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Mg-Gd-Y-Zr alloys are among the newly developed magnesium alloys with superior strength properties at elevated temperatures. Accordingly, the hot shear deformation behavior of fine-grained extruded Mg-9Gd-4Y-0.4Zr (GWK940), Mg-5Gd-4Y-0.4Zr (GWK540), and Mg-5Gd-0.4Zr (GK50) alloys was investigated using the localized shear punch testing (SPT) method. Shear punch tests were performed at 573 K, 623 K, 673 K, 723 K, and 773 K (300 °C, 350 °C, 400 °C, 450 °C, and 500 °C) under shear strain rates in the range of 6.7 × 10 to 6.7 × 10 s. The new fitting method of Rieiro, Carsi, and Ruano was used for direct calculation of the Garofalo constants. It was concluded that the Garofalo equation can be used satisfactorily for describing the deformation behavior of the alloys in the entire studied ranges of strain rates and temperatures. In addition, stability maps were obtained by calculations based on the Lyapunov criteria using the Garofalo constants. The predicted stability ranges of temperature and strain rate were similar for the studied alloys. At an intermediate strain rate of 0.05 s, the optimal temperature at which a stable region is expected was found to be 648 K to 673 K (375 °C to 400 °C) for all three materials. The most pronounced effect of the Gd and Y elements was to enhance the high-temperature strength of the alloys. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 7075 alloy is an Al-Zn-Mg-Cu wrought age-hardenable aluminum alloy widely used in the aeronautical industry. The alloy was accumulative roll bonded at 300 °C (573 K), 350 °C (623 K), and 400 °C (673 K), and the microstructure, texture, and hardness were investigated. Cell/(sub)grain size in the nanostructured range, typical β-fiber rolling texture, and homogeneous hardness through thickness were determined in all cases. Misorientation was different at each processing temperature. At 400 °C, the presence of elements in solid solution and the partial dissolution of the hardening precipitates lead to a poorly misoriented microstructure with a high dislocation density and a homogeneous β-fiber texture of low intensity, typical of intermediate degrees of rolling. At 350 °C and 300 °C, highly misoriented microstructures with smaller dislocation density and intense heterogeneous β-fiber rolling texture are observed, especially at 350 °C, wherein the degree of dynamic recovery (DRV) is higher. Hardness of the accumulative roll bonded samples is smaller than that of the starting material due to particle coarsening, and it is affected by solid solution and/or by fine precipitates produced by reprecipitation of the elements in solid solution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The microstructure and the mechanical properties of a multilayer composite laminate based on aluminum 7075 and 2024 alloys produced by hot roll bonding were examined. The composite laminate has been tested at room temperature under Charpy-impact tests, three-point bend tests, and shear tests on the interfaces. The toughness of the post-rolling tempered and T6-treated composite laminate, measured by impact- absorbed energy in the crack-arrester orientation, was more than 20 times higher than that of the monolithic Al 7075 alloy and 7 times higher than that of Al 2024 alloy. The outstanding toughness increase of the composite laminate in the post-rolling tempered and T6-treated condition is mainly due to the mechanism of “interface predelamination.” By this fracture mechanism, the interfaces are debonded before the main crack reaches them, warranting delamination in all interfaces. Therefore, delamination and crack renucleation in every layer are responsible for the improvement in toughness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The microstructural evolution during tensile deformation of an AZ31 alloy with grain size ranging from 17 to 40 µm, at intermediate temperatures, has been studied using electron backscattered diffraction (EBSD) and optical microscopy (OM) as the main characterization tools. Two deformation regimes could be distinguished. In the high-strain-rate regime, the stress exponent was found to be about 6, and the activation energy is close to that for Mg self-diffusion. These values are indicative of climb-controlled creep. In the lower strain rate range, elongations higher than 300 pct were measured. In this range, significant dynamic grain growth takes place during the test, and thus, the predominant deformation mechanisms have been investigated by means of strain-rate-change tests. It was found that the stress exponent varied during the test between 1.7 and 2.5, while the activation energy remains close to that for grain-boundary diffusion. The EBSD analysis revealed, additionally, the appearance of low to moderately misoriented boundaries that tend to lay perpendicular to the tensile axis. The enhanced ductility of this AZ31 alloy in this regime is attributed to the operation of a sequence of deformation mechanisms. Initially, grain-boundary sliding governs deformation; once dynamic grain growth occurs, dislocation slip becomes gradually more important. Dislocation interaction gives rise to the appearance of new interfaces by continuous dynamic recrystallization (CDRX). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The high-temperature deformation behavior of two ultrahigh boron steels containing 2.2 pct and 4.9 pct B was investigated. Both alloys were processed via powder metallurgy involving gas atomization and hot isostatic pressing (hipping) at various temperatures. After hipping at 700 °C, the Fe-2.2 pct B alloy showed a fine microstructure consisting of l- µm grains and small elongated borides (less than 1 µm) . At 1100 °C, a coarser microstructure with rounded borides was formed. This alloy was superplastic at 850 °C with stress exponents of about two and tensile elongations as high as 435 pct. The microstructure of the Fe-4.9 pct B alloy was similar to that of the Fe-2.2 pct B alloy showing, in addition, coarse borides. This alloy also showed low stress exponent values but lacked high tensile elongation (less than 65 pct), which was attributed to the presence of stress accumulation at the interface between the matrix and the large borides. A change in the activation energy value at the α-γ transformation temperature was seen in the Fe-2.2 pct B alloy. The plastic flow data were in agreement with grain boundary sliding and slip creep models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]