Effect of alloying contents and processing factors on the microstructure and homogenization of Si alloyed Cr–Mo sintered steels

Fe–Si alloys are of significant commercial and academic interests, due to the large diversity of their physical properties. In practice, alloy powders are unsuitable because of their hardness, poor compactibility and resulting excessive tool wear. Therefore the powder mixture route is suitable as alloying technique. The properties of the Fe–Si sintered materials depend strongly on the influence of the element Si and content of it, which influence mainly the compactibility and the sintering behaviour as well as sintering parameters such as the optimum temperature. In this study, Cr–Mo prealloyed steel powders with different Si contents were prepared by powder mixture route. Mixed powders compacted under pressing pressure of 600 MPa, and then sintered at 1120 and 1250 °C. It was found out that in Si alloyed Cr–Mo steels sintered at higher temperatures such as 1250 °C, an intermediate liquid phase appeared and caused extreme shrinkage and distortion, but strongly accelerated sintering and had a beneficial effect also on homogenization.     

Preparation of PEO ceramic coating on Ti alloy and its high temperature oxidation resistance

Ceramic coatings were prepared in Na₂SiO₃–Na₂CO₃–NaOH system by pulsed bi-polar plasma electrolytic oxidation on Ti–6Al–4V alloy. The phase composition, structure and the elemental distribution of the coatings were studied by XRD, SEM and energy dispersive spectroscopy, respectively. The thermal shock resistance of the coated samples at 850 °C was evaluated by the thermal shock tests. The high temperature oxidation resistance of the coating samples at 500 °C was investigated. The results showed that the coating was mainly composed of rutile- and anatase TiO₂, Increasing the concentration of Na₂SiO₃, TiO₂ content decreased gradually while the thickness of the coating increased. There were a large amount of micro pores and sintered particles on the surface of the coatings. Increasing concentration of Na₂SiO₃, the sintered particles on the surface turned large, and the Si content increased while the Ti content decreased gradually. When the concentration of Na₂SiO₃ was 15 g/L, the thermal shock resistance of the coatings was better than that of the coatings that prepared under other Na₂SiO₃ concentrations. The coating samples prepared under the optimized technique process based on the thermal shock tests improved the high temperature oxidation resistance at 500 °C greatly, whether considering the isothermal oxidation or the cyclic oxidation.     

The comparative study of thermal fatigue behavior of laser deep penetration spot cladding coating and brush plating Ni-W-Co coating

For improving the thermal fatigue behavior of hot work die steel in engineering application, the present work compare the influence of thermal fatigue resistance by the two different surface modified processes, the laser deep penetration spot cladding (LDPSC) and brush plating on the Cr12MoNi hot rolling tool steel. The thermal fatigue tests were fulfilled by heating and quenching in water at a cycle period of 2 min. Before and after thermal fatigue testing, the microhardness distribution profile and microstructure of LDPSC have been investigated. The results show that the LDPSC can be divided to three zones: cladding zone, alloying zone and heat affected zone. The major phases in cladding zone consist of Fe₃C, Cr₇C₃, Cr₂₃C₆ and martensite. The oxidation resistance and thermal stability of brush plating Ni-W-Co coating and reference materials has been determined. The results of thermal fatigue testing show that LDPSC and brush plating Ni-W-Co coating can improve thermal fatigue resistance as compared to the reference material. The brush plating Ni-W-Co coating is more effective than the former owing to its higher thermal stability, oxidation resistance, superfine grain, high-density dislocation in microstructure and combination of strength and ductility.     

Evaluation of paint coating thickness variations based on pulsed Infrared thermography laser technique

In this paper, a pulsed Infrared thermography technique using a homogeneous heat provided by a laser source is used for the non-destructive evaluation of paint coating thickness variations. Firstly, numerical simulations of the thermal response of a paint coated sample are performed. By analyzing the thermal responses as a function of thermal properties and thickness of both coating and substrate layers, optimal excitation parameters of the heating source are determined. Two characteristic parameters were studied with respect to the paint coating layer thickness variations. Results obtained using an experimental test bench based on the pulsed Infrared thermography laser technique are compared with those given by a classical Eddy current technique for paint coating variations from 5 to 130 μm. These results demonstrate the efficiency of this approach and suggest that the pulsed Infrared thermography technique presents good perspectives to characterize the heterogeneity of paint coating on large scale samples with other heating sources.     

The impact of ambient gas on the magnetic properties of Ti40Zr40Ni20 powders during mechanical alloying

Ti₄₀Zr₄₀Ni₂₀ in the form of elemental powders was mechanically alloyed in a planetary ball-mill under argon and hydrogen atmospheres at an acceleration of 55 m s^?2 for different time intervals. The samples were analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), vibrating-sample magnetometry (VSM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), which revealed the large impact of the ambient gas, i.e. argon and hydrogen, on the magnetic properties, morphology and structure. Namely, during mechanical alloying in argon the saturation magnetization decreased due to the modification of the Ni d-states upon alloying with paramagnetic Ti and Zr, whereas in hydrogen the Ni d-states remained largely unmodified, since the formation of TiH₂ and ZrH₂ was faster than the alloying with the ferromagnetic nickel. However, after 40 h we obtained a mixture of nanocrystalline Ni and ZrH₂/TiH₂ hydrides, which in equilibrium contained 1.55 mass% of hydrogen. In the case of argon we determined welding of the Ti₄₀Zr₄₀Ni₂₀ amorphous particles, whereas in hydrogen such a process was suppressed by the brittle ZrH₂/TiH₂ hydrides. In addition, we revealed that the mechanical alloying of pure Ni powder for 100 h in argon does not affect its magnetic properties.     

Thermal fatigue resistance of non-smooth cast iron treated by laser cladding with different self-fluxing alloys

In order to enhance the thermal fatigue resistance of gray cast iron with non-smooth surface further, the non-smooth units in samples’ surface layer were fabricated by laser cladding with Fe-based, Ni-based and Co-based self-fluxing alloy powders, respectively, instead of laser melting technique. The microstructure, phase structure, microhardness and thermal fatigue behaviors were investigated by means of scanning electron microscope, X-ray diffraction and Vickers microhardness tester, as well as self-restrain thermal fatigue test. The results indicated that laser cladding with self-fluxing alloy powders was beneficial to reinforcing the units so as to enhance the thermal fatigue resistance of non-smooth samples further. Of all samples tested, those treated by laser cladding with Co-based (Co50) alloy had the best thermal fatigue resistance.     

Microstructure and wear resistance of Fe-based WC coating by multi-track overlapping laser induction hybrid rapid cladding

The carck-free Fe-based +20 wt% WC coating with large area was produced by mutli-track overlapping laser induction hybrid rapid cladding. The results showed that the maximum laser scanning speed and the maximum feeding rate of powder can be increased to 3500 mm/min and 120 g/min, respectively. The cast WC particles were dissolved almost completely and had a worse wettability with Fe-based metal matrix. The precipitated carbides such as M₁₂C and M₂₃C₆ (M=Fe, W, Cr) formed an intergranular network around the primary Fe-based phase enriched with tungsten. The microhardness of coating decreased first, and then increased slightly with an increase in the track. The first track had the highest microhardness (i.e. 870HV_0.2). Moreover, the wear weight of coating approximately had a linear relationship with the sliding distance, and increased with an increase in the sliding speed. The wear rate approximately remained constant with an increase in the sliding distance and was two times lower than that of the hardened steel AISI 1045 with a hardness of 60HRC. The wear mechanism during the dry sliding wear was a combination of oxidation wear and abrasion wear.     

Specific features of nonlinear optical effects in several stilbene derivatives

Measurements of three different stilbene derivative molecules incorporated into the PMMA and polycarbonate (PC) matrices using 10 ns Nd:YAG nanosecond laser λ = 1064 nm) as the fundamental ones were done. The chromophore molecules were incorporated into the corresponding matrices and aligned by the dc-electric field up to 4 kV/cm during the spin coating. We have established that the optimal content of the chromophore corresponded to the concentration of about 8.9% in weighting units. The samples had a thickness of about 0.5 mm. Theoretical quantum chemical simulations of the theoretical hyperpolarizability tensor β (SHG) and the magnitude polarizability tensor α for various excitation energies for the three modified stilbenes principally confirm the obtained results.     

Formation of Al2O3 coatings on NiTi alloy by micro-arc oxidation method

Rough and porous Al₂O₃ coatings containing Ca and P were prepared on Ti–50.8 at.% Ni alloy by micro-arc oxidation (MAO) technique. The microstructure, elemental and phase composition of the coatings were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer (EDS) and thin-film X-ray diffraction (TF-XRD). The thickness of the coatings was measured by eddy current coating thickness gauge. The corrosion resistance and the nickel release of the coated and uncoated samples were examined by potentiodynamic polarization tests and immersion tests in Hank’s solution, respectively. The results show that the coatings are mainly composed of γ-Al₂O₃ crystal phase. The Ni content of the coatings is about 3.5 at.%, which is greatly lower than that of NiTi substrate. With increasing treatment time, both thickness and roughness of the coatings increase. The corrosion resistance of the coated samples is about two orders of magnitude higher than that of the uncoated NiTi alloy. The concentration of Ni released from coated NiTi samples is much lower than that of uncoated NiTi sample. It can be reduced in the factor of one-seventh compared with the uncoated NiTi sample after 3 weeks immersion in Hank’s solution.     

Synergistic effect of ultrasonic cavitation erosion and corrosion of WC–CoCr and FeCrSiBMn coatings prepared by HVOF spraying

The high-velocity oxygen-fuel (HVOF) spraying process was used to fabricate conventional WC–10Co–4Cr coatings and FeCrSiBMn amorphous/nanocrystalline coatings. The synergistic effect of cavitation erosion and corrosion of both coatings was investigated. The results showed that the WC–10Co–4Cr coating had better cavitation erosion–corrosion resistance than the FeCrSiBMn coating in 3.5 wt.% NaCl solution. After eroded for 30 h, the volume loss rate of the WC–10Co–4Cr coating was about 2/5 that of the FeCrSiBMn coating. In the total cumulative volume loss rate under cavitation erosion–corrosion condition, the pure cavitation erosion played a key role for both coatings, and the total contribution of pure corrosion and erosion-induced corrosion of the WC–10Co–4Cr coating was larger than that of the FeCrSiBMn coating. Mechanical effect was the main factor for cavitation erosion–corrosion behavior of both coatings.     

Multi-spectral antireflection coating on zinc sulphide simultaneously effective in visible,eye safe laser wave length and MWIR region

In recent years multi-spectral device is steadily growing popularity. Multi-spectral antireflection coating effective in visible region for sighting system, laser wavelength for ranging and MWIR region for thermal system can use common objective/receiver optics highly useful for state of art thermal instrumentation. In this paper, design and fabrication of antireflection coating simultaneously effective in visible region (450–650 nm), Eye safe laser wave length (1540 nm) and MWIR region (3.6–4.9 μm) has been reported. Comprehensive search method of design was used and the number of layers in the design was optimised with lowest evaluated merit function studied with respect to various layers. Finally eight-layer design stack was established using hafnium oxide as high index layer and silicon-di-oxide as low index coating material combination. The multilayer stack had been fabricated by using electron beam gun evaporation system in Symphony 9 vacuum coating unit. During layer deposition the substrate was irradiated with End-Hall ion gun. The evaporation was carried out in presence of oxygen and layer thicknesses were measured with crystal monitor. The result achieved for the antireflection coating was 85% average transmission from 450 to 650 nm in visible region, 95% transmission at 1540 nm and 96% average transmission from 3.6 to 4.9 μm in MWIR region.     

The synthesis and properties of nanocrystalline electrode materials by mechanical alloying

In this work, we have experimentally studied the structure and electrochemical properties of nanocrystalline TiFe- and LaNi₅-type alloys. These materials were prepared by mechanical alloying (MA) followed by annealing. The properties of hydrogen host materials can be modified substantially by alloying to obtain the desired storage characteristics. It was found that the respective replacement of Fe in TiFe by Ni and/or by Cr, Co, Mo, Zr improved not only the discharge capacity but also the cycle life of these electrodes. In the nanocrystalline TiFe_0.25Ni_0.75, powder discharge capacity up to 155 mA h g⁻¹ was measured (at 40 mA g⁻¹ discharge current). On the other hand, a partial substitution of Ni by Al or Mn in LaNi_5−xM_x alloy leads to an increase in discharge capacity. The alloying elements such as Al, Mn and Co greatly improved the cycle life of LaNi₅ material. For example, in the nanocrystalline LaNi_3.75Mn_0.75Al_0.25Co_0.25 powder, discharge capacity up to 258 mA h g⁻¹ was measured (at 40 mA g⁻¹ discharge current). The studies show, that electrochemical properties of Ni–MH batteries are the function of the microstructure and the chemical composition of used electrode materials.     

An experimental investigation of underwater pulsed laser forming

Laser forming is a new forming technology, which deforms a metal sheet using laser-induced thermal stresses. This paper presents an experimental investigation of pulsed laser forming of stainless steel in water and air. The effects of cooling conditions on bending angle and morphology of the heat affected zone (HAZ) are studied. It is shown that the case of the top surface in air and the bottom surface immersed in water has the greatest bending angle based on the forming mechanism of TGM. The water layer above the sample decreases the coupling energy, leading to a small bending angle. For a thin water thickness (1 mm), the water effects on the HAZ are limited. As water layer thickness increases (5 mm), the concave shape of the HAZ is more remarkable and irregular because the shock waves by high laser energy heating water are fully developed. However, the area and the depth of the HAZ become less significant when water thickness is 10 mm due to the long pathway that laser undergoes.     

Laser machining of silicon nitride based composite cantilever structures

Cantilever structures from silicon nitride based composite ceramic materials were produced using laser cutting. A picosecond laser was used to cut two-dimensional meso sized cantilever structures up to 450 μm thickness in conductive and insulating ceramics. A practical experimental based approach was used, where various parameters of the laser cutting process were altered to produce a cut surface with a damage zone of 5–10 μm. The quality of the cut ceramics was investigated by optical and scanning electron microscopy. The results are presented along with the properties of the laser cut surface, including the damage zone, formation of cracks and the reaction products.     

Electrochemical reactions of lithium with transition metal stannides

High-quality crystalline MSn₂ (M = Cr and Co) thin films have been successfully fabricated by reactive pulsed laser deposition. The physical and electrochemical properties of the as-deposited thin films have been investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), galvanostatic cycling and cyclic voltammetry (CV). XRD measurement indicates that the as-deposited thin films prepared at 400 °C consisted mainly of MSn₂ (M = Cr and Co) with a small quantity of metal tin. The specific reversible capacities of CrSn₂ and CoSn₂ thin film electrodes are found to be 467 mA h/g and 465 mA h/g, respectively. A mechanism involving an irreversible decomposition of MSn₂ (M = Cr and Co) and a classical alloying process of Sn is proposed. MSn₂ (M = Cr and Co) as the starting anode materials for conversion to the Li–Sn alloy can improve its electrochemical performance with high reversible capacity and good stable cycle.     

Laser surface alloying of plain carbon steels

Deposition and alloying of metallic powders containing WC on a ferritic-pearlitic plain carbon steel have been investigated. Metallic powder was injected into the melted surface layer of the samples under Argon atmosphere during the laser irradiation. The sample surface was previously graphitizing treated to prevent energy loss by reflection. For comparison, irradiated samples, without powder alloying, were also analysed. The coating layer is mainly composed of alloyed α-Fe; γ-austenite and non-magnetic M₃C carbide are also present. Partial dissolution of WC and the preliminary graphitizing treatment are the causes of the rather high carbon concentration in γ-austenite. As it is to be expected this concentration decreases with increasing distance from the external surface of the coating layer.     

Investigation of optimum condition in oxygen gas-assisted laser cutting

Laser cutting characteristics including power level and cutting gas pressure are investigated in order to obtain an optimum kerf width. The kerf width is investigated for a laser power range of 50–170 W and a gas pressure of 1–6 bar for steel and mild steel materials. Variation of sample thickness, material type, gas pressure and laser power on the average cut width and slot quality are investigated. Optimum conditions for the steel and mild steel materials with a thickness range of 1–2 mm are obtained. The optimum condition for the steel cutting results in a minimum average kerf width of 0.2 mm at a laser power of 67 W, cutting rate of 7.1 mm/s and an oxygen pressure of 4 bar. A similar investigation for the mild steel cutting results in a minimum average kerf width of 0.3 mm at the same laser power of 67 W, cutting rate of 9.5 mm/s, and an oxygen pressure of 1 bar. The experimental average kerf is about 0.3 mm, which is approximately equal to the estimated focused beam diameter of 0.27 mm for our focusing lens (f=4 cm and 100 W power). This beam size leads to a laser intensity of about 1.74×10⁹ W/m² at the workpiece surface. The estimated cutting rate from theoretical calculation is about 8.07 mm/s (1.0 mm thickness and 100 W power), which agrees with the experimental results that is 7.1 mm/s for 1.0 mm thickness of mild steel at the laser power of 88 W.     

Microstructures and properties of high Cr content coatings on inner surfaces of carbon steel tubular components prepared by a novel mechanical alloying method

In the present work, a novel mechanical alloying method was developed to prepare high Cr content coatings on the inner surface of carbon steel tubular components using a planetary ball mill. The microstructure and elemental and phase composition of mechanically alloyed coatings at different processing conditions were studied using SEM, XRD, and EDX. It showed that a proper increase in the applied milling time and the disc rotation speed favored the improvement in the thickness, surface smoothness, densification level, and microstructural homogeneity of the deposited coatings. With processing conditions optimized (rotation speed of 500 rpm and milling time of 10 h), a fully dense, 120 μm thick, high Cr content coating, consisting of metal Cr and Fe-20Cr solid solution alloy, was metallurgically bonded to the inner substrate. Comparative studies on the microhardness, corrosion resistance, and anti-oxidation capability of carbon steel substrates with and without coatings were performed. It was found that the maximum microhardness of the coating reached HV_0.1667, showing a threefold improvement upon the substrate. The coated surfaces exhibited favorable resistance against corrosion and thermal oxidation as compared with the bare substrate. Based on two important action mechanisms (i.e., friction effect and impact effect) associated with a planetary ball mill, a reasonable mechanism was presented for the formation of mechanically alloyed coatings on inner surfaces of tubular components.     

Characterisation of thin films obtained by laser ablation of Ge28Se60Sb12 glasses

Films of nominal composition Ge₂₈Se₆₀Sb₁₂ were deposited on microscope slides by pulsed laser deposition (PLD), using either bulk or powdered glassy targets and a Nd:YAG laser (λ=266 nm). The films with thickness comprised between 400 and 800 nm showed a smooth and dense morphology. They were homogeneous in composition all over the samples with a composition somewhat deficient in selenium compared to the nominal one: Ge_28.1±0.3Se_56.1±0.1Sb_15.8±0.2 and Ge_29.0±0.3Se_55.5±0.1Sb_15.5±0.2 for films obtained from powdered glassy targets and bulk targets, respectively. The optical characteristics of the films were extracted from the transmission spectra recorded between 250 and 2500 nm. In particular, the refractive index at 1.5 μm was found to be 2.75±0.03, close to that of the bulk glass, as expected for dense films. The decrease in the optical band gap and the increase in the Urbach absorption edge with the film thickness were attributed to an increase in disorder.