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The magnetic pulse welding method using a uniform pressure electromagnetic actuator can effectively weld dissimilar metal plates. However, the existing uniform pressure welding method leads to serious thinning of the plate at the chamfer, lack of welding at the center, and bulging of the welded sample, which seriously affects the quality of the welded joint. To solve these problems and improve the quality of welded joints, a new uniform pressure welding method of dissimilar metal plates based on pre-deformation was developed in this work. In this study, using the welding of an AA1060 aluminum plate and an SS304 steel plate with a thickness of 1 mm as an example, it was confirmed through numerical simulation and experimental research that the pre-deformation of the flyer plate controlled the impact angle of the central area of the plate, and it effectively suppressed central non-welding and serious bulge issues. Further, the welding method also reduced the height of the cushion blocks on both sides, thus mitigating aluminum plate thinning at the chamfer, ultimately improving the tensile strength of the joint. Additionally, a microscopic observation showed that the welding interface formed a wavy composite interface, and the connection strength was good. This welding method can also be extended to welding other dissimilar metal plates.

Magnetic pulse spot welding based on a field shaper can effectively achieve spot welding of dissimilar metal plates by using the multi-turn flat coil and magnetic gathering through the field shaper. Through existing experimental research, it has been found that when using this method for welding, there will be a serious bulging problem in the center of the welding area, which will affect the flatness and aesthetics of the welding area, thereby affecting its application range. To solve this problem, this work proposes two different welding methods for welding dissimilar AA1060 aluminum and SS304 steel plates with a thickness of 1 mm: one based on the center opening of the flying plate and the other based on the pre-deformation of the flying plate. The causes of bulging and the effects of discharge voltage, welding gap, and inner hole radius of the field shaper on bulging size were studied. The cross-sectional morphology and mechanical properties of welded joints obtained by two welding methods were studied through numerical simulation, cross-sectional analysis, and tensile testing. The results indicated that both welding methods can successfully eliminate the bulging problem, and the point welding method based on the center opening of the aluminum plate can also reduce the minimum welding energy required for effective welding and improve welding efficiency. In addition, microscopic analysis results showed that a waveform composite interface was formed at the welding interface of the joint, and the connection performance of the welded joint was good. These two welding methods can also be extended to the welding of other dissimilar metal plates, which is of great significance for the industrial application of magnetic pulse spot welding technology based on field shaper.

Discontinuous precipitation-strengthened Cu-Ni-Si alloys are highly regarded for their combination of high strength and excellent electrical conductivity. However, the slow process of discontinuous precipitation, typically requiring up to 24 h for complete formation, significantly increases the alloy’s production costs and limits potential improvements in its properties. This study addresses this issue by applying pre-deformation to Cu-6Ni-1.42Si alloys, which accelerated the discontinuous precipitation (DP) of Ni2Si by approximately 48 times, resulting in the formation of fast DP and full DP alloys. The fast DP alloy exhibited a smaller DP size and inter-distance than the full DP alloy, achieving a tensile strength of 1070 MPa and a conductivity of 38.5% IACS. In contrast, the full DP alloy had a slightly lower tensile strength (approximately 930 MPa) but a higher conductivity of 46% IACS. Both alloys outperform traditional Cu-Ni-Si alloys in strength while maintaining comparable conductivity. The accelerated DP technique improves mechanical properties without significantly sacrificing conductivity, offering a new approach for high-performance conductive materials.

Hot gas forming (HGF) is an advanced technique for fabricating complex-shaped hollow tubular parts. Practically, multi-step pre-forming involving pre-deformation is often necessary prior to HGF. This paper performs an experimental investigation to simulate the pre-forming operation evaluating the effect of pre-strain on the subsequent HGF. Firstly, the dislocation density was accumulated with uniaxial pre-stretching with different strains (5%, 10%, and 15%) at room temperature, simulating the pre-forming operations. Secondly, the sub-sized specimen from the pre-stretched sample was characterized at different temperatures (350, 400, and 450 °C) to evaluate the effect of pre-strain on successive hot deformation for simulating practical HGF. The experimental results proves the coupled influence of pre-strain and temperature on the flow stress and stress-strain variations. To thoroughly understand the micro-mechanisms, EBSD analysis of grains and grain boundary angles was carried out under different pre-deformation levels and temperatures, which shows the recrystallization phenomenon at 15% pre-strain and 450 °C temperature. Finally, a physical mechanism constitutive model is established based on the determined macro and micro results where the pre-strain effect shows the accurate modeling of stress flow behavior of the material.

The enhanced formability of TRIP-aided steels relies on the transformation of retained austenite to martensite in microstructure (TRIP effect) at the deformation stage. However, a TRIP effect which has been completed prematurely or has not been sufficiently activated during deformation can adversely affect formability. Therefore, an austenite–martensite transformation that occurs progressively during deformation is essential for optimizing the formability of TRIP-aided steels. This study introduces a novel approach to enhancing the formability of TRIP-aided steels by taking advantage of the temperature dependency of retained austenite stability. The study aims to improve the formability by initially restricting the austenite–martensite transformation in the steel and exploiting the TRIP effect later during the deformation process. For this purpose, a two-stage deformation process was designed. In the first stage (1), the steel was deformed at elevated temperatures (50 °C, 100 °C, and 150 °C) to three predetermined strain levels (5%, 10%, and 15%), effectively suppressing the austenite-to-martensite transformation. In the second stage (2), the steel was cooled to room temperature (RT) to reactivate the TRIP effect and then deformed until fracture. The purpose of the two-stage deformation process was to use the additional strain hardening effect (through TRIP transformation) at the second stage for further delaying the fracture and thereby improving the formability. The results show significant improvement in total elongation: 6.6% (50°C), 9.9% (100°C), 32.2% (150°C) at 15% pre-warm deformation (PWD) and minimal strength compromise: Only 5.2% reduction in tensile strength at optimal conditions (15% PWD, 150°C).

This study investigated the effect of pre-deformation on the corrosion fatigue crack propagation (CFCG) of Al-Mg-Zn alloy in a corrosive environment. Tensile tests at different pre-deformation levels and molecular dynamics simulations analyzed changes in dislocation density. Corrosion fatigue experiments were conducted in a 3.5% NaCl solution at room temperature, and crack propagation morphology was characterized using electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The results showed that tensile strength increased by 2.63% and 10.00% for 5% and 10% pre-deformation, respectively. The crack propagation threshold values were L2 (6.36 MPa·m1/2) > L0 (6.05 MPa·m1/2) > L1 (5.13 MPa·m1/2), attributed to increased dislocation density and material strength. At 5% pre-deformation, dislocation pile-ups created stress concentrations that facilitated crack propagation. In contrast, the non-uniform dislocation distribution at 10% pre-deformation enhanced both material strength and resistance to crack growth.

In the present work, the effects of pre-deformation before aging on the precipitation phase and mechanical properties of a new type X2A66 alloy was investigated with the help of the room temperature tensile test, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) methods. The experimental research results prove that reducing the aging temperature or pre-deformation before aging is beneficial to improve the mechanical properties of the alloy. Compared with decreased aging temperature, pre-deformation treatment before aging can significantly improve the mechanical properties of the alloy, and its yield strength (YS), ultimate tensile strength (UTS) and elongation are 593.4Mpa, 610.8Mpa, and 10.7%, respectively.

Due to the poor plasticity of an aluminum alloy at room temperature, it is difficult to form thin-walled and complex curved parts. This paper proposes a composite method of inverse bulge pre-deformation deep-drawing based on intelligent magnetorheological (MR) fluid material. The experiments and FEM modeling of cylindrical parts with drawing ratios of K 1 = 2.125 and K 2 =2.25 were carried out under different forming conditions. The effect of soft mold medium on the drawing forming of cylindrical parts was studied. The research results show that the uniformity of the wall thickness of the parts is enhanced after using the soft mold medium. When the inverse bulge height is about 9mm and 5mm, the wall thickness variance of the cylindrical part is 0.0023 and 0.0025, respectively, which is reduced by 86.31% and 82.8%, respectively. In the pre-deformation stage, as the height of the inverse bulge is increased, the maximum equivalent stress moves from the fillet area of the blank holder to the outer surface of the highest point of the bulging area. Taking a drawing ratio of K 1 = 2.125 as an example, the circumferential compressive stress in the flange area decreases and is distributed uniformly under the back pressure and soft draw beads; the radial stress gradient and equivalent stress gradient at the fillet of die are reduced. For cylindrical parts with drawing ratios of K 1 = 2.125 and K 2 = 2.25, when the inverse bulge height is 9mm and 5mm, the forming effect of the part is the best.

Thin twin-roll cast strips from a model Al-Cu-Mg-Li-Zr alloy with a small addition of Sc were prepared. A combination of a fast solidification rate and a favorable effect of Sc microalloying refines the grain size and the size of primary phase particles and reduces eutectic cell dimensions to 10–15 μm. Long-term homogenization annealings used in conventionally cast materials lasting several tens of hours followed by a necessary dimension reduction through rolling/extruding could be substituted by energy and material-saving procedure. It consists of two-step short annealings at 300 °C/30 min and 450 °C/30 min, followed by the refinement and hardening of the structure using constrained groove pressing. A dense dispersion of 10–20 nm spherical Al3(Sc,Zr) precipitates intensively forms during this treatment and effectively stabilizes the structure and inhibits the grain growth during subsequent solution treatment at 530 °C/30 min. Small (3%) pre-straining after quenching assures more uniform precipitation of strengthening Al2Cu (θ′), Al2CuMg (S′), and Al2CuLi (T1) particles during subsequent age-hardening annealing at 180 °C/14 h. The material does not contain a directional and anisotropic structure unavoidable in rolled or extruded sheets. The proposed procedure thus represents a model near net shape processing strategy for manufacturing lightweight high-strength sheets for cryogenic applications in aeronautics.

In this paper, the effects of compressive pre-deformation and successive pre-artificial aging on the compressive creep aging behavior and microstructure evolution of the Al-Cu-Li alloy have been studied. Severe hot deformation mainly occurs near the grain boundaries during the compressive creep initially, which steadily extends to the grain interior. After that, the T1 phases will obtain a low radius–thickness ratio. The secondary T1 phases in pre-deformed samples usually only nucleate on dislocation loops or Shockley incomplete dislocations induced by movable dislocations during creep, which are especially prevalent in low plastic pre-deformation. For all pre-deformed and pre-aged samples, two precipitation situations exist. When pre-deformation is low (3% and 6%), solute atoms (Cu and Li) can be consumed prematurely during pre-aging at 200 °C, with dispersed coherent Li-rich clusters in the matrix. Then, the pre-aged samples with low pre-deformation no longer have the ability to form secondary T1 phases in large quantities during subsequent creep. When dislocation entangles seriously to some extent, a large quantity of stacking faults, together with a “Suzuki atmosphere” containing Cu and Li, can provide the nucleation sites for the secondary T1 phase, even when pre-aged at 200 °C. The sample, pre-deformed by 9% and pre-aged at 200 °C, displays excellent dimensional stability during compressive creep because of the mutual reinforcement of entangled dislocations and pre-formed secondary T1 phases. In order to decrease the total creep strain, increasing the pre-deformation level is more effective than pre-aging.