Joining of CBN abrasive grains to medium carbon steel with AgCu/Ti powder mixture as active brazing alloy

In order to develop new generation brazed CBN grinding wheels, the joining experiments of CBN abrasive grains and medium carbon steel using the powder mixture of AgCu alloy and pure Ti as active brazing alloy are carried out at elevated temperature under high vacuum condition. The relevant characteristics of the special powder mixture, the microstructure of the interfacial region, which are both the key factors for determining the joining behavior among the CBN grains, the filler layer and the steel substrate, are investigated extensively by means of differential thermal analysis (DTA), scanning electron microscope (SEM) and energy dispersion spectrometer (EDS), as well X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. The results show that, similar to AgCuTi filler alloy, AgCu/Ti powder mixture exhibits good soakage capability to CBN grains during brazing. Moreover, Ti in the powder mixture concentrates preferentially on the surface of the grains to form a layer of needlelike TiN and TiB compounds by chemical metallurgic interaction between Ti, N and B at high temperature. Additionally, based on the experimental results, the brazing and joining mechanism is deeply discussed in a view of thermodynamic criterion and phase diagram of TiBN ternary system.     

Synthesis and characterization of micrometer Cu/PVP architectures

Micrometer-sized flower-like Cu/polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) architectures are synthesized by the reduction of copper (II) salt with hydrazine hydrate in aqueous solution in the presence of PVP capping agent. The resulting Cu/PVP architectures are investigated by UV-vis spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The Cu/PVP flowers have uniform morphologies with an average diameter of 10 μm, made of several intercrossing plates. The formation of Cu/PVP flowers is a new kinetic control process, and the factors such as the amount of N₂H₄H₂O, reaction temperature, molar ratio of CuCl₂ to PVP and molecular weight of PVP have significant effect on the morphology of Cu/PVP architectures. A possible mechanism of the formation of micrometer Cu/PVP architectures was discussed.     

Effect of the extrusion conditions on microstructure evolution of the extruded Al–Mg–Si–Cu alloy rods

Hot extrusion experiment was conducted using an Al–Mg–Si–Cu alloy and the effect of the extrusion conditions on microstructure and texture changes through the radial direction was investigated by using SEM/EBSP analysis method. In the surface layer where severe frictional shear deformation is predominant, the recrystallized 1 1 0//ED grains surrounded by high angle grain boundaries are formed in spite of the existence of some peripheral overcoarse grains. Strong 1 0 0//ED and 1 1 1//ED fiber textures evolve in the center where axisymmetric deformation along the extrusion direction is intensive. As the extrusion ratio increases, number of 1 1 1//ED grains remarkably decreases while the number of 1 0 0//ED grains apparently increases. It is also found that the 1 0 0//ED grains surrounded by low angle grain boundaries form orientation colonies in the center of the extruded rods.     

Influence of additives on the impact toughness of Al–10.8% Si near-eutectic cast alloys

This article investigates the effects of melt treatment and addition of alloying elements on the impact toughness of as-cast and heat-treated Al–10.8% Si near-eutectic alloys. Increasingly precise impact behaviors are discussed in the context of differentiating between initiation and propagation energies, including the ductility index, which is the ratio of the propagation to initiation energies; total energy as a useful measure is also discussed. Details concerning the evaluation of tensile properties are reported in a separate article [Mohamed AMA, Samuel FH, Samuel AM, Doty HW. Influence of additives on the microstructure and tensile properties of near-eutectic Al–10.8%Si cast alloy. Mater Des, in press]. The concentration of elements in the alloys was changed to the following range: Fe 0.5–1 wt%, Mn 0.5–1 wt%, Cu 2.25–3.25 wt%, and Mg 0.3–0.5 wt%, while the impact toughness upon artificial aging in a temperature range of 155–240 °C for 5 h was also investigated. The results indicate that the morphology of fibrous Si in Sr-modified alloys enhances toughness because of its profound effect on crack initiation and crack propagation resistance. The combined addition of modifier and grain refiner leads to a 33% increase in the impact strength compared to the untreated alloy. In alloys containing high levels of iron, such as the RF2 (1% Fe, 1% Mn) and RF4 (1% Fe, 0.5% Mn) alloys, the addition of iron leads to an increased precipitation of sludge or β-Fe platelets, respectively; these particles also act as crack initiation sites and reduce the impact properties noticeably. In alloys already containing high levels of copper, such as the RC2 (3.25% Cu, 0.3% Mg) and RC5(0.3.25% Cu, 0.5% Mg) alloys, increasing the copper level lowers the impact properties significantly, in view of the fact that the fracture behavior is now predominantly influenced by the Al₂Cu phase rather than by the Si particles. The average crack propagation speed of impact-tested samples shows a good inverse relationship to impact energy. Crack propagation speed can thus provide a qualitative estimation of the impact energy expected for special alloy conditions.     

Comparative electrochemical treatments of two chlorinated aliphatic hydrocarbons. Time course of the main reaction by-products

Acidic aqueous solutions of the chlorinated aliphatic hydrocarbons 1,2-dichloroethane (DCA) and 1,1,2,2-tetrachloroethane (TCA) have been treated by the electro-Fenton (EF) process. Bulk electrolyses were performed at constant current using a BDD anode and an air diffusion cathode able to generate H₂O₂ in situ, which reacts with added Fe²⁺ to yield OH from Fenton's reaction. At 300 mA, almost total mineralization was achieved at 420 min for solutions containing 4 mM of either DCA or TCA. Comparative treatments without Fe²⁺ (anodic oxidation) or with a Pt anode led to a poorer mineralization. The better performance of the EF process with BDD is explained by the synergistic action of the oxidizing radicals, BDD(OH) at the anode surface and OH in the bulk, and the minimization of diffusional limitations. The decay of the initial pollutant accomplished with pseudo first-order kinetics. Chloroacetic and dichloroacetic acids were the major by-products during the degradation of DCA and TCA, respectively. Acetic, oxalic and formic acids were also identified. The proposed reaction pathways include oxidative and reductive (cathodic) dechlorination steps. Chlorine was released as Cl⁻, being further oxidized to ClO₃⁻ and, mostly, to ClO₄⁻, due to the action of the largely generated BDD(OH) and OH.     

Grain boundary plane distributions and single-step versus multiple-step grain boundary engineering

The ‘five-parameter’ (i.e. both misorientation and grain boundary plane) distribution in type 304 austenitic stainless steel has been measured and evaluated for an ‘as-received’ (AR) specimen and specimens undergoing both single-step grain boundary engineering processing (SSGBE) and multiple-step grain boundary engineering processing (MSGBE) comprising three iterations. The results showed that the fundamental requirement for twinning-related GBE is to maximise concomitantly the proportion of both Σ3 and Σ9 boundaries, which in turn supports the development of special planes in the grain boundary network. 1 1 0 and 1 1 1 tilt and twist boundaries play a key role in the formation of ‘special’ grain boundary planes. MSGBE added increased proportions of Σ3 boundaries and resulted in development of different characteristics in the planes distribution compared to SSGBE. These modifications are likely to result in improved grain boundary properties after MSGBE compared to SSGBE.     

Effect of texture and testing conditions on strain localization during cyclic deformation of copper polycrystals

Fatigue tests were performed on pure copper polycrystals with a crystallographic texture different from that produced by ‘standard’ thermomechanical treatments, which emphasize multi-slip 111–100 textures. The texture along the loading axis deviated by 10–15° from these two poles for the samples used here. The experiments were initiated by ramp loading as a mechanical pretreatment and the cyclic stress–strain curve (CSSC) was established by step tests using enough cycles at each step to insure saturation. Under these conditions, a plateau was observed in the CSSC at an appropriate stress level and in a reproducible fashion.     

Cyclodextrin polyurethanes polymerized with multi-walled carbon nanotubes: Synthesis and characterization

Insoluble cyclodextrin polymers co-polymerized with multi-walled carbon nanotubes were synthesized by polymerizing β-cyclodextrin with acid-functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotubes and diisocyanate linkers; hexamethylene- and toluene-2,4-diisocyanate. The polymers are useful in removing some organic pollutants from water, and we now report the full characterization of these polymers using infrared spectroscopy (IR), Raman spectroscopy, scanning and transmission electron microscopy (SEM and TEM) and thermal techniques such as thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC).The polymers could be synthesized as either powders or amorphous solids. Results of the IR analysis showed the presence of functional groups such as CO, CC, CH and CO, indicating that polymerization indeed took place. Characterization of the polymers by scanning electron microscopy and BET analysis showed that these polymers had a spongy appearance indicating a hierarchical pore structure. Incorporation of small amounts (<5%) of multi-walled nanotubes (MWNTs) improved the thermal stability of the polymers. This observation was further confirmed by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) measurements.     

Dependencies of grain refinement on processing route and die angle in equal channel angular extrusion of bcc materials

The efficiency of grain refinement in equal channel angular extrusion of body-centered cubic (bcc) materials is investigated based on slip activities from crystal plasticity simulations, which account for both the macroscopic and crystallographic features of deformation. It is shown that the characteristics of slip activities, especially the relative contributions of slip systems newly activated or reversed at the transitions between successive passes, vary significantly with the processing routes (A, B and C) and die angles ( = 90° and 120°). The simulations assuming {1 1 0}111 slip suggest that routes B and A lead to the most significant contributions of newly activated slip systems and hence are most efficient for grain refinement with  = 90° and 120°, respectively. Further incorporation of {1 1 2}111 slip systems leads to the highest efficiency by route B for both die angles. These predictions are in partial agreement with experimental observations in the literature. Comparison of these results with those of face-centered cubic materials reveals the relevance of crystal structure and deformation mechanism during grain refinement.     

Dielectric properties of bismuth doped CaCu3Ti4O12 ceramics

Ca_1?3x/2Bi_xCu₃Ti₄O₁₂ (x = 0.0–0.3) ceramics were prepared by the conventional solid-state reaction method. X-ray powder diffraction analysis confirmed the formation of cubic CCTO phase except for subtle peaks of CuO. SEM micrographs suggested that the morphologies of doped CCTO ceramics had been sheet-like for high Bi-doping amount, and the dominant grain size decreasing could be seen for the small content of Bi-doping CCTO. Dielectric properties of pure and doped CCTO were investigated in a broad temperature range of 20–420 K. The results showed that bismuth doping could decrease the dielectric loss but suppress the dielectric temperature stability at the same time. Bi doped CCTO ceramics presented different relaxation properties. As to pure CCTO and BCCTO (x = 0.3) only one MW relaxation (Relaxation I) could be found, which moves to higher frequency with temperature increasing. However, two relaxation processes (Relaxation I and II) appear for BCCTO (x = 0.1–0.2). By means of complex impedance spectra analysis and Arrhenius fitting, we successfully separated the different conductive segments and explained the mechanisms of the two relaxation processes. Relaxation I appeared at low temperature could be attributed to the V_O doping energies inside CCTO grains which did not showed significant changing of activation energy after bismuth doping. For Relaxation II at higher temperature than Relaxation I, with activation energy obviously depending on the Bi-ion concentration, may be related with the V_O point defects at the grain boundaries.     

Catalytic ozonation of dimethyl phthalate over cerium supported on activated carbon

Cerium supported on activated carbon (Ce/AC), which was prepared by dipping method, was employed to degrade dimethyl phthalate (DMP) in water. The mineral matter present in the activated carbon positively contributes to its activity to enhance DMP ozonation process. A higher dipping Ce(NO₃)₃ concentration and calcination process increase its microporous volume and surface area, and decreases its exterior surface area. The catalytic activity reaches optimal when 0.2% (w/w) cerium is deposited on activated carbon. Ce/AC catalyst was characterized by XRD, SEM and BET. The presence of either activated carbon or Ce/AC catalyst considerably improves their degradation and mineralization in the ozonation of DMP. During the ozonation (50 mg/h ozone flow rate) of a 30 mg/L DMP (initial pH 5.0) with the presence of Ce/AC catalyst, TOC removal rate reaches 68% at 60 min oxidation time, 48% using activated carbon as catalyst, only 22% with ozonation alone. The presence of tert-butanol (a well known OH radical scavenger) strongly inhibits DMP degradation by activated carbon or Ce/AC catalytic ozonation. TOC removal rate follows the second-order kinetics model well. In the ozonation of DMP with 50 mg/h ozone flow rate, its mineralization rate constant with the presence of Ce/AC catalyst is 2.5 times higher than that of activated carbon, 7.5 times higher than that of O₃ alone. Ce/AC catalyst shows the better catalytic activity and stability based on 780 min sequential reaction in the ozonation of DMP. Ce/AC was a promising catalyst for ozonizing organic pollutants in the aqueous solution.     

Length scale effects on recrystallization and texture evolution in Cu layers of a roll-bonded Cu–Nb composite

Recrystallization textures were investigated in thin layers of both pure Cu and alloyed Cu combined with Nb in roll-bonded composites. Texture analysis using X-ray revealed that Cube orientation was the dominant texture component after recrystallization in rolled monolithic pure Cu whereas {2 1 5} 2 1 1 and B/S were the dominant components for the recrystallized alloyed Cu. In the composites, however, the rolling texture is retained during annealing in both the pure Cu and the alloyed Cu layers when the layer thickness enters the sub-micron regime. This is attributed to the nucleation and growth of recrystallizing grains being impeded via a reduction in recrystallization driving pressure and the grain boundary movement and growth being limited due to the layer thickness effect. A new term—“confined recrystallization” was also introduced to describe more accurately the morphological evolution observed within the sub-micron thick layers after annealing and highlights the contrast to either simple recovery or continuous recrystallization.     

Electrical characterization of CMOS transistors subject to externally applied mechanical stress

Hole and electron mobilities in CMOS structures are significantly influenced by a mechanical strain state. In the present work a new experimental device has been designed, able to apply a uniaxial in-plane strain along different crystallographic orientations. A hole mobility enhancement of +10% and an electron mobility decrease of −5% have been demonstrated with the application of a 0.05% compressive 1 1 0 strain; a hole mobility enhancement of +2% and an electron mobility decrease of −3% have been induced into the material with the application of a 0.05% compressive 1 0 0 strain.     

Fluorescence and phosphorescence behavior of TPD doped and TPD neat films

Photoluminescence spectra of N,N′-bis(3-methylphenyl)-N,N′-bis(phenyl)-benzidine (TPD) are studied in a temperature range from 10 K to room temperature using a neat TPD film, and 5 wt.% TPD doped films with polystyrene (PS), 4,4′-N,N′-dicarbazole-biphenyl (CBP), and polycarbonate (PC) as hosts. The photo-excitation occurred in the singlet absorption region of TPD. The blue fluorescence and green phosphorescence quantum yields, _F and _P, of TPD are determined from their quantum distributions, E_F(λ) and E_P(λ). The yields are found to be _F = 0.39 and _P = 0.012 for neat films at room temperature, while _F = 0.78 and _P = 0.026 are measured for a TPD doped PS film. The lower luminescence quantum yield in the neat film is caused by self-quenching.