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、更耐用的材料对于应对包括汽车、航空航天、能源和基础设施在内的许多行业当前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工艺的限制。特别是，铝合金在受到用于提高许多合金强度的加工技术的影响时容易受到腐蚀。同时具有高强度和耐腐蚀性的新型铝合金的发展，要求对控制这些材料中的腐蚀和变形行为的机制有新的科学知识。该奖项支持基础研究，以揭示这些退化和强化的机制。这项调查还将支持国家未来的知识库和劳动力的发展。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中的技术挑战。研究成果将有助于开发教材，以支持美国在阿克伦大学的第一个腐蚀工程本科项目，并支持K-12外联活动，与当地社区和高中生合作，提高STEM意识。由于铝合金强度有限，腐蚀性能恶化，努力提高其强度，因此在许多应用中受到限制。因此，开发具有超高强度和优异耐腐蚀性的新型铝合金显得尤为重要。认为细化100 nm的晶粒和扩大钒(V)在Al中的固溶度可以同时改善力学性能和腐蚀性能。利用高能球磨技术可以制备出V含量范围较大的纳米晶Al-V合金。这些合金将进行不同的热处理，以研究热稳定性，并产生广泛的晶粒度、V固溶度和金属间化合物分布。将使用最先进的材料和表面表征、电化学和机械测试技术来研究微结构对钝化、腐蚀引发和扩展过程以及机械性能的作用。这项研究将促进对以下方面的科学认识：1)工艺对纳米结构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。在这项研究中形成的基本理解将导致开发超强和耐腐蚀铝合金的理论框架。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势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.