Lightweight high-toughness magnesium-lithium alloy, preparation method and application in preparation of horseshoe

Abstract

The invention relates to a light-weight high-strength and high-toughness magnesium-lithium alloy, a preparation method and application of the light-weight high-strength and high-toughness magnesium-lithium alloy in preparation of horseshoes, the light-weight high-strength and high-toughness magnesium-lithium alloy is prepared from the following raw materials in percentage by mass: 5-13% of Li, 0.5-3.5% of Al, 0-1.5% of Y and the balance of Mg and inevitable impurities, and the total amount of the impurities accounts for less than or equal to 0.1% of the alloy. On the basis of a traditional Mg-Li binary alloy, the Al element is introduced to form AlLi and Mg2Al3 phases, the Al element and the Al2Y phase induced by the Y element are cooperated, multi-phase synergistic strengthening is achieved, the synergistic breakthrough that the tensile strength is larger than or equal to 350 MPa and the elongation is larger than 20% is achieved while the density is ultralow, and compared with a traditional Mg-Li alloy, the strength of the alloy is improved by 50% or above, and the weight reduction effect is remarkable; through a spontaneous twin crystal mechanism in an alpha + beta double-phase region alloy, dislocation proliferation induced by groove rolling is combined, the damping performance (Q1 value) of the alloy is greatly improved, the damping potential of a horseshoe made of the alloy is far better than that of a traditional aluminum product, the joint impact load during horse movement can be remarkably reduced, and the protection effect is achieved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of magnesium-lithium alloy horseshoe technology, specifically relating to a lightweight, high-strength and high-toughness magnesium-lithium alloy, its preparation method, and its application in the preparation of horseshoes. Background Technology

[0002] As a key piece of equipment for protecting horses' hooves, the choice of materials for horseshoes is of paramount importance. Existing mainstream materials all have obvious drawbacks. Specifically, iron / steel horseshoes have a high density, which significantly increases the burden on horses during exercise and can easily lead to fatigue and injury. Although aluminum horseshoes are lightweight, they pose potential biocompatibility risks, and long-term use is detrimental to the internal organs and immune health of horses.

[0003] Existing technologies, such as invention patent CN202010631958.6, disclose the production of horseshoes by stamping round steel. Although the process is mature, the material itself is heavy and cannot solve the problem of lightweighting. On the other hand, invention patent CN202410680408.1 discloses the production of porous titanium alloy horseshoes by 3D printing technology. Although it can achieve customization and a certain degree of weight reduction, it has the disadvantage of high cost for mass production.

[0004] Magnesium-lithium alloys are the lightest known structural metals, possessing excellent specific strength, specific stiffness, and good room temperature processing properties. They are widely used in aerospace, automotive, and 3C industries. However, while existing magnesium-lithium alloys have the potential for lightweighting, their strength, toughness, and complex forming capabilities are often insufficient. Furthermore, there is a lack of research on optimized alloy composition design and efficient preparation processes for horseshoe applications.

[0005] Therefore, in order to meet the needs of the horseshoe industry, it is urgent to provide lightweight and high-performance horseshoe materials and their key processing technologies, so that they can take into account lightweight, high strength and toughness, good shock absorption performance and biocompatibility, excellent processing and formability, and also have the advantage of being applicable to mass production in industry. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The purpose of this invention is to provide a lightweight, high-strength, and high-toughness magnesium-lithium alloy, its preparation method, and its application in the preparation of horseshoes in order to solve the above-mentioned problems.

[0007] The present invention achieves the above objectives through the following technical solutions: A method for preparing a lightweight, high-strength, and high-toughness magnesium-lithium alloy, wherein the raw materials for preparing the lightweight, high-strength, and high-toughness magnesium-lithium alloy, by mass percentage, include Li: 5-13%, Al: 0.5-3.5%, Y: 0-1.5%, with the balance being Mg and unavoidable impurities, the total impurities accounting for ≤0.1% of the alloy; the preparation method includes the following steps: Step 1: Prepare raw materials according to the above composition ratio of lightweight high-strength and tough magnesium-lithium alloy, and obtain magnesium-lithium alloy ingots after melting and casting. Step 2: The magnesium-lithium alloy ingot is homogenized under an argon protective atmosphere to obtain a homogenized magnesium-lithium alloy ingot. Step 3: Pre-extrude and deform the homogenized magnesium-lithium alloy ingot to obtain a pre-extruded billet; Step 4: The pre-extruded billet is subjected to die rolling deformation to obtain rolled bar stock, namely lightweight high-strength and high-toughness magnesium-lithium alloy.

[0008] The crystal structure of the alloy varies with the Li content: when Li < 5.7 wt.%, it is a hexagonal close-packed (HCP) α-Mg single phase; when Li > 10.3 wt.%, it is a body-centered cubic (BCC) β-Li single phase; when Li is between 5.7 and 10.3 wt.%, it is an α+β dual phase.

[0009] It should be noted that in step one, the raw materials are pure Mg ingots, pure Li rods, and pure Al ingots. When preparing Y-containing alloys, the raw materials also include Mg-30Y master alloy.

[0010] As a further optimization of the present invention, in step one, in addition to the Li rod, the Al, Y and Mg raw materials are preheated before smelting. The preheating temperature is 180-230℃ and the holding time is 1.5-2.5h (preferably 200℃ for 2h).

[0011] As a further optimization of the present invention, in step one, the melting heating rate is 12-18℃ / min (preferably 15℃ / min). After the raw material is completely melted, it is kept at 710-730℃ for 5-15 minutes (preferably 720℃ for 10 minutes) before casting.

[0012] As a further optimization of the present invention, in step two, the homogenization treatment temperature is 250-350°C, the holding time is 6-24h (preferably 300°C for 10h), and after the holding time is completed, the sample is placed in warm water at 30-40°C (preferably 35°C) for quenching.

[0013] As a further optimization of the present invention, in step three, the extrusion temperature is 200-350°C, the extrusion speed is 0.5-1.5m / min (preferably 1.0m / min), and the extrusion ratio is 6:1-15:1, so that the homogenized magnesium-lithium alloy ingot is extruded into bars with a diameter of 20-50mm.

[0014] As a further optimization of the present invention, in step four, the rolling deformation is completed using a rhombus-square hole type double roll mill system; The roll speed is 0.1-0.5 m / s (preferably 0.1 m / s), the rolling temperature is 25-250°C, and the number of rolling passes is 3-13. After each pass, the bar is rotated 90° and the next pass is rolled immediately. The cumulative area reduction is 35%-90%. The last pass is repeated twice for straightening, and the bar is cooled by blowing air at room temperature after rolling.

[0015] The present invention also provides a lightweight, high-strength and high-toughness magnesium-lithium alloy, which is prepared by the above-described preparation method.

[0016] This invention also provides an application of lightweight, high-strength, and tough magnesium-lithium alloy in the preparation of horseshoes. The lightweight, high-strength, and tough magnesium-lithium alloy is used as raw material to form horseshoes. The method of forming horseshoes is to cut and bend the rolled bar of the lightweight, high-strength, and tough magnesium-lithium alloy to form a pre-bent profile, obtain a pre-bent billet, and then forge it to form a finished horseshoe.

[0017] As a further optimization of the present invention, before die forging, the pre-bent billet is kept at 150-250℃ for 0.1-1h (preferably at 200℃ for 0.5h), and then air-cooled after die forging.

[0018] The present invention also provides a horseshoe made of the lightweight, high-strength and tough magnesium-lithium alloy as described above; The horseshoe includes a horseshoe body composed of a front arc and left and right side arcs, a raised anti-slip plate on the front arc, arc-shaped grooves on the left and right side arcs, several nail holes inside the arc-shaped grooves, and multiple fine lines on the contact surface between the horseshoe body and the horseshoe sole. The inner edge of the contact surface between the horseshoe body and the horseshoe sole has a certain angle of inclination with the plane of the horseshoe body.

[0019] The beneficial effects of this invention are as follows: 1) This invention, based on traditional Mg-Li binary alloys, introduces Al element to form AlLi and Mg2Al3 phases, and synergistically induces Al2Y phase with Y element to achieve multiphase synergistic strengthening, achieving ultra-low density (1.35-1.50 g / cm³). 3 Simultaneously achieving breakthroughs in tensile strength ≥350MPa and elongation >20%, this alloy exhibits a strength increase of over 50% compared to traditional magnesium-lithium alloys, while also demonstrating significant weight reduction. Furthermore, through the spontaneous twinning mechanism in the α+β dual-phase region of the alloy, combined with dislocation multiplication induced by die rolling, the alloy's damping performance (Q⁻) is significantly improved. 1 The shock absorption capacity is greatly improved, and horseshoes made from it have a shock absorption potential far exceeding that of traditional aluminum products, which can significantly reduce the impact load on the joints of horses during exercise and provide protection. 2) The lightweight, high-strength and tough magnesium-lithium alloy provided by this invention has a precisely controlled Al content, which effectively avoids potential biotoxicity risks. 3) This invention introduces pass rolling as the core deformation process. After 3-13 passes of large strain rolling, the mechanical properties of the alloy material are significantly improved. The alloy material supports room temperature bending and room temperature die forging, eliminating the need for multiple high-temperature annealing processes required for traditional magnesium alloys. This creates a highly efficient and energy-saving short-process manufacturing, achieving for the first time an integrated breakthrough in lightweight, high strength and toughness, high vibration reduction, biosafety and low-cost industrial mass production of horseshoe materials. Attached Figure Description

[0020] Figure 1 This is a flowchart of the process of making a finished horseshoe from the lightweight, high-strength and tough magnesium-lithium alloy of the present invention.

[0021] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the finished horseshoe (forefoot) of the present invention.

[0022] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the finished horseshoe (heel) of the present invention.

[0023] In the picture: 1. Forefoot horseshoe body; 2. Raised anti-slip plate one; 3. Arc-shaped groove one; 4. Nail hole one; 5. Inner edge one; 6. Fine groove one; 7. Heel horseshoe body; 8. Raised anti-slip plate two; 9. Arc-shaped groove two; 10. Nail hole two; 11. Inner edge two; 12. Fine groove two. Detailed Implementation

[0024] The present application will now be described in further detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that the following specific embodiments are only used to further illustrate the present application and should not be construed as limiting the scope of protection of the present application. Those skilled in the art can make some non-essential improvements and adjustments to the present application based on the above application content.

[0025] I. Materials 1. The raw materials for Mg, Li, and Al are pure Mg ingots, pure Li rods, and pure Al ingots, respectively. When preparing Y-containing alloys, the raw materials also include Mg-30Y master alloy. In addition to Li rods, the Al, Y, and Mg raw materials are preheated before smelting. The preheating temperature is 180-230℃, and the holding time is 1.5-2.5h (preferably 200℃ for 2h). Unless otherwise specified, all methods used in this application are conventional methods known to those skilled in the art, and all reagents and materials used are commercially available products unless otherwise specified.

[0026] II. Methods 2.1 Lightweight, high-strength, and tough magnesium-lithium alloy and its preparation method for forming horseshoes Example 1 In this embodiment, the alloy is: Mg-9Li-1Al (wt.%). (1) A method for preparing a lightweight, high-strength, and high-toughness magnesium-lithium alloy, comprising the following steps: S1-1. Ingot preparation: Prepare raw materials according to the composition ratio of lightweight high-strength and high-toughness magnesium-lithium alloy, and melt and cast them in a vacuum induction melting furnace to obtain alloy ingots. It should be noted that, except for pure Li rods, the other raw materials are preheated before smelting. The preheating temperature is 200℃ and the holding time is 2h. The melting furnace is heated at a rate of 15℃ / min. After the raw materials are completely melted, they are held at 720℃ for 10 minutes before casting. S1-2, Homogenization treatment: The alloy ingot obtained in step S1-1 is homogenized under an argon atmosphere to obtain a homogenized ingot. The homogenization treatment temperature is 300℃, the holding time is 10 hours, and after the holding time, it is quenched in 35℃ warm water. S1-3, Pre-extrusion: The homogenized ingot obtained in step S1-2 is subjected to pre-extrusion deformation to obtain a pre-extruded billet; the extrusion temperature is 300℃, the extrusion speed is 1.0m / min, the extrusion ratio is 9:1, and the alloy is extruded into a bar with a diameter of 40mm. S1-4, Pass rolling: The pre-extruded billet obtained in step S1-3 is subjected to pass rolling deformation to obtain rolled bar stock; The rolling deformation is completed using a diamond-square hole type twin-roll mill system; the roll speed is 0.1 m / s, the rolling temperature is 25℃ (room temperature), and there are 6 rolling passes; after each pass, the bar is rotated 90° and the next pass is rolled immediately, with a cumulative area reduction of 65%; the last pass is repeated twice for straightening, and the bar is cooled by blowing air at room temperature after rolling.

[0027] (2) A method for preparing lightweight, high-strength and tough magnesium-lithium alloy into horseshoes S2-1, Cutting and bending: The rolled bar obtained in step (1) S1-4 above is cut and bent (at room temperature) to form a pre-bent profile to obtain a pre-bent bar; both cutting and bending are carried out at room temperature, and the cutting length and bending angle are determined as needed; S2-2, Die forging: The pre-bent bar obtained in step S2-1 is placed at 200℃ and kept at 0.5h for 0h, and then die forged at 25℃ (room temperature). After die forging, it is air-cooled to form a horseshoe finished product.

[0028] like Figure 2As shown, this is a finished forefoot horseshoe, including a crescent-shaped forefoot horseshoe body 1, which is composed of a front arc and left and right side arcs, and is made of lightweight, high-strength and tough magnesium-lithium alloy. The front arc has a triangular raised anti-slip piece 2 to prevent relative sliding between the horseshoe and the horse's hoof. The left and right side arcs have arc-shaped grooves 3, and the arc-shaped grooves 3 have several nail holes 4 to accommodate the horseshoe nails that fix the horseshoe to the horse's forefoot. The inner edge 5 of the forefoot horseshoe body 1 in contact with the horse's hoof surface has a certain angle of inclination with the plane of the forefoot horseshoe body 1. The surface of the forefoot horseshoe body 1 in contact with the horse's hoof surface has multiple fine lines 6 to increase the friction between the horse's hoof surface and the horseshoe.

[0029] like Figure 3 As shown, this is a finished hindfoot horseshoe, which is basically similar to the finished forefoot horseshoe. The finished hindfoot horseshoe includes a crescent-shaped hindfoot horseshoe body 7 composed of a front arc and left and right side arcs. The hindfoot horseshoe body 7 is made of lightweight, high-strength, and tough magnesium-lithium alloy. The front arc of the hindfoot horseshoe body 7 has a triangular raised anti-slip plate 8 to prevent relative sliding between the horseshoe and the horse's hoof. The left and right side arcs of the hindfoot horseshoe body 7 have arc-shaped grooves 9, and several nail holes 10 in the arc-shaped grooves 9 to accommodate the horseshoe nails used to fix the horseshoe to the horse's forefoot. The inner edge 11 of the contact surface between the hindfoot horseshoe body 7 and the horse's hoof surface has a certain angle of inclination with the plane of the hindfoot horseshoe body 7. The surface of the hindfoot horseshoe body 7 in contact with the horse's hoof surface has multiple fine lines 12 to increase the friction between the horse's hoof surface and the horseshoe.

[0030] Example 2 In this embodiment, the alloy is Mg-9Li-1Al (wt.%). The preparation method differs from that in Example 1 only in that the extrusion temperature is 250°C in steps S1-3; all other aspects are consistent with Example 1.

[0031] Example 3 In this embodiment, the alloy is Mg-9Li-1Al (wt.%). The preparation method differs from that in Example 1 only in that the extrusion ratio is 12:1 in steps S1-3, and the alloy is extruded into bars with a diameter of 30mm; the rest is the same as in Example 1.

[0032] Example 4 In this embodiment, the only difference from Example 1 is that the alloy is Mg-9Li-3Al-1Y (wt.%), and all other aspects are the same as in Example 1.

[0033] Example 5 In this embodiment, the alloy is Mg-9Li-3Al-1Y (wt.%). The preparation method differs from that in Example 1 only in that the rolling temperature in steps S1-4 is 200℃ (high temperature); all other aspects are consistent with Example 1.

[0034] Example 6 In this embodiment, the alloy is Mg-9Li-3Al-1Y (wt.%). The preparation method differs from that in Example 1 only in that: in steps S1-4, the rolling passes are 9, and the cumulative area reduction is 80%; the rest are consistent with Example 1.

[0035] Example 7 In this embodiment, the only difference from Example 6 is that the alloy is Mg-11Li-3Al-1Y (wt.%), and all other aspects are the same as in Example 6.

[0036] Example 8 In this embodiment, the only difference from Example 6 is that the alloy is Mg-5Li-3Al-1Y (wt.%), and all other aspects are the same as in Example 6.

[0037] Comparative Example 1 In this comparative example, the alloy is Mg-9Li-3Al-1Y (wt.%). The only difference between the preparation method and that of Example 6 is that in steps S1-4, the rolling deformation is completed using a conventional flat roll mill system. After each rolling pass, the rolling process proceeds directly to the next rolling pass along a fixed rolling direction, and there is no need to repeat the straightening process after rolling.

[0038] control group In this control group, commercially available 6061 aluminum alloy was used as raw material, and after cutting and bending, it was directly die-forged into finished horseshoes.

[0039] III. Experiment The room temperature tensile properties, damping properties, density, and microhardness of the alloys in Examples 1-8, Comparative Example 1, and the control group (commercially available 6061 aluminum alloy) were determined using an electronic universal testing machine, a dynamic thermomechanical analyzer, and a Vickers hardness tester under the same test conditions. The specific test data are shown in Table 1. Table 1 Statistical table of performance data for each alloy combination ; Experimental Results: Based on the data analysis in Table 1, it can be seen that the lightweight, high-strength and tough magnesium-lithium alloy provided by this invention maintains significant lightweight advantages while exhibiting superior comprehensive mechanical properties. Specifically, the room temperature tensile strength and yield strength of the alloys in Examples 1-8 are significantly higher than those of commercially available 6061 aluminum alloys, and the plasticity of the alloys in Examples 4-6 is greatly improved. At the same time, they also have excellent hardness and damping properties, making them particularly suitable for horseshoe applications with stringent requirements for lightweight, high strength and toughness, and vibration reduction.

[0040] The embodiments described above are merely examples of several implementations of the present invention, and while the descriptions are relatively specific and detailed, they should not be construed as limiting the scope of the present invention. It should be noted that those skilled in the art can make various modifications and improvements without departing from the concept of the present invention, and these modifications and improvements all fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for preparing a lightweight, high-strength, and high-toughness magnesium-lithium alloy, characterized in that: The raw materials for preparing the lightweight, high-strength, and tough magnesium-lithium alloy, by mass percentage, include Li: 5-13%, Al: 0.5-3.5%, Y: 0-1.5%, with the balance being Mg and unavoidable impurities, the total impurities accounting for ≤0.1% of the alloy; the preparation method includes the following steps: Step 1: Prepare raw materials according to the above composition ratio of lightweight high-strength and tough magnesium-lithium alloy, and obtain magnesium-lithium alloy ingots after melting and casting. Step 2: The magnesium-lithium alloy ingot is homogenized under an argon protective atmosphere to obtain a homogenized magnesium-lithium alloy ingot. Step 3: Pre-extrude and deform the homogenized magnesium-lithium alloy ingot to obtain a pre-extruded billet; Step 4: The pre-extruded billet is subjected to die rolling deformation to obtain rolled bar stock, namely lightweight high-strength and high-toughness magnesium-lithium alloy.

2. The method for preparing a lightweight, high-strength, and tough magnesium-lithium alloy according to claim 1, characterized in that: In step one, the Al, Y, and Mg raw materials are preheated before smelting. The preheating temperature is 180-230℃ and the holding time is 1.5-2.5h.

3. The method for preparing a lightweight, high-strength, and tough magnesium-lithium alloy according to claim 1, characterized in that: In step one, the melting and heating rate is 12-18℃ / min. After the raw materials are completely melted, they are kept at 710-730℃ for 5-15 minutes before casting.

4. The method for preparing a lightweight, high-strength, and tough magnesium-lithium alloy according to claim 1, characterized in that: In step two, the homogenization treatment temperature is 250-350°C, the holding time is 6-24h, and after the holding time is completed, it is placed in warm water at 30-40°C for quenching.

5. The method for preparing a lightweight, high-strength, and tough magnesium-lithium alloy according to claim 1, characterized in that: In step three, the extrusion temperature is 200-350°C, the extrusion speed is 0.5-1.5m / min, and the extrusion ratio is 6:1-15:1, extruding the homogenized magnesium-lithium alloy ingot into bars with a diameter of 20-50mm.

6. The method for preparing a lightweight, high-strength, and tough magnesium-lithium alloy according to claim 1, characterized in that: In step four, the rolling deformation is completed using a diamond-square hole type twin-roll mill system; The roll speed is 0.1-0.5 m / s, the rolling temperature is 25-250°C, and the number of rolling passes is 3-13. After each pass, the bar is rotated 90° and the next pass is rolled immediately. The cumulative area reduction is 35%-90%. The last pass is repeated twice for straightening, and the bar is cooled by blowing air at room temperature after rolling.

7. A lightweight, high-strength, and high-toughness magnesium-lithium alloy, characterized in that: It is prepared by any one of the preparation methods described in claims 1-6.

8. The application of a lightweight, high-strength, and high-toughness magnesium-lithium alloy as described in claim 7 in the preparation of horseshoes, characterized in that: The lightweight, high-strength, and tough magnesium-lithium alloy is used as raw material to form horseshoes. The method of forming horseshoes is to cut and bend the rolled bar of the lightweight, high-strength, and tough magnesium-lithium alloy to form a pre-bent profile, obtain a pre-bent billet, and then forge it to form a finished horseshoe.

9. The application according to claim 8, characterized in that: Before die forging, the pre-bent billet is kept at 150-250℃ for 0.1-1h, and then air-cooled after die forging.

10. A horseshoe, characterized in that: Made of the lightweight, high-strength, and high-toughness magnesium-lithium alloy as described in claim 7; The horseshoe includes a horseshoe body composed of a front arc and left and right side arcs, a raised anti-slip plate on the front arc, arc-shaped grooves on the left and right side arcs, several nail holes inside the arc-shaped grooves, and multiple fine lines on the contact surface between the horseshoe body and the horseshoe sole. The inner edge of the contact surface between the horseshoe body and the horseshoe sole has a certain angle of inclination with the plane of the horseshoe body.

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