Anisotropic grain growth of R-α-sialon (R = Nd and Er)

Two R--sialon (R_0.6Si_9.3Al_2.7O_0.9N_15.1, R=Nd and Er) compositions were first fired at 1750°C/25 min and 1650°C/2 h respectively for completion of the phase transformation. Elongated -sialon grain morphology was developed in both samples after being re-fired at 1800°C for different periods of time. The growth in width of R--sialon grains is controlled by diffusion in the liquid, while the length growth tends to be interfacial reaction controlled. The anisotropic growth of R--sialon is attributed to the large difference in the growth rate constant between the length and the width directions of the grain.     

Steady-state creep in a 25 wt % Cr-20 wt % Ni austenitic stainless steel

Steady-state creep behaviour of a 25 wt % Cr-20 wt % Ni stainless steel without precipitates was studied in the stress range 9.8 to 39.2 MPa at temperatures between 1133 and 1193 K. The results of stress-drop tests indicate that, in the steady-state creep region, diffusion-controlled recovery creep is dominant. Such recovery creep can be accounted for in terms of the composition of the internal stress, _i=_s+_c, except in the case of fine-grained specimens where d<80 m, whered is the mean grain diameter, _s is possible to reduce easily and is comparable to the driving stress for creep, and _c is the persistent stress field due to metastable substructure. In the fine-grained specimens, it is suggested that the steady-state creep is dominantly controlled by grain boundaries.     

The influence of grain size on the creep of uranium dioxide

The creep of uranium dioxide has been investigated as a function of grain size. At high stresses, when creep is controlled by dislocation movement, grain boundaries exert a strengthening effect and this strengthening is correlated with the Hall-Petch equation. The degree of strengthening diminishes with increases in temperature. At lower stresses, when creep is controlled by mass transport, grain boundaries exert a weakening effect owing to the reduction in diffusion path length as grain size is reduced. In this range behaviour is correlated with the Nabarro-Herring equation with stress replaced by an effective stress _E=–₀ where ₀ is a threshold stress for diffusional creep associated with the limitation of the ability of boundaries to emit and absorb vacancies. ₀ appears to decrease as grain size is increased.     

A transmission-electron-microscopy study of a face-centred-cubic phase in an Al-Li-Cu-Mg-Zr alloy

Icosahedral T₂ phases can form either by solid-state precipitation or during solidification in Al-Li-Cu-Mg alloys. The T₂ phase forming during solidification can transform to an R phase at high annealing temperatures. The T₂ phase forming by solid-state precipitation coexists with the Y phase, which has a face-centred cubic (f.c.c.) structure with lattice parameter a2.0 nm and can form microtwins with the twin plane of (111). The orientation relationships between the C phase and the T₂ phase are: i¯5Y0 1 1, Y1 1 3; i¯3Y1 1 1, Y1 2 3, Y1 1 5; Y2 3 5; i2Y0 1 1, Y1 1 1, Y1 1 2, Y1 1 3, Y1 1 5.     

An investigation of the ordered DO19 phase formation in the Ti-Al system

For the Ti-rich, Ti-AI system, the- and- ₂ phase boundaries have been obtained through differential thermal analysis for alloy compositions ranging from 10.2 to 25.2 at% Al (6 to 16 wt% Al). It has been shown that in the above mentioned composition range, a metastable disordered-phase can be quenched in. This metastable then transforms to the ordered ₂(DO)₁₉ phase upon heating and/or isothermal ageing. It has also been observed that the kinetics of this ordering phenomenon is composition dependent.     

Thermal shock resistance of miniaturized multilayer ceramic capacitors

The thermal shock resistance of miniaturized multilayer ceramic capacitors (MLCs), of sizes 0402, 0603, 0805 and 1206, was investigated by comparing the leakage currents before and after thermal shock. It was generally found that smaller capacitors have a higher thermal shock resistance than larger ones. The 0402 MLC possesses a thermal shock resistance in excess of 420 C. The linear interdependence of thermal shock resistance and reciprocal of half thickness, as predicted by conventional thermal shock analysis, was not observed. Instead, the thermal shock resistance of an MLC was found to be inversely proportional to the total area of its ceramic surface. This confirms that pre-existing flaws on the ceramic surface dominate the crack initiation process and are therefore primarily responsible for determining the thermal shock resistance of an MLC.     

Eutectoid decomposition mechanisms in hypoeutectoid Ti-X alloys

A TEM study has been made of the bainite reaction in five hypoeutectoid Ti-X alloys, where X was successively cobalt, chromium, copper, iron and nickel. Rational orientation relationships were demonstrated amongst eutectoid , eutectoid intermetallic compound and the matrix in Ti-Ni, Ti-Co and Ti-Cr. Formation of Ti₂Co at : boundaries was observed. Eutectoid in bainite was found to be slightly misoriented with respect to proeutectoid , indicating that it is separately nucleated, perhaps sympathetically, rather than the result of the continued growth of proeutectoid . Eutectoid Ti₂Co and Ti₂Cu crystals in bainite were approximately equiaxed whereas Ti-Cr₂ crystals were elongated, a result ascribed to a ledge height-to-spacing ratio / at intermetallic compound crystal: boundaries approaching that of eutectoid (: boundaries in Ti-Cr but not in the other two systems. In the Ti-Fe alloy, eutectoid and eutectoid TiFe were directly observed to have ledged interphase boundaries with their matrix, but with different inter-ledge spacings and growth directions. Observation of pearlite lamellae growing normal to the broad faces of proeutectoid plates in the Ti-Ni alloy indicates that this mode of eutectoid decomposition, like that of bainite, can develop from partially coherent interphase boundaries. The suggestion was offered that pearlite forms when approachesh at the nucleating proeutectoid : interface and that bainite develops when h at this interface.     

Thermal expansion of an SiC particle-reinforced aluminum composite

Using a push-rod dilatometer, we measured between 76 and 390 K the thermal expansion of a particle-reinforced-composite wrought plate obtained by powdermetallurgy methods. The particles, 30% by volume, consisted of monocrystals of -SiC with sizes near 10 m. The matrix consisted of a 6061 aluminum alloy with original particle sizes near 20 m. We found the perpendicular thermal expansivity, ₃, higher by 26% than the in-plane thermal expansivity, ₁-₂. These values differ from a rule-of-mixture prediction by –3 and –23%, respectively. All three _i, components lie outside the Rosen-Hashin bounds. Levin's isotropic model agrees within 10% with the ₁-₂-₃ average. Both the anisotropy and the bounds violation result from microstructural nonhomogeneity arising from processing. Rosen and Hashin's transverse-isotropicsymmetry relationships account approximately for these effects by introducing the anisotropic elastic constants. Using neutron diffraction, we determined that the SiC particles are textureless.Paper presented at the Tenth International Thermal Expansion Symposium, June 6–7, 1989, Boulder, Colorado, U.S.A.     

Distribution of the phase front in the freezing of finely-dispersed soils

The process of the freezing of soils is examined with allowance for the migration of moisture in the freezing and thaw zones.Notation , x time and space coordinates - t, W, L dimensionless values of temperature, moisture content, and ice content - c,a, D volumetric heat capacity, diffusivity, and diffusion of moisture - density of the skeleton - W_e equilibrium value of moisture content - enthalpy of phase transformations - _* characteristic time - , gw, , dimensionless values of temperature, moisture content, ice content, and diffusion coefficient of the moisture - Fo Fourier criterion - Ste Stefan number - n empirical constant Indices 0, 1, and 2 pertain to the initial and boundary states Translated from Inzhenerno-Fizicheskii Zhurnal, Vol. 56, No. 5, pp. 805–810, May, 1989.     

On the kinds of motion in the gravitational escape of loose materials

The kinematics of the escape process of granular materials from vessels with escape holes located in a horizontal flat bottom is investigated. By using moving pictures, the boundaries of the zones of the different state and the motion of the loose material are determined.Notation A size of the side of a square hole - A_c size of the side of the cross section of a prismatic vessel - a greatest dimension of a loose material particle (length) - b width of a loose material particle - C experimental coefficient dependent on the physicomechanical properties of the loose material - c thickness of a loose material particle - D diameter of the cylindrical vessel - d diameter of the escape hole - H height of the beginning of funnel formation on the free surface of loose material - h₀ height of slopes of fixed material - h₁ dome height - h_ell height of the upper point of the intensive motion ellipsoid above the escape hole plane - S displacement of a loose material particle per unit time - W humidity - _h volume mass of loose material in the hopper - _b bulk weight (nature of the grain) - _sp specific gravity of the loose material - angle of repose of filling - _b angle of repose of shattering Translated from Inzhenerno-Fizicheskii Zhurnal, vol. 20, No. 5, pp. 815–821, May, 1971.     

The morphology of α′ martensite in a two-phase (α+γ) Fe-Cr-Ni stainless steel

Both lath-shaped and martensites are induced by tensile deformation within of a two-phase ( + ) Fe-Cr-Ni stainless steel, forms from the through the at an intersection of two crystals. These are observed both when is surrounded by and when borders . The amount of strain at which both and nucleate, increases with test temperatures in the range –196 to 50° C. Adjacent laths are either twin-related, or 5, 9, 15 or 19° off the twin relationship, as found by analysing electron diffraction patterns.     

Ageing characteristics of dendritic and non-dendritic (stir-cast) Zn-Al alloy (ZA-27)

The dimensional changes of dendritic and non-dendritic (stir-cast) Zn-Al alloy (ZA-27) were investigated during ageing at temperatures in the range 20–245 °C. The linear expansion of both dendritic and non-dendritic samples increased rapidly with ageing time after about 24 h at 95 °C. An initial normalization treatment led to a large initial growth of the alloy which increased further after prolonged ageing times ( 10⁴h). Accelerated ageing tests in the range 75–250 °C showed that increasing the ageing temperature decreased the long term linear expansion of the alloy. In comparing the behaviour of the two materials, the stir-cast material grew less than the dendritic alloy. Extensive SEM and TEM done on as-stir-cast and aged samples showed that the main changes during ageing occurred in the (FCC) lamellae of the +(Zn) eutectoid, the phase at the primary _particles/_eutectoid interface and in the interparticle areas. In the lamellae and at the interface, zinc precipitated whilst the phase precipitated in the interparticle areas. It is considered that the occurrence of this latter phase, rich in copper, is responsible for the growth of stir-cast material during ageing.     

Precipitation of chromium containing phases in aluminide coated nickel-base superalloy single crystals

The precipitation of chromium-containing phases, in both the B2 type -phase coating matrix (nominally NiAl) and the substrate of high-activity-pack-aluminized single crystals of a nickel-base superalloy, is considered in this paper. An edge-on transmission electron microscopy (TEM) technique is employed to examine the precipitation of M₂₃X₆, , -Cr and other phases after coating and diffusion treatment and subsequent post-coating treatment at 850 and 950 °C. Initial precipitation is dominated by the formation of M₂₃X₆ in both the coating and substrate, however, in the case of single-crystal substrates the formation of this carbon-rich phase is not sustained. M₂₃X₆ precipitation is superceded by the formation of coherent precipitates of the -Cr phase which effectively retains the basis but removes the superlattice of the -matrix. Extensive precipitation of -Cr has the effect of changing the balance of chromium to molybdenum in solution in the -phase and further precipitation is dominated by -phase intermetallics and other Cr-Mo-containing phases.     

Suppression of Anomalous Allotropic Transformations at High Pressures

Anomalous allotropic transformations accompanied by a reduction in the density of the substance can be suppressed by applying a high pressure equal to the ratio of the heat of transition to the difference in the volumes of the phases involved. The estimated pressures necessary to suppress the (ZrO₂), (Fe), and (Sn) phase transitions are 4.34, 3.00, and 0.495 GPa, respectively.     

γ ? α2 Phase transformation in fractured high temperature stress rupture Ti-48Al-2Nb(at.%)

The ₂ phase transformation in fractured high temperature stress rupture Ti-48Al-2Nb(at.%) alloy has been studied by analytical electron microscopy. ₂ and phases were found at grain boundaries. ₂ layers that suspended in layers and interfacial ledge higher than 2d ₍₁₁₁₎ at /₂ interfaces were observed in the lamellar grains. These facts indicated that ₂ phase transformation and dynamic recrystallization have occurred during high temperature stress rupture deformation. It can be concluded that deformation induced ₂ phase transformation and dynamic recrystallization resulted in the presence of particles at grain boundaries. A structural and compositional transition area between deformation-induced ₂(or ) and its adjacently original (or ₂) phases was found by HREM and EDS and is suggested as a way to transform between and ₂ phase during high temperature stress rupture deformation. The transition area was formed by slide of partial dislocations on close-packed planes and diffusion of atoms.     

Microstructural evolution in rapidly solidified Al-Cu-Si ternary alloys

Several Al-Cu-Si alloys were melt spun to produce stable, fine scale microstructures suitable for superplastic deformation and consolidation. Scanning electron microscopy of the ribbon cross-sections reveal two distinct alternating microstructural morphologies, suggesting transitions in solidification behavior. One structure consists of intimately interlocked -Al and (Al₂Cu) phases with dispersed spheroids of (Si). The other structure consists of equiaxed or cellular-dendritic -Al with interdendritic and (Si). The latter was found in the middle portion of the ribbon cross-section when cast at a low speed, and throughout the ribbon cross-section when cast at high speed. The dendritic structure appears to result from independent nucleation events in the undercooled liquid ahead of the solid-liquid interface. The solidification mechanism for the interlocked structure appears to involve multiple nucleation of the phase followed by its cooperative growth with the -Al phase. This cooperative growth is unlike that which forms a lamellar structure, as it results in a branched, randomly oriented network. We postulate that the (Si) phase is the first phase to form from the undercooled liquid, and it is uniformly dispersed throughout the undercooled melt. The (Si) spheroids provide nucleation sites for the phase because of its observed association with the phase. The -Al grain size varies from 1 m near the wheel side surface of the ribbon to 8 m with sub-grains near the free surface. The size of the and (Si) phases is on the order of a m and less. The microstructural size scale appears to be small enough for this material to exhibit superplastic behavior when deformed.     

The mechanism of continuous dissolution of the lamellar structure in aged Al 22 at% Zn alloy

The mechanism of continuous dissolution was studied using transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction and hardness measurements. The metastable phase was identified in the first stage of dissolution nucleating at the - boundaries. Interface dislocations at the - boundaries forming a perpendicular net in the 110 directions were identified as of screw character and of Burgers vector b=1/2a 110. During dissolution a change of shape of precipitates occurs leading to their fragmentation and to a change of the direction of boundaries into 110 directions.     

Effect of magnesium content on the stress exponent and effective stress in the steady state creep of Al-Mg alloys

The stress exponent of steady state creep,n, and the internal ( _i) and effective stresses ( _e) have been determined using the strain transient dip test for a series of polycrystalline Al-Mg alloys creep tested at 300° C and compared with previously published data. The internal or dislocation back stress, _i, varied with applied stress,, but was insensitive to magnesium content of the alloy, being represented by the empirical equation _i=1.084 ^1.802. Such an applied stress dependence of _i can be explained by using an equation for _i of the form _i (dislocation density)^1/2 and published values for the stress dependence of dislocation density. Values of the friction stress, _f, derived using the equation _e/=(1–c) (1– _f/), indicate that _f is not dependent on the magnesium content. A constant value of _f can best be rationalized by postulating that the creep dislocation structure is relatively insensitive to the magnesium content of the alloy.On leave from Engineering Materials Department, University of Windsor, Windsor, Ontario N9B 3P4, Canada.     

Dielectric relaxation in polychlorotrifluoroethylene

The effect of increasing lamellar thickness in bulk polychlorotrifluoroethylene (PCTFE) by various methods (annealing and increasing time and temperature of crystallisation) on the parameters of the and relaxations has been studied.For the a relaxation consistent increase in temperature of maximum loss and activation energy with increasing lamellar thickness confirms the strong suggestion of earlier work [6] on oriented specimens and shows that the relaxation arises mainly in the interior of the lamellae with little contribution from the chain folds.No systematic changes in these parameters with increasing lamellar thickness was found for the relaxation and this is explained by the presence of _c and _a components in crystalline and amorphous regions respectively. The component _a (as well as the _c one) shows a marked anisotropy in magnitude with respect to the draw direction in oriented specimens relative to the direction of the applied electric field. This implies a lining up of the chain molecules parallel to one another in amorphous regions.The non-existence of analogous short chain compounds and experimental scatter prevented detailed checking of the consistency of the data for the relaxation with the theory for the _c-C _c model [5].     

The effects of residual α phase on the 1370°C creep performance of yttria-doped HIPed silicon nitride

The creep behaviour at 1370°C (2500°F) of yttria-doped, hot isostatically pressed silicon nitride was examined as a function of residual phase content. The pre-test silicon nitride materials had either 30% or 40% phase content. The creep resistance was found to increase as the residual phase content decreased. For equivalent times and stresses, the higher -containing silicon nitride accumulated more creep strain and exhibited faster creep rates. The residual phase decreased as a function of time at 1370°C and converted to phase; it was also found that the to phase transformation rate was enhanced by stress. In the absence of stress, the kinetics of the to phase transformation at 1370°C followed a first-order reaction. If a first-order reaction was assumed for the to phase transformation in the presence of stress at 1370°C, then the magnitude of the reaction rate constant for this transformation was twice as large for tensile stresses equal to or greater than 130 MPa than for the reaction rate constant describing the transformation with no applied stress. © 1998 Chapman & Hall