Microstructure and Properties of Mechanical Alloying Al-Zr Coating by High Current Pulsed Electron Beam Irradiation.

Xiangcheng Li,Peng Lyu,Qingfeng Guan,Huiru Liu,Conglin Zhang,Nana Tian

doi:10.3390/nano10122398

Abstract

The “HOPE-I” type high-current pulsed electron beam (HCPEB) equipment was used to irradiate the pure aluminum material with Zr coating preset by ball milling to realize the alloying of a Zr–Al coating surface. The microstructure and phase analysis were conducted by XRD, SEM, and TEM. The experimental results show that after Zr alloying on the Al surface by HCPEB, a layer of 15 μm was formed on the surface of the sample, which was mainly composed of Zr and Al–Zr intermetallic compounds. A large number of Al3Zr (Ll2) particles was uniformly distributed in the alloyed layer, and the Al grains were obviously refined. In addition, the surface hardness and corrosion resistance of the samples were improved significantly after HCPEB irradiation.

Highlights

Aluminum (Al) and its alloys have been widely used in industrial production because of their excellent mechanical and physical properties, such as being lightweight; having high specific strength, good ductility, and low density; and having excellent electrical and thermal conductivity
Zr is an indispensable element in many high-performance aluminum alloys that can increase the recrystallization temperature and strength, and refine the structure of aluminum alloys
The Ll2 phase plays the role of dispersion strengthening and sub-crystalline strengthening, and reduces the plastic deformation of the aluminum alloy and effectively inhibits the recrystallization during subsequent heat treatment [9]

Summary

Introduction

Aluminum (Al) and its alloys have been widely used in industrial production because of their excellent mechanical and physical properties, such as being lightweight; having high specific strength, good ductility, and low density; and having excellent electrical and thermal conductivity. The Ll2 phase plays the role of dispersion strengthening and sub-crystalline strengthening, and reduces the plastic deformation of the aluminum alloy and effectively inhibits the recrystallization during subsequent heat treatment [9]. It is an “effective” phase that improves the overall performance of aluminum alloys [10,11]. The high-current pulsed electron beam was used to conduct Zr alloying treatment on a pure aluminum surface to improve its surface properties, such as strength and corrosion resistance.

Specimen Preparations and Zr Coating on Al

Microstructural Characterization

Properties Testing

Findings

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