Graded SiC reinforced magnesium wires: Towards high throughput composite alloy discovery
High-throughput methods can accelerate the development of metal alloys and (nano)composites, both empirically and as input to computational methods. This study introduces a new route to fabricating composite wires with longitudinally varying composition using the byproduct of stationary-shoulder fri...
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Elsevier
2025-06-01
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| Series: | Materials & Design |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0264127525004368 |
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| author | Zhuocheng Xu Xingjian Zhao Oliver Watts W. Mark Rainforth Milo S.P. Shaffer Sam Holdsworth Dikai Guan Qianqian Li |
| author_facet | Zhuocheng Xu Xingjian Zhao Oliver Watts W. Mark Rainforth Milo S.P. Shaffer Sam Holdsworth Dikai Guan Qianqian Li |
| author_sort | Zhuocheng Xu |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | High-throughput methods can accelerate the development of metal alloys and (nano)composites, both empirically and as input to computational methods. This study introduces a new route to fabricating composite wires with longitudinally varying composition using the byproduct of stationary-shoulder friction stir channelling (SS-FSC); this sample format is attractive for a variety of rapid read-out options in the future. The concept is illustrated by preparing Mg composite wires with a longitudinally graded concentration of SiC-particles. Spark plasma sintering (SPS) was used to encode a step-change in SiC concentration within a feedstock billet. Subsequent SS-FSC transformed this discrete compositional step into a continuous, graded extruded wire. Microstructural analysis revealed significant grain refinement from the SPS billet (44.3 ± 2.3 µm) to the SS-FSC wire (7.4 ± 0.5 µm), with even finer grains in SiC-loaded regions (5.1 ± 0.5 µm), attributed to particle-stimulated nucleation. Mechanical characterisation confirmed a hardness increase, from 65.8 ± 1.2 HV3 to 68.9 ± 2.7 HV3 (high SiC-content). This proof-of-concept study confirms the effectiveness of SS-FSC in producing high-quality wires with tailored microstructural and mechanical gradients. Additional compositions could be readily multiplexed in the original billet, providing a robust high-throughput technique for comprehensive structure–property investigations of advanced alloys and composites. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-59b8f27ce2c241bc869f5e2440087d3d |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 0264-1275 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Materials & Design |
| spelling | doaj-art-59b8f27ce2c241bc869f5e2440087d3d2025-08-20T03:10:42ZengElsevierMaterials & Design0264-12752025-06-0125411401610.1016/j.matdes.2025.114016Graded SiC reinforced magnesium wires: Towards high throughput composite alloy discoveryZhuocheng Xu0Xingjian Zhao1Oliver Watts2W. Mark Rainforth3Milo S.P. Shaffer4Sam Holdsworth5Dikai Guan6Qianqian Li7Department of Aeronautics, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom; Department of Mechanical Engineering, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, United KingdomDepartment of Mechanical Engineering, University of Southampton, Southampton SO17 1BJ, United KingdomTWI Ltd., Granta Park, Great Abington, Cambridge CB21 6AL, United KingdomSchool of Chemical, Materials and Biological Engineering, University of Sheffield, Sheffield S1 3JD, United KingdomDepartment of Materials, Imperial College London, South Kensington Campus, London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom; Department of Chemistry, Molecular Sciences Research Hub (MSRH), Imperial College London, 82 Wood Lane, London W12 0BZ, United Kingdom; Corresponding authors.TWI Ltd., Granta Park, Great Abington, Cambridge CB21 6AL, United KingdomDepartment of Mechanical Engineering, University of Southampton, Southampton SO17 1BJ, United Kingdom; Corresponding authors.Department of Aeronautics, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom; Corresponding authors.High-throughput methods can accelerate the development of metal alloys and (nano)composites, both empirically and as input to computational methods. This study introduces a new route to fabricating composite wires with longitudinally varying composition using the byproduct of stationary-shoulder friction stir channelling (SS-FSC); this sample format is attractive for a variety of rapid read-out options in the future. The concept is illustrated by preparing Mg composite wires with a longitudinally graded concentration of SiC-particles. Spark plasma sintering (SPS) was used to encode a step-change in SiC concentration within a feedstock billet. Subsequent SS-FSC transformed this discrete compositional step into a continuous, graded extruded wire. Microstructural analysis revealed significant grain refinement from the SPS billet (44.3 ± 2.3 µm) to the SS-FSC wire (7.4 ± 0.5 µm), with even finer grains in SiC-loaded regions (5.1 ± 0.5 µm), attributed to particle-stimulated nucleation. Mechanical characterisation confirmed a hardness increase, from 65.8 ± 1.2 HV3 to 68.9 ± 2.7 HV3 (high SiC-content). This proof-of-concept study confirms the effectiveness of SS-FSC in producing high-quality wires with tailored microstructural and mechanical gradients. Additional compositions could be readily multiplexed in the original billet, providing a robust high-throughput technique for comprehensive structure–property investigations of advanced alloys and composites.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0264127525004368High-throughput prototypingSiC reinforced Mg matrix compositeGraded compositeStationary-shoulder friction stir channelling (SS-FSC) |
| spellingShingle | Zhuocheng Xu Xingjian Zhao Oliver Watts W. Mark Rainforth Milo S.P. Shaffer Sam Holdsworth Dikai Guan Qianqian Li Graded SiC reinforced magnesium wires: Towards high throughput composite alloy discovery Materials & Design High-throughput prototyping SiC reinforced Mg matrix composite Graded composite Stationary-shoulder friction stir channelling (SS-FSC) |
| title | Graded SiC reinforced magnesium wires: Towards high throughput composite alloy discovery |
| title_full | Graded SiC reinforced magnesium wires: Towards high throughput composite alloy discovery |
| title_fullStr | Graded SiC reinforced magnesium wires: Towards high throughput composite alloy discovery |
| title_full_unstemmed | Graded SiC reinforced magnesium wires: Towards high throughput composite alloy discovery |
| title_short | Graded SiC reinforced magnesium wires: Towards high throughput composite alloy discovery |
| title_sort | graded sic reinforced magnesium wires towards high throughput composite alloy discovery |
| topic | High-throughput prototyping SiC reinforced Mg matrix composite Graded composite Stationary-shoulder friction stir channelling (SS-FSC) |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0264127525004368 |
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