S. Xu

Bio: S. Xu is an academic researcher from Natural Resources Canada. The author has contributed to research in topics: Magnesium alloy & Ultimate tensile strength. The author has an hindex of 9, co-authored 15 publications receiving 678 citations.

Effect of strain ratio and strain rate on low cycle fatigue behavior of AZ31 wrought magnesium alloy

Abstract: Magnesium alloys are increasingly used in automotive and aerospace industries for weight reduction and fuel economy improvement. Low cycle fatigue (LCF) behavior of these alloys is an important consideration for the structural applications. The objective of the present investigation was to identify influences of strain ratio and strain rate on cyclic deformation characteristics and fatigue life of an AZ31 extruded alloy. As the strain ratio decreased, stronger cyclic hardening rate, more asymmetric hysteresis loop, smaller stress amplitude, lower mean stress, and higher initial plastic strain amplitude were observed due to increasing compressive stresses. This was considered to be associated with the twinning during cyclic deformation in the compressive phase, and detwinning in the tensile phase. The residual twins acting as barriers to dislocation slip and pile-up were considered to be the main cause for the occurrence of cyclic hardening. Fatigue life increased with decreasing strain ratio and increasing strain rate. Fatigue crack initiation occurred at the specimen surface due to the presence of larger grains near the surface, and fatigue crack propagation was characterized by a mixture of striations and dimple-like ductile fracture features.

Strain-Controlled Low-Cycle Fatigue Properties of a Newly Developed Extruded Magnesium Alloy

Abstract: To reduce fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, magnesium alloys are being considered for automotive and aerospace applications due to their low density, high specific strength and stiffness, and other attractive traits. Structural applications of magnesium components require low-cycle fatigue (LCF) behavior, since cyclic loading or thermal stresses are often encountered. The aim of this article was to study the cyclic deformation characteristics and evaluate LCF behavior of a recently developed AM30 extruded magnesium alloy. This alloy exhibited a strong cyclic hardening characteristic, with a cyclic strain-hardening exponent of 0.33 compared to the monotonic strain-hardening exponent of 0.15. With increasing total strain amplitude, both plastic strain amplitude and mean stress increased and fatigue life decreased. A significant difference between the tensile and compressive yield stresses occurred, leading to asymmetric hysteresis loops at high strain amplitudes due to twinning in compression and subsequent detwinning in tension. A noticeable change in the modulus was observed due to the pseudoelastic behavior of this alloy. The Coffin–Manson law and Basquin equation could be used to describe the fatigue life. At low strain ratios the alloy showed strong cyclic hardening, which became less significant as the strain ratio increased. The lower the strain ratio, the lower the stress amplitude and mean stress but the higher the plastic strain amplitude, corresponding to a longer fatigue life. Fatigue life also increased with increasing strain rate. Fatigue crack initiation occurred from the specimen surface and crack propagation was mainly characterized by striation-like features. Multiple initiation sites at the specimen surface were observed at higher strain amplitudes.

Microstructure and second-phase particles in low- and high-pressure die-cast magnesium alloy AM50

Abstract: The microstructure and phase composition of low-pressure die-cast (LPDC) and high-pressure diecast (HPDC) magnesium alloy AM50 were examined by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) techniques in combination with optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and electron-probe microanalysis (EPMA). It has been established that the dimensions and morphology of the constituent phases (α-Mg solid solution, Mg17Al12, and Al8Mn5) depend on the processing parameters. The results obtained suggest that there is a ternary eutectic with the aforementioned three phases in the Mg-Al-Mn system. Phase transformations leading to the observed microstructures are discussed.

Grain growth and carbide precipitation in superalloy, UDIMET 520

Abstract: The results of an experimental study on the grain coarsening behavior, M23C6 carbide precipitation, and secondary MC carbide precipitation kinetics in UDIMET 520 are presented. Primary MC carbides and M (C, N) carbonitrides strongly influence the grain growth, with their dissolution near 1190 °C and 1250 °C, respectively, resulting in two distinct grain coarsening temperatures (GCTs). M23C6 carbides precipitate in the alloy over a wide range of temperatures varying between 600 °C and 1050 °C. A discrete M23C6 grain boundary carbide morphology is observed at aging temperatures below 850 °C. Secondary MC carbides formed at temperatures ranging between 1100 °C and 1177 °C, in specimens in which primary MC dissolution had been obtained at solution treatment temperatures of 1190 °C to 1250 °C. A schematic time-temperature-transformation (TTT) diagram for understanding the microstructure and precipitation inter-relationships in UDIMET 520 alloy is also presented.

Phenomenological crystal plasticity modeling and detailed micromechanical investigations of pure magnesium

Abstract: We present a single crystal plasticity model for pure Mg incorporating slip and deformation twinning. The model uses the basic framework of Kalidindi (1998), but proposes constitutive descriptions for the slip and twin evolution and their interactions that are motivated by experimental observations. Based on compelling experimental evidences, we distinguish between the constitutive descriptions of the tension and compression twinning to better represent their roles in the overall hardening of Mg single crystals. With these improved phenomenological descriptions, we first calibrate material parameters for the different slip and twin modes by performing threedimensional simulations mimicking the plane-strain compression experiments by Kelley and Hosford (1967, 1968) on single crystal pure Mg. In doing so, these computational responses are critically compared with their corresponding orientation-dependent microscopic (slip and twin activities) and macroscopic (stress–strain responses) experimental observations. Then, the calibrated parameters are used to predict several other experimental results on pure single- and poly-crystal Mg under different loading conditions. We also investigate the role of pre-existing heterogeneities such as initial twin population and stiff, elastic inclusions on the single crystal macroscopic and microscopic responses. Microstructural characteristics show that such heterogeneities strongly influence the local and global evolution of the slip and twin activities, and in some cases modulate the strength anisotropy that is commonly observed in monolithic single crystals. These results may provide useful indicators toward designing novel composite Mg microstructures.

The effects of texture and extension twinning on the low-cycle fatigue behavior of a rolled magnesium alloy, AZ31B

Abstract: The effect of texture on the low-cycle fatigue behavior of a rolled magnesium alloy, AZ31B, was studied at room temperature. It is shown that the Coffin–Manson and Basquin relationships can be used to describe the fatigue resistance of the alloy. The alloy loaded along the rolling direction exhibits only slightly better low-cycle fatigue resistance than that loaded along the transverse direction, due to the in-plane texture symmetry. The in-plane cases exhibit better fatigue behavior than the through-thickness loading. Neutron diffraction and synchrotron diffraction were employed to assist in making mechanistic understandings for the findings. The fundamental difference in the low-cycle fatigue behaviors between the in-plane and through-thickness loadings is attributed to the different activation sequences of twinning and detwinning mechanisms involved and, particularly, the greater requirement for c-axis compression of the grains during the through-thickness tests. The different activation sequences are essentially determined by the initial crystallographic texture, such that the inverted hysteresis-loop shapes are observed.

Microstructure and mechanical properties of laser welded DP600 steel joints

Abstract: To reduce fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, dual phase (DP) steels have been considered for automotive applications due to their higher tensile strength, better initial work hardening along with larger elongation compared to conventional grade of steels. In such applications welding and joining have to be involved, which would lead to a localized alteration of materials and create potential safety and reliability issues under cyclic loading. The aim of this investigation was to evaluate microstructural change after laser welding and its effect on the tensile and fatigue properties in DP600 steel. The welding resulted in a significant increase of hardness in the fusion zone, but also the formation of a soft zone in the outer heat-affected zone (HAZ). While the ductility decreased after welding, the yield strength increased and the ultimate tensile strength remained almost unchanged. Fatigue life at higher stress amplitudes was almost the same between the base metal and welded joints despite slightly lower fatigue limit after welding. Tensile fracture and fatigue failure at higher stress amplitudes occurred at the outer HAZ. Fatigue crack initiation was observed to occur from the specimen surface and crack propagation was characterized by the characteristic mechanism of striation formation. Dimples and deformation bands were observed in the fast propagation area.