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Composition Design, Structure, and Plastic Deformation of Al and Mg Alloys

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A special issue of Metals (ISSN 2075-4701).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (28 February 2023) | Viewed by 11241

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Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Min Zha

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Guest Editor

Department of Material Science and Engineering, Jilin University, Changchun 130012, China
Interests: Al and Mg alloys; thermo-mechanical processing; recrystallization and annealing; microstructural and mechanical characterization
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Hailong Jia

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Guest Editor

School of Materials Science and Engineering, Jilin University, Changchun 130022, China
Interests: microstructure; mechanical properties; light alloys; solidification; deformation
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

As key materials in lightweight applications, light alloys including Al and Mg have significant advantages in automotive, transportation, electronics, aerospace, and military industries. In view of the low strength of light alloys in comparison to irons and steels, identifying how to increase their room temperature strength without reducing ductility is of particular importance. The development of novel high-strength and ductile light alloys has become an urgent and challenging task. The mechanical properties of alloys are usually determined by their compositions and thermomechanical processing routes. Moreover, the microstructure and plastic deformation behaviors greatly influence the resulting mechanical properties. Today, a lower-alloying content and short-route processing are particularly desirable, due to the pursuit of low cost and environmental friendliness. Thus, the composition design, (micro-)structure control, and plastic deformation of low-cost Al and Mg alloys with high strength-ductility synergy have attracted considerable attention in the last two decades in both the academic community and industry.

This Special Issue will address and gather recent advances on composition design, structure control, and plastic deformation of Al and Mg alloys, from both experimental and theoretical (modeling and simulation) perspectives. In particular, articles including advanced microstructural and mechanical characterization techniques (SEM, TEM, FIB, EBSD, TKD, APT, nano-indentation tests, in situ mechanical tests, etc.) assessing the processing–structure–properties relationships of Al and Mg alloys with enhanced mechanical properties are welcome. Articles related to the fabrication of parts with a complex shape are also desirable.

Prof. Dr. Min Zha
Dr. Hailong Jia
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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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. Metals 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 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

Al alloys
Mg alloys
Plastic deformation
Composition design
Mechanical properties
Characterization
Modeling
Simulation

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

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10 pages, 7756 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effect of Cooling Rate and Remelting Temperature on the Solidification Structure of Al-5Zr Master Alloy

by Zhenhua Li, Wangming Zhang, Siyue Fan and Qingwei Jiang

Metals 2023, 13(4), 749; https://doi.org/10.3390/met13040749 - 12 Apr 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 962

Abstract

Zr is an important element to improve the heat resistance of aluminum alloys, which is usually added to alloys using the Al-Zr master alloys. The microstructure of Al-Zr master alloys has a significant impact on the properties of Zr-bearing aluminum alloys. In this paper, the microstructure of commercial Al-5Zr master alloys was examined, and the effect of the remelting temperature and cooling rate on the solidification structure of the remelted Al-5Zr master alloys was investigated, aiming to develop a feasible way for quality improvement of Al-5Zr master alloys. The results showed that the microstructure of the remelted Al-5Zr master alloy could be regulated effectively by controlling the remelting temperature and cooling rate. When the remelting temperature was 1320 °C, the primary Al₃Zr phase in the remelted Al-5Zr master alloy was mainly precipitated as coarse plate-like or fine long needle-like. Higher cooling rate increased nucleation density and refined microstructure. The average length of the primary Al₃Zr phase was 178.2, 87.4, and 61.3 μm when the cooling rate was 4.6, 30.8, and 43.9 °C/s, respectively. Lower remelting temperature was generally conducive to refinement of primary Al₃Zr phase. When the remelting temperature was 920 °C, the primary Al₃Zr phase in the remelted Al-5Zr master alloy was mainly precipitated as block-like, fine needle-like, and petal-like. When the cooling rate was 4.6 °C, coarse plate-like Al₃Zr phase precipitated. With increasing cooling rate to 25.3 °C, the coarse plate-like Al₃Zr phase disappeared and the block-like and fine needle-like Al₃Zr phase precipitated followed by a large number of fine petal-like Al₃Zr phase precipitated after cooling rate to 45.6 °C. The optimized remelting process can improve the microstructure of the commercial Al-5Zr master alloy. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Composition Design, Structure, and Plastic Deformation of Al and Mg Alloys)

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14 pages, 4763 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Compressive Property and Energy Absorption Capacity of Mg-Ceramic-Ni Foamsat Various Temperatures

by Shouquan Shi, Weibo Sun, Xiaoru Zhang, Xianyong Zhu and Jiaan Liu

Metals 2022, 12(4), 689; https://doi.org/10.3390/met12040689 - 18 Apr 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1468

Abstract

Mg–Ceramic–Ni hybrid foams were fabricated via continuousdepositing micro-arc oxidation (MAO) ceramic coating and electroless Ni coating on the surface of the AZ91D foam struts. Mechanical tests from room temperature (RT) to 300 °C were carried out to evaluate the compressive properties and energy absorption capacities of two types of foams, i.e., AZ91D alloy foams and corresponding hybrid foams. The effect of composite coatings and test temperature on the compressive property of the foams was studied. The experimental results show that the MAOand Ni coatings enhance the Mg foam struts, resulting in high compressive strength and energy absorption capacity at each testing temperature. In addition, the compressive properties are also depending on testing temperature. The different mechanical responses of the composite foams under various temperature conditions are mainly attributed to the different deformation behaviors and failure modes of the foam struts, which are confirmed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) observation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Composition Design, Structure, and Plastic Deformation of Al and Mg Alloys)

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9 pages, 3300 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effect of Nano-Sized TiC-TiB₂ on Microstructure and Properties of Twin-Roll Cast Al-Cu-Mn-Zr Alloy

by Jiaming Cao, Bao Wang, Xiao Liu, Ting Chang and Qinglong Zhao

Metals 2022, 12(4), 563; https://doi.org/10.3390/met12040563 - 26 Mar 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1539

Abstract

Al-5Cu-0.8Mn-0.1Zr strips produced during a twin-roll-casting process are investigated in this paper. Central segregation does occur in the alloy strip, and the segregation is a mixture of Al₂Cu and Al₂₀Cu₂Mn₃ eutectic phases. This mixture is difficult to be dissolved in solid solution heat treatment. In this paper, nano-sized TiC/TiB₂ particles are introduced in the process of twin-roll-casting. It was found that after adding 0.3% nano-sized TiC-TiB₂ particles, the composition distribution becomes more uniform, and the central segregation is eliminated, compared to the strip without nanoparticles. The tensile strength of T6-treated alloy increases from 350 MPa to 390 MPa when nanoparticles are added, and the goal of increasing the properties of twin-roll-cast Al-Cu-Mn-Zr alloy has been achieved. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Composition Design, Structure, and Plastic Deformation of Al and Mg Alloys)

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13 pages, 10376 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Tensile Fracture Behavior of 2A14 Aluminum Alloy Produced by Extrusion Process

by Yunpeng Meng, Hua Zhang, Xia Li, Xin Zhou, Huajun Mo, Lifei Wang and Jianfeng Fan

Metals 2022, 12(2), 184; https://doi.org/10.3390/met12020184 - 19 Jan 2022

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2152

Abstract

In this study, the tensile mechanical properties of a 2A14 aluminum alloy produced by extrusion were tested at room temperature to investigate the tensile fracture behavior. The results showed that the tensile fracture of the alloy was mixed intergranular and transgranular ductile fracture, as numerous coarse second-phase particles were distributed in a band along the loading direction, making it prone to microcracking. This was determined to be the main cause of fracture failure of the alloy. In addition, we observed large α-AlFeMnSi(Cu), Al(Fe,Mn)Cu, AlCuMgSi, and Al₂Cu phases in the microstructure of the 2A14 aluminum alloy, and both Al₂Cu second phase and precipitation-free phase zone (PFZ) at the grain boundaries were observed, which made the alloy susceptible to fracture failure and reduced the mechanical properties of the alloy. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Composition Design, Structure, and Plastic Deformation of Al and Mg Alloys)

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11 pages, 7312 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Thermal Stability and Mechanical Properties of Al-Zn and Al-Bi-Zn Alloys Deformed by ECAP

by Hailong Jia, Yinan Piao, Kaining Zhu, Chaoran Yin, Wenqiang Zhou, Feng Li and Min Zha

Metals 2021, 11(12), 2043; https://doi.org/10.3390/met11122043 - 16 Dec 2021

Viewed by 1982

Abstract

It is well known that ultrafine grained and nanocrystalline materials show enhanced strength, while they are susceptible to thermally induced grain coarsening. The present work aims to enhance the thermal stability of ultrafine Al grains produced by equal channel angular pressing (ECAP) via dynamically precipitation. Detailed characterization by electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) has been carried out to reveal the microstructural evolution during both ECAP and post-ECAP annealing. After five passes of ECAP, both Al-8Zn and Al-6Bi-8Zn alloys show an ultrafine grain structure together with dynamic precipitated nanoscale Zn particles along grain boundaries. Upon annealing at 200 °C, ultrafine grains in the Al-8Zn and Al-6Bi-8Zn alloys show a remarkable thermal stability compared to the Al-8Bi alloy, which is mainly due to the presence of nanoscale Zn precipitates along grain boundaries. The present work reveals that nanoscale Zn particles have a positive effect on preserving the ultrafine grains during annealing, which is useful for the design of UFG Al alloys with improved thermal stability. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Composition Design, Structure, and Plastic Deformation of Al and Mg Alloys)

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Review

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15 pages, 5087 KiB

Open AccessReview

A Review of Progress in the Study of Al-Mg-Zn(-Cu) Wrought Alloys

by Guwei Shen, Xiaolin Chen, Jie Yan, Longyi Fan, Zhou Yang, Jin Zhang and Renguo Guan

Metals 2023, 13(2), 345; https://doi.org/10.3390/met13020345 - 9 Feb 2023

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2393

Abstract

Modern industrial development has put forward higher demands on the performance of metallic structural materials, especially in terms of light weight, high strength and corrosion resistance. All of these characteristics are of particular importance in transportation fields. As one of the most representative structural materials, aluminum and alloys have exhibited significant advantages in light weight. Most of the alloys are prominently featured in one specific aspect. The overall performance still needs to be improved. In recent years, researchers have developed Al-Mg-Zn(-Cu) alloy, a new wrought aluminum alloy, whose design strategy is known as “crossover alloying”. This novel alloy is an age-hardened Al-Mg alloy with a T-Mg₃₂(Al, X)₄₉ (X is Zn, Cu) phase as the main strengthening phase. This system of alloys exhibits excellent properties in terms of strength and corrosion resistance, which makes it promising for applications in automotive, marine, aerospace and other fields. This paper summarizes the research progress of Al-Mg-Zn(-Cu) alloy, and analyzes the basic methods of microstructural control in terms of composition design and property research. Finally, the future directions of this alloy are proposed. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Composition Design, Structure, and Plastic Deformation of Al and Mg Alloys)

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