Selection of compositions with high glass forming ability in the Ni-Nb-B alloy system

A combination of an extension of the topological instability "λ criterion" and the "average electronegativity" has been recently reported in the literature to predict compositions with high glass-forming ability (GFA). In the present work, both criteria have been applied to select the Ni61.0Nb36.0B3 alloy with a high glass-forming ability. Ingots were prepared by arc-melting and were used to produce ribbons processed by the melt-spinning technique further characterized by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The Ni61.0Nb36.0B3 alloy revealed a complete amorphization and supercooled liquid region ΔTx = 68 K. In addition, wedge-shaped samples were prepared using copper mold casting in order to determine the critical thickness for amorphous formation. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed that fully amorphous samples could be obtained, reaching up to ~800 µm in thickness.

Corrosion protection of aluminium alloy by cerium conversion and conducting polymer duplex coatings

The corrosion protection of AA6063 aluminium alloy by cerium conversion, polyaniline conducting polymer and by duplex coatings has been investigated. The electrochemical behaviour was evaluated in aerated 3.5 wt.% NaCl. All coatings tested shifted the corrosion and pitting potentials to more positive values, indicating protection against corrosion. The duplex coatings are significantly more effective than each coating alone: corrosion and pitting potentials were shifted by +183 and +417 mV(SCE), respectively, by duplex coatings in relation to the untreated aluminium alloy. Optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy are in agreement with the electrochemical results, reinforcing the superior performance of duplex coatings. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effect of whitening toothpaste on titanium and titanium alloy surfaces

Dental implants have increased the use of titanium and titanium alloys in prosthetic applications. Whitening toothpastes with peroxides are available for patients with high aesthetic requirements, but the effect of whitening toothpastes on titanium surfaces is not yet known, although titanium is prone to fluoride ion attack. Thus, the aim of the present study was to compare Ti-5Ta alloy to cp Ti after toothbrushing with whitening and conventional toothpastes. Ti-5Ta (%wt) alloy was melted in an arc melting furnace and compared with cp Ti. Disks and toothbrush heads were embedded in PVC rings to be mounted onto a toothbrushing test apparatus. A total of 260,000 cycles were carried out at 250 cycles/minute under a load of 5 N on samples immersed in toothpaste slurries. Surface roughness and Vickers microhardness were evaluated before and after toothbrushing. One sample of each material/toothpaste was analyzed by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and compared with a sample that had not been submitted to toothbrushing. Surface roughness increased significantly after toothbrushing, but no differences were noted after toothbrushing with different toothpastes. Toothbrushing did not significantly affect sample microhardness. The results suggest that toothpastes that contain and those that do not contain peroxides in their composition have different effects on cp Ti and Ti-5Ta surfaces. Although no significant difference was noted in the microhardness and roughness of the surfaces brushed with different toothpastes, both toothpastes increased roughness after toothbrushing.

Characterization of a new beta titanium alloy, Ti-12Mo-3Nb, for biomedical applications

In recent years, different beta titanium alloys have been developed for biomedical applications with a combination of mechanical properties including a low Young's modulus, high strength, fatigue resistance and good ductility with excellent corrosion resistance. From this perspective, a new metastable beta titanium Ti-12Mo-3Nb alloy was developed with the replacement of both vanadium and aluminum from the traditional Ti-6Al-4V alloy. This paper presents the microstructure, mechanical properties and corrosion resistance of the Ti-12Mo-3Nb alloy heat-treated at 950 degrees C for 1 h. The material was characterized by X-ray diffraction and by scanning electron microscopy. Tensile tests were carried out at room temperature. Corrosion tests were performed using Ringer's solution at 25 degrees C. The results showed that this alloy could potentially be used for biomedical purposes due to its good mechanical properties and spontaneous passivation. (c) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Describing fatigue crack growth and load ratio effects in Al 2524 T3 alloy with an enhanced exponential model

The fatigue crack behavior in metals and alloys under constant amplitude test conditions is usually described by relationships between the crack growth rate da/dN and the stress intensity factor range Delta K. In the present work, an enhanced two-parameter exponential equation of fatigue crack growth was introduced in order to describe sub-critical crack propagation behavior of Al 2524-T3 alloy, commonly used in aircraft engineering applications. It was demonstrated that besides adequately correlating the load ratio effects, the exponential model also accounts for the slight deviations from linearity shown by the experimental curves. A comparison with Elber, Kujawski and "Unified Approach" models allowed for verifying the better performance, when confronted to the other tested models, presented by the exponential model. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Magnetic Barkhausen Noise in Quenched Carburized Nickel-Steels

Two steel sheets, one with 5% Ni and another with 10% Ni, were submitted to carburization and quenching, obtaining a microstructure with martensite and retained austenite. These steels were characterized with magnetic Barkhausen noise (MBN). The Barkhausen signal is distinctively different for the carburized and quenched samples. The carburized and quenched samples present higher coercive field than the annealed samples. X-ray diffraction data indicated that the carburized and quenched samples have high density of dislocations, a consequence of the martensitic transformation.

Influence of alloy microstructure on the microshear bond strength of basic alloys to a resin luting cement

The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of microstructure and composition of basic alloys on their microshear bond strength (µSBS) to resin luting cement. The alloys used were: Supreme Cast-V (SC), Tilite Star (TS), Wiron 99 (W9), VeraBond II (VBII), VeraBond (VB), Remanium (RM) and IPS d.SIGN 30 (IPS). Five wax patterns (13mm in diameter and 4mm height) were invested, and cast in a centrifugal casting machine for each basic alloy. The specimens were embedded in resin, polished with a SiC paper and sandblasted. After cleaning the metal surfaces, six tygon tubes (0.5 mm height and 0.75 mm in diameter) were placed on each alloy surface, the resin cement (Panavia F) was inserted, and the excess was removed before light-curing. After storage (24 h/37°C), the specimens were subjected to µSBS testing (0.5 mm/min). The data were subjected to a one-way repeated measures analysis of variance and Turkey's test (α=0.05). After polishing, their microstructures were revealed with specific conditioners. The highest µSBS (mean/standard deviation in MPa) were observed in the alloys with dendritic structure, eutectic formation or precipitation: VB (30.6/1.7), TS (29.8/0.9), SC (30.6/1.7), with the exception of IPS (31.1/0.9) which showed high µSBS but no eutectic formation. The W9 (28.1/1.5), VBII (25.9/2.0) and RM (25.9/0.9) showed the lowest µSBS and no eutectic formation. It seems that alloys with eutectic formation provide the highest µSBS values when bonded to a light-cured resin luting cement.

Issues on the mean stress effect in fretting fatigue of a 7050-T7451 Al alloy posed by new experimental data

The aims of this work are: (i) to produce new experimental data for fretting fatigue considering the presence of a mean bulk stress and (ii) to assess two design methodologies against failure by fretting fatigue. Tests on a cylinder–flat contact configuration were conducted using a fretting apparatus mounted on a servo-hydraulic machine. The material used for both the pads and fatigue specimen was an aeronautical 7050-T7451 Al alloy. The experimental program was designed with all relevant parameters, apart from the mean bulk load (always applied before the contact loads), kept constant. The mean bulk stress varied from compressive to tensile values while maintaining a high peak pressure in order to encourage crack initiation. Two methodologies against fretting fatigue are proposed and confronted against the experimental data. The non-local stress-based methodology considers the evaluation of a critical plane fatigue criterion at the center of a process zone located beneath the contacting surfaces. The results showed that it correctly predicts crack initiation, but was not capable to provide successful prediction of the integrity of the specimens. Alternatively, we considered a crack arrest criterion which has the potential to provide a more complete description about the integrity of the specimens.