Submit to Materials Review for Materials Propose a Special Issue

Journal Browser

Mechanical Properties and Characterization of Metallic Materials for Lightweight Structures

Special Issue Editors
Special Issue Information
Keywords
Published Papers

A special issue of Materials (ISSN 1996-1944). This special issue belongs to the section "Materials Simulation and Design".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 October 2023) | Viewed by 10008

Share This Special Issue

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Alexis Kermanidis

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Thessaly, Volos, Greece

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Metallic materials used in modern lightweight constructions have to meet the requirements for optimal operation with increased safety, low manufacturing cost, and aspects related to environmental friendliness. For this purpose, promising solutions are materials with advanced mechanical properties, exhibiting ease of manufacturing and recycling potential., Of specific interest in material selection, amongst other criteria to optimize structural design, are the specific strength, formability, fracture and fatigue, damage tolerance, impact, and creep performance. Characteristic material systems with superior properties, which are used in the modern transport and metallic construction sectors, include lightweight metallic alloys (aluminum, magnesium, titanium etc.), high-strength steels, and aluminum honeycomb materials. The proposed topic covers the characterization of metallic materials used in lightweight structural applications. Characterization includes studies on novel experimental methods and techniques, metallurgical aspects, determination of mechanical properties, comparative studies with regard to mechanical performance, influence of corrosion and environment on mechanical behavior, and the effect of processing (thermal, welding etc.) on the behavior of metallic materials.

Prof. Dr. Alexis Kermanidis
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Materials is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

metallic materials
lightweight structures
mechanical properties
mechanical behavior

Published Papers (6 papers)

Download All Papers

Research

14 pages, 7949 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Numerical and Experimental Analysis of the Mechanical Behavior of the Aluminum Beverage Can with Internal Varnish Layers during Axial Load Force Testing

by Przemysław Wędrychowicz, Piotr Kustra and Andrij Milenin

Materials 2023, 16(19), 6603; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ma16196603 - 09 Oct 2023

Viewed by 840

Abstract

This article presents a numerical and experimental investigation into the impact of can wall thickness and the internal varnish layer thickness on the results of an axial load force test. This study also shows the levels of thermal stresses that emerge after the drying of varnish coating, and how they affect the results of the axial load force test. This research involves the development of suitable numerical models and the experimental acquisition of stress–deformation relationships for the both can material, aluminum, and the varnish. The numerical simulation of the axial load force test has been verified through experimental tests, with a resulting difference of 8.9% between the two sets of results. The findings highlight that changes in the can wall thickness have a more pronounced effect on test outcomes compared to variations in the varnish thickness. Specifically, an increase in the can wall thickness from 90 µm to 100 µm results in a substantial 116 N increase in the force required for a can to collapse. Nevertheless, the presence of a 5 µm varnish layer also contributes measurably, increasing the can’s collapse force by 21 N. These results offer valuable practical insights for manufacturers, enabling them to effectively optimize can strength characteristics. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mechanical Properties and Characterization of Metallic Materials for Lightweight Structures)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

17 pages, 5884 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Low Cycle Fatigue Behavior of Plastically Pre-Strained HSLA S355MC and S460MC Steels

by Christos G. Prosgolitis, Alexis T. Kermanidis, Helen Kamoutsi and Gregory N. Haidemenopoulos

Materials 2022, 15(22), 7927; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ma15227927 - 09 Nov 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1212

Abstract

Cold roll forming used in the manufacturing of lightweight steel profiles for racking storage systems is associated with localized, non-uniform plastic deformations in the corner sections of the profiles, which act as fatigue damage initiation sites. In order to obtain a clearer insight on the role of existing plastic deformation on material fatigue performance, the effect of plastic pre-straining on the low cycle fatigue behavior of S355MC and S460MC steels was investigated. The steels were plastically deformed at different pre-strain levels under tension, and subsequently subjected to cyclic strain-controlled testing. Plastic pre-straining was found to increase cyclic yield strength, decrease ductility, and induce cyclic softening, which, in S460MC, degrades fatigue resistance compared to the unstrained material. In unstrained conditions, the materials present a cyclic softening to hardening transition with increasing plastic strain amplitude, which in S355MC occurs at lower strain amplitudes and degrades its fatigue resistance with regard to the pre-strained material. Pre-straining also leads to a reduction in transition life from low to high cycle fatigue. SEM fractography, performed following the onset of crack initiation, revealed that plastic pre-straining reduces the fatigue fracture section as well as striation spacing, predominantly in the S355MC steel. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mechanical Properties and Characterization of Metallic Materials for Lightweight Structures)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

23 pages, 12977 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Dynamic Deformation and Perforation of Ellipsoidal Thin Shell Impacted by Flat-Nose Projectile

by Ling Liu and Jianqiao Li

Materials 2022, 15(12), 4124; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ma15124124 - 10 Jun 2022

Viewed by 1144

Abstract

Experimental and theoretical studies were carried out on the dynamic deformation and penetration response characteristics of metal ellipsoidal thin curved shells under impact loads. The deformation characteristics of the impacted ellipsoid shell was investigated via the use of a light gas gun to carry out impact loading experiments at different speeds. Ten cases of experiments were conducted with the impact velocities distributed between 25.69 m/s and 118.97 m/s. Stereo digital image correlation (3D-DIC) technology was applied to capture the dynamic deformation and penetration process of the impacted shell. The recovered shells were measured, and the deformation characteristics were analyzed, along with the dynamic evolution, as observed through 3D-DIC analysis. Based on the experimental results, the displacement mode was summarized and the displacement distribution of the locally impacted ellipsoid shell was proposed. The governing equations were derived for the dynamic deformation and penetration of the impacted ellipsoid shell by means of the Lagrange equation. The proposed theoretical model was verified based on the experimental results. Finally, the influence of the curvature distribution on the impact resistance of ellipsoidal shells is discussed. The results indicated that the proposed theoretical model was effective in analyzing the large deformation and the penetration speed. Stretching the axial length of the ellipsoid shell in the impact direction improved its resistance to penetration. Stretching the axial length of the ellipsoid shell perpendicular to the impact direction improved its resistance to deformation, but reduced its resistance to penetration. Maintaining the triaxial ratio and appropriately reducing the size of the ellipsoidal shell improved its resistance to both deformation and penetration. The above research provides a reference for the analysis of the impact resistance of thin-walled curved shell structures in engineering. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mechanical Properties and Characterization of Metallic Materials for Lightweight Structures)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

21 pages, 6041 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effects of Temperature on the Evolution of Yield Surface and Stress Asymmetry in A356–T7 Cast Aluminium Alloy

by Elanghovan Natesan, Johan Ahlström, Stefan Eriksson and Christer Persson

Materials 2021, 14(24), 7898; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ma14247898 - 20 Dec 2021

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2062

Abstract

As the electrification of vehicle powertrains takes prominence to meet stringent emission norms, parts of internal combustion engines like cylinder heads are subjected to an increased number of thermal load cycles. The cost-effective design of such structures subjected to cyclic thermo-mechanical loads relies on the development of accurate material models capable of describing the continuum deformation behaviour of the material. This study investigates the effect of temperature on the evolution of flow stress under cyclic loading in A356-T7 + 0.5% Cu cast aluminium alloy commonly used in modern internal combustion engine cylinder heads. The material exhibits peak stress and flow stress asymmetry with the stress response and flow stress of the material under compressive loading higher than under tension. This peak and flow stress asymmetry decrease with an increase in temperature. To compare this stress asymmetry against conventional steel, cyclic strain-controlled fatigue tests are run on fully pearlitic R260 railway steel material. To study the effect of mean strain on the cyclic mean stress evolution and fatigue behaviour of the alloy, tests with tensile and compressive mean strains of +0.2% and −0.2% are compared against fully reversed (R_ε = −1) strain-controlled tests. The material exhibits greater stress asymmetry between the peak tensile and peak compressive stresses for the strain-controlled tests with a compressive mean strain than the tests with an identical magnitude tensile mean strain. The material exhibits mean stress relaxation at all temperatures. Reduced durability of the material is observed for the tests with tensile mean strains at lower test temperatures of up to 150 °C. The tensile mean strains at elevated temperatures do not exhibit such a detrimental effect on the endurance limit of the material. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mechanical Properties and Characterization of Metallic Materials for Lightweight Structures)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

19 pages, 10703 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Numerical Simulation and Experimental Study on Compound Casting of Layered Aluminum Matrix Composite Brake Drum

by Hansen Zheng, Zhifeng Zhang and Yuelong Bai

Materials 2021, 14(6), 1412; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ma14061412 - 15 Mar 2021

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1711

Abstract

The requirements of high-strength, wear-resistance and lightweight of brake drums have been continually increasing in recent years and any specific aluminum alloy or particle-reinforced aluminum matrix composites may not satisfy all the demands. Combining dissimilar materials to play their respective advantages is a solution to this problem. In this study, a compound casting method was used to combine solid SiC_p/A357 composite and a liquid 7050 aluminum alloy to prepare an aluminum matrix composite with a layered structure. The ProCAST numerical simulation software was used to predict the heat transfer in compound casting process and guide the preheating temperature of the wear-resistant ring in the experiment. An Optical Microscope (OM) and Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) were used to observe microstructures around the solid–liquid bonding interface, the element distribution and phase component of which were analyzed by Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS) and mechanical properties were evaluated by microhardness and shear tests. The results showed that the interface of the layered aluminum matrix composite prepared by this method achieved complete metallurgical bonding and a transition zone formed on the solid surface. After T6 heat treatment, the average shear strength of the interface increased from 19.8 MPa to 33.8 MPa. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mechanical Properties and Characterization of Metallic Materials for Lightweight Structures)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

27 pages, 12006 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effects of Dwell Time on the Deformation and Fatigue Behaviour of A356-T7 Cast Aluminium Alloys Used in High Specific Power IC Engine Cylinder Heads

by Elanghovan Natesan, Knut Andreas Meyer, Stefan Eriksson, Johan Ahlström and Christer Persson

Materials 2020, 13(12), 2727; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ma13122727 - 15 Jun 2020

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2192

Abstract

The electrification of automotive powertrains in recent years has been driving the development of internal combustion engines towards reduced volumes with higher power outputs. These changes place extreme demands on engine materials. Engineers employ the computer-aided engineering approach to design reliable and cost-effective engines. However, this approach relies on accurate knowledge of the material deformation and fatigue characteristics during service-like loading. The present study seeks to investigate the effect of dwell times on the deformation and fatigue behaviour of the A356-T7 + 0.5 wt.% Cu alloy used to cast cylinder heads. In particular, we study the effect of dwell time duration at various temperatures. A combined fatigue-dwell testing procedure, with the dwell at the maximum compressive strain, replicates the service conditions. It is found that the material exhibits a stress relaxation behaviour with a decreasing relaxation rate. At lower temperatures, the load level influences the relaxation more than at elevated temperatures. However, the dwell does not significantly affect the hardening behaviour or the life of the tested alloy. Finally, we model the time-dependent material behaviour numerically. The Chaboche model, combined with a Cowper–Symonds power-law, is found to capture the visco-plastic deformation behaviour accurately. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mechanical Properties and Characterization of Metallic Materials for Lightweight Structures)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

Journal Menu

Journal Browser

Mechanical Properties and Characterization of Metallic Materials for Lightweight Structures

Share This Special Issue

Special Issue Editor

Special Issue Information

Keywords

Published Papers (6 papers)

Research

Further Information

Guidelines

MDPI Initiatives

Follow MDPI