Morphology evolution of -phase in Al-Mg-Si alloys during aging treatment

Ahmed, A.*; Uttarasak, K.*; Tsuchiya, Taiki*; Lee, S.*; Nishimura, Katsuhiko*; Nunomura, Norio*; Shimizu, Kazuyuki*; Hirayama, Kyosuke*; Toda, Hiroyuki*; Yamaguchi, Masatake; et al.

Journal of Alloys and Compounds, 988, p.174234_1 - 174234_9, 2024/06

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jallcom.2024.174234

This study aims to clarify the growth process of the-phase in Al-Mg-Si alloys from the point of view of morphology evolution. For this research, the -phase orientation relationship, shape, growth process, misfit value, and interfacial condition between the -phase and Al matrix were investigated using high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM), focus ion beam (FIB), and optical microscope (OM). Results include the identification of {111} facets at the edges of the -phase, as well as the proposal of two new three-dimensional shapes for the -phase. We purposed the morphology evolution during the growth process of MgSi crystal and calculated the misfit to understand the unstable (111) facet has a higher misfit value as compared to the (001) and (011) facets. Our observations provide how they influence the behavior of MgSi crystals.

Identification of hydrogen trapping in aluminum alloys muon spin relaxation method and first-principles calculations

Tsuru, Tomohito; Nishimura, Katsuhiko*; Matsuda, Kenji*; Nunomura, Norio*; Namiki, Takahiro*; Lee, S.*; Higemoto, Wataru; Matsuzaki, Teiichiro*; Yamaguchi, Masatake; Ebihara, Kenichi; et al.

Metallurgical and Materials Transactions A, 54(6), p.2374 - 2383, 2023/06

https://doi.org/10.1007/s11661-023-07024-w

Although hydrogen embrittlement susceptibility of high-strength Al alloys is recognized as a critical issue in the practical use of Al alloys, identifying the hydrogen trapping or distribution has been challenging. In the present study, an effective approach based on experiment and simulation is proposed to explore the potential trap sites in Al alloys. Zero-field muon spin relaxation experiments were carried out for Al-0.5%Mg, Al-0.2%Cu, Al-0.15%Ti, Al-0.011%Ti, Al-0.28%V, and Al-0.015%V (at.%) in the temperature range from 5 to 300 K. The temperature variations of the dipole field widths have revealed three peaks for Al-0.5%Mg, four peaks for Al-0.2%Cu, three peaks for Al-0.011%Ti and Al-0.015%V. Atomic configurations of the muon trapping sites corresponding to the observed peaks are well assigned using the first-principles calculations for the trap energies of hydrogen around a solute and solute-vacancy pair. The extracted linear relationship between the muon peak temperature and the trap energy enables us to explore the potential alloying elements and their complex that have strong binding energies with hydrogen in Al alloys.

A Study on convection in molten zone of aluminum alloy during Fe/Al resistance spot welding

Iyota, Muneyoshi*; Matsuda, Tomoki*; Sano, Tomokazu*; Shigeta, Masaya*; Shobu, Takahisa; Yumoto, Hirokatsu*; Koyama, Takahisa*; Yamazaki, Hiroshi*; Semba, Yasunori*; Ohashi, Haruhiko*; et al.

Journal of Manufacturing Processes, 94, p.424 - 434, 2023/05

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmapro.2023.03.032

Weyl-Kondo semimetal behavior in the chiral structure phase of CeRhSn

Iwasa, Kazuaki*; Suyama, Kazuya*; Kawamura, Seiko; Nakajima, Kenji; Raymond, S.*; Steffens, P.*; Yamada, Akira*; Matsuda, Tatsuma*; Aoki, Yuji*; Kawasaki, Ikuto; et al.

Physical Review Materials (Internet), 7(1), p.014201_1 - 014201_11, 2023/01

https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevMaterials.7.014201

Spontaneous debonding behaviour of reinforcement fine particles in aluminium; Toward high-strength metallic materials development

Toda, Hiroyuki*; Tsuru, Tomohito; Yamaguchi, Masatake; Matsuda, Kenji*; Shimizu, Kazuyuki*; Hirayama, Kyosuke*

Kagaku, 75(10), p.48 - 53, 2020/10

Highly-concentrated precipitations play therefore dominant role in mechanical properties and hydrogen embrittlement of aluminum alloys. It has been considered that the coherent interface between matrix and precipitation does not contribute to the crack initiation and embrittlement due to its coherency. Here, we discovered the origin of unprecedented quasi-cleavage fracture mode. Hydrogen partitioning at various defect sites is investigated comprehensively combined with experiment, theory and first-principles calculations. We demonstrate that despite low excess free volume, the aluminum-precipitation interface is more preferable trap site than void and grain boundary. The cohesivity of the interface deteriorates significantly with increasing occupancy while hydrogen atoms are trapped stably up to extremely high occupancy equivalent to spontaneous cleavage.

The Possible transition mechanism for the meta-stable phase in the 7xxx aluminium

Bendo, A.*; Matsuda, Kenji*; Nishimura, Katsuhiko*; Nunomura, Norio*; Tsuchiya, Taiki*; Lee, S.*; Marioara, C. D.*; Tsuru, Tomohito; Yamaguchi, Masatake; Shimizu, Kazuyuki*; et al.

Materials Science and Technology, 36(15), p.1621 - 1627, 2020/09

https://doi.org/10.1080/02670836.2020.1821323

Metastable phases in aluminum alloys are the primary nano-scale precipitates which have the biggest contribution to the increase in the tangible mechanical properties. The continuous increase in hardness in the 7xxx aluminum alloys is associated with the phase transformation from clusters or GP-zones to the metastable phase. The transformation which is structural and compositional should occur following the path of the lowest activation energy. This work is an attempt to gain insight into how the structural transformation may occur based on the shortest route of diffusion for the eventual structure to result in that of phase. However, for the compositional transformation to occur, the proposed mechanism may not stand, since it is a prerequisite for the atoms to be at very precise positions in the aluminum lattice, at the very beginning of structural transformation, which may completely differ from that of the GP-zones atomic arrangements.

=0 long-range magnetic order in centennialite CaCu(OD)Cl 0.6DO; A Spin- perfect kagome antiferromagnet with --

Iida, Kazuki*; Yoshida, Hiroyuki*; Nakao, Akiko*; Jeschke, H. O.*; Iqbal, Y.*; Nakajima, Kenji; Kawamura, Seiko; Munakata, Koji*; Inamura, Yasuhiro; Murai, Naoki; et al.

Physical Review B, 101(22), p.220408_1 - 220408_6, 2020/06

https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.101.220408

Crystal and magnetic structures of the mineral centennialite CaCu(OD)Cl 0.6DO are investigated by means of synchrotron X-ray diffraction and neutron diffraction measurements complemented by density functional theory (DFT) and pseudofermion functional renormalization group (PFFRG) calculations. In CaCu(OD)Cl 0.6DO, Cu ions form a geometrically perfect kagome network with antiferromagnetic . No intersite disorder between Cu and Ca ions is detected. CaCu(OD)Cl 0.6DO enters a magnetic long-range ordered state below = 7.2 K, and the =0 magnetic structure with negative vector spin chirality is obtained. The ordered moment at 0.3 K is suppressed to 0.58(2)B. Our DFT calculations indicate the presence of antiferromagnetic and ferromagnetic superexchange couplings of a strength which places the system at the crossroads of three magnetic orders (at the classical level) and a spin- PFFRG analysis shows a dominance of =0 type magnetic correlations, consistent with and indicating proximity to the observed =0 spin structure. The results suggest that this material is located close to a quantum critical point and is a good realization of a -- kagome antiferromagnet.

An Unreported precipitate orientation relationship in Al-Zn-Mg based alloys

Bendo, A.*; Matsuda, Kenji*; Lervik, A.*; Tsuru, Tomohito; Nishimura, Katsuhiko*; Nunomura, Norio*; Holmestad, R.*; Marioara, C. D.*; Shimizu, Kazuyuki*; Toda, Hiroyuki*; et al.

Materials Characterization, 158, p.109958_1 - 109958_7, 2019/12

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matchar.2019.109958

Characterization of precipitates in Al-Zn-Mg alloys, using a combination of electron diffraction, bright field transmission electron microscopy and atomic scale scanning transmission electron microscopy imaging revealed the presence of an unreported orientation relationship between the -MgZn phase and the Al lattice with the following orientation relationship (0001) (120) and () (001), plate on (120). The precipitate interfaces were observed and analyzed along two projections 90 to one-another. The precipitate coarsening was through the common thickening ledge mechanism. The ledges were significantly stepped along one lateral direction. An interface relaxation model using density functional theory was carried out to explain the precipitate behavior.

Effect of copper addition on precipitation behavior near grain boundary in Al-Zn-Mg alloy

Matsuda, Kenji*; Yasumoto, Toru*; Bendo, A.*; Tsuchiya, Taiki*; Lee, S.*; Nishimura, Katsuhiko*; Nunomura, Norio*; Marioara, C. D.*; Lervik, A.*; Holmestad, R.*; et al.

Materials Transactions, 60(8), p.1688 - 1696, 2019/08

https://doi.org/10.2320/matertrans.L-M2019828

no abstracts in English

Coexistence of ferromagnetic and stripe-type antiferromagnetic spin fluctuations in YFeGe

Wo, H.*; Wang, Q.*; Shen, Y.*; Zhang, X.*; Hao, Y.*; Feng, Y.*; Shen, S.*; He, Z.*; Pan, B.*; Wang, W.*; et al.

Physical Review Letters, 122(21), p.217003_1 - 217003_5, 2019/05

https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.122.217003