Evolution of core–rim structures and phase transformations in infra-red transmitting Y-α-SiAlON ceramics

Core–rim structures were observed as common features in Y-α-SiAlON ceramics hot-pressed between 1550?1950 °C. We found most dopants were taken into α’-rims, and a transition layer grown first on α-cores from liquid-phase over-saturated with metal solutes. Elongated β’-grain were formed as minor phase with α’- or AlN-cores thus only after the α’ matrix had consumed up all Y solutes, revealing that the α’ → β’ transformation is controlled by the transient liquid-phase and similar defects and dangling bonds could be detected in both SiAlON phases by cathodoluminescence. Quantitative assessment of Y_m/3Si_12?(m+n)Al_m+nO_nN_16?n demonstrates the multiphase evolution, initiated by over-saturation of Y solutes at low temperatures thus retaining α-phase as cores to lower the infra-red transmittance, dictated by homogenization of Al solutes at higher temperature. The elimination of those phase boundaries leads to better dopant and sintering design for achieving transparent and high-performance SiAlON ceramics.     

Effect of metallurgical evolution during post-weld aging treatment on localised corrosion of resistance spot welding joints of A286 superalloy

The combined effect of resistance spot welding and precipitation hardening on the localised corrosion of A286 superalloy is studied. The specimens tested by double loop electrochemical potentiokinetic reactivation were welded in the solution treated condition, and then subjected to different precipitation hardening treatments. For both base metal and weld nugget, the maximum localised corrosion is reached when η phase is clearly observable. The fact that the localised corrosion resistance of weld nugget is different from that shown by base metal may be explained by the segregation of Ni and Ti towards the interdendritic region of weld nugget (studied by using scanning electron microscope/energy dispersive X-ray analysis).     

退火温度对新型锆合金薄板带材析出相和织构的影响

采用扫描电镜和超高分辨透射电镜,对具有良好冲制性能的新型锆合金薄板成品带材进行含晶粒、第二相粒子等在内的显微组织研究,并探索真空退火处理条件下温度对带材显微组织的影响。结果显示:新型锆合金薄板成品带材晶粒平均尺寸2.17 μm,存在{0001}<1010>和{0001}<1120>两种织构,大部分晶粒<1120>平行带材RD方向,较少晶粒<1010>平行带材RD方向;第二相粒子分布在晶粒内部及晶界,平均尺寸114 nm,尺寸较大的为不规则椭圆形的Zr-Nb-Fe相,尺寸较小的为圆形的β-Nb相;热处理退火温度降低,带材晶粒尺寸减小,第二相粒子细小弥散分布;新型锆合金薄板成品带材良好冲制性能主要源于轧制积累应变诱发再结晶过程进行充分,导致晶粒细小及孪晶发生破碎;相对轧制变形,退火对带材冲制性能影响不显著。     

Computer‐aided design methodology for linearity enhancement of multiwatt GaN HEMT amplifiers using multiple parallel devices

This article presents a design methodology for linearizing GaN HEMT amplifiers based on splitting a large FET into multiple parallel FETs with same total gate periphery and by biasing them individually. By varying the biases, the magnitude and the phase of the IMD3 components at the output of FET changes. A detailed simulation methodology using commercial microwave CAD software is presented. Simulation results show that by biasing one device in Class AB and other(s) in deep Class AB mode, IMD3 components of parallel FETs can be made out of phase to each other leading to cancellation and improvement in linearity. Three prototype circuits were simulated using (a) a single 5 mm FET (1 × 5 mm), (b) two parallel 2.5 mm FETs (2 × 2.5 mm), and (c) four parallel 1.25 mm FETs (4 × 1.25 mm), for a total gate periphery of 5 mm, over the frequency range of 0.8 to 1.0 GHz. IMD3 improvement up to 20 dBc was achieved with the 4 × 1.25 mm circuit when the FET biases were optimized. Measurement results show improvement in linearity up to 20 dBc for 4 × 1.25 mm circuit. The proposed method improves linearity without a substantial penalty on the power consumption and is straightforward to implement.     

Images of a First‐Order Spin‐Reorientation Phase Transition in a Metallic Kagome Ferromagnet

First‐order phase transitions, where one phase replaces another by virtue of a simple crossing of free energies, are best known between solids, liquids, and vapors, but they also occur in a wide range of other contexts, including even elemental magnets. The key challenges are to establish whether a phase transition is indeed first order, and then to determine how the new phase emerges because this will determine thermodynamic and electronic properties. Here it is shown that both challenges are met for the spin reorientation transition in the topological metallic ferromagnet Fe₃Sn₂. The magnetometry and variable temperature magnetic force microscopy experiments reveal that, analogous to the liquid–gas transition in the temperature–pressure plane, this transition is centered on a first‐order line terminating in a critical end point in the field‐temperature plane. The nucleation and growth associated with the transition is directly imaged, indicating that the new phase emerges at the most convoluted magnetic domain walls for the high temperature phase and then moves to self‐organize at the domain centers of the high temperature phase. The dense domain patterns and phase coexistence imply a complex inhomogenous electronic structure, which can yield anomalous contributions to the electrical conductivity.     

槽式太阳能集热管内相变微胶囊悬浮液的热力性能分析

针对传统使用水基和油基的太阳能集热器换热效果低和管壁热应力大的问题，以相变微胶囊悬浮液为工作流体，对抛物型槽式太阳能集热器进行了三维建模。采用蒙特卡罗射线追踪法结合有限容积法和有限元法的方法求解了太阳能集热管的光?热?力耦合问题，采用欧拉?欧拉多相流模型研究了相变微胶囊悬浮液在集热管内的流动换热特性。结果表明，相变微胶囊悬浮液强化了集热管内的对流换热，不仅降低了集热管的沿程壁温，且减少了集热管的周向温差，均化了集热管温度分布。集热管周向等效热应力呈花瓣型分布，对应的5个高温度梯度的位置附近(圆周角θ=5°, 90°, 175°, 225°和315°)出现等效应力局部峰值。吸热管内壁面θ=90°处轴向热应力为压应力，作用于整个管程，而径向热应力和切向热应力为拉应力，主要作用在进出口端。相变微胶囊悬浮液浓度越高，强化换热效果越好，集热管热应力越小，但产生的压降也随之增大。     

退火温度对0Cr25Al5热轧态盘条钢组织及性能的影响

采用显微组织分析和分子动力学模拟等方法研究了退火温度对0Cr25Al5热轧态盘条钢组织及性能的影响。结果发现,晶粒尺寸随温度的升高逐渐增加并趋于稳定,但是断后伸长率和断面收缩率在950 ℃突然大幅度下降。试样组织形貌在800 ℃和950 ℃退火温度下的OM及SEM分析结果未见明显差别。于是使用分子动力学模拟对0Cr25Al5钢三元体系的自由能进行了计算,发现随着B2结构的FeAl或者DO3结构的Fe₃Al有序相尺寸的增大,系统自由能先减小后增大,其最小值随着退火温度的升高向有序相颗粒尺寸减小的方向移动。在1273 K的高温下仍然会保留60 nm左右大小的有序相颗粒。因此,推测0Cr25Al5钢在大于950 ℃的温度范围内韧性下降是由于60 nm左右的B2结构的FeAl或者DO3结构的Fe₃Al有序相造成,与晶粒尺寸无关。因此,针对该钢种应进行低温退火促使基体组织回复以消除缺陷,从而抑制Fe、Al等基体原子的扩散。     

Elastic modulus of nanocrystalline cemented carbide

The purposes of this work were to obtain the accurate elastic modulus of the nanocrystalline WC–Co cemented carbides, and to propose the mechanism for the difference of elastic modulus between the nanocrystalline and conventional polycrystalline cemented carbides. The nanocrystalline cemented carbide was prepared by spark plasma sintering (SPS) technique. The conventional polycrystalline cemented carbides were prepared by SPS and sinter-HIP techniques as references, respectively. The sintered cemented carbides were characterized by X-ray diffractometry, scanning electron microscopy and the transmission electron microscopy with precession electron diffraction technology. The elastic modulus was obtained by averaging the values measured with the continuous stiffness measurement method of the nanoindentation technology. The results show that the nanocrystalline cemented carbide has a relatively low modulus, which could be attributed to the more interface area and higher fraction ratio of the hcp cobalt phase caused by the rapid heating and cooling process during SPS.     

Microstructural characteristics of as-forged and β-air-cooled Zr–2.5Nb alloy

Multiple characterization and analysis techniques including electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD), electron channeling contrast (ECC) imaging, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and microhardness test were jointly employed to investigate microstructural characteristics such as local composition, morphology, grain boundary characteristics and interphase orientation relationship of a forged Zr–2.5Nb alloy before and after β-air-cooling. Results show that the as-forged specimen is composed of equiaxed and lamellar α grains and continuous net-like β-Zr films. After the β-air-cooling, the microstructure of the specimen is featured by basket-weave Widmanstätten structure, in which the inter-α-plate second phases are nanoscale β-Zr. Analyses for crystallographic orientations reveal that the Burgers relationship has been strictly followed during the β→α cooling. Compared to the as-forged specimen, the hardness of the β-air-cooled specimen is higher, which could be attributed to the decreased structural sizes of both α and β phases, and the increased fraction of high angle boundaries as well.     

A low power and low phase-noise 91~96 GHz VCO in 90 nm CMOS

This paper reports a 94 GHz CMOS voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO) using both the negative capacitance (NC) technique and series-peaking output power and phase noise (PN) enhancement technique. NC is achieved by adding two variable LC networks to the source nodes of the active circuit of the VCO. NMOSFET varicaps are adopted as the required capacitors of the LC networks. In comparison with the conventional one, the proposed active circuit substantially decreases the input capacitance (C_in) to zero or even a negative value. This leads to operation (or oscillation) frequency (OF) increase and tuning range (TR) enhancement of the VCO. The VCO dissipates 8.3 mW at 1 V supply. The measured TR of the VCO is 91~96 GHz, close to the simulated (92.1~96.7 GHz) and the calculated one (92.2~98.2 GHz). In addition, at 1 MHz offset from 95.16 GHz, the VCO attains an excellent PN of – 98.3 dBc/Hz. This leads to a figure-of-merit (FOM) of ?188.5 dBc/Hz, a remarkable result for a V- or W-band CMOS VCO. The chip size of the VCO is 0.75 × 0.42 mm², i.e. 0.315 mm².