Metallic Materials: Steels

Ferrous Alloys (iron and steels) • Medium-carbon steels Table 11.2

Steels – C: ~0.25-0.6 wt%
• Plain carbon steels: Fe-C alloys – often tempered martensite
• Alloy steels: Fe-C + alloying – stronger
elements such as Cu, Ni, Cr, Mn, – less ductile and less tough
Mo, V, W etc – example applications: railway
• Low-carbon steels wheels, gears, crankshafts
Table 11.1
– C < ~0.30 wt% Yield strength: ~400-1800 MPa
– a + pearlite
Ultimate tensile strength: ~600-2100 MPa
– relatively soft
– good ductility and toughness Elongation: ~30-10%
– easily manufactured
– inexpensive
– example applications: car body
parts, beams and sheets for
construction
Yield strength: ~200-400 MPa
Ultimate tensile strength: ~400-500 MPa
Elongation: ~20-30% Reading: 12.5-12.14 (5th ed), 11.1-11.3 (6th/7th ed)
MCEN90014: Materials Dr. K. Xia 1

Metallic Materials: Steels

• High-carbon steels • Stainless steels Table 11.4
Table 11.3
– C: 0.6-1.4 wt% – Cr: >10 wt%
– tempered martensite + other – Ni and Mo often added
carbides in alloy steels – martensitic (e.g. 410 with
– hard and strong 12.5% Cr), ferritic (e.g. 409
– not ductile with 11% Cr) or austenitic (e.g.
– example applications: tools and 304 with 19% Cr + 9% Ni)
dies – a large range of strength and
HRC: 60-70
ductility depending on
microstructure
– highly corrosion resistant
– example applications: cutlery,
pressure vessels, chemical
processing equipment,
surgical tools, furnace parts

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 Metallic Materials: Steels
Matrix: Fe-Ni martensite (bcc)
Fe Alloys Pure Mild steels 4130 H13 18Ni g-Stainless
Fe (maraging) steels
Tensile << 150 > 200-250 ~1000- ~1300- ~1400-2400 ~200-950
Yield 1500 1550 (mostly 200-
Strength < 0.3C + Mn, Si 0.3C + Mn, Si, 0.4C + 5Cr, 18Ni + 4Mo, 10Co
300)
Cr, Mo Mo, V, Si, Mn <0.25C + 15-25Cr, 1-35Ni,
(MPa) 15-2Mn, 1-3Si

UTS > 300-400 ~1150- ~1500- ~1500-2450 ~500-1200

(MPa) 1750 1950 (500-600)
Elonga- > 30-20 ~20-10 15-10 ~10-5 ~40-5 (40-30)
tion (%) Such as Ni3Mo, Ni3Ti
Micro- ferrite ferrite/ tempered tempered intermetallic austenite
structure pearlite martensite martensite precipitates

a Fe (ferrite): bcc Matrix: a, g, martensite, etc Typical microstructures: High strength

structure existing Precipitates: cementite (Fe3C), -a steels:
below 912°C other carbides, nitrides, - pearlite quenching to get
g Fe (austenite): intermetallic phases, etc - a/pearlite martensite +
fcc structure Solid solution: interstitial (C, N, -tempered martensite tempering = a +
existing above etc), substitutional (Si, Mo, Mn, -g carbides/
912°C Ni, Cu, Al, V, etc) - duplex a/g intermetallics

MCEN90014: Materials Dr. K. Xia 3

Metallic Materials: Cast Irons

Cast irons (C: 3-4.5 wt%) C exists in most cast irons as graphite rather than forming
carbide usually as a result of Si addition and slower cooling
This is the Fe-C
equilibrium phase
diagram and
different from the
Fe-Fe3C phase
diagram which
contains the
metastable phase 1147°C in Fe-Fe3C
Fe3C

4.3 in Fe-Fe3C
The Fe-rich part
is similar with
slightly different
eutectoid and 727°C in Fe-Fe3C
eutectic
compositions 0.76 in Fe-Fe3C
and temperatures

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 Metallic Materials: Cast Irons
• Grey cast iron
Graphite
– C: 2.5-4%; Si: 1-3%
– flakes of graphite in a matrix
of a or pearlite
– weak and brittle in tension
– high damping ability
– high wear resistance
– good castability
– cheap
– example applications: base
for machines, garden
furniture, pistons, engine
cylinders, brake disks

Ultimate tensile
strength: ~150-250
MPa
Elongation: ~0%
MCEN90014: Materials Dr. K. Xia 5

Metallic Materials: Cast Irons

• Nodular cast iron (ductile cast
Graphite
iron)
– grey iron + Mg/Ce
– nodules of graphite in a matrix
of a or pearlite
– stronger and more ductile
comparable to low carbon
steels
– example applications: valves,
gears, crankshafts

Yield strength: ~300-500 MPa

Ultimate tensile strength: ~400-800 MPa
Elongation: up to 20%

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 Metallic Materials: Cast Irons

Family of cast irons

White irons contain less Si (< 1%)

and Fe3C forms upon casting
instead of graphite.
White irons are very brittle and
hard.

Malleable irons result from

reheating white irons to ~700°C
Table 11.5 lists the
for >30 h, and consist of rosette-
compositions,
shaped graphite in a matrix of
properties and
either pearlite or ferrite.
applications of some
cast irons

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Metallic Materials: Ferrous Alloys

Family of ferrous alloys

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 Metallic Materials: Al
Nonferrous Alloys
Al alloys
• Attractive properties
– low density (2.7 g/cm3)
– high corrosion resistance
– high electrical and heat
conductivity
– easy to form and manufacture
• Series of wrought Al alloys
– 1xxx (e.g. 1100, 1199): pure Al
• soft and very ductile
• good electric conductivity
• applications including
electrical conductors, foil
– 2xxx (e.g. 2024, 2618): Al-Cu
(+Mg)
• precipitation hardenable
• high strength
• uses in aircraft structures
MCEN90014: Materials
– 3xxx (e.g. 3003, 3004): Al-Mn
(+Mg)
• moderate strength with good
ductility
• work hardened and solution
strengthened
• uses in making beverage
cans
– 4xxx: Al-Si alloys
• use as electrodes in welding
and brazing
– 5xxx (e.g. 5005, 5454): Al-Mg
• solid solution and work
hardened
• moderate strength
• weldable and good corrosion
resistance
• for making petrol tanks,boats
Dr. K. Xia 9

Metallic Materials: Al
– 6xxx (e.g. 6061, 6063): Al-Mg-
Si
• age hardened
• medium strength
• weldable and good
corrosion resistance
• good extrudability
• uses in window frames,
cars
– 7xxx (e.g. 7075, 7475): Al-Zn-
Mg
• age hardened
• very high strength
• used for structural
applications in aircraft
– 8xxx: Al-Li (+ other elements)
• very light
Useful learning site: aluminium.matter.org.uk
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 Metallic Materials: Al

Al Pure Al: Al-Mg: Al-Cu-Mg: Al-Zn-Mg-Cu:

Alloys 1100 (O) 5454 (H34) 2014 (T6) 7178 (T6)
Tensile ~35 ~240 ~415 ~540
Yield
Strengt
h
(MPa)
UTS ~90 ~305 ~485 ~605
(MPa)
Elonga- ~35 ~10 ~15 ~10
tion (%)
Streng- solid solution & precipitation precipitation
thening strain

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Metallic Materials: Al

Quicksilver
(Port Douglas)

All Al Jaguar

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 Metallic Materials: Ti

Ti Alloys Pure Ti: a alloy: a/b alloy: b alloy:

99.5-99.0% (O) 5Al-2.5Sn (O) 6Al-4V (T6) Beta C (T6)
Tensile ~240-590 ~800 ~1100 ~1380
Yield
Strength Ti-3Al-8V-
6Cr-4Zr-4Mo
(MPa)
UTS ~330-660 ~860 ~1170 ~1450
(MPa)
Elonga- ~30-20 ~15 ~10 ~7
tion (%)
Streng- interstitial & solid solid solution dual phase solid
thening solution (e.g. O & Fe) & solution &
precipitation precipitation

a Ti: hcp structure existing below 883°C

b Ti: bcc structure existing above 883°C

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Metallic Materials: Ti

Blackbird
Fuselage and other aerospace
structural components

Medical
applications

Sport applications

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 Metallic Materials: Mg

Mg Alloys pure Mg AZ61 (F) ZM61 (T5)

extruded,
gs=50 µm
Tensile Yield Strength (MPa) ~135 ~230 ~340
Mg-6.5Al-1Zn Mg-6Zn-1.2Mn

UTS (MPa) ~196 ~310 ~385

Elongation (%) ~12 ~16 ~8

Strengthening M ater. Sci. Eng.

A276(2000)108- Precipitation Precipitation
116

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Metallic Materials: Ni Superalloys

Cast Ni Alloys Inconel 718 Mar-M 246 Hf CMSX-2 (single PWA-1480

crystal [001]) (single crystal
[001])
Yield Strength 915 ~860 ~1135 ~895
at RT
(MPa)
Yield Strength ~860 at 760°C ~1245 at 760°C ~905 at 760°C
at HT (MPa) ~345 at 980°C ~495 at 980°C
1000-h Creep ~130 at 980 C 170 at 980 C
Rupture
Strength (MPa)

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 Metallic Materials: Ni Superalloys

Compressor Polycrystalline
T < 650°C cast and
wrought alloys

Low pressure turbine

T < 850°C

DS and
single High pressure turbine
crystalline Metal T > 1100°C
alloys Inlet air T >1400°C

MCEN90014: Materials Dr. K. Xia 17

Metallic Materials
Extract from an article in the Age, Nov. 9, 2010 (after a Qantas A380's engine exploded midair)
“Think of the A380 for a moment: it is 72 m long, has a wingspan of 79 m, carries about 500 people, 310,000
litres of fuel and has a maximum take-off weight of 560 tonnes.”

“As it is the biggest bird in the sky, it needs mightily powerful engines, ones that deliver at least 70,000
pounds of thrust each, about 12,000 pounds more than generated by the engine Rolls Royce makes for the
Boeing 747. And there are four of them under the wings of an A380.”

“Rolls Royce Trent engines have about 18,000 parts, many that will spend their working live in what amounts
to a flying furnace.”

“The [turbine] blade is grown as a single crystal of a Rolls-Royce alloy in a vacuum furnace. As it grows, it
incorporates as complex series of air passages to cool the blade. Then it needs external cooling holes created
by electro discharge machining. And on top of that is a thermal barrier coating that makes the tiles on the
space shuttle look pedestrian.”

“It lives in the high pressure turbine, where the gas temperature is at least 400 degrees above the melting
point of the blade's alloy.”

“The blade sits in a disc that rotates at more than 10,000 rpm. This means that the force on the blade is the
same as hanging a London double-decker bus from its tip.”

“One tonne of air per second gets sucked in to heat some [components] and cool others, and to very precise
temperatures … At its heart, the temperature can reach half that of the surface of the sun, and its pressure is
the same as half a kilometre down in the ocean.”
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 Intermetallic Alloys
• Compounds between metallic elements • Negative characteristics
– ordered structure – low ductility at RT
– hybrid of metallic, ionic and covalent – low fracture toughness
bonding Compared with at RT
• Positive characteristics Ti: Tm = 1668 °C • Applications
°
Ni: Tm = 1455 C
– high stability temperature: Al: Tm = 660 °C – high temperature
• TiAl: ordered up to Tm ~1440 C structural such as in gas
• NiAl: ordered up to Tm ~1640 C turbine
• Ti3Al: ordered up to ~1180 C
• Ni3Al: ordered up to ~1395 C
– good strength at high T
– good stiffness at high T
– good oxidation resistance Intermetallics are
– low density somewhere between
– deformable at high T disordered metallic
alloys and ceramics

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Ti-Al Phase Diagram

Structure of Ti3Al (D019)

Ti
Al
b

g
a2

a
Al

Ti

Structure of TiAl (L10)

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 Metallic Materials
Ti alloys
Mg alloys
Cu alloys
Superalloys: Ni, Co
Refractory metals: Nb, Mo, W, Ta
Noble metals: Au, Ag, Pt
Intermetallics: TiAl, NiAl, FeAl, etc.

Self study

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