Experimental investigation of laser peening on TiAl alloy microstructure and properties

In order to study the effect of laser peening on microstructures and properties of Ti Al alloy, Ti Al alloy samples were treated by Nd:YAG laser system with the wavelength of 1064 nm,pulse-width of 18 ns, and pulse-energy of 0–10 J. Surface micro-hardness, roughness, and microstructural characteristics were tested with micro-hardness tester, roughness tester and scanning electron microscope. Residual stress and pole figures were tested with X-ray diffraction and its high-temperature stability was analyzed. The experimental results show that surface micro-hardness increases by up to 30%, roughness increases to 0.37 lm, compressive residual stress increases to 337 MPa, and local texture and typical lamellar microstructure are generated. Residual stress, micro-hardness, and(002) pole figures tests are conducted, compressive residual stress value drops from 337 MPa to 260 MPa, hardness value drops from 377 HV_(0.2) to 343 HV_(0.2), and the(002)poles shift back to the center slightly. Laser peening improves microstructure and properties of Ti Al alloy significantly.     

Investigation of Surface Integrity on TC17 Titanium Alloy Treated by Square-spot Laser Shock Peening

Laser shock peening(LSP) is an innovative surface treatment method,which has been shown to greatly improve the fatigue life of many metallic components.This work investigates surface integrity of TC17 titanium alloy treated by LSP with innovative square laser spot.Nd:glass laser with duration of 30 ns and spot size of 4 mm×4 mm is applied.The surface morphology and surface residual stress of the TC17 titanium alloy,treated with varying peening parameters such as laser power density and overlapping ratio,have been studied in detail.The results show that laser pulse energy greatly influences surface morphology and surface residual stress around single-spot treated areas,and compressive residual stresses are saturated as laser pulse energy is over 55 J.There are significantly different surface morphologies and residual stress distributions at the overlapped areas with different overlapping ratios.A relative smooth surface is produced with uniform compressive residual stress distribution at an overlapping ratio of 8 %.The experiment of residual stress relaxation is implemented by measuring residual stress at the center of four overlapped spots and by four point bending fatigue test at the frequency of 105 Hz.The compressive residual stresses induced by LSP are found to relax quite slowly under cyclic fatigue loading.     

Influences of milling and grinding on machined surface roughness and fatigue behavior of GH4169 superalloy workpieces

Surface topography of superalloy GH4169 workpieces machined by milling and grinding is different significantly. Meanwhile, surface roughness, as one of the main indicators of machined surface integrity, has a great influence on the fatigue behavior of workpieces. Based on analyzing the formation mechanism and characteristics of surface roughness utilizing different machining processes and parameters, the machined surface roughness curve can be decoupled into two parts utilizing frequency spectrum analysis, which are kinematic surface roughness curve and stochastic surface roughness curve. The kinematic surface roughness curve is influenced by machining process,parameters, geometry of the cutting tool or wheel, the maximum height of which is expressed as R'_z.By subtracting the kinematic part from the measurement curve, the stochastic surface roughness curve and its maximum height R'_zcan be obtained, which is influenced by the defects of cutting tool edge or abrasive grains, built-up edges(BUE), cracks, high frequency vibration and so on. On the other hand, the results of decoupling analysis of surface roughness curves indicate that Raand Rz values of milling GH4169 are 2–5 times and 1–3 times as high as those of grinding, while R'_zvalue of milling is 13.85%–37.7% as high as that of grinding. According to the results of fatigue life tests of specimens machined by milling and grinding, it can be concluded that fatigue behavior of GH4169 decreases with the increase of R'_zmonotonically, even utilizing different machining processes.     

Tool wear during high speed turning in situ TiCp/TiBw hybrid reinforced Ti-6Al-4V matrix composite

Chipping, adhesive wear, abrasive wear and crater wear are prevalent for both the polycrystalline diamond(PCD) and the carbide tools during high speed turning of TiC_p/TiB_w hybrid reinforced Ti-6Al-4V(TC4) matrix composite(TMCs). The combined effects of abrasive wear and diffusion wear caused the big crater on PCD and carbide tool rake face. Compared to the PCD, bigger size of crater was found on the carbide tool due to much higher cutting temperature and the violent chemical reaction between the Ti element in the workpiece and the WC in the tool.However, the marks of the abrasive wear looked much slighter or even could not be observed on the carbide tool especially when low levels of cutting parameters were used, which attributes to much lower hardness and smaller size of WC combined with more significant chemical degradation of carbide. When cutting TC4 using PCD tool, notch wear was the most significant wear pattern which was not found when cutting the TMCs. However, chipping, adhesive wear and crater wear were much milder when compared to the cutting of titanium matrix composite. Due to the absence of abrasive wear when cutting TC4, the generated titanium carbide on the PCD protected the tool from fast wear, which caused that the tool life for TC4 was 6–10 times longer than that for TMCs.     

Tool Life and Surface Integrity in High-speed Milling of Titanium Alloy TA15 with PCD/PCBN Tools

Titanium alloys are widely used in aeronautics that demand a good combination of high strength, good corrosion resistance and low mass. The mechanical properties lead to challenges in machining operations such as high process temperature as well as rapidly increasing tool wear. The conventional tool materials are not able to maintain their hardness and other mechanical properties at higher cutting temperatures encountered in high speed machining. In this work, the new material tools, which are polycrystalline diamond (PCD) and polycrystalline cubic boron nitride (PCBN) tools, are used in high-speed milling of Ti-6.5Al-2Zr-1Mo-1V (TA15) alloy. The performance and wear mechanism of the tools are investigated. Compared to PCBN tool, PCD tool has a much longer tool life, especially at higher cutting speeds. Analyses based on the SEM and EDX suggest that attrition, adhesion and diffusion are the main wear mechanisms of PCD and PCBN tools in high-speed milling of TA15. Oxidation wear is also observed at PCBN tool/workpiece interface. Roughness, defects, micro-hardness and microstructure of the machined surface are investigated. The recorded surface roughness values with PCD/PCBN tools are bellow 0.3 μm at initial and steady cutting stage. Micro-hardness analysis shows that the machined surface hardening depth with PCD and PCBN tools is small. There is no evidence of sub-surface defects with PCD and PCBN tools. It is concluded that for TA15 alloy, high-speed milling can be carried out with PCD/PCBN tools.     

High-temperature tribological behaviors of a Cr-Si co-alloyed layer on TA15 alloy

A Cr-Si co-alloyed layer was successfully deposited on TA15 alloy by the double glow plasma surface technology to improve its poor wear resistance at elevated temperature.The microstructure,composition,and phase structure of the layer were investigated by SEM,EDS,and XRD.The tribological behaviors of the Cr-Si co-alloyed layer at 20 ℃ and 500 ℃ were analyzed in details.The results indicated that the friction coefficient and wear rate of the Cr-Si coalloyed layer at 20 ℃ and 500 ℃ were much lower than those of the substrate,which was due to higher hardness and superior elastic modulus.This layer may become an approach to effectively improving the wear resistance of TA15 alloy at elevated temperature.     

Improvement of titanium alloy TA19 fatigue life by submerged abrasive waterjet peening: Correlation of its process parameters with surface integrity and fatigue performance

Submerged abrasive waterjet peening(SAWJP) is an effective anti-fatigue manufacturing technology that is widely used to strengthen aeroengine components. This study investigated the correlation of SAWJP process parameters on surface integrity and fatigue life of titanium alloy TA19. SAWJP with different water pressures and standoff distances(SoDs) was conducted on the TA19 specimens. The surface integrity of the specimens before and after SAWJP with different process parameters was experimentall...     

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.     

Comparison of surface integrity for dry and wet drilling of 49Fe-49Co-2V alloy

Working performances of the components made out of 49Fe-49Co-2V alloy are closely related to the surface integrity of the drilled holes, which are influenced remarkably by the cooling conditions. The present study focuses on the surface integrity differences between wet and dry drilled 49Fe-49Co-2V alloy holes. The drilled hole surface roughness and topographies, metallurgical and mechanical properties, and the exit characterizations were obtained using optical microscopy(OM), scanning electron ...     

Residual Strength of Stiffened LY12CZ Aluminum Alloy Panels with Widespread Fatigue Damage

Experimental and analytical investigations on the residual strength of the stiffened LY12CZ aluminum alloy panels with widespread fatigue damage （WFD） are conducted. Nine stiffened LY12CZ aluminum alloy panels with three different types of damage are tested for residual strength. Each specimen is pre-cracked at rivet holes by saw cuts and subjected to a monotonically increasing tensile load until failure is occurred and the failure load is recorded. The stress intensity factors at the tips of the lead crack and the adjacent WFD cracks of the stiffened aluminum alloy panels are calculated by compounding approach and finite element method （FEM） respectively. The residual strength of the stiffened panels with WFD is evaluated by the engineering method with plastic zone linkup criterion and the FEM with apparent fracture toughness criterion respectively. The predicted residual strength agrees well with the experiment results. It indicates that in engineering practice these methods can be used for residual strength evaluation with the acceptable accuracy. It can be seen from this research that WFD can significantly reduce the residual strength and the critical crack length of the stiffened panels with WFD. The effect of WFD crack length on residual strength is also studied.     

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.     

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.     

Investigation on surface roughness,residual stress and fatigue property of milling in-situ TiB2/7050Al metal matrix composites

For higher efficiency and precision manufacturing, more and more attentions are focused on the surface roughness and residual stress of machined parts to obtain a good fatigue life. At present, the in-situ TiB₂/7050Al metal matrix composites are widely researched due to its attractive properties such as low density, good wear resistance and improved strength. It is of great significance to investigate the machined surface roughness, residual stress and fatigue life for higher efficiency and precision manufacturing of this new kind material. In this study, the surface roughness including two-dimensional and three-dimensional roughness, residual stress and fatigue life of milling in-situ TiB₂/7050Al metal matrix composites were analyzed. It was found from comparative investigation that the three-dimensional surface roughness would be more appropriate to represent the machined surface profile of milling particle reinforced metal matrix composites. The cutting temperature played a great role on the residual stress. However, the effect of increasing cutting force could slow down the transformation from compressive stress to tensile stress under 270 °C. An exponential relationship between three-dimensional roughness and fatigue life was established and the main fracture mechanism was brittle fracture with observation of obvious shellfish veins, river pattern veins and wave shaped veins in fracture surface.     

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.     

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.     

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.     

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).     

Machinability of γ-TiAl: A review

Owing to its outstanding mechanical properties, γ-TiAl is desirable materials for crossgeneration aero-engines. Nearly 70 years of exploration have made it into the initial application.However, the intrinsic brittleness of γ-TiAl is still a critical obstacle to its large-scale applications.In this context, researchers have made many attempts to study the machinability of γ-TiAl. At present, existing relevant reviews have mostly discussed the processing methods of γ-TiAl. Hence, there is still a ...     

A plastic strain energy method exploration between machined surface integrity evolution and torsion fatigue behaviour of low alloy steel

To explore the evolution mechanism of multistage machining processes and torsional fatigue behaviour based on strain energy for the first time and provide process optimization of axis parts of low alloy steel for service performance, four multistage machining processes were applied to the 45Cr Ni Mo VA steel, including the Rough Turning process(RT), RT+ the Finish Turning process(FRT), FRT+ the Grinding process(GFRT) and RT+ the Finish Turning process on dry cutting condition(FRT0). The result s...     

A multi-order method for predicting stability of a multi-delay milling system considering helix angle and run-out effects

In this paper, a multi-delay milling system considering helix angle and run-out effects is firstly established. An exponential cutting force model is used to model the interaction between a work-piece and a cutting tool, and a new approach is presented for accurately calibrating exponential cutting force coefficients and cutter run-out parameters. Furthermore, based on an implicit multi-step Adams formula and an improved precise time-integration algorithm, a novel stability prediction method is proposed to predict the stability of the system. The involved time delay term and periodic coefficient term are integrated as a comprehensive state term in the integral response which is approximated by the Adams formula. Then, a Floquet transition matrix with an arbitrary-order form is constructed by using a series of matrix multiplication, and the stability of the system is determined by the Floquet theory. Compared to classical semi-discretization methods and full-discretization methods, the developed method shows a good performance in convergence, efficiency, accuracy, and multi-order complexity. A series of cutting tests is further carried out to validate the practicability and effectiveness of the proposed method. The results show that the calibration process needs a time of less than 5 min, and the stability prediction method is effective.