Zinc Aluminium Alloy Research Articles

Models for the Design and Optimization of the Multi-Stage Wiredrawing Process of ZnAl15% Wires for Spray Metallization

Metallization, a process for applying anti-corrosion coatings, has advantages over hot-dip galvanizing, such as reduced thermal stress and the ability to work “in situ”. This process consists of the projection of a protective metal as coating from a wire as application material, and this wire is obtained by multi-stage wiredrawing. For the metallization process, a zinc–aluminum alloy wire obtained by this process is used. This industrial process requires multiple stages/dies of diameter reduction, and determining the optimal sequence is complex. Thus, this work focuses on developing models with the aim of designing and optimizing the wiredrawing process of zinc–aluminum (ZnAl) alloys, specifically ZnAl15%, used for anti-corrosion applications. Both analytical models and numerical models based on the finite element method (FEM) and implemented by computer-aided engineering (CAE) software Deform 2D/3D v.12, enabled the prediction of the drawing stress and drawing force in each drawing stage, producing values consistent with experimental measurements. Key findings include the modeling of the material behavior when ZnAl15% wires were subjected to the tensile test at different speeds, with strain rate sensitivity coefficient m = 0.0128, demonstrating that this type of alloy is especially sensitive to the strain rate. In addition, the optimal friction coefficient (µ) for the drawing process of this material was experimentally identified as µ = 0.28, the ideal drawing die angle was determined to be 2α = 10°, and the alloy’s deformability limit has been established by a reduction ratio r ≤ 22.5%, which indicates good plastic deformation capacity. The experimental results confirmed that the development of the proposed models can be feasible to facilitate the design and optimization of industrial processes, improving the efficiency and quality of ZnAl15% alloy wire production.

Erosive wear and topographical study of zinc-aluminum based composite reinforced with in-situ formed ZrB2 particles

The present study deals with the erosive wear behaviour of a zinc-aluminum (ZA) alloy and composite in the slurry medium. The effects of reinforcement of zirconium diboride (ZrB2) particles in ZA alloy, as well as the impingement angle and duration of erosion wear responses have been studied. The slurry composition was prepared with 1.5 L of water and 500 g silica of a size range of 350–450 μm. The erosion tests are performed at a speed of 600 rpm for varying durations (20–80 h) and impingement angles (30°–90°). The erosive wear responses of the samples have been analyzed in terms of distinct features of their micro constituents like ZrB2 and the material removal mechanism in a prescribed set of conditions. A significant decrease in composite erosion compared to ZA alloy has been observed. With increased duration, both alloy and composite show increased erosive wear. Obtained results revealed that the composite shows 60–80 % less erosive wear than ZA alloy on operating conditions. The optimum results in wear have been observed at 45° for alloy and 60° for composite. Investigating topographical aspects using scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy revealed that ZrB2 reinforcements resulted in smoother topography and reduced erosive wear.

Fatigue Behavior and Fracture Surface Analysis of Corroded High-Strength Bridge Cable Wires.

Bridge cable wires suffer from alternating stress and environmental erosion, leading to premature failure prior to its design life. This paper investigates the fatigue and mechanical behaviors of corroded bridge cable wires with a zinc-aluminum (Zn-Al) alloy coating. Based on the salt spray corrosion test and microstructure analysis, the anti-corrosion resistance and corrosion appearance characteristics of the Zn-Al alloy coating and galvanized coating were investigated. The Zn-Al alloy coating was superior in resistance to corrosion fatigue for the improvement in toughness and the generation of anti-corrosion Zn-Al and Fe-Zn-Al phases. Equations of the accelerated corrosion depth of the steel wires had been regressed to roughly estimate the corrosion life of the Zn-Al alloy coating, which can reach 29.1 years with a thickness of 70 μm. The fatigue and mechanical properties of the bare wires after the salt spray test were further studied based on tensile tests and fatigue tests. The fatigue properties of the bridge cable wire would decrease with the corrosion degree due to the deterioration and embrittlement of materials, where ductility characterized by the elongation rate was the most affected. Fracture surfaces of the wires were captured and analyzed based on a method for recognizing graphical contours. Insufficient fatigue life may occur in the steel wires after corrosion and increase with the degree of corrosion. The pit depth logarithmically weakened the fatigue life of steel wires for the weakening of fatigue toughness and the bearing area. The flat fracture was more common with a single fatigue source, while multiple fatigue sources led to step-like fractures for the generation of multiple dispersed crack propagation regions. Corrosion fatigue was more sensitive to the existence of fatigue sources than the reduction. Multiple initiation sources significantly reduced the fatigue life due to the cracking facilitation of the joint effect of multiple pits. The electrochemical reactions of corrosion can lead to material embrittlement and a reducing effect on the fracture toughness of the steel wires.

Characterization and fractography of stir-cast ZA-27 composites reinforced with Zircon silicate and MoS2 solid lubricant particles

Zinc Aluminum alloy (ZA-27) is a primarily known alloy used in bearings. In this work the alloy is reinforced with Zircon silicate in varying amounts ranging from 1.5 wt% to 6 wt%, incrementally increasing by 1.5 wt%, along with 3 wt% Molybdenum di sulfide (MoS2) microparticles via a stir-casting process. Zircon silicate is prized for its increased hardness and thermal stability, and MoS2 provides remarkable wear resistance to the composite. The primary goal of this study is to investigate how Zircon silicate particles and MoS2 affect the strength and fracture behavior of the prepared composites. The current study shows a decrease in both load bearing and percentage elongation as the Zircon silicate concentration increases, owing to weaker MoS2 secondary particles inside the ZA-27 matrix. To provide a suitable explanation for crack development, the study also includes microstructure analysis, evaluation of porosity, microhardness, CTE evaluation, and the influence on the fracture mechanism of the ZA-27 composites.

A non‐antibiotic organic coating on ZA6‐1 surface releasing different concentrations of sodium dodecyl sulphate/levulinic acid for orthopaedic application

AbstractBone implantation surgery is often accompanied by bacterial infection, resulting in infectious bone non‐union, pathological fracture and other serious consequences, which will aggravate the pain of patients. A non‐antibiotic coating consisting of sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS) and levulinic acid (LA) with different concentrations was prepared by the authors on the zinc–aluminium alloy (ZA6‐1) using a wet chemistry treatment for orthopaedic application. The influence of SDS/LA concentrations on the surface morphology, composition and performance of the developed coating was investigated. The results showed that as‐prepared coating on a zinc alloy surface could improve the substrate's corrosion resistance and increase the degradation rate from 0.82 to 19.70 μm/year upon raising the SDS/LA concentration. Furthermore, higher hydrophilicity (<14°), better cell proliferation (>100%) and morphology, as well as good cell adhesion and differentiation (ALP >95% for 7 days) were observed on coated zinc alloys. The increased SDS/LA concentration slightly weakens the biocompatibility and enhances the antibacterial performance of coated zinc alloys due to the synergistic effect of SDS/LA. Overall, the coating comprising 6 wt.% SDS and 9 wt.% LA showed excellent antibacterial action with a high level of biocompatibility, confirming its potential application for orthopaedic implants.

Sacrificial anode materials to protect marine grade steel structures: a review

Abstract Marine structures are constantly exposed to the corrosive effects of seawater, making effective corrosion protection crucial for their longevity and performance. Sacrificial anodes, commonly made of zinc, aluminum, or magnesium alloys, are widely employed to mitigate corrosion by sacrificing themselves to protect the steel structures. However, the selection and implementation of sacrificial anode materials present various challenges that need to be addressed. This paper explores the challenges associated with sacrificial anode materials for steel structures and provides potential solutions. To overcome these challenges, the paper proposes solutions such as using advanced alloy compositions, protective coatings, hybrid anode systems, and improved design considerations. Furthermore, the importance of monitoring techniques to assess the performance and remaining lifespan of sacrificial anodes is emphasized. Several case studies and experimental findings are discussed to illustrate the effectiveness and limitations of sacrificial anode materials based on zinc alloys, aluminum alloys, and magnesium alloys. The paper highlights the need for ongoing research and development efforts to address the evolving demands of corrosion protection in marine environments.

Preparation of a Solid-Phase Compound from an Aluminum–Zinc Alloy under Conditions of Low-Temperature Superplasticity

Preparation of a Solid-Phase Compound from an Aluminum–Zinc Alloy under Conditions of Low-Temperature Superplasticity

Prediction of Wear Resistance of In-situ Zinc Matrix Composites Reinforced by Silicon Phase Based on Neural Network

Silicon phase reinforced zinc-aluminium alloy composites were prepared by in-situ method. The effect of silicon content and external load on the wear resistance of in-situ zinc--aluminium composites was studied by BP artificial neural network. The test results show that the silicon phase, as a hard material, plays the role of supporting load and improves the wear resistance of the alloy. With the increase of Si content, the wear resistance of in-situ zinc--aluminium composites increased first and then decreased. When the amount of silicon added exceeds 2.5-3%, the wear resistance will be reduced, which is related to the silicon phase aggregation and the easy separation of large silicon phases from the matrix. With the increase of external load, the relative wear continues to increase, which is related to the increase of friction. The neural network platform can successfully predict the general trend of wear resistance with the change of silicon content and load.

Quantitative study of the effect of high-performance zinc alloy coating technology on the life of mechanical components

Abstract Corrosion of mechanical components has been of wide interest in recent decades. Corrosion is caused by physicochemical action between a metal and its environment, which can result in changes in the metal’s properties and functional damage in mechanical components. The main corrosion manifestations of zinc alloy coatings in marine environments are discussed in this paper, which first explores the application of high-performance aluminum alloy coatings in industry. Subsequently, the ZAS35 alloy used for this paper was experimentally prepared, and orthogonal tests were utilized to determine the optimum matching values of process parameters for zinc alloy coatings to generate materials. The hardness and wear resistance of ZAS35 were evaluated against other zinc alloys. An iterative learning control algorithm was employed to determine the thickness of the zinc alloy coating. The optimal control of the steady-state process of coating thickness can be achieved by using the NARX dynamic neural network model as a predictive identification model for zinc alloy coating thickness. Finally, data were collected using an optical microscope to quantitatively analyze the effect of zinc alloy plating on mechanical life. When the thickness of zinc alloy is 1.7 μm, the probability of life is [947.56,978.36]×103h interval t=0.999, which is improved by 409~684.11×103h compared with the plating thickness of 1.10μm . After adding aluminum elements to zinc plating, the corrosion potential of the plating decreases from −800mV to −1000mV, and the zinc-aluminum alloy prevents electrochemical corrosion of the plated layer with cathodic corrosion inhibition.

The Effect of Exposure Conditions on the Long-Term Performance Evaluation of Undamaged and Damaged Wire-Arc-Sprayed Zinc-Aluminum Alloy Coatings

The Effect of Exposure Conditions on the Long-Term Performance Evaluation of Undamaged and Damaged Wire-Arc-Sprayed Zinc-Aluminum Alloy Coatings

Investigation of the Efficacy of Horizontal Hollow Light Tubes for Energy Conservation in Illuminating Buildings

This study investigates the properties of light transmission and distribution, examining how incident light angles impact illuminance distribution and daylight factor. Light tubes are acknowledged as promising tools to enhance lighting conditions and reduce energy consumption in building design. The study involved installing horizontal hollow light tubes, each measuring 0.5 m in length and 0.30 m in diameter, on a wooden test model. A 20-watt LED lamp was employed as the light source, and an illuminance meter recorded the values at various horizontal and elevation angles. The study’s assessment included calculating the average illuminance and daylight factor to obtain light transmission efficiency and energy-saving potential. The findings revealed that both aluminum alloy and zinc alloy tubes experienced a decrease in illuminance as incident elevation angles increased, with the most effective light transmission occurring at a horizontal angle of 90°. Notably, the aluminum alloy tube outperformed the zinc alloy tube, demonstrating more than a 15% increase in light transmission efficiency. Furthermore, the daylight factor values from both types of tubes aligned with established standards for residential and office activities, underscoring their potential as energy-efficient lighting solutions for spaces lacking natural light or with limited illumination.

The ecological determinancy of development of bronchial asthma in adult population (as exemplified by the Republic of the North Ossetia-Alania

The intensive impact of anthropogenic factors on health causes more than 40% of all human diseases. First of all, it has to do with respiratory organs and comes out as the main determinant of development of chronic respiratory pathology. The article presents an assessment of negative impact of environmental factors on dynamics of increasing of incidence of bronchial asthma morbidity in the Republic of North Ossetia-Alania. The indicators of the general morbidity that increased up to 75.6% and for the first time detected up to 97.5% over six-year period. The results of present study correspond with the results of similar studies implemented in various territories of Russia indicating at mediation of increasing of bronchial asthma morbidity by negative impact of environment risk factors. In the Republic, over a period of many decades, contribution of the metallurgical plant producing zinc, cadmium, sulfuric acid and zinc-aluminum alloys, to atmospheric air pollution made up not less than 40%. Only two out of eight rural municipal districts are relatively environmentally problem-free today. In rural areas, more than 50% of atmospheric air pollutants is related to carbon oxide. Nowadays, along with industrial emissions into atmospheric air and their accumulation, increases importance of motor transport in environmental pollution. The cars account for 50-70% of all harmful emissions. The presence of harmful substances contained in exhaust gases exceeds permissible standards by 2-3 times. According to the data of systematic analysis of urban air quality, most of the year citizens breathe atmospheric air not meeting normative requirements. The actual situation favors development of bronchial asthma. In the Republic, its morbidity has not decreased for many decades. To improve indicators of bronchial asthma morbidity can be achieved by leveling harmful effects of environment through identification of main sources of environmental troubles. The priority is both to decrease industrial emissions that pollute atmosphere and to transit to more ecologically safe modern power supplies of motor transport facilities.

Degradation Behavior of Arc-Sprayed Zinc Aluminum Alloy Coatings for the Vessel Yongle in the South China Sea

Since thermally sprayed zinc and aluminum coatings were invented 100 years ago, they have realized extensive industrial applications for steel structure protection in a variety of fields for nearly 100 years and have been proven to be effective and reliable. However, it has seldom been reported in the ship industry in China since many workers worry about the risk of rapid corrosion, especially in harsh environments such as the South China Sea. In this paper, three kinds of arc-sprayed zinc aluminum coatings were tested to choose the best coating system for application on the research vessel Yongle by electrochemical behavior and a long-term atmospheric exposure experiment. The variation of the corrosion rate and the bonding strength was used to clarify the long-term protection performance. The results show that Zn15Al has the lowest corrosion (Rp larger than 2200 Ω·cm2) among the three kinds of coatings and has a bonding strength larger than 6.38 MPa after a 5 year test. The performance of the coatings in the South China Sea indicates that they can provide excellent protection for the hull above the waterline of the Yongle vessel in the 3 year test. It could be predicted that thermally sprayed zinc aluminum coating has vast application potential in the South China Sea due to its excellent anticorrosion performance.

Bioactive coating with antibacterial and anticorrosive properties deposited on ZA6-1 alloy bone implant

The commercial zinc aluminum alloy (ZA6-1) surface was functionalized with poly-(lactic-co-glycolic) acid (PLGA) containing sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and levulinic acid (LA) for gaining antibacterial activity. A polymerized 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES) layer was initially fabricated on the surface of ZA6-1 alloy to gain amino group, and the PLGA mixed with SDS/LA was subsequently immobilized on the as-treated surface through the electrostatic interaction between amino group and carboxyl group. The PLGA−SDS/LA coating on zinc alloy showed extremely good corrosion resistance with the degradation rate of 0.005 mm/a, which can be adjusted by varying the coating thickness. Furthermore, besides the good biocompatibility to osteoblasts, the PLGA−SDS/LA coating exhibited excellent antibacterial property, and the bactericidal rates against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli were 98.9% and 99.8%, respectively.

Wafer-Level Fabricated Tight-Coupling Dual-Solenoid Transformer Chips With Watt-Scale Power Transfer

Reported are a novel kind of tight-coupled dual-solenoid transformers (DSTs) which are on-chip integrated by using wafer-level fabrication including a low melting-point zinc-aluminum alloy rapid microcasting technique. Without magnetic core used, the silicon-chip integrated transformer is with the two metal solenoids tightly interwound to form a highly-coupled 3-D structure, thereby performing high inductance density and featuring no concern in magnetic flux saturation. Fabricated with the wafer-level thick-metal 3-D microcasting technique, the DST exhibits sufficient inductance value and low dc resistance while maintaining tiny footprint. Various DST structures are designed, fabricated and characterized for performance optimization. The optimally designed DST chip demonstrates a compact footprint of 2 mm <sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sup> , a high inductance of 193.14 nH (i.e., inductance density = 96.57 nH/mm <sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sup> ) and a small dc resistance of 1.09 Ω. The test shows that the chip achieves an ultrahigh coupling coefficient of 0.95 and superior maximum transformer efficiency of 87.8% at 100 MHz. More importantly, the DST achieves <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">Watt</i> -scale power transfer capability at 100 MHz, where no any heat dissipation treatment to the chip is used. Therefore, the on-chip DSTs are very promising for power/signal transmission in various electronic microsystems.

Effects of Multi Walled Carbon Nanotube and Silicon Carbide Reinforcement on Wear Performance in Zinc-Aluminium Alloys

In this study, hybrid composite materials were produced by adding SiC (Silicon carbide) and MWCNT (Multi-walled carbon nanotube) to Zinc-Aluminium (ZA40) alloy, sintering under 700 MPa pressure and 500 °C using mechanical alloying and hot press technique. Hybrid samples were produced with 2% MWCNT constant and SiC ratio 1-2-3 and 4% by weight in the mixtures. The mechanical properties such as hardness and porosity of the produced hybrid composite materials were determined and their wear properties were investigated by traveling 300 m using 10 and 20N loads under 300 rpm constant speed in a ball-on-disc wear test setup. The obtained internal structure and wear surface images showed that the SiC and MWCNT reinforcement contributed significantly to the wear resistance of the hybrid composites, and in the SEM analyzes of the worn surfaces, there was a transition from abrasive wear to adhesive wear in the wear mechanism.

High‐Stress Abrasive Wear Analysis of in Situ TiC‐Reinforced Zinc–Aluminum Composites Using Integrated Taguchi–TOPSIS Method

This study involves the preparation of in situ TiC‐reinforced zinc–aluminum alloy (ZA‐37) composites and analysis of their high‐stress abrasive wear behavior. The wear rate, friction coefficient, and frictional heating of the composites are investigated using a pin‐on‐disk wear tester. The experiments are carried out based on a plan created using Taguchi's technique. TOPSIS methodologies are used to determine the effects of applied load, abrasion distances, TiC contents on wear rate, coefficient of friction, and frictional heating throughout the wearing process. The results reveal that the composite with 10 wt% TiC exhibits the highest level of wear resistance among all samples. It is found that ploughing, microcutting, and delamination were the dominant wear mechanisms in general. However, in the optimum combination, mild abrasion and microploughing prevail. As per TOPSIS analysis, the reinforcement content affects the wear rate of test materials the most followed by applied load and abrading distance. Under the optimal combination of parameters, the in situ TiC composite has the potential of replacing the conventional gray cast iron utilized in bearing applications.

Obtaining of a solid-phase compound from an aluminum-zinc alloy under conditions of low-temperature superplasticity

A method is developed for pressure welding of cylindrical workpieces in the solid state of an aluminum-zinc alloy in a vacuum at a temperature of 250 °C under conditions of low-temperature superplasticity. Tensile tests showed that the strength of the welded joints is 90÷95 % of the tensile strength of the base material. Keywords ultrafine-grained structure, aluminum-zinc alloy, low-temperature superplasticity, solid-phase compound, welding using pressure, mechanical properties

Machining Zinc-Aluminium alloy reinforced with SiCp composites and determination of machinability properties using commercial cutting tools

Machining Zinc-Aluminium alloy reinforced with SiCp composites and determination of machinability properties using commercial cutting tools

Machining zinc-aluminium alloy reinforced with SiCp composites and determination of machinability properties using commercial cutting tools

Machining zinc-aluminium alloy reinforced with SiCp composites and determination of machinability properties using commercial cutting tools