Preparation, composition, structure and properties of mechanically alloyed heat‑resistant steels

Despite a significant amount of work in the field of mechanically doped alloys and, above all, based on aluminum and copper, research aimed at creating mechanically doped alloys is extremely limited. In this regard, the following work aimed at to establishing the regularities of the formation of the phase composition, structure, and properties in the implementation of the technology for obtaining mechanically doped heat‑resistant steels, is important and relevant.The basis for the development of mechanically doped alloys were the results of long‑term research carried out at the Belarusian‑Russian University and aimed at studying mechanically and thermally activated structural phase transformations taking place at all the technological stages of obtaining mechanically doped metal alloys. In this article, in a generalized form the final research results are presented, revealing the patterns of these transformations, which are a reliable scientific basis for the creation of mechanically doped complex‑hardened heat‑resistant steels.

Prediction of Structural and Magnetic Properties of Nanocrystalline Mechanically Alloyed Fe-Ni Powders Using Multi-Gene Genetic Programming Approach

In this paper, a theoretical model based on multi-gene genetic programming (MGGP) approach has been applied to predict the structural and magnetic properties in nanocrystalline Fe–Ni powders prepared by mechanical alloying (MA) using a planetary ball mill. The MGGP model was used to correlate the input parameters (milling speed, chemical composition, and milling time), to output parameters (crystallite size and coercivity) of nanocrystalline Fe–Ni powders. The model obtained was tested with additional data to demonstrate its performance and prediction ability. The MGGP model is a robust and efficient method to find an accurate mathematical relationship between input and output data. A sensitivity analysis study was applied to determine the most influential milling parameters on the crystallite size and coercivity.

Iron-based intermetallic particles formation in Al-Zn-Si alloy through powder metallurgy route

Corrosion of the steel products is one of the significant challenges which is managed by coating with Al-Zn-based alloys. The Galvalume alloy (Al-55%, 43.5%-Zn, Si-1.5%) is coated on steel strips via a hot-dipping process. The dissolution of iron (Fe) from steel strips and the formation of Fe-based intermetallic particles is an inevitable phenomenon during the hot-dip coating process. These intermetallic particles are a primary source of massive bottom dross build-up in the coating pot and metal spot defects in the coated steel products. Therefore, it is important to investigate the formation of Fe-based intermetallic particles. In this study, Fe-based intermetallic particles are produced via the powder metallurgy route. High energy ball milling was used for mechanical alloying of aluminum (Al), iron (Fe), silicon (Si), and zinc (Zn) powders. Optimized ball milling conditions were identified after a series of trials. After cold pressing, the mechanically alloyed samples (pellets) were sintered at various conditions in a high vacuum sintering furnace. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscope (SEM) equipped with energy-dispersive X-ray diffraction (EDS) were used for the analysis of raw material, mechanically alloyed powders, and sintered pellets. It is concluded that the mechanical alloying of 6h and cold pressing at 9 tons for 30 min is sufficient to produce a dense compact material. It was found that Fe-based intermetallic particles were successfully fabricated which were α-AlFeSi. However, intermetallic particles similar to those found in the bottom dross of the coating pot are difficult to fabricate through the powder metallurgy route due to the volatilization of Zn during the sintering process.

Effects of Process Control Agent Amount, Milling Time, and Annealing Heat Treatment on the Microstructure of AlCrCuFeNi High-Entropy Alloy Synthesized through Mechanical Alloying

This study was conducted to investigate the characteristics of the AlCrCuFeNi high-entropy alloy (HEA) synthesized through mechanical alloying (MA). In addition, effects of Process Control Agent (PCA) amount and milling time were investigated using X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). The results indicated that the synthesized AlCrCuFeNi alloy is a dual phase (FCC + BCC) HEA and the formation of the phases is strongly affected by the PCA amount. A high amount of PCA postponed the alloying process and prevented solid solution formation. Furthermore, with an increase in the PCA amount, lattice strain decreased, crystallite size increased, and the morphology of the mechanically alloyed particles changed from spherical to a plate-like shape. Additionally, investigation of thermal properties and annealing behavior at different temperatures revealed no phase transformation up to 400 °C; however, the amount of the phases changed. By increasing the temperature to 600 °C, a sigma phase (σ) and a B2-ordered solid solution formed; moreover, at 800 °C, the FCC phase decomposed into two different FCC phases.