• Journal of Korea Foundry Society
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• v.29 no.5
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• pp.187-191
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• 2009

Microstructures and shape memory characteristics of $Ti_{50}Ni_{20}Cu_{30}$ alloy strips fabricated by arc melt overflow have been investigated by means of XRD, optical microscopy and DSC. The microstructure of as-cast strips exhibited columnar grains normal to the strip surface. X-ray diffraction analysis showed that one-step martensitic transformation of B2-B19 occurred in the alloy strips. According to the DSC analysis, it was known that the martensitic transformation temperature ($M_s$) of B2 $\rightarrow$ B19 in $Ti_{50}Ni_{20}Cu_{30}$ strip is $57^{\circ}C$. During thermal cyclic deformation with the applied stress of 60 MPa, transformation hysteresis and elongation associated with the B2-B19 transformation were observed to be $3.7^{\circ}C$ and 1.6%, respectively. The as-cast strip of $Ti_{50}Ni_{20}Cu_{30}$ alloy also showed a superelasticity and its stress hysteresis was as small as 14 MPa. These mechanical properties and shape memory characteristics of the alloy strips were ascribed to B2-B19 transformation and the controlled microstructures produced by rapid solidification of the arc melt overflow process.

• Journal of Korea Foundry Society
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.122-128
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• 2000

Strip casting process is a new technology that makes a near net shape thin strip directly from molten metal. With this process, a large amount of energy and casting cost could be decreased from the abbreviation of reheating and/or hot rolling process. Ductile cast iron which has spheroidal graphite in the matrix is the most commercial and industrial material, because of its supreme strength, toughness, and wear resistance etc. But it cannot be produced to the thin strip owing to difficulty in rolling of ductile cast iron. In this study, ductile cast iron strips are produced by the twin roll strip caster, with different chemical compositions of C, Si, and Mn contents. And then heat-treated, microstructures and mechanical properties are examined. The microstructures of as-cast strip are that of white cast iron which consists of the mixture of cementite and pearlite, but the equiaxed crystal zone of the pearlite or segregation zone of cementite exists in the center region of the strip thickness, which cannot be observed in the rapidly solidified metallic mold cast specimens. This structure is supposed to be formed from the thermal distribution of strip and the rolling force. Comparing with the structures of each strips after heat treatment, increasing Si content makes smaller spheroidal graphite and more compact in the matrix, furthermore the less of Mn content makes the ferrite matrix be obtained clearer and easier. As a result of the tensile test of graphitization heat-treated strips, the yield strengths are about 250 MPa, the tensile strengths are about $430{\sim}500$ MPa, and the elongations are about $10{\sim}13%$. In the case of the strip which has the smaller and more compact spheroidal graphite in the ferrite matrix, the higher tensile strength and better drawability could be obtained.

• Korean Journal of Metals and Materials
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• v.47 no.8
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• pp.482-487
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• 2009

In order to investigate the effects of intermediate heat treatment between cold rolling passes on the hardness and corrosion properties of a Zr alloy incorporating Nb (Zr-1.49Nb-0.38Sn-0.20Fe-0.11Cr) strip, three different intermediate heat treatment processes ($580^{\circ}C{\times}4hrs$, $600^{\circ}C{\times}2hrs$ and $620^{\circ}{\times}1hrs$) were designed based on a recrystallization map and an accumulated annealing parameter. Test samples from the different processes were investigated by a hardness test, corrosion test, and microstructure analysis and appropriate heat-treatment conditions were thereupon proposed. The sample subjected to an intermediate heat treatment of $580^{\circ}C{\times}4hrs$ was harder than that undergoing $600^{\circ}C{\times}2hrs$ and $620^{\circ}C{\times}1hr$ while the corrosion resistance of the sample that received an intermediate heat treatment of $580^{\circ}C{\times}4hrs$ was superior to that of the other specimens. Considering the trade-off of hardness and corrosion resistance, an intermediate heat treatment process of $600^{\circ}C{\times}2hrs$ is proposed to improve the manufacturing process of the alloy strip.

• Korean Journal of Metals and Materials
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• v.47 no.8
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• pp.474-481
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• 2009

The effects of final heat treatment on the mechanical and corrosion properties of a Zr alloy strip incorporating Nb were investigated. The chemical composition of the strip was Zr-1.49Nb-0.38Sn-0.20Fe-0.11Cr, and strip specimens were subjected to final heat treatment in a temperature range of $580{\sim}700^{\circ}C$. Tensile tests at room temperature and $316^{\circ}C$, along with corrosion tests in a simulated PWR loop and a 70 ppm LiOH solution environment at $360^{\circ}C$, were performed on the specimens. The mechanical properties of the strip were saturated when the specimens received final heat treatment at an elevated temperature of more than $640^{\circ}C$. However, the corrosion resistance of the strip in the simulated PWR loop and in the 70 ppm LiOH solution environment was improved with a decrease of the final annealing temperature. It is recommended that the alloy strip be finally heat-treated at a temperature of less than $620^{\circ}C$ for longer than 10 minutes in order to obtain fully recrystallized microstructures, and thereby attain enlarged tensile elongation, and to prevent the precipitation of ${\beta}-Zr$, which is known to deteriorate the corrosion resistance.