STUDY ON THE TENSILE FATIGUE DAMAGE OF QUASI—ISOTROPIC COMPOSITE LAMINATES

Quasi-isotropic. laminates have isotropic elastic properties in all in-plane directions. Therefore, this kind of laminate is widely used for structural elements. The simplest stacking sequence of quasi-isotropic laminates is [0/-60/60]s. When the direction of applied axial load to [0/-60/60]s laminate is inclined at a 30-degree angle, we have the other quasi-isotropic laminate [30/-30/90]s under axial load. The failure mechanisms of these two laminates are, however, entirely different from each other because these two laminates have different distribution of the interlaminar stresses. It was confirmed by tensile fatigue tests that the [0/-60/60]s laminate does not show any visible fatigue damage, but the [30/-30/90]s laminate develops edge-delamination during cyclic loading. The analytical results were in good agreement with the experimental results.     

Properties of Co-doped N-type FeSi2 processed by mechanical alloying

Iron-silicide was produced with a mechanical alloying process and consolidated through vacuum hot pressing. The as-milled powders were of metastable state and fully transformed into the ß-FeSi₂ phase through subsequent isothermal annealing. The as-consolidated iron silicides consisted of an untransformed mixture of α-Fe₂Si₅ and ?-FeSi phases and a partially transformed β-FeSi₂ phase was found in the low density compact. Isothermal annealing was carried out to induce transformation into a thermoelectric semiconducting β-FeSi₂ phase. The transformation behavior of the β-FeSi₂ was investigated utilizing DTA, SEM, and XRD analyses. Isothermal annealing at 830°C in vacuum led to a thermoelectric semiconducting β-FeSi₂ phase transformation, but some residual metallic α and ?-phases were unavoidable even after 96 hours of annealing. The iron silicide microstructures were investigated using SEM and TEM. The mechanical and thermoelectric properties of the β-FeSi₂ materials before and after isothermal annealing are characterized in this study.     

A study of the corrosion properties of plasma nitrocarburized and oxidized AISI 1020 steels

Plasma nitrocarburized AISI 1020 steels were oxidized for 15, 30 and 60 min to evaluate their corrosion and microstructural properties. After plasma nitrocarburizing for 3 h at 570°C in a gas mixture comprising 85 vol.% N₂, 12vol.% H₂ and 3 vol.% CH₄, the compound layer composed of ɛ-Fe_2–3(N,C) and γ’-Fe₄(N,C) phases and the diffusion layer above the matrix were observed. The top oxide layer, consisting mainly of magnetite (Fe₂O₄) and hematite (Fe₂O₃) phases, forms after post-oxidation treatment at 500°C. However, the oxide layer was severely degraded by spallation as a result of increases in post-oxidizing time. The difference in corrosion resistance should be attributed to the thickness of the top oxide layer, which was governed by post-oxidizing time.     

Nanostructured component fabrication by electron beam-physical vapor deposition

Fabrication of cost-effective, nano-grained net-shaped components has brought considerable interest to Department of Defense, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and Department of Energy. The objective of this paper is to demonstrate the versatility of electron beam-physical vapor deposition (EB-PVD) technology in engineering new nanostructured materials with controlled microstructure and microchemistry in the form of coatings and net-shaped components for many applications including the space, turbine, optical, biomedical, and auto industries. Coatings are often applied on components to extent their performance and life under severe environmental conditions including thermal, corrosion, wear, and oxidation. Performance and properties of the coatings depend upon their composition, microstructure, and deposition condition. Simultaneous co-evaporation of multiple ingots of different compositions in the high energy EB-PVD chamber has brought considerable interest in the architecture of functional graded coatings, nano-laminated coatings, and design of new structural materials that could not be produced economically by conventional methods. In addition, high evaporation and condensate rates allowed fabricating precision net-shaped components with nanograined microstructure for various applications. Using EB-PVD, nano-grained rhenium (Re) coatings and net-shaped components with tailored microstructure and properties were fabricated in the form of tubes, plates, and Re-coated spherical graphite cores. This paper will also present the results of various metallic and ceramic coatings including chromium, titanium carbide (TiC), titanium diboride (TiB₂), hafnium nitride (HfN), titanium-boron-carbonitride (TiBCN), and partially yttria stabilized zirconia (YSZ) TBC coatings deposited by EB-PVD for various applications. This paper was presented at the International Symposium on Manufacturing, Properties, and Applications of Nanocrystalline Materials sponsored by the ASM International Nanotechnology Task Force and TMS Powder Materials Committee, October 18–20, 2004, Columbus, OH.     

The distribution of grain boundary planes in polycrystals

During the last ten years, techniques have been developed to measure the distribution of grain boundaries in polycrystals as a function of both lattice misorientation and grain boundary plane orientation. This paper presents a brief overview of the techniques used for these measurements and the principle findings of studies implementing these techniques. The most significant findings are that grain boundary plane distributions are anisotropic, that they are scale invariant during normal grain growth, that the most common grain boundary planes are those with low surface energies, that the grain boundary populations are inversely correlated with the grain boundary energy, and that the coincident site lattice number is a poor predictor of the grain boundary energy and population.     

The atomic age challenge to steel

Some months ago the submarine Nautilus was in dock for refueling. It had traveled 60,000 miles, but the total uranium used would make a lump smaller than a light bulb. This is only one example that the Atomic Age is here with us, now! How and where does this incredible Atomic Age challenge the first and greatest of America’s basic industries?     

Comparison of corrosion-resistance and hydrogen permeation properties of Zn-Ni, Zn-Ni-Cd and Cd coatings on low-carbon steel

Zn-Ni-Cd alloy was electroplated from an alkaline sulfate bath under potentiostatic conditions. The corrosion and hydrogen permeation characteristics of Zn-Ni-Cd alloy coatings electrodeposited from alkaline bath were studied and compared with those of Cd and Zn-Ni coatings obtained using commercial baths. Zn-Ni-Cd alloy was electroplated from an alkaline sulfate bath under potentiostatic conditions. The corrosion potential of this Zn-Ni-Cd coating was −0.62 V vs. SCE, which is still negative potential compared to iron. The corrosion rate of Zn-Ni-Cd coated steel was 0.073 mm y⁻¹, which is estimated in a solution at a pH of 7. This value is much lower than the corrosion rate of Zn-Ni alloy (0.502 mm y⁻¹) and Cd (0.306 mm y⁻¹) coatings deposited from commercial baths. Zn-Ni-Cd alloys are also demonstrated to have superior hydrogen permeation inhibition properties compared to Cd and Zn-Ni coatings. Kinetic parameters of hydrogen permeation such as the transfer coefficient, α, the modified exchange current density, i₀^′, thickness dependent adsorption-absorption rate constant, k^″, recombination rate constant, k₃, surface hydrogen coverage, θ_s, were evaluated by applying a mathematical model to analyze experimental results.     

Environmental effects on the stress corrosion cracking susceptibility of 3.5NiCrMoV steels in high temperature water

Constant elongation rate tests (CERTs) were carried out to investigate the effects of environmental factors of dissolved oxygen and temperature on the stress corrosion cracking (SCC) susceptibility of 3.5NiCrMoV turbine steels. Tests were conducted in pure water of various dissolved oxygen concentrations at temperatures of 50 °C-200 °C in the range of strain rates from 5 × 10⁻⁸/s to 1 ×  10⁻⁶/s. Dissolved oxygen significantly affected the SCC susceptibility of turbine steels in water. The SCC susceptibility of the turbine steels increases as the dissolved oxygen concentration in water increases. The elongation of the turbine steels tested in aerated water at 150 °C at a strain rate of 1 × 10⁻⁷/s decreased to half of that of the steels tested in deaerated water in the same test condition. And the SCC susceptibility of the steels increased with decreasing strain rate, and with increasing temperature. The increase of the SCC susceptibility of the turbine steels in the higher dissolved oxygen environment is considered to be due to the higher content of dissolved oxygen enhancing the reduction reactions of oxygen on the metal surfaces (cathode) and accelerating the dissolution rate at the crack tips (anode) by galvanic attack of an aeration cell.     

Tool design in a multi-stage drawing and ironing process of a rectangular cup with a large aspect ratio using finite element analysis

Tool design is carried out for a multi-stage deep drawing and ironing process of a rectangular cup with the large aspect ratio using the result of the finite element analysis. The analysis incorporates three-dimensional continuum elements for an elasto-plastic finite element method with the explicit time integration scheme using LS-DYNA3D. The analysis simulates the five-stage deep drawing and ironing process with the thickness control of the cup wall. Simulation is performed in order to investigate the failure by tearing during the forming process at the initial state of tool design. The analysis reveals that the difference of the drawing ratio within the cross section induces non-uniform metal flow which causes severe local extension. The irregular contact condition between the blank and the die also induces non-uniform metal flow which causes local wrinkling. This paper identifies such unfavorable mechanism in the rectangular cup drawing with ironing and proposes a new tool design with the guideline for modification in the design of the process and the sequential tool shape. The finite element analysis result with the improved tool design confirms that the proposed design not only reduces the possibility of failure but also improves the quality of a deep-drawn product. The numerical result shows fair coincidence with the experimental result.     

Effects of temperature and blank holding force on biaxial forming behavior of aluminum sheet alloys

Biaxial forming behavior is investigated for three aluminum sheet alloys (Al 5182 containing 1% Mn (5182+Mn), Al 5754, and 6111-T4) using a heated die and punch in the warm forming temperature range of 200–350 °C. It is found that, while all three alloys exhibit significant improvement in their formability compared with that at room temperature, the non-heat-treatable alloys 5182 + Mn and 5754 give higher part depths than that of heat-treatable 6111-T4. The formability generally increases with decreasing BHP (BHP), but increasing the forming temperature and/or BHP minimizes the wrinkling tendency and improves the forming performance. The stretchability of the sheet alloys increase with increasing temperature and increasing BHP. For the alloys and forming conditions involved in the current study, the formability, measured in terms of part depth, comes mainly from the drawing of metal into the die cavity, although stretching effects do influence the overall forming behavior. The optimum formability is achieved by setting the die temperature 50 °C higher than the punch temperature to enhance the drawing component. Setting the die temperature higher than the punch temperature also improves the strain distribution in a part in such a manner that postpones necking and fracture by altering the location of greatest thinning.