Thermo-plastic instability in simple shear

A theoretical description of thermo-plastic instability in simple shear is presented in a system of equations describing plastic deformation, the first law of thermodynamics and Fourier's heat transfer rule. Both mechanical and thermodynamical parameters influence instability and it is shown that two different modes of instability may exist. One of them is dominated by thermal softening and has a characteristic time and length, connected to each other by thermal diffusion.A criterion combining thermal softening, current stress, density, specific heat, work-hardening, thermal conductivity and current strain rate is obtained and practical implications are discussed.

Mechanical properties and constitutive relationships of 30CrMnSiA steel heated at high rate

In this paper, the mechanical behavior of 30CrMnSiA steel after heating at a high rate are investigated experimentally and theoretically, including a detailed discussion of the effects of strain rate and temperature. Two constitutive models are presented to describe the mechanical response of this material after heating at a high rate, and verified by experimental results. (C) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A Mechanical Model For The Quantification Of The Effect Of Laser Quenching On Ctod In Steels

The technology of laser quenching is widely used to improve the surface properties of steels in surface engineering. Generally, laser quenching of steels can lead to two important results. One is the generation of residual stress in the surface layer. In general, the residual stress varies from the surface to the interior along the quenched track depth direction, and the residual stress variation is termed as residual stress gradient effect in this work. The other is the change of mechanical properties of the surface layer, such as the increases of the micro-hardness, resulting from the changes of the microstructure of the surface layer. In this work, a mechanical model of a laser-quenched specimen with a crack in the middle of the quenched layer is developed to quantify the effect of residual stress gradient and the average micro-hardness over the crack length on crack tip opening displacement (CTOD). It is assumed that the crack in the middle of the quenched layer is created after laser quenching, and the crack can be a pre-crack or a defect due to some reasons, such as a void, cavity or a micro-crack. Based on the elastic-plastic fracture mechanics theory and using the relationship between the micro-hardness and yield strength, a concise analytical solution, which can be used to quantify the effect of residual stress gradient and the average micro-hardness over the crack length resulting from laser quenching on CTOD, is obtained. The concise analytical solution obtained in this work, cannot only be used as a means to predict the crack driving force in terms of the CTOD, but also serve as a baseline for further experimental investigation of the effect after laser-quenching treatment on fracture toughness in terms of the critical CTOD of a specimen, accounting for the laser-quenching effect. A numerical example presented in this work shows that the CTOD of the quenched can be significantly decreased in comparison with that of the unquenched. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Mechanical alloying of Fe-Mn and Fe-Mn-Si

The ball milling of Fe-24Mn and Fe-24Mn-6Si mixed powders has been performed by the high energy ball milling technique. By employing X-ray diffraction and Mossbauer measurements, the composition evolution during the milling process has been investigated. The results indicate the formation of paramagnetic Fe-Mn or Fe-Mn-Si alloys with a metastable fee phase as final products, which imply that the Fe and Mn proceed a co-diffusion mechanism through the surface of fragmented powders. The thermal stability and composition evolution of the as-milled alloys were discussed comparing with the bulk alloy. (C) 1999 Published by Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reserved.

Effects of cerium on the microstructure and mechanical properties of Mg–20Zn–8Al alloy

Mg-20Zn-8Al-xCe(x=0-2 wt.%) alloys were prepared by metal mould casting method, the effects of Ce on the microstructure and mechanical properties of the alloys were investigated. The results showed that the dendrite as well as gram size were refined by the addition of Ce, and the best refinement was obtained in 1.39% Ce containing alloy.

Microstructure and mechanical properties of Mg-12.3Zn-5.8Y-1.4Al alloy

Microstructure and mechanical properties of as-cast and heat-treated Mg-12.3Zn-5.8Y-1.4Al (ZYA1261) alloy were investigated. The phase compositions of the as-cast alloy are alpha-Mg, Mg3YZn6 (I-phase), Mg(3)y(2)Zn(3) (W-phase), Mg12YZn (Z-phase), Mg24Y5, MgZn and a small quantity of Al-containing phase.

Microstructure and mechanical property of Mg-8.31Gd-1.12Dy-0.38Zr alloy

The Mg-8.31Gd-1.12Dy-0.38Zr (mass%) alloy was prepared by casting technology, and the microstructure, age hardening behavior and mechanical property have been investigated. It is noted that the alpha-Mg and the different Mg-RE (RE = Gd/Dy) compounds are subsistent in the as-cast and annealed state samples. The age hardening behavior is observed during the investigated temperature range, and the alloy exhibits high Vickers hardness, excellent ultimate tensile strength and yield strength at peak hardness.

Microstructures and mechanical properties of as-cast Mg–5Al–0.4Mn–xNd (x=0, 1, 2 and 4) alloys

Mg-5Al-0.4Mn-xNd (x=0, 1, 2 and 4wt.%) alloys were prepared by metal mould casting method. The microstructures and mechanical properties were investigated. The results demonstrated that Al11Nd3 phase was formed and mainly aggregated along the grain boundaries with the addition of Nd. Meanwhile, the grain sizes were greatly reduced with the increasing Nd content.

Microstructure and mechanical properties of Mg-4.5Zn-xNd (x=0, 1 and 2, wt%) alloys

Microstructure and mechanical properties of Mg-4.5Zn-xNd (x = 0, 1 and 2, wt%) alloys heat-treated at 603 K for 2 It have been investigated. T-phase (an Mg-Zn-Nd ternary phase) was observed in the Nd containing alloys. The optimal mechanical properties were obtained in the Mg-4.5Zn-1Nd alloy, and the ultimate tensile strength and yield strength were 228 and 79 MPa, respectively. Through comparing with the Mg-4.5Zn alloy, the increments of ultimate tensile strength and yield strength were 51 and 17 MPa.

Structure and mechanical properties of extruded Mg-Gd based alloy sheet

The Mg-8Gd-2Y-1Nd-0.3Zn-0.6Zr (wt.%) alloy sheet was prepared by hot extrusion technique, and the structure and mechanical properties of the extruded alloy were investigated. The results show that the alloy in different states is mainly composed of alpha-Mg solid solution and secondary phases of Mg5RE and Mg24RE5 (RE = Gd, Y and Nd). At aging temperatures from 200 degrees C to 300 degrees C the alloy exhibits obvious age-hardening response. Great improvement of mechanical properties is observed in the peak-aged state alloy (aged at 200 degrees C for 60 h), the ultimate tensile strength (sigma(b)), tensile yield strength (sigma(0.2)) and elongation (epsilon) are 376 MPa, 270 MPa and 14.2% at room temperature (RT), and 206 MPa. 153 MPa and 25.4% at 300 degrees C, respectively, the alloy exhibits high thermal stability.

Microstructure and mechanical properties of Mg-4Al-4Nd-0.5Zn-0.3Mn alloy

Mg-4Al-4Nd-0.5Zn-0.3Mn alloy was prepared by metal mould casting method. Microstructure, aging behavior, mechanical properties and fracture morphology of the alloy were investigated. The results showed that alpha-Mg, Al-11 Nd-3, Al2Nd and Mg-32(Al,Zn)(49) phases were the main phases of the as-cast alloy. And the long rod-like Al-11 Nd-3 phase was decomposed to granular Al2Nd through T6 heat treatment. The tensile strength was also enhanced by T6 treatment. The yield strength was increased by 17% and 21% at RT and 150 degrees C, respectively. It was mainly because that the precipitates were refined through T6 treatment and this became more benefit to hinder dislocations slipping.

Microstructures and mechanical properties of as-cast Mg-5Y-3Nd-Zr-xGd (x=0, 2 and 4 wt.%) alloys

Mg-5Y-3Nd-0.6Zr-xGd (x = 0, 2 and 4 wt.%) alloys were prepared by metal mould casting technique, the structures and mechanical properties were investigated. The alloys were mainly composed of alpha-Mg solid solution and beta-phase. With increasing Gd content, Mg5RE phase increased and the grain was refined. The Mg-5Y-3Nd-2Gd-0.6Zr alloy exhibited highest ultimate tensile strength and Mg-5Y-3Nd-0.6Zr alloy showed highest yield strength at room temperature. With increasing amount of Gd, the thermal resistance was improved. The Mg-5Y-3Nd-4Gd-0.6Zr alloy exhibited highest UTS and YS at 250 degrees C, they were about 1.27 times higher than those of Gd-free alloy, which was mainly attributed to the increase of the beta-phase and Mg5RE strengthening phase.

Integrated processing-structure-property analysis on rubber in-mold vulcanization

On the basis of the quantitative relationship among rubber processing, structure and property, the methodology of the integrated processing-structure-property analysis on rubber in-mold vulcanization is presented, and then the temporal evolution and spatial distribution characteristics of silicone rubber hot processing parameters, crosslinking structure parameters and mechanical property parameters are obtained by means of the finite element method. The present work is helpful for optimizing curing conditions, and then the design of rubber vulcanization processes according to certain requirements can be done.

Microstructure, thermal stability and mechanical properties of the novel (W1-xAlx)C-Co (x=0.2, 0.33, 0.4, 0.5) cemented carbide

Bulk novel cemented carbides (W1-xAlx)C-10.1 vol% Co (x = 0.2, 0.33, 0.4, 0.5) are prepared by mechanical alloying and hot-pressing sintering. Hot-pressing (HP) is used to fabricate the bulk bodies of the hard alloys. The novel cemented carbides have good mechanical properties compared with WC-Co. The density and operating cost of the novel material is much lower than a WC-Co system. The material is easy to process and the processing leads to nano-scaled, rounded, particles in the bulk material. The hardness of (W1-xAlx)C-10.1 vol% Co (x = 0.2, 0.33, 0.4, 0.5) hard material is 20.37, 21.16, 21.59 and 22.16 GPa, and the bending strength is 1257, 1238, 1211 and 1293 MPa, with the aluminum content varying from 20% to 50%. The relationship between the microstructure and the mechanical properties of the novel hard alloy is also discussed.

Microstructures and mechanical properties of extruded Mg-8Gd-0.4Zr alloys containing Zn

Microstructures and mechanical properties of the Mg-8Gd-xZn-0.4Zr (x = 0, 1 and 3 wt.%) alloys in the as-cast, as-extruded and extruded-T5 conditions, have been investigated. The peak-aged Mg-8Gd-1Zn-0.4Zr alloy during isothermal ageing at 423 K acquires highest mechanical properties, with the highest ultimate tensile strength and yield tensile strength of 314 and 217 MPa, respectively. Addition of Zn has obvious effect on age hardening responses, especially for 1 wt.% Zn addition. It is due to a uniform distribution of beta' phase which can impede the movement of dislocations. However, addition of 3 wt.% Zn to the Mg-8Gd-0.4Zr alloy leads to a precipitation of Mg3Zn3Gd2 phase (W-phase). This phase is incoherent with interface of the matrix and becomes cores of the fracture in tensile test at room or elevated temperature.