Low-Cycle-Fatigue Performance of Stress-Aged EN AW-7075 Alloy

The effect of a novel heat treatment, that is, aging under superimposed external stress, on the fatigue performance and microstructural evolution of a high-strength aluminum alloy (EN AW-7075) is presented. Stress aging, a combination of heat treatment and superimposed external stress, can enhance the mechanical properties of EN AW-7075 under monotonic loading due to the acceleration of precipitation kinetics. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) reveal that a longer aging time and the presence of superimposed stress both promote the formation and growth of precipitates, that is, the precipitation of strengthening η´ precipitates. This is confirmed by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) heating experiments of stressless and stress-aged states. Furthermore, stress aging leads to a reduction of dimensions of precipitate-free zones near grain boundaries. Cyclic deformation responses (CDRs) and half-life hysteresis loops are evaluated focusing on the low-cycle fatigue (LCF) performance of different conditions. A noticeable cyclic hardening seen in case of the specimens aged for a short time indicates the occurrence of dynamic strain aging (DSA). Eventually, stress aging allows for an enhancement of the monotonic mechanical properties of EN AW-7075 without degrading the cyclic performance in the LCF regime.     

Enhancing the Predictive Capabilities of Microstructure Simulations of PBF-LB/M by an Evaluation of Nucleation Theories

Metallurgical and Materials Transactions A - Powder Bed Fusion of Metals using a Laser Beam (PBF-LB/M) has proven to be a competitive manufacturing technology to produce customized parts with a...     

VDES R-Mode: Vulnerability analysis and mitigation concepts

VDES R-Mode aims at providing a contingency maritime positioning and navigation system when the operation of Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) is disrupted. However, VDES R-Mode, similarly to GNSS, can itself also be subject to different types of attacks, such as jamming or spoofing. In this paper, we evaluate the vulnerabilities of VDES R-Mode and discuss the effectiveness and cost of different types of countermeasures. The outcome of this cost-benefit analysis is a recommendation to introduce authentication for the navigation messages of R-Mode using the Timed Efficient Stream Loss-Tolerant Authentication (TESLA) protocol.