Flow transitions in vacuum arc remelting

Abstract

The metallurgical structure of an ingot produced by vacuum arc remelting (VAR) depends critically on the temperature distribution within the liquid portion of the partially solidified ingot. This, in turn, depends on the fluid motion in the pool, since the dominant mechanism for transporting heat is convection. There are three primary sources of motion: buoyancy; Lorentz forces arising from the passage of current through the pool; and Lorentz forces arising from the presence of external inductors. These forces are constantly in competition with each other, and each tends to induce a quite different distribution of velocity and temperature. We examine the transition between these different flow regimes and derive dimensionless criteria which determine which regime is dominant. We show that the structure of an ingot produced by VAR depends critically on the temperature distribution within the liquid portion of the partially solidified ingot. This, in turn, depends on the fluid motion in the pool, since the dominant mechanism for transporting heat is convection. There are three primary sources of motion: buoyancy; Lorentz forces arising from the passage of current through the pool; and Lorentz forces arising from the presence of external inductors. These forces are constantly in competition with each other, and each tends to induce a quite different distribution of velocity and temperature. We examine the transition between these different flow regimes and derive dimensionless criteria which determine which regime is dominant. We show that modest changes in ingot current can produce radical changes in temperature distribution, and that weak, steady magnetic fields, of only ～1 Gs, can induce a powerful swirling motion which suppresses the normal flow.     

Deformation banding and origins of rolling and annealing textures in low carbon and interstitial free steels

Abstract

This paper is dedicated to the memory of Professor Sir Robert Honeycombe, who examined the first author's PhD thesis on this subject in 1972. The paper reviews some of the very large improvements in the understanding of the formation of textures and microstructures in drawing quality steels in both their deformed and recrystallised states made since the 1970s, focusing in particular on deformation bending in interstitial free steels.     

Inferences on plastic properties and coefficient of friction during simultaneous compression deformation of dissimilar sintered powder metallurgical preforms

Abstract

Plastic working of powder metallurgical (PM) material necessitates the development of fundamental data such as flow stress, densification behaviour, coefficient of friction, apparent strength coefficient, apparent strain hardening exponent, plastic Poisson's ratio, etc. In the present work compression and standard ring compression tests have been carried out to generate the fundamental data for simultaneous deformation of sintered steel and copper powder metallurgical preforms. The results reveal that the behaviour of individual materials during simultaneous deformation is strongly influenced by local micromechanical interactions at the metal - metal interface. In addition to this, the test conditions (iso-stress and iso-strain) strongly influence the severity of interaction. The interfacial friction coefficients are less than that of the same material when tested between hard tools. The optimal process parameters with higher interfacial friction, which can enhance the solid state joining of dissimilar materials, have been identified. The flow stress of the composite (steel - copper combination) during simultaneous deformation can be estimated if the flow stress of the individual materials comprising the combination/composite are known. With these studies, it should be possible to extend the inferences to the major deformation processes.     

Etching technique for revelation of plastic deformation zone in low carbon steel

Abstract

In this study, an etching technique to detect the localised plastic deformation behaviour in a low carbon steel was developed. With this technique, etching with Fry solution under ultrasonic vibration was carried out on samples plastically deformed and then heated at 550°C for a certain period of time. The plastic zone was revealed by different degrees of etching in the plastically deformed and non-deformed regions; the plastic zone was found to be only slightly etched, whereas the other region was deeply etched. From the surface offset after etching, the deformation zone was found to be observable even at low magnification, such as 10 times. As the heating duration increased, the plastic zone became clearer. The mechanism for such an etching reaction is discussed on the basis of electrochemical analysis.     

INFLUENCE OF ROLL DIAMETERS ON DEFORMATION BEHAVIOUR OF HIGH TEMPERATURE SUPERCONDUCTING TAPE

During plastic process,the material flow is strongly influenced by the contact area between deformed workpiece and die.In rolling process,difference of roll diameter makes the contact area between roll and deformed tape different,which leads to different material flow and the distribution of powder density.A numerical modelling of the first rolling process for 61-filament high temperature superconducting tape is constructed and the influences of roll diameters on deformation behavior of the tape are discussed.It can be found that the BiSrCaCuO(BSCCO)powder in the center of the tape has higher relative density than those in the periphery of the tape during rolling process.With the increase of roll diameter,the length of the contact arc in the roll gap expands which lead to the in- creasing of transversal strain and the decreasing of the related longitudinal strain.It makes the value of longitudinal strain ratio decrease gradually,which decreases the possibility of occurrence of the transversal shear band,simultaneously it increases the risk of occurrence of longitudinal crack.     

A Theoretical Study of Thin Film Delamination Using Clamped Punch-Loaded Blister Test: Energy Release Rate and Closed-Form Solution

Using an exact analytical solution of axisymmetric deformation of a circular membrane centrally connected to a rigid plate under the action of concentrated load at its center, we present an exact formula for the energy release rate applicable to ultrathin film–substrate systems without residual stresses or with small residual stresses. Also, a closed-form solution of axisymmetric deformation of circular membrane under the action of concentrated load at its center is presented.     

Compression behaviour of semisolid YL112 die casting aluminium alloy following isothermal heat treatment

Abstract

The semisolid compression deformation behaviour of YL112 die casting aluminium alloy with the non-dendritic and dendritic structures has been compared in tests using a Gleeble-1500 thermomechanical simulator. The non-dendritic structure was obtained by isothermal treatment at 570°C for 120 min. In tests up to compressive strains of 0·8, the semisolid compression stress of the alloy with non-dendritic structure initially increases rapidly with increasing strain, then decreases, before reaching a plateau value. Under different deformation temperatures and deformation rates, the maximum compressive stresses are obtained in all cases at strain values of ～0·07. The semisolid deformation stress decreases with increasing deformation temperature and increases with increasing deformation rate. The compression behaviour of the two types of alloy differs. The semisolid compression stress of the alloy with dendritic structure is higher than that of the alloy with non-dendritic structure; and for strains >0·07, the semisolid compression stress increases and decreases with increasing strain for alloys with dendritic and non-dendritic structures respectively.     

Numerical simulation of deformation in large scale hydroturbine blade casting

Abstract

Deformation is one of the most common defects during the casting of large scale hydroturbine blades because of their curved three-dimentional (3D) surface geometry. Inverse deformation is usually applied to the pattern for sand moulds to finally obtain proper shape. However, the value of inverse deformation is hard to be determined. In this paper, a method is presented to determine the inverse deformation values by cycling numerical simulation. The inverse deformation is determined by the criteria of the achievement of even and appropriate machining allowance of the whole casting. This method is applied to a large scale blade casting used in the Three Gorges Power Plant. The calculated inverse deformation is obtained after three cycles. By using the electronic coordinate determination system (ECDS), its surface is measured and the machining allowance values of some points are acquired. The measured and calculated results are in agreement.     

Influence of alloying elements on hot corrosion of superalloys and coatings: necessity of smart coatings for gas turbine engines

Abstract

Modern gas turbine engines require high performance materials and coatings to ensure high efficiency. The selection of high performance materials and coatings depends on the nature and concentration of alloying elements. The composition of materials and coatings, in particular, plays a major role in enhancing the life of gas turbine engines by exhibiting good resistance to oxidation and hot corrosion, which are major problems in gas turbine engines. The performances of several superalloys containing different alloying elements and MCrAlY type coatings containing a variety of major and minor alloying elements are described in detail. The effect of major and trace elements on the life of superalloys and coatings in the presence of pure Na₂SO₄, NaCl and vanadium containing environments is detailed. The relevant reaction mechanisms leading to the failure of superalloys and coatings are discussed. The major factors involved when selecting alloying elements for the preparation of superalloys to manufacture components intended for use under hot corrosion conditions and the selection of appropriate coatings are suggested. Finally, the necessity of innovation of 'smart coatings' to combat both oxidation and hot corrosion is discussed.     

Effect of process parameters on microstructural variables of a commercial TC6 titanium alloy disc

Abstract

The interaction between the deformation behaviour and the microstructure evolution is the main characteristic in the forging process of titanium alloy and this interaction is researched using finite element (FE) simulation. Coupled simulation of deformation behaviour with microstructure evolution has been carried out by means of a new constitutive equation presented by Li et al. (Mater. Sci. Technol., 2004, 20, 1256–1260). The effect of deformation temperature, hammer velocity,height reduction and shear factor on the microstructure variables, including grain size and volume fraction, has been studied in the forging process of the TC6 titanium alloy disc with deformation temperatures of 880–940°C, hammer velocities of 1·2–12 000 mm min^?1 and shear factor (m) of the friction of 0·1–0·4. The simulated results show that deformation temperature, hammer velocity and height reduction have a significant effect on themicrostructure evolution and this effect is more significant on the microstructure evolution in hot forging than that in isothermal forging. The simulated results are in good agreement with the experimental results.