Effect of iron alloying in evolution of nanostructure and microstructural stability in nickel

Nanocrystalline materials show many interesting properties such as high strength and hardness due to nanosized grains and high density of interfaces. In this context, the present work reports the effect of Fe (iron) addition in Ni (nickel) on nanostructure retention during the annealing of Ni-Fe alloy (with 0, 18.5, 28.5 and 43 wt% Fe) at 450 °C for 16 h. Furthermore, effect of annealing on the deformation mechanism was investigated. The integral breadth method revealed the decrease in grain size with increase in wt% Fe in Ni. The strain rate sensitivity exponent which is a signature of operating deformation mechanism showed a higher value (0.10803) in case of Ni-18.5 wt% Fe during nanoindentation. However, Ni-0 wt% Fe, Ni-28.5 wt% Fe and Ni-43 wt% Fe were characterized by a relatively low strain rate sensitivity exponent (between 0.02069 and 0.10803). Results indicated the presence of Hall-Petch relationship up to 18.5 wt% Fe and inverse Hall-Petch relationship above 18.5 wt% Fe.     

Corrosion of Alloy Haynes 230 in High Temperature Supercritical Carbon Dioxide with Oxygen Impurity Additions

The corrosion of Ni-based alloy Haynes 230 in supercritical carbon dioxide at temperatures of 650 and 750 °C at a pressure of 20 MPa was investigated. In high-purity research grade CO₂, the corrosion performance of the alloy was excellent with a thin, uniform, protective chromium-rich oxide layer forming on the surface. Introduction of 10 and 100 ppm O₂ impurity in the CO₂ environment noticeably enhanced oxidation with evidence of oxide spallation and nodule formation. In these oxygen impurity added tests, increased oxidation led to subsurface voids due to the more rapid outward diffusion of chromium as well as intergranular alumina and chromia. The oxygen concentration at the inlet and the outlet of the autoclave was measured and used to support the results of characterization of the surface oxide to develop a more holistic understanding of the role of oxygen impurity on the corrosion process. In all cases, there some carbon was observed, which manifested as slightly higher concentration of chromium–carbide phase at the grain boundaries compared to the unexposed alloy.     

Effect of Retrogression and Re-Aging on Tensile Mechanical Properties in Transverse Direction of Extruded Rods from Aluminum Alloy AA7049

Metal Science and Heat Treatment - The effect retrogression and re-aging (RRA treatment) on the tensile properties in the transverse direction of extruded rods from aluminum alloy AA7049 is...     

Deformation Behavior of Metastable Austenitic Steel at Low and Moderate Temperatures

Metal Science and Heat Treatment - The TRIP effect and deformation behavior of metastable austenitic steel were studied under tension in the temperatures range from –120 to +200°C. The...     

Structural,Optical, and Ferroelectric Behaviors of Cu_(1-x)Li_xO(0≤x≤0.09) Nanostructures

We report structural,optical,and ferroelectric behaviors of lithium-doped copper oxide(Cu1-xLixO with x =0.0,0.05,0.07,and 0.09) nanostructures synthesized by hydrothermal method.The XRD pattern indicates the pure phase formation of CuO without any impurity,and the crystallite size is found to be increases for x =0–0.07 and decreases for x =0.09.FESEM analysis shows that the average size of Cu1-xLixO nanostructures increases with the increasing the Li-doping concentrations up to 7% and then decreases for 9% Li doping concentration.Moreover,Raman and photoluminescence spectrum also confirm the phase formation of CuO.A significant reduction in optical band gap is observed up to x =0.07,and then band gap increases for x =0.09 due to segregation of the impurities on the surface or grain boundaries,which may suppress the grain growth and results the enhancement in optical band gap.Moreover,a weak ferroelectricity is observed in CuO nanostructures for pure and 9% Li doping through polarization versus electric field(P–E).     

Friction stir welding of thick section reduced activation ferritic–martensitic steel

Full penetration friction stir welding was conducted on 12?mm thick reduced activation ferritic–martensitic steel at tool rotational speeds of 500 and 900?rev?min^?1. Comparator welds at 500?rev?min^?1 were also produced in 6?mm thick reduced activation ferritic–martensitic steel plate to evaluate section thickness effects. Increase in section thickness led to an increase in heat input, which strongly influenced the microstructure evolution in stir zone (SZ), thermo-mechanical affected zone and the overall hardness in the SZ of this steel. In the as-welded condition, the base metal microstructure was significantly altered and resulted in carbide-free grain boundaries. The desirable microstructure and mechanical properties were achieved by subjecting the as-welded joints to appropriate post-weld heat treatments.     

Effect of mold oscillation on the metallurgical characterization and mechanical properties of A319 aluminum alloy casting

Effect of mold oscillation on metallurgical characterization and mechanical properties of the A319 alloy was investigated. Experimental results show that the microstructure of A319 alloy was significantly refined regarding α-Al grain refinement along with improved silicon particle morphology due to mold oscillations. Mechanical properties of casting such as tensile strength, yield strength, percentage elongation and micro-hardness improved by 39.05, 28.05%, 2.67 times and 27.02% respectively as compared to that of stationary casting. This investigation is an attempt to study the effect of mold frequency on mechanical and metallurgical properties of aluminum alloys.     

Investigation of Pt and Pd Modified WO<Subscript>3</Subscript> and ZnO Based Thin Film Sensors for Ethanol Sensing

Ethanol sensors based on different WO₃ and ZnO structures are studied in the present work. The XRD and SEM processes are used to characterize the sensing layer’s surface morphology which reveals the presence of nanoparticle in sensing layer. Further reducing the nanoparticle diameter by the addition of palladium (Pd) and platinum (Pt) for both the sensors (ZnO and WO₃) gives good results on sensitivity, operating temperature, response time and recovery time. Nanoparticle diameter for undoped WO₃, Pd-modified WO₃ and Pt-modified WO₃ based sensors is 11.8, 6 and 5.4 nm, whereas nanoparticle diameter for undoped, Pd-modified and Pt-modified ZnO based sensors is 20, 14 and 11 nm, respectively. Analysis of dynamic response of the sensors when exposed to different concentrations of ethanol vapour (from 500 to 10,000 ppm) and various temperatures indicate the improvement in sensitivity up to 77.2% for WO₃ and 74.6% for ZnO based sensors.     

Synthesis of Flexible Graphene/Polymer Composites for Supercapacitor Applications

In this paper, the graphene was synthesized using biocompatible cellulosic component from onions. Onion epidermal cells were chosen as raw material. During heating at high temperature, the bonding among atoms in material was rearranged and forms two-dimensional hexagonal carbon layer (graphene). The characterization of synthesized graphene was done by x-ray diffractometer, Raman spectrometer and field emission scanning electron microscopy, respectively. An attempt has been taken to form the capacitors with two different current collector electrodes, anticipating the performance of the supercapacitors. The observed capacitance values as-obtained for Al and Au current collector were 1.3 μF and 6.08 μF, respectively. However, when thermally exfoliated graphene was used as an electrode on Al and Au current collector, the capacitance value was drastically increased and found to be 1.6 and 41.25 μF, respectively.