The failure caused by the corrosion-wear of molten aluminum and its alloys is one of the main problems in aluminum industry. In this work, the resistance behavior of various materials, including Fe-based alloys, ceramics and corresponding high apparatus of corrosion-wear in molten aluminum and its alloys, were reviewed. The synergistic effect of corrosion and wear was discussed based on corrosion and wear mechanics. The effects of dynamic agitation due to rotating of friction pairs, physical property of liquid metal and size of grain etc., on the corrosion-wear resistance performance were investigated. In addition, the characteristics of corrosion-wear resistance performance of materials in molten aluminum and its alloy were summarized. According to our recent progress referred to kinds of materials, especially a TiAl₃/Ti₃AlC₂/Al₂O₃ composite, the ceramics/metal composites with a co-continuous structure will be of great advantage in the field of corrosion-wear environment of molten aluminum and its alloys.

Hot spinning process has attracted significant attention because it can be used to manufacture complex parts, extend the forming limit of materials, decrease forming forces and reduce process chains. In this paper, we review researches on lightweight metals spun at elevated temperatures since they are difficult to deform at room temperature. These metals include light alloys, such as titanium, magnesium and aluminum alloys, and metal composites. Then, the heating methods used in the hot spinning process and the treatment methods employed for the temperature boundary condition in finite element analyses for the process were discussed. Finally, the future development directions for the hot spinning process of lightweight but difficult-to-deform alloys were highlighted.

Magnesium is a promising metal used as anodes for chemical power sources. This metal could theoretically provide negative discharge potential and exhibit large capacity during the discharge process. However, when the magnesium anode is adopted for practical applications, several issues, such as the discharge products adhered to the electrode surface, the self-discharge occurring on the anode material, and the detachment of metallic particles, adversely affect its inherently good discharge performance. In this work, the types of chemical power sources using magnesium as anodes were elaborated, and the approaches to enhance its anode performance were analyzed.

Aspects of material selection and innovative concepts of car construction using aluminium as best suited light-weight materials were presented, and recent development in established and advanced use of aluminium in passenger cars was discussed that help to meet economic and environmental requirements. 5xxx and 6xxx aluminium alloys were presented that have been improved for the increasing demands regarding higher strength and better formability, resulting in a mass reduction and improved crashworthiness. Furthermore, advances concerning multi-material light weight design were presented by examples for aluminium solutions in advanced “Multi-material” Super-Light-Car (SLC) concepts, which reaches significant mass reductions.

The 7xxx series alloys are heat treatable wrought aluminium alloys based on the Al-Zn-Mg(-Cu) system. They are widely used in high-performance structural aerospace and transportation applications. Apart from compositional, casting and thermo-mechanical processing effects, the balance of properties is also significantly influenced by the way in which the materials are heat-treated. This paper describes the effects of homogenisation, solution treatment, quenching and ageing treatments on the evolution of the microstructure and properties of some important medium to high-strength 7xxx alloys. With a focus on recent work at Monash University, where the whole processing route from homogenisation to final ageing has been studied for thick plate products, it is reported how microstructural features such as dispersoids, coarse constituent particles, fine-scale precipitates, grain structure and grain boundary characteristics can be controlled by heat treatment to achieve improved microstructure-property combinations. In particular, the paper presents methods for dissolving unwanted coarse constituent particles by controlled high- temperature treatments, quench sensitivity evaluations based on a systematic study of continuous cooling precipitation behaviour, and ageing investigations of one-, two- and three-step ageing treatments using experimental and modelling approaches. In each case, the effects on both the microstructure and the resulting properties are discussed.

Friction is a critical issue in plastic forming which influences forming force, metal flow, forming quality and service life of die. Since friction is a highly nonlinear physical phenomenon which is interactively affected by so many factors, great efforts have been made to study the friction mechanism and controlling. The research progress of friction issues in plastic forming was summarized and discussed from four aspects: testing, characterizing, modeling and optimization /controlling. Considering urgent demands for green, efficient and precise forming of high-performance, lightweight and complex components in high-tech industries such as aerospace and automotive, the trends and challenges of friction study in plastic forming were proposed.

A series of innovative green metallurgical processes using novel reaction media including the NaOH/KOH sub-molten salt media and the NaOH-NaNO₃ binary molten salt medium, for the extraction of vanadium and chromium from the vanadium slag have been developed. In comparison with the traditional sodium salt roasting technology, which operates at 850 °C, the operation temperatures of these new processes drop to 200-400 °C. Further, the extraction rates of vanadium and chromium utilizing the new approaches could reach 95% and 90%, respectively, significantly higher than those in the traditional roasting process, which are 75% and approximate zero, respectively. Besides, no hazardous gases and toxic tailings are discharged during the extraction process. Compared with the conventional roasting method, these new technologies show obvious advantages in terms of energy, environments, and the mineral resource utilization efficiency, providing an attractive alternative for the green technology upgrade of the vanadium production industries.

In the 1940s, KIRKENDALL showed that diffusion in binary solid solutions cannot be described by only one diffusion coefficient. Rather, one has to consider the diffusivity of both species. His findings changed the treatment of diffusion data and the theory of diffusion itself. A diffusion-based framework was successfully employed to explain the behaviour of the Kirkendall plane. Nonetheless, the complexity of a multiphase diffusion zone and the morphological evolution during interdiffusion requires a physico-chemical approach. The interactions in binary and more complex systems are key issues from both the fundamental and technological points of view. This paper reviews the Kirkendall effect from the circumstances of its discovery to recent developments in its understanding, with broad applicability in materials science and engineering.

Shape memory alloys (SMAs) are the developing advanced materials due to their versatile specific properties such as pseudoelasticity, shape memory effect (SME), biocompatibility, high specific strength, high corrosion resistance, high wear resistance and high anti-fatigue property. Therefore, the SMAs are used in many applications such as aerospace, medical and automobile. However, the conventional machining of SMAs causes serious tool wear, time consuming and less dimensional deformity due to severe strain hardening and pseudoelasticity. These materials can be machined using non-conventional methods such as laser machining, water jet machining (WJM) and electrochemical machining (ECM), but these processes are limited to complexity and mechanical properties of the component. Electrical discharge machining (EDM) and wire EDM (WEDM) show high capability to machine SMAs of complex shapes with precise dimensions. The aim of this work is to present the consolidated references on the machining of SMAs using EDM and WEDM and subsequently identify the research gaps. In support to these research gaps, this work has also evolved the future research directions.