TY - JOUR A1 - Kianinejad, Kaveh A1 - Darvishi Kamachali, Reza A1 - Khedkar, Abhinav A1 - Manzoni, Anna A1 - Agudo Jácome, Leonardo A1 - Schriever, Sina A1 - Saliwan Neumann, romeo A1 - Megahed, Sandra A1 - Heinze, Christoph A1 - Kamrani, Sepideh A1 - Fedelich, Bernard T1 - Creep anisotropy of additively manufactured Inconel-738LC: Combined experiments and microstructure-based modeling N2 - The current lack of quantitative knowledge on processing-microstructure–property relationships is one of the major bottlenecks in today’s rapidly expanding field of additive manufacturing. This is centrally rooted in the nature of the processing, leading to complex microstructural features. Experimentally-guided modeling can offer reliable solutions for the safe application of additively manufactured materials. In this work, we combine a set of systematic experiments and modeling to address creep anisotropy and its correlation with microstructural characteristics in laser-based powder bed fusion (PBF-LB/M) additively manufactured Inconel-738LC (IN738LC). Three sample orientations (with the tensile axis parallel, perpendicular, and 45° tilted, relative to the building direction) are crept at 850 °C, accompanied by electron backscatter secondary diffraction (EBSD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) investigations. A crystal plasticity (CP) model for Ni-base superalloys, capable of modeling different types of slip systems, is developed and combined with various polycrystalline representative volume elements (RVEs) built on the experimental measurements. Besides our experiments, we verify our modeling framework on electron beam powder bed fusion (PBF-EB/M) additively manufactured Inconel-738LC. The results of our simulations show that while the crystallographic texture alone cannot explain the observed creep anisotropy, the superlattice extrinsic stacking faults (SESF) and related microtwinning slip systems play major roles as active deformation mechanisms. We confirm this using TEM investigations, revealing evidence of SESFs in crept specimens. We also show that the elongated grain morphology can result in higher creep rates, especially in the specimens with a tilted tensile axis. KW - Additive manufactured Ni-base superalloys KW - Creep KW - Crystal plasticity KW - Superlattice extrinsic stacking faults PY - 2024 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-601576 DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.msea.2024.146690 SN - 0921-5093 VL - 907 SP - 1 EP - 16 PB - Elsevier B.V. AN - OPUS4-60157 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Nawaz, Q. A1 - Blaeß, Carsten A1 - Mueller, Ralf A1 - Boccaccini, A.R. T1 - Processing and cytocompatibility of Cu-doped and undoped fluoride-containing bioactive glasses N2 - Sintered or additive-manufactured bioactive glass (BG) scaffolds are highly interesting for bone replacement applications. However, crystallization often limits the high-temperature processability of bioactive glasses (BGs). Thus, the BG composition must combine high bioactivity and processability. In this study, three BGs with nominal molar (%) compositions 54.6SiO2-1.7P2O3-22.1CaO-6.0Na2O-7.9K2O-7.7MgO (13–93), 44.8SiO2-2.5P2O3-36.5CaO-6.6Na2O-6.6K2O-3.0CaF2 (F3) and 44.8SiO2-2.5P2O3-35.5CaO-6.6Na2O-6.6K2O-3.0CaF2-1.0CuO (F3–Cu) were investigated. The dissolution and ion release kinetics were investigated on milled glass powder and crystallized particles (500–600 μm). All glasses showed the precipitation of hydroxyapatite (HAp) crystals after 7 days of immersion in simulated body fluid. No significant differences in ion release from glass and crystalline samples were detected. The influence of surface roughness on cytocompatibility and growth of preosteoblast cells (MC3T3-E1) was investigated on sintered and polished BG pellets. Results showed that sintered BG pellets were cytocompatible, and cells were seen to be well attached and spread on the surface after 5 days of incubation. The results showed an inverse relation of cell viability with the surface roughness of pellets, and cells were seen to attach and spread along the direction of scratches. KW - Bioactive glass KW - Crystallization KW - Solubility KW - Cytocompatibility KW - Surface roughness PY - 2024 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-598257 DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.oceram.2024.100586 SN - 2666-5395 VL - 18 SP - 1 EP - 8 PB - Elsevier Ltd. AN - OPUS4-59825 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Becker, Tina A1 - Stark, T. A1 - Arduini, M. A1 - Manara, J. A1 - Altenburg, Simon T1 - Knowing the spectral directional emissivity of 316L and AlSi10Mg PBF-LB/M surfaces: Gamechanger for quantitative in situ monitoring N2 - For a deep process understanding of the laser powder bed fusion process (PBF-LB/M), recording of the occurring surface temperatures is of utmost interest and would help to pave the way for reliable process monitoring and quality assurance. A notable number of approaches for in-process monitoring of the PBF-LB/M process focus on the monitoring of thermal process signatures. However, due to the elaborate calibration effort and the lack of knowledge about the occurring spectral directional emissivity, only a few approaches attempt to measure real temperatures. In this study, to gain initial insights into occurring in the PBF-LB/M process, measurements on PBF-LB/M specimens and metal powder specimens were performed for higher temperatures up to T = 1290 °C by means of the emissivity measurement apparatus (EMMA) of the Center for Applied Energy Research (CAE, Wuerzburg, Germany). Also, measurements at ambient temperatures were performed with a suitable measurement setup. Two different materials—stainless steel 316L and aluminum AlSi10Mg—were examined. The investigated wavelength λ ranges from the visible range (λ-VIS= 0.40–0.75 µm) up to the infrared, λ = 20 µm. The influence of the following factors were investigated: azimuth angle φ, specimen temperature TS, surface texture as for PBF-LB/M surfaces with different scan angles α, and powder surfaces with different layer thicknesses t. T2 - Rapid.Tech 3D 2024 CY - Erfurt, Germany DA - 14.05.2024 KW - PBF-LB/M KW - In situ monitoring KW - Emissivity KW - Additive manufacturing PY - 2024 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-601471 DO - https://doi.org/10.1007/s40964-024-00665-2 SN - 2363-9520 SP - 1 EP - 10 PB - Springer CY - Cham, Switzerland AN - OPUS4-60147 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kingsbery, P. A1 - Manzoni, Anna M. A1 - Suarez Ocaño, Patricia A1 - Többens, D. M. A1 - Stephan‐Scherb, C. T1 - High‐temperature KCl‐induced corrosion of high Cr and Ni alloys investigated by in‐situ diffraction N2 - High‐temperature KCl‐induced corrosion in laboratory air was observed in situ utilizing X‐ray diffraction. High Cr‐containing model alloys (Fe‐13Cr, Fe‐18Cr‐12Ni, and Fe‐25Cr‐20Ni) were coated with KCl and exposed to dry air at 560°C. KCl‐free alloys were studied in the equivalent atmosphere as a reference. After exposure to KCl‐free environments, all alloys showed the formation of very thin oxide layers, indicating good corrosion resistance. In contrast, KCl‐bearing alloys showed distinct damage after exposure. KW - Corrosion KW - In-situ diffraction KW - High-temperature corrosion PY - 2024 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-600831 DO - https://doi.org/10.1002/maco.202314224 SN - 0947-5117 SP - 1 EP - 10 PB - Wiley VHC-Verlag AN - OPUS4-60083 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Hupp, Vitus A1 - Schartel, Bernhard A1 - Flothmeier, K. A1 - Hartwig, A. T1 - Fire Behavior of Pressure-sensitive Adhesive Tapes and Bonded Materials N2 - Pressure-sensitive adhesive tapes are used in several industrial applications such as con-struction, railway vehicles and the automotive sector,where the burning behavior is ofcrucial importance. Flame retarded adhesivetapes are developed and provided, however,often without considering the interaction of adhesive tapes and the bonded materialsduring burning nor the contribution of the tapes to fire protection goal of the bondedcomponents in distinct fire tests. This publication delivers an empirical comprehensiveknowledge how adhesive tapes and their flame retardancy effect the burning behaviorof bonded materials. With a special focus on the interaction between the single compo-nents, one flame retarded tape and one tapewithout flame retardant are examined inscenarios of emerging and developing fires, along with their bonds with the commonmaterials wood, zinc-plated steel, mineral wool, polycarbonate, and polymethylmethacry-late. The flame retardant significantly improved the flame retardancy of the tape as afree-standing object and yielded a V-2 rating in UL 94 vertical test and raised the OxygenIndex by 5 vol.%. In bonds, or rather laminates, the investigations prove that the choiceof carrier and substrates are the factors with the greatest impact on the fire propertiesand can change the peak of heat release rate and the maximum average rate of heatemission up to 25%. This research yielded a good empirical overall understanding of thefire behavior of adhesive tapes and bonded materials. Thus, it serves as a guide for tapemanufacturers and applicants to develop tapes and bonds more substrate specific. KW - Adhesives KW - Cone calorimeter KW - Flame retardancy KW - Laminates KW - Phosphorus flame retardants KW - Pressure-sensitive adhesive KW - Tapes PY - 2024 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-593207 DO - https://doi.org/10.1002/fam.3171 SN - 0308-0501 SN - 1099-1018 VL - 48 IS - 1 SP - 114 EP - 127 PB - Wiley CY - New York, NY AN - OPUS4-59320 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Schönsee, Eric A1 - Hüsken, Götz A1 - Jeyifous, Olubunmi Anthony A1 - Mezhov, Alexander A1 - Strangfeld, Christoph T1 - Calculating rheological properties of fresh mortar for additive manufacturing based on experimental, multi-sensor data N2 - Additive manufacturing of concrete structures is a novel and emerging technology. Freecontouring in civil engineering, which allows for entirely new designs, is a significant advantage. Inthe future, lower construction costs are expected with increased construction speeds and decreasingrequired materials and workers. However, architects and civil engineers rely on a certain quality ofexecution to fulfil construction standards. Although several techniques and approaches demonstratethe advantages, quality control during printing is highly challenging and rarely applied. Due to thecontinuous mixing process commonly used in 3D concrete printing, it is impossible to exclude varia-tions in the dry mixture or water content, and a test sample cannot be taken as a representative samplefor the whole structure. Although mortar properties vary only locally, a defect in one layer duringprinting could affect the entire integrity of the whole structure . Therefore, real-time process monitor-ing is required to record and document the printing process.At the Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung (BAM) a new test rig for the additive man-ufacturing of concrete is built. The primary purpose is measuring and monitoring the properties of amortar during the printing process.The following study investigates an approach for calculating yield stress and plastic viscosity based onexperimentally recorded pressure data. The calculations assume that fresh mortar behaves as a Bing-ham fluid and that the Buckingham-Reiner-equation is applicable. A test setup consisting of rigid pipeswith integrated pressure sensors at different positions is utilized.Monitoring the printing process with different sensors is crucial for the quality control of an ongoingprocess. T2 - Non-Traditional Cement and Concrete 2023 Conference CY - Brno, Czech Republic DA - 25.06.2023 KW - 3DCP KW - Monitoring KW - Additive manufacturing KW - Rheology KW - Bingham fluid KW - Concrete printing PY - 2024 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-598179 DO - https://doi.org/10.4028/p-EV4gPv SN - 1662-0356 VL - 145 SP - 131 EP - 139 PB - Trans Tech Publications CY - Baech AN - OPUS4-59817 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Reuter, T. A1 - Wohlgemuth, F. A1 - Bellon, Carsten A1 - Hausotte, T. T1 - Measurement-based Detector Characteristics for Digital Twins in aRTist 2 N2 - Various software products for the simulation of industrial X-ray radiography have been developed in recent years (e.g., aRTist 2, CIVA CT, Scorpius XLab, SimCT, Wilcore) and their application potential has been shown in numerous works. However, full systematic approaches to characterise a specific CT system for these simulation software products to obtain a truthful digital twin are still missing. In this contribution, we want to present two approaches to obtain realistic grey values in X-ray projections in aRTist 2 simulations based on measured projections. In aRTist 2, the displayed grey value of a pixel is based on the energy density incident on that pixel. The energy density is calculated based on the X-ray tube spectrum, the attenuation between source and detector as well as an energy-dependent sensitivity curve of the detector. The first approach presented in this contribution uses the sensitivity curve as a free modelling parameter. We measured the signal response at different thicknesses of Al EN-AW6082 at different tube voltages (i.e., different tube spectra). We then regarded the grey values displayed by these projections as a data regression respectively an optimisation problem and obtained the sensitivity curve that is best able to reproduce the measured behaviour in aRTist 2. The resulting sensitivity curve does not necessarily hold physical meaning but is able to simulate the real system behaviour in the simulation software. The second approach presented in this contribution is to estimate the sensitivity curve based on assumptions about the characteristics of the scintillation detector (e.g., scintillator material, scintillator thickness and signal processing characteristics). For this approach, a linear response function (linear relationship between the deposited energy per pixel and the resulting grey value) is assumed. If the detector characteristics, which affect the simulated deposited energy, are properly modelled, the slope and offset of the response function to match the measured grey values should be the same for different tube spectra. As the offset is constant and given by the grey values measured at no incident radiation, the slope is the remaining parameter to evaluate the success of the detector modelling. We therefore adapted the detector characteristics by changing the detector setup until the slope was nearly the same for all measured tube spectra. We are aware that the resulting parameters of the scintillator material and thickness might not be the real ones, but with those modelling parameters we are able to simulate realistic grey values in aRTist 2. Both of those approaches could potentially be a step forward to a full systematic approach for a digital twin of a real CT system in aRTist 2. T2 - 20th World Conference on Non-Destructive Testing (WCNDT 2024) CY - Incheon, South Korea DA - 27.05.2024 KW - Digital Twin KW - Computed Tomography KW - Simulation PY - 2024 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-602046 DO - https://doi.org/10.58286/29910 SP - 1 EP - 10 PB - NDT.net CY - Mayen, Germany AN - OPUS4-60204 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Weller, Michael G. T1 - The mystery of homochirality on earth N2 - Homochirality is an obvious feature of life on Earth. On the other hand, extraterrestrial samples contain largely racemic compounds. The same is true for any common organic synthesis. Therefore, it has been a perplexing puzzle for decades how these racemates could have formed enantiomerically enriched fractions as a basis for the origin of homochiral life forms. Numerous hypotheses have been put forward as to how preferentially homochiral molecules could have formed and accumulated on Earth. In this article, it is shown that homochirality of the abiotic organic pool at the time of formation of the first self-replicating molecules is not necessary and not even probable. It is proposed to abandon the notion of a molecular ensemble and to focus on the level of individual molecules. Although the formation of the first self-replicating, most likely homochiral molecule, is a seemingly improbable event, on a closer look, it is almost inevitable that some homochiral molecules have formed simply on a statistical basis. In this case, the non-selective leap to homochirality would be one of the first steps in chemical evolution directly out of a racemic “ocean”. Moreover, most studies focus on the chirality of the primordial monomers with respect to an asymmetric carbon atom. However, any polymer with a minimal size that allows folding to a secondary structure would spontaneously lead to asymmetric higher structures (conformations). Most of the functions of these polymers would be influenced by this inherently asymmetric folding. Furthermore, a concept of physical compartmentalization based on rock nanopores in analogy to nanocavities of digital immunoassays is introduced to suggest that complex cell walls or membranes were also not required for the first steps of chemical evolution. To summarize, simple and universal mechanisms may have led to homochiral self-replicating systems in the context of chemical evolution. A homochiral monomer pool is deemed unnecessary and probably never existed on primordial Earth. N2 - Homochiralität ist ein offensichtliches Merkmal des Lebens auf der Erde. Andererseits enthalten extraterrestrische Proben überwiegend racemische Verbindungen. Dasselbe gilt für jede gängige organische Synthese. Daher war es jahrzehntelang ein Rätsel, wie diese Racemate enantiomeren-angereicherte Fraktionen als Grundlage für den Ursprung homochiraler Lebensformen bilden konnten. Zahlreiche Hypothesen wurden aufgestellt, wie sich bevorzugt homochirale Moleküle auf der Erde gebildet und angereichert haben könnten. In diesem Artikel wird gezeigt, dass Homochiralität des abiotischen organischen Pools zum Zeitpunkt der Bildung der ersten selbstreplizierenden Moleküle nicht notwendig und nicht einmal wahrscheinlich ist. Es wird vorgeschlagen, die Vorstellung eines molekularen Ensembles aufzugeben und sich auf die Ebene der einzelnen Moleküle zu konzentrieren. Obwohl die Bildung des ersten selbstreplizierenden, höchstwahrscheinlich homochiralen Moleküls ein scheinbar unwahrscheinliches Ereignis ist, ist es bei näherer Betrachtung fast unvermeidlich, dass sich einige homochirale Moleküle einfach auf statistischer Basis gebildet haben. In diesem Fall wäre der nichtselektive Sprung zur Homochiralität einer der ersten Schritte der chemischen Evolution direkt aus einem racemischen "Ozean". Darüber hinaus konzentrieren sich die meisten Studien auf die Chiralität der ursprünglichen Monomere in Bezug auf ein asymmetrisches Kohlenstoffatom. Jedes Polymer mit einer Mindestgröße, die eine Faltung zu einer Sekundärstruktur erlaubt, würde jedoch spontan zu asymmetrischen höheren Strukturen (Konformationen) führen. Die meisten Funktionen dieser Polymere würden durch diese inhärent asymmetrische Faltung beeinflusst. Darüber hinaus wird ein Konzept der physikalischen Kompartimentierung auf der Basis von Gesteinsnanoporen in Analogie zu den Nanokavitäten digitaler Immunoassays vorgestellt, das darauf hindeutet, dass auch für die ersten Schritte der chemischen Evolution keine komplexen Zellwände oder Membranen notwendig waren. Zusammenfassend lässt sich sagen, dass einfache und universelle Mechanismen zu homochiralen selbstreplizierenden Systemen im Rahmen der chemischen Evolution geführt haben könnten. Ein homochiraler Monomerpool wird als unnötig angesehen, welcher auf der Urerde wahrscheinlich nie existiert hat. KW - Chemical evolution KW - Enantiomeric excess ee KW - Chirality KW - Racemate KW - Folding chirality KW - Self-assembly KW - self-replication KW - Single molecule KW - Prebiotic chemistry KW - Protein folding KW - Peptide folding KW - Proteinoid KW - Conformation KW - Segregation KW - Compartmentalization KW - Digital immunoassay KW - Porous rock KW - Miller and Urey KW - Primordial soup KW - Murchison meteorite KW - Micrometeorites KW - Tholins PY - 2024 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-598349 DO - https://doi.org/10.3390/life14030341 SN - 2075-1729 VL - 14 IS - 3 SP - 1 EP - 13 PB - MDPI CY - Basel AN - OPUS4-59834 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Karapanagiotis, Christos A1 - Heimann, Jan A1 - Duffner, Eric A1 - Charmi, Amir A1 - Schukar, Marcus A1 - Hashemi, Seyedreza A1 - Prager, Jens T1 - Towards predictive maintenance of hydrogen pressure vessels based on multi-sensor data fusion and digital twin modeling N2 - Hydrogen pressure vessels are among the most essential components for reliable hydrogen technology. Under current regulations, a mostly conservative strategy is employed, restricting the usage time of hydrogen pressure vessels without providing information on the real remaining lifetime. During the service life, pressure vessels are inspected periodically. However, no established method that can provide continuous monitoring or information on the remaining safe service life of the vessel. In this paper, we propose a sensor network for Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) of hydrogen pressure vessels where data from all sensors are collected and centrally evaluated. Specifically, we integrate three different SHM sensing technologies namely Guided Wave ultrasonics (GW), Acoustic Emission testing (AT), and distributed Fiber Optic Sensing (FOS). This integrated approach offers significantly more information and could therefore enable a transition from costly and time-consuming periodic inspections to more efficient and modern predictive maintenance strategies, including Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based evaluation. This does not only have a positive effect on the operational costs but enhances safety through early identification of critical conditions in the overall system in real-time. We demonstrate an experimental set-up of a lifetime test where a Type IV Composite Overwrapped Pressure Vessel (COPV) is investigated under cyclic loading instrumented with AT, FOS, and GW methods. We acquired data from the sensor network until the pressure vessel failed due to material degradation. The data collected using the three different SHM sensor technologies is planned to be evaluated individually, using data fusion, and AI. In the future, we aim to integrate the measurement setup into a hydrogen refueling station with the data stream implemented into a digital signal processing chain and a digital twin. T2 - 11th European Workshop on Structural Health Monitoring CY - Potsdam, Germany DA - 10.06.2024 KW - Acoustic emission KW - Ultrasonic guided waves KW - Fiber optic sensors KW - Hydrogen KW - Pressure vessels KW - Structural health monitoring KW - Machine learning PY - 2024 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-602764 UR - https://www.ndt.net/search/docs.php3?id=29702 SP - 1 EP - 8 PB - NDT.net AN - OPUS4-60276 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Karapanagiotis, Christos A1 - Schukar, Marcus A1 - Breithaupt, Mathias A1 - Duffner, Eric A1 - Ulbricht, Alexander A1 - Prager, Jens A1 - Krebber, Katerina T1 - Structural health monitoring of hydrogen pressure vessels using distributed fiber optic sensing N2 - We report on distributed fiber optic sensing-based monitoring of hydrogen composite overwrapped pressure vessels (COPV) to simultaneously increase the operational lifespan and mitigate maintenance costs. Our approach represents, to the best of our knowledge, the first application of distributed fiber optic sensing for COPV Type IV monitoring, where the sensing fibers are attached to the surface, rather than integrated into the composite material. Specifically, we attach an optical fiber of 50 m to the pressure vessel's surface, covering both the cylindrical and dome sections. We note that our fiber optic sensing technique relies on swept wavelength interferometry providing strain information along the entire length of the optical fiber with high spatial resolution even at the millimeter scale. When the vessel is pressurized, the sensing optical fiber shows a linear strain response to pressure at every position along the fiber. After thousands of load cycles, the vessel finally fails with the optical fiber detecting and precisely localizing the damage in the vessel’s blind dome area. Furthermore, we discuss the potential of state-of-the-art signal processing methods and machine learning for advancing predictive maintenance. This could reduce the number of regular inspections, mitigate premature maintenance costs, and simultaneously increase the vessel’s remaining safe service life. We believe that the structural health monitoring of hydrogen pressure vessels with fiber optic sensors can enhance trust in hydrogen technology contributing to the energy transition in the future. T2 - 11th European Workshop on Structural Health Monitoring CY - Potsdam, Germany DA - 10.06.2024 KW - Hydrogen KW - Fiber optic sensors KW - Composites KW - Machine learning KW - Structural health monitoring PY - 2024 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-602731 UR - https://www.ndt.net/search/docs.php3?id=29701 SP - 1 EP - 7 PB - NDT.net AN - OPUS4-60273 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER -