BCAST is striving for international excellence on both fundamental and applied research on solidification of metallic materials. BCAST sees itself as a reliable source of both new knowledge and new solidification technologies for the metallurgical industry. http://bura.brunel.ac.uk/handle/2438/155 2026-06-07T18:22:27Z 2026-06-07T18:22:27Z Fang, C Cantor, B http://bura.brunel.ac.uk/handle/2438/33360 2026-06-05T02:01:24Z 2026-01-01T00:00:00Z

Title: Ab Initio Molecular Dynamics Study of An Equiatomic Twenty-Element High Entropy Amorphous Alloy Authors: Fang, C; Cantor, B Abstract: ... Description: ...

2026-01-01T00:00:00Z Mirabdolazimi, N Reihanian, M Bagherpour, E Mendis, CL Rezvani, A Valiev, RZ Ebrahimi, R http://bura.brunel.ac.uk/handle/2438/33357 2026-06-04T08:28:04Z 2026-04-30T00:00:00Z

Title: Annealing-induced hardening in an ultrafine-grained Mg–Zn–Ca alloy processed by high pressure torsion Authors: Mirabdolazimi, N; Reihanian, M; Bagherpour, E; Mendis, CL; Rezvani, A; Valiev, RZ; Ebrahimi, R Abstract: The microstructural evolution and hardness behavior of an Mg–1Zn–0.2Ca alloy processed by high-pressure torsion (HPT) and subsequent annealing were systematically investigated. The initial grain size of ∼105 μm was refined to the ultrafine regime after HPT processing and subsequent annealing, with average grain sizes of 1.62–1.97 μm depending on annealing time. Post-deformation annealing at 300–400 °C revealed an unusual non-monotonic hardness response characterized by an initial decrease followed by a pronounced increase with increasing annealing time. Quantitative optical microscopy confirmed progressive grain coarsening during annealing, indicating that the secondary hardening cannot be attributed to further grain refinement. Electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) analysis revealed a reduction in local misorientation and grain orientation spread at intermediate annealing times, indicating heterogeneous recovery rate within the ultrafine-grained structure. With increasing annealing time, a decrease in basal texture intensity was observed, accompanied by crystallographic reorientation. These microstructural and textural changes modify the deformation geometry under indentation and are responsible for the abnormal hardness increase observed during annealing. These findings highlight the critical role of microstructural recovery and crystallographic orientation in governing the post-annealing mechanical response of HPT-processed Mg alloys. Description: Data availability: The raw/processed data required to reproduce these findings can be shared upon request.

2026-04-30T00:00:00Z Han, S Han, L Yang, N Eskin, D Tzanakis, I http://bura.brunel.ac.uk/handle/2438/33338 2026-05-27T02:01:45Z 2026-04-21T00:00:00Z

Title: The influence of grain orientation on the fretting fatigue behaviour in aluminium alloys Authors: Han, S; Han, L; Yang, N; Eskin, D; Tzanakis, I Abstract: Fretting fatigue is a highly damaging failure mode, yet its strong performance scatter poses a major challenge for accurate prediction, with microstructural characteristics, especially grain orientation, being a key intrinsic factor. This study investigates how grain orientation affects fretting fatigue behaviour and drives performance scatter. Using the crystal plasticity finite element method (CPFEM), a fretting fatigue model incorporating microstructural characteristics was developed. By comparing simulation results of textured and randomly oriented grains, it is found that grains with different orientations exhibit varying deformation capacities, leading to stress–strain redistribution, as well as stress concentration and elevated stress triaxiality near grain boundaries. Further analysis demonstrates that wider grain orientation distributions produce greater scatter in response, indicating that random orientations are a major intrinsic source of fretting fatigue variability. The present work captures the stochastic effects induced by random grain orientations under fretting fatigue contact. The findings provide micro‑mechanical insights into the relationship between microscopic plastic deformation mechanisms and the statistical characteristics of fretting fatigue behaviour. Description: Data availability: The authors do not have permission to share data.

2026-04-21T00:00:00Z Que, Z Negrea, RF Fang, C http://bura.brunel.ac.uk/handle/2438/33337 2026-05-28T10:09:31Z 2026-05-22T00:00:00Z

Title: Development of Sustainable Mixed Recycled Wrought Aluminium Alloys with Modified Al3(Sc,Ti) for Improved Impurity Tolerance Authors: Que, Z; Negrea, RF; Fang, C Abstract: A representative cross-recycled wrought aluminium alloy, Al–1.33Si–1.28Mg–0.97Cu–0.88Zn–0.51Fe–0.57Mn–0.14Cr–0.09Ti (wt.%), was designed based on mixed 1xxx–7xxx series compositions with maximised impurity levels to emulate realistic recycling streams. To enhance impurity tolerance and microstructural stability in such complex recycled alloys, the role of scandium (Sc) was systematically investigated. While Sc is widely recognised in aluminium alloys for grain refinement via primary Al₃Sc particles and precipitation strengthening through coherent nanoscale Al₃Sc dispersoids, its behaviour in recycled aluminium systems remains largely unexplored. Here, we examine the formation, morphology, composition, crystallography, and impurity tolerance, particularly with respect to Fe and Si, of Al₃(Sc,Ti) in this cross-recycled alloy. Competitive formation of primary Al₃(Sc,Ti) and eutectic (Al₃(Sc,Ti) + α-Al) is observed. Combined experimental characterisation and density functional theory calculations reveal preferential substitution of Ti for Sc in the L1₂ lattice, reducing the lattice misfit with α-Al to nearly zero and promoting heterogeneous nucleation. Al₃(Sc,Ti) exhibits remarkable tolerance to a broad range of impurities, with Fe, Mn, Cr, Si, Cu, Mg, Ti and Zn accommodated through defect-mediated incorporation and local chemical interactions at elevated temperatures. Atomic-resolution STEM further reveals Fe clusters embedded within as-cast Al₃(Sc,Ti) particles, while heat treatment induces surface segregation of major alloying elements, indicating dynamic solute redistribution. These results establish the intrinsic impurity tolerance of Al₃(Sc,Ti) and provide mechanistic insight into solute partitioning and phase stability in complex recycled aluminium alloys, offering guidance for the design of sustainable, high-performance aluminium systems from mixed recycled feedstocks. Description: Data availability: Data will be made available on request.

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