Impact of thermal exposure on the microstructure and mechanical properties of a twin-roll cast Al-Mn-Fe-Si strip

doi:10.1016/j.jmst.2021.07.022

Abstract

Abstract:

Al-Mn-Fe-Si strips were fabricated via both the twin-roll casting (TRC) and the more conventional route, direct-chill casting (DC). The two types of strips prepared were subjected to thermal exposure at a series of temperatures. Uniaxial tensile tests after the thermal exposure showed that while the DC strip presented a -74% decrease in the yield strength and -35% decrease in the ultimate tensile strength (UTS) after being exposed to 350 °C for 12 h, the TRC strip, in contrast, maintained its strength at temperatures up to -460 °C for the same duration. Systematic microstructure characterization revealed that the different thermal stability in the strength of the two types of strips arised from their distinct evolution in grain morphology and second phase particles during the thermal exposure. The calculation based on Cahn-Lücke-Stüwe (CLS) model suggested that due to the highly supersaturated solute atoms, at the beginning of the thermal exposure, the TRC strip experienced a strong solute drag which reduced the grain boundary migrating velocity to a value that is orders of magnitude smaller than that in the DC strip. With the progress of the thermal exposure, the solute atoms precipitated out, forming densely distributed second phase particles. For one thing, these particles stabilized the grain structure by inducing Zener pinning pressure which could be ten times higher than that in the DC strip, depending on the temperature. For another, they acted as dislocation obstacles and compensated for the strength loss owing to decreasing solution hardening. Both effects contributed to the TRC strip's fairly stable strength regarding thermal exposure below 460 °C. The present work could guide the direct application of the TRC strips in the industry. The results should also be helpful for the development of a fundamental framework for designing advanced TRC Al strips with improved mechanical properties at elevated temperatures.

Key words: Al-Mn-Fe-Si strip, Twin-roll casting, Thermal stability, Ductile fracture

Jie Kuang, Xiaolong Zhao, Yuqing Zhang, Jinyu Zhang, Gang Liu, Jun Sun, Guangming Xu, Zhaodong Wang. Impact of thermal exposure on the microstructure and mechanical properties of a twin-roll cast Al-Mn-Fe-Si strip[J]. J. Mater. Sci. Technol., 2022, 107: 183-196.

Figures/Tables 15

Table 1 Chemical compositions (wt.%) of the Al-Mn-Fe-Si strips fabricated by TRC and DC.

Alloy	Mn	Fe	Si	Cu	Zn	Ti	V	Al
TRC	1.198	0.519	0.258	0.099	0.014	0.020	0.015	Balance
DC	1.261	0.553	0.097	0.075	0.010	0.022	0.006	Balance

Fig. 1. Microstructure of the as-fabricated TRC strip: (a) optical micrograph showing the grain morphology on the RD-ND plane; (b) SEM image showing the morphology of the second phase particles; (c) representative EDS result of the second phase particles.

Fig. 2. Microstructure of the as-fabricated DC strip: (a) optical micrograph showing the grain morphology on the RD-ND plane; (b) SEM image showing the morphology of the second phase particles; (c) representative EDS result of the second phase particles.

Table 2 Solute concentrations (wt.%) of Si, Fe, Cu, and Mn.

	Si	Fe	Cu	Mn
TRC surface	0.130	0.234	0.139	1.319
TRC center	0.103	0.182	0.070	1.044
DC	0.040	0.083	0.118	0.342

Fig. 3. APT results for the as-fabricated TRC strip and DC strip: (a) the surface region and (b) the center region of the TRC strip; (c) the DC strip.

Fig. 4. Dislocation densities of the as-fabricated TRC strip and the DC strip: (a) modified Williamson-Hall plots; (b) bar chart showing the values of dislocation densities obtained from (a).

Fig. 5. Optical micrographs of specimens subjected to thermal exposure at different temperatures: (a) surface region of the TRC strip; (b) center region of the TRC strip; (c) DC strip.

Fig. 6. Statistics on the grain morphology for specimens after thermal exposure at different temperatures: (a) average grain size; (b) average grain aspect ratio.

Fig. 7. (a) The electric conductivity and (b) the Mn solute concentration of the specimens after being subjected to thermal exposure at various temperatures. The empty stars in (b) represent the values given by APT.

Fig. 8. SEM images of the center region of the Al-Mn-Fe-Si strips after thermal exposure at different temperatures: (a) TRC strip; (b) DC strip in low magnification; (c) DC strip in high magnification. The red arrow points to a large particle that is being dissolved into the matrix.

Fig. 9. Statistics on the parameters of the second phase particles in the center region of the Al-Mn-Fe-Si strips after thermal exposure at different temperatures: (a) and (d) volume fraction; (b) and (e) number density; (c) and (f) average equivalent diameters. (a-c) correspond to the TRC strip; (d-f) the DC strip.

Fig. 10. Variation of tensile properties after thermal exposure at different temperatures: (a) and (c) engineering stress-strain curves; (b) and (d) tensile properties. (a) and (b) correspond to the TRC strip; (c) and (d) the DC strip.

Fig. 11. (a) Calculated grain boundary velocity at the start of the thermal exposure; (b) Zener pinning pressure at the end of the thermal exposure.

Fig. 12. Strength increment originated from solute atoms and second phase particles.

Fig. 13. Calculations on the temperature-dependent ductility of the TRC Al-Mn-Fe-Si strips, in comparison with the experimental results. The calculations follow a normalization, where the reference ductility is defined as the ductility before thermal exposure. The experimental results are given in real values, referring to the Y-axis on the right hand side.

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