Effect of boron and phosphorus on HAZ microfissuring of Allvac 718 Plus superalloy

Abstract

Heat affected zone (HAZ) microfissuring was investigated in electron beam welds of two Allvac 718 PLUS (718 Plus) alloys with different boron and phosphorus contents. Two preweld solution heat treatments were used and microfissuring susceptibility was evaluated by measuring the HAZ crack lengths in both alloys after bead on plate welding. The segregation behaviour of boron and phosphorus was studied before and after welding by secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS). Hot ductility behaviour of the alloys in the standard solution preweld heat treatment was also examined. The results of crack measurements, segregation studies and hot ductility tests correlated well with each other. It was observed that besides constitutional liquation of Nb rich MC type carbides, segregation of B and P largely influenced the microfissuring susceptibility of the alloy. Heat affected zone microfissuring increased with an increase in B + P concentrations and with an increase in the preweld solution heat treatment temperature. Segregation behaviour of B and P and its contribution to microfissuring in Allvac 718 Plus alloy were discussed.     

Effects of processing parameters on direct laser sintering of multicomponent Cu based metal powder

Abstract

Direct laser sintering of a multicomponent Cu based metal powder was successfully processed through the mechanism of liquid phase sintering with partial melting of the powder. The effects of processing parameters such as laser power, scan speed, scan line spacing and layer thickness on the densification and microstructural evolution of the laser sintered powder were investigated. It was found that with increasing laser power or decreasing scan speed, the density of the sintered parts increased and the microstructures became denser. However, the combination of higher laser powers (>400 W) and higher scan speeds (≥0·06 ms^?1) gave rise to 'balling' effect. A successive transition from discontinuous scan tracks to coherently joined ones occurs with decreasing scan line spacing. Lowering the thickness of the powder layer promises an improvement in bonding coherence between sintered layers. A single factor termed 'energy density by volume' is defined to evaluate the combined effect of various processing parameters on the density of laser sintered powder. With increasing the energy density by volume up to ～0·16 kJ mm^?3, the densification rate is relatively high. However, with intensifying the energy density over ～0·23 kJ mm^?3, the mechanism of particle bonding may change into full melting/solidification, leading to a decrease in the sintered density.     

Bacterial colonisation of bioceramic surfaces

Abstract

Hydroxyapatite (HAp – Ca₁₀(PO₄)₆(OH)₂) and tricalcium phosphate (TCP – Ca₃(PO₄)₂) are bioceramic materials of special interest with regards to bone surgery, in particular the repair of bone tissue defects. These materials are highly biocompatible with bone and soft tissue; they are bioactive, osteoconductive and resistant to sterilisation processes. In comparison with other biomaterials, particularly metallic materials, bioceramic surfaces exhibit high resistance to bacterial colonisation. This is currently considered to be one of the most important issues concerning materials used in medicine, due to the fact that bacterial biofilm is difficult to combat or remove and can be responsible for recurrent infections.

The aim of the present study was to evaluate bacterial colonisation on the surface of different calcium phosphate based materials.     

Automated identification and characterisation of secondary and tertiary γ′ precipitates in nickel-based superalloys

Abstract

The use of different electron loss edges in energy-filtered transmission electron microscopy (EFTEM) has allowed researchers to capture images of the morphology and size of precipitates in nickel-based superalloys. In this work, the authors discuss a computational methodology for automated detection of secondary and tertiary γ′ precipitates in EFTEM images. The optimum parameters for the automated region growing technique were identified using a combination of visual inspection and intensity information from the EFTEM images. The microstructural statistics obtained from the segmented γ′ precipitates agreed with those of the manually segmented precipitates. Then, automated segmented precipitates are used to extract microstructural information about the distributions of equivalent diameters of 656 tertiary precipitates along with the distances to the nearest secondary precipitates. The significance of this technique is its ability to automate segmentation of precipitates in a reproducible manner for acquiring microstructural statistics that relate to both processing and properties.     

Microstructure development and superplasticity in Inconel 718 sheet

Abstract

Within the range of temperatures and strain rates investigated, mechanical testing identified the optimum forming condition for Inconel 718 sheet as being 965°C with a strain rate of 10^-4 s^-1. A detailed investigation of the microstructural behaviour under these deformation conditions was carried out and is reported here. Typically superplastic deformation would generate an enhanced rate of grain growth. This was not the case with the present material; instead it was found that a slight apparent grain size reduction occurred and there was evidence of substantial dislocation activity. It was concluded that the material was deforming on the borderline between 'true' superplasticity and normal slip based deformation.     

MULTI-AXLE VEHICLE STABILITY BASED ON WHOLE VEHICLE MODEL

From the analysis of experiment data of the multi-axle vehicle chassis searching process, it is less accurate to predict multi-axle vehicle dynamic characteristic with simplified two-axle vehicle model. So it is important to find out a more effective modeling method in the study of multi-vehicle stability. In the development of heat transfer fluid(HTF) six-axle vehicle, a whole vehicle multi-body dynamic model is built through collaborate flowchart using Teamcenter Engineering, UG NX3 and MSC. Adams. The modeling method of connected hydragas spring suspension is validated by running test results. Based on this whole vehicle model, a kinematical analysis of suspension is implemented to achieve optimized suspension geometry parameters according to the stable requirement. Then, different handling simulations are carried out with regard to various tire characteristics, driving configurations, and equipments. According to the evaluation of whole vehicle handling characteristic, some design rules are summarized to improve the stability of multi-axle vehicle.     

CREATIVE DESIGN BASED ON KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT IN ENGINEERING DESIGN

To support and serve engineering design, creative design based on knowledge management is proposed. The key knowledge factors of creative design are analyzed and discussed, and knowledge extraction tools are utilized to distill the important knowledge to serve for knowledge resource of creative design. The implementation of creative design mode is described and executed, which can promote the intelligent asset of the enterprise and shorten the period of creative design. With this study, design afflatus and conceptual design can be achieved expediently and effectively.     

MODELING METHOD FOR PRODUCT STRUCTURE MAPPING BASED ON REVERSE SOLVING OF LOCUS AND MOTION

Aiming at the problem of structure design in reverse-design of mechanism, a structure mapping method based on reverse solving of locus and motion (RSLM) is presented. The mechanism scheme meeting the requirements of geometric and structural features is obtained through RSLM. The element instance subsets related to component are established based on the element type mapping, pair structure type mapping and design knowledge mapping between components and elements layer by layer. The assembly position mapping of elements is established based on the topological structure information of mechanism scheme, and the product modeling of structure mapping is realized. The algorithm program and prototype system of product structure mapping based on RSLM are developed. Application samples show that the method implements the integration of scheme design, assembly design and structure design, and modeling for product structure mapping based on RSLM. The feasibility of assembly is analyzed in scheme design that contributes to reducing the design error, and raising the design efficiency and quality.     

THEORETICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL STUDY ON THE PRESSURE AND VACUUM CONTINUOUS CONTROL SYSTEM BASED ON HYBRID PUMP

A novel pressure and vacuum continuous control system, which adopts a hybrid pump as pressure and vacuum source, is presented. The mathematical model of the system is developed. The theoretical simulation and analysis on the system are implemented in order to study the relationships among the characteristics, parameters and working points of the system. The experimental investigations on the system characteristics are presented with the adoption of a fuzzy-PID controller. The simulation and experimental results indicate that the pressure and vacuum continuous control system based on hybrid pump has good dynamic and static performance, strong robustness and satisfactory adaptability to various system parameters. According to the results, system can successfully gain high accuracy and fast response signal. Also, the mathematical model of system is also testified by the experimental results.     

FUZZY GLOBAL SLIDING MODE CONTROL BASED ON GENETIC ALGORITHM AND ITS APPLICATION FOR FLIGHT SIMULATOR SERVO SYSTEM

To alleviate the chattering problem, a new type of fuzzy global sliding mode controller (FGSMC) is presented. In this controller, the switching gain is estimated by fuzzy logic system based on the reachable conditions of sliding mode controller(SMC), and genetic algorithm (GA) is used to optimize scaling factor of the switching gain, thus the switch chattering of SMC can be alleviated. Moreover, global sliding mode is realized by designing an exponential dynamic sliding surface. Simulation and real-time application for flight simulator servo system with Lugre friction are given to indicate that the proposed controller can guarantee high robust performance all the time and can alleviate chattering phenomenon effectively.