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Metals
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Light Alloy and Its Application
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Light Alloy and Its Application

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 November 2022) | Viewed by 27059

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Chonghe Li

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
State Key Laboratory of Advanced Special Steel & Shanghai Key Laboratory of Advanced Ferrometallurgy & School of Materials Science and Engineering, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200072, China
Interests: titanium alloy; TiAl single crystal; intermetallic compound; theoretical calculation; alloy design; refractories for titanium alloys
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Qisheng Feng

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor Assistant
State Key Laboratory of Advanced Special Steel & Shanghai Key Laboratory of Advanced Ferrometallurgy & School of Materials Science and Engineering, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200072, China
Interests: titanium alloy; alloy design and development; CALPHAD; phase diagram; thermodynamic

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Light alloys usually refer to alloys based on light metals such as aluminum, magnesium, titanium, etc., which have particularly important applications in aerospace and automobile industries. Light alloy is the first choice for modern aerospace equipment to break through the limit of bearing capacity of body structure, and the manufacturing capability of high-performance light alloy large integral structural parts determines the functional level and competitiveness of aerospace equipment. Aluminum alloy is generally chosen as the lightweight material of NEVs. Studies have shown that energy consumption can be reduced by 6–8% if the weight of the whole vehicle is reduced by 10%. Magnesium–lithium alloy, as the metal structure material with the lowest density at present, has also been applied in the space field by the United States, China, and other countries. Although light alloy has been successfully applied in various fields, there are still some shortcomings to overcome. Research on light alloy is still in progress. For this Special Issue in Metals, we welcome reviews and articles in the areas of basic research, theoretical calculation, design of novel alloys, material preparation and characterization, and applications of light alloys.

Prof. Dr. Chonghe Li
Guest Editor

Qisheng Feng
Guest Editor Assistant

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

  • Light alloy
  • Aluminum alloy
  • Magnesium alloy
  • Titanium alloy
  • Intermetallic compound
  • Metallurgy

Published Papers (12 papers)

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Editorial

Jump to: Research, Review

3 pages, 171 KiB  
Editorial
Light Alloys and Their Applications
by Chonghe Li and Qisheng Feng
Metals 2023, 13(3), 561; https://doi.org/10.3390/met13030561 - 10 Mar 2023
Viewed by 1170
Abstract
Light alloys usually refer to alloys that are based on light metals such as aluminum, magnesium, titanium, etc [...] Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Light Alloy and Its Application)

Research

Jump to: Editorial, Review

14 pages, 5151 KiB  
Article
Phase Equilibria of the Mg-Zn-Sm System in Mg-Rich Corner at 320 °C and 400 °C
by Tian Yin, Zheng Ma, Hongcan Chen, Qun Luo, Jieyu Zhang and Guangxin Wu
Metals 2022, 12(10), 1553; https://doi.org/10.3390/met12101553 - 20 Sep 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1056
Abstract
To clarify the controversy regarding the phase equilibria in the Mg-rich corner of the Mg-Zn-Sm system, alloys annealed at 320 °C and 400 °C were employed to determine the phase constitution, composition and crystal structure by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) [...] Read more.
To clarify the controversy regarding the phase equilibria in the Mg-rich corner of the Mg-Zn-Sm system, alloys annealed at 320 °C and 400 °C were employed to determine the phase constitution, composition and crystal structure by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The maximum solubility of Zn in Mg3Sm was measured to be 49.2 at.% at 400 °C. The Y phase (Mg62Zn31Sm7), only observed in the as-cast alloys, was determined to have an orthorhombic structure with lattice parameters of a = 10.20 Å, b = 11.26 Å and c = 9.64 Å by TEM. The hexagonal compound μ7, identified with lattice parameters of a = 34.62 Å and c = 8.94 Å, was detected during the transformation of the Y phase to the Z phase in the alloys located in the (Mg) + Mg3Sm + Z three-phase region. The phase equilibria (Mg) + Mg41Sm5 + Mg3Sm, Mg + Mg3Sm + Z, (Mg) + Z + liquid and Mg2Zn3 + Z + liquid at 400 °C are confirmed, and the three-phase region (Mg) + Z + MgZn exists in the Mg-Zn side at 320 °C. Subsequently, a self-consistent thermodynamic description was obtained based on the experimental data. Meanwhile, solidification simulation of Y phase formation was conducted by suppressing the stale Z phase, which can reasonably explain the as-cast microstructure of alloys in the Mg-rich corner. The thermodynamic database would be helpful for the further development of Mg-Zn-Sm alloys. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Light Alloy and Its Application)
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9 pages, 3774 KiB  
Article
Nosing Process of 2A12 Aluminum Alloy Spacing Shims for Non-disengagement Fastening Devices for Spacecrafts
by Xiaoliang Wang, Yunxian Cui and Tiebing Yuan
Metals 2022, 12(8), 1348; https://doi.org/10.3390/met12081348 - 13 Aug 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1153
Abstract
In this study, a finite element simulation model for the nosing of the non-disengagement fastening device’s 2A12 aluminum alloy-spacing shim was established. Furthermore, the effects of the fillet radius, inclination angle, and stamping velocity of the nosing die on the formation of the [...] Read more.
In this study, a finite element simulation model for the nosing of the non-disengagement fastening device’s 2A12 aluminum alloy-spacing shim was established. Furthermore, the effects of the fillet radius, inclination angle, and stamping velocity of the nosing die on the formation of the spacing shim were examined. The following conclusions were drawn. (1) The die’s fillet radius primarily affects the spacing shim’s bending angle—as the die’s fillet radius increases, the bending performance decreases and meets the requirement when the fillet radius is 1.8 mm. (2) The die’s inclination angle affects the spacing shim’s nosing dimension: the nosing dimension increases with the increase in the die’s inclination angle and is optimal when the die’s inclination angle reaches 7°. (3) Within the range of 186–294 mm/s, the stamping velocity barely affects the formation of the spacing shim. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Light Alloy and Its Application)
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16 pages, 6505 KiB  
Article
Improving Mechanical and Corrosion Behavior of 5052 Aluminum Alloy Processed by Cyclic Extrusion Compression
by Jianxin Wu, Faramarz Djavanroodi, Mahmoud Shamsborhan, Shokouh Attarilar and Mahmoud Ebrahimi
Metals 2022, 12(8), 1288; https://doi.org/10.3390/met12081288 - 30 Jul 2022
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 1805
Abstract
Background The severe plastic deformation approach and its well-known cyclic extrusion compression (CEC) method have been established as a powerful tool for fabricating bulk ultrafine-grained metals and alloys with improved properties. Objective This study focused on the microstructure evolution, hardness behavior, and corrosion [...] Read more.
Background The severe plastic deformation approach and its well-known cyclic extrusion compression (CEC) method have been established as a powerful tool for fabricating bulk ultrafine-grained metals and alloys with improved properties. Objective This study focused on the microstructure evolution, hardness behavior, and corrosion properties of the CEC-processed Al5052 up to four passes compared to the initial annealed state. Methods The initial and CEC-processed Al5052 samples at different pass numbers were examined experimentally by EBSD analyses, hardness measurements, and corrosion resistance. Results Substantial grain refinement was attained from ~23 μm for the annealed sample to ~0.8 μm in the four passes sample. In addition, the hardness values considerably increased up to 75.7% after four passes from the initial value of 80 HV. In addition, the increment of pass numbers led to a more uniform dispersion of hardness values. Furthermore, the production of more stable protective oxide layers on the UFG structure of the CEC-processed sample led to the improvement in electrochemical response with a corrosion rate reduction from 1.49 to 1.02 mpy, respectively, in the annealed and final pass CEC-processed samples. In fact, the annealed sample manifested more large-sized and deeper pits than the CECed samples due to the increment of potential values and electrochemical attack of chlorine ions that finally deteriorates the corrosion performance. Conclusions CEC is an efficient method to improve the mechanical properties of materials due to substantial microstructural changes along with enhancement of electrochemical behavior because of the presence of small-sized and shallow pits. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Light Alloy and Its Application)
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12 pages, 5087 KiB  
Article
Effect of Cold Deformation on Microstructure and Mechanical Behavior of Commercially Pure Grade 4 Titanium Strip
by Baohui Zhu, Xiangdong Wu, Min Wan, Xuexi Cui, Heng Li, Xiaofei Li and Lihua Shen
Metals 2022, 12(7), 1166; https://doi.org/10.3390/met12071166 - 08 Jul 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1826
Abstract
The microstructure and mechanical behavior of commercially pure grade 4 (Gr.4) titanium strips with different deformations were studied by optical microscope (OM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), uniaxial tensile test, and hardness test. The work-hardening characteristics of a Gr.4 strip [...] Read more.
The microstructure and mechanical behavior of commercially pure grade 4 (Gr.4) titanium strips with different deformations were studied by optical microscope (OM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), uniaxial tensile test, and hardness test. The work-hardening characteristics of a Gr.4 strip were analyzed with a true-stress–strain curve. The results show that cold deformation can significantly improve the strength and hardness of a commercially pure titanium Gr.4 strip, which has significant work hardening characteristics. With the increase in deformation amount, the grain is stretched into a fibrous shape along the longitudinal direction, while the strength and hardness increase and the plasticity decreases. Moreover, there is a significant linear relationship between the tensile strength and hardness. The true-stress–true-strain curves of a Gr.4 strip in different states were analyzed by combining three hardening models. It was found that the true-stress–true-strain curve of an annealed Gr.4 strip can be regressed by the Ludwigson, Voce, and Swift models, the Ludwigson model has a higher fitting accuracy, and the fitting results of the tensile true-stress–true-strain curves of Gr.4 strips after cold deformation hardening are not ideal. The cold deformation mechanism of a Gr.4 strip is mainly based on slippage, with an increase in dislocation density and dislocation tanglement leading to work-hardening behavior during cold deformation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Light Alloy and Its Application)
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15 pages, 6088 KiB  
Article
Preparation of Ti-46Al-8Nb Alloy Ingots beyond Laboratory Scale Based on BaZrO3 Refractory Crucible
by Baohua Duan, Lu Mao, Yuchen Yang, Qisheng Feng, Xuexian Zhang, Haitao Li, Lina Jiao, Rulin Zhang, Xionggang Lu, Guangyao Chen and Chonghe Li
Metals 2022, 12(3), 524; https://doi.org/10.3390/met12030524 - 21 Mar 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2312
Abstract
The high Nb-containing TiAl-based alloy ingot beyond laboratory scale with a composition of Ti-46Al-8Nb (at.%) was prepared by a vacuum induction melting process based on a BaZrO3 refractory crucible. A round bar ingot with a diameter of 85 mm and a length [...] Read more.
The high Nb-containing TiAl-based alloy ingot beyond laboratory scale with a composition of Ti-46Al-8Nb (at.%) was prepared by a vacuum induction melting process based on a BaZrO3 refractory crucible. A round bar ingot with a diameter of 85 mm and a length of 430 mm was finally obtained, and the chemical composition, solidification pathway, microstructure and tensile properties of the ingot were investigated. The results show that the deviations of Al and Nb content along a 430 mm long central part of the ingot are approximately ±0.39 at.% and ±0.14 at.%, and the oxygen content in the ingot can be controlled at around 1000 ppm. The structure of the alloy ingot is a full lamellar structure composed of γ and α2 phases, and the thickness of the lamellae is approximately 0.53 μm. In case of the α2 phase, the surface content of the ingot is higher than the middle region and the centrical region; also, it indicated a decreasing trend. During cooling, the alloy solidified from a peritectic reaction (L + β→α) rather than the solidified via β phase (β→α). In addition to Al segregation and Nb segregation, β-phase particles associated with γ phase at the triple junction of the colonies were observed. Moreover, the tensile properties of the longitudinal-cut sample in the ingot is significantly better than those of the transverse-cut sample, with a tensile strength of up to as high as 700 MPa and a corresponding fracture elongation of 1.1%. However, the tensile strength of the transverse-cut sample is only 375 MPa, and the fracture elongation is 0.52%. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Light Alloy and Its Application)
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10 pages, 4819 KiB  
Article
Microstructure and Fracture Performance of Wire Arc Additively Manufactured Inconel 625 Alloy by Hot-Wire GTAW
by Xiaoli Wang, Qingxian Hu, Tianqing Li, Wenkang Liu, Douxi Tang, Zichen Hu and Kang Liu
Metals 2022, 12(3), 510; https://doi.org/10.3390/met12030510 - 17 Mar 2022
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2241
Abstract
In this work, an Inconel 625 thin-wall structure was fabricated by the gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW) hot-wire arc additive manufacturing process. The microstructure and mechanical properties of the Inconel 625 samples, extracted from different orientations and locations of the thin-wall structure, were [...] Read more.
In this work, an Inconel 625 thin-wall structure was fabricated by the gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW) hot-wire arc additive manufacturing process. The microstructure and mechanical properties of the Inconel 625 samples, extracted from different orientations and locations of the thin-wall structure, were investigated and compared. The results showed that the additively manufactured Inconel 625 component, made by hot-wire GTAW, had good quality. Its microstructure consisted of dendrites, equiaxial crystals, and cellular crystals. The average hardness from the bottom to the top was similar, indicating that the thin wall had good consistency. The plasticity in the deposition direction was better than those in the other three regions, which was related to the dendritic structure in the sedimentary direction. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Light Alloy and Its Application)
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17 pages, 5425 KiB  
Article
Thermodynamic Assessment of Ti-Al-Fe-V Quaternary System Applied to Novel Titanium Alloys Designing
by Qisheng Feng, Baohua Duan, Lu Mao, Lina Jiao, Guangyao Chen, Xionggang Lu and Chonghe Li
Metals 2022, 12(3), 444; https://doi.org/10.3390/met12030444 - 04 Mar 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 5339
Abstract
The Ti-Al-Fe-V quaternary system is a very useful system for titanium alloy development. However, there are few reports on the thermodynamic description of this system. In the present work, the experimental investigation and thermodynamic description of the relative sub-systems of the Ti-Al-Fe-V quaternary [...] Read more.
The Ti-Al-Fe-V quaternary system is a very useful system for titanium alloy development. However, there are few reports on the thermodynamic description of this system. In the present work, the experimental investigation and thermodynamic description of the relative sub-systems of the Ti-Al-Fe-V quaternary system are summarized and reviewed, wherein the Ti-Fe-V system is re-assessed by using CALPHAD (CALculation of PHAse Diagrams) approach. The thermodynamic database of the Ti-Al-Fe-V quaternary system is established by extrapolating the thermodynamic descriptions of all sub- systems. Then, a method of titanium alloy design combining Mo equivalent with CALPHAD is proposed. The pseudo-binary sections with V:Fe = 3.5:1 and Al = 0.0, 3.0, 4.5 and 6.0 wt% are calculated. Finally, three different types of titanium alloys are recommended according to the new method. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Light Alloy and Its Application)
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13 pages, 7162 KiB  
Article
Microstructural Evolution and the Irradiation Sensitivity of Different Phases of a High Nb-Containing TiAl Alloy under He Ions Implantation at Room- and Elevated Temperatures
by Zeen Wu, Tiebang Zhang, Fan Zhang, Rui Hu and Xiaoye Wang
Metals 2022, 12(2), 335; https://doi.org/10.3390/met12020335 - 14 Feb 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1462
Abstract
A high Nb-containing TiAl alloy Ti-45Al-8.5Nb-(W, B, Y) with nearly lamellar microstructure has been irradiated by 200 kV He2+ to a fluence of 1 × 1021 ions/m2 with a dose of about 1.1 dpa at 298 K and 773 K [...] Read more.
A high Nb-containing TiAl alloy Ti-45Al-8.5Nb-(W, B, Y) with nearly lamellar microstructure has been irradiated by 200 kV He2+ to a fluence of 1 × 1021 ions/m2 with a dose of about 1.1 dpa at 298 K and 773 K in this work. It is found that an amorphous layer formed on the surface, and no helium bubbles can be observed in the alloy after room temperature ion implantation. The surface roughness of the alloy increases significantly with the bombardment of helium ions, indicating that the ion implantation increases the surface defects. The high-temperature ion implantation leads to the phenomenon of blistering on the alloy surface, and helium bubbles are observed in both α2 and γ phases of the alloy irradiated at 773 K. The average size of the helium bubbles in the α2 (15~20 nm) is larger than that in the γ (3~5 nm) phase, while the helium bubble density is opposite. Moreover, the growth mechanism of helium bubble is also investigated. By means of nanoindentation, an obvious irradiation hardening phenomenon is measured after the room temperature ion implantation. In addition, the irradiation sensitivity of different phases is also discussed in this work. The results show that the γ phase has the highest irradiation sensitivity, α2 phase second, β phase minimum. The results of this work, especially microstructure evolution and the evaluation of phase-related irradiation sensitivity during ion implantation, can be expected to provide experimental evidence for the applications of TiAl intermetallic compounds in the nuclear industries. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Light Alloy and Its Application)
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9 pages, 1931 KiB  
Article
Effects of Actual Marine Atmospheric Pre-Corrosion and Pre-Fatigue on the Fatigue Property of 7085 Aluminum Alloy
by Laixin Shi, Lin Xiang, Jianquan Tao, Jun Liu, Qiang Chen and Yong Zhong
Metals 2022, 12(1), 81; https://doi.org/10.3390/met12010081 - 04 Jan 2022
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1634
Abstract
Effects of actual marine atmospheric precorrosion and prefatigue on the fatigue property of 7085-T7452 aluminum alloy were investigated by using the methods of marine atmospheric outdoor exposure tests and constant amplitude axial fatigue tests. Marine atmospheric corrosion morphologies, fatigue life, and fatigue fractography [...] Read more.
Effects of actual marine atmospheric precorrosion and prefatigue on the fatigue property of 7085-T7452 aluminum alloy were investigated by using the methods of marine atmospheric outdoor exposure tests and constant amplitude axial fatigue tests. Marine atmospheric corrosion morphologies, fatigue life, and fatigue fractography were analyzed. After three months of outdoor exposure, both pitting corrosion and intergranular corrosion (IGC) occurred, while the latter was the dominant marine atmospheric corrosion mode. Marine atmospheric precorrosion could result in a dramatical decrease in the fatigue life of the as-received 7085-T7452 aluminum alloy, while selective prefatigue can improve the total fatigue life of the precorroded specimen. The mechanism of the actual marine atmospheric corrosion and its effects on the fatigue life of the 7085-T7452 aluminum alloy were also discussed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Light Alloy and Its Application)
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Review

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26 pages, 4625 KiB  
Review
Research Progress of Titanium Sponge Production: A Review
by Qisheng Feng, Mingrui Lv, Lu Mao, Baohua Duan, Yuchen Yang, Guangyao Chen, Xionggang Lu and Chonghe Li
Metals 2023, 13(2), 408; https://doi.org/10.3390/met13020408 - 16 Feb 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 3655
Abstract
Titanium has excellent all-round performance, but the high cost of its production limits its widespread use. Currently, the Kroll process used to commercially produce titanium sponge is inefficient, energy-intensive, and highly polluting to the environment. Over the past few decades, many new processes [...] Read more.
Titanium has excellent all-round performance, but the high cost of its production limits its widespread use. Currently, the Kroll process used to commercially produce titanium sponge is inefficient, energy-intensive, and highly polluting to the environment. Over the past few decades, many new processes have been developed to replace the Kroll process in order to reduce the cost of producing titanium and make it a common metal with as many applications as iron. These new processes can be divided into two categories: thermal reduction and electrolysis. Based on their classification, this paper reviews the current development status of various processes and analyzes the advantages and disadvantages of each process. Finally, the development direction and challenges of titanium production process are put forward. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Light Alloy and Its Application)
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16 pages, 4238 KiB  
Review
Research Progress of Low Density and High Stiffness of Be-Al Alloy Fabricated by Investment Casting
by Junyi Li, Yao Xie, Yiqun Yang, Zhaogang Liu, Dongxin Wang and Yajun Yin
Metals 2022, 12(8), 1379; https://doi.org/10.3390/met12081379 - 19 Aug 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1527
Abstract
Be-Al alloy is a type of in situ metal matrix composite composed of a primary Be phase for strength and stiffness and a continuous Al matrix for ductility and toughness. Be-Al alloy (AlBe-Cast®910) has the characteristics of low density (2.17 g/cm [...] Read more.
Be-Al alloy is a type of in situ metal matrix composite composed of a primary Be phase for strength and stiffness and a continuous Al matrix for ductility and toughness. Be-Al alloy (AlBe-Cast®910) has the characteristics of low density (2.17 g/cm3), high elastic modulus (193 GPa) and specific stiffness (88.94 GPa/(g/cm3)) as a preferred material for lightweight aerospace products. Investment casting technology can be employed to prepare the components with thin-walled complex structures for aerospace; however, the wide solidification range for Be-Al leads to difficulty in feeding a casting and results in extensive shrinkage and porosity in cast parts. In this paper, the characteristics of Be-Al alloy are introduced first. Secondly, the mechanisms of influence of adding elements on the casting process, mechanical properties (strength increases more than 20% by adding elements) and microstructure evolution are explained in detail. In addition, the heat treatment technology (strength increases at least 10% after heat treatment) and the repair of defects by electron beam welding are discussed. Finally, Be-Al alloy is a new type of composite material, and China is a major research and application country; this paper introduces its research status and analyzes existing problems and shortcomings and points out the direction of Be-Al alloy development in China in the next few years. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Light Alloy and Its Application)
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