Progress in the Preparation Methods and Mechanical Properties of Gradient-Structured Metallic Materials

Structural metal materials are the foundation for guaranteeing the rapid development of national defense construction, aerospace, and mechanical engineering fields. Introducing the gradient microstructure into it could make the structural units with different size produce mutual coordination, breaking through the performance shortcomings of the homogeneous materials and effectively improving the comprehensive service properties of metal materials. Focused on the domestic and international investigations and progress of gradient-structured metal materials in recent years, this paper firstly introduced the preparation methods and the process principles with summarizing their advantages and limitations for gradient-structured metals. Then, the microstructure of gradient-structured metals was analyzed, and the characteristics of service performance were discussed, including the strength, plasticity, friction and wear property, fatigue damage performance and corrosion resistance. Moreover, some optimization strategies were proposed for manipulating the service performance of gradient-structured materials. Finally, the development of future research direction and the faced challenges were prospected. © 2024 Cailiao Daobaoshe/ Materials Review. All rights reserved.