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Microstructure Evolution, Mechanical Behavior and Performance of Metallic Materials
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Microstructure Evolution, Mechanical Behavior and Performance of Metallic Materials

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 March 2026 | Viewed by 5238

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Guobing Wei

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Materials Science and Engineering, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400044, China
Interests: metallic materials; mechanical properties; numerical modeling
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Metallic materials play important roles in various industrial sectors due to their exceptional properties and wide-ranging applications. When developing a new structure material, understanding the relationship between material properties, microstructure evolution, processing technology and mechanical response is essential. This Special Issue welcomes the submission of high-quality research on various aspects of metals and alloys, including microstructure evolution, materials design, numerical modeling, processing technology, and failure mechanisms. In particular, we encourage papers on the relationship between advanced manufacturing processing and the microstructural properties of metals and alloys. This scope will enable the development of metallic materials with customized properties for a range of applications in engineering, aerospace, automotive, and other industries.

Dr. Guobing Wei
Guest Editor

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. Materials is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly 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 2600 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

  • microstructure evolution
  • mechanical properties
  • strengthening mechanisms
  • numerical modeling
  • failure mechanisms

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

15 pages, 5266 KB  
Article
Tailoring a Heterogeneous Bimodal Structure for Superior Strength–Ductility Synergy in Dilute Mg-0.4Al-0.3Ca-0.2Mn-xSn Alloy: The Critical Role of Trace Sn Microalloying
by Guo Li, Jiahao Zhang, Li Sun, Xinyang Ge, Bin Li and Guobing Wei
Materials 2026, 19(3), 507; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma19030507 - 27 Jan 2026
Viewed by 379
Abstract
To achieve an optimal balance of mechanical properties in low-cost alloy systems, this study tailored a heterogeneous bimodal structure in dilute Mg-0.4Al-0.3Ca-0.2Mn-xSn alloys (x = 0, 0.1 wt.%) and systematically investigated the critical role of trace Sn microalloying during hot extrusion. Mg-0.4Al-0.3Ca-0.2Mn-xSn alloys [...] Read more.
To achieve an optimal balance of mechanical properties in low-cost alloy systems, this study tailored a heterogeneous bimodal structure in dilute Mg-0.4Al-0.3Ca-0.2Mn-xSn alloys (x = 0, 0.1 wt.%) and systematically investigated the critical role of trace Sn microalloying during hot extrusion. Mg-0.4Al-0.3Ca-0.2Mn-xSn alloys were fabricated via melting, homogenization, and subsequent hot extrusion at 320 °C. Trace Sn addition induced the formation of uniformly distributed CaMgSn phases within the homogenized matrix, facilitating a synergistic enhancement of strength and ductility. Specifically, the extruded alloys exhibited a characteristic bimodal grain structure consisting of coarse un-dynamic recrystallized (unDRXed) grains and fine dynamic recrystallized (DRXed) grains. Sn microalloying effectively refined the DRXed grains from 2.66 μm to 2.11 μm and significantly boosted the elongation (EL) from 12.9% to 26.3% while maintaining an Ultimate Tensile Strength (UTS) of 274 MPa. The Sn-containing secondary phases served as potent sites for particle-stimulated nucleation (PSN), thereby promoting the DRX process and reducing the texture intensity from 20.89 to 9.99. Overall, the superior strength-ductility synergy is primarily governed by the formation of the heterogeneous bimodal structure, where trace Sn facilitates grain refinement and texture weakening through PSN mechanisms, providing a robust strategy for the design of high-performance dilute magnesium alloys. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microstructure Evolution, Mechanical Behavior and Performance of Metallic Materials)
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21 pages, 8900 KB  
Article
Effect of Rare Earth Elements (La and Ce) on Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of U75V Steel
by Mengqiang Hu, Lei Ren, Guangqian Feng, Jichun Yang and Yubao Liu
Materials 2026, 19(2), 370; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma19020370 - 16 Jan 2026
Viewed by 302
Abstract
To investigate the effects of multiple-element rare earth addition on U75V steel, this study produced three types of steel: sample 1 steel without rare earths, sample 2 steel containing 0.0035% La and 0.018% Ce, and sample 3 steel containing 0.02% La and 0.0023% [...] Read more.
To investigate the effects of multiple-element rare earth addition on U75V steel, this study produced three types of steel: sample 1 steel without rare earths, sample 2 steel containing 0.0035% La and 0.018% Ce, and sample 3 steel containing 0.02% La and 0.0023% Ce. Microstructural analysis showed that the addition of rare earth elements modified the MnS and silicoaluminate inclusions into RE2O2S and RE2O2S–oxide complexes, which reduced the number and size of inclusions while simultaneously refining the microstructure, including the grain size and the spacing of pearlite layers. Concurrently, RE addition enhanced the steel’s mechanical properties, with the degree of enhancement dependent on RE content; sample 2 exhibited the most balanced improvement. Compared to sample 1, the hardness of samples 2 and 3 increased by 15.3% and 3.6%, respectively, and their tensile strength increased by 7.9% and 6.8%, respectively. Meanwhile, their coefficients of friction decreased significantly, by 69.5% and 22.1%. The impact toughness was also enhanced by RE addition, with both samples 2 and 3 showing higher values than sample 1 at room temperature and moderate low temperatures. Nevertheless, a distinct reversal was observed at −60 °C, where the impact energy of sample 3 was 23.5% lower than that of sample 2. This result implies that while moderate RE addition is beneficial, an excessive amount can adversely affect the toughness under cryogenic conditions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microstructure Evolution, Mechanical Behavior and Performance of Metallic Materials)
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22 pages, 6834 KB  
Article
Effect of Water Film Induced by Wet Shot Peening on Dimple Size and Residual Stress Distribution
by Chao Fang and Zhongjin Wang
Materials 2025, 18(18), 4347; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18184347 - 17 Sep 2025
Viewed by 581
Abstract
Recently, considerable research has been conducted on wet shot peening (WSP), but a detailed investigation of this process is still lacking. For a systematic study, four three-dimensional models of WSP and shot peening (SP) were developed using the finite element method (FEM), based [...] Read more.
Recently, considerable research has been conducted on wet shot peening (WSP), but a detailed investigation of this process is still lacking. For a systematic study, four three-dimensional models of WSP and shot peening (SP) were developed using the finite element method (FEM), based on the coupled Eulerian–Lagrangian (CEL) method. Micron-scaled water film is directly observed during WSP processing. Simulation results indicate that the water film has a significant impact on the dimple size and residual stress distribution. Compared with SP, WSP can produce (a) a dimple with a larger curvature radius, (b) greater compressive residual stress in the surface layer with a larger area, and (c) more uniformly distributed surface residual stress. This work reveals the mechanism underlying the changes mentioned above, which provides rationales for the promotional applications of WSP. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microstructure Evolution, Mechanical Behavior and Performance of Metallic Materials)
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17 pages, 20586 KB  
Article
In Situ EBSD Study of Aluminum After Embrittlement by Gallium
by Kaikai Cai, Shuo Wang, Daixin Zhang, Haiyun Feng, Pu Song and Hongwei Hu
Materials 2025, 18(5), 1026; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18051026 - 26 Feb 2025
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 3240
Abstract
Liquid metal embrittlement is a phenomenon in which the mechanical properties of a metallic material are significantly reduced after contact with liquid metal, and the microscopic mechanism of this phenomenon is still controversial. The grain boundary penetration mechanism has recently been widely recognized, [...] Read more.
Liquid metal embrittlement is a phenomenon in which the mechanical properties of a metallic material are significantly reduced after contact with liquid metal, and the microscopic mechanism of this phenomenon is still controversial. The grain boundary penetration mechanism has recently been widely recognized, but the theory is still deficient. To refine the theory of grain boundary penetration, in this paper, the liquid metal embrittlement mechanism of aluminum by gallium is obtained by in situ EBSD, combining it with the fracture morphology features and comparing the differences of the microscopic feature changes and the crack evolution process during the in situ tensile process of embrittled and untreated aluminum specimens. The results show that the fracture elongation of aluminum decreased by 60% after being embrittled by liquid gallium at 80 °C for 40 min, and the gallium atoms entering the aluminum interior decreased the grain boundary cohesion while promoting dislocation emission. Combining the experimental results and previous studies, we divide the fracture of aluminum after liquid metal embrittlement into three stages, namely, the grain boundary penetration stage, the local fracture stage, and the integral failure stage. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microstructure Evolution, Mechanical Behavior and Performance of Metallic Materials)
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