Structure, hardness and thermal stability of TiAlN and nanolayered TiAlN/CrN multilayer films

TiAlN films were deposited on silicon (1 1 1) substrates from a TiAl target using a reactive DC magnetron sputtering process in Ar+N₂ plasma. Films were prepared at various nitrogen flow rates and TiAl target compositions. Similarly, CrN films were prepared from the reactive sputtering of Cr target. Subsequently, nanolayered TiAlN/CrN multilayer films were deposited at various modulation wavelengths (Λ). X-ray diffraction (XRD), energy dispersive X-ray analysis, nanoindentation and atomic force microscopy were used to characterize the films. The XRD confirmed the formation of superlattice structure at low modulation wavelengths. The maximum hardness of TiAlN/CrN multilayers was 3900 kg/mm², whereas TiAlN and CrN films exhibited maximum hardnesses of 3850 and 1000 kg/mm², respectively. Thermal stability of TiAlN and TiAlN/CrN multilayer films was studied by heating the films in air in the temperature range (T_A) of 500-900 °C for 30 min. The XRD spectra revealed that TiAlN/CrN multilayers were stable up to 800 °C and got oxidized substantially at 900 °C. On the other hand, the TiAlN films were stable up to 700 °C and got completely oxidized at 800 °C. Nanoindentation measurements performed on the films after heat treatment showed that TiAlN retained a hardness of 2200 kg/mm² at T_A=700 °C and TiAlN/CrN multilayers retained hardness as high as 2600 kg/mm² upon annealing at 800° C.     

Influence of Liquid Phase Additives on Structural and Sintering Behaviour of Samarium Modified Lead Titanate Ceramics

The combination of metal oxides Bi₂O₃:Li₂O in a ratio 89:11 gives a eutectic with a melting point of ～680°C. Such a low melting point oxide combination creates a working liquid phase at a highly favorable temperature for use as a densification aid. A liquid—phase sintering aid incorporating Bi₂O₃ and Li₂O is presented which demonstrates not only a reduction in the required sintering temperature but also shows relatively higher ‘c/a’ ratio (tetragonality) of PbTiO₃ ceramics with no fragility of the samples. Detailed dilatometric investigations have been performed in order to study the dominant shrinkage mechanism in the present system. Besides acting as a liquid phase fluxing agent, Bi₂O₃/Li₂O also behave as Curie shifter, which decreases Curie temperature in lead titanate system. The Curie temperature has also been verified from the thermal expansion behavior of sintered specimens. The value of dielectric constant increases after poling which may be due to the dominance of 180° domain wall over 90°.     

Designing communication strategies for heterogeneous parallel systems

This paper explores the suitability of the emerging passive star-coupled optical interconnection using wavelength division multiplexing as the system interconnect to provide high bandwidth (Gbits/sec) communication demanded by heterogeneous systems. Several different communication strategies (combinations of communication topologies and protocols) are investigated under a representative master-slave computational model. The interplay between system speed, network speed, task granularity, and degree of parallelism is studied using both analytical modeling and simulations. It is shown that a hierarchical ALOHA-based communication strategy between the master and the slaves, implemented on top of the passive star-coupled network, leads to a considerable reduction in channel contention and provides 50–80% reduction in task completion time for applications with medium to high degrees of coarse grain parallelism. Comparable reduction in channel contention is also shown to be achieved by using tunable acoustooptic filters at master nodes.     

Effect of solid polymer electrolyte on the sensitization of photocurrents in solid-state electrochemical cells using conducting polypyrrole

The effect of small concentration of methylene blue dye on photocurrents was studied in the solid-state photoelectrochemical cells fabricated using conducting polypyrrole-coated electrodes sandwiched with solid-polymer electrolyte, namely, polyvinylpyrrolidone with phosphoric acid. A maximum photosensitivity factor (S=I _l/I _d, where I _l is the photocurrent and I _d is the dark current) of the order of 5 is observed. The current–voltage (I–V) characteristics in such cells reveal that charge transport is mainly governed by the space charge effect. Comparison of the results presented in this paper with the ones we reported earlier [23] indicates that the matrix in which dye has been incorporated plays an important role in such sensitization processes. A matrix that can efficiently transport the photogenerated charge carriers is observed to be more suitable for such dye-sensitized devices.     

Abrasive wear behaviour of hardened high strength boron steel

Abstract

Abrasive wear in industrial applications such as mining, materials handling and agricultural machinery constitutes a large part of the total wear. Hardened high strength boron steels are known for their good wear resistance and mechanical properties, but available results in the open literature are scarce. This work aims at investigating how different quenching techniques affect the two-body abrasive wear resistance of hardened high strength boron steels. Furthermore, the wear as a function of depth in thicker hardened high strength boron steel plates has also been studied. The material characterisation has been carried out using microhardness, SEM/energy dispersive spectroscopy and three-dimensional optical surface profilometry. The results have shown that water quenched and tool quenched high strength boron steel had similar wear resistance. The main wear mechanisms appear to be microcutting combined with microfatigue. Workhardening during the abrasion process has been found to affect the abrasive wear.     

Failure Investigation of Boiler Water Wall Tubes of a Thermal Power Station

Failure investigation was carried out on boiler water wall tubes of a thermal power plant through visual inspection, chemical analysis, and metallurgical analysis. Failure was in the form of thin/micro cracks along the length of the tubes which were located at the girth welding joint of tubes. Experimental results revealed that the cracking was from inward to outward of the tube thickness. Discontinuities/cavities were observed in the welded region which might have occurred due to lack of fusion of base metal and the weld metal. Cracks were initiated from the sharp corner/crack tip of the cavities/discontinuities present at the welded region under the action of hoop/thermal stress existed during the operation. Nature of the crack propagation indicates the case of typical hydrogen-induced cracking. Moreover, the presence of the cavities/discontinuities reduced the cross-sectional area of tubes resulting increased stress intensity. Increased stress beyond the flow stress of the material assisted by hydrogen-induced effect resulted the cracking of the tubes. In order to mitigate the problem, proper welding of tubes joints should be carried out followed by proper inspection after weld. Secondly, hydrogen dissolution during welding should be prevented and treatment for its removal after welding should be carried out.     

Orientation-Dependent Developments in Misorientation and Residual Stress in Rolled Aluminum: The Defining Role of Dislocation Interactions

Orientation-dependent developments in misorientation and residual stress, in rolled aluminum, were quantified experimentally and simulated numerically. The latter involved analysis using a crystal plasticity finite element model, accounting for anisotropies in slip system hardening but neglecting near-neighbor interactions, and discrete dislocation dynamics of the single crystals. Both were successful in capturing the experimental patterns of orientation dependence. Numerical simulations, without slip transfer across the neighboring grains, thus established the defining role of dislocation interactions in establishing orientation-sensitive microstructural evolution.