Mechanical and Microstructural Evolution of the Mg-B Powder/Nb/Cu Cladding Using Hydrostatic Extrusion and Subsequent...

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Metallurgy
• Powder Metallurgy

Background:

• Cladding fabrication is crucial for advanced materials.
• Understanding the mechanical and microstructural evolution of Mg-B powders/Nb/Cu claddings is essential.
• Processing methods significantly impact material properties.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the mechanical and microstructural evolution of Mg-B powders/Nb/Cu claddings.
• To compare the effects of drawing only versus hydrostatic extrusion plus drawing processes.
• To analyze the densification, hardness, grain size, and texture of the claddings.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of Mg-B powders/Nb/Cu claddings using two distinct processes: drawing only, and hydrostatic extrusion plus drawing.
• Mechanical testing, including Vickers hardness measurements.
• Microstructural analysis using techniques to assess grain size, dislocation density, and texture (e.g., image quality value).

Main Results:

• The hydrostatic extrusion plus drawing process resulted in more densified Mg-B powder compared to drawing only, due to a higher reduction rate.
• Claddings produced by hydrostatic extrusion plus drawing exhibited slightly higher Vickers hardness and lower grain size in Nb tubes.
• The refined Nb microstructure from the latter process showed higher image quality (IQ) values, indicating lower dislocation density and a more distributed (110) fiber texture.

Conclusions:

• Hydrostatic extrusion combined with drawing is a superior method for fabricating Mg-B powders/Nb/Cu claddings.
• This process leads to improved densification, refined microstructure, enhanced hardness, and desirable texture in the Nb component.
• The findings offer insights into optimizing cladding fabrication for advanced material applications.