Flow Structure Investigations during Novec Refrigerant Condensation in Minichannels

This article presents the results of flow visualization studies of Novec refrigerants during condensation in minichannels. Experimental investigation of two-phase flow regimes was conducted in minichannels with internal diameter dh = 2.5, 2.0, 1.2, and 0.5 mm. Images of the two-phase flow structures were analyzed by using the MATLAB algorithm. To calculate void fraction, a two-dimensional areal quantitative stereology technique was used. Observation of flow structures formed during the process of condensation was the major aim of the investigations. The condensation studies were conducted over a wide range of mass flux densities (G = 80–5500 kg/m2s) and saturation temperatures (ts = 30–70 °C). Visualization results and image analysis methods are described in this paper. Based on the experimental results, a flow structure map was constructed and presented.

Study of Sintering of Iron Powder Bars Processed by Equal Channel Angular Pressing

The main aim of this work is to show porosity evolution during application of various processing conditions to a high-purity (99.7 wt.%) iron powder, including compacting, sintering and equal channel angular pressing (ECAP). Iron powder bars with dimensions of 8x8x30 mm and 8x8x10 mm were axially pressed with pressures ranging from 100MPa to 250MPa, followed by sintering at 1100oC during 30 minutes under argon atmosphere. Sintered bars were processed by ECAP at room temperature in a single pass, using a SAE 1045 steel die with an internal angle of 120o. Microstructural characterization was performed by light optical microscopy (LOM) and quantitative stereology. ECAP processing resulted in a substantial reduction in the porosity levels for specimens pressed at 100 MPa and 150 MPa. The sample compacted with 150MPa and processed by ECAP with back-pressure showed the lowest volume fraction of porosity. Higher compacting pressures caused an increase in porosity levels. This result is explained by presence of cracks prior to ECAP and the concurrent action of severe stress-strain states during extrusion.

Quantitative Stereology for Roughness Morphology of Aluminum Alloy

Average roughness is an increasingly important method in material sciences. The searching for a possible correlation between average roughness and impact energy are current interest. This paper present the results of an experimentally study made on the correlation between the average roughness and the impact energy in aluminum alloy by using scatted diagram. The impact energy of aluminum alloy was obtained by using Charpy Impact Test. The micrographs of fractured aluminum alloy were analyzed with the IFM (Infinite Focus Measurement) profile to determine the parameter of average roughness. The result shows the relationship maybe established between average roughness and impact energy.

Detection of Compositional Fluctuations in High Temperature Exposed Waspaloy

Waspaloy is a nickel base super-alloy used in aircraft engines. When this alloy is placed in service, it is subjected to long term exposure at high temperatures, which can cause the reinforcing gamma prime precipitate population to fluctuate and thus affect its structural integrity. The population fluctuates as a result of coarsening, dissolution or re-precipitation. Samples exposed to 1200° F for times ranging from 0 to 12626 hours were characterized using impedance spectroscopy, microhardness measurements, x-ray diffraction and quantitative stereology. Two important parameters were derived from the impedance measurements: (1) the imaginary admittance peak magnitude (Ymax) and (2) the associated relaxation frequency (fmax). As the distribution, shape and size of the precipitates change with exposure time, these parameters were also found to vary. In addition to the changes in precipitate geometry, lattice constant changes detected by analyzing x-ray diffraction data suggest that there are compositional shifts in the matrix as well as the gamma prime precipitates. Furthermore, the preferred orientation of the precipitates can also be seen to change with exposure time. These changes in composition, size and shape as a function of thermal exposure time are accompanied by changes in the volume fractions of primary and secondary gamma prime particles present. Using effective medium models, it is possible to predict that the measured properties are related to the gamma prime population. The grain boundary carbides do not appear to play any role at the conditions presented.