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- Neutron radiography (8)
- Diffusion (5)
- Hydrogen (4)
- LIBS (4)
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- Hydrogen diffusion (3)
- Hydrogen embrittlement (3)
- Neutron imaging (3)
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- Bragg-edge imaging (2)
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The purpose of the present study is to show the feasibility of examining hydrogen desorption in technical iron samples using neutron radiography at the ANTARES facility of the FRM II research reactor, Technische Universität München. It has been shown that this method is appropriate for in situ determination of hydrogen Desorption for concentrations as low as 20 ppmH. Experiments were carried out in the temperature range from room temperature up to 260 °C. Measurement was based on direct comparison between electrochemically hydrogen-loaded iron samples and hydrogen-free reference samples at the same temperature.
This enables the determination of hydrogen concentration as a function of time and temperature. Ex situ carrier gas hot extraction experiments using the same temperature–time profiles as the neutron radiography experiments have been used to calibrate the greyscale values of the radiographs to defined hydrogen concentrations. It can be stated that hydrogen desorption correlates with sample temperature.
MSL compatible isothermal furnace insert for high temperature shear-cell diffusion experiments
(2011)
For long-time diffusion experiments shear-cell techniques offer more favourable terms than the traditional long capillary techniques. Here, we present a further developed shear-cell that enables the measurement of diffusion coefficients up to temperatures of 1600 °C. Hence, diffusion experiments can be carried out at temperatures not accessible until now by conventional capillary or shear-cell techniques. The modified shear-cell, which can contain up to six samples of a total length of 90mm and a diameter of 1.5 mm, is built of 30 shear discs of 3mm thickness each. It is operated in an isothermal furnace insert which can be accommodated in the Materials Science Laboratory of the International Space Station. This provides the opportunity that the shear-cell can be applied to microgravity and to ground-based experiments, respectively. The heater insert with an overall length of 518mm and a diameter of 210mm consists of four heating zones with a total power of 3.5 kW. Temperature homogeneity along the graphite sample compartment is better than 2K at 1600°C. Details of the new design are discussed and results of first successfully performed heating and shearing cycles are presented.
A x-ray radioscopy technique for measuring in situ chemical diffusion coefficients in metallic melts
is presented. The long-capillary diffusion measurement method is combined with imaging
techniques using microfocus tubes and flat panel detectors in order to visualize and quantitatively
analyze diffusive mixing of two melts of different chemical composition. The interdiffusion
coefficient as function of temperature and time is obtained by applying Ficks diffusion laws.
Tracking the time dependence of the mean square penetration depth of the mixing process allows to
detect changes in the mass transport caused by convective flow. The possibility to sort out
convective mass transport contributions from analysis enhances significantly the accuracy compared
to the conventional long-capillary diffusion measurement method with postmortem analysis. The
performance of this novel diffusion measurement method with x-ray radiography technique is
demonstrated by a diffusion experiment in an Al-Ni melt.
When in situ techniques became available in recent years this led to a breakthrough in accurately determining diffusion coefficients for liquid alloys. Here we discuss how neutron radiography can be used to measure chemical diffusion in a ternary AlCuAg alloy. Neutron radiography hereby gives complementary information to x-ray radiography used for measuring chemical diffusion and to quasielastic neutron scattering used mainly for determining self-diffusion. A novel Al2O3 based furnace that enables one to study diffusion processes by means of neutron radiography is discussed. A chemical diffusion coefficient of Ag against Al around the eutectic composition Al68.6Cu13.8Ag17.6 at.% was obtained. It is demonstrated that the in situ technique of neutron radiography is a powerful means to study mass transport properties in situ in binary and ternary alloys that show poor x-ray contrast.
Neutron radiography (NR) is compared with the commonly used carrier gas hot extraction (CGHE) technique. We performed isothermal hydrogen effusion experiments at 623 K to study the mass transport kinetics. The investigated material was technical iron. The quantification of the hydrogen mass flow is done for NR by using concentration standards. The temporal hydrogen concentration evolution in the sample coincides well for both methods, i.e. NR and CGHE, and is in good agreement with literature. The advantages of the NR method are the non-destructive nature of measuring and the in-situ determination of hydrogen concentrations with high spatial and temporal resolution. Remaining hydrogen inside the sample can be identified directly by the NR method.
The ISO 3690 standard “Determination of hydrogen content in arc weld metal” requires a thermal activation of the diffusible hydrogen in a piece of weld metal for the subsequent ex situ concentration measurement by carrier gas hot extraction CGHE or thermal desorption spectroscopy (TCD). Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) offers a time and spatially resolved, almost non-destructive, in situ measurement of hydrogen at surfaces without sample preparation. We measured hydrogen in steels, which were charged either electrochemically or by high-pressure hydrogen gas, and compared the results. Further, the feasibility of quantitative hydrogen line scan measurements with LIBS was demonstrated by measuring hydrogen at water jet cut surfaces. The hydrogen concentrations measured with the help of LIBS were compared with CGHE measurements. It was observed that hydrogen can be reliably measured with LIBS for concentrations larger than 2 wt.-ppm. The maximum hydrogen concentration achieved using electrochemical charging was 85.1 ppm. The results show that LIBS is a promising technique for time- and spatially resolved measurements of hydrogen in steels.
In situ crack detection in the mushy zone and the solid weld of a gas tungsten arc (GTA) weld using X-ray imaging during welding is a new research area for NDT inspection. Usually, NDT flaw detection is done after the complete solidification of the weld seam. In this paper, we present the use of real-time radiography with a minifocus X-ray source (YXLON X-ray tube Y.TU 225-D04) and a 75μm pixel size digital detector array (Dexela 1512) for the acquisition of 2D radiographic images by a sequence of exposures with time intervals of 80 ms for hot crack detection during single pass bead-on-plate GTA welding of 3 mm thick plates of aluminium alloy AlMgSi (6060). An analysis of the crack distribution in the weld sample is conducted from the acquired 2D radiographs and its corresponding 3D volumetric reconstruction achieved by linear coplanar digital laminography.
This in situ approach opens new possibilities in the field of hot crack research by having the direct information of both the crack initiation and growth and its correlation to the welding parameters.
CONRAD-2 is an imaging instrument using low-energy (cold) neutrons. The instrument is installed at the end of a curved neutron guide which avoids the direct line of sight towards the reactor core. This ensures a very low background of high-energy neutrons and. photons at the sample position. The cold neutron beam provides a wavelength range which is suitable for phase-and diffraction-contrast imaging such as grating interferometry and Bragg edge mapping. The instrument is well suited for high resolution imaging due to the high efficiency of the very thin scintillators that can be used for the detection of cold neutrons. An instrument upgrade was performed recently as a part of an upgrade program for the cold neutron instrumentation at HZB. The parameters of the instrument as well as some research highlights will be presented.
A long list of criteria determining the hot cracking susceptibility already exists. A main influence on solidification cracking can result from the design of the welded construction, i.e. from the influence of external loads. Using the Controlled Tensile Weldability (CTW) test, an external load hot cracking test, the influence of constant pre-load and different extension rates on the solidification cracking behavior of GTA (Gas Tungsten Arc) welds in an austenitic (AISI 309) and a ferritic (AISI 441) steel were investigated. Compared to specimens welded allowing free shrinkage and welded with an applied constant tensile pre-load, the specimens welded during the application of increasing tensile load show solidification cracks. In the weld seams, a characteristic angle α between the predominantly columnar grains and the fusion line can be observed. Specimens showing solidification cracks show a significantly larger angle α compared to the crack-free specimens. Based on these observations, the characteristic angle α is proposed as a new hot cracking criterion.
Neutron imaging
(2016)
Neutron imaging methods are appropriate to investigate hydrogen distributions in several metallic systems. The large total neutron cross section of hydrogen compared to those of elements or isotopes, respectively, in usual structural materials like steels or zirconium alloys allows the detection even of small amounts of hydrogen in such materials. The dependence of the total macroscopic neutron cross section of the sample or component on the hydrogen concentration can be determined experimentally by means of calibration specimens with known hydrogen concentrations. Such a calibration allows for a full quantitative determination of the local hydrogen concentration with a spatial resolution better than 20 μm. Because neutron radiography is fast and non-destructive, in situ investigations of time-dependent processes like hydrogen absorption and release or hydrogen bulk diffusion can be performed. This chapter gives an introduction into the main neutron imaging methods, radiography and tomography, and gives as examples results of neutron imaging investigations of hydrogen in different steels and in zirconium alloys,respectively.
We investigated the hydrogen distribution spatially and temporally in technical iron at room temperature. Samples were charged electrochemically and subsequently analysed by means of neutron radiography and tomography. The radiographic images allowed for a time-resolved analysis of hydrogen fluxes. The three-dimensional distribution of hydrogen measured by neutron tomography delivered valuable information for the damage analysis of hydrogen-induced cracks. For the first time hydrogen concentration gradients inside the material could be detect directly together with the cracks. The neutron radiography and tomography results were gained at the Research Reactor BER II of the HZB in Berlin.
We investigated hydrogen embrittlement and blistering in electrochemically hydrogen-charged technical iron samples at room temperature. Hydrogen-stimulated cracks and blisters and the corresponding hydrogen distributions were observed by neutron tomography. Cold neutrons were provided by the research reactor BER II to picture the sample with a spatial resolution in the reconstructed three-dimensional model of ~25 µm. We made the unique observation that cracks were filled with molecular hydrogen and that cracks were surrounded by a 50 µm wide zone with a high hydrogen concentration. The zone contains up to ten times more hydrogen than the bulk material. The hydrogen enriched zone can be ascribed to a region of increased local defect density. Hydrogen also accumulated at the sample surface having the highest concentration at blistered areas. The surfaces of the brittle fractured cracks showed micropores visualized by scanning electron microscopy. The micropores were located at grain boundaries and were surrounded by stress fields detected by electron backscattered diffraction. The cracks clearly originated from the micropores.
The purpose of the present study was to show the feasibility of measuring hydrogen effusion in austenitic stainless steel (1.4301) using neutron radiography at the facility ANTARES of the research reactor FRM II of the Technische Universität München. This method is appropriate to measure in-situ hydrogen effusion for hydrogen concentrations as small as 20 ppmH. Experiments were carried out in the temperature range from room temperature up to 533 K. The measurement principle is based on the parallel comparison of electrochemically hydrogen charged specimen with hydrogen-free reference specimen at the same temperature. This allows the determination of the hydrogen concentration in the specimens as a function of time and temperature. Separate hot carrier gas extraction experiments using the same temperature–time profiles as the radiography experiments have been used to calibrate the grey values of the neutron transmission images into hydrogen concentrations. It can be stated that the hydrogen effusion correlates with the specimen temperature.
Neutron tomography has been applied to investigate the mechanism of hydrogen assisted cracking in technical iron and supermartensitic steel. Rectangular technical iron block samples showed blistering due to intense hydrogen charging and the tomographic method revealed in situ the spatial distribution of hydrogen and cracks. Hydrogen accumulated in a small region around cracks and the cracks are filled with hydrogen gas. Cracks close to the surface contained no hydrogen. Hydrogenous tensile test samples of supermartensitic steel were pulled until rupture and showed hydrogen accumulations at the notch base and in the plastically deformed region around the fracture surface.
Neutron radiography and tomography have been used for a time resolved in situ analysis and a 3D mapping of hydrogen diffusion in iron and steel. Samples were electrochemically charged with hydrogen and afterwards neutron transmission images were taken. Hydrogen diffusion coefficients in duplex stainless steel were determined at 623 K by measuring and comparing the sample's mean intensity with a hydrogen-free reference sample and subsequent normalisation to standards with known hydrogen content. In technical iron and in supermartensitic stainless steel the hydrogen distributions have been investigated. The radiographic images in iron show blisters, cracks and the distribution of molecular hydrogen inside cracks. The analysis of the diffusion behaviour of hydrogen out of a blister illustrates the capabilities of the method with respect to time and spatial resolution. The neutron tomography of supermartensitic tensile stressed samples illustrates the capability to visualise hydrogen distributions three-dimensionally. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
On a utilisé la radiographie neutronique et la tomographie pour une analyse in situ à résolution temporelle et une cartographie 3D de la diffusion de l'hydrogène dans le fer et l'acier. On a chargé des échantillons par électrochimie avec de l'hydrogène et ensuite on a pris des images par émission de neutrons. On a déterminé les coefficients de diffusion de lhydrogène dans l'acier inoxydable duplex à 623 K en mesurant et en comparant l'intensité moyenne de l'échantillon avec un échantillon de référence sans hydrogène et une normalisation subséquente à des échantillons références à teneur connue en hydrogène. On a examiné la distribution d'hydrogène dans le fer technique et dans l'acier inoxydable supermartensitique. Les images radiographiques du fer montrent des soufflures, des fissures, et la distribution de l'hydrogène moléculaire à l'intérieur des fissures. L'analyse du comportement de diffusion de l'hydrogène hors d'une soufflure illustre les possibilités de la méthode par rapport à la résolution temporelle et spatiale. La tomographie neutronique des échantillons supermartensitiques chargés en traction illustre la capacité de visualiser les distributions d'hydrogène en trois dimensions.
Neutron Bragg-edge imaging was applied for the visualization of a γ-Austenite to α'-martensite phase transformation. In the present study, a super martensitic
stainless steel sample was heated until complete austenitization and was subsequently cooled down to room temperature. The martensitic phase Transformation started at Ms = 190 °C. Using a monochromatic neutron beam with λ = 0.390 nm, the transmitted intensity was significantly reduced during cooling below Ms, since the emerging martensitic phase has a higher attenuation coefficient than the austenitic phase at this wavelength. The phase Transformation process was visualized by filming the transmission images from a scintillator screen with a CCD camera with a temporal resolution of 30 s and a spatial
resolution of 100 µm.
A laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) system was combined with a bead-on-plate Tungsten Inert Gas (TIG) welding process for the in situ measurement of chemical compositions in austenitic stainless steels during welding.Monitoring the weld pool's chemical composition allows governing the weld pool solidification behavior, and thus enables the reduction of susceptibility to weld defects. Conventional inspection methods for weld seams (e.g. ultrasonic inspection) cannot be performed during the welding process. The analysis system also allows in situ study of the correlation between the occurrence ofweld defects and changes in the chemical composition in theweld pool or in the two-phase regionwhere solid and liquid phase coexist. First experiments showed that both the shielding Ar gas and the welding arc plasma have a significant effect on the selected Cr II, Ni II and MnII characteristicemissions, namely an artificial increase of intensity values via unspecific emission in the spectra.
In situ investigations showed that this artificial intensity increase reached a maximum in presence of weld plume. Moreover, an explicit decay has been observedwith the termination of thewelding plumedue to infrared radiation during sample cooling. Furthermore, LIBS can be used after welding to map element distribution. For austenitic stainless steels,Mnaccumulations on both sides of theweld could be detected between the heat affected zone (HAZ) and the base material.
Gravity has significant effects on alloy solidification, primarily due to thermosolutal convection and solid phase buoyancy. Since 2004, the European Space Agency has been supporting investigation of these effects by promoting in situ X-ray monitoring of the solidification of aluminium alloys on microgravity platforms, on earth, and in periodically varying g conditions. The first microgravity experiment-investigating foaming of liquid metals - was performed on board a sounding rocket, in 2008. In 2012 the first ever X-ray-monitored solidification of a fully dense metallic alloy in space was achieved: the focus was columnar solidification of an Al-Cu alloy. This was followed in 2015 by a similar experiment, investigating equiaxed solidification. Ground reference experiments were completed in all cases. In addition, experiments have been performed on board parabolic flights-where the effects of varying gravity have been studied. We review here the technical and scientific progress to date, and outline future perspectives.
One of the main advantages of metal additive manufacturing (MAM) techniques is their ability to produce components with site-specific microstructural features. Nevertheless, microstructural defects and lack of repeatability are still major concerns in MAM. In this study, a laser powder bed fusion (PBF-LB/M) IN718 material, produced using two different scan length vectors, is investigated using Bragg-edge neutron 2D imaging (BENI) combined with electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) analysis. BENI is able to detect, on a macroscopic scale, process-induced changes in texture in a large field of view covering the entire sample (20×80 mm2). In addition, high-resolution BENI (HR-BENI), with a pixel size of 12.8 µm, provides a micro-scale examination of the local variations of texture and grain morphology, otherwise undistinguishable using the standard resolution. As such, HR-BENI offers a straightforward and detailed way of screening the integrity of MAM parts at cm-length scales.
Duplex stainless steels (DSS) are used in all industries where corrosion problems play a major role. Examples include the chemical industry, the food industry and shipping industries. DSS have a balanced phase ratio of ferrite (α) and austenite (γ). Unlike single-phase stainless steels, DSS combine the advantages of these and can therefore fit many industry requirements, such as weight saving or high mechanical strength. When these steels are welded, alloying elements can burn off and condense as thin layers on cold surface regions. This loss of chemical elements can lead to changes in the microstructure. With the help of Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS), chemical element distributions were visualized. The results were compared with those of conventional measurement methods, such as energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDS) and X-ray fluorescence analysis (XRF), and the results from LIBS could be validated. LIBS is suitable as a fast, straightforward measurement method for producing line scans along the weld seam and provides spatially resolved information on accumulation phenomena of burned off alloying elements. LIBS is very well suited for the detection of sub-surface elements due to the exclusively superficial ablation of the material. In addition, the measurement method has been calibrated so that quantitative statements about element concentrations can also be made.
The chemical composition of a weld metal determines the resulting solidification mode of stainless steel and the consequent weld metal quality. In this work tungsten inert gas (TIG) welding of EN grade 1.4435 austenitic stainless steel was monitored using laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) for the in situ measurement of chemical composition changes. This research aims to prototype a real-time chemical composition analysis system for welding applications and prove the feasibility of such quality control loop. LIBS was used to investigate in situ the monitoring of metal vaporization during TIG welding. We found Mn vapor formation above the weld pool and subsequent condensation of Mn on the weld metal surface using LIBS. Post-weld line scans were conducted by LIBS on various welds produced with different welding currents. Local changes of Ni and Mn were observed at higher welding currents. The results are in good agreement with the literature and proved that LIBS can be used in situ to inspect the TIG welding process.
While the problem of the identification of mechanisms of hydrogen assisted damage has and is being thoroughly studied, the quantitative analysis of such damage still lacks suitable tools. In fact, while, for instance, electron microscopy yields excellent characterization, the quantitative analysis of damage requires at the same time large field-of-views and high spatial resolution. Synchrotron X-ray refraction techniques do possess both features. In this work, we show how synchrotron X-ray refraction computed tomography (SXRCT) can quantify damage induced by hydrogen embrittlement in a lean duplex steel, yielding results that overperform even those achievable by synchrotron X-ray absorption computed tomography. As already reported in literature, but this time using a non-destructive technique, we show that the hydrogen charge does not penetrate to the center of tensile specimens. By the comparison between virgin and hydrogen-charged specimens, we deduce that cracks in the specimen bulk are due to the rolling process rather than hydrogen-assisted. We show that (micro)cracks propagate from the surface of tensile specimens to the interior with increasing applied strain, and we deduce that a significant crack propagation can only be observed short before rupture.
Polychromatic and wavelength-selective neutron transmission radiography were applied during bead-on-plate welding on 5 mm thick sheets on the face side of martensitic low transformation temperature (LTT) steel plates using gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW). The in situ visualization of austenitization upon welding and subsequent α’-martensite formation during cooling could be achieved with a temporal resolution of 2 s for monochromatic imaging using a single neutron wavelength and of 0.5 s for polychromatic imaging using the full spectrum of the beam (white beam). The spatial resolution achieved in the experiments was approximately 200 µm. The transmitted monochromatic neutron beam intensity at a wavelength of λ = 0.395 nm was significantly reduced during cooling below the martensitic start temperature Ms since the emerging martensitic phase has a ~10% higher attenuation coefficient than the austenitic phase. Neutron imaging was significantly influenced by coherent neutron scattering caused by the thermal motion of the crystal lattice (Debye–Waller factor), resulting in a reduction in the neutron transmission by approx. 15% for monochromatic and by approx. 4% for polychromatic imaging.
The Modified Varestraint Transvarestraint (MVT) test was used to investigate the solidification cracking susceptibility of an unstabilised, a Nb-stabilised and two (Ti + Nb) dual-stabilised ferritic stainless steels. Two different welding speeds of 6 and 3 mm/s using autogenous gas tungsten arc welding were employed. At the welding speed of 6 mm/s, the high-content (Ti + Nb) steel was resistant and the Nb-stabilised steel was marginally susceptible to solidification cracking. At the welding speed of 3 mm/s, the Nb and the high (Ti + Nb) steels were found to be marginally susceptible to solidification cracking while the unstabilised and low-content (Ti + Nb) grades were resistant to solidification cracking. The weld metal microstructures transverse to the welding direction revealed columnar grains in all the samples for both welding speeds. The ferritic stainless steels were generally resistant to solidification cracking, except the Nb-stabilised steel, which was marginally susceptible to solidification cracking.
Neutron cameras allow visualizing hydrogen distributions with radiographic or tomographic imaging methods in iron (and steel) and many other metals. The necessary contrast between hydrogen and these metals stems from the high difference in the total neutron cross section of both elements. This allows, e.g., the in situ measurement of hydrogen mass flow inside cm thick metal samples with a temporal resolution of at best 10 s using neutron radiography as well as the quantitative measurement of hydrogen accumulations, e.g., at the crack’s inner surfaces in hydrogen embrittled iron samples with neutron tomography. This new quality of the information on a micrometer scale allows new insights for the analysis of hydrogen-assisted damage mechanisms. Further, this method is non-destructive and provides local information in situ and in three dimensions with a spatial resolution of 20 μm - 30 μm. In this contribution, we give a short historical overview of neutron imaging and show examples that demonstrate the spatial and temporal resolution of the neutron radiography and tomography methods in order to visualize and quantify hydrogen accumulations, absorption processes, and diffusion. The examples are taken from the works of researchers dealing with titanium, palladium, zirconium, and iron or steel. More detailed descriptions of the experimental and analytic procedures are given for hydrogen detection using radiography and tomography on iron and steel samples.