Sharif Digital Repository

In this review, effects of initial microstructure before intercritical annealing and processing routes of dual phase (DP) high strength steels are discussed. Prior-applied deformation processes as cold rolling and severe plastic deformation (SPD) including their impacts on mechanical properties of DP steels are described. Influences of heating rate, recrystallization of ferrite, nucleation and grain growth of austenite on the microstructure evolution are also presented. The intercritical annealing and thermomechanical processes of DP steels are comparatively outlined. Furthermore, post-intercritical annealing treatments, i.e., tempering, bake hardening, strain and quench aging are argued.... 

In the present work, the role of graphite addition on the laser sintering of iron powder was studied. Powder mixtures containing iron and 0.4, 0.8, 1.2, and 1.6 wt.% graphite were prepared by blending elemental powders. These powders were sintered layer-by-layer under nitrogen atmosphere using a continuous wave CO2 laser beam. A laser power of 70-225 W, scan rate of 50-600 mm s-1, scan line spacing of 0.1-0.3 mm, and layer thickness of 0.1 mm was used. It was found that the processing parameters play a key role on the densification of the iron-graphite powder mixtures. The addition of graphite enhances the densification of the iron powder and improves the surface quality of the laser... 

In this paper, the effect of morphology, size and volume fraction of the most important microstructural constituents of cast A356 aluminum alloy on its main mechanical properties has been studied. The investigated variables consist of Dendrite Arm Spacing (DAS) of α aluminum phases, spheroicity of silicon particles in eutectic areas and 2-D micro porosity areas. The variations of Quality Index (Qi) with DAS and spheroicity of eutectic silicon particles follow a linear relationship. For the micro-porosity area of a polished section of the studied samples, two linear relationships were found, one for values less than 1.25% and another for higher values. As the basis for a quantitative analysis... 

The densification behavior and the attendant microstructural features of iron powder processed by direct laser sintering were investigated. The effects of processing parameters such as laser power, scan rate, scan line spacing, thickness of layer, scanning geometry and sintering atmosphere were studied. A specific energy input ( ψ ) was defined using the "energy conservation" rule to explore the effects of the processing condition on the density and the attendant microstructure of laser sintered iron. It was found that the sintered density increased sharply with increasing the specific energy input until a critical energy input had been reached ( ψ ∼0.2 kJ mm-3). The microstructure consists... 

In this research, the effects of different cooling conditions after hot rolling in Stelmor conveyor line on the mechanical properties of a commercial high carbon steel wire rod are investigated. By opening and closing the lids, turning on and off the fans in Stelmor system, an air patenting process is performed on a commercial high carbon steel to improve its mechanical properties and ductility. The wire rods produced in different cooling conditions are investigated by tensile test, metallography and image analyzing. The optimum cooling condition required for high strength and ductility are evaluated. Moreover, the relationships between yield stress, UTS and fracture stress, and... 

The present paper addresses an analytical method to determine the overall behavior of piezocomposite materials containing body centered cubic (BCC) distribution of arbitrary oriented ellipsoidal heterogeneities. This approach is based on the extension of the electromechanical equivalent inclusion method (EMEIM) to interacting multi-inhomogeneities. In this treatment the short and long range interactions of the piezoelectric particles are appropriately incorporated through the homogenizing eigenstrainelectric field. The periodicity of the microstructure of the medium suggests representing the eigenfields in terms of Fourier series, accounting for the matrixparticle, interparticle and... 

The prediction of material microstructure is of great interest to the material designers since the property and performance of materials depend strongly on their microstructures. In this research the Monte Carlo method and grain growth phenomenon have been used to predict the limiting grain size in the presence of second phase particles. The results showed a good agreement with the previous published results predicted by the analytical models. It was found that the lattice orientation parameter, Q, strongly affects the kinetic of the grain growth. The experimental and theoretical results of limiting grain size predicted by Monte Carlo method showed that by decreasing the value of Q the... 

A method for joining metals in the semisolid state is presented. A model alloy Sn-15%Pb was used to demonstrate the concept. By presented process, dendritic microstructure of the weld zone can be avoided. Moreover, near-weld zone of the cold worked substrates which is affected by heat would have a globular structure due to a thermomechanical treatment. The two substrates were heated up locally in the joint line to the semisolid temperature range. At this point a stirrer was introduced into the weld seam in order to mix the two sides into a single uniform joint. Localized mechanical properties of different zones were examined using Shear Punch Test (SPT), showing a good strength in the weld... 

In this study, hot rolling behavior of a low alloy steel in the dual-phase region is studied. The effects of various process parameters such as initial temperature, soaking time, rolling speed and the cooling conditions are investigated. Then, mechanical testing and microstructural studies are performed and the effects of process parameters are studied and finally the optimum rolling program is determined based on the achieved results. The results show that rolling speed significantly alters the final microstructures and mechanical properties. Higher rolling speed results higher volume fraction of ferrite phase. In addition, the optimum dual-phase microstructure for this steel can be... 

This study aims at understanding the metallurgical and mechanical response of Hastelloy X nickel-based superalloy to the thermal cycle of gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW), post welding solution treatment (ST), and aging. In the as-weld condition, the weldment was characterized by the formation of the M6C carbide, sigma phase, and micro-solidification cracks in the interdendritic zones of the weld metal, and constitutional liquation of M6C carbide in the heat-affected zone. It is demonstrated that neither the weld metal nor the heat-affected zone could adversely affect mechanical properties of the welded joint in as-weld condition. However, to alleviate the microstructural heterogeneity,... 

In this study, in order to compare effect of unidirectional compression and rolling on final microstructure of strain induced melt activated (SIMA) A356 aluminum alloy, rectangular samples with dimensions of 3cm×5cm in area and 1cm in thickness and cylindrical specimens with 2.5cm in diameter and 1cm in length, have been prepared for rolling and compressing processes, respectively. Then, these samples were plastically deformed at a same strain in ambient temperature. Afterward, the strained samples were cut into equal quarters. In the next stage, to produce globular microstructure, these specimens were partially remelted in 580°C for different times. Results obtained from light microscopy... 

Pure Zn and Zn matrix composite coatings containing nano-sized SiC particles with an average size of 50 nm were prepared from the zinc sulfate bath. The effects of the pulse frequency, maximum current density and duty cycle on the amount of particles embedded were examined. Electron microscopic studies revealed that the coating morphology was modified by the presence of SiC nanoparticles. In the presence of SiC nanoparticles deposit grows in outgrowth mode resulting in a very rough and porous microstructure. However, at very low and very high duty cycles a smooth and pore free microstructure was obtained. Corrosion resistance properties of the coatings were studied using potentiodynamic... 

Co-based FSX-414 superalloy is especially used for first-stage nozzles of gas turbines. Transient liquid phase (TLP) bonding has potential as repair process for these nozzles. In this study, homogenization of TLP-bonded FSX-414 superalloy at optimum bonding condition (1150 °C/5 min) was conducted at 1175, 1200, and 1225 °C for 1, 3, and 6 h. Homogenization at 1175 °C/1 h had no effect on removing the diffusion-affected zone (DAZ) phases. Increasing the time to 6 h was effective in removing DAZ phases and boride phases formed due to liquefaction, but compositional homogenization was not complete. Homogenization at 1200 °C for 1 h caused boride phases to form adjacent to the joint and in the... 

Equal channel angular pressing is an effective technique to control the texture and microstructure of metals and alloys. Texture and microstructure of an Al-7075 alloy subjected to repetitive equal channel angular pressing through a 90° die were evaluated by X-ray diffractometer and orientation imaging microscopy. It is observed that processing through different routes leads to different types of textures, in both qualitative and quantitative senses. The texture calculation by Labotex software reveals that texture strengthens after the first pass and weakens by progressing ECAP process up to 4 passes. Microstructure investigations show that after 4 passes of equal channel angular pressing... 

In this study, microstructural changes and mechanical properties during friction stir welding of AA7075-T6 have been investigated. Friction stir welding at relatively high rotational speeds ranging from 1000 to 1400 rpm and longitudinal speeds in the range of 40 to 80 mm/min have been performed and then microstructures and mechanical properties of the weldments have been studied. The results show that the rotational and longitudinal speeds have a significant effect on the microstructures as well as the mechanical behavior of the welded material while a fine grain structure is produced at higher ratio of rotational speed to longitudinal speed. On the other hand, for a given longitudinal... 

Surfaces of cast 1100 aluminum were treated by multi-pass friction stir processing (MP-FSP), which is a solid-state microstructural modification technique using frictional heat and stirring action. An improvement in the mechanical properties was accomplished due to the microstructural modification and reduction of porosities. The yield strengths of the MP-FSPed specimens were significantly increased to about 1.4 times versus that of the base metal. The elongation of MP-FSP sample is about 30% higher than that of the base metal. Also the ultimate tensile strength and hardness of MP-FSPed specimens are improved. Moreover the effect of tool rotation rate and tool travel speed on the mechanical... 

The high hydration potential of CaO and MgO phases restricted the application of Mag-Dol refractory composites. In this study, the impact of nano-silica (SiO2) addition on the physical, mechanical, thermo-mechanical as well as microstructure of Mag-Dol refractory composites is investigated. Mag-Dol compositions were prepared by using calcined dolomite and magnesite particles (micron, 0–1, 1–3, 3–5, and 5–8 mm), liquid resin, and 0, 0.5, 1, 1.5, 2, and 2.5 wt% nano SiO2 as additives. Specimens were heated up to 1650 °C for the 3 h soaking period. Fired specimens were characterized by physical (apparent porosity, bulk density, and hydration resistance), mechanical (cold crushing strength), and... 

In the present paper, the effect of silicon carbide (SiC) fines was studied on the phase and microstructural properties of bauxite-based low-cement refractory castables (LCC) at different firing temperatures. XRD and SEM techniques were employed to evaluate phase and microstructure analysis, and physical/mechanical properties were measured according to standard methods. The results showed that the oxidation of SiC particles related to the oxygen partial pressure and active/passive oxidation behavior of SiC fines could markedly affect the microstructure and properties of bauxite-based LCC fired at high temperatures. Despite the negative influence of addition of SiC fines on cold mechanical... 

Martensitic stainless steel (MSS) resistance spot welds are prone to quasi-cleavage interfacial failure with very low energy absorption capability due to formation of hard and brittle carbon and chromium rich martensite in the fusion zone (FZ). In this work, a new pathway is proposed to enhance strength/toughness of the MSS resistance spot welds based on modification of the FZ composition/microstructure via introducing a nickel interlayer. This altered the FZ microstructure from dual phase microstructure of martensite and δ-ferrite to austenitic microstructure with finely dispersed ultra-fine chromium rich carbides. Formation of a tough predominately austenitic microstructure in the FZ...