Multi-phase field simulation of competitive grain growth for directional solidification

The multi-phase field model of grain competitive growth during directional solidification of alloy was established, solving multi-phase field models for thin interface layer thickness conditions, grain boundary evolution and grain elimination during the competitive growth of SCN-0.24wt% camphor model alloy bi-crystals were investigated, the effects of different crystal orientations and pulling velocities on grain boundary microstructure evolution were quantitatively analyzed. The results show that in the competitive growth of convergent bi-crystals, when favorably oriented dendrites are in the same direction as the heat flow and the pulling speed is too large, the orientation angle of the bi-crystal from small to large is the normal elimination phenomenon of the favorably oriented dendrite blocking the unfavorably oriented dendrite, and the grain boundary is along the growth direction of the favorably oriented dendrite, and when the pulling speed becomes small, the grain boundary shows the anomalous elimination phenomenon of the unfavorably oriented dendrite eliminating the favorably oriented dendrite. In the process of competitive growth of divergent bi-crystal, when the growth direction of favorably oriented dendrites is the same as the heat flow direction and the orientation angle of unfavorably oriented grains is small, the frequency of new spindles of favorably oriented grains is significantly higher than that of unfavorably oriented grains, and as the orientation angle of unfavorably oriented dendrites becomes larger, the unfavorably oriented grains are more likely to have stable secondary dendritic arms, which in turn develop new primary dendritic arms to occupy the liquid phase grain boundary space, but the grain boundary direction is still parallel to favorably oriented dendrites. In addition, the tertiary dendritic arms on the developed secondary dendritic arms may also be blocked by the surrounding lateral branches from further developing into nascent main axes, this blocking of the tertiary dendritic arms has a random nature, which can have an impact on the generation of nascent primary main axes in the grain boundaries.

Protective Alumina Scale Growth at 900 °C for a Ni- and Cr-Free Co-Base Model Alloy with γ/γ’-Microstructure: Synergistic Effects by Combining Shot-Peening and Halogenation

The oxidation resistance of novel γ/γ’-strengthened Co-base superalloys is clearly outmatched by their Ni-base counterparts within the high-temperature regime. Therefore, surface modification strategies to foster protective alumina growth seem auspicious. This study elucidates the impact of fluorination and shot-peening on protective alumina formation at 900 °C for a quaternary Co-base model alloy (Co-Al-W-Ta system) which is well known for an exceptionally low inherent oxidation resistance. Time-resolved isothermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) in synthetic air, detailed electron microscopic analysis, and X-ray diffraction (XRD) were used. For polished samples, no pronounced enhancement of oxidation resistance could be obtained by halogenation. However, in case of shot-peened samples (halogen-free), an increased tendency for alumina formation is found compared to polished surfaces. The very early stages of oxidation were identified to be especially crucial with respect to sustainable protective scale growth. Most noteworthy is the observation of a strong synergistic effect derived by a combination of halogenation and shot-peening, leading to significantly increased oxidation resistance.

Formation of Bubble-Loop Complexes During Helium Radiation in Fe-9Cr Steel

In the present study, the Fe-9Cr model alloy was irradiated with 240 keV He2+ at 550°C with a dose of 0.5 dpa at the peak damage region. The depth distribution of bubbles in Fe-9Cr alloy was investigated by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The experimental results revealed that the spatial distribution of bubbles along the depth is different. In the region with higher helium concentration and irradiation dose, the bubbles inclined to be situated inside the plane of loops, forming a structure of “bubble-loop complex.” However, in regions where the helium concentration and irradiation dose are relatively low, the number of “bubble-loop complexes” significantly decreased. In addition, the Burgers vector of “bubble-loop complexes” was identified as <100> type. Radiation-induced enrichment of Cr atoms at the “bubble-loop complexes” was also quantitatively estimated by energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) in the scanning TEM mode.

MODE INFLUENCE OF SELECTIVE LASER IMPACT UPON POROSITY OF SAMPLES OF COBALT, CHROMIUM AND MOLYBDENUM POWDERS

The purpose of this investigation consists in the analysis of possibility to obtain products by means of the SLP method using powders of cobalt, chromium and molybdenum having considerable difference in melting temperatures of cobalt (1768ºC), chromium (2130ºC) and molybdenum (2890ºC), density, thermal conduction and solving for the optimum technological modes of powder composition melting to obtain samples with lower porosity. The investigation methods include methods of physical material science. Investigation results and novelty: a procedure for obtaining a powder composite of the cobalt-chromium-molybdenum system for selective laser melting is developed. There are carried out experimental investigations on the selection of optimum technological modes for the layer-by-layer laser melting of a cobalt-chromium-molybdenum alloy of powder composition. A method for layer-by-layer laser synthesis for the solution of a principle matter – possibility for the synthesis of the products of cobalt chromium and molybdenum powders having a considerable difference in melting temperatures, density, heat conductivity and so on. The investigations of model alloy samples of cobalt-chromuim-molybdenum system obtained through the method of layer-by-layer laser synthesis on optimized technological modes through the methods of scanning electronic microscopy allow defining sample porosity. The generalization of obtained numerical and experimental investigation results and definition of essential conditions for selective laser melting allow optimizing modes and parameters of the synthesis. Conclusions: the optimum modes of selective laser melting for obtaining the samples with the powder composition of 66 mas. % Co, 28 mas. % Cr, 6 mas.% Mo through the method of selective laser melting with minimum porosity are: laser capacity P=100Wt, scanning rate v=350mm/s, modulation 5000Hz, scanning pitch s=0.1mm, layer thickness h=0.03mm, melting process takes place in protective argon environment.

A Tracer Study on sCO2 Corrosion with Multiple Oxygen-Bearing Impurities

Several modern power production systems utilize supercritical CO2 (sCO2), which can contain O2 and H2O as impurities. These impurities may degrade the compatibility of structural alloys through accelerated oxidation. However, it remains unclear which of these impurities plays a bigger role in high-temperature reactions taking place in sCO2. In this study, various model and commercial Fe‐ and Ni‐based alloys were exposed in 300 bar sCO2 at 750 °C to low levels (50 ppm) of O2 and H2O for 1,000 h. 18O-enriched water was used to enable the identification of the oxygen source in the post-exposure characterization of the samples. However, oxygen from the water did not accumulate in the scale, which consisted of Cr2O3 in the cases where a protective oxide formed. A 2wt.% Ti addition to a Ni-22%Cr model alloy resulted in the formation of thicker oxides in sCO2, while a 1wt.% Al addition reduced the scale thickness. A synergistic effect of both Al and Ti additions resulted in an even thicker oxide than what was formed solely by Ti, similar to observations for Ni-based alloy 282.

Comparison of the Processability and Influence on the Microstructure of Different Starting Powder Blends for Laser Powder Bed Fusion of a Fe3.5Si1.5C Alloy

This paper examines different blends of starting materials for alloy development in the laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) process. By using blends of individual elemental, ferroalloy and carbide powders instead of a pre-alloyed gas-atomized starting powder, elaborate gas-atomization processes for the production of individual starting powders with varying alloy compositions can be omitted. In this work the model alloy Fe3.5Si1.5C is produced by LPBF from different blends of pure elemental, binary and ternary powders. Three powder blends were processed. The base material for all powder blends is a commercial gas-atomized Fe powder. In the first blend this Fe powder is admixed with SiC, in the second with the ternary raw alloy FeSiC and in the third with FeSi and FeC. After characterizing the powder properties and performing LPBF parameter studies for each powder blend, the microstructures and the mechanical properties of the LPBF-manufactured samples were analyzed. Therefore, investigations were carried out by scanning electron microscopy, wave length dispersive x-ray spectroscopy and micro hardness testing. It was shown that the admixed SiC dissolves completely during LPBF. But the obtained microstructure consisting of bainite, martensite, ferrite and retained austenite is inhomogeneous. The use of the lower melting ferroalloys FeSi and FeC as well as the ternary ferroalloy FeSiC leads to an increased chemical homogeneity after LPBF-processing. However, the particle size of the used components plays a decisive role for the dissolution behavior in LPBF.

Manufacture-friendly nanostructured metals stabilized by dual-phase honeycomb shell

Refining grains to the nanoscale can greatly enhance the strength of metals. But so far the fabrication routes of nanostructured metals are difficult to be applied at a large-scale industrial level owing to their high cost and size limitation. More crucially, the superior properties of nanostructured metals are easily lost during thermoforming process due to their poor microstructural stability, which limits their widespread application in engineering practice. Here we report a facile “Eutectoid element alloying→Quenching→Hot deformation” (EQD) strategy, which enables the mass production of a Ti6Al4V5Cu model alloy with α-Ti grain size of 95 ± 32 nm. In addition, rapid co-precipitation of Ti2Cu and β phases forms a “dual-phase honeycomb shell” (DPHS) structure along the grain boundaries and effectively stabilizes the nanosized α-grains. The instability temperature of the nanostructured Ti6Al4V5Cu alloy reaches 973 K (0.55Tm). The room temperature tensile strength approaches 1.52 ± 0.03 GPa, which is 60% higher than the Ti6Al4V counterpart without sacrificing its ductility. Furthermore, the tensile elongation at 923 K exceeds 1000%, more than ten times higher than the Ti6Al4V counterpart. Grain growth is not observed even under such an extreme thermal-mechanical coupling condition. This enables nanostructured Ti6Al4V5Cu to be easily shaped to complex components. The aforementioned strategy paves a new pathway to develop manufacture-friendly, high-performance metallic materials and it also has a great potential to be applied in other alloy systems.