Metallurgy Commons^™

Development Of Stronger, More Extrudable 6xxx Series Alloys For Automotive Applications, Eli A. Harma

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

6xxx alloys are widely used in automotive extrusion structures for their high specific strength and formability. Advanced designs require greater formability and strength, creating an opportunity for high-strength, formable alloys. The 6xxx series forms β”-Mg₅Si₆ precipitates during age hardening and develops a fibrous microstructure during extrusion, both strengthening the alloy. Increasing Mg and Si to form more β” decreases formability. Thus, modifying texture can increase strength without reducing formability. Current alloys like 6005A add Mn and Cr to form dispersoids that inhibit recrystallization and promote strengthening textures; however, high Mn and Cr concentrations reduce formability. Replacing Mn …

F-Temper Vs O-Temper Brazing Of 3003 Aluminum Return Bends, Mieka R. Clark

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

As-extruded (F-temper) 3003 return bends can provide cost savings over annealed (O-temper) return bends in aluminum heat exchangers. To assess if F-temper return bends are an alternative to the baseline O-temper bends, the grain structure, bending performance, and melting behavior were assessed through:

• Quantifying the effect of dispersoids on recrystallization
• Tracking bending behavior through grain morphology and surface texture
• Measuring the number and volume fraction of the α-Al(Mn,Fe)Si intermetallic
• Inducing incipient melting through high temperature thermal exposure.

When homogenized at 620°C and 630°C, the F-temper bends had no orange peel texture, the grain size was equivalent to the annealed product, …

High Temperature Strength Reduces Soldering In Aluminum High Pressure Die Casting, Jacob A. Belke

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Die soldering, an adhesion defect in high pressure die casting (HPDC), is a symptom of localized sticking where a localized portion of the cast material is adhered to the tooling surface causing build up over time. This requires the tooling to be serviced which incurs additional costs to the process that gets passed on to the parts. Historically, soldering has been mitigated using lubricants, coatings, and alloy chemistry modifications but solder persists.

The Tresca friction thermomechanical model suggests soldering occurs when the local interfacial shear stress between the casting and die surface exceeds the local shear strength of the casting. …

Optimizing Mn-Al Permanent Magnet Performance Through Control Of The Phase Transformation, Ternary Element Addition, And Advanced Processing, Thomas R. Keller

Dartmouth College Ph.D Dissertations

The growing need for electrical power in machines and vehicles brings with it a growing need for critical materials. The current high-performance permanent magnets (PMs) based on rare-earth (RE) elements Nd and Sm cannot escape the problem of raw material cost, geographic scarcity in the earth’s crust, and lack of circular global supply chains. This poses a problem of industrial ecology: can PMs be made from inexpensive, more abundant materials while still meeting sufficient performance criteria? PMs based on the magnetic τ phase of Mn-Al offer a possible alternative to REPMs. However, years of innovation have not yet achieved real-world …

Effect Of Sc On Recrystallization Resistance Of Aa7050, Keaton Schmidt

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

The extrusion process involves high temperatures and strains that can result in undesirable microstructures, especially along the surface. Extruded alloys tend to exhibit surface recrystallization during heat treating at regions of higher strains, which can lead to reduced fatigue strength and corrosion resistance. By adding Sc to AA7050, nano-sized dispersoids are formed with Sc cores and Zr shells that restrict recrystallization more than the base alloy that only utilizes Zr. Billets with varying Sc content and a control with only Zr were cast, and extrusions were made in order to compare surface microstructures at varying strains in the as-extruded and …

Non-Destructive Material Analysis Of Metals And Composites Via Thermography, Jonathan R. Doubt, James L. Chapman

Materials Engineering

The Naval Surface Warfare Center, Port Hueneme Division, is interested in the development of non-destructive damage assessment of shipboard materials via drones at distance. Long Pulsed Thermography (LPT), a method of non-destructive evaluation, was investigated as a possible method for detecting damage in metals (5005h24 Al alloy and 1008 carbon steel) and composites (aramid fiber honeycomb sandwich structure) at distances from 0.5 m to 3.0 m. LPT was conducted using two 1000 W can lights to heat the samples, and a FLIR E8-XT thermal camera. The images were then analyzed using ImageJ software to determine if damage could be detected …

Strengthening Of 7175 Aluminum Alloy Through Multi-Step Aging Process, Colin E. Masterson, Ryland W. Jolliffe

Materials Engineering

7175 is a heat-treatable aluminum alloy commonly used in aerospace forgings. This alloy is aged with a multi-step heat treatment. This treatment must balance strength with stress corrosion cracking resistance through a degree of overaging. The team was tasked by Weber Metals to increase the strength of this treatment without sacrificing stress corrosion cracking resistance. Both two-step and retrogression and reaging treatments were tested in experiments to find a heat treatment that could increase the yield and tensile strength by 1-2 ksi while maintaining a minimum electrochemical conductivity equivalence of 38% relative to copper. Two-step aging is the more conventional …

Thermomechanical Mechanisms That Cause Adhesion Of Aluminum High Pressure Die Castings To The Die, Alex Monroe

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

In high pressure die casting (HPDC) of aluminum, cast material adhering to die is a significant defect. Adhesion occurs in two primary ways. The casting may stick preventing its removal from the die. Aluminum can also adhere to the die and buildup in local areas on the die surface with additional casting cycles. This second form of adhesion is called soldering. Lubricant is the best technology to control all forms of adhesion, but it comes at the cost of casting porosity, blisters, reduced die life, and increased die casting machine wear. New strategies to prevent adhesion are desired to eliminate …

Analyzing Variation In Dispersoid Formation In Aluminum Alloys By Minor Changes In Homogenization Temperature, Brendan Treanore

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

The homogenization of billets in the aluminum extrusion industry is a critical step that removes chemical segregation from casting, dissolves low melting point phases, forms nanoscale dispersoid phases, and promotes the beta to alpha transformation of iron particles in the matrix. With ever increasing use of aluminum extrusion in the automotive industry there is a constant need for increased efficiency and consistency in processing of extruded aluminum. The work in this thesis explores the effects of 10°C differences in the homogenization temperature on the formation of dispersoids in 6082 alloys used in the automotive industry. The role of dispersoids is …

Galvanic Corrosion In Aluminum/Steel Joints, Maegan Saul

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

As car manufacturers seek to use lighter weight materials, aluminum is being more commonly used in the construction of vehicles. However, the strength of steel cannot be matched and both metals are necessary, leading to the joining of dissimilar metals. This connection of different metals leads to a galvanic coupling and subsequent corrosion of the less noble metal. This project aims to observe the corrosion and galvanic coupling behavior of aluminum alloys and carbon steel so that a model may be produced which can accurately predict the expected responses of the metals in various environments. Better, more accurate modeling of …

Evaluation Of Metallurgical And Mechanical Properties Of Alsi10mg Produced By Selective Laser Melting, Luke J. Suttey

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

Selective laser melting (SLM) additive manufacturing (AM) of metal powders has long been a focus in the study of AM due to the possibility of weight reduction, complex shape formation, and production cost savings. Although applicable to a variety of metals SLM AM of the AlSi10Mg alloy was studied in an attempt to characterize the effect of processing parameter and build angle variation on the final microstructural, fractographic, and mechanical properties of parts produced without any thermal post-processing techniques. Research was conducted on five build angles (0°, 30°, 45°, 60°, and 90°), and three Global Energy Densities (GED) (37.15, 45.39, …

The Effects Of Carboxylic Acids In Aluminum Anodizing, Abby E. Koczera

Honors Theses and Capstones

Hard-anodized alumina coatings were formed in sulfuric acid at low temperature and high current density in the presence of carboxylic acid additives. Citric acid, trimesic acid, mellitic acid and ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) were utilized in varying concentrations. The additives were chosen for their capacity to form complexes with tri-valent aluminum and hence impart chemical stability to the coatings. The coatings were sealed in boiling water, and corrosion resistance was observed in a high pH solution of potassium hydroxide. The coatings were examined using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to assess coating thickness and pore dimensions. Thicker coatings were produced when the …

Modelling The Evaporation Of Aluminum In Ti–6al–4v Alloy Melted With Electron Beam And Laser, Xuan Wang, Liang Wang, Liang S. Luo, Yan Q. Su, Xin Z. Li, Rui R. Chen, Jing J. Guo, Heng Z. Fu

The 8th International Conference on Physical and Numerical Simulation of Materials Processing

No abstract provided.

Slm Processing-Microstructure-Mechanical Property Correlation In An Aluminum Alloy Produced By Additive Manufacturing, Bryce Abstetar

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

Additive manufacturing has become a highly researched topic in recent years all over the world. The current research evaluates the merits of additive manufacturing based on the mechanical, microstructural, and fracture properties of additive manufactured AlSi10Mg test specimens. The additive manufactured build plates consisted of tensile and fatigue test specimens. They were printed in the 0°, 30°, 60°, and 90° orientations relative to the build platform. Tensile and dynamic fatigue tests were conducted followed by microstructural characterization and fracture analysis. A wrought 6061 T6 aluminum alloy was also tested for comparison. Tensile tests revealed similar ultimate tensile strengths for all …

Effect Of Thermal Exposure On Tensile Strength And Microhardness Of Welded And Precipitation Hardened Rx82 Aluminum Alloy Extrusions In The T4 And T6 Conditions, Lucien Miller

Materials Engineering

This investigation is focused on the effect paint-bake cycles have on the tensile strength and microhardness of GMAW welded RX82 aluminum extrusions in T4 and T6 base conditions. To simulate the paint-bake cycle, T4 and T6 RX82 aluminum samples were GMAW welded and heat treated at 350°F, 390°F, and 425°F for durations of 30 minutes, 1.0 hour, and 2.0 hours, with five replicates for each treatment. Microhardness profiles of T4 samples treated at 350°F for 30 minutes and 1.0 hour display weld/HAZ HV values of 86.04 and 82.51 respectively, followed by maximums of 123.21 and 121.10. Average ultimate tensile strength …

Investigation Of Outlife Time On The Environmental Durability Of P2-Etched, Adhesively-Bonded Aluminum Alloys Using The Astm Wedge Test, Daniel Gross, Corey Sutton

Materials Engineering

P2 etchant is an environmentally-friendly aluminum etchant which has the potential to replace the Forest Products Laboratory (FPL) etchant as the industry standard. Environmental durability of adhesively-bonded aluminum surfaces etched using a paste version of the P2 etchant were tested using the Boeing-developed wedge test (ASTM D3762 - 03(2010)). This project specifically aimed to examine the relationship between outlife time (the time between etching and adhering) and the ability of bonded aluminum samples to pass the wedge test. Two aluminum alloys, 2024-T3 and 7075-T6, were wedge tested and the etched surfaces examined with an atomic force microscope (AFM) and a …

Investigation And Modeling Of Al3(Sc, Zr) Precipitation Strengthening In The Presence Of Enhanced Supersaturation And Within Al-Cu Binary Alloys, Kyle Deane

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Diffuse Al-Sc and Al-Zr alloys have been demonstrated in literature to be relatively coarsening resistant at higher temperatures when compared with commonly used precipitation strengthening alloys (e.g. 2000 series, 6000 series). However, because of a limited strengthening due to the low solubility of scandium and zirconium in aluminum, and owing to the scarcity and therefore sizeable price tag attached to scandium, little research has been done in the way of optimizing these alloys for commercial applications.

With this in mind, this dissertation describes research which aims to tackle several important areas of Al-Sc-Zr research that have been yet unresolved. In …

Processing Of Al-12si-Tnm Composites By Selective Laser Melting And Evaluation Of Compressive And Wear Properties, Konda Prashanth, Sergio Scudino, Anil Chaubey, Lukas Löber, Pei Wang, Hooyar Attar, Frank Schimansky, Florian Pyczak, Jürgen Eckert

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Al-12Si (80 vol%)-Ti52.4Al42.2Nb4.4Mo0.9B0.06 (at.%) (TNM) composites were successfully produced by the selective laser melting (SLM). Detailed structural and microstructural analysis shows the formation of the Al6MoTi intermetallic phase due to the reaction of the TNM reinforcement with the Al-12Si matrix during SLM. Compression tests reveal that the composites exhibit significantly improved properties (∼140 and ∼160 MPa higher yield and ultimate compressive strengths, respectively) compared with the Al-12Si matrix. However, the samples break at ∼6% total strain under compression, thus showing a reduced plasticity of the composites. Sliding wear tests were carried out for both the Al-12Si matrix and the Al-12Si-TNM …

Effect Of Time Delay Between Etching And Adhesive Bonding (“Outlife” Time) On Lap-Shear Strength Of Aluminum Alloys Using Environmentally-Friendly P2 Etch, Josh Barkhimer, Matthew Erich, Gokul Nair

Materials Engineering

Raytheon Company currently uses a Forest Products Laboratory (FPL) paste etchant for preparing aluminum surfaces for adhesive bonding, and FPL is a source of hazardous hexavalent chromium. The goal of this study was to evaluate a less-toxic P2 paste etchant as a possible replacement. Coupons of 2024-T3, 6061-T6, and 7075-T6 grades of aluminum alloy were solvent-degreased, abrasively cleaned, and etched at room temperature using P2 paste following a strict protocol adopted from Raytheon. Coupons were then left exposed to air for assigned time intervals (or “outlife” times) of 0, 1, 4, 8, 16, and 63 or 72 hours. The aluminum …

High Cycle Rotating Bending Fatigue Of 6061-T6 Friction Stir Welded Extrusions, John Chang, Travis Miller

Materials Engineering

Fatigue testing was done on friction stir welded joints of 6061-T6 aluminum extrusions. Tests were run using a rotating bending fatigue machine at stresses from 111.5 to 138.7 MPa. Failures occurred on the order of 10⁵ to 10⁷ cycles, and an S-N curve was generated based off of the failure results. After the samples failed, the location of the failure and the number of cycles to failure were noted. Fatigue samples were designed in SolidWorks with a tapered 2 inch reduced section. The 2 inch reduced section will include the entire weld region as seen from the microhardness …

Relationship Between Bagging Methods And Pre-Weld Holding Times On Porosity Formation In 2219 Aluminum Ac-Tig Welds, Mariah Grace Head, Tyson Daniel Mobley

Materials Engineering

The purpose of this study was to determine relationships between bagging methods and pre-weld holding times on the formation of porosity when AC-TIG welding 2219 aluminum. Considering the strict guidelines and specifications required within the aerospace industry, maintaining quality welds is of paramount importance to control part integrity for aerospace applications. This project focused on two parameters involved in the preparation of aluminum parts for welding: bagging method and pre-weld holding time. Welding geometry was simplified to bead-on plate instead of the standard joint welds. Radiographic analysis of the samples showed that all levels of both parameters produced “passing welds.” …

Residual Stress Measurement Of 7050 Aluminum Alloy Open Die Forgings Using The Hole-Drilling Method, Alexandra Viksne

Materials Engineering

Open die forged 7050 aluminum alloy has residual stresses that can be measured by the hole-drilling method following standard ASTM E837-01. Weber Metals (Paramount, CA) assumes that the stress is uniform throughout the thickness of an open die forged plate. Four different stress relieved 7050 aluminum samples were tested to confirm if the measurements by the hole-drilling method at the surface of a plate is indicative of the stress throughout. The different stress relief methods included: two water quenched samples at temperature ranges of 60°-90°F and 120°-130°F and two samples plastically deformed by forging at room temperature 1% and 3%. …

Evaluation Of Forging Strain For Maximum Grain Size In Open-Die Forged 6061 Aluminum, Eric Strehl

Materials Engineering

In an effort to maximize grain growth of open-die forged 6061 aluminum alloy parts, samples from three of Weber Metals’s suppliers (Hidal Co-Almex USA Inc., TST Inc., and Vista Metals Corp.; to be called Supplier H, Supplier T, Supplier V respectively) were cut into cylinders with diameters of 0.75˝ and heights of 2˝, and put through a simulated forging process and heat treatment. It is possible that additional alloying elements may be promoting or inhibiting grain growth in the final part. Maximizing grain growth for aluminum alloy parts results in improved resistance to intergranular corrosion. Samples from each vendor had …

Characterization Of Positive Macrosegregation At The Subsurface Of Direct-Chill Cast 7050 Aluminum Forging Billets, Aaron Youril

Materials Engineering

Segregation of alloying elements during casting of forging billets may persist to the final forged component leading to unacceptable surface appearance. Determination of the elements or compounds that segregate is the essential first step to solving this problem. Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) was used to determine a composition profile of the macrosegregation occurring at the subsurface of an as-cast 7050 aluminum alloy billet. Data collection was carried out by separating 10 to 20 mg samples from the outer centimeter along the radius of the billet, as well as samples from the bulk interior of the billet for comparison with the …

Characterization Of Aluminum-Boron Carbide Particulate Metal Matrix Composites, Eric Blank

Materials Engineering

The analysis of die-cast 380 aluminum-boron carbide particulate metal matrix composites (MMC) was performed in order to see if the samples had the required tensile strength of 300 MPa. 10wt% B4C die-cast samples were produced and tested. Half were heat treated to the T6 condition and the others were left as cast. Using ASTM standard B 557M it was found that the average tensile strength for the as-cast samples was 130 MPa and the heat treated samples had a tensile strength of 93 MPa. These values were both lower than expected. The heat treated samples were not expected to have …

Friction Stir Processing Of Commercial Grade Marine Alloys To Enable Superplastic Forming, Christopher B. Smith, Arun Mohan, Rajiv S. Mishra, Murray Mahoney, Mike Miles, Scott M. Gillis, Lee M. Cerveny, Gerald Opichka

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The use of friction stir processing (FSP) on marine grade aluminum sheet has been investigated with the objective of locally enhancing the material properties. This can potentially allow low-cost commercial grade aluminum to be used in superplastic forming applications or further enhance the formability to allow more complex geometries to be formed. FSP has been demonstrated to enable super plasticity (uniform elongations >250%) in 5083-H116 over a range of friction stir processing conditions. © (2010) Trans Tech Publications.

Shielding Effectiveness Of Superalloy, Aluminum, And Mumetal Shielding Tapes, Cindy Suit Cheung

Master's Theses

Using MIL-HDBK-419A, MATLAB and Nomographs, Shielding Effectiveness for the Magnetic Field, Electric Field, and Plane Wave were calculated over a frequency range from 10 Hz to 1 GHz. The three shielding tapes used included superalloy, aluminum, and mumetal. Calculations for Shielding Effectiveness involve the computation of Absorption Loss, Reflection Loss, and Re-Reflection Correction Factor. From the outcome of the calculations, it was suitable to conclude that all three metals fulfill the 40 dB Shielding Effectiveness requirements for SGEMP fields for frequencies greater or equal to 1 MHz. Accordingly, all three shielding tapes provide at least 40 dB of shielding to …

Alum And Pacl Coagulation, Winarni Winarni

Makara Journal of Technology

Alum and PACl Coagulation. Coagulation occurs by interaction of aluminum hydrolysis products with the contaminant such as colloidal particles. It is necessary to consider the different aluminum species that may present during specific conditions, since the mechanism of turbidity removal is dependent upon them. PACl consists of preformed aluminum hydrolysis products, which are stable below pH 6 and less sensitive than in situ hydrolysis product, alum. The benefits of PACl relative to alum have been investigated as a function of pH and Al dosages. Specific conditions and aluminum species that exist during the certain mechanisms of coagulation are discussed. Results …

Growth Of A Preferentially Oriented Aluminum Single Crystal, John George Bjeletich

Bachelors Theses and Reports, 1928 - 1970

When studying some anisotropic property of a specific metal, such as the critical shear stress of aluminum, it is desirable that the test specimen be a single crystal with the crystal axes preferentially oriented. Therefore, it is necessary to obtain a single crystal by one of the methods mentioned and by use of x-rays to determine the orientation. Once the single crystal is obtained and the orientation known, it is possible to grow a preferentially oriented aluminum single crystal by a method generally known as "seeding". The purpose of this thesis problem was to grow a crystal by utilizing the …

Stress-Induced Martensite Transformation In An Alloy Of The Copper-Aluminum-Nickel System, Gary D. Alexander

Bachelors Theses and Reports, 1928 - 1970

It was intended that the alloy be thoroughly investigated for martensite transformation that would make the alloy "super-elastic," but due to the many difficulties that arose this was not possible. Attempts to grow a single crystal from the cast alloy were not successful because of the difficulties that were encountered with the Kanthal resistance furnace (referred to later). Consequently, the growing of the single crystal was abandoned and the alloy was tested in the poly-crystalline form.