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Light Metal Based Alloys: Fundamentals and Applications

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A special issue of Materials (ISSN 1996-1944).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 September 2019) | Viewed by 18212

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Prof. Dr. Paolo Mengucci

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Guest Editor

Depst. SIMAU, Università Politecnica delle Marche, Ancona, Italy
Interests: light alloys; biomaterials; additive manufacturing; characterization; nanostructure
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Peculiar properties, such as being light-weight, or possessing high mechanical performances, biocompatibility and recyclability, to mention only a few, has allowed the widespread use of light alloys in engineering, chemical and biomedical applications over the last few decades.

Currently, environmental and climate changes urge effective solutions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve energy efficiency, increase quantity of reusable and recyclable materials. Therefore, it is relatively easy to foresee that, in the near future, technologies based on lightweight metal alloys will play a key role in the societal challenges we are facing.

The upcoming Special Issue, entitled “Light Metal-Based Alloys: Fundamentals and Applications” aims to present an up-to-date overview of recent advances in fundamental aspects and applications of light alloys. Topics concerning metal alloys based on aluminum, magnesium and titanium will be considered, as well as fundamentals and applications of beryllium alloys, which are becoming of interest to the aerospace and nuclear industry. Novel materials and processing methods, fabrication, joining and forming technologies, simulation and modelling, advances in corrosion and surface finishing will be also covered.

It is my pleasure to invite you to contribute full papers, communications and reviews to this Special Issue.

Prof. Paolo Mengucci
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

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Keywords

Designing, simulation and modelling
Casting and forming technologies
Mechanical properties
Corrosion
Joining
Nanoalloys and amorphous alloys
Additive manufacturing
Aerospace and transportation
Energy systems
Biomedical applications

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

14 pages, 16051 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Solid-State Phase Transformations in Thermally Treated Ti–6Al–4V Alloy Fabricated via Laser Powder Bed Fusion

by Paolo Mengucci, Eleonora Santecchia, Andrea Gatto, Elena Bassoli, Antonella Sola, Corrado Sciancalepore, Bogdan Rutkowski and Gianni Barucca

Materials 2019, 12(18), 2876; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma12182876 - 06 Sep 2019

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2534

Abstract

Laser Powder Bed Fusion (LPBF) technology was used to produce samples based on the Ti–6Al–4V alloy for biomedical applications. Solid-state phase transformations induced by thermal treatments were studied by neutron diffraction (ND), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) and energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). Although, ND analysis is rather uncommon in such studies, this technique allowed evidencing the presence of retained β in α’ martensite of the as-produced (#AP) sample. The retained β was not detectable by XRD analysis, nor by STEM observations. Martensite contains a high number of defects, mainly dislocations, that anneal during the thermal treatment. Element diffusion and partitioning are the main mechanisms in the α ↔ β transformation that causes lattice expansion during heating and determines the final shape and size of phases. The retained β phase plays a key role in the α’ → β transformation kinetics. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Light Metal Based Alloys: Fundamentals and Applications)

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11 pages, 4126 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Cross-Contamination Quantification in Powders for Additive Manufacturing: A Study on Ti-6Al-4V and Maraging Steel

by Eleonora Santecchia, Paolo Mengucci, Andrea Gatto, Elena Bassoli, Silvio Defanti and Gianni Barucca

Materials 2019, 12(15), 2342; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma12152342 - 24 Jul 2019

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 4400

Abstract

Metal additive manufacturing is now taking the lead over traditional manufacturing techniques in applications such as aerospace and biomedicine, which are characterized by low production volumes and high levels of customization. While fulfilling these requirements is the strength of metal additive manufacturing, respecting the tight tolerances typical of the mentioned applications is a harder task to accomplish. Powder bed fusion (PBF) is a class of additive manufacturing in which layers of metal powder are fused on top of each other by a high-energy beam (laser or electron beam) according to a computer-aided design (CAD) model. The quality of raw powders for PBF affects the mechanical properties of additively manufactured parts strongly, and therefore it is crucial to avoid the presence of any source of contamination, particularly cross-contamination. In this study, the identification and quantification of cross-contamination in powders of Ti-6Al-4V and maraging steel was performed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) techniques. Experimental results showed an overall good reliability of the developed method, opening the way for applications in machine learning environments. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Light Metal Based Alloys: Fundamentals and Applications)

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14 pages, 8431 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Post-FSW Cold-Rolling Simulation of ECAP Shear Deformation and Its Microstructure Role Combined to Annealing in a FSWed AA5754 Plate Joint

by Marcello Cabibbo, Chiara Paoletti, Mohamed Ghat, Archimede Forcellese and Michela Simoncini

Materials 2019, 12(9), 1526; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma12091526 - 09 May 2019

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 3333

Abstract

Friction stir welds are considered reliable joints for their lack of voids, cracks and distortions. When compared to the base material, friction stir welding (FSW) joints typically exhibit finer grain structured (especially at the nugget zone, NZ). Similarly, refined grain structure can also be obtained by severe plastic deformation (SPD) techniques, such as equal channel angular pressing (ECAP). In fact, the fine grain structures produced within the NZ of FSW or friction stir processed (FSP) materials are usually coarser than the ones achieved by ECAP. The former is characterized by lower dislocation density, higher high-angle boundary fraction and different mechanical strength, compared to what can be obtained by ECAP. In this study, a dedicated cold-rolling (CR) set-up, specifically designed to simulate an ECAP-equivalent shear deformation, was used to further refine the grain structure of FSW AA5754 sheets. The effect of ECAP-equivalent deformation induced by CR in a 2 mm-thick AA5754-H111 FSW joint was investigated. FSW was carried out at two different rotational (ω) and translational (v) welding speeds, 600 rpm, 200 mm/min and 1800 rpm, 75 mm/min, respectively. FSW sheets were then CR to obtain an equivalent shear strain of ε ~ 1.08, that is equivalent to 1-ECAP pass carried out with an internal die channels intersecting at an angle φ = 90° with a curvature extending over an angle Ψ = 20°. By CR, the sheet thickness reduced only by ~20%. The role of annealing on the FSW and CR plastically deformed AA5754 was also investigated. This was applied either prior or after FSW, and it resulted that whenever it follows the FSW, the mean volume fraction of dispersoids and Mg-rich particles is higher than the case of annealing preceding the FSW process. On the contrary, it was found that the annealing treatment had a minimal role on the dispersoids and particles mean size. The here reported post-FSW ECAP-simulated deformation, obtained by a customized CR process, showed sheet integrity and a significant concurrent grain size refinement. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Light Metal Based Alloys: Fundamentals and Applications)

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25 pages, 6262 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Modeling of Microsegregation and Homogenization of 6xxx Al-Alloys Including Precipitation and Strengthening During Homogenization Cooling

by Panagiota I. Sarafoglou, Alexandros Serafeim, Ioannis A. Fanikos, John S. Aristeidakis and Gregory N. Haidemenopoulos

Materials 2019, 12(9), 1421; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma12091421 - 01 May 2019

Cited by 14 | Viewed by 4131

Abstract

Control of the homogenization process is important in obtaining high extrudability and desirable properties in 6xxx aluminum alloys. Three consecutive steps of the process chain were modeled. Microsegregation arising from solidification was described with the Scheil–Gulliver model. Dissolution of Mg₂Si, Si (diamond) and β-AlFeSi (β-Al₅FeSi) to α-AlFeSi (α-Al₁₂(FeMn)₃Si) transformation during homogenization have been described with a CALPHAD-based multicomponent diffusion Dual-Grain Model (DGM), accounting for grain size inhomogeneity. Mg₂Si precipitation and associated strengthening during homogenization cooling were modeled with the Kampmann–Wagner Numerical (KWN) precipitation framework. The DGM model indicated that the fractions of β-AlFeSi and α-AlFeSi exhibit an exact spatial and temporal correspondence during transformation. The predictions are in good agreement with experimental data. The KWN model indicated the development of a bimodal particle size distribution during homogenization cooling, arising from corresponding nucleation events. The associated strengthening, arising from solid solution and precipitation strengthening, was in good agreement with experimental results. The proposed modeling approach is a valuable tool for the prediction of microstructure evolution during the homogenization of 6xxx aluminum alloys, including the often-neglected part of homogenization cooling. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Light Metal Based Alloys: Fundamentals and Applications)

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15 pages, 6303 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Investigation of Zirconium Effect on the Corrosion Resistance of Aluminum Alloy Using Electrochemical Methods and Numerical Simulation in an Acidified Synthetic Sea Salt Solution

by Yong-Sang Kim, Jong Gil Park, Byeong-Seon An, Young Hee Lee, Cheol-Woong Yang and Jung-Gu Kim

Materials 2018, 11(10), 1982; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma11101982 - 15 Oct 2018

Cited by 15 | Viewed by 3466

Abstract

Corrosion resistance of Zr that has been added to an Al alloy (U1070) is higher than that of a commercial Al alloy (A1070). A decreasing number and size of Al₃Fe intermetallic particles (IMPs) were observed by electron microprobe analysis and transmission electron microscopy. Based on the numerical corrosion simulation, it was confirmed that decreasing the number and size of IMPs was favorable for improving the corrosion resistance of the Al alloy due to the reduction of the galvanic effect. In addition, Al₃Zr was found to be insignificant in promoting galvanic corrosion within the Al matrix. Thus, Zr is an advantageous alloying element for improving the corrosion resistance of the Al alloy. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Light Metal Based Alloys: Fundamentals and Applications)

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