Relieving micro-strain by introducing macro-strain in a polycrystalline metal surface by cavitation shotless peening

Peening using cavitation impact is called “cavitation shotless peening CSP”, since there is no requirement for shot in the process. Micro- and macro-strain of polycrystalline metal peened by CSP were evaluated using X-ray diffraction methods, as the full width at half maximum (FWHM) of the X-ray diffraction profile from the peened surface was decreased, although compressive residual stress was introduced. It was found that CSP reduced the micro-strain in the surface, but simultaneously introduced compressive residual stress, i.e., a macro-strain. The results demonstrate that the micro-strain is relieved by CSP without the need for heat treatment, and is, therefore, a sort of annealing. Thus, CSP can renew the metallic material while the shape itself is maintained.     

Using an indentation test to evaluate the effect of cavitation peening on the invasion of the surface of austenitic stainless steel by hydrogen

In order to demonstrate the effect that the compressive residual stress introduced by cavitation peening has on suppressing the invasion of the surface of steel by hydrogen, we examined the surface after hydrogen charging using a spherical indenter. It was demonstrated that hydrogen considerably hardens the surface of austenitic stainless steel by 35% and that the surface hardening induced by hydrogen was reduced with increasing compressive residual stress introduced by cavitation peening. Moreover, the surface hardness was restored to its initial state after two weeks due to hydrogen desorption from the charged surface. This shows that the hardening was caused by the invasion of the surface by hydrogen and that the introduction of compressive residual stress suppresses it.     

Hydrogen storage in MgH2LaNi5 composites prepared by cold rolling under inert atmosphere

Mg-AB₅ composites are promising systems for hydrogen storage applications, due to their possibility of hydrogen cycling at relatively low temperatures. Traditionally, these composites are mainly processed by high-energy ball milling (HEBM) techniques employing longer processing times. In this study, cold rolling was applied to prepare MgH₂LaNi₅ composites and the hydrogen storage properties were investigated. The materials were processed using a vertical rolling mill under argon atmosphere, leading to a good homogeneity and no contamination at shorter processing times. The mixture of MgH₂-1.50 mol.% LaNi₅ showed the best hydrogen storage properties at 200 °C and 100 °C and the lowest desorption temperature even when compared to cold rolled MgH₂. The results indicate that the composite MgH₂LaNi₅ is transformed into a mixture of three phases MgH₂, Mg₂NiH₄ and LaH₃ upon hydrogen absorption/desorption cycles. The synergetic effect among these phases when in appropriate proportion in the sample seems to play a crucial role in the acceleration of hydrogen absorption/desorption kinetics at lower temperatures in comparison to MgH₂.     

Compressive Residual Stress into Titanium Alloy Using Cavitation Shotless Peening Method

Cavitation shotless peening (CSP) method, where impacts are generated by a submerged cavitating jet (without shots), was used to introduce compressive residual stress in titanium alloy, Ti-6Al-4V for the purpose of enhancing the conventional fatigue and fretting fatigue life and strength. This method provided higher compressive stress at surface as well as up to a depth of 40 m from the surface than that with the shot peening method. Further, the surface treated by CSP was considerably less rough compared to that by the shot peening method, which is a highly desirable feature to improve the fretting fatigue performance.     

Evaluation of Equibiaxial Compressive Stress Introduced into Austenitic Stainless Steel Using an Eddy Current Method

Equibiaxial compressive residual stress is introduced into steel after peening in order to improve both its resistance to stress corrosion cracking and its fatigue strength. Thus, a nondestructive and relatively quick method to evaluate the equibiaxial compressive residual stress in a surface layer modified by peening is required in order to evaluate the peening intensity needed to enhance the integrity of structural components. The purpose of the work reported here is to establish an eddy current method to evaluate equibiaxial compressive stress which can be applied to the residual stress introduced into various non-ferromagnetic materials after peening. To this end, hydraulic jacks were used to elastically deform specimens of the austenitic stainless steel, Japanese Industrial Standard (JIS) SUS316L, thereby introducing an equibiaxial compressive stress. In the case of SUS316L steel, stress-induced martensitic transformation is rare. The electromagnetic properties of these specimens were then measured. In addition, the eddy current signals from peened specimens were compared with these. The results demonstrate that it is possible to establish a method for evaluating the equibiaxial stress utilizing eddy current signals.     

Suppression of hydrogen-assisted fatigue crack growth in austenitic stainless steel by cavitation peening

In this paper we demonstrate the suppression of hydrogen-assisted fatigue crack growth in type 316L austenitic stainless steel by cavitation peening employing a cavitating jet in air. Plate bending fatigue tests on pre-cracked samples were conducted after cathodic hydrogen charging with and without cavitation peening. Without cavitation peening, the hydrogen effect on the crack growth behavior at low applied stress was clearly demonstrated compared with high applied stress in the fatigue test. The coalescence of sub-cracks and the main crack propagating from the pre-crack were observed in the hydrogen charged specimen. This phenomenon significantly accelerated the crack growth. This unexpected fracture was suppressed by introducing compressive residual stress by cavitation peening regardless of the length of processing time. In addition, lengthier treatment reduced the crack growth rate of the hydrogen charged specimen by 75% compared to an untreated one.     

Introduction of compressive residual stress into stainless steel by employing a cavitating jet in air

In order to eliminate stress corrosion cracking, a method of introduction of compressive residual stress using cavitation impacts was proposed, without use of shots. The cavitation impacts were successfully produced by a cavitating jet in air, without the requirement of a water-filled chamber. The injection condition of the jet was optimized and the introduction of compressive residual stress into stainless steel was demonstrated using the jet. The maximum compressive residual stress introduced by the optimized jet was 500 MPa on the surface, while the thickness of the modified layer was up to 400 μm. A method for estimation of the introduced compressive residual stress by the jet as a function of processing time was proposed, considering the stochastic phenomena of the cavitation impacts. Both the intense impact at 0.2 Hz and relatively weak impact at 4.5 Hz affect the introduction of compressive residual stress. The value of the residual stress and the thickness of the modified layer can be estimated by the proposed experimental equation.     

Low-temperature sintering of ferroelectric Pb(Zr,Ti)O3 thick films derived from stable sol-gel solutions

Abstract

We have studied sintering and densification of PbZr_0.52Ti_0.48O₃ (PZT) films derived from diol-based sol-gel solutions. We found that densification by sintering began at below 750°C and completed at 850°C in 5 min. Initially, 0.83- μm-thick PZT single-coated films were prepared on Pt/Ti/SiO₂/Si substrates from stable propylene-glycol (l,2-propanediol)-based solutions by crystallization at 700°C. The crystallized films consisted of fine perovskite grains and voids. We studied the firing temperature dependence of various properties such as microstructure, crystallinity, and ferroelectric properties for the single-coated films. Finally, 0.54- μm-thick PZT single-coated dense films were prepared by firing at 850°C for 5 min. In order to prepare thicker PZT dense films, we studied low-temperature sintering of PZT multicoated thick films. Using this approach, 1.7- μm-thick PZT dense films were prepared by firing at 850°C for 5 min.