Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of TiC/TiB Composite Ceramic Coatings In-Situ Synthesized by Ultrasonic Vibration-Assisted Laser Cladding

Laser cladding coating has many advantages in surface modification, such as a small heat-affected zone, and good metallurgical bonding. However, some serious problems such as pores, and poor forming quality still exist in the coating. To suppress these problems, a novel process of ultrasonic vibration-assisted laser cladding process was adopted to in-situ synthesize TiC/TiB composite ceramic coating on the surface of titanium alloy. Results showed that the introduction of ultrasonic vibration effectively improved the surface topography of the coating, reduced the number of pores in the coating, refined the crystal grains of the coating, decreased the residual tensile stress in the coating, and increased the micro-hardness of the coating. The tribological properties of the coating were significantly improved by the ultrasonic vibration, the wear resistance of the coating fabricated with ultrasonic vibration at power of 400 W increased about 1.2 times compared with the coating fabricated without ultrasonic vibration, and the friction coefficient decreased by 50%.

High-Power Fiber Laser Welding of High-Strength AA7075-T6 Aluminum Alloy Welds for Mechanical Properties Research

The results disclosed that both the microstructure and mechanical properties of AA7075-T6 laser welds are considerably influenced by the heat input. In comparison with high heat input (arc welding), a smaller weld fusion zone with a finer dendrite arm spacing, limited loss of alloying elements, less intergranular segregation, and reduced residual tensile stress was obtained using low heat input. This resulted in a lower tendency of porosity and hot cracking, which improved the welded metal’s soundness. Subsequently, higher hardness as well as higher tensile strength for the welded joint was obtained with lower heat input. A welded joint with better mechanical properties and less mechanical discrepancy is important for better productivity. The implemented high-power fiber laser has enabled the production of a low heat input welded joint using a high welding speed, which is of considerable importance for minimizing not only the fusion zone size but also the deterioration of its properties. In other words, high-power fiber laser welding is a viable solution for recovering the mechanical properties of the high-strength AA 7075-T6 welds. These results are encouraging to build upon for further improvement of the mechanical properties to be comparable with the base metal.

Evaluation the Effect of different Cooling Cycles on the Hardness Surface of the Conventional Feldspathic Zirconia

Cooling rate is the main fact in success and life span of all ceramic restoration through its effect on mechanical properties and producing a residual tensile stress, crack propagation and failure restorations. The goals of this study is to assess the impact of diverse cooling cycles (slow cooling – fast cooling) on the surface hardness of the Zirconia (VM9). A total of 30 conventional Y-TZP Zirconia (Vita VM9) disks were fabricated according manufacturers recommendation. The samples were partition into three categories depending on the cooling system. Each group consisted of ten specimens in diameter (2mm×10mm). Control group: samples are unescorted by any change. Fast cooling group: these specimens were fast cooled after second firing (910C0 -600C0) with opening Oven muffle 25% withholding time for 5 minute and remove from the furnace to cool at room temperature. Slow cooling group: specimens were slow cooled after second firing (910C0 -400C0) with opening Oven muffle 25% withholding time for 5 minute and remove from the furnace to cool at room temperature. Each specimen was subjected to hardness test in load 9.8N at 15s using Digital microvickers Hardness tester, Scanning electron microscope. The statistical analysis revealed that, the highest vickers hardness mean value was for the control group (690.57 ± 69.9563) and for second group (618.12± 53.6164) and for third group (631.75±65.3858), The facts were statistically examined by applying ANOVA test (P- value) testes which revealed significant differences(p=0.038) (p<0.05) among groups. Conclusion: The impact of cooling cycle on the hardness surface measurements of the Zirconia (Vita VM9) between the three groups was significant. The slow cooling shows a higher value of (VH) Hardness and recommended for Zirconia than the fast cooling.

Effect of process parameters on stress and strain of hybrid deposition and micro-rolling

Purpose This paper aims to summarize the influence law of hybrid deposited and micro-rolling (HDMR) technology on the shaping strain and residual stress. And the rolling parameters combination was further optimized to guide the actual production. Design/methodology/approach This paper proposed a three-dimensional coupled thermo-mechanical model of the HDMR process. The validated model is used to investigate the influences of rolling parameters on stress and plastic strain (the distance between the energy source and roller [De–r], the rolling compression [cr] and the friction coefficient [fr]). The orthogonal optimization of three factors and three levels was carried out. The influence of rolling parameters on the plastic strain and residual stress is analyzed. Findings The simulation results show that HDMR technology can effectively increase the shaping strain of the weld bead and reduce the residual tensile stress on the weld bead surface. Furthermore, the influence of rolling parameters on stress and strain is obtained by orthogonal analysis, and the corresponding optimal combination is proposed. Also, the rolling temperature significantly affects the residual stress, and the rolling reduction has a substantial effect on the plastic deformation. Research limitations/implications Owing to the choice of research methods, this paper failed to study microstructure evolution. Originality/value This paper provides a reference principle for the optimal selection of rolling parameters in HDMR.

Effects of TiB2 Particles on the Microstructure Evolution and Mechanical Properties of B4C/TiB2 Ceramic Composite

B4C/TiB2 ceramic composites reinforced with three size scales (average particle size: 7 μm, 500 nm, and 50 nm) of TiB2 were prepared by using a pressureless sintering furnace at 2100 °C under Ar atmosphere for 60 min. The results demonstrated that during the sintering process, TiB2 located on the boundaries between different B4C grains could inhibit the grain growth which improved the mass transport mechanism and sintering driving force. A semi-coherent interface between B4C and SiC was found, which is supposed to help to reduce the interface energy and obtain good mechanical properties of the B4C/TiB2 ceramic composite. On sample cooling from sintering temperature to room temperature, the residual tensile stress fields formed at the TiB2 interfaces owning to the thermo-elastico properties mismatched, which might have contributed to increase the ability of the sample to resist crack propagation. The results showed that the relative density, Vickers hardness, and fracture toughness of the composite with 20 wt.% submicron and 10 wt.% nano-TiB2 were significantly improved, which were 98.6%, 30.2 GPa, and 5.47 MPa·m1/2, respectively.

Analysis and Control of Cracking and Wrinkling at the End of Seamless Steel Tube with Multi-Pass Large Deformation Diameter-Reducing

Axial cracking and circumferential wrinkling are found at the end of seamless steel tubes during multi-pass large deformations pushing diameter-reducing (PDR), which seriously affects product quality. However, the cracking and wrinkling mechanism of PDR has not been elucidated yet. In this paper, the Equation of circumferential residual stress at the end was deduced from the warping deformation and shear stress. It is revealed that the circumferential residual stress in the end warping area from the inner to outer surface is tensile, and the generation mechanism of circumferential wrinkling on the inner wall at the end was revealed through the deformation analysis of PDR. The geometric model of the tube with periodic alternating variation of wall thickness was established to reveal the generation and development of circumferential wrinkling. In addition, the four-pass PDR experiments and simulations were developed to reveal the influence of reducing pass and wall thickness deviation on the end warpage, unevenness and circumferential residual tensile stress. The pushing-pulling diameter-reducing (PPDR) method was proposed to control the wrinkling and cracking. The simulation and experimental results showed that the end warpage, unevenness and circumferential residual tensile stress are all greatly decreased, and the risk of axial cracking and circumferential wrinkling is eliminated.

Surface integrity and wear evolution of high strength aluminum alloy after high-speed oblique cutting

In this paper, we present an experimental study on the surface frictional wear mechanism of the high-strength aluminum alloy after high-speed milling. We use a surface profilometer and an X-ray stress tester to characterize the milled surface integrity of the material, and UMT-3 friction testing machine to obtain its surface roughness, oxygen content, hardness, and wear morphology during different wear stages. The results show that milling-induced residual tensile stress makes the cut surface more prone to fatigue cracking and consequently abrasive wear in the initial wear stage. The larger the angle between the friction pair movement direction, the greater the chance of adhesive wear and abrasive wear. A complete friction stage pattern can be obtained at a high load (15 N) and a low sliding speed (0.6 mm/s). The friction pair enters a stable wear stage after 20 sliding cycles. Work hardening constitutes the main driver of stable wear.

An approach to reduce stress and defects: a hybrid process of laser cladding deposition and shot peening

Purpose Laser cladding deposition is limited in industrial application by the micro-defects and residual tensile stress for the thermal forming process, leading to lower fatigue strength compared with that of the forging. The purpose of this paper is to develop an approach to reduce stress and defects. Design/methodology/approach A hybrid process of laser cladding deposition and shot peening is presented to transform surface strengthening technology to the overall strengthening technology through layer-by-layer forming and achieve enhancement. Findings The results show that the surface stress of the sample formed by the hybrid process changed from tensile stress to compressive stress, and the surface compressive stress introduced could reach more than four times the surface tensile stress of the laser cladding sample. At the same time, internal micro-defects such as pores were reduced. The porosity of the sample formed by the hybrid process was reduced by 90.12% than that of the laser cladding sample, and the surface roughness was reduced by 43.16%. Originality/value The authors believe that the hybrid process proposed in this paper can significantly expand the potential application of laser cladding deposition by solving its limitations, promoting its efficiency and applicability in practical cases.

Numerical simulation of the effect of ultrasonic impact treatment on welding residual stress

Ultrasonic impact treatment (UIT) is an effective method that has been widely applied in welding structure to improve the fatigue properties of materials. It combines mechanical impact and ultrasonic vibration to produce plastic deformation on the weld joints surface, which introduces beneficial compressive residual stress distribution. To evaluate the effect of UIT technology on alleviating the residual stress of welded joints, a novel numerical analysis method based on the inherent strain theory is proposed to simulate the stress superposition of welding and subsequent UIT process of 304 stainless steel. Meanwhile, the experiment according to the process was carried out to verify the simulation of residual stress values before and after UIT. By the results, optimization of UIT application could effectively reduce the residual stress concentration after welding process. Residual tensile stress of welded joints after UIT is transformed into residual compressive stress. UIT formed a residual compressive stress layer with a thickness of about 0.13 mm on the plate. The numerical simulation results are consistent with the experimental results. The work in this paper could provide theoretical basis and technical support for the reasonable evaluation of the ultrasonic impact on residual stress elimination and mechanical properties improvement of welded joints.

Microstructural Evolution and Mechanical Properties of Graphene Oxide-Reinforced Ti6Al4V Matrix Composite Fabricated Using Spark Plasma Sintering

To achieve a further reduction in weight of titanium alloys and to satisfy the increasing demand of energy-saving for aerospace and automotive applications, a graphene oxide nanosheet-reinforced Ti6Al4V (GO/TC4) composite was successfully fabricated using spark plasma sintering (SPS). Contrary to the Widmanstätten microstructure of a monolithic TC4 sample, the microstructure of the composites displayed a typical basket-weave structure in virtue of the introduced residual tensile stress generated from the mismatch of coefficients of thermal expansion (CTE) between GO and TC4 during the phase transformation. Meanwhile, the in situ-formed TiC nanolayer and diffusion layer were identified at the GO–TC4 interface, which is expected to endow a stronger interfacial bonding. As compared with the TC4 sample, the TC4 composite with the addition of 0.27 wt.% GO exhibited a 0.2% yield strength of 921.8 MPa, an ultimate tensile strength of 1040.1 MPa, and an elongation of 5.3%, displaying a better balance of strength and ductility than that of the composite with a higher GO addition (0.54 wt.%). The synergetic strengthening mechanisms such as Orowan strengthening, enhanced dislocation density strengthening, and load transfer were confirmed. Among them, load transfer contributed greatly to the strength of the composites due to improved interfacial bonding between the GO fillers and TC4 matrix.