As-cast microstructures and behavior at high temperature of chromium-rich cobalt-based alloys containing hafnium carbides

Hafnium is often used to improve the high temperature oxidation resistance of superalloys but not to form carbides for strengthen them against creep. In this work hafnium was added in cobalt-based alloys for verifying that HfC can be obtained in cobalt-based alloys and for characterizing their behavior at a very temperature. Three Co–25Cr–0.25 and 0.50C alloys containing 3.7 and 7.4 Hf to promote HfC carbides, and four Co–25Cr– 0 to 1C alloys for comparison (all contents in wt.%), were cast and exposed at 1200 °C for 50 h in synthetic air. The HfC carbides formed instead chromium carbides during solidification, in eutectic with matrix and as dispersed compact particles. During the stage at 1200 °C the HfC carbides did not significantly evolve, even near the oxidation front despite oxidation early become very fast and generalized. At the same time the chromium carbides present in the Co–Cr–C alloys totally disappeared in the same conditions. Such HfC-alloys potentially bring efficient and sustainable mechanical strengthening at high temperature, but their hot oxidation resistance must be significantly improved.     

Mechanism of Gravity Effect on Solidification Microstructure of Eutectic Alloy

The influence of gravity on the solidification microstructure of Al-Al3Ni eutectic alloy was investigated by using a 50-m-long drop tube. It was found that at different growth rates the average inter-rod spacing was always larger under rnicrogravity （μg） than those under normal gravity （lg）. Moreover, with increasing growth rate, the spacing difference between lg samples and μg samples reduced progressively. Based on the experimental results and analysis, a physical model was proposed to describe the effect of gravity on the solidification process of eutectic alloy.     

A study on low magnetic permeability gas tungsten arc weldment of AISI 316LN stainless steel for application in electron accelerator

Low magnetic permeability is an important criterion in selection of the material of construction of beam pipes and vacuum chambers of electron accelerators for safeguarding against distortion of the magnetic field. In the modified design of new 20 MeV/30 mA Injector Microtron for the existing synchrotron radiation sources Indus-1 and Indus-2, AISI 316 LN stainless steel has been identified as the material of construction of its vacuum chamber. Welding of AISI 316LN stainless steel with conventional filler alloys like ER316L and ER317L of AWS A5.9 produces duplex weld metal with 3–8% ferro-magnetic delta ferrite to avoid solidification cracking. The results of the study has demonstrated that GTAW of AISI 316LN SS with high Mn adaptation of W 18 16 5 N L filler produced a crack free non-magnetic weld with acceptable mechanical properties. Moreover, AISI 316LN stainless steel is not required to be solution annealed after the final forming operation for obtaining a low magnetic permeability, thereby avoiding solution annealing of large vacuum chamber in vacuum/controlled atmosphere furnace and associated problems of distortion. Besides Injector Microtron, the study also provides useful input for design of future indigenous accelerators with vacuum chambers of austenitic stainless steel.     

Interfacial Thermal Resistance and the Solidification Behavior of the Al/SiCp Composites

The objective of this investigation is to study the effects of applied pressure on the solidification time and interfacial thermal resistance of A356/10% SiC_p during squeeze casting. Samples were prepared for various but constant squeeze pressures up to 130 MPa while maintaining the melt and mold temperatures at 800°C and 400°C, respectively. It was observed that the solidification time was 60 s when no squeeze pressure was applied but it decreased to 42 s when the squeeze pressure was maintained at 130 MPa. The results also showed that the cooling rate increased with squeeze pressure. The solidification time calculated from one-dimensional heat flow theory was found to be close to that obtained from the experimental cooling curves. The interfacial thermal resistance between the mold and the casting was calculated and it decreases when the squeeze pressure increases.     

Effect of Heat Treatments on Austempered Ductile Iron

This work presents the influence of austempering heat treatment carried out in one-step and two-step processes on the microstructures and mechanical properties of ductile cast iron. The samples were extracted from as-cast pieces and heat treated by austempering. For the one-step process the samples were heated at 910°C for 90 min for austenitization and cooled in salt bath at a temperature of 300°C for 30 min. For the two-step process the samples were cooled from 910°C to 245°C, kept at this temperature for 5 min in salt bath, then heated in another salt bath at a temperature of 300°C for 30 min. The samples were analyzed by optical microscopy and mechanical tests. After the one-step austempering, microscopic analysis of the samples showed ausferrite microstructure matrix and graphite in nodules surrounded by fine pearlite. For the two-step austempering, the presence of ausferrite matrix with graphite in nodules and retained austenite was observed. As to mechanical properties, the results showed that, with the two-step process there was gain (4.7%) in the average hardness and loss (3.5%) in the impact resistance. The microhardness of the ausferrite was 6.2% higher in the one-step austempering when compared to the two-step process.     

An analytical and numerical study of coupled transient natural convection and solidification in a rectangular enclosure

The transient process of the solidification of a pure liquid phase-change material in the presence of natural convection in a rectangular enclosure is considered both analytically and numerically. One vertical boundary is held at a temperature below the melting-point of the material, the other above; the horizontal boundaries are both assumed adiabatic. A nondimensional analysis of the problem, principally in terms of the Rayleigh (Ra) and Stefan (St) numbers, indicates that some asymptotic simplification is possible for materials often considered in the literature (water, gallium, lauric acid). This observation suggests a way to simplify the full problem when Ra  1 and St  1, giving a conventional boundary value problem for the liquid phase and pointwise-in-space first-order ODEs for the evolution in time of the solidification front. The method is tested against full 2D finite-element-based transient numerical simulations of solidification. In addition, simpler approaches for determining the average thickness of the solid layer, based on boundary-layer and enclosure flow correlations, are also investigated.     

Shape rheocasting of unmodified Al-Si binary eutectic

It is demonstrated experimentally that by using the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research Rheo Casting System and high pressure die casting it is possible to semi-solid process and cast into a shape unmodified Al-Si binary eutectic without a solidification temperature range. Silicon leads the aluminium coupled crystal growth subjected to convection by induction during thermal arrest. The semi-solid structure during thermal arrest is captured after rheo-processing and casting.     

Formation of core-type microstructure in Al-Bi monotectic alloys

The macroscopic morphologies and core-shell dimensional accuracy for Al-Bi immiscible alloys were investigated. Irrespective of compositions, the shell always consists of a Bi-rich phase due to surface segregation. With decreasing the superheat degree above the highest critical point of Al-65.5 wt.% Bi alloy, the shell of particles changed from irregular, annular to crescent shapes under the actions of Marangoni motion and gravity. The simulation suggests that the superheating and particle size affect markedly the temperature gradient and cooling rate of droplets, and thus influence the Marangoni and Stokes motions. At a superheat degree of 100 K, a perfect core-shell microstructure of Al-65.5 wt.% Bi particles with a diameter of 0.9 mm was successfully obtained. The dimensional relationship between the core and whole particle could be described by a function of D_core = 0.9137 D_particle − 0.0312.     

Directional solidification of Cu-20Sn alloy at low speed: From peritectic coupled growth to banding

Bridgman-type directional solidification experiments have been carried out in Cu-20Sn peritectic alloy. Peritectic coupled growth and banding structures have been observed at low growth rates (1.5 and 2 μm/s) under a temperature gradient up to 40 K/mm. The peritectic coupled growth structure, containing rod dendrite primary α phase plus peritectic β phase, forms initially. As solidification proceeds, peritectic coupled growth is overgrown by banding or island banding structures. The formation of banding structure from coupled growth is explained by a model involving Sn concentration change at nucleation of the secondary phase ahead of the solid/liquid interface. It is found that the competitive growth between the α and β phases also plays a critical role on the formation of banding structures.     

Stress induced deformation in the solidification of undercooled Co80Pd20 alloys

Substantial undercooling ΔT up to 415 K was achieved for Co₈₀Pd₂₀ melt applying molten glass denucleation combined with cyclic superheating. The as-solidified structure as function of ΔT was described concisely. On this basis, dense-regular fault (DRF) ribbons were detected provided if a critical undercooling is surpassed. An integrated analysis of the DRF formation with a model calculation [16] for shrinkage-stress developed in the coherent dendrite network upon rapid solidification was then performed. This confirms that the as-formed DRF originates from a stress-induced deformation, which also plays an important role in understanding the grain refinement occurring upon rapid solidification of undercooled melts.