The mechanochemical processing of aerospace metals

The status of mechanochemical processing of aerospace metals (aluminum and titanium) is reviewed. It is demonstrated that the activation of chemical reactions by mechanical energy can lead to many interesting applications including production of advanced materials with novel constitutional and microstructural effects leading to enhanced mechanical properties.     

Features of the procedures to obtain ultrafine zirconium dioxide by mechanochemical method

The results of investigation of mechanochemical reactions in the mixtures of hydroxides and carbonates of alkaline and alkaline earth metals with zirconium oxychloride and oxynitrate are presented. It is shown that one of the features of interaction between the components is the formation of the salts of alkaline and alkaline earth metals along with X-ray amorphous zirconium-containing compound. It is demonstrated that the mechanical activation of the mixture of yttrium carbonate and zirconium oxynitrate, followed by thermal treatment of this mechanically activated mixture, results in the formation of solid solution ZrO₂-Y₂O₃ in cubic modification.     

Synthesis and thermal stability of ball-milled and melt-quenched amorphous and nanostructured Al-Ni-Nd-Co alloys

In this work the Al₈₅Ni₉Nd₄Co₂ alloy was used as a starting point for examining the possibility of forming bulk glassy Al-based materials by combining rapid quenching and ball milling techniques. Fine glassy powders were obtained by ball milling melt-spun amorphous ribbons using a severe cryogenic processing regime. The thermal stability data of the powders as obtained by constant-rate heating and isothermal DSC experiments together with viscosity measurements are discussed with respect to feasible consolidation conditions. The powder compaction was done by two methods (uni-axial hot pressing and extrusion) at 513 K for up to 15 min. Only the uni-axial hot pressing led to bulk Al₈₅Ni₉Nd₄Co₂ samples with similar glassy structure and Vickers microhardness values comparable to those of the initial melt-spun ribbons.     

Damage and plastic flow in a Al-Si-Cu thixocast alloy

Thixocast samples of an Al-Si-Cu alloy were solution treated at 500°C for 4 h, aged at 170°C for different times and tensile tested at room temperature. Statistical analysis on the fractured Si particles has pointed out how the fraction of damaged particles is influenced by the ageing treatments performed before deformation. The damage accumulation per unit of strain decreases with increasing ductility of the samples. The Considére criterion for plastic instability shows no significative necking.     

The GENIUS-test-facility—first results on background from Rn daughters

GENIUS-TF (Nucl. Instr. and Meth. A 511 (2003) 341; Nucl. Instr. and Meth. A 481 (2002) 149.) is a test-facility for the GENIUS project (GENIUS-Proposal, 20 November 1997; Z. Phys. A 359 (1997) 351; CERN Courier, November 1997, 16; J. Phys. G 24 (1998) 483; Z. Phys. A 359 (1997) 361; in: H.V. Klapdor-Kleingrothaus, H. Pas. (Eds.), First International Conference on Particle Physics Beyond the Standard Model, Castle Ringberg, Germany, 8–14 June 1997, IOP Bristol (1998) 485 and in Int. J. Mod. Phys. A 13 (1998) 3953; in: H.V. Klapdor-Kleingrothaus, I.V. Krivosheina (Eds.), Proceedings of the Second International Conference on Particle Physics Beyond the Standard Model BEYOND’ 99, Castle Ringberg, Germany 6–12 June 1999, IOP Bristol (2000) 915), a proposed large scale underground observatory for rare events which is based on operation of naked germanium detectors in liquid nitrogen for an extreme background reduction. Operation of naked Ge crystals in liquid nitrogen has been applied routinely already for more than 20 years by the CANBERRA Company for technical functions tests (CANBERRA Company, private communication, 5 March 2004.), but it never had found entrance into basic research. Only in 1997 first tests of application of this method for nuclear spectroscopy have been performed, successfully, in Heidelberg (Klapdor-Kleingrothaus et al., 1997, 1998; J. Hellmig and H.V. Klapdor-Kleingrothaus, 1997).

On May 5, 2003 the first four naked high-purity germanium detectors (total mass 10.52 kg) were installed in liquid nitrogen in the GENIUS Test Facility at the Gran Sasso underground laboratory. Since then the experiment has been running continuously, testing for the first time the novel technique in an underground laboratory and for a long-lasting period.

In this work, we present the first analysis of the GENIUS-TF background after the completion of the external shielding, which took place in December 2003. We focus especially on the background coming from ²²²Rn daughters. This is found to be at present by a factor of 200 higher than expected from simulation. It is still compatible with the scientific goal of GENIUS-TF, namely to search for cold dark matter by the modulation signal, but on the present level would cause serious problems for a full GENIUS—like experiment using liquid nitrogen.     

A versatile data acquisition system for time resolved X-ray scattering using gas proportional detectors with delay line readout

A data acquisition system for time resolved X-ray scattering experiments using linear, quadrant or area gas proportional detectors with delay line readout based on commercially available hardware (National Instruments) is described. The system can easily be configured for recording data from point detectors (e.g. photomultipliers and photodiodes) and/or ancillary data only. Applications involving measurements with two different types of time to digital converters illustrate the features and performances of the system.     

Feasibility study of absolute activity measurement with metallic magnetic microcalorimeters

We report on a feasibility study on precise determination of mass-specific activity of low-energy emitting radioisotopes. Conventional methods of activity measurement suffer from source self-absorption and a strong decrease in detection efficiency for low-energy electrons and photons. We propose a new method based on metallic magnetic microcalorimeters with the source embedded in the detector target in a 4π geometry. First results with a ⁵⁵Fe source show that electrons and photons are detected with a detection efficiency close to unity and with little loss of energy for electrons. The aim of this study is to provide standards of activity with very low uncertainties in the framework of radiation metrology.     

Synthesis and Properties of NdMCr2O5 (M = Na, K, Cs) and NdMgCr2O5.5 Chromites

NdMCr₂O₅ (M = Na, K, Cs) and NdMgCr₂O_5.5 are prepared by solid-state reactions between appropriate oxides and carbonates and are shown to have a tetragonal structure. The heat capacity of these chromites, measured from 298.15 to 673 K, exhibits sharp changes attributable to second-order phase transitions. The C _p ⁰(T) data are represented by quadratic best fit equations. The electrical resistivity of the chromites is measured between 303 and 493 K. The results attest to semiconducting behavior of the materials in certain temperature ranges.