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Microstructure, Mechanical Properties and Solidification Behavior of Metals and Alloys

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A special issue of Metals (ISSN 2075-4701). This special issue belongs to the section "Metal Casting, Forming and Heat Treatment".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 July 2022) | Viewed by 9019

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Special Issue Editor

Dr. Crystopher Cardoso de Brito

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Guest Editor

Assistant Professor, School of Engineering, Campus of São João da Boa Vista, São Paulo State University, UNESP, São João da Boa Vista 13876-750, SP, Brazil
Interests: casting; solidification
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Solidification is one of the oldest processes for producing complex shapes for applications ranging from art to industry. It is a multidisciplinary field which is highly important when it comes to the comprehension of industrial processing involving molten alloys such as welding, continuous casting, powder metallurgy and foundry. Process limits are still present and need to be overcome. Many research groups have conducted valuable research regarding particular subjects, such as nucleation, macrostructure, structural transitions, as-cast microstructure, porosity, macrosegregation, metal/mold interface, interdendritic fluid flow, additive manufacturing and the mechanical and corrosion properties of as-cast metals. All these topics have been studied for decades following either experimental or modeling approaches, with remarkable complementary aspects between them. Nowadays, complementary research has been developed concerning the evaluation of experimental data from stationary and transient directionally solidified alloys. The knowledge of the physical phenomena occurring at microscopic and macroscopic scales, between liquid and solid phases, is fundamental for the control of the microstructure in all the solidification processes, from casting to welding. The comprehension of solidification remains essential for the development of various recently proposed processes. For example, additive manufacturing processes are still to be interpreted concerning how much the solidification thermal parameters can be used to design the solidification microstructure, as well as to solve quality problems.

Prof. Dr. Crystopher Cardoso de Brito
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 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

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

Dendritic and cellular growth
Microsegregation
Synchrotron X-ray radiography
Mechanical properties
Corrosion resistance
Aluminum alloys
Pb-free solder alloys
Solidification modeling
Rapid solidification
Alloy atomization
Wire arc additive manufacturing

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Editorial

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2 pages, 167 KiB

Open AccessEditorial

Microstructure, Mechanical Properties and Solidification Behavior of Metals and Alloys

by Crystopher Brito

Metals 2022, 12(10), 1771; https://doi.org/10.3390/met12101771 - 21 Oct 2022

Viewed by 915

Abstract

The microstructure constitutes one of the pillars of the materials tetrahedron [...] Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microstructure, Mechanical Properties and Solidification Behavior of Metals and Alloys)

Research

Jump to: Editorial

17 pages, 3939 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Effect of Cu Content on Microstructure and Mechanical Properties for High-Strength Deposited Metals Strengthened by Nano-Precipitation

by Jiamei Wang, Chengning Li, Xinjie Di and Dongpo Wang

Metals 2022, 12(8), 1360; https://doi.org/10.3390/met12081360 - 16 Aug 2022

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1457

Abstract

With the rapid development of low-carbon high strength steel, higher requirements are put forward for the matching welding consumables. The deposited metals with 0.62–2.32% Cu addition was prepared by tungsten inert gas welding via metal cored wire. The effect of Cu element on microstructure and mechanical properties of deposited metals were investigated. The multiphase microstructure of deposited metals consists of bainite, martensite, residual austenite, and martensite-austenite constituents. It is found that Cu decreases the start temperature of martensite (Ms) and enlarges the temperature range of bainite from 372 K to 416 K, improving the formation of bainite. With the increase of Cu content, the fraction of martensite decreases and the shape of M-A constituents changes from strip into granular. There are BCC and FCC Cu precipitates in deposited metals. The diameter of Cu precipitates is 14–28 nm, and the volume fraction of it increases with the increase of Cu content. Meanwhile, the deposited metals with 1.79% Cu can achieve a 10% enhancement in strength (yield strength, 873–961 MPa, ultimate tensile strength, 1173–1286 MPa) at little expense of impact toughness (64.56–56.39 J at −20 °C). Cu precipitation can effectively improve the strength of the deposited metals, but it degrades toughness because of lower crack initiation energy. The deposited metal with 1.79% Cu addition shows an excellent strength-toughness balance. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microstructure, Mechanical Properties and Solidification Behavior of Metals and Alloys)

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14 pages, 10118 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Impact of Remelting on ZnAl4Cu3 Alloy with Addition of Cd on Selected Technological and Mechanical Properties

by Dana Bolibruchová, Marek Bruna and Marek Matejka

Metals 2022, 12(7), 1180; https://doi.org/10.3390/met12071180 - 11 Jul 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1296

Abstract

One of the main objectives in order to increase economic efficiency in foundries is to determine the ratio of the scrap material which can be used in the further manufacture. This factor is important for determining the final prices of products and their competitiveness, given that the prices of zinc on world markets have increased significantly in the recent years. This article deals with the possibilities of remelting the zinc foundry alloy ZnAl4Cu3 and also evaluates the effect of cadmium on selected properties. The main goal is to provide a comprehensive view of the influence of these two factors on selected mechanical properties, casting properties, and microstructure. An important part of the research is to point out the combined influence of given factors. The results of experiments confirmed that an addition of 3 wt.% of Cd has a significant impact on technological and mechanical properties. Fluidity values compared to the Cd-free alloy increased by 22.4%. In terms of mechanical properties, the influence of Cd on the tensile strength was most visible, with a decrease in average by 25 MPa. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microstructure, Mechanical Properties and Solidification Behavior of Metals and Alloys)

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20 pages, 9075 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Hypereutectic Zn–Al Alloys: Microstructural Development under Unsteady-State Solidification Conditions, Eutectic Coupled Zone and Hardness

by Rudimylla Septimio, Cássio A. P. Silva, Thiago A. Costa, Amauri Garcia and Noé Cheung

Metals 2022, 12(7), 1076; https://doi.org/10.3390/met12071076 - 23 Jun 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1738

Abstract

The present study investigates the effects of Al content and solidification thermal parameters on the microstructural development under transient heat flow conditions for two hypereutectic Zn–Al alloys: Zn-6wt.%Al and Zn-11wt.%Al. The alloys were directionally solidified and had experimental cooling profiles monitored permitting cooling rates and growth rates to be determined along the length of the directionally solidified (DS) castings. The microstructure of the Zn-6wt.%Al alloy is shown to be formed by eutectic colonies, constituted by a eutectic mixture of (Zn) and (Al′) phases in the form of lamellae and the Zn-11wt.% Al alloy by the pro-eutectic (Al′) dendrites and the eutectic mixture in the interdendritic regions. Growth laws are experimentally determined relating eutectic and dendritic spacings to the growth rate and cooling rate. A diagram exhibiting the coupled zone of Zn–Al alloys as a function of cooling rate is proposed, which shows different microstructural morphologies influenced by composition and thermal parameters, that is, growth rate and the temperature gradient, synthesized by the cooling rate (Ṫ = G.V). The microhardness of both Zn-6wt.%Al and Zn-11wt.%Al alloys were shown not to depend on the length scale of the resulting microstructure. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microstructure, Mechanical Properties and Solidification Behavior of Metals and Alloys)

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20 pages, 6635 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Assessing Microstructure Tensile Properties Relationships in Al-7Si-Mg Alloys via Multiple Regression

by Cássio Silva, André Barros, Talita Vida, Amauri Garcia, Noé Cheung, Danieli A. P. Reis and Crystopher Brito

Metals 2022, 12(6), 1040; https://doi.org/10.3390/met12061040 - 17 Jun 2022

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 1682

Abstract

The development of Al-based alloys presumes a detailed understanding of the microstructure evolution during solidification since the as-solidified microstructure also has effects on the subsequent thermo-mechanical processing. In the present investigation Al-7wt.%Si-xMg (x = 0.5 and 1 wt.%) alloys are subjected to transient directional solidification with a view to characterizing the microstructure evolution, with special focus on both dendritic evolution and the inherent features of the Mg₂Si and π-AlSiFeMg intermetallics. Experimental power-type functions relating the primary, secondary and tertiary interdendritic spacings to the solidification cooling rate and growth rate are developed. It is observed that the Mg content added to the Al-7wt.%Si alloy and the consequent increase in the Mg₂Si fraction tends to increase the values of the primary dendritic spacing. However, this same behavior is not verified for the growth evolution of dendritic side branches. A multiple linear regression (MLR) analysis is developed permitting quantitative correlations for the prediction of tensile properties and hardness from microstructural parameters to be established. The increase in the Mg alloy content from 0.5 to 1 was shown to promote an increase in both the ultimate tensile strength (σ_u) and elongation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microstructure, Mechanical Properties and Solidification Behavior of Metals and Alloys)

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17 pages, 7162 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Evolution Behavior and Closure Mechanism of Porosity in Large Billet during the Reduction Pretreatment

by Yang Liu, Jianhua Liu and Yang He

Metals 2022, 12(4), 599; https://doi.org/10.3390/met12040599 - 30 Mar 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1287

Abstract

The reduction pretreatment process was proposed to be applied to large billets for the purpose of alleviating the center porosities and reducing the rolling ratio. This study focused on the evolution behavior and closure mechanism of porosity in a large billet during reduction pretreatment. The porosities were characterized by ultrasonic scanning and 3D reconstruction. The results showed that the porosities near the surface of the billet were firstly closed during the reduction pretreatment. The reduction began to effectively act on the center of the billet at the deformation of 0.16. When the reduction amount increased to 0.20–0.22, both the pore number and the porosity degree at the center of the billet were the smallest. As the deformation exceeded 0.25, the porosities gathered at the center of the billet, which may have caused larger defects. A numerical model for the reduction pretreatment was established to analyze the evolution behavior of porosity. The simulation results showed that the position with the maximum of strain moved toward the center of the billet as the reduction amount increased. At the position where the deformation was 0.20, the deformation would readily occur at the center, and the center strain was almost twice as much as the surface strain. The upper and lower surfaces of porosity were compressed to the center of the porosity in the thickness direction. The two ends of porosity were not stretched in the rolling direction. The closure index indicated that the deformation penetrated into the center would accelerate the deformation of porosity. The cross-sectional area of the porosity gradually decreased with the increase in the hydrostatic integration, which indicated that the hydrostatic integration could be used to assess the closure degree of porosity during the reduction pretreatment process. Both the closure index and the hydrostatic integration proved the effective role of the reduction pretreatment in the alleviation of porosity. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microstructure, Mechanical Properties and Solidification Behavior of Metals and Alloys)

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