Microstructure Evolution and Tensile Properties of a Selectively Laser Melted CoNi-Base Superalloy

Metallurgical and Materials Transactions A - A high $$\gamma ^{\prime }$$ volume fraction CoNi-base superalloy with roughly equal amounts of cobalt and nickel was successfully processed through...     

On the word preferences of suicidal versus nonsuicidal college students.

Used a word preference format to investigate reactions to verbal stimuli of 21 suicidal and 21 nonsuicidal university students matched for age and sex. Six words with either aggressive or submissive denotative meanings significantly differentiated the 2 groups. In addition, the word suicide was selected at a higher frequency level by suicidal individuals when compared to their nonsuicidal counterparts. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Chromia-Assisted Decarburization of W-Rich Ni-Based Alloys in Impure Helium at 1273 K (1000 °C)

The microstructure and surface stability of two experimental W-rich Ni-based alloys have been studied at 1273 K (1000 °C) in an impure-He environment containing only CO and CO₂ as impurities. The alloy Ni-2.3Al-12Cr-12W contained 0.08 wt pct carbon in solution, whereas the second alloy Ni-2.3Al-3Mo-12Cr-12Co-12W contained M₆C carbides at the same carbon level. Both alloys, which were preoxidized with ~2.3 μm Cr₂O₃ layer, were decarburized completely within 50 hours of exposure to the helium gas mixture at 1273 K (1000 °C) via the following chromia-assisted decarburization reaction: Cr₂O₃ (s) + 3C_alloy (s) → 2Cr (s) + 3CO (g). Microstructural observations, bulk carbon analysis, and microprobe measurements confirmed that the carbon in solid solution reacted with the surface chromium oxide resulting in the simultaneous loss of chromia and carbon. The Cr produced by the decomposition of the Cr₂O₃ diffused back into the alloy, whereas CO gas was released and detected by a gas chromatograph. Once the alloy carbon content was reduced to negligible levels, subsequent exposure led to the uninterrupted growth of Cr₂O₃ layer in both alloys. In the preoxidized alloys, chromia-assisted decarburization rates were slower for an alloy containing carbides compared with the alloy with carbon in solid solution only. The formation of Cr₂O₃ is shown to be the rate-limiting step in the chromia-assisted decarburization reaction. Exposure of as-fabricated alloys to the impure-He environment led to the formation of a thin layer of Al₂O₃ (<1 μm) between the substrate and surface Cr₂O₃ oxide that inhibited this decarburization process by acting as a diffusion barrier.     

An evaluation of cassava, sweet potato and field corn as potential carbohydrate sources for bioethanol production in Alabama and Maryland

The recent emphasis on corn production to meet the increasing demand for bioethanol has resulted in trepidation regarding the sustainability of the global food supply. To assess the potential of alternative crops as sources of bioethanol production, we grew sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas) and cassava (Manihot esculentum) at locations near Auburn, Alabama and Beltsville, Maryland in order to measure root carbohydrate (starch, sucrose, glucose) and root biomass. Averaged for both locations, sweet potato yielded the highest concentration of root carbohydrate (ca 80%), primarily in the form of starch (ca 50%) and sucrose (ca 30%); whereas cassava had root carbohydrate concentrations of (ca 55%), almost entirely as starch. For sweet potato, overall carbohydrate production was 9.4 and 12.7 Mg ha⁻¹ for the Alabama and Maryland sites, respectively. For cassava, carbohydrate production in Maryland was poor, yielding only 2.9 Mg ha⁻¹. However, in Alabama, carbohydrate production from cassava averaged 10 Mg ha⁻¹. Relative to carbohydrate production from corn in each location, sweet potato and cassava yielded approximately 1.5× and 1.6× as much carbohydrate as corn in Alabama; 2.3× and 0.5× for the Maryland site. If economical harvesting and processing techniques could be developed, these data suggest that sweet potato in Maryland, and sweet potato and cassava in Alabama, have greater potential as ethanol sources than existing corn systems, and as such, could be used to replace or offset corn as a source of biofuels.     

A new TriBeam system for three-dimensional multimodal materials analysis

The unique capabilities of ultrashort pulse femtosecond lasers have been integrated with a focused ion beam (FIB) platform to create a new system for rapid 3D materials analysis. The femtosecond laser allows for in situ layer-by-layer material ablation with high material removal rates. The high pulse frequency (1 kHz) of ultrashort (150 fs) laser pulses can induce material ablation with virtually no thermal damage to the surrounding area, permitting high resolution imaging, as well as crystallographic and elemental analysis, without intermediate surface preparation or removal of the sample from the chamber. The TriBeam system combines the high resolution and broad detector capabilities of the DualBeam(TM) microscope with the high material removal rates of the femtosecond laser, allowing 3D datasets to be acquired at rates 4-6 orders of magnitude faster than 3D FIB datasets. Design features that permit coupling of laser and electron optics systems and positioning of a stage in the multiple analysis positions are discussed. Initial in situ multilayer data are presented.     

Further investigations on the use of polycrystalline CVD diamond as a UV detector

Metal-semiconductor-metal planar structures were fabricated on free-standing diamond films. The devices were found to operate successfully as photodetectors for deep ultraviolet light with their response being dependent on the post-growth treatment. However, evidences of trapping were found both in the spectral photoresponse and temporal response to monochromatic light transients.     

In situ characterization of fatigue damage evolution in a cast Al alloy via nonlinear ultrasonic measurements

A new methodology is described for in situ characterization of fatigue damage accumulation using nonlinear ultrasonic measurements via analysis of the feedback signal of a closed-loop ultrasonic fatigue system. In the very high-cycle fatigue regime, ultrasonic nonlinearity increases with initiation and growth of a dominant, life-limiting fatigue crack. Based on the increase in the ultrasonic nonlinearity with fatigue cycling, crack initiation, small fatigue crack growth and fast crack growth regimes have been distinguished during cycling in specimens with different pore sizes tested at various stress amplitudes. The fraction of fatigue life spent in initiation of a life-limiting fatigue crack decreases with increasing stress amplitude. For a constant stress amplitude, the initiation life also decreases with increasing pore size. The present study also demonstrates the applicability of the methodology for fatigue crack growth studies from natural defects located internally or at the surface in smooth specimens.     

Microstructural evolution and failure characteristics of a NiCoCrAlY bond coat in “hot spot” cyclic oxidation

Microstructural evolution and the onset of failure in a NiCoCrAlY bond coat (BC) on a single-crystal superalloy substrate have been investigated in a newly developed “hot spot” apparatus that imposes a temperature gradient along the length of a coated, cylindrical specimen. Local spallation events were observed in the “hottest spot” of the coated specimens after 50–60 oxidation cycles with a peak temperature of 1050 °C. The thickness of the thermally grown oxide (TGO) was in the range of 2–3 μm when spalls were initiated. The failure surface contained a significant density of embedded oxides and the remnant TGO exhibited surface cracks indicative of a buckling delamination failure mode. The failed surface morphology and the cross-section microstructure of the BC have been characterized, including morphological imperfections in the TGO. The role of these microstructural features in the failure process is addressed.