Understanding the Structure, Corrosion and Mechanical Behavior of Nanostructured Al-V Alloys Produced by High-Energy Ball Milling and Subsequent Consolidation

开发更强、更轻、更耐用的材料对于解决当前汽车、航空航天、能源和基础设施等许多行业的技术挑战至关重要。金属材料的强度和耐久性受到传统成分和制造技术的限制。特别是，铝合金遭受腐蚀易感性时，受到加工技术用于增加许多合金的强度。新型铝合金的发展，同时具有高强度和耐腐蚀性，需要新的科学知识，控制这些材料的腐蚀和变形行为的机制。该奖项支持揭示这些退化和增强机制的基础研究。这项调查还将为国家未来的知识基础和劳动力的发展提供支持。从事这项研究的研究生和本科生将接受培训，以应对未来多学科环境下的技术挑战。研究结果将有助于开发教材，以支持阿克伦大学（University of Akron）开设的美国首个腐蚀工程本科课程，并支持与当地社区和高中生合作的K-12外展活动，以提高STEM意识。铝（Al）合金的使用在许多应用中受到限制，因为它们的强度有限，并且随着努力增加其强度而使腐蚀性能恶化。因此，开发具有超高强度和优异耐蚀性的新型铝合金是至关重要的。假设晶粒细化100 nm和钒(V)在Al中的固溶度扩大可以同时改善机械性能和腐蚀性能。利用高能球磨可以制备出V含量大范围的纳米晶Al-V合金。将对合金进行各种热处理，以研究其热稳定性，并产生大范围的晶粒尺寸、V固溶度和金属间分布。微观结构在钝化、腐蚀起始和扩展过程中的作用以及机械性能将使用最先进的材料和表面表征、电化学和机械测试技术进行研究。本研究将促进对以下方面的科学认识：1)工艺对纳米Al-V合金的组织、腐蚀和力学行为的影响；2)纳米晶结构、金属间化合物和V的扩展固溶度对腐蚀和力学性能的作用；3)导致腐蚀和力学性能同时改善的现象。在这项研究中发展的基本认识将为开发超强和耐腐蚀铝合金提供理论框架。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Developing stronger, lightweight, and durable materials is critical to address current technological challenges in many industries including automotive, aerospace, energy and infrastructure. The strength and durability of metallic materials is limited by the conventional compositions and manufacturing technologies. In particular, aluminum alloys suffer from corrosion susceptibility when subjected to processing techniques used to increase the strength of many alloys. The development of new aluminum alloys, with concurrent high strength and corrosion resistance, requires new scientific knowledge of the mechanisms that control corrosion and deformation behavior in these materials. This award supports fundamental research to uncover these mechanisms of degradation and strengthening. The investigation will also support the development of the knowledge base and workforce for the nation's future. The graduate and undergraduate students working on this research will be trained to address future technological challenges in a multidisciplinary setting. The outcomes of the research will help in developing teaching materials to support the nation's first undergraduate program in corrosion engineering at the University of Akron, and to support K-12 outreach activities to work with the local communities and high school students to increase STEM awareness.Use of aluminum (Al) alloys is limited in many applications due to their limited strength and deterioration of the corrosion performance with efforts made to increase their strength. Therefore, developing new Al alloys exhibiting ultra-high strength and excellent corrosion resistance is of paramount importance. It is hypothesized that grain refinement 100 nm and extended solid solubility of Vanadium (V) in Al can improve mechanical and corrosion properties simultaneously. Nanocrystalline Al-V alloys with a wide range of V content will be produced using high-energy ball milling. The alloys will be exposed to various heat treatments for studying the thermal stability and creating a wide range of grain size, V solid solubility, and intermetallic distribution. The role of the microstructure on passivation, corrosion initiation and propagation processes, and mechanical properties will be studied using state-of-the-art material and surface characterization, electrochemical and mechanical testing techniques. This investigation will advance scientific understanding of the: 1) influence of the processing on the structure, corrosion and mechanical behavior of the nanostructured Al-V alloys, 2) role of nanocrystalline structure, intermetallics, and extended solid solubility of V on the corrosion and mechanical properties, and 3) phenomena leading to the simultaneous improvement in corrosion and mechanical properties. Fundamental understanding developed in this research will lead to a theoretical framework for the development of ultra-strong and corrosion resistant Al alloys.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.