Iranian Journal of Materials Science and Engineering

Creep age forming (CAF) is one of the novel methods in aerospace industry that has been used to manufacture components of panels with improved mechanical properties and reduced fabrication cost. CAF is a combined age-hardening and stress-relaxation that are responsible for strengthening and forming, respectively. This paper deals with the experimental investigations of mechanical and springback properties of Al-Zn-Mg Al alloy in creep forming process. Creep forming experiments have been performed at temperatures of 120◦C and 180◦C for 6–72 h. Results indicated that yield stress and hardness of creep age formed specimens increased with increasing forming time and temperature,  simultaneously induced deflection by stress-relaxation increased. Incorporating spring back and mechanical properties, it can be found that the appropriate forming cycle was 180 ◦C/24 h among all forming conditions. CAF Time increase to a certain extent increased mechanical properties. This can be attributed to presence of stress in CAF that causes the precipitates be finer because of creation more nucleation sites. Therefor the growth of precipitates, takes place at long time and postpones the decreasing of the yield stress

 Microsegregation is one of the most important phenomena occurs during solidification. It usually results in formation of some unexpected second phases which generally affect the mechanical properties and specially reduce the workability of casting products. The aim of this research is to study the effect of cooling rate and grain refinement on the microsegregation in Al-4.8 wt.% Cu. For this purpose two series of experiments were designed. In the first set of experiments, the alloy was melted and cooled in three different rates, i.e. 0.04, 0.42, and 1.08 K/s in a DTA furnace. In the second series of experiments, the effect of grain refinement on the microsegregation at a constant cooling rate of 0.19 K/s was investigated. Al-5Ti-1B master alloy was used as grain refiner. Results showed that by increasing the cooling rate the amount of non-equilibrium eutectic phase increases from 5.1 to 7.4 wt.%, and the minimum concentration of solute element in primary phase decreases from 1.51 to 1.05 wt.% Cu. By grain refinement of the alloy, the amount of non-equilibrium eutectic phase decreases from 5.5 to 4.7 wt.%, and the minimum concentration of solute element in the primary phase increases from 0.98 to 1.07 wt.% Cu. So it is concluded that increasing cooling rate in the range of 0.04 to 1.08 K/s, increases and grain refinement reduces the microsegregation 

A comparing study on formation and microstructure features of aluminum titanate is investigated through both solid-state and sol-gel processes. Aluminum titanate formed by firing at 1350^ºC and 1450^ºC for 4h in solid-state process. In the sol-gel process formation of submicron sized particles is followed by addition of sucrose into the transparent sol. XRD analysis was confirmed the formation of aluminum titanate at 1400^ºC  in lower duration of calcination (3h) without any additives in the sol-gel process. In this work 2wt% MgO is added to the samples as the additive for forming acceleration of aluminum titanate. The influence of MgO addition and heat treatment are studied on phase formation and microstructure development of aluminum titanate in both procedures. Additive optimizes aluminum titanate formation at lower temperatures (1300-1350^ºC). Phase and microstructure studies of Mg containing samples optimally show significance in aluminum titanate formation.

The mechanical characterization of short E- glass fiber reinforced, graphite and sintered bronze filled epoxy composite was carried out in this study. The aim of the present study was to develop tribological engineering material. In this study the flexural strength, theoretical and experimental density, Hardness and Impact strength of composites was investigated experimentally. The results showed that the increased percentage of graphite (10 to 15%Vol) and Eglass fiber (10 to 15%Vol) enhanced flexural strength (149 MPa) of the composite and the maximum flexural modulus (13.3 GPa and 13.1 GPa) was obtained for composite C2 and C5 respectively. Maximum hardness (84 on L scale) and impact energy (90 Joule) was obtained for the composite C6 with increased percentage of glass fiber and graphite filler. The metallurgical electron microscopic images were discussed to interpret the effect of graphite and sintered bronze on mechanical characterization of composite

In the present study, the effect of post-rolling annealing heat treatment on the formation of intermetallic compounds between Al-Cu strips, in the presence of nickel coating on the Cu strips, was investigated. In addition, the effect of post-rolling annealing and intermetallic compounds on the bond strength of Al-Cu strips was evaluated. In order to prepare samples, Cu strips were coated with nickel by electroplating process. After surface preparing, Cu strips were placed between two Al strips and roll bonded. This method is used for producing Al-Ni-Cu composites. Then the samples were annealed at 773K for 2 h. The formation of intermetallic compounds was studied using energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Also, in order to investigate bond strength of Al-Cu after post-rolling annealing heat treatment, samples were produced using nickel powder and nickel coating. Then bond strength of strips was investigated using peeling test. The results revealed that by post-rolling annealing of layers, the bond strength between Al-Cu strips decreases dramatically.

Because the partition coefficient is one of the most important parameters affecting microsegregation, the aim of this research is to experimentally analyse the partition coefficient in Al-Mg alloys. In order to experimentally measure the partition coefficient, a series of quenching experiments during solidification were carried out. For this purpose binary Al-Mg alloys containing 6.7 and 10.2 wt-% Mg were melted and solidified in a DTA furnace capable of quenching samples during solidification. Cooling rates of 0.5 and 5 K/min were used and samples were quenched from predetermined temperatures during solidification. The fractions and compositions of the phases were measured by quantitative metallography and SEM/EDX analyses, respectively. These results were used to measure the experimental partition coefficients. The resultant partition coefficients were used to model the concentration profile in the primary phase and the results were compared with equilibrium calculations and experimental profiles. The results of calculations based on the experimental partition coefficients show better consistency with experimental concentration profiles than the equilibrium calculations.

Different mineral admixtures of Indian metakaolin, Iranian silica fume and nanosilica were used to produce high performance mortars. Two different sands types with grain size of 0.015-4mm were mixed with type II Portland cement, polycarboxylate superplasticizer,mineral admixture with 650kg/m³ cement content and water/cement ratio of 0.35. Different amount of cement was replaced by metakaolin or silica fume (5-15wt%) or nanosilica (0.8-5wt%). After mixing, moulding and curing, compressive strength, electrical resistivity and abrasion resistance were studied. The maximum compressive strength of 28 days samples were 76MPa, 79MPa and 75MPa for 15wt% substitution of cement with metakaolin, silica fume and 5wt% with nanosilica. The compressive strength of these samples showed 28%, 33% and 26% increment in comparison with reference sample, respectively. X-ray patterns showed that replacing silica fume leads to reduction of Portlandite (Ca(OH)₂) phase. This can be attributed to the pozzolanic reaction and formation of new hydrated calcium silicate phase (CSH) that caused improvement of strength of admixtures containing samples. The microstructure of silica fume containing sample also showed better bond between sand and matrix. The electrical resistivity of samples with 15wt% metakaolin or silica fume and 5wt% nanosilica reach to 21kΩ.cm, 15 kΩ.cm and 10kΩ.cm, respectively. These samples showed high durability and corrosion resistance relative to reference samples (3.4 kΩ.cm). The abrasion resistance of different admixtures, specially silica fume containing samples were improved.

The evolution of microstructure and mechanical properties of a magnesium cast alloy (AZ31) processed by equal channel angular pressing (ECAP) at two different temperatures were investigated. The as-cast alloy with an average grain size of 360  was significantly refined to about 5  after four ECAP passes at 543 K. Grain refinement was achieved through dynamic recrystallization (DRX) during the ECAP process in which the formation of necklace-type structure and bulging of original grain boundaries would be the main mechanisms. ECAP processing at lower temperature resulted in finer recrystallized grains and also a more homogenous microstructure. The mechanical behavior was investigated at room temperature by tensile tests. The obtained results showed that the ECAP processing can basically improve both strength and ductility of the cast alloy. However, the lower working temperature led to higher yield and ultimate strength of the alloy.

Porous hollow glass microspheres have many uses, including encapsulation of active materials. In this paper a fast and facile method for fabricating porous hollow glass-microspheres was demonstrated by etching them using dilute hydrofluoric acid. Then, a highly reactive amine was infiltrated into the etched glass microspheres. Scanning electron microscopy was conducted for the hollow glass microspheres prior and post etching process. With regards to the porous hollow glass spherical sample, the spherical nature, morphology, pore diameter and the porosity were studied using scanning electron microscopy. Formation of the intact hollow glass microspheres with an open through wall porosities following phase separation and etching of the boron oxide rich phase was demonstrated using reciprocating shaker as the most suitable agitation method. The BET results indicated that the surface of the porous microspheres contained nano-pores. It is believed that the simplicity of the reported fabrication technique of micro/nano porous structure has the potential to scaling up for large scale production

Functionally graded aluminium/zirconia metal matrix composite was fabricated using stir casting technique followed by horizontal centrifugal casting process and a hollow cylindrical functionally graded composite (150 x 150 x 16 mm) was obtained with centrifuging speed of 1200 rpm. The microstructural evaluation and hardness test was carried out on the outer and inner surface of the functionally graded composite at a distance of 1 and 13 mm from the outer periphery. In Response Surface Methodology, Central Composite Design was applied for designing the experiments and sliding wear test was conducted as per the design using a pin-on-disc tribometer for varying ranges of load, velocity and sliding distance. The model was constructed and its adequacy was checked with confirmation experiments and Analysis of Variance. The microstructural examination and hardness test revealed that the outer surface of FGM had higher hardness due to the presence of  particle rich region and the inner surface had lesser hardness since it was a particle depleted region. The wear results showed that wear rate increased upon increase of load and decreased with increase in both velocity and sliding distance. Scanning Electron Microscopy analysis was done on the worn specimens to observe the wear mechanism. It was noted that wear transitioned from mild to severe on increase of load and the outer surface of FGM was found to have greater wear resistance at all conditions.

In the present work microstructural evolution of A356 Aluminum alloy using an inclined cooling plate casting process for thixoforming feedstock production is investigated. The resultant microstructure was evaluated and compared with those of the same alloy produced by the conventional casting process, i.e. directly cast in the same mold without using an inclined cooling plate. It was found that when alloy melt poured over an inclined cooling plate and subsequently cast in semisolid condition into a metallic mould resulted in fine rosettes and nearly globular α-Al primary phase uniformly distributed in an Al +Si eutectic matrix. The effect of the processing parameters such as the lengths and angles of the inclined cooling plate and their combinations were identified to produce alloy ingot with the most suitable microstructural constituent for thixoforming process

Nowadays, Ni-free austenitic stainless steels are being developed rapidly and high price of nickel is one of the most important motivations for this development. At present research a new FeCrMn steel was designed and produced based on Fe-Cr-Mn-C system. Comparative studies on microstructure and high temperature mechanical properties of  new steel and AISI 316 steel were done. The results showed that new FeCrMn developed steel has single austenite phase microstructure, and its tensile strength and toughness were higher than those of 316 steel at 25, 200,350 and 500°C. In contrast with 316 steel, the new FeCrMn steel did not show strain induced transformation and dynamic strain aging phenomena during tensile tests that represented higher austenite stability of new developed steel. Lower density and higher strength of the new steel caused higher specific strength in comparison with the 316 one that can be considered as an important advantage in structural applications but in less corrosive environment

In the present work, one batch of prealloyed 6061Al powder was processed by mixing and another one was ball milled with varying amount of lead content (0-15 vol. %). These powders were compacted at 300MPa and sintered at 590˚C under N₂. The instrumented hardness and the young’s modulus of as-sintered 6061Al-Pb alloys were examined as a function of lead content and processing route. The wear test under dry sliding condition has been performed at varying loads (10-40 N) using pin-on-disc tribometer. The microstructure and worn surfaces have been investigated using SEM to evaluate the change in topographical features due to mechanical alloying and lead content. The mechanically alloyed materials showed improved wear characteristics as compared to as-mixed counterpart alloys. Delamination of 6061Al-Pb alloys decreases up to an optimum lead composition in both as-mixed and ball-milled 6061Al-Pb alloys. The results indicated minimum wear rate for as-mixed and ball-milled 6061Al alloy at 5 and 10 vol. % Pb, respectively.

In this paper the feasibility of fabricating controlled porous skeleton of pure tungsten at low temperature by addition of submicron particles to tungsten powder (surface activated sintering) has been studied and the best parameters for subsequent infiltration of Cu were acquired. The effects of addition of submicron particles and sintering temperature on porous as well as infiltrated samples were studied. The samples were examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Vickers hardness measurements and tensile test. The composites made have been investigated and revealed the making W-Cu composite with good density, penetrability, hardness and microstructure. Consequently, the sintering temperature was reduced considerably (Ts≤1650^oC) and a homogeneous porous tungsten was obtained. Also, composite prepared by this method exhibited elongation about 28% that is much more than conventional W-15%wt Cu composites. This method of production for W–Cu composites has not been reported elsewhere

In this research, nanocrystalline Co-Fe coatings were electrodeposited on copper substrate. The influence of current density on different properties of the films at two pH levels was investigated. All the coatings showed nodular structure with rougher morphology at higher current densities. Due to anomalous deposition at higher current density, the amount of iron content increased and reached its maximum value at about 50 wt.% for the coating obtained from pH 5. X-ray diffraction patterns showed hcp structure as the dominant phase. However, by increasing current density at lower pH value, a double phase structure containing fcc+hcp phases was detected. It was observed that current density has a positive effect on grain refinement. However, coarser grains would obtain at lower pH value. Microhardness measurements showed that, there is a direct relationship between grain size and microhardness. Moreover, microstructure in double phase structure films can influence microhardness more dominantly. Vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) measurements indicated that the saturation magnetic is proportion to deposited iron content and reached its maximum value at about 1512 emu/cm³. It was cleared that grain size, phase structure and chemical composition can affect coercivity of the films effectively.

In industry, the cost of production is an important factor and it is preferred to use conventional and low cost procedures for producing the parts. Heat treatment cycles and alloying additions are the key factors affecting the microstructure and mechanical properties of the cast steels. In this study an attempt was made to evaluate the influence of minor Mo addition on the microstructure and mechanical properties of conventionally heat treated cast micro-alloyed steels. The results of Jominy and dilatometry tests and also microstructural examinations revealed that Mo could effectively increase the hardenability of the investigated steel and change the microstructure features of the air-cooled samples. Acicular microstructure was the consequence of increasing the hardenability in Mo-added steel. Besides, it was found that Mo could greatly affect the isothermal bainitic transformation and higher fraction of martensite after cooling (from isothermal temperature) was due to the Mo addition. The results of impact test indicated that the microstructure obtained in air-cooled Mo-added steel led to better impact toughness (28J) in comparison with the base steel (23J). Moreover, Mo-added steel possessed higher hardness (291HV), yield (524MPa) and tensile (1108MPa) strengths compared to the base one.

In this research, the effect of annealing and aging temperature as well as the effect of quenching media on the microstructure, hardness and dry sliding wear behavior of Ti-6Al-4V alloy has been studied. Cylindrical samples with the diameter of 10 mm and the height of 20mm were solutionized at 930˚C and 1060˚C for 600 seconds and then were quenched in the cold water and in the air. The samples were aged at different temperature of 480˚C, 550˚C and 610˚C for 360 s to increase the hardness. Heat treated samples were tested using standard pin-on-disc test machine at the applied loads of 100, 150 and 200 N. Microstructural investigations using scanning electron microscope revealed that for the samples solutionized at 930˚C and quenched in the water, the microstructure is composed of primary α and high volume fraction of martensitic α΄ phase with fine precipitated of β between martensitic lathes. In the case of air cooled samples, transformed β has also been  appeared in the vicinity of primary α. For the samples solutionized at 1060˚C and quenched in the water, fully martensitic micro structure with fine β precipitates was observed. For the sample solutionized at 1060˚C and air quenched, plate like α and lamellar grain boundary β were detected. The maximum hardness value relates to the sample solutionized at 1060˚C and quenched in water which is equal to 433 HV. Different wear mechanisms, including oxidative wear, scratch, and delamination occurred at the worn surfaces at different applied loads. For the samples quenched in the water, the oxidative wear mechanism governing at low applied load and oxide debris was observed as separate or compacted particles which formed in the contact between pin and steel counter face detached from the sample. At higher applied loads, delamination and scratch mechanism was also observed and metallic plate like debris was detached from the sample. Mechanically mixed layer (MML) was formed on the surface of the pin at high applied loads and for the samples with low hardness value adhesion marks were also revealed on the steel disc. The minimum weight loss in the wear test is related to the sample quenched from the 1060ºC in the cold water and aged at 550 ºC .  

In this study, the crystallization behavior of a 65GeO₂-15PbO-10MgF₂-10MgO glass (prepared by the conventional melt quenching technique) has been investigated. The microstructure and crystallization behaviors of this glass were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), non-isothermal differential thermal analysis (DTA) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The results demonstrated that a fully glassy phase can successfully be prepared by the conventional melt quenching technique exhibiting one-stage crystallization on heating, i.e., the glassy phase transforms into crystalline MgGeO₃ and Pb₅GeO₇ phases. The activation energy for the crystallization, evaluated from the Kissinger equation, was approximately 202±5 kJ/mole using the peak temperature of the exothermic reaction. The Avrami exponent or reaction order, n, indicates the nucleation rate in this glass to increase with time and the crystallization to be governed by a three-dimensional interface-controlled growth.