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Physical Metallurgy of Light Alloys and Composite Materials

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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 (30 April 2021) | Viewed by 32959

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Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Nikolay A. Belov

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Guest Editor

Dept. of Metal Forming, NUST "MISIS", 4, Leninskiy prospekt, Moscow, 119049, Russia
Interests: physical metallurgy of light alloys (particularly aluminum based); design of aluminum alloys; multicomponent phase diagrams

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Aluminum-, magnesium-, and titanium-based alloys are known as the lightest alloys among the construction materials widely used in industry. A favorable combination of good strength properties and low density often makes these alloys preferable to steels. The use of light alloys in products used for new technologies (e.g., automotive, aviation, construction, energy) has increased significantly over the last few decades. Titanium, which has a unique combination of properties that have made its alloys vital for gas turbine engines, is now finding many applications in aircraft structures and in the chemical industry. Titanium aluminide (TiAl)-based alloys also possess advanced high-temperature strength and other mechanical and technological properties and are among the most promising replacements for dense Ni-based superalloys in low-pressure turbines. The use of light alloys for medical products is also expanding now. Whereas magnesium and titanium are used to produce implants, aluminum has been used for manufacturing important elements of exoskeletons. New applications of light alloys require significant improvement of their physical and mechanical properties, which can be achieved through the use of new technologies (particularly, laser processing, additive manufacturing, nanotechnologies, etc.). Conventionally, alloy design is based on the fundamentals of physical metallurgy, in particular, deep understanding of structure evolution and structure–property relationships. On the other hand, the intense development of digital technologies enables the greater role of intellectual engineering and design systems (e.g., finite element simulation, neural networks and artificial intelligence, CALPHAD thermodynamic calculations) in the development of advanced materials and technologies.

The scope of this Special Issue focuses on the formation of the structure of light alloys (during solidification, deformation, and heat treatment) and its relationship with the mechanical and technological properties. Design of light alloys (including composite materials) based on experimental and theoretical study is also considered.

Prof. Dr. Nikolay A. Belov
Guest Editor

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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

aluminum alloys
titanium alloys
magnesium alloys
titanium aluminides
composite material microstructure
phase composition
laser processing
deformation
casting
severe plastic deformation

Published Papers (11 papers)

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Research

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17 pages, 7710 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceArticle

A Comparative Investigation of Conventional and Hammering-Assisted Incremental Sheet Forming Processes for AA1050 H14 Sheets

by Harshal Y. Shahare, Abhay Kumar Dubey, Pavan Kumar, Hailiang Yu, Alexander Pesin, Denis Pustovoytov and Puneet Tandon

Metals 2021, 11(11), 1862; https://doi.org/10.3390/met11111862 - 19 Nov 2021

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2091

Abstract

Incremental Sheet Forming (ISF) is emerging as one of the popular dieless forming processes for the small-sized batch production of sheet metal components. However, the parts formed by the ISF process suffer from poor surface finish, geometric inaccuracy, and non-uniform thinning, which leads to poor part characteristics. Hammering, on the other hand, plays an important role in relieving residual stresses, and thus enhances the material properties through a change in grain structure. A few studies based on shot peening, one of the types of hammering operation, revealed that shot peening can produce nanostructure surfaces with different characteristics. This paper introduces a novel process, named the Incremental Sheet Hammering (ISH) process, i.e., integration of incremental sheet forming (ISF) process and hammering to improve the efficacy of the ISF process. Controlled hammering in the ISF process causes an alternating motion at the tool-sheet interface in the local deformation zone. This motion leads to enhanced material flow and subsequent improvement in the surface finish. Typical toolpath strategies are incorporated to impart the tool movement. The mechanics of the process is further explored through explicit-dynamic numerical models and experimental investigations on 1 mm thick AA1050 sheets. The varying wall angle truncated cone (VWATC) and constant wall angle truncated cone (CWATC) test geometries are identified to compare the ISF and ISH processes. The results indicate that the formability is improved in terms of wall angle, forming depth and forming limits. Further, ISF and ISH processes are compared based on the numerical and experimental results. The indicative statistical analysis is performed which shows that the ISH process would lead to an overall 10.99% improvement in the quality of the parts primarily in the surface finish and forming forces. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Physical Metallurgy of Light Alloys and Composite Materials)

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20 pages, 11705 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Influence of the Small Sc and Zr Additions on the As-Cast Microstructure of Al–Mg–Si Alloys with Excess Silicon

by Evgenii Aryshenskii, Maksim Lapshov, Jurgen Hirsch, Sergey Konovalov, Viacheslav Bazhenov, Alexander Drits and Denis Zaitsev

Metals 2021, 11(11), 1797; https://doi.org/10.3390/met11111797 - 8 Nov 2021

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2250

Abstract

This research is devoted to the study effects of complex alloying of Al-0.3 wt. % Mg-1 wt. % Si and Al-0.5 wt. % Mg-1.3 wt. % Si alloys by small additions of Sc and Zr on the microstructure in the as-cast condition. The effect of small additions of these elements on the microhardness, electrical conductivity, grain size and phase composition of the indicated alloy systems was studied. The methods of optical and electron microscopy were used for the study. Moreover, the phase composition was calculated using the Thermo-Calc software package. The study showed a strong effect of the chemical composition of investigated alloys on the size of the grains, which, with a certain combination of additives, can decrease several times. Grain refinement occurs both due to supercooling and formation of primary Al₃Sc particles in the liquid phase. Alloys based on Al-0.5 wt. % Mg-1.3 wt. % Si are more prone to the formation of this phase since a lower concentration of Sc is required for it to occur. In addition, more silicon interacts with other elements. At the same time, Al-0.3 wt. % Mg-1 wt. % Si requires lower temperature for complete dissolution of Mg₂Si, which can contribute to more efficient heat treatment, which includes reducing the number of steps. TEM data show that during ingot cooling (AlSi)₃ScZr dispersoid precipitates. This dispersoid could precipitate as coherent and semi-coherent particles with L1₂ structure as well as needle-shaped particles. The precipitation of coherent and semi-coherent particles during cooling of the ingot indicates that they can be obtained during subsequent multistage heat treatment. In addition, in the Al0.5Mg1.3Si0.3Sc alloy, metastable β″ (Mg₅Si₆) are precipitated. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Physical Metallurgy of Light Alloys and Composite Materials)

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16 pages, 6321 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Hypereutectic Al-Ca-Mn-(Ni) Alloys as Natural Eutectic Composites

by Evgeniya Naumova, Vitali Doroshenko, Mikhail Barykin, Tatyana Sviridova, Alexandra Lyasnikova and Pavel Shurkin

Metals 2021, 11(6), 890; https://doi.org/10.3390/met11060890 - 29 May 2021

Cited by 11 | Viewed by 2627

Abstract

In the present paper, Natural Metal-Matrix Composites (NMMC) based on multicomponent hypereutectic Al-Ca-(Mn)-(Ni) alloys were studied in as-cast, annealed and rolled conditions. Thermo-Calc software and microstructural observations were utilised for analysing the equilibrium and actual phase composition of the alloys including correction of the Al-Ca-Mn system liquidus projection and the solid phase distribution in the Al-Ca-Mn-Ni system. A previously unknown Al₁₀CaMn₂ was discovered by both electron microprobe analysis and X-ray studies. The Al-6Ca-3Mn, Al-8Ca-2Mn, Al-8Ca-2Mn-1Ni alloys with representative NMMC structure included ultrafine Ca-rich eutectic and various small-sized primary crystals were found to have excellent feasibility of rolling as compared to its hypereutectic Al-Si counterpart. What is more, Al-Ca alloys showed comparable Coefficient of Thermal Expansion values due to enormous volume fraction of Al-based eutectic and primary intermetallics. Analysis of tensile samples’ fracture surfaces revealed that primary intermetallics may act either as stress raisers or malleable particles depending on their stiffness under deformation. It is shown that a compact morphology can be achieved by conventional casting without using any refining agents. Novel hypereutectic Al-Ca NMMC materials solidifying with the formation of Al₁₀Mn₂Ca primary compound have the best ductility and strength. We reasonably propose these materials for high-load pistons. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Physical Metallurgy of Light Alloys and Composite Materials)

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17 pages, 8168 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Influence of Mg Content on Texture Development during Hot Plain-Strain Deformation of Aluminum Alloys

by Evgenii Aryshenskii, Jurgen Hirsch, Sergey Konovalov, Vladimir Aryshenskii and Alexander Drits

Metals 2021, 11(6), 865; https://doi.org/10.3390/met11060865 - 25 May 2021

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2220

Abstract

The study addresses the effect of magnesium and other alloying elements on rolling “β-fiber” texture formation during hot deformation of aluminum alloys. For the study, flat cast ingots from three aluminum alloys with variable magnesium content were deformed in a Gleeble testing unit with different parameters of thermomechanical treatment. Immediately after completion of deformation, the samples were quenched using an automatic cooling system and the microstructure and crystalline texture was analyzed by optical microscopy and X-ray analysis. The analysis demonstrated that an increase in alloying components, magnesium in particular, leads to an increase in brass-type texture and a decrease in S and copper-type texture. The reason was that the simulation of the deformation texture development revealed a great contribution of impurity atoms rather than the decrease in stacking fault energy. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Physical Metallurgy of Light Alloys and Composite Materials)

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12 pages, 7507 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effect of Rolling Temperature and Subsequence Ageing on the Mechanical Properties and Microstructure Evolution of an Al-Cu-Li Alloy

by Lin Wang, Charlie Kong, Puneet Tandon, Alexander Pesin, Denis Pustovoytov and Hailiang Yu

Metals 2021, 11(6), 853; https://doi.org/10.3390/met11060853 - 22 May 2021

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 3644

Abstract

The mechanical properties and microstructure evolution of an Al-Cu-Li alloy sheet processed via hot rolling (HR) (at 400 °C and 500 °C) or cryorolling (CR) (at −100 °C and −190 °C) and subsequence aging at 160 °C for 10 h were investigated. Before aging, the highest ultimate tensile strength of 502 MPa was achieved when the sheets were cryorolled at −190 °C, while the better ultimate tensile strength of 476 MPa and the best elongation rate of 11.1% was achieved simultaneously when the sheets were cryorolled at −100 °C. The refined grains and numerous uniform deformation-induced dislocations microstructures were responsible for the improved strength and enhanced ductility of the cryorolled sheets compared to that of the alloy processed by hot rolling with a low dislocation density zone (LDDZ) and high dislocation density zone (HDDZ). After aging at 160 °C for 10 h, the ultimate tensile strength further improved resulted from the greater precipitation strengthening, and the increased precipitates provided greater resistance to dislocations movement resulting in the increased ductility although the dislocation density decreased. The uniform dislocation microstructures in the cryorolled sheets provide numerous nucleation sites for the precipitates, leading to higher strength after aging. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Physical Metallurgy of Light Alloys and Composite Materials)

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14 pages, 3396 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Influence of Morphology of Intermetallic Particles on the Microstructure and Properties Evolution in Severely Deformed Al-Fe Alloys

by Andrey Medvedev, Maxim Murashkin, Nariman Enikeev, Evgeniy Medvedev and Xavier Sauvage

Metals 2021, 11(5), 815; https://doi.org/10.3390/met11050815 - 17 May 2021

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 1745

Abstract

This study focuses on the difference in microstructural features and physical properties of Al-2Fe and Al-4Fe alloys subjected to large plastic straining. The difference in the intermetallic particle morphology in the initial state is shown to be a key parameter influencing the particle and grain fragmentation process and, as a result, the properties of these two alloys. We demonstrate that the shape and average size of Al-Fe intermetallic particles provide stronger effect on the microstructure evolution during high pressure torsion (HPT) than their volume fraction. The formation of Fe supersaturated solid solution in Al in these two alloys during deformation is discussed in connection to the morphology of the intermetallic phase. The major microstructural attributes, responsible for the solid solution formation, are highlighted. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Physical Metallurgy of Light Alloys and Composite Materials)

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16 pages, 5287 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effect of Severe Plastic Deformation on Structure Refinement and Mechanical Properties of the Al-Zn-Mg-Fe-Ni Alloy

by Irina Brodova, Dmitriy Rasposienko, Irina Shirinkina, Anastasia Petrova, Torgom Akopyan and Elena Bobruk

Metals 2021, 11(2), 296; https://doi.org/10.3390/met11020296 - 9 Feb 2021

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2175

Abstract

This paper identifies the mechanisms of phase and structural transformations during severe plastic deformation by shearing under pressure (high-pressure torsion) of an Al-Zn-Mg-Fe-Ni-based aluminum alloy depending on different initial states of the material (an ingot after homogenizing annealing and a rod produced by radial-shear rolling). Scanning and transmission electron microscopy are used to determine the morphological and size characteristics of the structural constituents of the alloy after high-pressure torsion. It has been found that, irrespective of the history under high-pressure torsion, fragmentation and dynamic recrystallization results in a nanostructural alloy with a high microhardness of 2000 to 2600 MPa. Combined deformation processing (high-pressure torsion + radial-shear rolling) is shown to yield a nanocomposite reinforced with dispersed intermetallic phases of different origins, namely Al₉FeNi eutectic aluminides and MgZn₂, Al₂Mg₃Zn₃, and Al₃Zr secondary phases. The results of uniaxial tensile testing demonstrate good mechanical properties of the composite (ultimate tensile strength of 640 MPa, tensile yield strength of 628 MPa, and elongation of 5%). Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Physical Metallurgy of Light Alloys and Composite Materials)

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20 pages, 6498 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Investigation of Stresses Induced Due to the Mismatch of the Coefficients of Thermal Expansion of the Matrix and the Strengthening Particle in Aluminum-Based Composites

by Oleg Matvienko, Olga Daneyko, Tatiana Kovalevskaya, Anton Khrustalyov, Ilya Zhukov and Alexander Vorozhtsov

Metals 2021, 11(2), 279; https://doi.org/10.3390/met11020279 - 5 Feb 2021

Cited by 22 | Viewed by 2798

Abstract

An experimental and theoretical investigation of the strength properties of aluminum alloys strengthened by dispersed nanoparticles, as well as the determination of the significance of various mechanisms responsible for the strengthening of the material, was carried out. Results of experimental investigation demonstrate that the hardening of aluminum alloy A356 by Al₂O₃ and ScF₃ nanoparticles leads to an increase in the yield strength, ultimate tensile strength, and plasticity. Despite the similar size of Al₂O₃ and ScF₃ nanoparticles, the physicomechanical properties of nanoparticles significantly affect the possibility of increasing the mechanical properties of the A356 aluminum alloy. A physicomathematical model of the occurrence of thermal stresses was developed caused by the mismatch of the coefficients of thermal expansion (CTEs) of the matrix and strengthening particles on the basis of the fundamental principles of mechanics of a deformable solid and taking into account the elastic properties of not only the matrix, but also the particle. The forming of thermal stresses induced due to the mismatch of the coefficients of thermal expansion of the matrix and the strengthening particle in aluminum-based composites was investigated. In the case of thermal deformation of dispersion-hardened alloys, when the CTE of the matrix and particles noticeably differ, an additional stress field is created in the vicinity of the strengthening particle. Thermal stresses increase the effective particle size. This phenomenon can significantly affect the result of the assessment of the yield strength. The strengthening caused by thermal mismatch makes the largest contribution to the yield strength improvement. The yield strength increments due to Nardon×Prewo and Orowan mechanisms are much lower. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Physical Metallurgy of Light Alloys and Composite Materials)

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15 pages, 6934 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Structure and Properties of Ca and Zr Containing Heat Resistant Wire Aluminum Alloy Manufactured by Electromagnetic Casting

by Nikolay Belov, Torgom Akopyan, Natalia Korotkova, Maxim Murashkin, Victor Timofeev and Anastasiya Fortuna

Metals 2021, 11(2), 236; https://doi.org/10.3390/met11020236 - 1 Feb 2021

Cited by 22 | Viewed by 2735

Abstract

Experimental aluminum alloy containing 0.8% Ca, 0.5% Zr, 0.5% Fe and 0.25% Si (wt.%), in the form of a long-length rod 12 mm in diameter was manufactured using an electromagnetic casting (EMC) technique. The extremely high cooling rate during alloy solidification (≈10⁴ K/s) caused the formation of a favorable microstructure in the ingot characterized by a small size of the dendritic cells, fine eutectic particles of Ca-containing phases and full dissolution of Zr in Al the solid solution. Due to the microstructure obtained the ingots possess high manufacturability during cold forming (both drawing and rolling). Analysis of the electrical conductivity (EC) and microhardness of the cold rolled strip and cold drawn wire revealed that their temperature dependences are very close. The best combination of hardness and EC in the cold rolled strip was reached after annealing at 450 °C. TEM study of structure evolution revealed that the annealing mode used leads to the formation of L1₂ type Al₃Zr phase precipitates with an average diameter of 10 nm and a high number density. Experimental wire alloy has the best combination of ultimate tensile strength (UTS), electrical conductivity (EC) (200 MPa and 54.8% IACS, respectively) and thermal stability (up to 450 °C) as compared with alloys based on the Al–Zr and Al– rare-earth metal (REM) systems. In addition, it is shown that the presence of calcium in the model alloy increases the electrical conductivity after cold forming operations (both drawing and rolling). Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Physical Metallurgy of Light Alloys and Composite Materials)

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12 pages, 6498 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effect of La Addition on Solidification Behavior and Phase Composition of Cast Al-Mg-Si Alloy

by Vladislav Deev, Evgeny Prusov, Pavel Shurkin, Ernst Ri, Svetlana Smetanyuk, Xizhang Chen and Sergey Konovalov

Metals 2020, 10(12), 1673; https://doi.org/10.3390/met10121673 - 14 Dec 2020

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 2950

Abstract

The current study focusses on the phase composition, solidification path, and microstructure evaluation of gravity cast Al-4Mg-0.5Si-xLa aluminum alloy, where x = 0, 0.1, 0.25, 0.5, 0.75, and 1 wt.% La. A computational CalPhaD approach implemented in Thermo-Calc software and scanning electron microscopy technique equipped with electron microprobe analysis (EMPA) was employed to assess its above-mentioned characteristics. The thermodynamic analysis showed that the equilibrium solidification path of La-containing Al-Mg-Si alloys consists of only binary phases LaSi₂ and Mg₂Si precipitation along with α-Al from the liquid and further solid-state transformation of this mixture into α-Al + Al₁₁La₃ + Mg₂Si + Al₃Mg₂ composition. Scheil–Gulliver simulation showed a similar solidification pathway but was accompanied by an increase in the solidification range (from ~55 °C to 210 °C). Furthermore, microstructural observations were congruent with the calculated fraction of phases at 560 °C and related to α-Al + LaSi₂ + Mg₂Si three-phase region in terms of formation of La-rich phase having both eliminating effect on the eutectic Mg₂Si phase. Quantitative EMPA analysis and elemental mapping revealed that the La-rich phase included Al, La, and Si and may be described as Al₂LaSi₂ phase. This phase shows a visible modifying effect on the eutectic Mg₂Si phase, likely due to absorbing on the liquid/solid interface. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Physical Metallurgy of Light Alloys and Composite Materials)

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Review

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46 pages, 17591 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperReview

Asymmetric (Hot, Warm, Cold, Cryo) Rolling of Light Alloys: A Review

by Denis Pustovoytov, Alexander Pesin and Puneet Tandon

Metals 2021, 11(6), 956; https://doi.org/10.3390/met11060956 - 13 Jun 2021

Cited by 26 | Viewed by 6360

Abstract

Asymmetric sheet rolling is a process used when there are differences in any technological parameters in the horizontal plane across the width of the deformation zone or in the vertical plane between the top and bottom surfaces of the deformation zone. Asymmetry can either have random causes, or it can be created purposefully to reduce rolling force, improve sheet flatness, minimize the ski effect, obtain thinner sheets and for grain refinement and improvement of texture and mechanical properties of sheet metals and alloys. The purpose of this review is to analyze and summarize the most relevant information regarding the asymmetric (hot, warm, cold, cryo) rolling processes in terms of the effect of purposefully created asymmetry on grain size and mechanical properties of pure Mg, Al, Ti and their alloys. The classification and fundamentals of mechanics of the asymmetric rolling process are presented. Based on the analysis of publications related to asymmetric rolling, it was found that a superior balance of strength and ductility in pure Mg, Al, Ti and their alloys could be achieved due to this processing. It is shown that asymmetric rolling in comparison with conventional severe plastic deformation methods have an undeniable advantage in terms of the possibility of the production of large-scale sheets. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Physical Metallurgy of Light Alloys and Composite Materials)

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