MATERIALS SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING

Microstructure evolution and mechanical properties of bulk nanocrystalline Zn−Cu−Sr−Li alloy processed by high-speed rolling

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  • a Key Laboratory of Advanced Manufacturing and Intelligent Technology (Ministry of Education), School of Material Science and Chemical Engineering, Harbin University of Science and Technology, Harbin 150040, China;

    b Research Institute of Aero-Engine, Beihang University, Beijing 100191, China

Online published: 2026-06-23

Abstract

Nanocrystalline Zn−3Cu−0.2Sr−xLi (x=0, 0.2, 0.4, wt.%) alloys were prepared via high-speed rolling to meet the urgent demand for high-performance alloys in the biomedical field. The high-speed rolling process generated numerous dislocations, providing sufficient driving force for recrystallization. The addition of Li promoted the formation of ε and β phases. These secondary phases provided abundant heterogeneous nucleation sites and a strong pinning effect, facilitating recrystallized grain nucleation while inhibiting its growth. The grain size of the alloy containing 0.4 wt.% Li was refined from 181.8 μm to 50 nm after rolling. The ultimate tensile strength, yield strength, and elongation of the rolled alloy containing 0.4 wt.% Li achieved 433.3 MPa, 389.2 MPa, and 15.2%, respectively. Compared to the as-cast Li-free alloy, 0.4Li alloy demonstrated a 173% increase in yield strength and a 591% improvement in elongation. Nanocrystalline strengthening was the dominant mechanism, contributing 70.4% to the total yield strength of the rolled Zn−3Cu−0.2Sr−0.4Li alloy.

Cite this article

Ze-xu YANG, Si-cong ZHAO, Lei WANG, Yi-cheng FENG, Er-jun GUO . Microstructure evolution and mechanical properties of bulk nanocrystalline Zn−Cu−Sr−Li alloy processed by high-speed rolling[J]. Transactions of Nonferrous Metals Society of China, 2026 , 36(6) : 1799 -1815 . DOI: 10.1016/S1003-6326(26)67061-6

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