Corrosion of inconel 617 in HTGR grade helium

Corrosion of the primary circuit materials is one of the serious problems in High Temperature Gas-cooled Reactors (HTGR). In the present work, the effect of gaseous impurities in the helium coolant on the corrosion behavior of Inconel 617 has been studied at 1000 °C and atmospheric pressure for 1000 h. The helium gases used contained several impurities; H₂, H₂O, CH₄, CO, and CO₂. The corrosion behavior of alloying elements (Cr, Mo, Si, C) was strongly affected by the impurity concentration in helium and the extent of corrosion could be explained on the basis of the oxygen and carbon potentials in the gases used. Ryoji Watanabe, formerly Head of Nuclear Materials Division.     

Mechanisms of solidification and subsequent embrittlement of dephosphorization slag used in a subtidal zone as an alternative to sea sand and prevention of solidification by adding dredged soil

In the recent years, steelmaking slag is attracting attention as suitable materials for restoration of estuary ecosystems. However, there is concern about solidification when the material is applied to create seagrass beds. In this study, dephosphorization slag (DePS) was immersed into seawater for 10 months to examine the solidification processes and its mechanisms to control the strength of solidification. The hypothesis in this study is that solidification could be alleviated by adding dredged soil to the DePS. After 5 months of immersion, the shear strength of the DePS increased from 1.8 to 5.0 kN/m²; however, its shear strength decreased significantly to 3 kN/m² after 10 months. Furthermore, after 5 months, reddish color was observed on the surface of the DePS, whereas the color of the surface of the DePS turned black at 7 months under reducing condition with covering by mud. To validate the results, we carried out an additional study, in which the DePS was immersed in seawater, and the solidified DePS was subsequently treated with Na₂S; the increase and decrease of the shear stress of DePS were reproduced. The solidified DePS before and after exposure to reducing conditions was also analyzed using a combination of microanalysis with an electron probe and Mössbauer spectroscopy. These analyses showed that the solidification was caused by the formation of bridges that composed of iron oxyhydroxides, whereas the subsequent embrittlement of the solidified DePS was attributed to changing in the chemical species of iron.     

纤维表面涂层对SiC(f)/SiC复相陶瓷力学性能和界面结构的影响

报道了化学气相浸渍（CVI）工艺制备的SiC（f）/SiC复相陶瓷中纤维表面涂层对复合材料力学性能和显微结构的影响。SEM观察表明：C或B N表面涂层改变了SiC（f）/SiC复相陶瓷中纤维与基体间的强界面结合,使断裂过程中的界面解离和纤维拔出大大增加,与此同时材料的断裂韧性和断裂功明显提高。说明C或BN纤维表面涂层能够大大地改善SiC（f）/SiC复相陶瓷的脆性断裂行为模式。高分辨电镜的观察证实在CVI过程初期,纤维表面首先发生石墨界面相的沉积,该界面相具有明显的层状晶格条纹,而纤维表面C涂层为无定型态。     

Abnormal Grain Growth in Austenite Structure Reversely Transformed from Ferrite/Pearlite-Banded Structure

The grain growth behavior of austenite reversely transformed from ferrite/pearlite (F/P)-banded and non-banded steels has been studied. It was found that the grain-coarsening temperature [the temperature at which abnormal grain growth (AGG) occurs] of the initially banded F/P structure is quite low compared with that of the non-banded sample. In the F/P-banded sample, the abnormal grains always originate from the former ferrite region. The occurrence of AGG is essentially attributable not to the austenite nucleation process during heating but to the grain growth process after the completion of austenizing. It was proposed that the lowered grain-coarsening temperature in the banded structure is due to the non-uniform pinning-effect of AlN precipitates between former ferrite and pearlite regions.     

Relation between microstructure,properties and spark plasma sintering (SPS) parameters of pure ultrafine WC powder

A combined experimental/numerical methodology is developed to fully consolidate pure ultrafine WC powder under a current-control mode. Three applied currents, 1900, 2100 and 2700 A, and a constant pressure of 20 MPa were employed as process conditions. The developed spark plasma sintering (SPS) finite-element model includes a moving-mesh technique to account for the contact resistance change due to sintering shrinkage and punch sliding. The effects of the heating rate on the microstructure and hardness were investigated in detail along the sample radius from both experimental and modeling points of view. The maximum hardness (2700 HV10) was achieved for a current of 1900 A at the core sample, while the maximum densification was achieved for 2100 and 2700 A. A direct relationship between the compact microstructure and both the sintering temperature and the heating rate was established.     

Ad-Molecule Orientation and Thermo- and Photo-Induced Surface-Aligned Desorption

Two-directional N₂ desorption was found in N₂O decomposition on Pd(110) at 100–160 K. It collimated ±43° off the surface normal in the (001) plane. A hot-atom-assisted model is proposed for N₂ desorption. Inclined O₂ desorption was simulated by hot atoms emitted from aligned oxygen molecules on stepped Pt(112) at 308 nm irradiation.     

用水喷射法控制明胶的分子量分布和物理性能

明胶的物理性能及照相性能依赖于明胶的分子量分布,因此,控制明胶分子的分子量分布很重要。我们研究了一种新的方法来控制明胶的分子量分布及物理性能。将明胶溶液用泵加压,然后从喷嘴高速喷射到一个碰撞盘,或者让喷射液相互碰撞。高分子量级分如H1和H2级分减少,γ和β级分增加或者减少,而样品中α级分增加;低分子量级分稍稍有所增加;样品黏度下降,但凝胶强度变化几乎不变。研究发现,水喷射法不仅在控制明胶分子量分布方面十分有效,且能有效地控制明胶的物理性能。     

Effects of Spray Parameters and Post-spray Heat Treatment on Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Warm-Sprayed Ti-6Al-4V Coatings

Warm spray is a novel thermal spray technique that allows the formation of dense and relatively pure Ti-6Al-4V coatings due to its capability to control the temperature of the propellant gas by diluting the combustion flame with an inert gas such as nitrogen. Recently, its combustion pressure has been increased from 1 to 4 MPa aiming to further increase particle velocity to over 1000 m/s. Two series of coatings with combustion pressure of 1 and 4 MPa and various nitrogen flow rates were prepared in this study. Effects of combustion pressure and nitrogen flow rate on the microstructure and mechanical properties of the Ti-6Al-4V coatings were systematically studied. Miniature tensile specimens with a total length of about 9 mm were used for static tensile tests. It was found that the spray parameters affect both the porosity and oxygen content of the coatings significantly and had remarkable effects on their mechanical properties. High level of porosity in the Ti-6Al-4V coatings reduced the effective cross-sectional area of the mini-specimens and caused a drop in their tensile strength and Young’s modulus. Subsequent heat treatments were found effective in significantly recovering the mechanical properties of the as-sprayed coatings.     

Alloy Casting by the Horizontal Ohno Continuous Casting System

Abstract

Sn-Pb alloys in the compositional range 2.5–22.5% Pb have been continuously cast using the horizontal Ohno Continuous Casting (OCC) process. The effects of alloy composition and process variables on the location and size of the liquid-solid zone were investigated and information obtained was examined in order to establish the breakout point. It was found that the liquid-solid zone existed partly or entirely within the mould during casting, depending on casting conditions. The liquid-solid zone expanded with increasing mould-cooler distance and also with decreasing mould exit temperature, whereas it remained constant with the casting speed within the range investigated. As the composition approaches the eutectic point, the L+S zone shifted into the mould, and existed entirely within the mould at 22.5% Pb. It was also found that breakout occurred when the rod temperature at the mould exit exceeded a critical temperature which can be expressed as Tc=228–2A, where Tc is the critical rod temperature in Celsius and A is wt% Pb (<22.5% Pb). It was confirmed that the mould exit temperature must be kept above the liquidus temperature of the alloy to be cast in order to obtained unidirectional or single crystal materials.