Metals, Volume 8, Issue 8 (August 2018) – 89 articles

For Fe-based 18Cr10Mn0.4N0.5C(0–2.17)Mo (in wt %) austenitic stainless steels, effects of Mo on pitting corrosion resistance and the improvement mechanism were investigated. Alloying Mo increased pitting and repassivation potentials and enhanced the passive film resistance by decreasing number of point defects in the film. In addition, Mo reduced critical dissolution rate of the alloys in acidified chloride solutions, and the alloy with higher Mo content could remain in the passive state in stronger acid. Thus, it was concluded that the alloying Mo enhanced pitting corrosion resistance of the alloys through increasing protectiveness of passive film and lowering pit growth rate. Full article

The advance of research on 2D transition metal carbides, carbonitrides, and nitrides (collectively known as MXenes) has progressed rapidly since the introduction of Ti₃C₂ in 2011. Nowadays the number of MXene synthesized in lab has reached more than 20, while there are currently about 20 theoretically predicted structures. In this study, we calculate the electromagnetic interference shielding effectiveness of a series of MXene films in theory and find that the results are in good agreement with the measured data. From this, we can use this method to calculate electromagnetic properties of all kinds of 2D material films which are similar to Mxenes. Full article

The characterization of residual stress in complicated components is a tough issue. The method of Rayleigh surface wave-based V(z) curve is adopted in this work to evaluate the distribution of residual stresses in aeroengine blades. First, the velocity of Rayleigh surface wave in aeroengine blade was measured by the V(z) curve technique, which can be used to calculate the local residual stress because the change of velocity is thought to be correlated with the contribution from residual stress. Two kinds of plastic-deformed Ti-6Al-4V samples were fabricated by ball-gun shooting to artificially induce distribution of residual stress and then measured by the proposed method. The results indicate that the distribution of the residual stress in both of the samples displays a predictable symmetry. The error of the measured stress is much less than 10% of the yielding stress in Ti-6Al-4V (i.e., about 800 MPa). Finally, the measured residual stresses were verified by X-ray diffraction method, whose results correlate reasonably well with each other. The proposed V(z) curve method and its experimental set-up appear to be a potential in characterizing residual stress at a point-like region, such as in complicated components. Full article

Laser welding of dissimilar stainless steels is of interest when mechanical, corrosion, or esthetical requirements impose the use of a high-performance stainless steels, while production-cost requirements prevent using expensive materials in all the parts of a given device. The compromise may lead to the use of the most expensive material in critical areas and the cheapest one in the remaining. Their union can be materialized by laser-pulsed welding. It has intrinsic difficulties derived from the different physical and chemical properties of the steels, and from the need of preserving the protective passive layer. The present work achieves a welded joint with minimum thermal impact by means of laser pulses, capable of preserving the corrosion resistance of the involved stainless steels. The influence of the parameters to define static and dynamic pulses on the material and on the welding regime, keyhole, or heat conduction, is studied. It is used to calculate the overlapping factor of the pulses on the basis of the real dimensions of the melted area. A continuous joint has been built with dynamic pulses. The corrosion resistance of it has been checked showing a similar behavior to the non-heated material. The microstructure of the optimized joint is associated with a reduced HAZ while its mechanical behavior is suitable for its real application. Full article

This paper considers the most important quality factors in processing spheroidal graphite cast iron; namely, primary grains and graphite nodules in thin-walled ductile iron castings (TWDI). In the present study, the effect of grain refinement (by means of Ti, Nb and Zr) and of the holding time after spheroidization and inoculation on effecting the primary grains and eutectic structure in TWDI castings was investigated. Moreover, metallographic examinations (including electron backscattering diffraction, EBSD) were carried out to reveal the macro- and micro-structural features during the primary and eutectic solidification of the cast iron. EBSD results indicate that, within a single dendritic grain, there are numerous boundaries that split the grain into numerous smaller areas. In particular, it is found that the graphite nodules are in contact with the boundaries inside the primary dendritic grain. In turn, crystallization of highly branched dendrites is observed, which seems to “push” the graphite nodules into the interdendritic regions during their growth. The present work investigates the dominant mechanism that gives rise to the primary spheroidal graphite cast iron (SGI) structure. In addition, this work shows that the melt quality is closely associated with the resultant morphology and number of austenite dendrites, graphite nodules, and matrix structure. Full article

This study was conducted for high temperature aging (HTA) to simultaneously reduce current treatment time and increase the tensile ductility of 7075 aluminum alloy. Various high temperatures and different durations for artificial aging were compared. We investigated the microstructure and the tensile properties of 7075 aluminum alloy extruded rod after various HTAs, and compared them with the outcomes of full annealing (O). The total elongation (TE) of the specimen after solution heat treatment (490 °C, 1 h) and artificial aging (280 °C, 12 h) was about 25%. For full annealing, it is known as 21%. The reason for this was the formation of the η phase in the matrix, which had fewer large particles (Al-Cu phase). The hardening of HTA specimens is higher than that of O, indicating necking resistance during homogeneous plastic deformation. Thereby, HTA treatment increases the formability of 7075 aluminum alloy. Full article

The control of a homogeneous distribution of the reinforcing phase in aluminum matrix composites is the main issue during the synthesis of this kind of material. In this work, 2024 aluminum matrix composites reinforced with boron carbide were produced by mechanical milling, using 1 and 2 h of milling. After milling, powdered samples were cold consolidated, sintered and T6 heat treated. The morphology and microstructure of Al2024/B₄C composites were investigated by scanning electron microscopy; analysis of X-ray diffraction peaks were used for the calculation of the crystallite size and microstrains by the Williamson–Hall method. The mechanical properties were evaluated by compression and hardness tests. B₄C particles were found to be well dispersed into the aluminum matrix as a result of the high-energy milling process. The crystallite size of composites milled for 2 h was lower than those milled for 1 h. The hardness, yield strength and maximum strength were significantly improved in the composites processed for 2 h, in comparison to those processed for 1 h and the monolithic 2024 alloy. Full article

In this study, UltraFast Heat Treatment (UFHT) was applied to a soft annealed medium carbon chromium molybdenum steel. The specimens were rapidly heated and subsequently quenched in a dilatometer. The resulting microstructure consists of chromium-enriched cementite and chromium carbides (in sizes between 5–500 nm) within fine (nano-sized) martensitic and bainitic laths. The dissolution of carbides in austenite (γ) during ferrite to austenite phase transformation in conditions of rapid heating were simulated with DICTRA. The results indicate that fine (5 nm) and coarse (200 nm) carbides dissolve only partially, even at peak (austenitization) temperature. Alloying elements, especially chromium (Cr), segregate at austenite/carbide interfaces, retarding the dissolution of carbides and subsequently austenite formation. The sluggish movement of the austenite/carbide interface towards austenite during carbide dissolution was attributed to the partitioning of Cr nearby the interface. Moreover, the undissolved carbides prevent austenite grain growth at peak temperature, resulting in a fine-grained microstructure. Finally, the simulation results suggest that ultrafast heating creates conditions that lead to chemical heterogeneity in austenite and may lead to an extremely refined microstructure consisting of martensite and bainite laths and partially dissolved carbides during quenching. Full article

The copper/aluminum (Cu/Al) clad sheets were produced on a horizontal twin-roll caster and then were multi-pass rolled and annealed. The thickness of the as-cast clad sheet was 8 mm. Rolling was performed with total reductions of 12.5%, 25%, 37.5%, 50%, and 62.5%, separately. The effects of the rolling and annealing processes on the interface and peel strength of the Cu/Al clad sheets were investigated. The evolution of the interface and crack propagation were studied. The interface thickness of the as-cast clad sheet reached 9 μm to 10 μm. The average peel strength (APS) was only 9 N/mm. After multi-pass rolling, the peel strength first slightly increased and then gradually decreased with the increase of the rolling pass number. After annealing, the peel strength remarkably improved. The APS reached 25 N/mm when the rolled thickness was 7 mm. The improvement in the peel strength was due to the following three factors: (1) mechanical locking formed in the Cu/Al direct contact region after rolling, (2) the region of the Al matrix fracture, and (3) mechanical biting from the Cu/Al direct contact region. Full article

Adaptive sequential k-means (ASK) analysis of acoustic emission (AE) data was used to analyze the sources of AE during compression of three AZ31 magnesium samples with different initial texture. The results were compared to the classical hit-based approach. Observation of the deformed microstructure shows that the ASK analysis can distinguish very well between the signal originating in deformation twinning and dislocation slip. Moreover, together with microstructural analysis, the ASK algorithm revealed another source of AE for one of the samples, which was shown to be the double twinning. Full article

This article overviews the scientific results of the microstructural features observed in 316 L stainless steel manufactured by the laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) method obtained by the authors, and discusses the results with respect to the recently published literature. Microscopic features of the LPBF microstructure, i.e., epitaxial nucleation, cellular structure, microsegregation, porosity, competitive colony growth, and solidification texture, were experimentally studied by scanning and transmission electron microscopy, diffraction methods, and atom probe tomography. The influence of laser power and laser scanning speed on the microstructure was discussed in the perspective of governing the microstructure by controlling the process parameters. It was shown that the three-dimensional (3D) zig-zag solidification texture observed in the LPBF 316 L was related to the laser scanning strategy. The thermal stability of the microstructure was investigated under isothermal annealing conditions. It was shown that the cells formed at solidification started to disappear at about 800 °C, and that this process leads to a substantial decrease in hardness. Colony boundaries, nevertheless, were quite stable, and no significant grain growth was observed after heat treatment at 1050 °C. The observed experimental results are discussed with respect to the fundamental knowledge of the solidification processes, and compared with the existing literature data. Full article

In this study, finite element analyses are performed to obtain a stress-strain curve for ductile materials by a combination between the distributions of axial stress and strain at a certain time as a result of one single Taylor impact test. In the modified Taylor impact test proposed here, a measurement of the external impact force by the Hopkinson pressure bar placed instead of the rigid wall, and an assumption of bi-linear distribution of an axial internal force, are introduced as well as a measurement of deformed profiles at certain time. In order to obtain the realistic results by computations, at first, the parameters in a nonlinear rate sensitive hardening law are identified from the quasi-static and impact tests of pure aluminum at various strain rates and temperature conducted. In the impact test, a miniaturized testing apparatus based on the split Hopkinson pressure bar (SHPB) technique is introduced to achieve a similar level of strain rate as 10⁴ s⁻¹, to the Taylor test. Then, a finite element simulation of the modified test is performed using a commercial software by using the user-subroutine for the hardening law with the identified parameters. By comparing the stress-strain curves obtained by the proposed method and direct calculation of the hardening law, the validity is discussed. Finally, the feasibility of the proposed method is studied. Full article

In this work, a multiscale homogenization procedure using the boundary element method (BEM) for modeling a two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) multiphase microstructure is presented. A numerical routine is specially written for modeling nodular cast iron (NCI) considering the graphite nodules as cylindrical and real geometries. The BEM is used as a numerical approach for solving the elastic problem of a representative volume element from a mean field model. Numerical models for NCI have generally been developed considering the graphite nodules as voids due to their soft feature. In this sense, three numerical models are developed, and the homogenization procedure is carried out considering the graphite nodules as non-voids. Experimental tensile, hardness, and microhardness tests are performed to determine the mechanical properties of the overall material, matrix, and inclusion nodules, respectively. The nodule sizes, distributions, and chemical compositions are determined by laser scanning microscopy, an X-ray computerized microtomography system (micro-CT), and energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectroscopy, respectively. For the numerical model with real inclusions, the boundary mesh is obtained from micro-CT data. The effective properties obtained by considering the real and synthetic nodules’ geometries are compared with those obtained from the experimental work and the existing literature. The final results considering both approaches demonstrate a good agreement. Full article

To improve the mechanical and corrosion properties of Mg10Gd, Nd and La are added, and from that, the influence of precipitation hardening was studied. An increase in strength, by decreasing grain size and increasing the volume fraction of Rare Earth-rich precipitates, has been found when increasing the amount of alloying elements. Alloys containing La appear less ductile. Where crack propagation is studied using 3-point bending on Mg10Gd and Mg10Gd1Nd, the failure is mostly driven by twinning; the alloys with La show suppressed twinning, but crack initiation and propagation is caused by brittle and coarse precipitates. Precipitation hardening did not improve fracture toughness and was mostly based on strong grain growth and low solubility of La in Mg. With added alloying elements, the grain size was found to be slightly smaller in the T6 condition—precipitates seem to pin grain boundaries and therefore limit grain boundary mobility. Alloys containing Nd showed the best precipitation hardening response. Corrosion behavior, investigated by voltammetry and immersion, showed the best behavior in the precipitation-hardened condition. Corrosion rates and surface morphology are used to discuss corrosion properties. Full article

Te is a seldom-used alloying element, which is mainly used in free-machining steel. The Te content in this kind of steel is relatively low, and only a small amount of MnTe is generated. In previous studies, the effect of Te on the formation of inclusions was not fully studied. In order to clarify the mechanism, different amounts of tellurium were added into 38MnVS6 steel to form a certain amount of MnTe. The MnTe wrapped the MnS, forming a composite inclusion. With the increase of Te content in the steel, the diameter of inclusion increased, while the aspect ratio of inclusion varied little. The aspect ratio of most inclusions was in the range of 1~3. Besides, the MnS in the MnTe-MnS composite inclusions gradually changed from one big particle to several small particles. The solidification of the steel, as well as the precipitation of MnS and MnTe, was the main factor that affecting the formation of the composite inclusion. The mechanism of the process was systematically expressed in the current study. Full article

The effect of martensite–austenite (M–A) constituents and simulated microstructure on low-temperature toughness was investigated in YS 500 MPa grade structural steel welds. The specimens were fabricated using a direct quenching and tempering process. After simulated weld thermal cycles, the coarse-grained heat-affected zone (CGHAZ) and intercritically reheated coarse-grained heat-affected zone (IRCGHAZ) were produced using a Gleeble tester and real welded joint to support the simulation results. The largest low-temperature toughness was observed in the fine-grained heat-affected zone (FGHAZ) owing to the fine-ferrite microstructure. However, the toughness decreased in the IRCGHAZ because of the slender morphology of the M–A constituents that formed primarily along the prior austenite grain boundaries in the IRCGHAZ. Full article

Transient Liquid Phase Bonding (TLPB) process of semi-solid metal 7075 aluminum alloys (SSM7075) using 50 μm thick of ZA27 zinc alloys as interlayers for the experiment were carried out under bonding temperatures of 480 and 540 °C and bonding times of 30, 60, 90 and 120 min respectively. In the bonding zone, the semi-solid state of ZA27 zinc alloy interlayers were diffused into the SSM7075 aluminum alloy. Examination of the bonding zone using Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) and Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) showed that the precipitation of the intermetallic compound of η(Zn–Al–Cu), β(Al₂Mg₃Zn₃), T′(Zn₁₀Al₃₅Cu₅₅) and MgZn₂ were formed in the bonding zone. The better homogenized microstructure in the bonding zone was formed when increasing bonding time and bonding temperature. The highest bonding strength was recorded at 17.44 MPa and average hardness was at 87.67 HV with the bonding time of 120 min and temperature at 540 °C. Statistically, the coefficient of determination analysis of bonding strength data was at 99.1%. Full article

Precipitation is one of the most important influences on microstructural evolution during thermomechanical processing (TMCP) of micro-alloyed steels. Due to precipitation, pinning of prior austenite grain (PAG) boundaries can occur. To understand the mechanisms in detail and in relation to the thermomechanical treatment, a local characterization of the precipitation state depending on the microstructure is essential. Commonly used methods for the characterization, such as transmission electron microscopy (TEM) or matrix dissolution techniques, only have the advantage of local or statistically secured characterization. By using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) techniques, both advantages could be combined. In addition, in the present work a correlation of the precipitation conditions with the prior austenite grain structure for different austenitization states could be realized by Electron Backscatter Diffraction (EBSD) measurement and reconstruction methods using the reconstruction software Merengue 2. Full article

This study reports the effect of Zn contents on surface morphology, porosity, microstructure and mechanical properties of laser additive manufacturing (LAM) porous ZK61 alloys. The surface morphology and porosity of the LAMed porous ZK61 alloys depend on the laser energy input. With increasing Zn contents, the surface quality of porous Mg-Zn-Zr alloys became worse, the grains are obviously refined and the precipitated phases experienced successive transitions: MgZn → MgZn + Mg₇Zn₃ → Mg₇Zn₃. The microhardness was improved significantly and ranged from 57.67 HV to 109.36 HV, which was ascribed to the fine grain strengthening, solid solution strengthening and precipitation strengthening. The LAMed porous Mg-15 wt.% Zn-0.3 wt.% Zr alloy exhibits the highest ultimate compressive strength (73.07 MPa) and elastic modulus (1.785 GPa). Full article

Laser-based powder bed fusion (L-PBF) is nowadays the preeminent additive manufacturing (AM) technique to produce metal parts. Nonetheless, relatively few metal powders are currently available for industrial L-PBF, especially if aluminum-based feedstocks are involved. In order to fill the existing gap, A357.0 (also known as A357 or A13570) powders are here processed by L-PBF and, for the first time, the fatigue behavior is investigated in the as-built state to verify the net-shaping potentiality of AM. Both the low-cycle and high-cycle fatigue areas are analyzed to draw the complete Wohler diagram. The infinite lifetime limit is set to 2 × 10⁶ stress cycles and the staircase method is applied to calculate a mean fatigue strength of 60 MPa. This value is slightly lower but still comparable to the published data for AlSi10Mg parts manufactured by L-PBF, even if the A357.0 samples considered here have not received any post-processing treatment. Full article

AM processes are characterized by complex thermal cycles that have a deep influence on the microstructural transformations of the deposited alloy. In this work, a general model for the prediction of microstructure evolution during solid state transformations of Ti6Al4V is presented. Several formulations have been developed and employed for modeling phase transformations in other manufacturing processes and, particularly, in casting. The proposed model is mainly based on the combination and modification of some of these existing formulations, leading to a new overall model specifically dedicated to AM. The accuracy and suitability of the integrated model is enhanced, introducing new dedicated features. In fact the model is designed to deal with fast cooling and re-heating cycles typical of AM processes because: (a) it is able to consider incomplete transformations and varying initial content of phases and (b) it can take into account simultaneous transformations.The model is implemented in COMET, an in-house Finite Element (FE)-based framework for the solution of thermo-mechanical engineering problems. The validation of the microstructural model is performed by comparing the simulation results with the data available in the literature. The sensitivity of the model to the variation of material parameters is also discussed. Full article

Ni-based superalloy turbine blades have become indispensable structural parts in modern gas engines. An understanding of the solidification behavior and microstructure formation in directional solidified turbine blades is necessary for improving their high-temperature performance. The multiscale simulation model was developed to simulate the directional solidification process of superalloy turbine blades. The 3D cellular automaton-finite difference (CA-FD) method was used to calculate heat transfer and grain growth on the macroscopic scale, while the phase-field method was developed to simulate dendrite growth on the microscopic scale. Firstly, the evolution of temperature field of an aero-engine blade and a large industrial gas turbine blade was studied under high-rate solidification (HRS) and liquid-metal cooling (LMC) solidification processes. The varying withdrawal velocity was applied to change the curved mushy zone to a flat shape. Secondly, the grain growth in the aero-engine blade was simulated, and the grain structures in the starter block part and the spiral selector part in the HRS process were compared with those in the LMC process. The simulated grain structures were generally in agreement with experimental results. Finally, the dendrite growth in the typical HRS and LMC solidification process was investigated and the simulation results were compared with the experimental results in terms of dendrite morphology and primary dendritic spacing. Full article

Increased passenger safety and emission control are two of the main driving forces in the automotive industry for the development of light weight constructions. For increased strength to weight ratio, ultra-high-strength steels (UHSSs) are used in car body structures. Prediction of failure in such sheet metals is of high significance in the simulation of car crashes to avoid additional costs and fatalities. However, a disadvantage of this class of metals is a pronounced scatter in their material properties due to e.g., the manufacturing processes. In this work, a robust numerical model is developed in order to take the scatter into account in the prediction of the failure in manganese boron steel (22MnB5). To this end, the underlying material properties which determine the shapes of forming limit curves (FLCs) are obtained from experiments. A modified Marciniak–Kuczynski model is applied to determine the failure limits. By using a statistical approach, the material scatter is quantified in terms of two limiting hardening relations. Finally, the numerical solution obtained from simulations is verified experimentally. By generation of the so called forming limit bands (FLBs), the dispersion of limit strains is captured within the bounds of forming limits instead of a single FLC. In this way, the FLBs separate the whole region into safe, necking and failed zones. Full article

Cast austenitic stainless steel (CASS) often contains high contents of silicon, phosphorus, and sulfur to prompt low melting phases to form in the welds. As a result, welding defects can be induced to degrade the welds. This study’s purpose was to investigate the effects of electromagnetic stirring (EMS) on the CASS weldments. The results showed that the ferrites in the heat affected zone (HAZ) had tortuous grain boundaries, while those that were close to the fusion lines had transformed austenites. EMS could reduce the influence of the welding heat to make the grain boundaries less tortuous and the transformed austenites smaller. Although their temperature profiles were almost the same, the gas-tungsten-arc-welding (GTAW) weld had smaller grains with massive ferrite colonies and more precipitates, while the GTAW+EMS weld had denser ferrite colonies with multi-orientations, but fewer precipitates. The hardness of the base metals and HAZs were typically higher than that of the welds. For both of the welds, the root was the region with the highest hardness. The hardness decreased from the root to the cap regions along the thickness direction. The GTAW weld had a higher hardness than the GTAW+EMS weld. At room temperature, the GTAW+EMS weld had a higher notched tensile strength and elongation than the GTAW weld. This could be attributed to the observation that the GTAW+EMS weld had dense and intersecting dendrites and that more austenites were deformed during tensile testing. Full article

The Na-Cu and Na-K systems are of significant interest due to the use of liquid sodium and melt of sodium and potassium in the nuclear industry as a cooling agent in nuclear reactors. In the present work, thermodynamic modeling of phase equilibria in the Na-Cu and Na-K systems is carried out, based on the available published experimental data. This modeling was done using the “FactSage” software package (version 7.0). The set of Redlich-Kister equation parameters was obtained, which allows one to describe the dependence of Gibbs energy from composition and temperature for solutions that can be formed in the studied systems. Phase diagrams (T-x diagrams) of the investigated systems were calculated. Full article

Due to the limitations of manufacturing techniques, inhomogeneous microstructures and properties along the thickness direction have been a big challenge for heavy and ultra-heavy plates of quenched and tempered low-alloyed steel. In this study, variation in microstructures and mechanical properties were investigated from the surface to the center of a 130 mm-thick ultra-heavy steel plate. Emphasis was made on toughness performance including impact toughness and crack resisting ability. It was found that the ultimate tensile strength at the plate surface, quarter and center thickness at room temperature are 715, 643 and 618 MPa, respectively. Meanwhile, the ductile-brittle transition temperature defined by fracture appearance for these three plate positions are −100, −30 and −15 °C, respectively. Moreover, the crack resisting ability represented by the nil-ductility temperature are −40, −25 and −10 °C for these three positions respectively. Investigation by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) and electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) revealed that the plate surface features finer matrix grain and carbide precipitation, as well as greater frequency of high angle misorientation. These microstructural features contribute to enhancing deformability, retarding cleavage initiation and hindering crack propagation, leading to the pronounced increase in the energy for fracture propagation and the overall impact energy as compared to the other two plate positions. Full article

Lead–bismuth eutectic (LBE), a heavy liquid metal, is an ideal candidate coolant material for Generation-IV fast reactors and accelerator-driven systems (ADSs), but LBE is also known to pose a considerable corrosive threat to its container. However, the susceptibility of the candidate container material, 316L stainless steel (SS), to flow-accelerated corrosion (FAC) under turbulent LBE flow, is not well understood. In this study, an LBE loop, referred to as JLBL-1, was used to experimentally study the behavior of 316L SS when subjected to FAC for 3000 h under non-isothermal conditions. An orificed tube specimen, consisting of a straight tube that abruptly narrows and widens at each end, was installed in the loop. The specimen temperature was 450 °C, and a temperature difference between the hottest and coldest legs of the loop was 100 °C. The oxygen concentration in the LBE was lower than 10⁻⁸ wt %. The Reynolds number in the test specimen was approximately 5 × 10⁴. The effects of various hydrodynamic parameters on FAC behavior were studied with the assistance of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analyses, and then a mass transfer study was performed by integrating a corrosion model into the CFD analyses. The results show that the local turbulence level affects the mass concentration distribution in the near-wall region, and therefore, the mass transfer coefficient across the solid/liquid interface. The corrosion depth was predicted on the basis of the mass transfer coefficient obtained in the numerical simulation and was compared with that obtained in the loop. For the abrupt narrow part, the predicted corrosion depth was comparable with the measured corrosion depth, as was the abrupt wide part after involving the wall roughness effects in the prediction; for the straight tube part, the predicted corrosion depth is about 1.3–3.5 times the average experimental corrosion depth, and the possible reason for this discrepancy was provided. Full article

Ti6Al4V titanium alloy is considered a biocompatible material, suitable to be used for manufacturing medical devices, particularly cranioplasty plates. Several methods for processing titanium alloys are reported in the literature, each one presenting both advantages and drawbacks. A decision-making method based upon AHP (analytic hierarchy process) was used in this paper for choosing the most recommended manufacturing process among some alternatives. The result of AHP indicated that single-point incremental forming (SPIF) at room temperature could be considered the best approach when manufacturing medical devices. However, Ti6Al4V titanium alloy is known as a low-plasticity material when subjected to plastic deformation at room temperature, so special measures had to be taken. The experimental results of processing parts from Ti6Al4V titanium alloy by means of SPIF and technological aspects are considered. Full article

High-power fiber laser welding is an efficient and effective way to produce heavy section structures. However, there is a significant challenge in producing the welds with free of imperfections such as nail-head-shaped welds, spatters, and root sagging. This is partially due to a lack of understanding of the welding mechanism of high-power fiber laser. In this paper, we were especially interested in the mechanism to improve the appearance of welds, and we focused on the autogenous laser welding on thick stainless steel plates by a 10 kW fiber laser. To look into the relations of process parameters and the quality of welds, a high-speed imaging system was applied to observe the molten pool flow and vapor plume during the welding process. The appearances of welds subjected to different welding conditions were analyzed. The results showed that (1) nail-head-shaped welds were suppressed by using a gas jet during laser welding process. (2) In the forward welding, a gentle upwelling molten metal flow on the rear keyhole wall, a deeper weld pool and a weaker vapor plume resulted in no spatter. (3) The gravity affected the formation of underfills and root sagging significantly during autogenous laser welding of thick plates. (4) When the workpiece was placed vertically in the transverse position, the welding process was stable without an aggregation of molten melt at the back surface. Moreover, the mechanisms of forming root sagging and humps were different at the top surface. Full article

A new process with argon injected into the ladle around the tapping hole for controlling slag carry-over in a teeming ladle was presented. Physical modeling was used to study the mechanism of controlling slag carry-over, and the feasibility of the new process was also investigated by industrial trials. The results show that vortex forms firstly, and then converts to drain sink. With argon injected into the ladle around the tapping hole, an argon ring was formed, and the rotating angular velocity of the melt close to the tapping hole reduced dramatically, and even vanished when the melt passed the argon ring. Therefore, the new controlling slag carry-over process can eliminate the slag carry-over caused by vortex. The velocity of the melt toward the tapping hole was reduced due to the bubble buoyancy as the melt passed the argon ring. So, the new process can decrease the critical height of slag carry-over caused by drain sink. The application feasibility of the new controlling slag carry-over process is verified by the plant trials. Compared to the traditional teeming ladle process, the new controlling slag carry-over process shows much better efficiency on decreasing the steel residual in the poured ladle. Full article