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Crystals
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Microstructure and Mechanical Behaviour of Structural Materials: 3rd Edition
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Microstructure and Mechanical Behaviour of Structural Materials: 3rd Edition

A special issue of Crystals (ISSN 2073-4352). This special issue belongs to the section "Crystalline Metals and Alloys".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 October 2026 | Viewed by 1536

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Saif Haider Kayani

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Guest Editor
School of Materials Science and Engineering, Herbert Gleiter Institute of Nanoscience, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing 210094, China
Interests: metallic materials; material design; electron microscopy; deformation behaviour; corrosion; crystallography
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Byung-Joo Kim

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Guest Editor
Advanced Production Technology Center, Research Institute of Medium & Small Shipbuilding, Busan 46757, Republic of Korea
Interests: solidification; multicomponent alloys; eutectic alloy; mechanical properties; material design
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Following the successful second edition of this Special Issue of Crystals, we are pleased to announce that submissions to its third edition, "Microstructure and Mechanical Behaviour of Structural Materials: 3rd Edition", are now being accepted.

For many years, metallic materials have sparked interest in structural applications all over the world. Their applications range from the advanced aerospace and automotive industries to everyday household items. The performance of structural metallic materials primarily depends on their microstructure, which ultimately defines their mechanical properties. Thus, the microstructure–property relationship is critical in determining the performance behaviour of a structural component in a specific application. This Special Issue focuses on the microstructural characterization, mechanical property evaluation, and deformation behaviour of commercial and advanced structural materials. Our goal is to compile cutting-edge original research (full-length and communication) and review articles that highlight the diverse applications of alloys and steels.

Dr. Saif Kayani
Dr. Byung Joo Kim
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Crystals is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2100 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Fe alloys and steels
  • lightweight alloys
  • powder metallurgy
  • microstructural analysis
  • deformation analysis

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Related Special Issues

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

17 pages, 3996 KB  
Article
Effect of Y2O3 Addition on the Properties of Laser-Cladded Coatings on 40Cr Steel
by Xiaofan Zheng, Lei Zhang, Longquan Song, Nianshun Zhao and Xiaole Ge
Crystals 2026, 16(4), 271; https://doi.org/10.3390/cryst16040271 - 17 Apr 2026
Viewed by 272
Abstract
To improve the surface properties of 40Cr steel, Ni45/Y2O3 laser-cladded coatings (L-CCs) were fabricated on the surface of 40Cr steel. The effects of Y2O3 addition (0.5%, 1.0%, and 1.5%) on the microstructure, microhardness, residual stress, wear resistance, [...] Read more.
To improve the surface properties of 40Cr steel, Ni45/Y2O3 laser-cladded coatings (L-CCs) were fabricated on the surface of 40Cr steel. The effects of Y2O3 addition (0.5%, 1.0%, and 1.5%) on the microstructure, microhardness, residual stress, wear resistance, and corrosion resistance of the L-CCs were systematically investigated. The results indicate that Y2O3 has a significant effect on enhancing the corrosion resistance and suppressing the residual stress of the L-CCs, whereas its contribution to the improvement of microhardness and wear resistance is relatively limited. Compared with the single Ni45 L-CC, the L-CC containing 1.0% Y2O3 exhibited a 45.9% reduction in corrosion current density and a 79.3% reduction in residual stress. At a Y2O3 addition of 0.5%, the microhardness increased by 4.0%, while the average friction coefficient and wear mass loss decreased by 4.8% and 2.6%, respectively, relative to the single Ni45 L-CC. Excessive Y2O3 addition reduces the fluidity of materials in the molten pool and deteriorates the microstructural uniformity, thereby weakening or even impairing the surface properties of the L-CCs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microstructure and Mechanical Behaviour of Structural Materials: 3rd Edition)
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19 pages, 12592 KB  
Article
The Influence of La and Ce on Thermal Conductivity of Magnesium Alloys
by Wei He, Wenxin Hu, Bin Kang, Yuming Lu, Kun Li, Siyuan Qu, Feng Liu, Wei Wang, Yuan Li, Zhiguo Luo and He Guo
Crystals 2026, 16(3), 167; https://doi.org/10.3390/cryst16030167 - 28 Feb 2026
Viewed by 364
Abstract
With the development of science and technology, heat dissipation has become a bottleneck problem restricting the development of fields such as transportation, machinery, electronics, and aerospace. Aiming to resolve the bottleneck problem of low thermal conductivity in traditional commercial magnesium alloys, this paper [...] Read more.
With the development of science and technology, heat dissipation has become a bottleneck problem restricting the development of fields such as transportation, machinery, electronics, and aerospace. Aiming to resolve the bottleneck problem of low thermal conductivity in traditional commercial magnesium alloys, this paper designed alloy compositions to investigate the effects of the solid solubility of La and Ce, and the size, morphology, distribution, and volume fraction of the second phase in the microstructure of magnesium alloys during the heat dissipation performance of the Mg-RE binary system and the Mg-Mn-La(Ce) system. The research shows that through CAFE simulation calculations, regulation can be achieved via the following methods: increasing the average nucleation undercooling, which leads to larger grain sizes; reducing the nucleation density, which results in larger grain sizes; and increasing the standard deviation of the average nucleation undercooling, which reduces the area of small grains while increasing the area of large grains. The thermal conductivity of both as-cast and solid-solution Mg-La (Ce) binary alloys gradually decreases with the increase in the added elements. However, after solution treatment, the thermal conductivity of the Mg-La (Ce) binary alloys is higher than that of the as-cast alloys. The addition of the Ce element helps refine the as-cast microstructure of the Mg-0.5Mn alloy. With the increase in Ce addition, the volume fraction of the Mg12Ce phase also increases. The thermal conductivity of the as-cast Mg-0.5Mn-xCe alloy gradually increases with rising temperature. Meanwhile, at room temperature, the thermal conductivity of the as-cast Mg-0.5Mn alloy gradually decreases with the increase in Ce addition, and the rate of decline gradually slows down due to the precipitation of the Mg12Ce phase. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microstructure and Mechanical Behaviour of Structural Materials: 3rd Edition)
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23 pages, 3718 KB  
Article
Microstructural Observations, Mechanical Hierarchy, and Tribological Performance in CrFeMoV-Alx High-Entropy Alloys
by Anthoula Poulia, Maria-Nikoleta Zygogianni, Christina Mathiou, Emmanuel Georgatis, Stavros Kiape, Spyros Kamnis and Alexander E. Karantzalis
Crystals 2026, 16(2), 88; https://doi.org/10.3390/cryst16020088 - 27 Jan 2026
Viewed by 523
Abstract
This work investigates the synthesis, thermodynamic phase stability and microstructural, mechanical and tribological behavior of the CrFeMoV alloy system and its Al-modified derivatives, CrFeMoV-Al2 and CrFeMoV-Al6, which belong to the family of high- and medium-entropy alloys. The studied systems were produced via Vacuum [...] Read more.
This work investigates the synthesis, thermodynamic phase stability and microstructural, mechanical and tribological behavior of the CrFeMoV alloy system and its Al-modified derivatives, CrFeMoV-Al2 and CrFeMoV-Al6, which belong to the family of high- and medium-entropy alloys. The studied systems were produced via Vacuum Arc Melting (VAM), followed by a comprehensive characterization. Thermodynamic and geometric phase-formation models were employed to predict the formation of BCC/Β2 solid solutions and the potential emergence of σ-type intermetallic compounds. An ML model was also employed to further predict elemental interactions and phase evolution. These predictions were experimentally confirmed via X-ray diffraction analysis, which verified the presence of a BCC matrix in all compositions, the presence of σ-phase precipitates whose volume fraction systematically reduced with Al inclusion and the gradual increase in the B2 phase with the increase in the Al content. Scanning electron microscopy and EDX analyses uncovered noticeable dendritic segregation, with Mo and Fe enrichment in dendrite cores and in interdendritic regions, respectively. Cr, V, and Al were more uniformly distributed. Mechanical property data derived by micro hardness testing demonstrated a high hardness of 816 HV for the base alloy, ascribed to σ-phase strengthening, followed by a progressive reduction in this value to 802 HV and 756 HV in Al-containing alloys due to the attenuation of σ-phase formation and the gradual increase in the B2 phase. Dry sliding wear results unveiled a positive correlation between wear resistance and hardness, confirming the beneficial role of intermetallic strengthening. Finally, nanoindentation tests shed light on the nanoscale mechanical response, confirming the trends observed at the microscale. Overall, the combination of thermodynamic modeling and experimental analysis provide a robust framework for understanding phase stability, microstructural evolution, and mechanical performance in Al-alloyed CrFeMoV high-entropy systems, while highlighting the potential of controlled Al additions to tailor microstructure and properties. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microstructure and Mechanical Behaviour of Structural Materials: 3rd Edition)
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