Efficient Fitting of 3D Tessellations to Curved Polycrystalline Grain Boundaries

The curvature of grain boundaries in polycrystalline materials is an important characteristic, since it plays a key role in phenomena like grain growth. However, most traditional tessellation models that are used for modeling the microstructure morphology of these materials, e.g., Voronoi or Laguerre tessellations, have flat faces and thus fail to incorporate the curvature of the latter. For this reason, we consider generalizations of Laguerre tessellations—variations of so-called generalized balanced power diagrams (GBPDs)—that exhibit non-convex cells. With as many as ten parameters for each cell, it is computationally demanding to fit GBPDs to three-dimensional image data containing hundreds of grains. We therefore propose a modification of the traditional definition of GBDPs that allows gradient-based optimization methods to be employed. The resulting reduction in runtime makes it feasible to find approximations to real experimental datasets. We demonstrate this on a three-dimensional x-ray diffraction (3DXRD) mapping of an AlCu alloy, but we also evaluate the modeling errors for simulated data. Furthermore, we investigate the effect of noisy image data and whether the smoothing of image data prior to the fitting step is advantageous.

Effect of Zr content on the structure and morphology of CrZrN thin films prepared by reactive DC magnetron co-sputtering method

In this research, nanostructured chromium zirconium nitride (CrZrN) thin film has been deposited on Si(100) substrates by reactive DC magnetron co-sputtering method without in situ substrate heating and post-deposition annealing. The effects of Zr content on thin film structure and morphology were investigated. The Zr content in the films were varied by applied the sputtering current of Zr target (Izr) in the range of 300 to 900 mA, whereas the current of Cr target was kept at 300 mA. The crystal structure, microstructure, morphology, thickness, and chemical composition were characterized by glancing angle X-ray diffraction (GA-XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) techniques, respectively. The results showed that the increase of Izr not only increased the deposition rate, but also increased the Zr content of the as-deposited film ranging from 3.9 to 26.5 at%. The as-deposited thin films were formed as a (Cr,Zr)N solid solution, with fcc structure in (111) and (200) plane, where Cr atoms were replaced by Zr atoms in the CrN lattice. The 2θ diffraction peaks were shifted to the lower value as increase of Zr content which was obtained by increased Izr. The nanocrystalline CrZrN structure with crystal sizes smaller than 10 nm structure were calculated for as-deposited thin films. The lattice parameters increased from 4.187 to 4.381 Å, whereas the crystal size decreased from 8.3 to 6.4 nm. The FE-SEM images of all the CrZrN films exhibited compact columnar with dense morphology as a function of Zr content. Moreover, the thickness of the CrZrN thin films was increased of 302 – 421 nm.

IDENTIFICATION OF BAINITE IN A MULTI-PHASE MICROSTRUCTURE OF AN AUSTEMPERED STEEL ALLOY: A METALLOGRAPHY APPROACH

IDENTIFICATION OF BAINITE IN A MULTI-PHASE MICROSTRUCTURE OF AN AUSTEMPERED STEEL ALLOY: A METALLOGRAPHY APPROACH. Structural characterization of a multi-phase steel has become an exciting issue in various studies to date. This relates to the difficulty in distinguishing phases with similar morphology, i.e. bainite and martensite, through chemical etching. This study discusses a method to observe bainite phase through a metallographic approach on FeNi steel using color etching. Variations in the use of etching in this research include 2% nital, 4% picral, and 15% sodium metabisulphite (SMB). First, the samples were austenized then austempered at either 400 °C or 500 °C, for 60 min followed by quenching in either water or brine solution. Based on optical microscope observations, SMB color etching provides more explicit information on the visualization of bainite and martensite phases because they have different color appearances. The bainite phase is shown in bluish color, while the martensite phase is shown in brownish color. Furthermore, the influence of variation in austempering temperature and quench media on microstructure morphology was also discussed. In addition, the calculation of the lattice parameters of the X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) pattern was also carried out in this study to identify the crystal structure formed.

The fractal nature analysis by applying grain formations of SAC305/OSP Cu and SAC305-0.05Ni/OSP Cu solder joints for microelectronic packaging

The electronic packaging and systems are very important topics as the limitation of miniaturization approaches in semiconductor industry. Regarding the optimal materials microstructure for these applications, we studied different alloys such as Sn-3.0Ag-0.5Cu (wt.%)/organic solderability preservative (SAC305/OSP) Cu and SAC305–0.05Ni/OSP Cu solder joints. We implemented the fractal dimension characterization and microstructure morphology reconstruction. This is the first time that we applied fractals on such alloys. The morphology reconstruction is important for predicting and designing the optimal microstructure for the advanced desirable properties these alloys. These analyzed parameters are important for the hand-held devices and systems especially for the exploitation. The fractal reconstruction was applied on the prepared microstructures with five different magnifications. The results confirmed successful application of fractals in this area of materials science considering the grains and shapes reconstructions.

Evolution of Precipitated Phases during Creep of G115/Sanicro25 Dissimilar Steel Welded Joints

This paper studies the evolution of the microstructure and microhardness in the G115 side of the G115/Sanicro25 dissimilar steel welded joint during the creep process. The joints were subjected to creep tests at 675 °C, 140 MPa, 120 MPa and 100 MPa. A scanning electron microscope equipped with an electron backscattering diffraction camera was used to observe the microstructure of the cross-section. The fracture position of the joint and the relationship between the cavity and the second phase were analyzed. The microstructure morphology of the fracture, the base metal and the thread end was compared and the composition and size of the Laves phase were statistically analyzed. The results show that the fracture locations are all located in the fine-grain heat-affected zone (FGHAZ) zone, and the microstructure near the fracture is tempered martensite. There are two kinds of cavity in the fracture section. Small cavities sprout adjacent to the Laves phase; while large cavities occupy the entire prior austenite grain, there are more precipitated phases around the cavities. The Laves phase nucleates at the boundary of the M23C6 carbide and gradually grows up by merging the M23C6 carbide. Creep accelerates the coarsening rate of the Laves phase; aging increases the content of W element in the Laves phase.

Production and Characterization of Al-Si Coatings Fabricated by Mechanical Alloying Method on Inconel 625 Superalloy Substrates

Inconel superalloys are used substantially in high-temperature environments. However, these alloys suffer from corrosion and wear. Attempts to overcome these drawbacks involve coating the metal with different techniques and materials. In this study, a new method with increasing potential was utilized. Using the mechanical alloying process in a planetary ball mill vial, alloying and the Al-Si coatings were concurrently achieved on Inconel 625 substrates. Different process control agent (PCA) ratios, milling ball diameters, and milling times were used to improve coating properties. Macro and microstructure, morphology, microhardness, and roughness values of samples were evaluated and compared. Additionally, crystallographic and cross-sectional properties were investigated in order to optimize the processing conditions. The results indicated that increasing the diameter of the grinding ball enhanced the hardness and thickness of these coatings and increased the roughness values. Longer processing time also enhanced the thickness with mechanical values. However, under these conditions, coating homogeneity decreased, and incompatible regions were formed on the coatings. PCA content brought a refined grain structure, hence showed better mechanical properties. On the other hand, processing time should be increased to get a denser and thicker protective layer against the operational conditions.

Ceramic bricks with enhanced thermal insulation produced from natural zeolite

In this research, ceramic bricks were produced based on natural zeolite from Tokaj (Hungary) using the dry pressing technique. The microstructure, morphology and properties of the produced samples were examined via scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction and X-ray fluorescence. The X-ray investigation revealed various minerals in the natural zeolite; moreover, the samples’ physical and thermal properties were also investigated. The sintering temperature and composition play a major role in the microstructure and the properties of the prepared ceramic samples. The produced ceramics bricks have excellent thermal insulation and good mechanical strength. The results of this research work confirm the potential use of natural zeolite from Tokaj as an eco-friendly building material.