism is included in the simulation. Reaction path analysis and sensitivity analysis are conducted to give a mechanistic interpretation for the ignition enhancement by NO x addition. It is found that for both the homogenous and non-premixed ignition processes at normal and elevated pressures, NO 2 addition has little influence on the ignition delay time while NO addition can significantly promote the ignition process. The ignition enhancement is found to be caused by the promotion in hydroxyl radical production which quickly oxidizes ethylene. The promotion in hydroxyl radical production by NO addition is achieved in two ways:one is the direct production of OH through the reaction HO2+NO = NO2+OH, and the other is the indirect production of OH through the reactions NO+O2=NO2+O and C2H4+O = C2H3+OH. Moreover, it is found that similar to the homogeneous ignition process, the acceleration of the diffusion layer ignition is also controlled by the reaction HO2+NO = NO2+OH.     

Influences of pre-torsion deformation on microstructure and mechanical properties of pure titanium subjected to subsequent tension deformation

A series of experimental studies was carried out to investigate the influences of pre-torsion on microstructure evolution, mechanical properties, and fracture appearance of pure titanium subjected to subsequent tension deformation. An introduction of pre-torsion strain can improve the materials’ mechanical properties through micro hardness evaluation. That is, the micro hardness of tensile samples with pre-torsion deformation is much higher than that of samples processed by single torsion or tension. It can be seen from the microstructure that pre-torsion deformation can be used to refine grains better and control grains’ morphology by combining subsequent tension. The results indicate that the grains are refined most evidently for tensile samples with 2 turn pre-torsion deformation. Moreover, fracture analysis indicates that tensile samples with pre-torsion strain can present good comprehensive performance. In conclusion, pre-torsion deformation plays an important role in improving comprehensive performance and controlling microstructure evolution on pure titanium subjected to later tension deformation.     

Al含量对空心阴极等离子烧结Ti/Ni等原子比TiNiAl合金组织和力学性能的影响

 采用空心阴极等离子烧结工艺制备了Ti/Ni等原子比的Ti_50-x/2Ni_50-x/2Al_x(x=0,3,6,9)合金,研究了Al含量对合金微观组织以及力学性能的影响。结果表明:未添加铝的合金微观组织主要由NiTi基体、强化相Ti₂Ni、Ni₃Ti及孔隙组成;随着Al含量的提高,合金中Ti₂Ni(Al)数量不断增多,孔隙数量和孔径不断增加,Ni₃Ti(Al)数量不断减少,在Ti_45.5Ni_45.5Al₉中还生成了少量Ni₂TiAl相;合金的抗弯强度随Al含量的提高而增加,并在Al含量为6%时达到最大值296.3 MPa;合金的硬度随铝含量的提高而增加,Ti_45.5Ni_45.5Al₉的硬度值为295.6 HV。     

Effects of RRA Treatments on Microstructures and Properties of a New High-strength Aluminum-Lithium Alloy-2A97

A new high strength 2A97 Al-Cu-Li-X alloy was subjected to triple-aging of retrogression and re-aging treatments (RRA). Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and tensile tests were used to investigate the effects of RRA treatment on the microstructures and properties. DSC test reveals the reversion temperature range of the strengthening δ' (Al3Li)phase. The results show that the microstructure consists of δ' (Al3Li) phase, T1 (Al2CuLi) phase and θ"/θ'(Al2Cu) phase for 2A97 alloy treated by a triple-aging ora retrogression and re-aging treatment in the following order: (1) at 165 ℃×30 min, (2) at 220 ℃ or 240 ℃×15 min, (3) at 165 ℃×24 h. The plastic deformation, incorporated into the treatment after secondary high temperature aging, promotes the T1 precipitation during final re-aging. The tensile properties of the alloy treated by the retrogression and re-aging treatment reach the peak level of alloy single-aged at 165 ℃ in T6 temper.     

Damage characteristics and constitutive modeling of the 2D C/Si C composite: Part I – Experiment and analysis

This paper reports an experimental investigation on the macroscopic mechanical behaviors and damage mechanisms of the plain-woven(2D) C/Si C composite under in-plane on- and offaxis loading conditions. Specimens with 15, 30, and 45 off-axis angles were prepared and tested under monotonic and incremental cyclic tension and compression loads. The obtained results were compared with those of uniaxial tension, compression, and shear specimens. The relationships between the damage modes and the stress state were analyzed based on scanning electronic microscopy(SEM) observations and acoustic emission(AE) data. The test results reveal the remarkable axial anisotropy and unilateral behavior of the material. The off-axis tension test results show that the material is fiber-dominant and the evolution rate of damage and inelastic strain is accelerated under the corresponding combined biaxial tension and shear loads. Due to the damage impediment effect of compression stress, compression specimens show higher mechanical properties and lower damage evolution rates than tension specimens with the same off-axis angle. Under cyclic tension–compression loadings, both on-axis and off-axis specimens exhibit progressive damage deactivation behaviors in the compression range, but with different deactivation rates.     

Tribological evaluation of surface modified H13 tool steel in warm forming of Ti–6Al–4V titanium alloy sheet

The H13 hot-working tool steel is widely used as die material in the warm forming of Ti–6Al–4V titanium alloy sheet. However, under the heating condition, severe friction and lubricating conditions between the H13 tools and Ti–6Al–4V titanium alloy sheet would cause difficulty in guaranteeing forming quality. Surface modification may be used to control the level of friction force, reduce the friction wear and extend the service life of dies. In this paper, four surface modification methods(chromium plating, TiAlN coating, surface polishing and nitriding treatment)were applied to the H13 surfaces. Taking the coefficient of friction(CoF) and the wear degree as evaluation indicators, the high-temperature tribological behavior of the surface modified H13 steel was experimentally investigated under different tribological conditions. The results of this study indicate that the tribological properties of the TiAlN coating under dry friction condition are better than the others for a wide range of temperature(from room temperature to 500 C), while there is little difference of tribological properties between different surface modifications under graphite lubricated condition, and the variation law of CoF with temperature under graphite lubricated is opposite to that under the dry friction.