Browsing by Author "Pan, ZX"

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    Low neutron cross-section FeCrVTiNi based high-entropy alloys: design, additive manufacturing and characterization
    (OAE Publishing, 2022-01-13) Dong, BS; Wang, ZY; Zhu, HL; Muránsky, O; Qiu, ZJ; Shen, C; Pan, ZX; Li, HJ
    The development of high-entropy alloys (HEAs) based on the novel alloying concept of multi-principal components presents opportunities for achieving new materials with desired properties for increasingly demanding applications. In this study, a low neutron cross-section FeCrVTiNi-based HEA was developed for potential nuclear applications. A face-centred cubic (FCC) HEA with the nominal composition of FeCr0.4V0.3Ti0.2Ni1.3 is proposed based on the empirical thermodynamic models and the CALculation of PHAse diagrams (CALPHAD) calculation. Verifications of the predictions were performed, including the additive manufacturing of the proposal material and a range of microstructural characterizations and mechanical property tests. Consistent with the prediction, the as-fabricated HEA consists of a dominant FCC phase and minor Ni3Ti precipitates. Moreover, significant chemical segregation in the alloy, as predicted by the CALPHAD modelling, was observed experimentally in the produced dendritic microstructure showing the enrichment of Ni and Ti elements in the interdendritic regions and the segregation of Cr and V elements in the dendritic cores. Heterogenous mechanical properties, including microhardness and tensile strengths, were observed along the building direction of the additively manufactured HEA. The various solid solution strengthening effects, due to the chemical segregation (in particular Cr and V elements) during solidification, are identified as significant contributing factors to the observed mechanical heterogeneity. Our study provides useful knowledge for the design and additive manufacturing of compositionally complex HEAs and their composition-microstructure-mechanical property correlation. © The Author(s) 2022
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    Microstructural characterisation and hardness assessment of wire arc cladded Hastelloy C276 on creep resistant steel P91
    (Elsevier, 2022-07) Wu, BT; Qiu, ZJ; Dong, BS; Muránsky, O; Zhu, HL; Wang, ZY; Pan, ZX; Li, HJ
    A new structure with nickel-based Hastelloy C276 alloy cladding on creep resistant steel P91 was developed in this study for nuclear applications. The microstructure, including precipitation and grain size, boundaries, orientation and hardness distribution of cladding structures with/without post heat treatment were explored using a range of microscopy techniques and hardness testing. The results show that the as-cladded structure exhibits highly hierarchical heterogeneity, which is mainly related to the remarkably coarse-grained microstructure in the heat-affected zone on the steel side, and typically columnar dendrites formed on the Hastelloy side. After tempering heat treatment, the specimen exhibits re-orientated grains and homogenized microstructure. Meanwhile, the ratio of high angle grain boundaries (HAGBs) in steel regions significantly increases, and the hardness values turn even distribution. This study achieves a sound metallurgical bonding between two structural materials and offers insights into the development of dissimilar metal components with in-site specific properties. © 2022 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V.
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    Neutron diffraction residual stress determinations on Intermetallic alloy components produced by wire-arc additive manufacturing (WAAM)
    (Elsevier, 2019-10-01) Shen, C; Reid, M; Liss, KD; Pan, ZX; Ma, Y; Cuiuri, D; van Duin, S; Li, HJ
    The Wire-Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAAM) process is an increasingly attractive method for producing porosity-free metal components. However, the residual stresses and distortions resulting from the WAAM process are major concerns as they not only influence the part tolerance but can also cause premature failure in the final component during service. The current paper presents a method for using neutron diffraction to measure residual stresses in Fe3Al intermetallic wall components that have been in-situ additively fabricated using the WAAM process with different post-production treatments. By using averaging methods during the experimental setup and data processing, more reliable residual stress results are obtained from the acquired neutron diffraction data. In addition, the present study indicates that the normal residual stresses are significant compared to normal butt/fillet welding samples, which is caused by the large temperature gradient in this direction during the additive layer depositions. © 2019 Elsevier B.V.
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    On the development of pseudo-eutectic AlCoCrFeNi2.1 high entropy alloy using Powder-bed Arc Additive Manufacturing (PAAM) process
    (Elsevier, 2021-01-20) Dong, BS; Wang, ZY; Pan, ZX; Muránsky, O; Shen, C; Reid, M; Wu, BT; Chen, XZ; Li, HJ
    A new Powder-bed Arc Additive Manufacturing (PAAM) processing which includes on-line remelting of deposited material has been developed for the manufacturing of high entropy alloys (HEAs) based on an existing AlCoCrFeNi2.1 pseudo-eutectic system. The remelting process is typically applied in the arc melting process to improve the homogeneity of prepared material. We investigated the microstructure and mechanical properties of produced AlCoCrFeNi2.1 HEA after applying a remelting process (1, 3, and 6 times) on each deposited layer. The results show the formation of the pseudo-eutectic microstructure, which consists of relatively large columnar grains of the dominant FCC phase (~90 wt%) and fine dendritic grains of the minor BCC phase (~10 wt%). The applied layer-remelting process shows negligible effects on the phase fractions and their compositions, however, it significantly degraded the tensile strength and ductility of prepared alloys. Particularly, the ductility of the alloy reduced dramatically from about 27% after one time layer-remelting to only about 3% after 3 times layer-remelting. This is rationalised by the significant localisation of thermally induced plasticity caused by repeated remelting of deposited material. We also show that this thermally induced plasticity leads to an increased amount of local misorientation in both constitute phases, which suggests an increased amount of stored dislocations in the microstructure. Despite the potentially strain hardening due to this accumulation of the thermally induced plasticity, the appreciable growth and constrained dendritic morphology of BCC grains that developed after remelting play a prevailing role on the materials strength, which limit the interfacial strengthening of the eutectic microstructure and consequently result in the loss of the tensile strength. The obtained results will assist in the further development and microstructure optimisation of novel HEAs using powder-based additive manufacturing processes. © 2021 Elsevier B.V.
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    On the effect of heat input and interpass temperature on the performance of Inconel 625 alloy deposited using wire arc additive manufacturing–cold metal transfer process
    (MDPI, 2021-12-25) Zhang, CX; Qiu, ZJ; Zhu, HL; Wang, ZY; Muránsky, O; Ionescu, M; Pan, ZX; Xi, JT; Li, HJ
    Relatively high heat input and heat accumulation are treated as critical challenges to affect the qualities and performances of components fabricated by wire arc additive manufacturing (WAAM). In this study, various heat inputs, namely 276, 552 and 828 J/mm, were performed to fabricate three thin-wall Inconel 625 structures by cold metal transfer (CMT)-based WAAM, respectively, and active interpass cooling was conducted to limit heat accumulation. The macrostructure, microstructure and mechanical properties of the produced components by CMT were investigated. It was found that the increased heat input can deteriorate surface roughness, and the size of dendrite arm spacing increases with increasing heat input, thus leading to the deterioration of mechanical properties. Lower heat input and application of active interpass cooling can be an effective method to refine microstructure and reduce anisotropy. This study enhances the understanding of interpass temperature control and the effectiveness of heat inputs for Inconel 625 alloy by WAAM. It also provides a valuable in situ process for microstructure and mechanical properties’ refinement of WAAM-fabricated alloys and the control of heat accumulation for the fabrication of large-sized structures for future practical applications. © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.