Toughness improvement of steel X38CrMoV5-1 via alternative manufacturing process and prevention of catastrophic failure in safety parts

X38CrMoV5-1 (AISI H11-1) steel parts are often manufactured by die-casting followed by quenching and tempering and the microstructure is highly process-sensitive. In order to eliminate the presence of pores in the parts, a different though more expensive manufacturing process has been implemented, involving the hot rolling of a plate and machining of samples in parallel and perpendicular to the rolling direction. Heat treatment of the samples was optimised and the mechanical tensile properties—yield strength, ultimate strength and ductility—and Charpy toughness were determined for ten samples. The results showed that samples machined in the longitudinal direction gave a toughness of about 20 J, twice the toughness of samples machined in the transverse direction (10 J) and 3.5 times the toughness of cast samples (6 J). Ultimate strength and yield strength were 1580 MPa and 1225 MPa in the transverse direction, 1505 MPa and 1275 MPa in the parallel direction, and 1400 MPa and 1260 MPa as cast, respectively. In the latter case, the standard deviation was much higher due to the presence of pores. Using Griffith's theory, the need for pore-free machined parts to prevent catastrophic failure due to cleavage, especially in lift safety systems, is also demonstrated.     

Friction and wear properties of high-velocity oxygen fuel sprayed WC-17Co coating under rotational fretting conditions

Rotational fretting which exist in many engineering applications has incurred enormous economic loss. Thus, accessible methods are urgently needed to alleviate or eliminate damage by rotational fretting. Surface engineering is an effective approach that is successfully adopted to enhance the ability of components to resist the fretting damage. In this paper, using a high-velocity oxygen fuel sprayed(HVOF) technique WC-17 Co coating is deposited on an LZ50 steel surface to study its properties through Vickers hardness testing, scanning electric microscope(SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy(EDX), and X-ray diffractrometry(XRD). Rotational fretting wear tests are conducted under normal load varied from 10 N to 50 N, and angular displacement amplitudes vary from 0.125° to 1°. Wear scars are examined using SEM, EDX, optical microscopy(OM), and surface topography. The experimental results reveal that the WC-17 Co coating adjusted the boundary between the partial slip regime(PSR) and the slip regime(SR) to the direction of smaller amplitude displacement. As a result, the coefficients of friction are consistently lower than the substrate's coefficients of friction both in the PSR and SR. The damage to the coating in the PSR is very slight. In the SR, the coating exhibits higher debris removal efficiency and load-carrying capacity. The bulge is not found for the coating due to the coating's higher hardness to restrain plastic flow. This research could provide experimental bases for promoting industrial application of WC-17 Co coating in prevention of rotational fretting wear.     

A numerical study of fatigue life in non-Newtonian thermal EHL rolling–sliding contacts with spinning

This paper presents a study on fatigue life in non-Newtonian thermal elastohydrodynamic lubrication (TEHL) point contacts with spinning. A numerical procedure is developed and extended to rolling contact fatigue (RCF) life. The results show that the effect of entraining velocity on the RCF life is closely related to ellipticity. The RCF life first decreases steeply and then gradually with increase in slide–roll ratio. However, the RCF life may increase slightly at a large slide–roll ratio. Spinning is beneficial for reduction of longitudinal friction coefficient; however, even for smooth surface contact, the RCF life can be slightly reduced by spinning.     

Fabrication mechanism of friction-induced selective etching on Si(100) surface

As a maskless nanofabrication technique, friction-induced selective etching can easily produce nanopatterns on a Si(100) surface. Experimental results indicated that the height of the nanopatterns increased with the KOH etching time, while their width increased with the scratching load. It has also found that a contact pressure of 6.3 GPa is enough to fabricate a mask layer on the Si(100) surface. To understand the mechanism involved, the cross-sectional microstructure of a scratched area was examined, and the mask ability of the tip-disturbed silicon layer was studied. Transmission electron microscope observation and scanning Auger nanoprobe analysis suggested that the scratched area was covered by a thin superficial oxidation layer followed by a thick distorted (amorphous and deformed) layer in the subsurface. After the surface oxidation layer was removed by HF etching, the residual amorphous and deformed silicon layer on the scratched area can still serve as an etching mask in KOH solution. The results may help to develop a low-destructive, low-cost, and flexible nanofabrication technique suitable for machining of micro-mold and prototype fabrication in micro-systems.     

Evaluation of MOSA condition using leakage current method

This paper covers the evaluation of metal-oxide surge arrester (MOSA) condition using the method based on the analysis of leakage current at the operating voltage of the network. A comparison is made between the following variants of this method: (1) the method based on harmonic analysis of the total leakage current; (2) the method based on the third order harmonic of the resistive leakage current; (3) the method of power loss; (4) the capacitive current compensation method; and (5) the method based on direct measurement of the amplitude of the resistive leakage current. For these methods the appropriate indicators are introduced for evaluating the MOSA condition. The application of these methods is analyzed depending on fluctuation and the presence of higher harmonics of the MOSA operating voltage. Calculations were conducted using the program MATLAB on a simplified equivalent circuit of a MOSA with a non-linear element modeled using the degree function. Based on the calculation results, a gradation was made for the applicability of individual indicators for evaluating the MOSA condition which indicates a special advantage for using the fundamental harmonic of the resistive component of leakage current and the fundamental harmonic of power loss.     

轮轨材料/硬度匹配研究进展与展望

车轮与钢轨硬度是影响轮轨磨损的主要因素之一,合理的轮轨材料与硬度匹配对于减轻轮轨磨损、延长服役寿命具有十分关键的作用。当前我国铁路运营过程中存在2种硬度钢轨匹配4种硬度车轮的现象,材料匹配行为复杂。针对铁路轮轨材料和硬度的选用与匹配,至今尚无统一合理的规定与标准。从轮轨材料硬度出发,首先分析了国内外轮轨材料发展与硬度匹配的使用现状,发现不同国家和地区轮轨材料硬度的选用存在较大差异。具体表现为:日本新干线使用的车轮硬度远高于钢轨(H_R/H_W<1),欧洲高速铁路上H_R/H_W值接近1,而中国高速铁路系统中,轮轨种类多,硬度区间大。其次,总结了轮轨硬度匹配研究进展,明确材料硬度和轨轮硬度比(H_R/H_W)对磨损与滚动接触疲劳损伤都具有显著影响,但并没有形成统一的结论,且以往的材料选用经验并不完全适用于当前的铁路系统。然后,针对现阶段轮轨材料与硬度匹配研究,探讨了材料加工硬化、合金钢微观组织、表面热处理工艺、复杂服役环境与车轮运行参数等因素的潜在影响。最后,提出...     

核用2.25Cr-1Mo钢在不同环境下的微动磨损性能

目的 研究核用2.25Cr-1Mo钢在不同环境下的微动磨损性能。方法 采用自制的切向微动磨损试验设备,在4种环境(温室RT/大气、RT/水、450℃/大气和450℃/液态钠)下对2.25Cr-1Mo钢进行了切向微动磨损试验。试验参数为：法向载荷20 N,运动频率5 Hz,位移幅值50μm,循环次数10⁵和2×10⁵。试验前,采用维氏硬度仪测量了2.25Cr-1Mo钢在室温和450℃高温下的硬度。试验后,采用Bruker白光干涉显微镜测量了磨痕的三维形貌并获得了截面轮廓和磨损量。采用扫描电子显微镜(SEM)、能谱仪(EDS)分析磨痕表面和横截面的微观形貌以及摩擦化学反应。结果 2.25Cr-1Mo钢在不同环境下表现出不同的磨损性能。450℃液态钠环境下的磨损量最大,大于450℃和室温大气环境下的磨损量;室温水环境下的磨损最小。经过10⁵微动循环后,2.25Cr-1Mo钢在450℃液态钠和室温水环境下表现出最大和最小的磨损率,分别为4.17×10^-6 mm³/(N·m)和0.32×...     

Effect of Water on the Mechanical and Frictional Behaviors of Human Fingernails

The fingernails are generally used for a variety of functions including protecting, foraging, and gripping. The achievement of these functions depends on the mechanical properties of fingernails. In this article, the deformation recovery of human fingernails in water was investigated. The effect of water on the mechanical and frictional behaviors of fingernails was studied using a nano indentation and scratch tester. Owing to the swelling of fingernail matrix, the indents under a peak indentation load of 20 N and scratches under a constant load of 70 mN can be fully recovered after the fingernail samples were dipped in water for 10 min. The recovery of these deformations in water reveals obvious anisotropy on the different sections of fingernails. The recovery speed of the indents and scratches on the surface of fingernails is the fastest, and the slowest recovery happens for the deformations on the longitudinal section. With the water in hydrated fingernails evaporating in air, the microhardness of fingernails shows a quick increase in the first 100 min and levels off after 200 min. Finally, the microhardness of fingernails in the fully dehydrated state is 2–3 times larger than that in the hydrated state. The water in fingernails reduces the fluctuation of friction force on surface and protects the surface of fingernails from scratch damage. Owing to the special orientation of filament in the intermediate layer of fingernails, the friction on the cross section of fingernail shows an anisotropic behavior. Either on the dehydrated or hydrated fingernails, the friction coefficient along the parallel direction of filament is lower than that along the vertical direction of filament.