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Abstract: Manufacturing austenitic stainless steels (ASSs) using additive manufacturing is of great interest for cryogenic applications. Here, the mechanical and microstructural responses of a 316L ASS built by laser powder bed fusion were revealed by performing in situ neutron diffraction tensile tests at the low-temperature range (from 373 to 10 K). The stacking fault energy almost linearly decreased from 29.2 ± 3.1 mJm−2 at 373 K to 7.5 ± 1.7 mJm−2 at 10 K, with a slope of 0.06 mJm−2K−1, leading to the transition of the dominant deformation mechanism from strain-induced twinning to martensite formation. As a result, excellent combinations of strength and ductility were achieved at the low-temperature range.
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Sep 2022
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I12-JEEP: Joint Engineering, Environmental and Processing
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Diamond Proposal Number(s):
[21103]
Abstract: The effect of Strain Path Changes (SPCs) on the mechanical properties and crystal-level features of deformation for a single phase, ferritic steel has been investigated. SPCs were applied via a two-step deformation process, which included pre-straining via cold rolling, followed by uniaxial tension. The pre-strain magnitude and direction, as well as the tensile direction, varied between the specimens. The role of texture and micromechanics were examined in-situ, via Synchrotron X-ray Diffraction (SXRD), and ex-situ, via Electron Backscatter Diffraction (EBSD). Abrupt strain paths (i.e. strain paths where the pre-strain and the subsequent loading directions differ; here they are orthogonal) result in a significant ductility reduction, becoming more prevalent for high pre-strain magnitudes. The macroscopic response, as well as the texture configuration were greatly dependent on the pre-strain direction but were insensitive to the direction of uniaxial tension. Increasing pre-strain magnitudes resulted in a stagnation of lattice strain hardening rates in all macroscopic directions and in a significant increase in the Geometrically Necessary Dislocation (GND) densities. This was vastly increased for specimens rolled perpendicular to the as-received prior rolling direction. No correlation was found between the GND density and the grain orientation, eliminating this as a controlling ductility factor for BCC ferrite. Instead, the initial texture and the texture developed in a subsequent pre-strain influences the density of dislocations accumulated in all grains, and ultimately determines ductility.
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Apr 2022
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I12-JEEP: Joint Engineering, Environmental and Processing
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Diamond Proposal Number(s):
[19216]
Open Access
Abstract: This study usedhigh-speed synchrotron X-ray tomography to image the growth of Al2Cu intermetallic compoundsin 4D (3D plus time) during solidification of Al-45wt%Cu alloy. Two categories of growth patterns (basic units and dendrites) are identified. Basic unitsare elongated rods whose cross-section areL, U orhollow-rectangularshapes. The transition from L pattern to U and finally to hollow-rectangularshaped morphologywas observed. Faceted dendritic patterns include equiaxed prism and columnar dendrites. Self-repeated layer-by-layer stacking of the basic units (such as L shaped particles) is proposed as a governing mechanism for the growth of Al2Cu faceted dendrites. The growth orientation and morphologies of these patterns are strongly influenced by solidification conditions (temperature gradients, cooling rates and external magnetic fields). Another finding is that when rotating Al-45wt%Cu during upwards directional solidification,under a transverse magnetic field of 0.5T, highly refined and well aligned Al2Cu intermetallic compounds are obtained, much finer than those without the imposition of the magnetic field. This is attributed to a rotational stirring flow that modulates and regulates the temperature and solute distribution.The developed experimental findings provide a physical understanding of the formation of faceted intermetallic compounds during solidification.
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Mar 2022
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B16-Test Beamline
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Diamond Proposal Number(s):
[20251]
Abstract: Microdefects in the rust layer of conventional steel and weathering steel were investigated by synchrotron X-ray micro tomography to understand the effect of defects on corrosion resistance. The rust layer of the weathering steel contained fewer and smaller defects than that of the conventional steel. A good correlation existed between the volume of defects and ion permeation of the rust layer obtained by EIS. In comparison with the conventional steel, the tomography results indicated that a protective layer formed on the weathering steel.
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Feb 2022
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I12-JEEP: Joint Engineering, Environmental and Processing
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Diamond Proposal Number(s):
[22506]
Open Access
Abstract: Isotropy in microstructure and mechanical properties remains a challenge for laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) processed materials due to the epitaxial growth and rapid cooling in LPBF. In this study, a high-strength TiB2/Al-Cu composite with random texture was successfully fabricated by laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) using pre-doped TiB2/Al-Cu composite powder. A series of advanced characterisation techniques, including synchrotron X-ray tomography, correlative focussed ion beam–scanning electron microscopy (FIB-SEM), scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM), and synchrotron in situ X-ray diffraction, were applied to investigate the defects and microstructure of the as-fabricated TiB2/Al-Cu composite across multiple length scales. The study showed ultra-fine grains with an average grain size of about 0.86 μm, and a random texture was formed in the as-fabricated condition due to rapid solidification and the TiB2 particles promoting heterogeneous nucleation. The yield strength and total elongation of the as-fabricated composite were 317 MPa and 10%, respectively. The contributions of fine grains, solid solutions, dislocations, particles, and Guinier–Preston (GP) zones were calculated. Failure was found to be initiated from the largest lack-of-fusion pore, as revealed by in situ synchrotron tomography during tensile loading. In situ synchrotron diffraction was used to characterise the lattice strain evolution during tensile loading, providing important data for the development of crystal-plasticity models.
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Sep 2021
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I12-JEEP: Joint Engineering, Environmental and Processing
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Nolwenn
Le Gall
,
Fabio
Arzilli
,
Giuseppe
La Spina
,
Margherita
Polacci
,
Biao
Cai
,
Margaret E.
Hartley
,
Nghia T.
Vo
,
Robert C.
Atwood
,
Danilo
Di Genova
,
Sara
Nonni
,
Edward W.
Llewellin
,
Mike R.
Burton
,
Peter D.
Lee
Diamond Proposal Number(s):
[12392]
Abstract: Crystallisation is a complex process that significantly affects the rheology of magma, and thus the flow dynamics during a volcanic eruption. For example, the evolution of crystal fraction, size and shape has a strong impact on the surface crust formation of a lava flow, and accessing such information is essential for accurate modelling of lava flow dynamics. To investigate the role of crystallisation kinetics on lava flow behaviour, we performed real-time, in situ synchrotron X-ray microtomography, studying the influence of temperature-time paths on the nucleation and growth of clinopyroxene and plagioclase in an oxidised, nominally anhydrous basaltic magma. Crystallisation experiments were performed at atmospheric pressure in air and temperatures from 1250 °C to 1100 °C, using a bespoke high-temperature resistance furnace. Depending on the cooling regime (single step versus continuous), two different crystal phases (either clinopyroxene or plagioclase) were produced, and we quantified their growth from both global and individual 3D texture analyses. The textural evolution of charges suggests that suppression of crystal nucleation is due to changes in the melt composition with increasing undercooling and time. Using existing viscosity models, we inferred the effect of crystals on the viscosity evolution of our crystal-bearing samples to trace changes in rheological behaviour during lava emplacement. We observe that under continuous cooling, both the onsets of the pāhoehoe-‘a‘ā transition and of non-Newtonian behaviour occur within a shorter time frame. With varying both temperature and time, we also either reproduced or approached the clinopyroxene and plagioclase phenocryst abundances and compositions of the Etna lava used as starting material, demonstrating that real-time synchrotron X-ray tomography is an ideal approach to unravel the final solidification history of basaltic lavas. This imaging technology has indeed the potential to provide input into lava flow models and hence our ability to forecast volcanic hazards.
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Aug 2021
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I12-JEEP: Joint Engineering, Environmental and Processing
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Diamond Proposal Number(s):
[19216]
Abstract: High-speed synchrotron tomography was used to investigate the nucleation and growth dynamics of Al13Fe4 intermetallic during solidification of an Al-5wt%Fe alloy, providing new insights into its formation process. The majority of Al13Fe4 intermetallics nucleated near the surface oxide of the specimen and a few nucleated at Al13Fe4 phase. Al13Fe4 crystals grew into a variety of shapes, including plate-like, hexagonal tabular, stair-like and V-shaped, which can be attributed to the crystal structure of this compound and its susceptibility to twinning. Hole-like defects filled with aluminium melt were observed within the intermetallics. Oriented particle attachment mechanism was proposed to explain the formation of the Al13Fe4 intermetallic, which needs further experiments and simulation to confirm.
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Apr 2021
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I12-JEEP: Joint Engineering, Environmental and Processing
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Diamond Proposal Number(s):
[12631, 13764, 19216]
Abstract: A key technique for controlling solidification microstructures is magneto-hydrodynamics (MHD), resulting from imposing a magnetic field to solidifying metals and alloys. Applications range from bulk stirring to flow control and turbulence damping via the induced Lorentz force. Over the past two decades the Lorentz force caused by the interaction of thermoelectric currents and the magnetic field, a MHD phenomenon known as Thermoelectric Magnetohydrodynamics (TEMHD), was also shown to drive inter-dendritic flow altering microstructural evolution. In this contribution, high-speed synchrotron X-ray tomography and computational simulation are coupled to reveal the evolution, dynamics and mechanisms of solidification within a magnetic field, resolving the complex interplay and competing flow effects arising from Lorentz forces of different origins. The study enabled us to reveal the mechanisms disrupting the traditional columnar dendritic solidification microstructure, ranging from an Archimedes screw-like structure, to one with a highly refined dendritic primary array. We also demonstrate that alloy composition can be tailored to increase or decrease the influence of MHD depending on the Seebeck coefficient and relative density of the primary phase and interdendritic liquid. This work paves the way towards novel computational and experimental methods of exploiting and optimising the application of MHD in solidification processes, together with the calculated design of novel alloys that utilise these forces.
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Jun 2020
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I12-JEEP: Joint Engineering, Environmental and Processing
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Diamond Proposal Number(s):
[16188]
Abstract: Glass foams are attractive thermal insulation materials, thus, the thermal conductivity (λ) is crucial for their performance. Understanding the foaming process is critical for process optimization. Here, we applied high-speed synchrotron X-ray tomography to investigate the change in pore structure during the foaming process, quantifying the foam structures and porosity dynamically. The results can provide guidance for the manufacturing of glass foams. The 3D pore structures were also used to computationally determine λ of glass foams. We used the simulated λ to develop a new analytical model to predict the porosity dependence of λ. The λ values predicted by the new model are in excellent agreement with the experimental data collected from the literature, with an average error of only 0.7%, which performs better than previously proposed models.
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Mar 2020
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I12-JEEP: Joint Engineering, Environmental and Processing
|
Fabio
Arzilli
,
Giuseppe
La Spina
,
Mike R.
Burton
,
Margherita
Polacci
,
Nolwenn
Le Gall
,
Margaret E.
Hartley
,
Danilo
Di Genova
,
Biao
Cai
,
Nghia T.
Vo
,
Emily C.
Bamber
,
Sara
Nonni
,
Robert
Atwood
,
Edward W.
Llewellin
,
Richard A.
Brooker
,
Heidy M.
Mader
,
Peter D.
Lee
Diamond Proposal Number(s):
[16188]
Abstract: Basaltic eruptions are the most common form of volcanism on Earth and planetary bodies. The low viscosity of basaltic magmas inhibits fragmentation, which favours effusive and lava-fountaining activity, yet highly explosive, hazardous basaltic eruptions occur. The processes that promote fragmentation of basaltic magma remain unclear and are subject to debate. Here we used a numerical conduit model to show that a rapid magma ascent during explosive eruptions produces a large undercooling. In situ experiments revealed that undercooling drives exceptionally rapid (in minutes) crystallization, which induces a step change in viscosity that triggers magma fragmentation. The experimentally produced textures are consistent with basaltic Plinian eruption products. We applied a numerical model to investigate basaltic magma fragmentation over a wide parameter space and found that all basaltic volcanoes have the potential to produce highly explosive eruptions. The critical requirements are initial magma temperatures lower than 1,100 °C to reach a syn-eruptive crystal content of over 30 vol%, and thus a magma viscosity around 105 Pa s, which our results suggest is the minimum viscosity required for the fragmentation of fast ascending basaltic magmas. These temperature, crystal content and viscosity requirements reveal how typically effusive basaltic volcanoes can produce unexpected highly explosive and hazardous eruptions.
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Oct 2019
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