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Development of Advanced Aluminum and Magnesium Alloys: Microstructure, Mechanical Properties and Processing—2nd Edition

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A special issue of Materials (ISSN 1996-1944). This special issue belongs to the section "Metals and Alloys".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 June 2026 | Viewed by 6784

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Prof. Dr. Wenming Jiang

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State Key Laboratory of Materials Processing and Die & Mould Technology, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, China
Interests: magnesium and aluminum alloys; metal matrix composites; casting technology; solidification microstructure control; 3D printing technology
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Mg and Al alloys are the first and second engineering light metals, which are widely used in aviation, aerospace, navigation, automotive, and electronics fields. With the rapid development of these fields, the demand for the properties of Mg and Al alloys is further increased, and the requirements of the large complex light Mg and Al alloys components are higher and higher. Therefore, high-performance advanced Mg and Al light alloys will have great application potential in the future, as they have also become a research hotspot. The development of the advanced Mg and Al alloys involves in-depth studies of the microstructures, mechanical properties, and processing processes of Mg and Al alloys.

This Special Issue welcomes reviews, short communications, and full-length research papers focused on the following topics:

High-strength, high-toughness, and high-modulus Mg and Al alloys;
Processing of innovative high-strength Mg and Al alloys, such as casting, plastic forming, welding, 3D printing, or powder metallurgy methods;
Relationships among the microstructure, mechanical properties, and processing conditions of the Mg and Al alloys;
Composition design and calculation, and microstructure regulation of the Mg and Al alloys;
Control of formation and defects of Mg and Al alloy components during processing.

Common light alloys, such as aluminum, magnesium, or their composites, will also be considered. Special attention should be paid to the relationships among their microstructure, mechanical properties, and processing conditions.

Prof. Dr. Wenming Jiang
Guest Editor

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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. Materials is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

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Keywords

Mg alloys
Al alloys
composites
microstructure
mechanical properties
processing

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Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

18 pages, 6809 KB

Open AccessArticle

Laser Directed Energy Deposition of Inconel625 to Ti6Al4V Heterostructure via Nonlinear Gradient Transition Interlayers

by Wenbo Wang, Guojian Xu, Yaqing Hou, Chenyi Zhang, Guohao Cui, Pengyu Qin, Juncheng Shang and Xiuru Fan

Materials 2025, 18(24), 5598; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18245598 - 12 Dec 2025

Viewed by 663

Abstract

Heterostructure (HS) refers to a class of structural materials composed of two or more different chemical components or crystal structures. Integration of Inconel 625 (IN625) nickel-based superalloy and Ti6Al4V (TC4) titanium alloy to a HS material offers a promising strategy to achieve graded thermo-mechanical properties, extended service temperature ranges, and significant weight reduction, which are highly desirable in aerospace applications. However, obtaining a better metallurgical bonding between the two alloys remains a critical challenge. In this study, laser directed energy deposition (L-DED) technology was employed to fabricate IN625/TC4 HS materials with a nonlinear gradient transition, following systematic investigations into the phase composition and crack sensitivity of IN625/TC4 gradient layers prepared from mixed powders of varying compositions. In addition, microstructure, phase distribution, and mechanical properties of HS materials at room temperature were characterized. The metallurgical defect-free IN625/TC4 HS material was successfully prepared, featuring a smooth transition of microstructure, reduced cracking sensitivity, and reliable metallurgical bonding. Furthermore, a novel design concept and illustrative reference for the L-DED fabrication of N625/TC4 HS material with excellent comprehensive performance was presented, while providing a theoretical metallurgical basis and data support for the potential applications of IN625/TC4 HS materials in the field of aerospace. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Development of Advanced Aluminum and Magnesium Alloys: Microstructure, Mechanical Properties and Processing—2nd Edition)

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11 pages, 1746 KB

Open AccessArticle

DFT-Based Analysis on Structural, Electronic and Mechanical Properties of NiCoCr Medium-Entropy Alloy with C/N/O

by Shuqin Cheng, Yunfeng Luo, Yufan Yao, Yiren Wang and Fuhua Cao

Materials 2025, 18(19), 4494; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18194494 - 26 Sep 2025

Viewed by 1073

Abstract

This study employs first-principles calculations combined with the Special Quasirandom Structure (SQS) technique to investigate the impact of three interstitial elements C, N, and O, on the mechanical properties and stacking fault energy (SFE) of NiCoCr medium-entropy alloys. The results indicate that non-metallic O, C, and N tend to occupy octahedral interstitial sites, which can effectively release stress concentration and enhance the strength and deformability of the material. Differential charge density analysis shows that the dissolution of C, N, and O significantly alters the surrounding electronic environment, strengthening the interaction between solute atoms and metal atoms, thereby hindering dislocation glide and increasing the strength and hardness of the material. Elastic property analysis indicates that NiCoCr alloys doped with C, N, and O exhibit good ductility and anisotropic characteristics. Furthermore, the study of stacking fault energy reveals that the doping with C, N, and O can significantly increase the stacking fault energy of NiCoCr alloys, thereby optimizing their mechanical properties. These findings provide theoretical evidence for the design of advanced high-entropy alloys that combine high strength with good ductility. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Development of Advanced Aluminum and Magnesium Alloys: Microstructure, Mechanical Properties and Processing—2nd Edition)

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16 pages, 6961 KB

Open AccessArticle

Effects of Traveling Magnetic Field on Interfacial Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Al/Mg Bimetals Prepared by Compound Casting

by Qiantong Zeng, Guangyu Li, Jiaze Hu, Wenming Jiang, Xiuru Fan, Yuejia Wang, Xiaoqiong Wang and Xing Kang

Materials 2025, 18(17), 4077; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18174077 - 31 Aug 2025

Viewed by 775

Abstract

In this work, the Al/Mg bimetals were prepared by traveling magnetic field (TMF)-assisted compound casting, and the effects of current intensity on the interfacial microstructure and mechanical properties of the Al/Mg bimetals were investigated. The results revealed that the Al/Mg bimetallic interface without the TMF consisted of an Al-Mg intermetallic compounds (IMCs) area (Al₃Mg₂ + Al₁₂Mg₁₇ + Mg₂Si particles) and Al-Mg eutectic area (Al₁₂Mg₁₇ + δ-Mg). There was no change in the interfacial phase compositions with the TMF, but the interface thickness initially decreased and then increased with the increase in the TMF current, and the distribution of Mg₂Si became more uniform, dendrites become smaller, and dendritic arms fragment. The shear strength improves from 17 MPa without the TMF to 27 MPa with the TMFed-60 A, which was increased by 58.8%. This enhancement occurs because cracks are deflected by uniformly distributed Mg₂Si particles and do not coalesce into main cracks, ultimately fracturing in the eutectic region, which increases the length of the crack propagation path and thereby improves the shear strength of the Al/Mg bimetals. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Development of Advanced Aluminum and Magnesium Alloys: Microstructure, Mechanical Properties and Processing—2nd Edition)

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17 pages, 9183 KB

Open AccessArticle

Tailoring Mechanical Properties of Al-Cr-Cu-Fe-Mn-Ni Complex Concentrated Alloys Prepared Using Pressureless Sintering

by Tiago Silva and Augusto Lopes

Materials 2025, 18(17), 4068; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18174068 - 30 Aug 2025

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 745

Abstract

Complex concentrated alloys (CCAs) have attracted significant attention due to their potential to develop materials with enhanced properties, such as increased hardness and strength. These properties are strongly influenced by the chemical composition and the processing method used. Body-centred cubic (BCC) structures are known to have high hardness but low fracture toughness, whereas face-centred cubic (FCC) structures typically exhibit lower hardness but higher toughness. In this study, Al-Cr-Cu-Fe-Mn-Ni CCAs with three distinct compositions were produced using pressureless sintering. One set of samples was prepared with equiatomic composition (composition E), whereas the compositions of the other two sets were defined based on thermodynamic calculations to obtain sintered samples predominantly formed by BCC (composition B) or FCC (composition F) phases. The samples were characterized using X-ray diffraction, scanning and transmission electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, electron backscatter diffraction, density measurements, hardness measurements, and uniaxial compression tests. For all compositions, good agreement was obtained between the phases predicted by thermodynamic calculations and those experimentally detected. In addition, significant differences in the mechanical properties were observed between samples with each composition. The samples with composition B exhibited the highest hardness, but almost no ductility. In contrast, samples with composition F showed the lowest yield strength and hardness, but the highest ductility. Samples with composition E had intermediate values between those of samples B and F. These differences were attributed to differences in the proportions and properties of the BCC and FCC phases in each composition and demonstrate that the mechanical properties of Al-Cr-Cu-Fe-Mn-Ni CCAs can be tailored using compositions defined based on thermodynamic calculations. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Development of Advanced Aluminum and Magnesium Alloys: Microstructure, Mechanical Properties and Processing—2nd Edition)

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28 pages, 16513 KB

Open AccessArticle

Effect of Multi-Directional Forging on Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Dual-Phase Mg-8Li-3Al-0.3Si Alloy

by Pengcheng Tian, Cuiju Wang, Kaibo Nie, Yaniu Li and Kunkun Deng

Materials 2025, 18(8), 1829; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18081829 - 16 Apr 2025

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1189

Abstract

The Mg-8Li-3Al-0.3Si dual-phase alloy (LA83-0.3Si) was subjected to six multi-directional forging (MDF) passes in the present work, then its microstructure, mechanical properties, and work hardening and work softening effects were examined and analyzed. The results indicate that the continuous dynamic recrystallization (CDRX) mechanism of the LA83-0.3Si dual-phase alloy gradually transitioned to a discontinuous dynamic recrystallization (DDRX) mechanism as the temperature increased after MDF. This temperature change induced a transition in the basal texture from bimodal to multimodal, significantly reducing the texture intensity and weakening the alloy’s anisotropy. At 310 °C, the AlLi phase nucleated into coated particles to stabilize the structure. Additionally, the increase in the forging temperature weakened the synergistic deformation capability of the α/β phases, while the hardening behavior of the β-Li phase provided a nucleation pathway for dynamic recrystallization (DRX). MDF significantly enhanced the strength and ductility of the LA83-0.3Si alloy. The alloy’s strength continued to rise, while elongation decreased as the forging temperature increased. The ultimate tensile strength (UTS) and elongation (EL) reached 267.8 MPa and 11.9%, respectively. The work hardening effect increased with the forging temperature, whereas the work softening effect continuously diminished, attributed to the enhanced hardening behavior of the β phase and the reduced ability to transfer dislocations. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Development of Advanced Aluminum and Magnesium Alloys: Microstructure, Mechanical Properties and Processing—2nd Edition)

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13 pages, 3043 KB

Open AccessArticle

Prediction of Grain Structure and Texture in Twin-Roll Cast Aluminum Alloys Using Cellular Automaton–Finite Element Method

by Han-Gyoung Cho, Young Do Kim and Min-Seok Kim

Materials 2025, 18(5), 1075; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18051075 - 27 Feb 2025

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1571

Abstract

The twin-roll casting (TRC) process has gained significant attention for aluminum sheet production due to its cost-effectiveness and high processing efficiency. However, controlling the initial grain structure of TRC strips remains challenging due to the absence of a hot rolling stage, necessitating an advanced predictive modeling approach. In this study, a cellular automaton–finite element (CA-FE) model was developed to predict the grain structure and texture of aluminum strips fabricated via TRC. Both pure Al and AA7075 alloys were cast under identical conditions using a pilot-scale horizontal twin-roll caster, and their microstructures were characterized experimentally. The developed model incorporated a Gaussian nucleation distribution function and an equivalent binary approach to account for the solidification behavior of multicomponent alloys. The CA-FE simulation results successfully reproduced the key aspects of solidification, grain structure, and texture evolution of TRC strips. The predicted temperature distribution and solid fraction evolution showed distinct differences between the alloys, with pure Al forming columnar grains and AA7075 developing a fully equiaxed structure, which closely matched the experimental findings. Additionally, texture analysis using inverse pole figures (IPFs) and pole figures (PFs) revealed a clear <001> orientation in pure Al, whereas AA7075 exhibited a random texture, both of which were well captured by the CA-FE model. The findings indicate that the developed model offers a reliable prediction of the solidification microstructure and texture evolution in TRC strips, making it a valuable tool for optimizing continuous casting processes. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Development of Advanced Aluminum and Magnesium Alloys: Microstructure, Mechanical Properties and Processing—2nd Edition)

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