Mechanical and Thermal Properties of Polypropylene/Silica Aerogel Composites

Polypropylene (PP) composites including various amounts of silica aerogel (SA) microparticles were prepared by melt mixing in an internal mixer. The morphology and microstructure of the prepared composites were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Mechanical properties of the samples, including elastic modulus, tensile stress, elongation and stress at break, were measured by tensile tests. In addition, the other mechanical features, including Izod impact strength, hardness and wear resistance, were evaluated and then related to the structure of the PP/SA composites. Furthermore, the thermal characteristics of the composites, such as heat deflection temperature and thermal stability, were studied by thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA). The SEM photographs indicated the satisfactory SA particles dispersion for the compositions of 1% and 3% but agglomeration of the aerogels at higher SA contents. Since the composites became stiffer, the impact and tensile strength decreased. The addition of the SA to the PP matrix yielded harder samples with lower weight loss and coefficients of friction in wear tests. The TGA evaluations confirmed that the presence of SA promoted and upgraded the thermal stability and heat deflection temperature of PP. The thermal results proved the superior potential of PP as an insulator when the SA particles were added.     

Effect of an absorbent overlay on the residual stress field induced by laser shock processing on aluminum samples

Laser shock processing (LSP) or laser shock peening is a new technique for strengthening metals. This process induces a compressive residual stress field, which increases fatigue crack initiation life and reduces fatigue crack growth rate. Specimens of 6061-T6 aluminum alloy are used in this investigation. A convergent lens is used to deliver 2.5 J, 8 ns laser pulses by a Q-switch Nd:YAG laser, operating at 10 Hz. The pulses are focused to a diameter of 1.5 mm onto aluminum samples. Density of 2500 pulses/cm² with infrared (1064 nm) radiation was used. The effect of an absorbent overlay on the residual stress field using this LSP setup and this energy level is evaluated. Residual stress distribution as a function of depth is assessed by the hole drilling method. It is observed that the overlay makes the compressive residual stress profile move to the surface. This effect is explained on the basis of the vaporization of the coat layer suppressing thermal effects on the metallic substrate. The effect of coating the specimen surface before LSP treatment may have advantages on improving wear and contact fatigue properties of this aluminum alloy.     

Mechanical and electrical properties of radiation-vulcanized natural rubber latex with waste eggshell powder as bio-fillers

ABSTRACT

This work investigated the mechanical, physical, morphological, and electrical (volume) resistivity properties of radiation-vulcanized natural rubber latex (RVNRL) with additions of waste eggshell (WES) powder, which contained primarily CaCO₃ (calcite). The results showed that increasing gamma irradiation doses from 0 to 30?kGy in 10-kGy increments led to decreases in the swelling ratio and elongation at break but increases in the crosslink density, tensile modulus at 500% elongation, and tensile strength of the composites. The results also suggested that increasing the WES contents from 0 to 2, 4, or 6 parts per hundred parts of rubber by weight (phr) in the composites improved the tensile modulus at 500% elongation, tensile strength, hardness (Shore A), and electrical (volume) resistivity. In addition, after undergoing thermal aging at 70°C for 96?h, the tensile modulus and hardness (Shore A) increased, while the tensile strength and elongation at break decreased. This work also compared the properties of WES/RVNRL with commercial CaCO₃/RVNRL samples at the same 4-phr content. The results indicated that both composites had similar tensile properties, implying possible replacement of commercial CaCO₃ with WES powder as an effective reinforcing filler in RVNRL.     

Influence of Ti/TiAlN-multilayer designs on their residual stresses and mechanical properties

In this research work, Ti/TiAlN multilayers of various designs were deposited onto substrates pretreated by different etching procedures. The influence of multilayer design and substrate pretreatment on multilayers adhesion, hardness, wear and friction coefficients was systematically analyzed and correlated with residual stresses of these multilayers as well as with residual stresses on the coating-near substrate region, which were analyzed by synchrotron X-ray diffraction at HZB-BESSYII. These investigations show that the adhesion can be improved by a specific etching procedure, which cause increased compressive stress in the coating-near the substrate region. Additionally, it was found, that the multilayer with the thickest ceramic layers has the highest hardness and the lowest wear coefficients as well as the lowest compressive residual stress within studied multilayers.     

Preparation and Mechanical and Tribological Properties of High-Density Polyethylene/Hydroxyapatite Nanocomposites

High-density polyethylene (HDPE) nanocomposites reinforced with hydroxyapatite nanorods (nHA) were fabricated by means of extrusion and injection molding. The thermal, mechanical, and dry sliding wear properties of HDPE-based nanocomposites filled with nHA loadings up to 20 wt% were investigated. The results of mechanical property characterization showed that nHA additions improved the hardness, elastic modulus, and yield strength of HDPE at the expense of its tensile ductility and impact strength. Thermogravimetric analysis and heat deflection temperature measurements revealed that nHA fillers are very effective to enhance the thermal stability of HDPE. The wear behavior of HDPE/nHA nanocomposites was studied using a pin-on-disk tribometer. nHA fillers of a large aspect ratio improved the wear resistance of HDPE substantially because of their load-bearing effect and the formation of a continuous transfer film on the steel counterface.     

Laser shock wave consolidation of nanodiamond powders on aluminum 319

A novel coating approach, based on laser shock wave generation, was employed to induce compressive pressures up to 5 GPa and compact nanodiamond (ND) powders (4-8 nm) on aluminum 319 substrate. Raman scattering indicated that the coating consisted of amorphous carbon and nanocrystalline graphite with peaks at 1360 cm⁻¹ and 1600 cm⁻¹ respectively. Scanning electron microscopy revealed a wavy, non-uniform coating with an average thickness of 40 μm and absence of thermal effect on the surrounding material. The phase transition from nanodiamond to other phases of carbon is responsible for the increased coating thickness. Vicker's microhardness test showed hardness in excess of 1000 kg_f/mm² (10 GPa) while nanoindentation test indicated much lower hardness in the range of 20 MPa to 2 GPa. Optical surface profilometry traces displayed slightly uneven surfaces compared to the bare aluminum with an average surface roughness (R_a) in the range of 1.5-4 μm depending on the shock wave pressure and type of confining medium. Ball-on-disc tribometer tests showed that the coefficient of friction and wear rate were substantially lower than the smoother, bare aluminum sample. Laser shock wave process has thus aided in the generation of a strong, wear resistant, durable carbon composite coating on aluminum 319 substrate.     

The effect of the microstructure of porous alumina films on the mechanical properties of glass-fiber-reinforced aluminum laminates

The glass-fiber-reinforced aluminum laminates were obtained by anodizing aluminum alloy under anodizing voltage of 10, 20, and 30?V in the 200?g/L H₃PO₄ electrolyte. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), short beam, and tensile tests were employed to determine the surface morphology, interlaminar shear strength (ILSS) and tensile strength of laminates, respectively. The results also show that the epoxy penetrates into the pores of the anodic films, and this is the mechanism of adhesion. The ILSS and tensile strength of the anodized specimens (under 20?V) respectively increased by approximately 50 and 15% comparing with those of the non-anodized specimens. This increase of mechanical properties results from the porous surface of aluminum providing greater mechanical interlocking to epoxy. The ILSS and tensile strengths of the anodized specimens increased with the increase of anodizing voltage from 10 to 20?V; however, it decreased when the voltage further increased to 30?V. It is considered that the microstructure evolution of the porous films has a significant effect on the mechanical properties of the laminates.     

Microstructure and properties of Ni-Co/nano-Al2O3 composite coatings by pulse reversal current electrodeposition

Ni-Co/nano-Al₂O₃ (Ni-Co/Al₂O₃) composite coatings were prepared under pulse reversal current (PRC) and direct current (dc) methods respectively. The microstructure of coatings was characterized by means of XRD, SEM and TEM. Both the Ni-Co alloy and composite coatings exhibit single phase of Ni matrix with face-centered cubic (fcc) crystal structure, and the crystal orientation of the Ni-Co/Al₂O₃ composite coating was transformed from crystal face (2 0 0) to (1 1 1) compared with alloy coatings. The hardness, anti-wear property and macro-residual stress were also investigated. The results showed that the microstructure and performance of the coatings were greatly affected by Al₂O₃ content and the electrodeposition methods. With the increasing of Al₂O₃ content, the hardness and wear resistance of the composite coatings enhanced. The PRC composite coatings exhibited compact surface, high hardness, better wear resistance and lower macro-residual stress compared with that of the dc composite coatings.     

不锈钢焊接件不等强度激光冲击与应力腐蚀试验研究

针对不锈钢焊接接头应力及组织分布不均匀,容易导致应力腐蚀开裂的问题,采用不等强度激光冲击波对316奥氏体不锈钢焊接接头进行处理。通过应力腐蚀试验、残余应力测试及微观组织分析,研究了激光冲击强化对焊接接头应力腐蚀抗性的影响及其作用机理。试验结果表明:激光冲击强化将焊接件的应力腐蚀断裂时间提高了33.48%。激光冲击波的作用,在焊接接头部位引入了高数值的残余压应力,一方面消除了热影响导致的残余拉应力,同时抵消了拉伸工作载荷的作用,降低局部应力梯度,从而延缓表面钝化膜的破裂;另一方面,激光冲击使焊接接头不同区域之间的微观组织均匀和细化,提高了微裂纹萌生的条件,降低了金属发生阳极溶解的可能性。两种因素的共同作用,使得不锈钢焊接接头的抗应力腐蚀性能显著增强。     

激光冲击对不锈钢焊接接头残余应力场的影响

针对不锈钢焊接接头存在残余应力且分布不均匀、容易发生应力腐蚀的问题,采用激光冲击强化对其进行处理,探究激光功率密度和冲击次数对表面残余应力状态的优化作用,并通过应力腐蚀试验验证优化效果。结果表明:随着功率密度增加,表面残余应力明显下降,但下降幅度逐渐减小,功率密度4.24GW/cm2与2.83GW/cm2冲击产生的残余应力相差不大,熔合区还存在残余拉应力,说明高功率密度不足以消除表面残余拉应力;随着冲击次数增加,残余拉应力显著降低,2.83GW/cm2冲击3次之后,残余拉应力完全消除,局部最高应力梯度从54.7 MPa/mm下降到11.7 MPa/mm,获得了高数值、分布均匀的残余压应力层。激光冲击强化后,焊接试样的应力腐蚀断裂时间提高了33.48%,激光冲击强化产生的残余压应力是其应力腐蚀抗性提高的重要原因。     

Computational and experimental study of a melt-hardened zone on a roller modified by wide-band laser treatment

A three-dimensional finite element model has been developed to simulate the wide-band laser remelting process and predict the thermal and mechanical properties in the melt-hardened zone. The simulation of the laser remelting process was performed using the nonlinear thermo-mechanical properties, based on a wide-band heat source model. The temperature fields, phase transformations, hardness and residual stress distributions in the melt-hardened zone were analyzed. In the remelting zone, the transformed volumetric percentage of martensite is beyond 80% and the excessive transformed martensitic structure greatly affects the mechanical properties in the melt-hardened zone with its volumetric expansion effect. After remelting, the hardness can be improved and the residual stress distributed within the melted zone is mainly of the compressive type, while the tensile stress in the heat-affected zone (HAZ) may cause the initiation of cracks. The computational results are in good agreement with experimental measurements.     

Residual stress delaying phase transformation in Y-TZP bio-restorations

Engineering favorable residual stress for the complex geometry of bi-layer porcelain-zirconia crowns potentially prevents crack initiation and improves the mechanical performance and lifetime of the dental restoration. In addition to external load, the stress field depends on initial residual stress before loading. Residual stress is the result of factors such as the thermal expansion mismatch of layers and compliance anisotropy of zirconia grains in the process of sintering and cooling. Stress induced phase transformation in zirconia extensively relaxes the residual stress and changes the stress state. The objective of this study is to investigate the coupling between tetragonal to monoclinic phase transformations and residual stress. Residual stress, on the surface of the sectioned single load to failure crown, at 23 points starting from the pure tetragonal and ending at a fully monoclinic region were measured using the micro X-ray diffraction sin² ψ method. An important observation is the significant range in measured residual stress from a compressive stress of ?400?MPa up to tensile stress of 400?MPa and up to 100% tetragonal to monoclinic phase transformation.     

Effect of temperature on the sliding wear behavior of laser surface alloyed Ni-base on Al-Mg-Si alloy

The surface microstructures of 6061 Al-Mg-Si alloy coated with laser surface alloyed (LSA) Ni-Cr-B-Si powder and their sliding wear performance have been investigated. Experimental results show that there are three regions, as grayish region (G.R.), dark region (D.R.) and bright region (B.R.), in the pool. The Al₃Ni and Al₃Ni₂ compounds appear in the G.R. and D.R., respectively. The Al-Ni-Cr amorphous structure can be observed in the B.R. The hardness of the LSA specimens is much higher than the Al-matrix. Compared with the Al-matrix, the LSA specimens have excellent sliding wear performance. They have lower friction coefficient and wear rate. The critical temperature of sliding wear resistance of LSA specimen is higher than that of Al-matrix by about 50 °C. The stress relief during thermal treatment will slightly reduce the hardness and the wear resistance of LSA specimens, especially at testing temperature >200 °C.     

Formation of preferred orientations in aluminum, copper, and nickel irradiated with intense ion beams

The formation of preferred orientations in metal targets under exposure to intense ion beams was studied using x-ray diffraction. The formation of axial textures with [111] and [100] axes, observed in aluminum, copper, and nickel samples, depends on both the ion current density and thermal characteristics of the target material. In the case of rapid propagation of the thermal front to the material depth, the texture is apparently formed by the dislocation mechanism, which occurs in copper samples having the highest thermal conductivity. For aluminum and nickel, the most probable are recrystallization and regrowth mechanisms, respectively. An analysis of inverse pole figures showed that the main direction of heat sink in textured samples corresponds to the normal to the (111) atomic plane.     

Explicit incorporation of cross-slip in a dislocation density-based crystal plasticity model

We present a crystal plasticity model that incorporates cross-slip of screw dislocations explicitly based on dislocation densities. The residence plane of screw dislocations is determined based on a probability function defined by activation energy and activation volume of cross-slip. This enables the redistribution of screw-dislocations and dislocation density patterning due to the effect of stacking fault energy. The formulation is employed for explaining the cross-slip phenomenon in aluminium during uniaxial tensile deformation of ?100? single crystal and a single slip orientation of single crystal, and compare the results with experimental observations. The effect of cross-slip on the stress–strain evolution is seen using this explicit treatment of cross-slip.     

Effect of void formation during MEVVA tungsten ion implantation on the microstructure and surface properties of H13 die steel

H13 die steel was implanted with tungsten using a metal vapour vacuum arc (MEVVA) ion source. When the pulsed beam current density of tungsten ions increased to 6mA?cm^-2, some voids appeared in the high voltage electron microscope (HVEM) micrograph, which would disappear at an annealing temperature of 600℃. HVEM and x-ray diffraction were used for observing the phase structure of the annealed and un-annealed H13 steel after the steel was implanted. Results of wear and hardness tests indicated that whether the voids appear significantly influences the hardness and wear of H13 steel. Reasons for the formation of voids and the relation between the surface mechanical property and voids are discussed in terms of collision theory.     

Effect of gamma irradiation on the thermal,mechanical and structural properties of chlorinated polyvinyl chloride

Non isothermal studies were carried out using thermogravimetry (TG) and differential thermogravimetry (DTG) to obtain the activation energy of decomposition for chlorinated polyvinyl chloride (CPVC) before and after exposure to gamma doses at levels between 5.0 and 50.0 KGy. Thermal gravitational analysis (TGA) indicated that the CPVC polymer decomposes in one main breakdown stage and a decrease in activation energies was observed followed by an increase on increasing the gamma dose. The variation of melting temperatures with the gamma dose has been determined using differential thermal analysis (DTA). Also, mechanical and structural property studies were performed on all irradiated and non-irradiated CPVC samples using stress-strain relations and X-ray diffraction. The results indicated that the exposure to gamma doses at levels between 27.5 and 50 KGy leads to further enhancement of the thermal stability, tensile strength and isotropic character of the polymer samples due to the crosslinking phenomenon. This suggests that gamma radiation could be a suitable technique for producing a plastic material with enhanced properties that can be suitable for high temperature applications and might be a suitable candidate for dosimetric applications.     

Tensile strength of aluminium nitride films

Two-layered aluminium nitride (AlN)/silicon nitride microbridges were fabricated for microbridge tests to evaluate the elastic modulus, residual stress and tensile strength of the AlN films. The silicon nitride layer was added to increase the robustness of the structure. In a microbridge test, load was applied to the centre of a microbridge and was gradually increased by a nano-indenter equipped with a wedge tip until the sample was broken, while displacement was recorded coherently. Measurements were performed on single-layered silicon nitride microbridges and two-layered AlN/silicon nitride microbridges respectively. The data were fitted to a theory to derive the elastic modulus, residual stress and tensile strength of the silicon nitride films and AlN films. For the AlN films, the three parameters were determined to be 200, 0.06 and 0.3?GPa, respectively. The values of elastic modulus obtained were consistent with those measured by conventional nano-indentation method. The tensile strength value can be used as a reference to reflect the maximum tolerable tensile stress of AlN films when they are used in micro-electromechanical devices.     

Effect of temperature on residual stress and mechanical properties of Ti films prepared by both ion implantation and ion beam assisted deposition

Ti films with a thickness of 1.6 μm (group A) and 4.6 μm (group B) were prepared on surface of silicon crystal by metal vapor vacuum arc (MEVVA) ion implantation combined with ion beam assisted deposition (IBAD). Different anneal temperatures ranging from 100 to 500 °C were used to investigate effect of temperature on residual stress and mechanical properties of the Ti films. X-ray diffraction (XRD) was used to measure residual stress of the Ti films. The morphology, depth profile, roughness, nanohardness, and modulus of the Ti films were measured by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), scanning Auger nanoprobe (SAN), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and nanoindentation, respectively. The experimental results suggest that residual stress was sensitive to film thickness and anneal temperature. The critical temperatures of the sample groups A and B that residual stress changed from compressive to tensile were 404 and 428 °C, respectively. The mean surface roughness and grain size of the annealed Ti films increased with increasing anneal temperature. The values of nanohardness and modulus of the Ti films reached their maximum values near the surface, then, reached corresponding values with increasing depth of the indentation. The mechanism of stress relaxation of the Ti films is discussed in terms of re-crystallization and difference of coefficient of thermal expansion between Ti film and Si substrate.     

含纳米金刚石的立方氮化硼聚晶的制备

 采用在cBN表面进行镀钛、并在PcBN结合剂中加入纳米金刚石的方法,对静压法合成的PcBN的组织结构进行研究。通过对镀钛后的cBN和合成的PcBN样品进行XRD、SEM、显微硬度、致密度分析和热稳定性分析,并与结合剂中不含纳米金刚石的PcBN样品进行对比,研究纳米金刚石的添加对合成PcBN的组织结构和性能的影响。实验结果表明,在有镀钛cBN、Al和Si存在的环境中,采用先升压至5.5 GPa,然后升温至1 400 ℃,保温保压500 s的合成工艺,在PcBN中未发现纳米金刚石发生石墨化;作为碳源,与Si、Ti、Al等共同作用,在PcBN组织中形成多种耐热、高硬、稳定的化合物。适当过量地加入使得PcBN组织中残留部分未反应的纳米金刚石,不仅提高了PcBN的致密性,而且提高了PcBN的硬度,更为重要的是消除和减轻了“架桥”现象。在合成PcBN的过程中,Ti和纳米金刚石的反应活性最强。结合真空微蒸发镀钛技术,cBN表面镀钛和加入纳米金刚石使PcBN中的各组分之间充分反应形成的多种化合物过渡层,使得PcBN中各相之间有良好的相容性,PcBN的热稳定性得到提高。