Measurements of the mechanical Q of single-crystal silicon at low temperatures

Measurements of the mechanical quality factor Q in a single crystal of silicon vs. temperature have been made. A value of 2 × 10⁹ has been measured at T = 3.5K.Supported in part by the National Science Foundation.     

Cyclic fatigue of reaction-bonded silicon nitride at elevated temperatures

Cyclic and static loading tests were performed on reaction-bonded silicon nitride from 1000–1400 °C in air. This porous, fine-grained material contained no glassy grain-boundary phase and exhibited no slow crack growth at room temperature. Under cyclic loading, the crack-growth behaviour at 1000 °C was similar to room-temperature results; however, at 1200 and 1400 °C crack-growth rates increased significantly. Under static loading, significant crack growth was detected at 1000 °C and increased with temperature. Most of the crack growth under cyclic loading was attributed to slow crack-growth mechanisms, but evidence of cyclic crack-growth mechanisms were also observed. Oxidation played a major role in crack-growth velocity at high temperature. This revised version was published online in November 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Determination of v-K-curves of hot-pressed silicon nitride at elevated temperatures

The problem of the peeling of an elastic layer from the rigid wall of a cylindrical cavity is considered. A closed form analytical solution is obtained and numerical results are presented revealing characteristic features of the phenomenon.

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Résumé On considère le problème du pelage d'une couche élastique à partir de la paroi réputée d'une cavité cylindrique. On obtient une solution analytique de forme fermée; les résultats numériques qui sont présentés révèlent les composantes caractéristiques du phénomène.

     

Tensile strength of silicon carbide fibre bundles at elevated temperatures

The mechanical properties of commercially available SiC-based ceramic fibres were measured in the temperature range from 400–1300°C. The measurements were performed in air and in inert gas atmospheres, respectively. The Nicalon and Tyranno fibres were tested as filament bundles and the decrease in strength occurring at temperatures above 600 °C was found in both atmospheres. To obtain a well-defined gauge length at the testing temperature, a furnace with very steep temperature gradients at both ends was built. To eliminate grip-induced damage in the heating zone the fibre bundles were fixed outside the furnace with cold grip units. These grips guaranteed the uniformity of load distribution imposed on to each of the individual filaments in the fibre bundle. A significant shrinkage of the fibres occurring during the creep test performed under low loads indicates a change in the microstructure of the fibres at high temperatures.     

Crack propagation and failure prediction in silicon nitride at elevated temperatures

A technique for studying high temperature crack propagation in ceramic materials is developed. The technique is used to obtain relationships between the crack propagation rate and the stress intensity factor for hot-pressed silicon nitride up to 1400° C. The data are then used to develop proof test diagrams which give values for the safe working stress levels for this material after proof testing (or any other flaw detection procedure).     

Interaction between silicon carbide and a nickel-based superalloy at elevated temperatures

A study has been made of the reaction of hot-pressed SiC and a nickel-based superalloy at temperatures between 700 and 1150° C. Under conditions of reduced oxygen pressure at the reaction interface, obtained by applying pressure to the couple, some degree of reaction was observed in both metal and ceramic at all temperatures studied. Preliminary studies utilizing the same techniques at 1000° C with a Si-SiC ceramic composite, Si₃N₄, MgO, Al₂O₃, and SiO₂ also indicated some degree of reaction in the metal for all ceramics examined.     

Mechanical properties of amorphous silicon carbonitride thin films at elevated temperatures

The mechanical properties of amorphous silicon carbonitride (a-SiC _x N _y ) films with various nitrogen content (y = 0–40 at.%) were investigated in situ at elevated temperatures up to 650 °C in inert atmosphere. A SiC film was measured also at 700 °C in air. The hardness and elastic modulus were evaluated using instrumented nanoindentation with thermally stable cubic boron nitride Berkovich indenter. Both the sample and the indenter were separately heated during the experiments to temperatures of 300, 500, and 650 °C. Short duration high temperature creep tests (1200 s) of the films were also carried out. The results revealed that the room temperature hardness and elastic modulus deteriorate with the increase of the nitrogen content. Furthermore, the hardness of both the a-SiC and the a-SiCN films with lower nitrogen content at 300 °C drops to approx. 77 % of the corresponding room temperature values, while it reduces to 69 % for the a-SiCN film with 40 at.% of nitrogen. Further increase of temperature is accompanied with minor reduction in hardness except for the a-SiCN film with highest nitrogen content, where the hardness decreases at a much faster rate. Upon heating up to 500 °C, the elastic modulus of the a-SiCN film decreases, while it increases at 650 °C due to the pronounced effect of short-range ordering. The steady-state creep rate increases at elevated temperatures and the a-SiC exhibits slower creep rates compared to the a-SiCN films. The value of the universal constant x = 7 relating the W _p/W _t and H/E ^* was established and its applicability was demonstrated. Analysis of the experimental indentation data suggests a theoretical limit of hardness to elastic modulus ratio of 0.143.     

Cyclic fatigue of hot isostatically pressed silicon nitride at elevated temperatures

Cyclic fatigue properties of a hot isostatically pressed silicon nitride were investigated at 1150, 1260 and 1370 °C in ambient air. The uniaxial tensile tests were conducted under various cyclic loading wave forms and frequencies. The correlation of stress-life relations between cyclic and static fatigue results was evaluated. At 1150–1370 °C, cyclic loading caused less damage than static loading, as evidenced by the longer failure time under cyclic loading versus static loading with the same maximum applied stresses. The cyclic loading effect was more pronounced in high frequency tests at 1260 and 1370 °C and might be related to the viscoelastic behaviour of the intergranular phase. Microstructural analyses and macroscopic cyclic stress-strain and strain-time relations indicated that cyclic loading/unloading may inhibit the normal accumulation of creep damage.     

Sliding wear behaviour of Al 6063/TiB2 in situ composites at elevated temperatures

A low cost system of Al 6063 ? xTiB₂ (x = 0, 5, 10 wt.%) in situ metal matrix composites (MMCs) were prepared by the reaction mixture of K₂TiF₆ and KBF₄ with molten alloy. These in situ prepared composites were characterized by using scanning electron microscope, X-ray diffractometer, and microhardness analysis. The dry sliding wear behaviour of the prepared composite was investigated by using a Pin on Disc method at different applied loads of 9.8, 19.6 and 29.4 N for various temperatures (100, 200 and 300 °C). The study at room temperature was also carried out for comparison purpose. The results indicate that the wear rate decreases with the increase in the weight percentage of TiB₂, while it increases with the increase in the applied load.     

Fracture behaviour at elevated temperatures of alumina matrix composites reinforced with silicon carbide whiskers

Creep tests were performed on alumina matrix composites containing 9.3,18 and 30 vol % of SiC whiskers. Careful examination after failure showed that the fracture characteristics were dependent upon the microstructure of the material. Whisker pullouts were visible at the fracture surfaces of the composites with 30 and 18 vol % of SiC whiskers due to preferential debonding at the whisker-matrix interfaces, and these composites also developed crack networks due to the propagation of cracks along whisker-free channels between whisker agglomerates. No whisker pullouts or crack networks were visible in the composite with 9.3 vol % of SiC whiskers where the whisker distribution was reasonably uniform.     

时效Mg-8.14Zn-1.44Y-0.5Zr合金高温摩擦磨损性能研究

镁合金在航空航天、汽车及通讯领域有着广泛的应用, 为进一步改善镁合金的耐磨性,在不同温度下对Mg-8.14Zn-1.44Y-0.5Zr合金进行了时效处理,并测试了铸态和时效态合金的硬度及高温条件下摩擦磨损行为.采用扫描电子显微镜对不同载荷及环境温度条件下合金的摩擦磨损表面进行观察,并分析了其磨损机制.结果表明：在240 ℃时,随着时效时间的增加,合金的硬度值呈现先增加而后降低的趋势,当时效温度为240 ℃,时间为12 h时,Mg-8.14Zn-1.44Y-0.5Zr合金具有最高的硬度值; 铸态合金的磨损体积损失明显高于时效态合金,两种合金的磨损体积损失均随载荷和环境温度增加而增大,且时效态合金发生严重磨损时对应的转变温度滞后于铸态合金; 环境温度低于250 ℃时,合金的磨损机制主要为磨粒磨损和氧化磨损,环境温度为300 ℃时,磨损机制变为剥层磨损和黏着磨损.时效处理可显著提高Mg-8.14Zn-1.44Y-0.5Zr合金的硬度及耐磨性.     

Dry sliding wear behaviour at ambient and elevated temperatures of plasma transferred arc deposited aluminium composite coatings

Abstract

Plasma transferred arc (PTA) surfacing is a surface engineering process in which a coating is deposited on the substrate by the injection of metal powders and/or ceramic particles into the weld pool created by the formation of a plasma plume. The present work involved the tribological evaluation of metal matrix composite (MMC) coatings deposited onto an aluminium alloy using the PTA technique. Coatings were fabricated by the deposition of an Al–Ni powder containing either Al₂O₃ or SiC particles. Dry sliding wear behaviour of the coatings was evaluated at ambient and elevated temperatures. Under sliding conditions of low applied stress and ambient temperature, reinforcement properties such as interfacial structure and fracture toughness have a significant influence on wear resistance. The SiC particles, which exhibit high interfacial bonding and toughness, support the matrix by acting as load bearing elements, thereby delaying the transition in wear mechanism as applied stress increases. As applied stresses exceed the fracture strength of the SiC and Al₂O₃ particles, these particles suffer fragmentation and/or debonding and no longer support the matrix. At higher stresses and elevated temperature, matrix properties such as flow stress and the tribolayer formation play more important roles in determining wear resistance.     

Deformation of silicon at low temperatures

The dislocation arrangements produced around microhardness indentations made in silicon at room temperature have been studied by transmission electron microscopy. Loops consisting of 30°- and 60°-dislocations are produced and move on the {111} planes. It is suggested that, during indentation, the theoretical shear strength is exceeded locally and that the observed dislocations arise as a result of the accommodation of the displacements due to block slip. On annealing up to 1030° C the loops do not appear to be mobile, rather new loops consisting of edge and screw components are formed which can move large distances.     

Performance of metakaolin concrete at elevated temperatures

An experimental investigation was conducted to evaluate the performance of metakaolin (MK) concrete at elevated temperatures up to 800 °C. Eight normal and high strength concrete (HSC) mixes incorporating 0%, 5%, 10% and 20% MK were prepared. The residual compressive strength, chloride-ion penetration, porosity and average pore sizes were measured and compared with silica fume (SF), fly ash (FA) and pure ordinary Portland cement (OPC) concretes. It was found that after an increase in compressive strength at 200 °C, the MK concrete suffered a more severe loss of compressive strength and permeability-related durability than the corresponding SF, FA and OPC concretes at higher temperatures. Explosive spalling was observed in both normal and high strength MK concretes and the frequency increased with higher MK contents.     

Influence of grain size on wear behavior of SiC coating for carbon/carbon composites at elevated temperatures

To improve the wear performance of SiC coating for C/C composites at elevated temperatures, the grain was refined by adding small amounts of titanium, in the raw powders for preparing this coating. The related microstructure and mechanical characteristics were investigated by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, energy dispersive spectroscopy and nano-indention. The results show that the grain size of SiC coating decreased from ∼30 μm to ∼5 μm due to the addition of grain refiner. TiC formed by reacting titanium with graphite, can act as perfect heterogeneous nucleus for the nucleation and growth of β-SiC. The wear resistance and fracture toughness of SiC coating was improved by grain refinement. However, the increasing interfaces increased the friction resistance and resulted in the high friction coefficient of fine-grained coating at room temperature. As the temperature rose, oxides layer formed on the surface of fine-grained coating, which can reduce the adhesive wear and decrease the friction coefficient. The fine-grained coating exhibited relative low friction coefficient of ∼0.41 owing to a compact silica film formed on the worn surface at 600 °C, and the wear was dominated by plastic deformation and shear of silica film. The wear of coarse-grained coating was controlled by the fracture of SiC at high temperature.