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

开发更坚固、轻质和耐用的材料对于解决包括汽车、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技术的限制。特别地，当经受用于增加许多合金的强度的加工技术时，铝合金遭受腐蚀敏感性。开发具有高强度和耐腐蚀性的新型铝合金，需要对控制这些材料的腐蚀和变形行为的机制有新的科学认识。该奖项支持基础研究，以揭示这些降解和强化机制。这项调查还将支持国家未来知识基础和劳动力的发展。从事这项研究的研究生和本科生将接受培训，以应对多学科环境中未来的技术挑战。研究成果将有助于开发教材，以支持阿克伦大学的全国第一个腐蚀工程本科课程，并支持K-12外展活动，与当地社区和高中生合作，提高STEM意识。合金由于其有限的强度和在努力提高其强度的情况下腐蚀性能的恶化而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是至关重要的。 假设晶粒细化100 nm和延长钒（V）在Al中的固溶度可以同时改善机械性能和腐蚀性能。采用高能球磨法可以制备出V含量范围较宽的纳米晶Al-V合金。合金将暴露于各种热处理以研究热稳定性并产生宽范围的晶粒尺寸、V固溶度和金属间分布。将使用最先进的材料和表面表征、电化学和机械测试技术研究微观结构对钝化、腐蚀引发和传播过程以及机械性能的作用。本研究将促进对以下问题的科学理解：1）加工对纳米结构Al-V合金的结构、腐蚀和机械行为的影响; 2）纳米结构、金属间化合物和V的扩展固溶度对腐蚀和机械性能的作用;以及3）导致腐蚀和机械性能同时改善的现象。本研究中获得的基本认识将为超强和耐腐蚀铝合金的开发提供理论框架。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并且通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的评估被认为值得支持影响审查标准。

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.