Effects of conventional rolling(CR) and differential speed rolling(DSR) on the microstructure and mechanical properties of Cu-Ni-Si alloy were investigated in detail. The copper alloy with thickness of 3 mm was rolled to 50 % reduction at ambient temperature without lubricant with a differential speed ratio of 2:1. The conventional rolling in which the rolling speed of upper and lower rolls is identical was performed under identical rolling conditions. The shear strain introduced by the CR showed positive values at positions of upper roll side and negative values at positions of lower roll side. However, it showed zero or positive values at all positions for the samples rolled by the DSR. The microstrucure and texture development of the as-rolled copper alloy did not show any significant difference between CR and DSR. The tensile strength of the DSR processed specimen was larger than that of the CR processed specimen. The effects of rolling methods on the microstructure and mechanical properties of the as-rolled copper alloy are discussed in terms of the shear strain.

Microstructural examination of the Nb-Si-B alloys at Nb-rich compositions is performed. The Nb-rich corner of the Nb-Si-B system is favorable in that the constituent phases are Nb (ductile and tough phase with high melting temperature) and T2 phase (very hard intermetallic compound with favorable oxidation resistance) which are good combination for high temperature structural materials. The samples containing compositions near Nb-rich corner of the Nb- Si-B ternary system are prepared by spark plasma sintering (SPS) process using T2 and Nb powders. T2 bulk phase is made in arc furnace by melting the Nb slug and the Si-B powder compact. The T2 bulk phase was subsequently ballmilled to powders. SPS is performed at 1300oC and 1400oC, depending on the composition, under 30 MPa for 600s, to produce disc-shaped specimen with 15 mm in diameter and 3 mm high. Hardness tests (Rockwell A-scale and micro Vickers) are carried out to estimate the mechanical property.

This paper presents a study on the room- and low-temperature impact toughness of hypoeutectoid steels with ferritepearlite structures. Six kinds of hypoeutectoid steel specimens were fabricated by varying the carbon content and austenitizing temperature to investigate the effect of microstructural factors such as pearlite volume fraction, interlamellar spacing, and cementite thickness on the impact toughness. The pearlite volume fraction usually increased with increasing carbon content and austenitizing temperature, while the pearlite interlamellar spacing and cementite thickness mostly decreased with increasing carbon content and austenitizing temperature. The 30C steel with medium pearlite volume fraction and higher manganese content, on the other hand, even though it had a higher volume fraction of pearlite than did the 20C steel, showed a better low-temperature toughness due to its having the lowest ductile-brittle transition temperature. This is because various microstructural factors in addition to the pearlite volume fraction largely affect the ductile-brittle transition temperature and lowtemperature toughness of hypoeutectoid steels with ferrite-pearlite structure. In order to improve the room- and low-temperature impact toughness of hypoeutectoid steels with different ferrite-pearlite structures, therefore, more systematic studies are required to understand the effects of various microstructural factors on impact toughness, with a viewpoint of ductile-brittle transition temperature.

Evaluations of the microstructure and mechanical properties of age hardenable Cu-2.0wt%Be alloy are performed in order to determine whether it can be used as a welding electrode for projection welding. The microstructure examinations, hardness measurements, and tensile tests of selective aging conditions are conducted. The results indicate that the aging treatment with the fine-grained microstructure exhibits better hardness and high tensile properties than those of the coarsegrained microstructure. The highest hardness value and high tensile strength are obtained from the aged condition of 300 oC for 360 min due to the presence of the metastable γ. precipitates on the grain boundaries. The values of the highest hardness and tensile strength are measured as 374 Hv and 1236.2 MPa, respectively. The metastable γ. precipitates are transferred to the equilibrium γ precipitates due to the over-aged treatment. The presence of the γ precipitates appears as nodule-like precipitates decorated around the grain boundaries. The welding electrode with the best aging treated condition exhibits better welding performance for electrodes than those of electrodes used previously.

Microstructural analysis of a (α+β) Ti alloy was investigated to consider phase transformation in each step of thethermo-mechanical process using by SEM and TEM EDS. The TAF (Ti-6Al-4Fe) alloy was thermo-mechanically treated withsolid solution at 880oC, rolling at 880oC and annealing at 800oC. In the STQ state, the TAF microstructure was composedof a normal hcp α and metastable β phase. In a rolled state, it was composed of fine B2 precipitates in an α phase, whichhad high Fe segregation and a coherent relationship with the β matrix. Finally, in the annealing state, the fine B2 precipitateshad disappeared in the α phase and had gone to the boundary of the α and β phase. On the other hand, in a lower rollingtemperature of 704oC, the B2 precipitates were more coarse in both the α and the boundary of α and β phase. We concludedthat microstructural change affects the mechanical properties of formability including rolling defects and cracks.

Fe-base superalloy powders with Y2O3 dispersion were prepared by high energy ball milling, followed by sparkplasma sintering for consolidation. High-purity elemental powders with different Fe powder sizes of 24 and 50mm were usedfor the preparation of Fe-20Cr-4.5Al-0.5Ti-O.5Y2O3 powder mixtures (wt%). The milling process of the powders was carriedout in a horizontal rotary ball mill using a stainless steel vial and balls. The milling times of 1 to 5 h by constant operation(350 rpm, ball-to-powder ratio of 30:1 in weight) or cycle operation (1300 rpm for 4 min and 900 rpm for 1 min, 15:1) wereapplied. Microstructural observation revealed that the crystalline size of Fe decreased with an increase in milling time by cyclicoperation and was about 15nm after 3 h, forming a FeCr alloy phase. The cyclic operation had an advantage over constantmilling in that a smaller-agglomerated structure was obtained. The milled powders were sintered at 1100oC for 30 min invacuum. With an increase in milling time, the sintered specimen showed a more homogeneous microstructure. In addition, ahomogenous distribution of Y-compound particles in the grain boundary was confirmed by EDX analysis.

In this study, to confirm the effect of alloying elements on the phase transformation and conditions of the friction stir process, we processed two materials, SS400 and SM45C steels, by a friction stir process (FSP) under various conditions. We analyzed the mechanical properties and microstructure of the friction stir processed zone of SS400 and SM45C steels processed under 400RPM - 100mm/min conditions. We detected no macro (tunnel defect) or micro (void, micro crack) defects in the specimens. The grain refinement in the specimens occurred by dynamic recrystallization and stirring. The microstructure at the friction stir processed zone of the SS400 specimen consisted of an α-phase. On the other hand, the microstructure at the friction stir processed zone of the SM45 specimen consisted of an α-phase, Fe3C and martensite due to a high cooling rate and high carbon content. Furthermore, the hardness and impact absorption energy of the friction stir processed zone were higher than those of base metals. The hardness and impact absorption energy of FSPed SM45C were higher than that of FSPed SS400. Our results confirmed the effect of alloying elements on the phase transformation and mechanical properties of the friction stir processed zone.

The GaN-powder scrap generated in the manufacturing process of LED contains significant amounts of gallium. This waste can be an important resource for gallium through recycling of scraps. In the present study, the influence of annealing temperatures on the structural properties of GaN powder was investigated when the waste was recycled through the mechanochemical oxidation process. The annealing temperature varied from 200oC to 1100oC and the changes in crystal structure and microstructure were studied. The annealed powder was characterized using various analytical tools such as TGA, XRD, SEM, and XRF. The results indicate that GaN structure was fully changed to Ga2O3 structure when annealed above 900oC for 2 h. And, as the annealing temperature increased, crystallinity and particle size were enhanced. The increase in particle size of gallium oxide was possibly promoted by powder-sintering which merged particles to larger than 50 nm.

The effect of adding Ca on the microstructural and mechanical properties of as-cast Mg-11Li-3Zn-1Sn(wt%) alloys were investigated. Mg-11Li-3Zn-1Sn-0.4Mn with different Ca additions (0.4, 0.8, 1.2 wt%) were cast under an SF6 and Co2 atmosphere at 720 oC. The cast billets were homogenized at 400 oC for 12h and extruded at 200 oC. The microstructural and mechanical properties were analyzed by OM, XRD, SEM, and tensile tests. The addition of Ca to the Mg-11Li-3Zn-1Sn-0.4Mn alloy resulted in the formation of Ca2Mg6Zn3, MgSnCa intermetallic compound. By increasing Ca addition, the volume fraction and size of Ca2Mg6Zn3 with needle shape were increased. This Ca2Mg6Zn3 intermetallic compound was elongated to the extrusion direction and refined to fine particles due to severe deformation during hot extrusion. The elongation of the 0.8 wt% Ca containing alloy improved remarkably without reduction strength due to the formation of fine grain and Ca2Mg6Zn3 intermetallic compounds by Ca addition. It is probable that fine and homogeneous Ca2Mg6Zn3 intermetallic compounds played a significant role in the increase of mechanical properties.

This study investigated the microstructure and wear resistance property of HPHT (high pressure high temperature) sintered PDC (polycrystalline diamond compact) in accordance with initial molding pressure. After quantifying an identical amount of diamond powder, the powder was inserted in top of WC-Co sintered material, and molded under four different pressure conditions (50, 100, 150, 200 kgf/cm2). The obtained diamond compact underwent sintering in high pressure, high temperature conditions. In the case of the 50 kgf/cm2 initial molding pressure condition, cracks were formed on the surface of PDC. On the other hand, PDCs obtained from 100~200 kgf/cm2 initial molding pressure conditions showed a meticulous structure. As molding pressure increased, low Co composition within PDC was detected. A wear resistance test was performed on the PDC, and the 200 kgf/cm2 condition PDC showed the highest wear resistance property.

In this study, the effect of the friction stir welding (FSW) was compared with that of the gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW) on the microstructure and microhardness of Cu-Ni alloy weldment. The weldment of 10 mm thickness was fabricated by FSW and GTAW, respectively. Both weldments were compared with each other by optical microstructure, microhardness test and grain size measurement. Results of this study suggest that the microhardness decreased from the base metal (BM) to the heat affected zone (HAZ) and increased at fusion zone (FZ) of GTAW and stir zone (SZ) of FSW. the minimum Hv value of both weldment was obtained at HAZ, respectively, which represents the softening zone, whereas Hv value of FSW weldment was little higher than that of GTAW weldment. These phenomena can be explained by the grain size difference between HAZs of each weldment. Grain size was increased at the HAZ during FSW and GTAW. Because FSW is a solid-state joining process obtaining the lower heat-input generated by rotating shoulder than heat generated in the arc of GTAW.

This study investigates the microstructure and thermal shock properties of polycrystalline diamond compact (PDC) produced by the high-temperature, high-pressure (HPHT) process. The diamond used for the investigation features a 12~22 μm- and 8~16 μm-sized main particles, and 1~2 μm-sized filler particles. The filler particle ratio is adjusted up to 5~31% to produce a mixed particle, and then the tap density is measured. The measurement finds that as the filler particle ratio increases, the tap density value continuously increases, but at 23% or greater, it reduces by a small margin. The mixed particle described above undergoes an HPHT sintering process. Observation of PDC microstructures reveals that the filler particle ratio with high tap density value increases direct bonding among diamond particles, Co distribution becomes even, and the Co and W fraction also decreases. The produced PDC undergoes thermal shock tests with two temperature conditions of 820 and 830, and the results reveals that PDC with smaller filler particle ratio and low tap density value easily produces cracks, while PDC with high tap density value that contributes in increased direct bonding along with the higher diamond content results in improved thermal shock properties.

This study investigated the microstructure and tensile properties of a recently made block-type Ni-Cr-Al powder porous material. The block-type powder porous material was made by stacking multiple layers of powder porous thin plates with post-processing such as additional compression and sintering. This study used block-type powder porous materials with two different cell sizes: one with an average cell size of 1,200 μm (1200 foam) and the other with an average cell size of 3,000 μm (3000 foam). The γ-Ni and γ’-Ni3Al were identified as the main phases of both materials. However, in the case of the 1,200 foam, a β-NiAl phase was additionally observed. The relative density of each block-type powder porous material, with 1200 foam and 3000 foam, was measured to be 5.78% and 2.93%, respectively. Tensile tests were conducted with strain rates of 10−2~10−4 sec−1. The test result showed that the tensile strength of the 1,200 foam was 6.0~7.1 MPa, and that of 3,000 foam was 3.0~3.3 MPa. The elongation of the 3,000 foam was higher (~9%) than that (~2%) of the 1,200 foam. This study also discussed the deformation behavior of block-type powder porous material through observations of the fracture surface, with the results above.

We evaluated the developed microstructures and mechanical properties of a severely plastically deformed Ni-30Cr alloy. Normal rolling and differential speed rolling were used as deformation processes, and the thicknesses of the specimens were reduced to 68 % of the original thickness after holding at 700 oC for 10 min and annealing at 700 oC for 40 min to obtain a fully recrystallized microstructure. Electron backscattering diffraction was used to analyze the characteristic distribution of the grain boundaries on the deformed and annealed specimens. Differential speed rolling was more effective for refining grains in comparison with normal rolling. The grain size was refined from 33 mm in the initial material to 8.1 mm with normal rolling and 5.5 mm with differential speed rolling. The more refined grain in the differential-speed-rolled material directly resulted in increases in the yield and tensile strengths by 68 % and 9.0%, respectively, compared to normal rolling. We systematically explain the relationship between the grain refinement and mechanical properties through a plastically deformed Ni-30Cr alloy based on the development of a deformation texture. The results of our study show that the DSR process is very effective when used to enhance the mechanical properties of a material through grain refinement.

The effect of heat treatment environment on the microstructure and properties of tantalum coating layer manufactured by kinetic spraying was examined. Heat treatments are conducted for one hour at 800oC, 900oC, and 1000oC in two different environments of vacuum and Ar gas. Evaluation of microstructure and physical properties are conducted. High density α- tantalum single phase coating layer with a porosity of 0.04% and hardness of 550 Hv can be obtained. As heat treatment temperature increases, porosity identically decreases regardless of heat treatment environment (vacuum and Ar gas). Hardness of heat treated coating layer especially in Ar gas environment deceases from 550 Hv to 490 Hv with increasing heat treatment temperature. That in vacuum environment deceases from 550 Hv to 530 Hv. The boundary between particles became vague as heat treatment temperature increases. Oxygen distribution of tantalum coating layer is minute after heat treatment in vacuum environment than Ar gas environment.

In this study, the control of microstructure for increasing surface roughness of Al with an electro-chemical reaction and a post treatment is systematically investigated. The Al specimen is electro-chemically treated in an electrolyte. In condition of the post treatment at 100oC for 10 min, a change of the surface microstructure occur at 50V (5 min), and a oxidized layer is at 400V, to which lead a decreasing surface roughness. The minimum temperature of the post treatment for a change of microstructure is 80oC. Moreover, in the condition of 300V (5 min), the electro-chemical reaction is followed by the post treatment at 100oC, the critical enduring time for the change of microstructure is 3 min. The longer post treatment time leads to the rougher surface. The treated Al specimen demonstrate better heat release ability owing to the higher surface roughness than the non-treated Al.

Microstructural evolution in the thickness direction of an oxygen free copper processed by accumulative rollbonding (ARB) is investigated by electron back scatter diffraction (EBSD) measurement. For the ARB, two copper alloy sheets 1 mm thick, 30 mm wide and 300 mm long are first degreased and wire-brushed for sound bonding. The sheets are then stacked and roll-bonded by about 50% reduction rolling without lubrication at an ambient temperature. The bonded sheet is then cut to the two pieces of the same dimensions and the same procedure was repeated on the sheets up to eight cycles. The specimen after 1 cycle showed inhomogeneous microstructure in the thickness direction so that the grains near the surface were finer than those near the center. This inhomogeneity decreased with an increasing number of ARB cycles, and the grain sizes of the specimens after 3 cycles were almost identical. In addition, the aspect ratio of the grains decreased with an increasing number of ARB cycles due to the subdivision of the grains by shear deformation. The fraction of grains with high angle grain boundaries also increased with continuing process of the ARB so that it was higher than that of the low angle grain boundaries in specimens after 3 cycles. A discontinuous dynamic recrystallization occurred partially in specimens after 5 cycles.

The present study deals with the effects of tempering treatment on the microstructure and mechanical properties of Cu-bearing high-strength steels. Three kinds of steel specimens with different levels of Cu content were fabricated by controlled rolling and accelerated cooling, ; some of these steel specimen were tempered at temperatures ranging from 350˚C to 650˚C for 30 min. Hardness, tensile, and Charpy impact tests were conducted in order to investigate the relationship of microstructure and mechanical properties. The hardness of the Cu-added specimens is much higher than that of Cu-free specimen, presumably due to the enhanced solid solution hardening and precipitation hardening, result from the formation of very-fine Cu precipitates. Tensile test results indicated that the yield strength increased and then slightly decreased, while the tensile strength gradually decreased with increasing tempering temperature. On the other hand, the energy absorbed at room and lower temperatures remarkably increased after tempering at 350˚C; and after this, the energy absorbed then did not change much. Suitable tempering treatment remarkably improved both the strength and the impact toughness. In the 1.5 Cu steel specimen tempered at 550˚C, the yield strength reached 1.2 GPa and the absorbed energy at -20˚C showed a level above 200 J, which was the best combination of high strength and good toughness.

Microstructural and mechanical characteristics of Al-6Si-2Cu alloy for lightweight automotive parts were investigated. The test specimens were prepared by gravity casting process. Solution heat treatments were applied to as-cast alloys to improve mechanical properties. The microstructure of the gravity casting specimen presents a typical dendrite structure, having a secondary dendrite arm spacing (SDAS) of 37μm. In addition to the Al matrix, a large amount of coarsened eutectic Si, Al2Cu intermetallic phase, and Fe-rich phases were identified. After solution heat treatment, single-step solution heat treatments were found to considerably improve the spheroidization of the eutectic Si phase. Two-step solution treatments gave rise to a much improved spheroidization. The mechanical properties of the two-step solution heat treated alloy have been shown to lead to higher values of properties such as tensile strength and microhardness. Consequentially, the microstructural and mechanical characteristics of Al alloy have been successfully characterized and are available for use with other basic data for the development of lightweight automotive parts.