Browsing by Author "Qiu, ZJ"

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    Effects of post heat treatment on the microstructure and mechanical properties of wire arc additively manufactured Hastelloy C276 alloy
    (Elsevier, 2021-07) Qiu, ZJ; Wu, BT; Wang, ZY; Wexler, D; Carpenter, K; Zhu, HL; Muránsky, O; Zhang, JR; Li, HJ
    Post-processing is often inevitable for most additively manufactured components in order to improve material properties and product quality. In this study, the influence of post-heat treatments (PHTs) at 871 °C and 1177 °C on the microstructure and mechanical properties of a nickel-base Hastelloy C276 alloy prepared using wire arc additive manufacturing (WAAM) were investigated. The results showed that after a PHT at 871 °C, the as-built alloy was strengthened due to the formation of a large amount of Mo-rich nano-sized μ phase in the interdendritic areas. This was at the expense of a significant ductility loss. In contrast, no μ phase precipitates were observed after PHT at 1177 °C. Furthermore, the 1177 °C treatment led to the dissolution of the Mo-rich p phase which was present in the as-built sample, increased solid-solution strengthening, and improvements in both strength and ductility concurrently. This study enables an improved understanding of post-processing-microstructure-property inter-relationships for Hastelloy C276 alloy prepared by WAAM, providing guidelines for further microstructure optimization through PHT to improve the material's mechanical properties. © 2021 Elsevier Inc.
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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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    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.