The influence of ageing on fatigue crack growth in SiC-particulate reinforced 8090

A study of the influence of SiC-particulate reinforcement on ageing and subsequent fatigue crack growth resistance in a powder metallurgy 8090 aluminium alloy-SiC composite has been made. Macroscopic hardness measurements revealed that ageing at 170°C in the composite is accelerated with respect to the unreinforced alloy, though TEM studies indicate that this is not due to the enhanced precipitation of S′. Fatigue crack growth rates in the naturally aged condition of the composite and unreinforced matrix are similar at low to medium values of ΔK, but diverge above ≈ 8 MPa√m owing to the lower fracture toughness of the composite. As a result of the presence of the reinforcement, planar slip in the composite is suppressed and facetted crack growth is not observed. Ageing at or above 170°C has a deleterious effect on fatigue crack growth. Increased ageing time decreases the roughness of the fracture path at higher growth rates. These effect are though to be due to microstructural changes occurring at or near to the SiC/matrix interfaces, providing sites for static mode failure mechanisms to operate. This suggestion is supported by the observation that as ΔK increases, crack growth rates become Kmax dependent, implying the crack growth rate is strongly influenced by static modes.

Fatigue in SiC-particulate-reinforced aluminium alloy composites

The fatigue behaviour in SiC-particulate-reinforced aluminium alloy composites has been briefly reviewed. The improved fatigue life reported in stress-controlled test results from the higher stiffness of the composites; therefore it is generally inferior to monolithic alloys at a constant strain level. The role of SiC particulate reinforcement has been examined for fatigue crack initiation, short-crack growth and long-crack growth. Crack initiation is observed to occur at matrix-SiC interface in cast composites and either at or near the matrix-SiC interface or at cracked SiC particles in powder metallurgy processed composites depending on particle size and morphology. The da/dN vs ΔK relationship in the composites is characterized by crack growth rates existing within a narrow range of ΔK and this is because of the lower fracture toughness and relatively high threshold values in composites compared with those in monolithic alloys. An enhanced Paris region slope attributed to the monotonic fracture contribution are reported and the extent of this contribution is found to depend on particle size. The effects of the aging condition on crack growth rates and particle size dependence of threshold values are also treated in this paper. © 1991.

The role of primary carbides in fatigue crack propagation in aeroengine bearing steels

Fatigue crack propagation, tensile and fracture toughness data for four aeroengine bearing steels are reported. The steels involved are the through-hardened tool steels 18-4-1 (T1) and M50, and two similar carburized steels, RBD and Volvic. Crack growth data have been obtained at 20 °C and 280 °C to cover the range of oil temperatures experienced in aeroengine bearing operations. At 20 °C threshold ΔK values (ΔKth) ranged between 3.5 and 4.5 MPa √m with Paris exponents (m) of between 2.0 and 3.5. The lowest m-values were seen in the carburizing steels, which also exhibited lower Paris regime crack growth rates than M50 and 18-4-1. For all the steels, growth rates were higher at 280 °C,than 20 °C, although there was a slight tendency for ΔKth to increase, probably associated with oxide-induced closure at 280 °C. The effects of primary carbides, strength and toughness on fatigue crack growth behaviour are discussed, in relation to the importance of static-mode cracking. © 1990.

Fatigue in metallic alloys containing non-metallic particles

This paper examines the effects of non-metallic particles on fatigue performance and, in particular, their influence on fatigue crack propagation at high ΔK (Kmax) levels. The nature and properties of a number of common non-metallic particles found in Fe- and Al- based alloys are described, and consideration is given to the consequences of mismatch of physical and chemical properties between particle and matrix. Effects of particles on fatigue in conventional alloys are illustrated and compared with the behaviour of Al/SiCp MMC. The problems associated with developing particulate reinforced MMC with adequate fatigue crack growth resistance and toughness for structural applications are discussed. © 1991.

Aspects of 350 ºC (500 ºF) embrittlement in a CrMoV steel

A study has been made of the fracture modes associated with toughness minima, observed in notched impact tests at 173K, for a weldable CrMoV steel, quenched from different austenitising temperatures, and tempered in the range 300-900K. The fracture mode at 623K varied from 100% transgranular cleavage for an austenitising temperature of 1523K. The results are discussed in terms of mechanisms for 350 ºC embrittlement, such mechanisms require modification to allow for the difficulty of dissolving alloy carbides at low austenitising temperatures.

Shear induced toughening in bonded joints:experiments and analysis

Bonded joint specimens were fabricated from composite adherends and either an epoxy or a urethane adhesive. In mixed-mode fracture experiments, the epoxy bonded specimens generally failed by subinterfacial fracture in the composite, while specimens bonded with urethane failed very close to the adhesive/substrate interface. For the epoxy bonded specimens, fracture toughness did not change significantly with mode-mix, but for urethane bonded joints, fracture toughness increased with increasing shear load. Finite element analysis, which modeled specimens bonded with the two adhesives, showed similar trends. The different toughening behaviors for the two bonded joints can be attributed to dissipation of energy through inelastic deformation, which was insignificant in the epoxy-bonded joints but substantial when the urethane was used as the bonding agent.

Role of carbon nanotube dispersion in fracture toughening of plasma sprayed aluminum oxide-carbon nanotube nanocomposite coating

Aluminum oxide (Al2O3, or alumina) is a conventional ceramic known for applications such as wear resistant coatings, thermal liners, heaters, crucibles, dielectric systems, etc. However applications of Al 2O3 are limited owing to its inherent brittleness. Due to its excellent mechanical properties and bending strength, carbon nanotubes (CNT) is an ideal reinforcement for Al2O3 matrix to improve its fracture toughness. The role of CNT dispersion in the fracture toughening of the plasma sprayed Al2O3-CNT nanocomposite coating is discussed in the current work. Pretreatment of powder feedstock is required for dispersing CNTs in the matrix. Four coatings namely spray dried Al2O 3 (A-SD), Al2O3 blended with 4wt.% CNT (A4C-B), composite spray dried Al2O3-4wt.% CNT (A4C-SD) and composite spray dried A1203-8wt.% CNT (A8C-SD), are synthesized by plasma spraying. Owing to extreme temperatures and velocities involved in the plasma spraying of ceramics, retention of CNTs in the resulting coatings necessitates optimizing plasma processing parameters using an inflight particle diagnostic sensor. A bimodal microstructure was obtained in the matrix that consists of fully melted and resolidified structure and solid state sintered structure. CNTs are retained both in the fully melted region and solid-state sintered regions of processed coatings. Fracture toughness of A-SD, A4C-B, A4C-SD and A8C-SD coatings was 3.22, 3.86, 4.60 and 5.04 MPa m1/2 respectively. This affirms the improvement of fracture toughness from 20% (in A4C-B coating) to 43% (in A4C-SD coating) when compared to the A-SD coating because of the CNT dispersion. Fracture toughness improvement from 43% (in A4C-SD) to 57% (in A8C-SD) coating is evinced because of the CNT content. Reinforcement by CNTs is described by its bridging, anchoring, hook formation, impact alignment, fusion with splat, and mesh formation. The Al2O3/CNT interface is critical in assisting the stress transfer and utilizing excellent mechanical properties of CNTs. Mathematical and computational modeling using ab-initio principle is applied to understand the wetting behavior at the Al2O 3/CNT interface. Contrasting storage modulus was obtained by nanoindentation (∼210, 250, 250-350 and 325-420 GPa in A-SD, A4C-B, A4C-SD, and A8C-SD coatings respectively) depicting the toughening associated with CNT content and dispersion.

Comprehensive process maps for synthesizing high density aluminum oxide-carbon nanotube coatings by plasma spraying for improved mechanical and wear properties

Plasma sprayed aluminum oxide ceramic coating is widely used due to its outstanding wear, corrosion, and thermal shock resistance. But porosity is the integral feature in the plasma sprayed coating which exponentially degrades its properties. In this study, process maps were developed to obtain Al2O3-CNT composite coatings with the highest density (i.e. lowest porosity) and improved mechanical and wear properties. Process map is defined as a set of relationships that correlates large number of plasma processing parameters to the coating properties. Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were added as reinforcement to Al2O 3 coating to improve the fracture toughness and wear resistance. Two novel powder processing approaches viz spray drying and chemical vapor growth were adopted to disperse CNTs in Al2O3 powder. The degree of CNT dispersion via chemical vapor deposition (CVD) was superior to spray drying but CVD could not synthesize powder in large amount. Hence optimization of plasma processing parameters and process map development was limited to spray dried Al2O3 powder containing 0, 4 and 8 wt. % CNTs. An empirical model using Pareto diagram was developed to link plasma processing parameters with the porosity of coating. Splat morphology as a function of plasma processing parameter was also studied to understand its effect on mechanical properties. Addition of a mere 1.5 wt. % CNTs via CVD technique showed ∼27% and ∼24% increase in the elastic modulus and fracture toughness respectively. Improved toughness was attributed to combined effect of lower porosity and uniform dispersion of CNTs which promoted the toughening by CNT bridging, crack deflection and strong CNT/Al2O3 interface. Al2O 3-8 wt. % CNT coating synthesized using spray dried powder showed 73% improvement in the fracture toughness when porosity reduced from 4.7% to 3.0%. Wear resistance of all coatings at room and elevated temperatures (573 K, 873 K) showed improvement with CNT addition and decreased porosity. Such behavior was due to improved mechanical properties, protective film formation due to tribochemical reaction, and CNT bridging between the splats. Finally, process maps correlating porosity content, CNT content, mechanical properties, and wear properties were developed.

Hydroxyapatite-nanotube composites and coatings for orthopedic applications

Hydroxyapatite (HA) has received wide attention in orthopedics, due to its biocompatibility and osseointegration ability. Despite these advantages, the brittle nature and low fracture toughness of HA often results in rapid wear and premature fracture of implant. Hence, there is a need to improve the fracture toughness and wear resistance of HA without compromising its biocompatibility. ^ The aim of the current research is to explore the potential of nanotubes as reinforcement to HA for orthopedic implants. HA- 4 wt.% carbon nanotube (CNT) composites and coatings are synthesized by spark plasma sintering and plasma spraying respectively, and investigated for their mechanical, tribological and biological behavior. CNT reinforcement improves the fracture toughness (>90%) and wear resistance (>66%) of HA for coating and free standing composites. CNTs have demonstrated a positive influence on the proliferation, differentiation and matrix mineralization activities of osteoblasts, during in-vitro biocompatibility studies. In-vivo exposure of HA-CNT coated titanium implant in animal model (rat) shows excellent histocompatibility and neobone integration on the implant surface. The improved osseointegration due to presence of CNTs in HA is quantified by the adhesion strength measurement of single osteoblast using nano-scratch technique. ^ Considering the ongoing debate about cytotoxicity of CNTs in the literature, the present study also suggests boron nitride nanotube (BNNT) as an alternative reinforcement. BNNT with the similar elastic modulus and strength as CNT, were added to HA. The resulting composite having 4 wt.% BNNTs improved the fracture toughness (∼85%) and wear resistance (∼75%) of HA in the similar range as HA-CNT composites. BNNTs were found to be non-cytotoxic for osteoblasts and macrophages. In-vitro evaluation shows positive role of BNNT in osteoblast proliferation and viability. Apatite formability of BNNT surface in ∼4 days establishes its osseointegration ability.^

Role of carbon nanotube dispersion in fracture toughening of plasma sprayed aluminum oxide - carbon nanotube nanocomposite coating

Aluminum oxide (A1203, or alumina) is a conventional ceramic known for applications such as wear resistant coatings, thermal liners, heaters, crucibles, dielectric systems, etc. However applications of A1203 are limited owing to its inherent brittleness. Due to its excellent mechanical properties and bending strength, carbon nanotubes (CNT) is an ideal reinforcement for A1203 matrix to improve its fracture toughness. The role of CNT dispersion in the fracture toughening of the plasma sprayed A1203-CNT nanocomposite coating is discussed in the current work. Pretreatment of powder feedstock is required for dispersing CNTs in the matrix. Four coatings namely spray dried A1203 (A-SD), A1203 blended with 4wt.% CNT (A4C-B), composite spray dried A1203-4wt.% CNT (A4C-SD) and composite spray dried A1203-8wt.% CNT (A8CSD), are synthesized by plasma spraying. Owing to extreme temperatures and velocities involved in the plasma spraying of ceramics, retention of CNTs in the resulting coatings necessitates optimizing plasma processing parameters using an inflight particle diagnostic sensor. A bimodal microstructure was obtained in the matrix that consists of fully melted and resolidified structure and solid state sintered structure. CNTs are retained both in the fully melted region and solid-state sintered regions of processed coatings. Fracture toughness of A-SD, A4C-B, A4C-SD and A8C-SD coatings was 3.22, 3.86, 4.60 and 5.04 MPa m1/2 respectively. This affirms the improvement of fracture toughness from 20 % (in A4C-B coating) to 43% (in A4C-SD coating) when compared to the A-SD coating because of the CNT dispersion. Fracture toughness improvement from 43 % (in A4C-SD) to 57% (in A8C-SD) coating is evinced because of the CNT content. Reinforcement by CNTs is described by its bridging, anchoring, hook formation, impact alignment, fusion with splat, and mesh formation. The A1203/CNT interface is critical in assisting the stress transfer and utilizing excellent mechanical properties of CNTs. Mathematical and computational modeling using ab-initio principle is applied to understand the wetting behavior at the A1203/CNTinterface. Contrasting storage modulus was obtained by nanoindentation (~ 210, 250, 250-350 and 325-420 GPa in A-SD, A4C-B, A4C-SD, and A8C-SD coatings respectively) depicting the toughening associated with CNT content and dispersion.

Effects of in situ CO2 enrichment on structural characteristics, photosynthesis, and growth of the Mediterranean seagrass Posidonia oceanica

Seagrass is expected to benefit from increased carbon availability under future ocean acidification. This hypothesis has been little tested by in situ manipulation. To test for ocean acidification effects on seagrass meadows under controlled CO2/pH conditions, we used a Free Ocean Carbon Dioxide Enrichment (FOCE) system which allows for the manipulation of pH as continuous offset from ambient. It was deployed in a Posidonia oceanica meadow at 11 m depth in the Northwestern Mediterranean Sea. It consisted of two benthic enclosures, an experimental and a control unit both 1.7 m**3, and an additional reference plot in the ambient environment (2 m**2) to account for structural artifacts. The meadow was monitored from April to November 2014. The pH of the experimental enclosure was lowered by 0.26 pH units for the second half of the 8-month study. The greatest magnitude of change in P. oceanica leaf biometrics, photosynthesis, and leaf growth accompanied seasonal changes recorded in the environment and values were similar between the two enclosures. Leaf thickness may change in response to lower pH but this requires further testing. Results are congruent with other short-term and natural studies that have investigated the response of P. oceanica over a wide range of pH. They suggest any benefit from ocean acidification, over the next century (at a pH of 7.7 on the total scale), on Posidonia physiology and growth may be minimal and difficult to detect without increased replication or longer experimental duration. The limited stimulation, which did not surpass any enclosure or seasonal effect, casts doubts on speculations that elevated CO2 would confer resistance to thermal stress and increase the buffering capacity of meadows.

Efeito da moagem de alta energia na densificação e microestrutura do compósito AI2O3-Cu

The Cu-Al2O3 composite ceramic combines the phase of alumina, which is extremely hard and durable, yet very brittle, to metallic copper phase high ductility and high fracture toughness. These characteristics make this material a strong candidate for use as a cutting tool. Al2O3-Cu composite powders nanocrystalline and high homogeneity can be produced by high energy milling, as well as dense and better mechanical structures can be obtained by liquid phase sintering. This work investigates the effect of high-energy milling the dispersion phase Al2O3, Cu, and the influence of the content of Cu in the formation of Cu-Al2O3 composite particles. A planetary mill Pulverisatte 7 high energy was used to perform the experiments grinding. Al2O3 powder and Cu in the proportion of 5, 10 and 15% by weight of Cu were placed in a container for grinding with balls of hard metal and ethyl alcohol. A mass ratio of balls to powder of 1:5 was used. All powders were milled to 100 hours, and powder samples were collected after 2, 10, 20, 50 and 70 hours of grinding. Composite powders with compact cylindrical shape of 8 mm diameter were pressed and sintered in uniaxial matrix resistive furnace to 1200, 1300 to 1350 °C for 60 minutes under an atmosphere of argon and hydrogen. The heating rate used was 10°C/min. The powders and structures of the sintered bodies were characterized by XRD, SEM and EDS. Analysis TG, DSC and particle size were also used to characterize the milled powders, as well as dilatometry was used to observe the contraction of the sintered bodies. The density of the green and sintered bodies was measured using the geometric method (mass / volume). Vickers microhardness with a load of 500 g for 10 s were performed on sintered structures. The Cu-Al2O3 composite with 5% copper density reached 61% of theoretical density and a hardness of 129 HV when sintered at 1300 ° C for 1h. In contrast, lower densities (59 and 51% of the theoretical density) and hardness (110 HV and 105) were achieved when the copper content increases to 10 and 15%.

Estudo da influência da adição de níquel em alumina pela rota da metalurgia do pó

Ceramic materials alumina basis have been widely used in structural components, mainly because owning properties such as high hardness, chemical inertness and good wear resistance, however, the low toughness is a factor that compromises its use in many other applications, featuring the addition of nickel as a possible solution to this problem, in this context, this work aims to study the addition of nickel alumina using the route of powder metallurgy processing of the material. The percentage of nickel were added 2, 4 and 6 wt%; and each composition to high energy milling in a planetary mill was performed for 2, 4, 9 and 16h. Subsequently, the samples were compacted at 300 MPa and sintered in a vacuum oven at 1400⁰C for 2h. The samples were characterized as the physical and mechanical properties, observing, in general, an improvement in sinterability of the material with increasing grinding time and nickel content, and mixing with a decrease of porosity and increase of hardness, density values above 80% of theoretical were obtained. The milling time of 4 hours and addition of 2% nickel, particularly if achieved higher hardness (HV 1068.7 +/- 32.6) and density of about 99% theoretical density.

Estudo da influência da adição de níquel em alumina pela rota da metalurgia do pó

Ceramic materials alumina basis have been widely used in structural components, mainly because owning properties such as high hardness, chemical inertness and good wear resistance, however, the low toughness is a factor that compromises its use in many other applications, featuring the addition of nickel as a possible solution to this problem, in this context, this work aims to study the addition of nickel alumina using the route of powder metallurgy processing of the material. The percentage of nickel were added 2, 4 and 6 wt%; and each composition to high energy milling in a planetary mill was performed for 2, 4, 9 and 16h. Subsequently, the samples were compacted at 300 MPa and sintered in a vacuum oven at 1400⁰C for 2h. The samples were characterized as the physical and mechanical properties, observing, in general, an improvement in sinterability of the material with increasing grinding time and nickel content, and mixing with a decrease of porosity and increase of hardness, density values above 80% of theoretical were obtained. The milling time of 4 hours and addition of 2% nickel, particularly if achieved higher hardness (HV 1068.7 +/- 32.6) and density of about 99% theoretical density.

Efeito da adição de WC e Co na sinterização e propriedades mecânicas da alumina

Composites based on alumina (Al2O3), tungsten carbide (WC) and cobalt (Co) exhibit specific properties such as low density, high oxidation resistance, high melting point and high chemical inertia. That composite shows to be a promising material for application in various fields of engineering. In this work, the mechanical properties of the composite (Al2O3 – WC – Co), particularly density and hardness, were evaluated according to the effects of the variables of powder processing parameters, green compact and sintered. Powder composites with the composition of 80 wt% Al2O3, 18 wt% WC and 2 wt% Co were processed by high energy ball milling in a planetary mill for 50 hours as well as mixed by manual mixing in a glass vessel with the same proportion. Samples were collected (2, 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50 hours) during the milling process. Then, the powders were compacted in a cylindrical die with 5 mm in diameter in a uniaxial press with pressures of 200 and 400 MPa. The sintering was in two stages: first, the solid phase sintering was performed at 1126 and 1300 °C for 1 hour with a heating rate of 10 °C/min in a resistive furnace under argon atmosphere for green samples compacted in 200 and 400 MPa; the second sintering was performed on dilatometer in solid phase at 1300 °C for green sample compacted in 200 MPa, another sintering also was performed on dilatometer, this time in liquid phase at 1550 °C for green samples compacted in 200 and 400 MPa, with the same parameters used in resistive furnace. The raw materials were characterized by X – ray diffraction (XRD), X – ray fluorescence (XRF), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) and laser particlemeter. The sintered samples were subjected to microhardness testing. The results showed that high energy milling achieved to the objectives regarding the particle size and the dispersion of composite phases. However, the hardness did not achieve to significant results, this is an indication that the composite has low fracture toughness.