A dense and compact laser cladding layer with solid metallurgical bonding significantly improved corrosion resistance of Mg alloy for engineering applications

Although Mg alloy attracts great attention for engineering applications because of high specific strength and low density, low corrosion resistance limits its extensive use. In this study, Mg–Al–Zn–Mn alloy was treated via a laser cladding process to generate a dense and compact laser cladding layer with solid metallurgical bonding on the substrate for improving corrosion resistance, effectively hindering the corrosion pervasion into Mg alloy. The corrosion current density declined from 103 μA/cm² for Mg alloy to 13 μA/cm² for the laser cladding layer in NaCl aqueous solution. Moreover, the laser cladding layer was slightly corroded in comparison with Mg alloy in NaCl aqueous solution. Besides, the microhardness of the cladding layer reached a mean value of 170.5 HV, 3.1 times of Mg alloy (56.8 HV) due to the in situ formation of hardening intermetallic phases. Wear resistance of laser cladding layer was also obviously improved. These results demonstrated that the laser cladding layer obviously enhanced anticorrosion property of Mg alloy for engineering applications.     

退火工艺对激光选区熔化成形Ti6Al4V合金组织及室温力学性能的影响

以Ti6Al4V球形粉末为原料,利用激光选区熔化成形方法制备了Ti6Al4V合金试样,采用光学显微镜、扫描电镜及力学性能测试等手段,研究了退火工艺对Ti6Al4V合金室温力学性能及组织的影响规律。结果表明: SLM成形沉积态Ti6Al4V合金室温抗拉强度超过1200 MPa,而平均断后伸长率仅为4.0%;在650 ℃下进行真空退火处理,合金的抗拉强度仍保持在1200 MPa左右,规定塑性延伸强度R_p0.2高于1150 MPa,但试样的断后伸长率<10%;而在750及800 ℃下进行真空退火处理,合金试样的抗拉强度降至1100 MPa左右,规定塑性延伸强度高于1050 MPa,伸长率达到甚至超过10%,材料的综合强韧性得到明显提升。随着真空退火加热温度和保温时间的增加,SLM成形Ti6Al4V合金原始β晶界逐渐变模糊,晶粒趋向于等轴化。与此同时,快速冷却转变的α′针状马氏体未出现明显地粗化。     

Research of laser remelting on the thermal-mechanical behaviors and heat treatment of yttria-stabilized zirconia coatings

In this study, the thermal and mechanical behaviors were investigated by simulating laser remelting of atmospheric plasma-sprayed yttria-stabilized zirconia coatings, and the molten depth and regions of stress concentration were compared between simulation and experiment. The heat  treatment process of the remelted coating was also simulated. The crack formation mechanism in the YSZ coating remelted by laser and the heat-treatment effect on residual stress were investigated. Results showed that the simulated results were consistent with the experimental measurements, and the residual thermal stress was the main cause of cracks formation. The coating remelted by a laser power of 1500 W and a scanning rate of 9 mm/s possessed less residual concentrated stress and segmented cracks. Heat treatment released concentrated stress, which was still accurate for the ceramic coating. If the coatings were slowly heated to demonstrate heat treatment after laser remelting, the cracks in the remelted layer decreased correspondingly.     

TiC含量对TC4合金激光熔覆层组织和性能的影响

采用激光熔覆工艺在TC4钛合金基体表面制备了添加不同质量分数(0%、2%、4%、6%)TiC的Ni60A复合熔覆层,通过光学显微镜、显微硬度计、X射线衍射仪、摩擦磨损机分析了不同TiC含量对熔覆层组织及性能的影响。结果表明:未添加TiC的熔覆层组织以树枝晶为主,添加TiC后出现了花瓣状物相;XRD分析发现熔覆层中出现了AlCCr₂、Al_0.24B_0.01Ni_0.75等硬质增强相,这些能够显著提高熔覆层的硬度。显微硬度及摩擦磨损试验结果表明,添加TiC的熔覆层平均硬度均较基体硬度有大幅提高,摩擦因数显著降低,且随TiC含量的增加,熔覆层硬度先增加后降低,摩擦因数先降低后增加,4%TiC熔覆层的硬度最大,相比基体提高了213.3%,摩擦因数最小,为0.309 774。     

Effects of short carbon fiber on the macro-properties,mechanical performance and microstructure of SiSiC composite fabricated by selective laser sintering

Selective laser sintering was combined with reactive melt infiltration to fabricate SiSiC part, and the effects of carbon fiber (C_f) on the properties of the SLS green body, the carbonized and final SiSiC sample were investigated. Results show that the addition of an appropriate amount of C_f (1.59 wt%~2.97 wt%) can increase the bulk density and geometric precision of the sample at all stages, and improve the mechanical properties of green and carbonized samples. The main phases composed of the SiSiC composite were free Si, a-SiC, β-SiC, plus a very small amount of Al–Si alloy. With 1.59 wt% C_f addition, a relatively comprehensive favorable macro-properties of both the green sample and carbonized sample was achieved, and the homogeneous microstructure of the latter favored the decreased free Si content and increased β-SiC content of the final composite. The evolution mechanism of C_f added to the raw material is inferred to be the mutual diffusion of [C] and [Si] that occurred at the C_f/Si melt boundary leading to the formation of the siliconized C_f with relatively large diameter size (24.3 μm) and high aspect ratio (>30). Amorphous C, which derived from the pyrolysis of epoxy resin E12, undergone a dissolution-precipitation mechanism with the formation of fine-grain β-SiC.     

CO2 detection with CNx thin films deposited on porous silicon

In recent years, porous silicon (PSi) has attracted a great deal of attention for sensing applications. However, the high reactivity of PSi surfaces causes serious problems of stability. In this work, we developed new thin films that can serve as stabilizer of PSi for CO₂ gas sensors development. PSi surface was coated with carbon nitride (CN_x) film which is one of the most important interfering to stabilize the PSi layer. CN_x film was deposited by pulsed laser ablation. The effect of CO₂ gas on the sensor response was investigated for different polarization voltages. The electrical properties of (Al/CN_x/PSi/Si) structure were modified in the presence of the gas. The device shows a high sensitivity against CO₂ gas. Furthermore, the current variation of the sensor as a function of time has been investigated. The results show that the Al/CN_x/PSi/Si structure becomes stable after the first two weeks.     

Effect of thermal noise on random lasers in diffusion regime

In this paper, we study the effects of thermal noise on the time evolution of a weak light pulse (probe) in the presence of a strong light pulse (pump) within a gain medium which includes random scatterer particles. Suitable thermal noise term is added to a set of four coupled equations including three diffusion equations for energy densities and a rate equation for the upper level population in a four-level gain medium. These equations have been solved simultaneously by Crank–Nicholson numerical method. The main result is that the back-scattered output probe light is increased as the thermal noise strength is increased and simultaneously, with the same rate, the amplified spontaneous emission is decreased. Therefore, the amplified response of the random laser in diffusion regime for the input probe pulse is enhanced due to effect of the thermal noise.     

3D printing hybrid organometallic polymer‐based biomaterials via laser two‐photon polymerization

Materials with microscale structures are gaining increasing interest due to their range of technical and medical applications. Additive manufacturing approaches to such objects via laser two‐photon polymerization, also known as multiphoton fabrication, enable the creation of new materials with diverse and tunable properties. Here, we investigate the properties of 3D structures composed of organometallic polymers incorporating aluminium, titanium, vanadium and zirconium. The organometallic polymer‐based materials were analysed using a variety of techniques including SEM, energy‐dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy, X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis and contact angle measurements and their biocompatibility was tested in vitro. Cell viability and mode of death were determined by 3‐(4,5‐dimethyl‐2‐thiazolyl)‐2,5‐diphenyl‐2H‐tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay and acridine orange/ethidium bromide staining. Polymers incorporating Al, Ti and Zr supported cell adhesion and proliferation, and showed low toxicity in vitro, whereas the organometallic polymer incorporating V was shown to be cytotoxic. Inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry suggested that leaching of the V from the organometallic polymer is the likely cause of this. The preparation of the organometallic polymers is straightforward and both simple 2D and complex 3D structures can be fabricated with ease. Resolution tests of the newly developed organometallic polymer incorporating Al show that suspended lines with widths down to 200 nm can be fabricated. We believe that the materials described in this work show promising properties for the development of objects with sub‐micron features for biomedical applications (e.g. biosensors, drug delivery devices, tissue scaffolds etc.). © 2019 The Authors. Polymer International published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.     

Condition based maintenance of the two-beam laser welding in high volume manufacturing of piezoelectric pressure sensor

Two-beam laser welding (TBLW) is an advanced process for precise, low distortion joining of cylindrical miniature parts. The process is composed of a laser source, optics and various actuators, which form a sophisticated system for control and maintenance in high volume manufacturing. A well-established method for identifying welding defects and ensuring welding quality is the monitoring of plasma light emission in TBLW. Although such monitoring systems can detect a change in process status, they are not able to diagnose the nature of the fault. The main challenge in this research was to extend the use of quality-based monitoring systems to measure additional deterioration-related parameters and to estimate system deterioration from them by using expert knowledge.This paper shows a novel condition-based maintenance (CBM) for the TBLW system, which performs condition identification using online monitoring of plasma light emission in combination with offline inspection of the seam macrographs. A combination of quality parameters derived from seam macrographs of defective parts is used to identify process deterioration, such as contamination of the optics, misalignment of the optomechanical system, or reduced laser power. The information obtained is used to make predefined process adjustments based on expert domain knowledge. The implementation of the developed CBM in high volume manufacturing of piezoelectric pressure sensors resulted in more predictable TBLW by reducing system failures as well as shorter diagnosis times.