A mechanism study on characteristic curve of residual stress field in Ti–6Al–4V induced by wet peening treatment

The microstructure evolution of Ti–6Al–4V alloy induced by wet peening treatment was studied in this work. The results show that the dislocation interaction dominates the grain refinement process. The modified layer could be divided into reconfiguration regime, unstable regime and metastable regime with depth. Corresponding to the characteristic curve of residual stress field, the maximum of compressive residual stress locates in the unstable regime and the dislocation annihilation and rearrangement lead to the decrease of the compressive residual stress in the near surface layer.     

Life assessment methodologies incoroporating shot peening process effects: mechanistic consideration of residual stresses and strain hardening Part 1 – effect of shot peening on fatigue resistance

Abstract

Shot peening is a well known process applied to components in order to improve their fatigue resistance. In recent years, there has been an increasing interest in including the effects of the shot peening process in life assessment models since this would allow a reduction in conservatism compared to those in current application. The present paper seeks to review firstly the effects of the shot peening process (surface roughening, strain hardening and compressive residual stresses) and how the magnitude of these effects can be determined both experimentally and numerically. The reasons for the beneficial effect of shot peening on fatigue resistance are reviewed; this includes consideration of how different operating conditions can affect the magnitude of the benefit. The second part of the review details the life assessment approaches which have been developed to date incorporating these effects and seeks to identify the areas in which further development is still required before the models can be applied in structural integrity assessments.     

An experimental–numerical study of moisture absorption in an epoxy

It is well known that moisture absorption impairs the mechanical and physical properties of polymers. Conventionally, the material’s hygric strains are described as the product of a constant coefficient of moisture expansion (CME) and moisture concentration. This hypothesis, however, has not been thoroughly examined experimentally. In this paper, the hygro-mechanical response of a DGBA based epoxy is reported as a function of moisture uptake. Cylindrical specimens are made of epoxy with an axially located optical fiber that contains a 23 mm Bragg grating sensor (FBG). Strain data from the sensor and from a micrometer are combined with experimental absorption curves to determine the resin’s CME. The data indicate that diffusion and CME depend on moisture. Analysis of the experiments is carried out by numerical simulations of heat transfer, moisture diffusion and elastic stress analysis of the single fiber composite. The simulated results correlate well with the experimental data.     

Life assessment methodologies incoroporating shot peening process effects: mechanistic consideration of residual stresses and strain hardening Part 2 – approaches to fatigue lifing after shot peening

Abstract

Shot peening is a well known process applied to components in order to improve their fatigue resistance. In recent years, there has been an increasing interest in including the effects of the shot peening process in life assessment models since this would allow a reduction in conservatism compared to those in current application. Part 1 of this review dealt with the effects of the shot peening process (surface roughening, strain hardening and compressive residual stresses) and the resulting effect on component fatigue life. This part of the review considers how this effect on component fatigue life can be incorporated into life assessment modelling approaches with discussion of the relative merits of each approach. The paper concludes with a flow chart demonstrating a possible route for the inclusion of shot peening effects within industrial component life assessment frameworks.     

Experimental study on capillary and mechanical properties of a porous nickel–copper composite

A novel porous nickel–copper composite was designed and fabricated by sintering a mixture of a high-porosity open-cell copper foam plate and fine nickel powder. The microstructure of the porous nickel–copper composite was characterised by the scanning electron microscope. The effects of sintering temperature and dwelling time on the sintering shrinkage, sintered porosity, capillary performance and mechanical properties of the porous composite and monoporous sintered nickel powder were investigated experimentally. The nickel–copper composite presented significant lower sintering shrinkage, higher porosity, lower tensile strength and better capillary performance than the sintered nickel powder under all sintering conditions. The sintering temperature has more influence than the dwelling time on both the capillary performance and tensile strength of the sintered composite.     

An experimental study on the mechanical properties of rat brain tissue using different stress–strain definitions

There are different stress–strain definitions to measure the mechanical properties of the brain tissue. However, there is no agreement as to which stress–strain definition should be employed to measure the mechanical properties of the brain tissue at both the longitudinal and circumferential directions. It is worth knowing that an optimize stress–strain definition of the brain tissue at different loading directions may have implications for neuronavigation and surgery simulation through haptic devices. This study is aimed to conduct a comparative study on different results are given by the various definitions of stress–strain and to recommend a specific definition when testing brain tissues. Prepared cylindrical samples are excised from the parietal lobes of rats’ brains and experimentally tested by applying load on both the longitudinal and circumferential directions. Three stress definitions (second Piola–Kichhoff stress, engineering stress, and true stress) and four strain definitions (Almansi–Hamel strain, Green-St. Venant strain, engineering strain, and true strain) are used to determine the elastic modulus, maximum stress and strain. The highest non-linear stress–strain relation is observed for the Almansi–Hamel strain definition and it may overestimate the elastic modulus at different stress definitions at both the longitudinal and circumferential directions. The Green-St. Venant strain definition fails to address the non-linear stress–strain relation using different definitions of stress and triggers an underestimation of the elastic modulus. The results suggest the application of the true stress–true strain definition for characterization of the brain tissues mechanics since it gives more accurate measurements of the tissue’s response using the instantaneous values.     

The effect of aging process on the microstructure and mechanical properties of a Cu–Be–Co–Ni alloy

The paper investigated the effect of two aging processes (i.e. normal aging and interrupted aging) on the microstructure and mechanical properties of a Cu–Be–Co–Ni alloy. The results of tensile and Kahn tear tests showed that the interrupted aging (IA) process could significantly improve the uniform elongation and plane stress fracture toughness with tiny decrease in ultimate tensile strength, when compared with the results from normal aging (NA) process. Under the scanning electron microscope, the fracture surface of samples treated by NA followed the intergranular fracture, while that of the samples treated by IA followed the transgranular fracture. The transmission electron microscope study revealed the differences between the microstructure of the alloy treated by NA and IA processes. After the NA process, the slender strip of γ′ precipitates aggregated at grain boundaries with a length of approximately 10 to 45 nm; the disk-shaped γ″ precipitates in the alloy treated by IA distributed homogenously throughout whole grains with a length of about 3 to 10 nm. The discussion of strengthening mechanisms demonstrated that the mechanism of precipitate shearing by dislocations made a contribution to the strengthening of the alloy treated by IA, while the Orowan mechanism was the dominant strengthening mechanism in the alloy treated by NA.     

On the stress wave induced curving of fast running cracks — a numerical study by a time-domain boundary element method

Summary Fast crack propagation in dynamically loaded plane structures is investigated. The major point of interest is the evolution of the crack trajectory under the influence of stress waves which are generated and repeatedly reflected at the specimen boundaries. Since these waves may lead to arbitrary mixed-mode and time-dependent loading of the crack tip, both the direction and speed of crack advance are determined from a fracture criterion.Starting point is a system of time-domain boundary integral equations which describes the initial boundary value problem of a linear elastic body containing an arbitrarily growing crack. The unknown displacements and/or tractions on the exterior boundary and the displacement jumps across the crack are computed numerically by a collocation method in conjunction with a time-stepping scheme. Crack growth is modelled by adding new boundary elements of constant length at the running crack tip.The method proves to be of sufficient accuracy when applied to problems treated with other numerical techniques. Moreover, the simulation of dynamic crack propagation under various geometry and loading conditions enables the reproduction and analysis of complex phenomena observed experimentally.     

Survey about effects of shot peening conditions on fatigue performances of Ti–6Al–4V mechanical specimens featured by different cross-section geometries

Abstract

The present article provides a technical survey of the effects of shot peening conditions on the fatigue performance of Ti–6Al–4V specimens representative of the material (and the surface treatment) used in helicopter rotor hubs. As the effects of shot peening on non-plain surfaces have been fairly neglected in the scientific literature, the present work attempts to define the effects of shot peening on different specimens, featuring specific cross-section geometries, namely smooth and sharp edged specimens. Experimental tests also include measurements of the residual stress field caused by shot peening and the definition of the fatigue limit (by means of the ‘staircase method’) for all the tested specimen configurations. The present study proceeds with an optical and scanning electron microscopic investigation of the dynamics and causes of the different fatigue limits associated with the geometrical features. The present study conveys a strong correlation between specimen geometry and shot peening microstructural effects, resulting in different fatigue performances. The present work concludes that, whenever surface treatment is involved in the manufacturing process, the component’s design must be included, in addition to the required geometrical features for the operative conditions, an evaluation of how these provided features might affect the surface treatment outcome.     

Effect of rotationally accelerated shot peening on the microstructure and mechanical behavior of a metastable β titanium alloy

Microstructural evolution and deformation mechanism of a metastable β alloy(Ti-10V-2Fe-3Al)pro-cessed by rotationally accelerated shot peening(RASP)were systematically investigated with optical microscopy,X-ray diffraction,electron backscatter diffraction and transmission electron microscopy.Different gradient hierarchical microstructures(gradients in αmartensite and β phase,and hierarchical twins range from the nanoscale to microscale)can be fabricated by RASP via changing the shot peening time.The hardening behavior and tensile mechanical properties of gradient hierarchical microstructure were systematically explored.Novel deformation twinning systems of{112}α:and{130}〈310〉αin the kinked αmartensite were revealed during the tensile deformation.It was found that stress-induced martensitic transformation,twinned αmartensite and the related dynamic grain refinement contribute to hardness and work hardening ability.Simultaneous improvement of strength and ductility of the metastable β titanium alloy can be achieved by introducing a gradient hierarchical microstructure.     

Influence of the brazing parameters on microstructure,residual stresses and shear strength of diamond–metal joints

The reliability and integrity of diamond cutting tools depend on the properties of diamond–metal joints as created by a brazing process. Block-shaped monocrystalline diamonds were brazed onto a steel substrate (X2CrNiMo 18-14-3), using silver–copper based Cusil-ABA™ (Ag–35wt%Cu–1.75wt%Ti) filler alloy. The experimental procedure includes a thorough microstructural investigation of the filler alloy, the determination of the induced residual stresses by Raman spectroscopy as well as the joint’s shear strength utilizing a special shear device. The brazing processes were carried out at 850, 880 and 910 °C for dwell durations of 10 and 30 min, respectively. At the steel interface two interlayers develop. The layers grow with extended dwell duration and higher brazing temperature. The residual stresses only slightly depend on the brazing parameters and exhibit a maximum value of −400 MPa. Unlike the residual stresses, the shear strength strongly depends on the brazing parameters and thus on the microstructure. Three failure modes could be identified; a ductile fracture in the filler alloy, a brittle fracture in the interlayers and a partly shattering of the diamond.     

The influence of microcrack nucleation on dynamic crack growth––a numerical study

The study deals with the numerical investigation of microcrack nucleation in front of a fast running macrocrack. The computations are based on a time-domain boundary integral equation method. The influence of the microcracks on different parameters such as the stress intensity factor, energy release rate or crack speed are investigated. Results obtained from numerical simulations are discussed with respect to experimental findings.     

Feasibility study on preparation of coatings on Ti–6Al–4V by combined ultrasonic impact treatment and electrospark deposition

A novel method combining ultrasonic impact treatment (UIT) with electrospark deposition was developed to prepare coatings on Ti–6Al–4V substrates. The microstructure, phase composition, residual stress, microhardness, and wear performance of the coating were studied, and new amorphous and nanocrystalline phases (titanium carbide nitride and iron titanium oxide) were found. In addition, the residual stress in the coating and in the substrate near the coating is compressive stress. The maximum compressive residual stress is about −717 MPa, and its depth is about 470 μm. Because of contributions from multiple factors, the wear volume loss of the sample subjected to combined UIT and electrospark processing was reduced by four orders of magnitude compared with that of the base material.     

Cold expansion of holes and resulting fatigue life enhancement and residual stresses in Al 2024 T3 alloy – An experimental study

This paper presents the experimental results of fatigue life enhancement and the residual stresses around the cold expanded holes in Al 2024, a widely used aerospace alloy. Two techniques for cold expansion of holes, namely split-sleeve with taper pin technique and split-sleeve with ball technique were considered for comparison, as the former involves surface contact and the latter has line contact during expansion. The techniques were compared based on the fatigue life enhancement in the expanded holes, the induced and the residual stresses due to expansion. The holes were expanded by 2%, 3%, 4%, 5%, and 6% using INSTRON machine in both the techniques. While both the techniques resulted in improvement in fatigue life of the expanded holes, the taper pin technique yielded 200% higher fatigue life improvement than that obtained by ball technique. The induced residual stresses were measured by mounting strain gages of 0.2 mm gage length. These are drawn as a function of induced strain. In both the techniques residual stresses increased with increase in percentage of expansion until 5% and then decreased for 6% expansion. The increase in fatigue life at 5% expansion was 1.88 times and 5.3 times higher than that of the non-expanded holes for ball and tapered method, respectively. The corresponding improvement in taper method was greater than the non-expanded holes. While, it was observed that the residual stresses decreased with respect to the distance from the hole in both the techniques, the ball technique resulted in lower residual stresses than that of taper pin technique.     

Warm spraying—a novel coating process based on high-velocity impact of solid particles

Abstract

In recent years, coating processes based on the impact of high-velocity solid particles such as cold spraying and aerosol deposition have been developed and attracting much industrial attention. A novel coating process called ‘warm spraying’ has been developed, in which coatings are formed by the high-velocity impact of solid powder particles heated to appropriate temperatures below the melting point of the powder material. The advantages of such process are as follows: (1) the critical velocity needed to form a coating can be significantly lowered by heating, (2) the degradation of feedstock powder such as oxidation can be significantly controlled compared with conventional thermal spraying where powder is molten, and (3) various coating structures can be realized from porous to dense ones by controlling the temperature and velocity of the particles. The principles and characteristics of this new process are discussed in light of other existing spray processes such as high-velocity oxy-fuel spraying and cold spraying. The gas dynamics of particle heating and acceleration by the spraying apparatus as well as the high-velocity impact phenomena of powder particles are discussed in detail. Several examples of depositing heat sensitive materials such as titanium, metallic glass, WC–Co cermet and polymers are described with potential industrial applications.     

The effect of residual stresses in the ZnO buffer layer on the density of a ZnO nanowire array

Density control is a valuable concern in the research of ZnO nanowire arrays. In this study, unannealed and annealed ZnO thin films were used as substrates to fabricate ZnO nanowire arrays. In the unannealed thin film, an inhomogeneous distribution of the nanowire array was found: the density of nanowires decreases with the increase of distance to the edge. In the annealed thin film, the density of nanowire array becomes larger and more homogeneous. Moreover, nanowires are found in high density along microcracks. It is proposed that the residual stresses in the thin film and the density of the nanowire array are in inverse proportion, leading to the results mentioned above. The relationship between residual stresses and the density of nanowires will have potential applications in modifying the density of ZnO nanowire arrays.     

Cathodoluminescence study of h– and c–GaN single crystals grown by a Na or K flux

Luminescence properties of hexagonal (h-) and cubic (c-) GaN freestanding single crystals were studied by means of cathodoluminescence spectroscopy. The h-GaN crystals of about 0.2–2 mm in dimension were synthesized at 750 °C by the reaction of Ga and N2 in a Na flux, while c-GaN crystals of about 0.3 mm or less in a K flux. The h-GaN showed rather strong band edge emission at room temperature compared with the crystal grown by using NaN3 as a nitrogen source. At 20 K, the band edge emission of h-GaN was split into four peaks. The main energy peak position was 3.478 eV, which was assigned as the A-free exciton emission. The energy position of the main peak of c-GaN was 3.268 eV. Assuming the binding energies of excitons in h- and c-GaN as 25 and 26 meV, respectively, the energy difference of bandgap between h-and c-GaN is estimated to be 209 meV. Since these crystals are free from strain from the substrates, the peak energies are reliable for the intrinsic GaN crystals. The full widths at half maximum of the emission of c-GaN were much broader than those of h-GaN, suggesting that the cubic phase is much defective compared with the hexagonal one.     

Combined effects of Ag content and cooling rate on microstructure and mechanical behavior of Sn–Ag–Cu solders

Sn–0.7 wt%Cu–1.0 wt%Ag and Sn–0.7 wt%Cu–2.0 wt%Ag alloys were directionally solidified under transient conditions undergoing cooling rates varying from 0.1 to 25 K/s. The microstructure was characterized along the castings lengths and the present experimental results include the secondary dendrite arm spacing (λ₂) and its correlation with: the tip cooling rate ($\dot{T}$) during solidification and microhardness (HV), yield tensile strength (σ_y), ultimate tensile strength (σ_u) and elongation to fracture (δ). The aim is to examine the effects of Ag content and tip cooling rate on both the microstructure and mechanical properties. The initiation of tertiary branches within the dendritic arrangement, as well as the distinct morphologies of the intermetallic compounds (IMC) related to the solidification cooling rate was also assessed for both examined alloys. While the Cu₆Sn₅ phase appeared as large faceted crystals along the entire casting length, very fine Ag₃Sn spheroids prevailed at higher cooling rates (>7.5 K/s and > 4.0 K/s for 1.0 wt%Ag and 2.0 wt%Ag alloying, respectively) with a mixture of Ag₃Sn coarser spheroids and fibers predominating at lower cooling rates. The Sn–0.7 wt%Cu–2.0 wt%Ag alloy exhibited smaller dendritic spacings and HV of about two times higher than the corresponding values of the Sn–0.7 wt%Cu–1.0 wt%Ag alloy. A single Hall–Petch equation is proposed relating δ to λ₂ for both alloys, which means that the increase in Ag content from 1.0 to 2.0 wt% does not affect the elongation. It is shown that δ decreases with the increase in λ₂.     

Microstructure of Zn–Pb immiscible alloys obtained by a rheomixing process

Abstract

A rheomixing process has been developed for processing immiscible metallic liquids. In this paper, a binary Zn–Pb system is used to demonstrate the rheomixing process. During the rheomixing process, liquid Zn and Pb are premixed in the miscibility gap using a propeller mixer to achieve coarse dispersion of Pb liquid droplets in Zn liquid matrix. The coarse mixture is then transferred into a twin-screw rheomixer, where it is continuously cooled down to a temperature below the monotectic temperature to form a semi-solid slurry under the intensive shear mixing action of the twin-screw rheomixer. The semi-solid slurry is finally extruded through a cylindrical extrusion die to form a continuous bar. The microstructure of immiscible alloys produced by this method is characterised by a fine dispersion of Pb particles distributed uniformly throughout a Zn matrix. The effects of rheomixing temperature and alloy composition on the resultant microstructure have been investigated. It has been found that the average size of Pb particles increases linearly with increasing rheomixing temperature and with increasing Pb concentration in the Zn–Pb alloys.     

Visual experimental research on the effect of nozzle orifice structure on R124–DMAC absorption process in a vertical bubble tube

A visual experimental platform for R124–DMAC bubble absorption in a vertical tube absorber was designed and built for this research. The bubble behaviors, flow pattern characteristics and distributions are observed and the bubble absorption heights (BAHs) were measured when the two kinds of different structure nozzles (single-orifice or multi-orifice nozzle) were applied in the absorber. The results showed that the BAH will heighten with increases of vapor flow rate and nozzle flow area. Based on visual experimental observations, the BAH or bubble absorption performance was significantly affected by the velocity of vapor from the nozzle rather than by the nozzle structure. The proportion of slug flow in BAH or the BAH can be decreased by using a multi-orifice nozzle in the absorber under the same flow area condition. However, the flow resistance of the vapor through the nozzle will increase, which has a negative action on the performance of absorption refrigeration systems. So, using multi-orifice nozzle does not improve the absorption performance of the bubble absorber under the same nozzle flow resistance condition.