Simulation of the θ' Precipitation Process with Interfacial Anisotropy Effects in Al-Cu Alloys.

The effects of anisotropic interfacial properties and heterogeneous elasticity on the growth and ripening of plate-like θ'-phase (Al2Cu) in Al-1.69 at.% Cu alloy are studied. Multi-phase-field simulations are conducted and discussed in comparison with aging experiments. The precipitate/matrix interface is considered to be anisotropic in terms of its energy and mobility. We find that the additional incorporation of an anisotropic interfacial mobility in conjunction with the elastic anisotropy result in substantially larger aspect ratios of the precipitates closer to the experimental observations. The anisotropy of the interfacial energy shows comparably small effect on the precipitate's aspect ratio but changes the interface's shape at the rim. The effect of the chemo-mechanical coupling, i.e., the composition dependence of the elastic constants, is studied as well. We show that the inverse ripening phenomenon, recently evidenced for δ' precipitates in Al-Li alloys (Park et al. Sci. Rep. 2019, 9, 3981), does not establish for the θ' precipitates. This is because of the anisotropic stress fields built around the θ' precipitates, stemming from the precipitate's shape and the interaction among different variants of the θ' precipitate, that disturb the chemo-mechanical effects. These results show that the chemo-mechanical effects on the precipitation ripening strongly depend on the degree of sphericity and elastic isotropy of the precipitate and matrix phases.

Quantitative Shape-Classification of Misfitting Precipitates during Cubic to Tetragonal Transformations: Phase-Field Simulations and Experiments.

The effectiveness of the mechanism of precipitation strengthening in metallic alloys depends on the shapes of the precipitates. Two different material systems are considered: tetragonal γ'' precipitates in Ni-based alloys and tetragonal θ' precipitates in Al-Cu-alloys. The shape formation and evolution of the tetragonally misfitting precipitates was investigated by means of experiments and phase-field simulations. We employed the method of invariant moments for the consistent shape quantification of precipitates obtained from the simulation as well as those obtained from the experiment. Two well-defined shape-quantities are proposed: (i) a generalized measure for the particles aspect ratio and (ii) the normalized λ2, as a measure for shape deviations from an ideal ellipse of the given aspect ratio. Considering the size dependence of the aspect ratio of γ'' precipitates, we find good agreement between the simulation results and the experiment. Further, the precipitates' in-plane shape is defined as the central 2D cut through the 3D particle in a plane normal to the tetragonal c-axes of the precipitate. The experimentally observed in-plane shapes of γ''-precipitates can be quantitatively reproduced by the phase-field model.

Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Precipitate Strengthened High Entropy Alloy Al10Co25Cr8Fe15Ni36Ti6 with Additions of Hafnium and Molybdenum.

High entropy or compositionally complex alloys provide opportunities for optimization towards new high-temperature materials. Improvements in the equiatomic alloy Al17Co17Cr17Cu17Fe17Ni17 (at.%) led to the base alloy for this work with the chemical composition Al10Co25Cr8Fe15Ni36Ti6 (at.%). Characterization of the beneficial particle-strengthened microstructure by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and observation of good mechanical properties at elevated temperatures arose the need of accomplishing further optimization steps. For this purpose, the refractory metals hafnium and molybdenum were added in small amounts (0.5 and 1.0 at.% respectively) because of their well-known positive effects on mechanical properties of Ni-based superalloys. By correlation of microstructural examinations using SEM with tensile tests in the temperature range of room temperature up to 900 °C, conclusions could be drawn for further optimization steps.

Tensile Behavior and Evolution of the Phases in the Al10Co25Cr8Fe15Ni36Ti6 Compositionally Complex/High Entropy Alloy.

Compositionally complex alloys, or high entropy alloys, are good candidates for applications at higher temperatures in gas turbines. After their introduction, the equiatomic Al17Co17Cr17Cu17Fe17Ni17 (at.%) served as a starting material and a long optimization road finally led to the recently optimized Al10Co25Cr8Fe15Ni36Ti6 (at.%) alloy, which shows promising mechanical properties. Investigations of the as-cast state and after different heat treatments focus on the evolution of the microstructure and provide an overview of some mechanical properties. The dendritic solidification provides two phases in the dendritic cores and two different ones in the interdendritic regions. Three of the four phases remain after heat treatments. Homogenization and subsequent annealing produce a γ-γ' based microstructure, similar to Ni-based superalloys. The γ phase is Co-Cr-Fe rich and the γ' phase is Al-Ni-Ti rich. The understanding of the mechanical behavior of the investigated alloy is supported and enhanced by the study of the different phases and their nanohardness measurements. The observations are compared with mechanical and microstructural data from commercial Ni-based superalloys, Co-based alloys, and Co-Ni-based alloys at the desired application temperature of ~800 °C.

Entropy Determination of Single-Phase High Entropy Alloys with Different Crystal Structures over a Wide Temperature Range.

We determined the entropy of high entropy alloys by investigating single-crystalline nickel and five high entropy alloys: two fcc-alloys, two bcc-alloys and one hcp-alloy. Since the configurational entropy of these single-phase alloys differs from alloys using a base element, it is important to quantify the entropy. Using differential scanning calorimetry, cp-measurements are carried out from -170 °C to the materials' solidus temperatures TS. From these experiments, we determined the thermal entropy and compared it to the configurational entropy for each of the studied alloys. We applied the rule of mixture to predict molar heat capacities of the alloys at room temperature, which were in good agreement with the Dulong-Petit law. The molar heat capacity of the studied alloys was about three times the universal gas constant, hence the thermal entropy was the major contribution to total entropy. The configurational entropy, due to the chemical composition and number of components, contributes less on the absolute scale. Thermal entropy has approximately equal values for all alloys tested by DSC, while the crystal structure shows a small effect in their order. Finally, the contributions of entropy and enthalpy to the Gibbs free energy was calculated and examined and it was found that the stabilization of the solid solution phase in high entropy alloys was mostly caused by increased configurational entropy.

Laser Cladding of Ultra-Thin Nickel-Based Superalloy Sheets.

Laser cladding is a well-established process to apply coatings on metals. However, on substrates considerably thinner than 1 mm it is only rarely described in the literature. In this work 200 µm thin sheets of nickel-based superalloy 718 are coated with a powder of a cobalt-based alloy, Co-28Cr-9W-1.5Si, by laser cladding. The process window is very narrow, therefore, a precisely controlled Yb fiber laser was used. To minimize the input of energy into the substrate, lines were deposited by setting single overlapping points. In a design of experiments (DoE) study, the process parameters of laser power, laser spot area, step size, exposure time, and solidification time were varied and optimized by examining the clad width, weld penetration, and alloying depth. The microstructure of the samples was investigated by optical microscope (OM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), combined with electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). Similarly to laser cladding of thicker substrates, the laser power shows the highest influence on the resulting clad. With a higher laser power, the clad width and alloying depth increase, and with a larger laser spot area the weld penetration decreases. If the process parameters are controlled precisely, laser cladding of such thin sheets is manageable.

Influence of W, Mo and Ti trace elements on the phase separation in Al8Co17Cr17Cu8Fe17Ni33 based high entropy alloy.

Compositionally complex alloys, also called high entropy alloys, have been investigated for over a decade in view of different applications, but so far only a small number of alloys can be considered as presenting good enough properties for industrial application. The most common family of elements is Al-Co-Cr-Cu-Fe-Ni. The equiatomic alloy having 5 phases and being too brittle, the composition has been modified in order to improve the mechanical properties. Different compositions have been tested and as a first result ductile Al8Co17Cr17Cu8Fe17Ni33 has been chosen for deeper investigation. It shows a dendritic segregation into Co-Cr-Fe rich cores and Al-Cu-Ni rich interdendritic sites. The as-cast state is characterized mainly by two phases, namely Al-Cu-Ni rich precipitates of L12 structure inside a solid solution matrix. After homogenization both alloys consists of a single solid solution phase. Results are compared to calculations by ThermoCalc. In order to further improve the properties of the alloy the Cr content has been decreased and replaced by trace elements W, Mo and Ti, which, according to ThermoCalc, increase the melting point and the phase transition temperature which leads to the formation of the L12 phase. As-cast and heat treated samples of the base and the modified alloy have been investigated by transmission electron microscopy and three dimensional atom probe. Results of the investigations will be discussed in terms of microstructure, hardness and coherence with Thermo Calc predictions.

An activated energy approach for accelerated testing of the deformation of UHMWPE in artificial joints.

The deformation behavior of ultrahigh molecular polyethylene (UHMWPE) is studied in the temperature range of 23-80 degrees C. Samples are examined in quasi-static compression, tensile and creep tests to determine the accelerated deformation of UHMWPE at elevated temperatures. The deformation mechanisms under compression load can be described by one strain rate and temperature dependent Eyring process. The activation energy and volume of that process do not change between 23 degrees C and 50 degrees C. This suggests that the deformation mechanism under compression remains stable within this temperature range. Tribological tests are conducted to transfer this activated energy approach to the deformation behavior under loading typical for artificial knee joints. While this approach does not cover the wear mechanisms close to the surface, testing at higher temperatures is shown to have a significant potential to reduce the testing time for lifetime predictions in terms of the macroscopic creep and deformation behavior of artificial joints.

Abrasion resistance of oxidized zirconium in comparison with CoCrMo and titanium nitride coatings for artificial knee joints.

Most total knee replacement joints consist of a metal femoral component made from a cobalt-chromium- molybdenum (CoCrMo)-alloy and a tibial component with an ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) bearing surface. Wear of the UHMWPE remains the primary disadvantage of these implants. The allergic potential ascribed to CoCrMo-alloys is a further concern. Other metallic alloys with and without ceramic coatings are clinically used to avoid these problems. This study compared the mechanical surface properties of an oxidized zirconium alloy with those of cast and wrought CoCrMo and TiAlV6-4. Additionally, the influence of a titanium nitride (TiN)-plasma coating on the surface properties was investigated. The composition of the oxidized zirconium layer was analyzed. Micro- and macrohardness tests as well as adhesion tests were used to reveal material differences in terms of their abrasive wear potential in artificial joints.

Potential for adhesive wear in friction couples of UHMWPE running against oxidized zirconium, titanium nitride coatings, and cobalt-chromium alloys.

The classical wear mechanisms abrasion, fatigue, and adhesion are the most frequent causes of surface changes of ultra high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) in artificial joints. The counterpart material has a strong influence on the wear and friction behavior of artificial joints due to its abrasive properties and adhesive interaction with UHMWPE. The formation of a transfer layer on the counterpart in UHMWPE bearing systems is often described as being a clear indication of strong adhesive forces. The influence of using a cobalt-chromium-molybdenum (CoCrMo) alloy, a titanium nitride plasma coating or an oxidized zirconium alloy on adhesive wear was studied. The surface free energy and the bonding forces of these counterpart materials to UHMWPE were investigated. Catalytic effects on the degradation behavior of polyethylene, the micro friction behavior, and the build-up and constitution of a transfer layer deposited under loads, and relative velocities that are relevant in knee joints were analyzed.

Determination of the temperature rise within UHMWPE tibial components during tribological loading.

The wear of ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) is considered as one of the major reasons for revision of artificial joints. While in vivo measurements have shown a significant temperature increase in knee implants, the amount of heat dissipated within the UHMWPE tibial component and its influence on the friction behavior when paired with a cobalt-chromium (CoCrMo) femoral component is unknown. Our goal was to address these questions by measuring the temperature rise over a wide range of tribological loading conditions that mimic certain spots on artificial knee joints. The temperature rise as a function of lubricant, sliding velocity, coefficient of friction and maximum load was determined and analyzed. Additionally, the heat gradient during constant loading was investigated that allows the calculation of heat flow. The test setup consists of a wheel-on-flat laboratory testing device. Tests were performed in ambient air and different lubricants. During the tests, the temperature rise in the polyethylene was recorded with embedded thermocouples. The temperature rise was high and shown to be directly linked to load, coefficient of friction and relative velocity. Because it is generally assumed that the applied energy is an indicator for the development of wear in particles, some considerations for the design of knee joints are proposed based on our observations. The amount of heat dissipated in the polyethylene under cyclic loading was measured and is discussed in comparison with the theoretical model of temperature in friction pairs.