Electrodeposition and properties of an iron-tungsten alloy

Iron-tungsten alloys were obtained from citrate electrolytes. The relation between Fe(II) and Fe(III), which permits maintaining the stability of an electrolyte as well as obtaining high-quality deposits for a long time, is revealed. The results of investigations show that the discharge of iron ions takes place from the three valent ions. It is found that the concentration of sodium tungstate in the electrolyte contributes to the codeposition of tungsten, increasing its ratio in the alloy. It is established that the current efficiency and composition of iron-tungsten coatings depend on the current density and the conditions of electrolysis. The microhardness of iron-tungsten deposits increases with an increase in the deposition temperature and depends on the tungsten content in the alloy. Investigations with an electron microscope have shown that, on the alloy surface, superficial inhomogeneous films with the content of tungsten and oxygen different from that in the deposit are formed. The obtained alloys have concentration and structure inhomogeneities.     

钨粉表面化学镀铜研究

为了提高钨粉制品的性能,采用正交实验方法,利用SEM、XRD、EDS等分析手段,系统研究了化学镀铜主要工艺参数对钨粉表面化学镀铜的影响规律。结果表明:在温度固定条件下,各因素对镀液稳定性影响的显著性顺序是:硫代硫酸钠加入量>pH值>χ(Tar2-/Cu2 )>甲醛加入量,而对镀速影响的显著性顺序是:χ(Tar2-/Cu2 )>pH值>甲醛加入量>硫代硫酸钠加入量;较佳的钨粉表面化学镀铜工艺为:五水硫酸铜8g/L;酒石酸钾钠28g/L;EDTA0.75g/L;NaOH8.5g/L;硫代硫酸钠10mg/L;甲醛7.5ml/L;pH=12;温度40℃。采用所推荐的工艺,成功的在钨粉上获得了化学镀铜层。     

Consolidation and properties of binderless sub-micron tungsten carbide by field-activated sintering

The rapid sintering of nano-structured WC hard materials in a short time is introduced with a focus on the manufacturing potential of this spark plasma sintering process. The advantage of this process allows very quick densification to near theoretical density and prohibition of grain growth in nano-structured materials. A dense pure WC hard material with a relative density of up to 97.6% was produced with simultaneous application of 60 MPa pressure and electric current of 2800 A within 2 min. A larger current caused a higher rate of temperature increase and therefore a higher densification rate of the WC powder. The finer the initial WC powder size the higher is the density and the better are the mechanical properties. The fracture toughness and hardness values obtained were 6.6 MPa m^1/2 and 2480 kg/mm², respectively under 60 MPa pressure and 2800 A using 0.4 μm WC powder.     

The pitting corrosion of sputtered Fe base alloy films

Predominantly single phase Fe base alloy films were prepared by a DC sputtering method. The compositions of the alloy films, as determined by Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) were Fe-7 at% Cr and Fe-18 at% Cr, Fe-11 at% W and Fe-19 at% W, Fe-9, −13 and −27 at% Ta. The pitting potential of the sputtered alloys determined in chloride solutions was found to be strongly dependent on the nature and the concentration of the alloying element. The pitting potential of sputtered Fe-18 at% Cr and Fe-27 at% Ta alloy films were approximately 0.9 V higher than that of bulk Fe and 0.6 V higher than that of Fe-19 at% W alloy film. A very good correlation was found between the pitting potential of Fe alloy films and the solubility of an alloying element oxide in acidic solutions with a pH corresponding to that within the stable pits of pure Fe (pH = 2). The pitting potential of the Fe alloy was found to increase with a decrease in the solubility of the alloying element oxide in acidic solutions. The pitting potentials of the sputtered Fe-7 at% Cr and Fe-18 at% Cr alloy films were were significantly higher than those of the bulk materials with the same composition. The higher pitting potentials of these alloy films are tentatively attributed to the presence of very fine particles of the oxide phase that are homogeneously distributed in the sputtered alloys.     

Characterization of microstructure of Nano-TiO2 coating deposited by vacuum cold spraying

Control of the microstructure of TiO₂ coatings through preparation methods significantly influences the coating performance. In this study, a vacuum cold-spray process, as a new coating technology, is used to deposit nanocrystalline TiO₂ coatings on conducting glass and stainless steel substrates. TiO₂ deposits were formed using two types of nanocrystalline TiO₂ powders with mean particle diameters of 200 and 25 nm. Coating microstructures were characterized by scanning electron microscopy and x-ray diffraction analysis. Results demonstrate that a thick nanocrystalline TiO₂ coating can be deposited by the vacuum cold-spray process. The coating was found to consist of particles stacked as agglomerates that build up to several hundred nanometers. The coating also presents a mesoporous microstructure that could be effective in such applications as photocatalytic degradation and dye-sensitized solar cells. This article was originally published inBuilding on 100 Years of Success, Proceedings of the 2006 International Thermal Spray Conference (Seattle, WA), May 15–18, 2006, B.R. Marple, M.M. Hyland, Y.-Ch. Lau, R.S. Lima, and J. Voyer, Ed., ASM International, Materials Park, OH, 2006.     

Investigation into the evolution of corrosion product layer (CPL) of 1018 C-steel exposed to multiphase environment using FIB and EIS techniques

This communication reports into the effects of flow, fluid composition and the effectiveness of imidazoline inhibitors on the evolution and distribution of corrosion products on 1018 C-steel exposed to CO₂ corrosion. Focused ion beam technique was used to measure the thickness of the corrosion product layer (CPL), in contrast to the conventional techniques used to observe the cross-section of specimens. Morphological analysis using scanning electron microscopy revealed topographical variations on the surface with the change in the multiphase environment. The CPL was found to be more porous in nature with the presence of oil in the multiphase environment. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy was also used in the present study to measure the corrosion rates and was subsequently correlated to the CPL evolution for 1018 C-steel in multiphase environment.     

Magnesium interlayered diamond coating on silicon

Diamond thin films have been deposited using hot filament chemical vapour deposition technique on manually scratched p-Si(1 0 0) substrate, with and without magnesium interlayer. In spite of magnesium melting point being lower (T_m = 649 °C) than the growth temperature of the substrate (T_s  750 °C) used in these experiments, it was found that high quality diamond films could be grown on Mg covered substrate. A liquid substrate is probably generated during the diamond film growth. Raman spectroscopy analysis exhibited only the triply degenerate, zone centre optical phonon peak at 1333 cm⁻¹ indicating that nearly stress free crystallites were present. Broadening of the Raman peak (11.76 cm⁻¹) indicates that some small crystallites also are present. Scanning electron and atomic force microscopy accompanied by X-ray diffraction analysis where used to compare the details of diamond film growth directly on scratched Si(1 0 0) and Mg interlayered scratched Si(1 0 0) substrates.     

Application of electromagnetic-assisted stamping (EMAS) technique in incremental sheet metal forming

The application of high velocity electromagnetic-assisted stamping (EMAS) technique in incremental sheet metal forming has been proposed. EMAS whose principle is based on Lorenz force is a hybrid forming process that uses both quasi-static conventional stamping technique and electromagnetic forming actuators built into sharp corners and other difficult-to-form contours to form metals. The recent push to use more artificial intelligent (AI) aluminum alloys in automobile and aircraft industries as a result of increasing demand for fuel efficient cars and aircrafts, large size vehicle panels, improved formability limit of materials and weight reduction have placed EMAS as one of the best high velocity forming technique.It is believed that the end result of this vision will lead to more cost effective land and aerospace vehicles.     

Quantitative characterisation of Au–Co–PTFE composite coatings by differential enthalpic analysis

Energy dispersive spectrometry (EDS) and infrared reflection absorption spectroscopy (IRRAS) have been previously used for the qualitative and quantitative analysis of PTFE in gold–PTFE composite coatings. The inclusion rate of PTFE particles in the composite coating is determined close to the surface by these two methods and particularly within a thickness of 0.5 μm by EDS. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) is investigated for a direct determination of the inclusion rate of PTFE, independently of the depth in the coating. The gold matrix allows us to release from metal oxidation and, associated with PTFE (chemically inert), to isolate easily the composite coating by dissolution of the metal support. Correlation is made between the DSC and EDS methods previously proposed as detection tools.