Effect of bainitic transformation on mechanical properties of 0.6C-Si-Mn steel

The mechanical properties of 0.6C-Si-Mn steel transformed isothermally in the bainitic temperature region (593 and 648 K) were investigated. The mechanical properties of the steels were improved with increasing bainite and retained austenite and the corresponding decrease in martensite. Marked benefits of the mechanical properties were obtained for the steels containing the maximum content of retained austenite in the bainite matrix, independent of transformation temperature. For isothermal transformation at 593 K, the 0.2% yield stress, _y, ultimate tensile stress, _u, and notch tensile stress (NTS) were improved significantly, while the advantage of the per cent elongation and Charpy 2 mm V-notch (CVN) impact energy was relatively small. As a result of isothermal transformation at 648 K, the per cent elongation and CVN impact energy were dramatically improved, while the superiority of _y, _u and NTS was not much greater than isothermal transformation at 593 K. Compared to 0.6C steels transformed isothermally at the same temperatures, in which little appreciable retained austenite was found, the isothermally transformed steels having a microstructure consisting of bainite and retained austenite improved the mechanical properties remarkably. These results are described and discussed.     

Thermal evolution of Fe62.5Co6Ni7.5Zr6Nb2Cu1B15 metallic glass

Thermal evolution of Fe_62.5Co₆Ni_7.5Zr₆Nb₂Cu₁B₁₅ amorphous alloy prepared by one-roll melt-spinning technique was studied by XRD and DTA. The crystallisation process, occurring in several steps, can be summarised as follows: a a + -Fe a + -Fe + -Fe -Fe + -Fe + ZrB₁₂, where a and a are amorphous phases, and a can be indexed as a -Fe (fcc) structure, with a crystalline order on an average distance of 8 Å. The metallic glass demixed on quenching, but component phases tended to mix by exchanging Fe atoms in a temperature range overlapped with the first crystallisation, which yields -Fe nanocrystals (27 Å). Higher temperature exo-peaks correspond mainly to a recrystallisation of the phases formed at lower temperature. It was found that this alloy has nanocrystalline structure also after heating at a well higher temperature than first crystallization. Even after the last exo-peak, the average crystallite size (D) was considerably smaller than that found in the literature for analogous metallic glasses; D values for our alloy were comparable to those of nanocrystalline phases of other systems heat treated below the temperature of exothermal DTA peaks. Extensive oxidation above 600°C, even at a low oxygen content (c _{o 2} 2 ppm), led to a marked modification of the surface layer: two zirconia polymorphs were identified on the surface of the ribbons, and the ratio of -Fe to -Fe content increased with respect to the bulk. Differences in thermal evolution between outer layer and bulk are attributed to a different phase composition and non-uniform distribution since the as-quenched stage.     

Microstructure stability of fine-grained silicon carbide ceramics during annealing

Fine-grained silicon carbide ceramics with an average grain size of 140 nm or smaller were prepared by low-temperature hot-pressing of very fine -SiC powders using Al₂O₃-Y₂O₃-CaO (AYC) or Y-Mg-Si-Al-O-N glass (ON) as sintering additives. The microstructure stability of the resulting fine-grained SiC ceramics was investigated by annealing at 1850°C and by evaluating quantitatively the grain growth behavior using image analysis. The phase transformation of SiC in AYC-SiC was responsible for the accelerated abnormal grain growth of platelet-shaped grains. In contrast, the phase transformation in ON-SiC was suppressed, which resulted in a very stable microstructure.     

The influence of ageing on the stability of β-γ/γ′ derived microstructures in Ni-Al-Cr-(Co) alloys

Multiphase Ni-Al-(Fe)-(Cr)-(Co)-based intermetallics with (B2)- (A1)/(L1₂), - or - microstructures can exhibit significant room-temperature tensile ductility. In the case of Ni-Al-Cr-based alloys, microstructural development is complicated by the precipitation of -Cr, which can supplant the -phase during ageing of three-phase -/ microstructures. An investigation of the stability, during ageing, of cast Ni-Al-Cr-(Co) alloys with microstructures derived from -/ is reported. In the as-cast condition, the materials investigated consisted of a dendritic matrix containing L1₀ type martensite and interdendritic /. Extensive intra- and interdendritic -Cr precipitation was also observed. The stability during ageing of the interdendritic / microstructure is also considered and transformation of the L1₀ martensite is examined.     

Microstructural characterization of as-cast high-nitrogen Fe-15Cr-15Ni alloys

A base composition of Fe-15Cr-15Ni was melted in a hot-isostatic-pressure furnace under nitrogen pressures from 0.1–150 MPa (1–1500 atm) to produce materials with nitrogen concentrations from 0.04–3.6 wt%. Microstructural characterization of the as-cast materials was completed using optical microscopy, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy techniques. The phases present in the materials were austenite, nitrides (Cr₂N and CrN), and martensite. All of the materials solidified with primary austenite dendrites. Dendritic solidification of CrN occurred in interdendritic regions of the austenite in alloys containing between 0.6 and 1.9 wt % N. Cellular precipitation of Cr₂N occurred in alloys with intermediate nitrogen concentrations (0.6 and 1.0 wt %). The orientation relationship between the Cr₂N and austenite, expressed as {1 1 1}y{0 0 0 1}Cr₂N and 1 1 0 –1 1 0 0Cr₂N, was confirmed. Precipitates of CrN with both lamellar and disc morphologies formed in the austenite. Both had a cube-cube orientation relationship with the austenite. Only about 10% of the 3.6 wt% N material solidified as primary austenite. The remainder of the material solidified as a eutectic according to the reaction L +CrN. All of the austenite in the eutectic region subsequently transformed to martensite. Increasing volume fractions of martensite formed with increasing bulk nitrogen concentrations in the materials due to alloy depletion of austenite caused by nitride formation.     

Effect of phase fluctuations upon penetration depth

The temperature dependence of the static penetration (T) has been used as a guide to the nature of the superconducting state in high-T _c materials. It has been argued that an algebraic temperature dependence in the ratio (T)/(0) [(T) — (0)]/(0) at low temperature is evidence for d-wave pairing. This paper examines the effect of superconducting phase fluctuations upon (T) and finds an algebraic dependence over a broad range of temperature.     

Use of adjoint functions in investigations of heat conduction and transfer processes

An examination is made of the use of adjoint functions in heat conduction and convection theory. Formulas of perturbation theory are obtained for steady and unsteady cases, an interpretation of the physical meaning of adjoint temperature is given, and some applications of the theory are discussed.Notation (r,) thermal conductivity - t(r,) temperature - t *(r,) adjoint temperature - q_V(r,) density of heat release sources - p(r,) a parameter of adjoint equation - r generalized coordinate - time - (r_s, ) heat transfer coefficient - I linear functional of temperature - (r,;r₀,₀) and *(r,; r₀,₀) Green's function for t(r, ) and t *(r, ) - C(r,) volume specific heat - W(r, ) vector distribution of flow velocities - V, S volume and surface areas of body - R radius of HRE - r, radial and angular coordinates - F_in, F_out inlet and outlet flow areas of channel     

o′-β′ sialon ceramics

Powders of Si₃N₄, Al₂O₃ and SiO₂ were mixed with Y₂O₃ as sintering aid and hot-pressed to form o- sialon. During sintering, the o phase preferentially precipitated in the temperature region of 1550 to 1600 °C, and the phase precipitated at temperatures of 1700 °C and above. The resultant microstructure consisted of dual phases of o and . The mechanical properties of o- sialon were improved with increasing amount of the phase. When SiO₂ required for the formation of the o phase was all included in the grain boundary phase, o- sialon exhibited a three-point bending strength as much as 1400 MPa. The oxidation resistance of o- sialon is expected to improve due to the presence of the o phase, but actually was not so good due to the presence of the grain-boundary glassy phase and impurities.     

Ageing characteristics of furnace cooled eutectoid Zn-Al based alloy

Phase transformations and microstructural changes of a furnace cooled eutectoid Zn-Al based alloy were studied during ageing at 100 and 170°C using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) techniques. Three phase transformations occurred in the furnace cooled eutectoid Zn-Al alloy. The metastable _FC phase decomposed during isothermal ageing. The four-phase transformation, + T + followed the discontinuous decomposition of the _FC phase. Typical morphologies of the decomposition of the _FC and phases were observed in scanning electron microscopy. Decomposition of Al-rich phase was observed during the prolonged ageing by transmission electron microscopy. The different types of decomposition of the different metastable phases dominated at different stages of ageing.     

Fabrication of β- and β′′-Al2O3 tubes by pressureless powder packing forming and salt infiltration

A new forming method, pressureless powder packing (PLPP), was studied to fabricate the - and -Al2O3 tubes. Alkali sources were infiltrated into the pores of -Al2O3 tube preforms that had been prepared by the PLPP forming method. The composition for the synthesis of -Al2O3 phase was Na2O · 0. 138Li2 · 4.4Al2O3. The -Al2O3 fraction of calcined and sintered bodies was increased with the increase of calcination temperature, and phase formation was largely affected by the type of starting -Al2O3. Large particle size and narrow size distribution of fused -Al2O3 resulted in uniform green microstructure that enhanced the homogeneity of alkali salts after infiltration, which was very important for the -Al2O3 formation. Sintered microstructure was uniform in all specimens but further development was required for density improvement.     

Branching of the Falkner-Skan solutions for λ<0

Summary The Falkner-Skan equation f+ff+(1-f²)=0,f(0)=f(0), is discussed for <0. Two types of problems, one with f()=1 and another with f()=-1, are considered. For =0^- a close relation between these two types is found. For <-1 both types of problem allow multiple solutions which may be distinguished by an integer N denoting the number of zeros of f-1. The numerical results indicate that the solution branches with f()=1 and those with f()=-1 tend towards a common limit curve as N increases indefinitely. Finally a periodic solution, existing for <-1, is presented.     

Phase decomposition in extruded Zn-Al based alloy

Ageing characteristics of an extruded eutectoid Zn-Al based alloy were investigated using X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy techniques. The extruded alloy consisted of Al rich phase and Zn rich _E and phases. The original cast eutectoid Zn-Al alloy was extruded at 250 °C. Both supersaturated _s and _s phase decomposed during extrusion and appeared as fine and coarse lamellar structures. The _E and phases particles formed in the original interdendritic region. It was found that two Zn rich phases _E and decomposed sequentially during ageing at 170, 140 °C. The decomposition of the _E phase occurred as a discontinuous precipitation in the early stage of ageing and the decomposition of the phase took place in a four phase transformation: + T + in the prolonged ageing. Two typical morphologies of the decomposition of the Zn rich phases _E and were distinctive in back-scattered scanning electron microscopy.     

Effect of retained austenite on the microstructure and mechanical properties of martensitic precipitation hardening stainless steel

The effect of retained austenite () on the microstructure and mechanical properties of a martensitic precipitation hardening stainless steel was experimentally investigated, whose chemical composition was Fe-1.8Cu-15.9Cr-7.3Ni-1.2Mo-0.08Nb-low C, N (mass%). The microstructures of all specimens consist of a typical lath martensite with interlath films of the retained , which is not reverted with aging. Cu-rich precipitates which may contribute to precipitation hardening can not clearly be observed. The tensile properties and Charpy absorbed energy are linearly approximated to the amount of retained as follows: 0.2% Y.S. (MPa) = 1192.3 – 13.6 × %, T.S. (MPa) = 1250.1 – 9.3 × %, El. (%) = 12.16 + 0.43 × %, R.A. (%) = 64.25 + 0.14 × %, and A.E. (J) = 72.5 + 0.8 × %. The introduction of retained is not beneficial to the fatigue limit. An excellent combinations of strength, ductility and toughness obtained in the present work is attributed to the introduction of retained and also to the chemical composition of the specimen used.     

Specific analysis of EBSD data to study the texture inheritance due to the β → α phase transformation

A specific processing of EBSD data is proposed to study the texture inheritance of titanium or zirconium alloys. A non standard misorientation map is calculated to localise the colonies inherited from the same parent grain. The calculation of the parent orientation from its inherited variants detailed in previous works has been adapted to the data obtained from an automated EBSD analysis. Finally, a method to derive the orientation map of the parent phase from that of the inherited phase is proposed. The resulting and COMs are used to study some aspects of the variant selection occurring in the transformation of a T40 sample.     

X-ray studies on the thermal expansion of tellurium dioxide

Using a Unicam 19 cm high temperature powder camera, the precision lattice parameters of tellurium dioxide have been determined at different temperatures in the range 30 to 461 °C. Using this data, the coefficients of thermal expansion, and parallel and perpendicular to the principal axis respectively, have been evaluated. The temperature dependence of the coefficients of thermal expansion is represented by the following equations: =29.673×10^–6+1.552sx10^–8 T+1.069sx10^–10 T ² =9.875sx10^–6–5.440sx10^–9 T+4.572sx 10^–12 T² HereT is the temperature in °C. The thermal expansion of tellurium dioxide has been explained in terms of the interionic distances.     

The effect of Ag additions on the microstructure of aluminium–lithium alloys

Minor quantities of Ag have been added to Al–Li–Cu–Mg–Zr alloys. Their microstructure has been studied by means of optical metallography, transmission electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction. In the high Li, low Cu:Mg ratio alloys the main phases found were , , S and T1, while fewer T2 and Al7Cu2Fe precipitates were also observed. The addition of up to 0.5 wt% Ag diminishes the and T1 precipitates size. This is attributed to a small increase of Li solubility in the matrix. In the low Li, high Cu:Mg ratio alloy the addition of 0.2 wt% Ag resulted in the precipitation of phase simultaneously with , , S and T1 phases. Due to the low Li concentration an unusual growth of the / precipitates at the expense of the precipitates was also observed. © 1998 Kluwer Academic Publishers     

Ageing characteristics of cast Zn-Al based alloy (ZnAl7Cu3)

Microstructure and ageing characteristics of a cast Zn-Al based alloy (ZnAl7Cu3) were studied using X-ray diffraction, electron scanning microscopy and back-scattered diffraction techniques. Two stages of phase transformation, i.e., decomposition of zinc rich phase and four phase transformation, + T + , were detected during ageing at 150°C. Electron back-scattered diffraction technique was applied in distinguishing both zinc rich and phases.     

Anisotropic spin diffusion and multiple spin echoes in3He-4He solutions

We propose a ₁-t₁-₂ pulse-NMR experiment to detect the spin-diffusion anisotropy, =D-D, in degenerate spin-polarized³He-⁴He mixtures, where D and dare the transverse and longitudinal spin diffusion coefficients. In such an experiment the nonlinearity of the dynamics produces multiple spin echoes (MSE). At the ³He concentration x₃ 4% the spinrotation parameter vanishes (M 0), so that the nonlinearity of the equations of motion is entirely due to the anisotropy. In this situation, detection of MSE amounts to observation of D. For slight anisotropy, i.e. D/D 0.25, we use a perturbation scheme similiar to that developed by Einzel et al. (in that case, for small M and small demagnetizing field) to calculate the second and third echo heights. For larger anisotropy we numerically calculate the echo heights. We find that for D/D = 0.5 the heights are 2 % of the first echo, and should be detectable. The (₁, ₂) tip-angle dependence of the D echoes is different from that of the M and demagnetization echoes, and furthermore, they occur at right angles to these echoes (in spin space). Thus, even when small spin-rotation and demagnetization effects are present, the ₁-t₁-₂ experiment provides a sensitive means of detecting the anisotropy.     

A transmission electron microscopic study of the Bethany iron meteorite

The Bethany iron meteorite which is a part of the Gibeon shower is a fine octahedrite with zoned plessite fields of various sizes. The optically irresolvable microstructural details inside the plessitic fields have been studied by transmission electron microscopy, and the crystallographic relationships between the primary kamacite () and the parent taenite (), and between the and particles in the coarse plessite, have been examined using electron diffraction. In the case of primary kamacite the orientation-relationship with was close to the Nishiyama-Wasserman relationship, whereas, for the plessitic , the orientation-relationship with was close to Kurdjumov-Sachs. It was also found that the (111) and (110) planes were not strictly parallel. Additionally, measurements of the composition profile through the zoned plessite have been made using STEM microanalysis technique, and related to microstructure.     

Oxidation behaviour of Β-sialon fabricated from α-Si3N4 and aluminium iso-propoxide

-sialon with z=0.5 was fabricated by hot pressing of a spray-dried mixture of -Si₃N₄ and aluminium iso-propoxide solution. The oxidation behaviour of this -sialon was investigated, comparing it with commercial -sialon containing Y₂O₃ as a sintering aid. Oxidation tests were carried out at 1200 and 1400C for 25 to 200 h in air. The oxide layer of aluminium isopropoxide-derived -sialon was thin, dense, smooth and homogeneous without bubbles and cracks. The strength after oxidation at 1400C for 200 h was about 800 MN m^–2, almost the same value as before oxidation. The oxide layer of Y₂O₃-doped -sialon was thick and inhomogeneous, containing many bubbles, cracks and grown needle-like crystallites (Y₂Si₂O₇). The strength after oxidation at 1200C for 200 h fell to 1/2(440 MN m^–2) because of pit formation in the oxide layer, and at 1400C for 200 h fell to 1/4(200 MN m^–2) because of severe swelling and flaking of the oxide layer. The high oxidation resistance of aluminium iso-propoxide derived -sialon was mainly due to its homogeneous microstructure and freedom from foreign constituents such as Y₂O₃.