Enhancing microstructure and mechanical properties of nickel aluminium bronze alloy through tin addition

Abstract

This article describes the changes in the microstructure, cooling curve characteristics and mechanical properties of cast Nickel Aluminium Bronze alloy (NAB) alloy that were produced by the addition of various amounts of Tin (Sn). The solidification parameters were recorded using a computer-aided cooling curve analysis setup, and optical and scanning electron microscopes were utilised to study the evolution of the microstructure. The chemical composition of different phases generated in the NAB alloy with and without Tin was investigated using an X-ray diffraction technique. With the addition of tin, the alloy's microstructure changed from columnar to equiaxed grain structures, and the ideal microstructure was produced at a Tin concentration of roughly 1.0 weight percent. The formation of the high temperature α and the grain boundary Sn rich phases across the alloy microstructure as a result of further addition has a considerable impact on the alloy's increased hardness (upto 69%) and tensile strength (upto 28.4%) compared to untreated NAB alloy. Influence of Sn on microstructure transformation is confirmed by the decline in alloy nucleation temperatures, the reduction in undercooling intensity, and the decrease in cooling rate during solidification. The addition of Tin to the NAB alloy caused morphological changes in the kappa (K) phases, which are also reported in the this article. In addition to this, the research makes an attempt to describe the mechanism underlying the formation of equiaxed grains and phase transformations in Sn-treated NAB alloys.

Quantitative Analysis of Silicon Influence and Deformation Impact on the Mechanical and Corrosion Characteristics of Nickel Aluminium Bronze (NAB) Alloy

“…Through rigorous testing, we aim to establish a clear relationship between the silicon variation and the alloy tensile strength, ductility and hardness with respect to the deformation percentage. Corrosion resistance is another crucial property for materials used in marine environments, where the presence of saltwater can lead to rapid degradation of materials (Poorjary et al, 2023;Rivero et al, 2021). The role of silicon in improving the corrosion resistance characterization of NAB alloy is a focus of ongoing research.…”