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Samara University scientists are working to create a mathematical model that will help researchers to study the behaviour of aluminum alloys in the early stages of thermomechanical processing, and engineers to predict and obtain new classes of aluminum alloys with specified properties. Calculations accuracy of texture and structure formation in the early stages of thermomechanical processing will lead to a reduction of manufacturing defects in the industrial production of aluminum products. The works are carried out within the framework of the Russian Science Foundation grant.
In order to create a material with clearly defined properties, it is necessary to investigate all stages of its development – from the moment of the crystallographic structure formation to the product manufacture, as the crystallographic texture also continues to evolve during cold stamping.
However, in the case of aluminum and its alloys, the initial stage of the crystallographic texture formation, namely, its cubic component, has not been sufficiently studied. This especially concerns aluminum alloys with micro-alloying with chemical elements such as Scandium (Sc) and Zirconium (Zr). “Previously, no one has studied in depth how the main components appear in this type of aluminum alloys,” — said Research Supervisor and Associate Professor of Samara University Department of Metals Technology and Aviation Materials Yevgeny Aryshensky.
As part of the study, scientists fill this gap: they study the behaviour of crystals, identify patterns in their location, investigate the processes of recrystallization. The fact is that it is the crystallographic structure of aluminum alloys, laid down at the stage of the cast material study, that largely determines its properties at the final stages of thermomechanical processing.
The scientists explain their interest in the study of aluminum properties by the fact that today this material due to the combination of its basic properties, namely low weight, high plasticity and acceptable strength, is considered to be an indispensable material for the use in the aviation, aerospace and transport fields. "I am convinced that the share of aluminum will expand in mass industrial production for at least the next 100 years. In the near future, it will not yield even to the materials of tomorrow — composites, which are much more expensive to manufacture at this stage of development and often include up to 40% of the same aluminum,” — says Yevgeny Aryshensky.
In addition to theoretical calculations, within the framework of the Russian Science Foundation grant the scientists conduct experiments with traditional alloys – in particular, with 5182, widely used as a structural material in the aviation and space industry. The results of the experiment are presented in article "Study of Recrystallization Kinetics in AA5182 Aluminum Alloy After Deformation of the As-Cast Structure" of the high-ranking journal Materials Research Express. The scientists are also experimenting with new alloys, for example, with 1565 ch – recently created under the guidance of the leading Russian scientist in the field of metallurgy of aluminum alloys, Alexander Drits. The results are presented in article “Study of the Recrystallization Behaviour of the Aluminium 1565ch Alloy During Hot Rolling of the As Cast Structures” published in Materials Research Express. The study of the crystallographic structure of these materials in theory and in practice will help to create more durable, plastic and corrosion-resistant compositions of aluminum alloys, by adding rare earth elements as well. New alloys can be used both in already operating aerospace technology and in new samples.
At the same time, the researchers emphasize: one of the objectives of the study is to make the costly manufacturing process of products from aluminum and its alloys, micro-alloyed by transitional elements of alloys, more economically profitable and technological. “We are working on a complex mathematical model of texture formation in the early stages of thermomechanical processing, which we are planning to implement as a software tool,” – said Yevgeny Aryshensky. – This software tool will help engineers to set all the parameters of thermomechanical processing and to understand what its modes on modern automated equipment will suit this or that aluminum alloy in order to get a product with specified properties. – The more accurate the evolution of the crystallographic structure of the material is predicted in the early stages of thermomechanical processing, the less defects will appear in the final stages of production. According to our estimation, in this case the quality of products will increase by 25-30%”.
For reference
The research on "Creating a Model for Calculating the Evolution of Texture and Structure in the Early Stages of the Thermomechanical Processing of Aluminum Alloys, Including Additives of Transition Metals" is conducted as part of a grant of the Russian Science Foundation (No. 18-79-10099) to support young scientists. The work is carried out by the team of young researchers under the guidance of Associate Professor of Samara University Department of Metals Technology and Aviation Materials Yevgeny Aryshensky. The research team includes Leading Researcher at the Aviation Materials Study Industrial Research Laboratory (ONIL-4) of Samara University, Head of the Department of Metal Technology and Aviation Materials Sergey Konovalov, Associate Professor of the Department Sergey Voronin, graduate students Vasily Yashin and Ilya Latushkin, student Vladislav Elagin. Moreover, one of the research participants is the famous scientist Jürgen Hirsch. He developed the theory of crystallographic texture formation in the manufacture of canned tape, which he outlined in a series of scientific articles indexed in the Web of Science and Scopus databases, and cited by scientists around the world.
Aluminum is the most common metal and the third most abundant chemical element in the Earth's crust after oxygen and silicon. It is widely used as a structural material because it is light, amenable to molding, stamping, casting, machining, and resistant to corrosion. It has a high thermal and electrical conductivity, its compounds are not poisonous. Aluminum is the main raw material in the aviation and aerospace industry.
Materials Research Express is an interdisciplinary journal dedicated to the publication of new experimental and theoretical studies of the properties, characteristics, design and manufacture of all classes of materials and their technological applications. According to the Scimago Journal Rank, the journal has the highest quartile Q1 in all scientific areas defined in the database: Biomaterials, Electronic, Optical and Magnetic Materials, Metals and Alloys, Polymers and Plastics, Surfaces, Coatings and Films. According to the Journal Citation Reports, in 2017, the impact factor of the journal was 1.151.
