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Iron aluminides depict a sustainable and light-weight material class which could be employed in many applications requiring high strength at intermediate to high temperatures. According to first results, the alloy Fe-26Al-4Mo-0.5Ti-1B surpasses conventional materials in wet corrosion resistance and creep resistance up to 650 °C. For these reasons, the AiF research project “WAFEAL – Materials applications for iron aluminides” was initiated to transfer these findings into a standardised materials dataset and to derive best practices for processing. In the first place, a set of different microstructures adjusted by varying casting methods, wall thicknesses and heat treatments was investigated and correlated with hardness on macro and micro scale. Correlations were drawn between solidification rates and resulting grain sizes and hardness. The effect of vacancy hardening was only verified for wall thickness as low as 2.5 mm. Moreover, a common decrease of macrohardness after a heat treatment at 1000 °C for 100 h was observed irrespective of casting process or wall thickness. This effect was linked with an unexpected decrease of the complex boride phase fraction which acts as a hardening phase.
Due to the increasing scarcity of critical raw materials current high-temperature materials are sought to be replaced by alloys based on more abundant metals. One possibility within the class of intermetallics are iron aluminides, which combine sustainability and cost-efficiency with the prospect of mass savings. Iron aluminides show competitive specific strength up to 700 °C and excellent creep and wet corrosion resistance by small additions of Mo, Ti and B. Nevertheless, a Mo content of above 2 at.% which is needed for optimum corrosion resistance results in enhanced brittleness, especially at room temperature. This is why alloys with these Mo fractions were only mechanically tested under compressive loading so far. Still, testing of static and creep properties under tensile loading is required for reliable component design. Besides high standards for crack-free processing, data acquisition for tensile loads is especially complicated by environmental embrittling effects for iron aluminides. To cope with these challenges, the AiF research project “WAFEAL – Materials applications for iron aluminides” was initiated. The main goal is to collect standardised data on ambient and high-temperature tensile properties and creep properties. Samples with a nominal composition of Fe-26Al-4Mo-0.5Ti-1B [at.%] were manufactured via centrifugal casting in ceramic shell moulds followed by machining. Heat treatment for homogenisation and final polishing were carried out where appropriate. A summary of the achieved tensile and creep properties such as yield and tensile strength, maximum elongation, secondary creep rate and stress exponents will be given. Results will be also discussed regarding the influence of temperature, stress level and microstructure on the damage mechanisms. Furthermore, the effect of different alloy concentrations on the mechanical response at different temperatures will be outlined within a small experimental series.
With an increasing demand in more efficient fuel consumption to reduce CO2 emissions, weight reductions in high-temperature materials at affordable costs gain increasing attention. One potential candidate is the intermetallic material class of iron aluminides, combining the advantages in mass savings, high temperature performance and recyclability of resources. The alloy Fe-26Al-4Mo-0.5Ti-1B was selected to study the microstructural features evolving from two casting processes, five wall thicknesses and three final conditions. Conclusions are drawn upon the correlations of processing variables, grain sizes and hardness.
Iron aluminides, already reported in the late 19th century, did not cease to attract the interest of scientists and engineers ever since. Besides good oxidation resistance, low density and resource availability, potentials for hightemperature strengths that compete with high-alloy steels were unlocked by low alloy contents. Still, research on alloy design continues, as alloying usually comes at the price of brittleness in low-temperature regimes. A potential candidate is the quinary Fe–Al–Mo–Ti–B system which is strengthened by solid solution and eutectic borides. It was shown to have good strength and outstanding creep resistance under compressive loading up to elevated temperatures. Although the individual effect of alloy additions is well understood in iron aluminides, little is known about the combined effects of alloying concentrations on microstructure, phase stability and mechanical properties. Therefore a systematic study of two Ti-doped near-Fe3Al alloys with varying contents of Mo (2–4 at.%) and B (0.5–1 at.%) was conducted. In total eight different alloys were fabricated by investment casting into ceramic shell molds. Alloys were characterized and compared by grain size, phase transitions, microstructure evolution as well as elemental compositions and volume fractions of phases. For mechanical characterization, macrohardness and microhardness tests as well as tensile tests at ambient and high tempera tures were conducted. Independent of alloy additions, alloys with 24–25 at.% Al exhibit superior proof strength due to a higher matrix hardness. Decreasing B content generally decreases strength by lower secondary phase fractions which contribute via particle hardening. Reducing Mo content decreases both the solute concentration in the matrix and secondary phase fractions. Surprisingly, strength is similar or even superior to alloys with higher Mo content. Strength relations are discussed with a focus on solid-solution hardening theory and other competing strengthening mechanisms.
The increasing importance of resource availability and closed-loop material cycles are driving materials research to reduce alloying content in conventional materials or even substitute them with more sustainable alternatives. Intermetallic iron aluminide alloys (FeAl) present a potential alternative. Many alloy concepts for improved high-temperature properties or ductility have already been successfully implemented in casting technologies on a laboratory scale. However, successful testing of FeAl alloys on an industrial scale was still pending at the beginning of the project.
Therefore, the aim of the project was to develop simulation-based casting concepts for industrial casting processes using the base alloy Fe-26Al-4Mo-0.5Ti-1B and to narrow down process limits by means of hot cracking tests. Findings were transferred into practice-oriented guidelines for casting of iron aluminides, which is accessible to future applicants in SMEs. The focus was placed on centrifugal casting combined with investment casting or die casting. In addition to numerous design and casting process parameters, heat treatments and alloying additions (Al, Mo, B) were varied to determine the influence of alloying elements on castability, microstructure and mechanical properties. Data from microstructure analyses (microscopic imaging, determination of grain sizes as well as phase compositions and volume fractions, fractography), mechanical tests (hardness measurements, compression tests, ambient and high-temperature tensile tests, creep tests) as well as measurements of thermophysical properties could be generated on the base alloy. Correlations of materials data with process variables allowed conclusions to be drawn on strengthening mechanisms and ductility of the alloy and how they can be controlled in terms of processing and component design. Successful casting of highly complex components with thin wall thicknesses and optimised alloy compositions points out prospects for new fields of application.
The increasing importance of resource availability and closed-loop material cycles are driving materials research to reduce alloying content in conventional materials or even substitute them with more sustainable alternatives. Intermetallic iron aluminide alloys (FeAl) present a potential alternative. Many alloy concepts for improved high-temperature properties or ductility have already been successfully implemented in casting technologies on a laboratory scale. However, successful testing of FeAl alloys on an industrial scale was still pending at the beginning of the project.
Therefore, the aim of the project was to develop simulation based casting concepts for industrial casting processes using the base alloy Fe-26Al-4Mo-0.5Ti-1B and to narrow down process limits by means of hot cracking tests. Findings were transferred into practice-oriented guidelines for casting of iron aluminides, which is accessible to future applicants in SMEs. The focus was placed on centrifugal casting combined with investment casting or die casting. In addition to numerous design and casting process parameters, heat treatments and alloying additions (Al, Mo, B) were varied to determine the influence of alloying elements on castability, microstructure and mechanical properties. Data from microstructure analyses (microscopic imaging, determination of grain sizes as well as phase compositions and volume fractions, fractography), mechanical tests (hardness measurements, compression tests, ambient and high-temperature tensile tests, creep tests) as well as measurements of thermophysical properties could be generated on the base alloy. Correlations of materials data with process variables allowed conclusions to be drawn on strengthening mechanisms and ductility of the alloy and how they can be controlled in terms of processing and component design. Successful casting of highly complex components with thin wall thicknesses and optimised alloy compositions points out prospects for new fields of application.
Monodisperse iron oxide nanoparticles as reference material candidate for particle size measurements
(2020)
In order to utilize and rationally design materials at the nanoscale the reliable characterization of their physico-chemical properties is highly important, especially with respect to the assessment of their environmental or biological impact. Furthermore, the European Commission’s REACH Regulations require the registration of nanomaterials traded in quantities of at least 1 ton. Powders or dispersions where 50% (number distribution) of the constituent particles have sizes ≤ 100 nm in at least one dimension are defined as nanomaterials. This creates a need for industrial manufacturers and research or analytical service facilities to reliably characterize potential nanomaterials. Currently, BAM is developing reference nanoparticles, which shall expand the scarce list of worldwide available nano reference materials certified for particle size distribution and will also target other key parameters like shape, structure, porosity or functional properties. In this respect, materials like iron oxide or titanium dioxide are considered as candidates to complement the already available silica, Au, Ag, and polystyrene reference nanoparticles.
The thermal decomposition of iron oleate precursors in high boiling organic solvents can provide large quantities of iron oxide nanoparticles that can be varied in size and shape.[1, 2] The presence of oleic acid or other hydrophobic ligands as capping agents ensures stable dispersion in nonpolar solvents. Such monodisperse, spherical particles were synthesized at BAM and pre-characterized by electron microscopy (TEM, SEM including the transmission mode STEM-in-SEM) and dynamic light scattering comparing cumulants analysis and frequency power spectrum.
1. REACH regulations and nanosafety concerns create a strong need for nano reference materials with diverse properties.
2. Iron oxide nanoparticles are under development as new candidate reference material at BAM.
3. Narrow particle size distribution confirmed by light scattering and electron microscopy.
As an alternative shaping method to the traditionally used processes, additive manufacturing (AM) can produce economical ceramic components in small lot sizes and/or with complex geometries. Powder-based additive manufacturing processes like binder jetting are popular in the field of metal AM. One reason is the increased productivity compared to other AM technologies. For ceramic materials, powder-based AM technologies result in porous ceramic parts, provided they are not infiltrated. CerAMing GmbH unites the advantages of powder-based processes with the production of dense ceramic by means of the Layerwise Slurry Deposition. By using a suspension, a high packing density of the powder bed is achieved which leads to high green body densities. Due to this advantage the approach overcomes the problems of other powder-based AM technologies. Furthermore, a very economical debinding time allows the production of parts with high wall thicknesses.
The field of materials science is defined as “the study of the properties of solid materials and how those properties are determined by a material’s composition and structure.”. Many –if not most– of the materials that are produced nowadays owe their properties to structures engineered down to the nanoscopic level. This need has been partly realized thanks to the understanding of materials’ building blocks via characterization techniques that reach this level of resolution. Transmission electron microscopy, since its first implementation in the early 1930s (in Berlin), has been implemented to achieve imaging –and spectral– analysis at lateral resolutions down to the atomic level.
In this contribution, a series of practical examples will be presented, where applied materials are characterized by a range of transmission electron microscopy techniques to understand structural and functional properties of a wide range of materials. Among these materials examples will be presented on structural conventionally and additively manufactured metallic alloys, high entropy alloys, dissimilar aluminum-to-steel welds, magnetic nanoparticles, ceramic coatings, high temperature oxidation products. Addressed will be either the effect of processing route or that of the exposure to experimental conditions similar to those found in the respective intended applications.
Additive manufacturing (AM) of metallic alloys has gained momentum in the past decade for industrial applications. The microstructures of AM metallic alloys are complex and hierarchical from the macroscopic to the nanometer scale. When using laser-based powder bed fusion (L-PBF) process, two main microstructural features emerge at the nanoscale: the melt pool boundaries (MPB) and the solidification cellular substructure.
Here, details of the MPB are revealed to clearly show the three-dimensional nature of MPBs with changes of cell growth of direction and their relation to their surrounding cellular substructure, as investigated by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) for L-PBF 316L austenitic stainless steel (cf. Figure 1). A hitherto unknown modulated substructure with a period of 21 nm is further discovered within cells as the result of a partial Ga+-focused ion beam-induced ferritic transformation of the austenite. Cell cores and cell boundaries differ notably regarding the modulated substructure.
Dislocations are the carriers of plastic deformation. As such, their characterization offers important information on the properties they affect. In this contribution, a new tool is presented, which is incorporated in Amira ZIB Edition and allows for three-dimensional (3D) imaging and quantification of dislocations substructures from thick regions an electron-transparent specimen. In the tool, the dislocation segments are traced on diffraction contrast images that are obtained in the transmission electron microscope (TEM). The uncertainties related to the experimental setup and to the proposed method are discussed on the base of a tilt series.
9-12% Cr ferritic-martensitic stainless steels are widely used as high temperature construction materials in fossil fueled power plants due to their excellent creep and oxidation resistance, but changes in electricity markets during the last two decades have considerably changed the typical working conditions of these facilities. The growing share of renewable energy sources in power generation forces most of these plants into flexible operation with frequent load shifts or shutdowns. These cyclic operation profiles constitute a major lifetime issue, raising the question which fundamental processes govern the reaction of ferritic-martensitic steels to cyclic load and temperature variations.
The present contribution reports on current findings obtained in a multidisciplinary project funded by German Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) which combines cyclic mechanical and cyclic oxidation testing of different 9-12% Cr grades with detailed microstructural analyses and related micromechanical modeling.
In the present first part of our contribution, an overview will be given on the results obtained in the mechanical testing programme of the project. Mechanical analyses were carried out on P91 and (mainly) P92 steel grades, particularly looking at softening phenomena and lifetimes obtained in isothermal cyclic loading (low cycle fatigue, LCF), non-isothermal cyclic loading (thermo-mechanical fatigue, TMF), and service-like combinations of creep and fatigue periods. For this purpose, cylindrical specimens were extracted from thick-walled steam pipes, orthogonal to the pipe axis, and subjected to strain controlled cyclic loading (± 0.2 to ±0.5 % mechanical strain) to different degrees of softening at temperatures up to 620 °C.
The test results will be presented and discussed with a focus on the impact of hold periods (i.e. combined creep-fatigue conditions) on mechanical softening, lifetime and crack formation. Details on the microstructural evolution and their representation in a micromechanical model will be given in a second, complementary contribution to this conference.
Unlike conventional alloys, which typically consist of one main element, high-entropy alloys (HEAs) contain five or more principal elements, which broaden chemical complexity and with it a realm of synergistic mechanisms. The AlMo0.5NbTa0.5TiZr HEA initiated a subclass of Al-containing refractory (r)HEAs that has recently drawn attention [2]. The alloy has a superalloy-resembling B2/bcc nanostructure, which inspired its name refractory high entropy superalloy (RSA). With high-temperature (HT) compressive strengths beyond conventional Ni-based superalloys, this nanostructure could be used for improved HT structural applications. However, in the application-relevant HT regime the Al-Zr-rich B2 phase decomposes to form a hexagonal Al-Zr-based intermetallic (Al4-xZr5; x: 0..1) [3,4]. This work explores the fascinating yet fatal micromechanisms associated to this phase transformation, in the context of creep, annealing and oxidation experiments performed between 800 and 1200 °C.
The material was produced by arc-melting and heat treatment in argon, which lead to grain boundaries decorated with up to 7%. Interrupted constant-load creep tests were performed under vacuum (at 10-4 Pa), at 900–1100 °C with external tensile stresses of 30–120 MPa. Oxidation experiments were separately conducted for 24 hours at 800 and 1000 °C in both dry (21% O2 + 79% N2) and humid (8% O2 + 74% N2 + 18% H2O) air. After the experiments, the samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy to reveal degradation mechanisms. Crystallographic texture, orientation relationships and stabilization of an oxygen-containing iso structure (Al4-xZr5(Ox-y); y: 0..x) of the Al-Zr-rich intermetallic are found and discussed.
The current competitive situation on electricity markets forces conventional power plants into cyclic operation regimes with frequent load shifts and starts/shutdowns. In the present work, the cyclic mechanical behavior of ferritic-martensitic 9-12 % Cr steels under isothermal and thermomechanical loading was investigated for the example of grade P92 material. A continuous softening was observed under all loading conditions. The introduction of hold periods to the applied cycles reduced material lifetime, with most prominent effects at technologically relevant small strain levels. The microstructural characterization reveals a coarsening of the original “martensitic” lath-type microstructure to a structure with polygonal subgrains and reduced dislocation density. The microstructural data forms the input for a physically-based modelling approach.
The current trend towards cyclic, “flexible” operation of fossil-fueled power plants constitutes a major issue regarding lifetime and operational safety of the respective installations and their components, as was outlined in our complementary contribution (Part 1). The present contribution reports on the investigation of the microstructure evolution in cyclically loaded ferritic-martensitic steels and its representation in a physically-based micromechanical model.
For this purpose, specimens of P92 steel grade from the mechanical test programme outlined in our companion contribution (Part 1) were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), including backscattered diffraction (EBSD) mapping, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). A novel method was implemented to improve angular resolution of EBSD scans. Additionally, a correlative microscopy approach was developed and used to correlate EBSD and TEM measurements on the same locations of thick regions of electron transparent specimens. By applying these techniques, a detailed quantitative microstructure description of the as-received material condition, namely in terms of subgrain morphology and dislocation density/distributions, was established. Comparisons of as-received and cyclically loaded conditions from tests interrupted at different stages of lifetime indicate a rapid redistribution of in-grain dislocations with a strong interaction between mobile dislocations and low angle grain boundaries (LABs).
The proposed micromechanical model is formulated in a viscoplastic self-consistent (VPSC) scheme, which is a mean-field approach that allows us to include the crystal details at the level of slip systems while avoiding the considerable computational costs of full-field approaches (such as the classical crystal plasticity finite element analysis). Being physically-based, the model uses dislocation densities and includes the interaction between dislocations, e.g. annihilation of mobile dislocations, and evolution of microstructure, e.g. the grain coarsening. Particularly, the constitutive laws for dislocation evolution and interaction between dislocations and low angle boundaries are calibrated based on two-dimensional discrete dislocation dynamic (2D DDD) simulations, which are performed at a micro-/meso-scale. The results of the beforementioned EBSD experiments are considered as a direct input, involving e.g. the amount of geometrically necessary dislocations, average misorientations and grain characteristics.
The project ProMoAM is presented. The goal of the project is to evaluate which NDT techniques or combination of techniques is suited for in-situ quality assurance in additive manufacturing of metals. To this end, also 3d-data fusion and visualization techniques are applied. Additional ex-situ NDT-techniques are used as references for defect detection and quantification. Feasability studies for NDT-techniques that are presently not applicable for in-situ use are performed as well.
The presentation gives a brief overview of the whole project and the different involved NDT-techniques.
The suitability of an Al2O3 coating for corrosion protection on X20Cr13 was evaluated in various artificial geothermal brines, focusing on the influence of different pH (4, 6 and 8) and their chemical compositions on the coating properties. All experiments were performed in the laboratory using autoclaves at 150 ◦C and 1 MPa in deaerated condition for 1 and 7 days. Results showed that the pH of geothermal waters is the most detrimental factor in the transformation of ɣ-Al2O3 and its protective abilities. Delaminations were found in the Coating exposed to geothermal brines with pH 4. FTIR spectra indicated a transformation of ɣ-Al2O3 to boehmite AlOOH after exposure to pH 4 and 6, and bayerite Al(OH)3 was formed after exposure to pH 8. Different Crystal structures of the hydrated Al2O3 also contribute to the stability of the coatings, observed by the SEM- EDX of the surface and cross-section of coatings. This study indicated that ɣ-Al2O3 sol-gel coating presents a promising aspect of corrosion protection in geothermal environment with a neutral pH.
Geothermal energy is one of the most promising energy resources to replace fossil fuel. To extract this energy, hot fluids of various salts and gases are pumped up from a geothermal well having a certain depth and location. Geothermal wells in volcanic regions often contain highly corrosive CO2 and H2S gases that can be corrosive to the geothermal power-plants, which are commonly constructed of different steels, such as carbon steel. This research focuses on the corrosion behaviour of carbon steel exposed to an artificial geothermal fluid containing CO2 gas, using an artificial acidic-saline geothermal brine as found in Sibayak, Indonesia. This medium has a pH of 4 and a chloride content of 1,500 mg/L. Exposure tests were conducted for seven days at 70 °C and 150 °C to simulate the operating temperatures for low and medium enthalpy geothermal sources. Surface morphology and cross-section of the specimens from the above experiments were analysed using scanning electron microscope (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray (EDX). Electrochemical tests via open circuit potential (OCP) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) were performed to understand the corrosion processes of carbon steel in CO2-containing solution both at 70 °C and 150 °C. Localized corrosion was observed to a greater extent at 70 °C due to the less protectiveness of corrosion product layer compared to that at 150 °C, where FeCO3 has a high corrosion resistance. However, a longer exposure test for 28 days revealed the occurrence of localized corrosion with deeper pits compared to the seven-day exposed carbon steel. In addition, corrosion product transformation was observed after 28 days, indicating that more Ca2+ cations incorporate into the FeCO3 structure.
Electrochemical deposition of polyaniline on carbon steel for corrosion study in geothermal solution
(2019)
Polyaniline has been widely developed for many applications, e.g. sensor, supercapacitor components, electrochromic devices, and anticorrosion pigments. Although the addition of polyaniline pigment in organic coatings has been an alternative for corrosion protection in industrial applications, the protection mechanism is still not fully understood. Herein in this study, as a part of the development of polyaniline/silicon dioxide coating for geothermal application, polyaniline has been deposited electrochemically on carbon steel surface in oxalic acid medium and tested in geothermal solution to understand the contribution of polyaniline to the corrosion protection of a polyaniline-based composite in the geothermal system. To observe the surface/interface reaction between the electrolyte and electrode surface during the electrochemical polymerization, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) was applied after each cycle. For corrosion study in the geothermal application, an artificial geothermal solution was used with the composition of 1,500 mg/l Cl⁻, 20 mg/l SO₄²⁻, 15 mg/l HCO₃⁻, 200 mg/l Ca²⁺, 250 mg/l K⁺, and 600 mg/l Na⁺, and pH 4 to simulate a geothermal brine found in Sibayak, Indonesia. An electrochemical measurement was performed by monitoring the open circuit potential over seven days, with the interruption by EIS every 22 hours. The experiments were performed at room temperature and 150 °C (1 MPa) in an oxygen-free environment. Impedance spectra showed a reduction of the total impedance value of approximately 10 times for specimens measured at 150 °C compared to the specimens measured at room temperature, suggesting a less stable layer at high temperature.
Study of Polyaniline/Silicon Dioxide based Coating on Carbon Steel in Artificial Geothermal Brine
(2021)
Geothermal brines are corrosive in nature because of their salt contents and high temperatures. Therefore, they pose a major challenge to geothermal power-plants, which are mostly built of low alloyed steels, e.g., carbon steel. Carbon steel is susceptible to uniform and localized corrosion when exposed to geothermal brines having acidic-saline properties. To overcome this limitation, geothermal power plants should be built by either high alloyed materials or by integrating protection systems on carbon steel, such as coatings and inhibitors. We studied a coating system containing polyaniline/silicon dioxide basing on locally available resources that provides protection against corrosion of carbon steel and enhance the thermal resistance in geothermal environments. Here, exposure and electrochemical tests of coated carbon steels were performed in an artificial geothermal brine. The solution had a pH of 4, with the composition of 1,500 mg/L of chlorides, which is based on the chemical analysis of geothermal brine found in Sibayak, Indonesia. All exposure tests were conducted using autoclaves at 150 °C with a total pressure of 1 MPa, which was performed for up to six months to evaluate the durability of the coating system. Post-experimental analyses were performed by assessing the surface of specimens using optical and electron microscopes. On the other hand, electrochemical tests were performed for seven days at 25 °C and 150 °C to investigate the kinetics of electrochemical reactions by measuring open circuit potential and electrochemical impedance spectra. Experimental results showed the corrosion resistance of PANI/SiO2 composite coatings, where polyaniline and SiO2 play their roles as stabilizers.
Al2O3 coatings are often used as protective layers on steels against electrochemical and high-temperature corrosion because they are chemically inert and stable at elevated temperatures. This study presents preliminary work on the possibilities of using Al2O3 sol-gel coatings for corrosion protection of martensitic stainless steels in geothermal environments. Al2O3 sol-gel coatings were applied on UNS S42000, which is known to be susceptible to uniform and localized corrosion. The coated steel specimens were then tested in two types of artificial geothermal water, which simulate the geothermal fluids found in Sibayak (SBY), Indonesia, and North German Basin (NGB), Germany, respectively. SBY has pH 4 and 1.5 g/L of chloride ions, whereas NGB has a pH of 6 and 166 g/L of chloride ions. All experiments were carried out in autoclaves at 150 °C and 1 MPa under the deaerated condition. Evaluations were performed by investigating the surface profiles of both uncoated and coated steels before and after the corrosion test using a Laser Scanning Microscope (LSM) and Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). Finally, Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) was performed to compare the corrosion resistance of Al2O3 coated steels in SBY and NGB solutions. It was observed from the corrosion test that Al2O3 coatings are more suitable for use in the geothermal water with a higher pH.
This contribution presents the results of an experimental study on the LCF behavior of an austenitic 316L stainless steel produced by laser powder bed fusion featuring a low defect population, which allows for an improved understanding of the role of other typical aspects of a PBF‑LB microstructure. The LCF tests were performed between room temperature and 600 °C. A hot‑rolled 316L variant was tested as a reference. The mechanical response is characterized by strain-life curves, a Coffin‑Manson‑Basquin fitting, and cyclic deformation curves. The damage and deformation mechanisms are studied with X-ray computed tomography, optical and electron microscopy. The PBF‑LB/M/316L exhibits lower fatigue lives at lower strain amplitudes. The crack propagation is mainly transgranular. The solidification cellular structure seems to be the most relevant underlying microstructural feature determining the cyclic deformation behavior.
Despite of the significant advances in AM process optimization there is still a lack of experimental results and understanding regarding the mechanical behavior and microstructural evolution of AMparts, especially in loading conditions typical for safety-relevant applications e.g. in the aerospace or power engineering. Within the scope of the presented investigations, a characterization of the fatigue behavior of additively manufactured Ti-6Al-4V in the low cycle fatigue regime was carried out in the range of 0.3 to 1.0 % strain amplitude at room temperature, 250°C and 400°C. The Ti-6Al-4V specimens are machined out of lean cylindrical rods, which were fabricated using powder laser metal deposition (LMD) with an improved build-up strategy. The improved strategy incorporates variable track overlap ratios to achieve a constant growth in the shell and core area. The low-cycle-fatigue behavior is described based on cyclic deformation curves and strain-based fatigue life curves. The lifetimes are fitted based on the Manson-Coffin-Basquin relationship. A characterization of the microstructure and the Lack-of-Fusion (LoF)-defect-structure in the as-built state is performed using optical light microscopy and high-resolution computed tomography (CT) respectively. The failure mechanism under loading is described in terms of LoF-defects-evolution and crack growth mechanism based on an interrupted LCF test with selected test parameters. After failure, scanning electron microscopy, digital and optical light microscopy and CT are used to describe the failure mechanisms both in the longitudinal direction and in the cross section of the specimens. The fatigue lives obtained are comparable with results from previous related studies and are shorter than those of traditionally manufactured (wrought) Ti-6Al-4V. In this study new experimental data and understanding of the mechanical behavior under application-relevant loading conditions (high temperature, cyclic plasticity) is gained. Furthermore, a better understanding of the role of LoFdefects and AM-typical microstructural features on the failure mechanism of LMD Ti-6Al-4V is achieved.
Despite of the significant advances in additive manufacturing (AM) process optimization there is still a lack of experimental results and understanding regarding the mechanical behavior and its relationship with the microstructural features of AM-parts, especially in loading conditions typical for safety-relevant applications. Within the scope of the presented ongoing investigations, a basic microstructural characterization, tensile tests at room and elevated temperature (400°C) as well as a characterization of the fatigue behavior of additively manufactured Ti-6Al-4V in the low cycle fatigue regime are carried out in the as-built state. After failure, different techniques are used to describe the failure mechanisms of the specimens. The AM-Specimens are provided by the Fraunhofer institute for production systems and design technology and investigated at the BAM following the philosophy of the TF-Project AGIL.
Within the perspective of increasing reliability of AM processes, real-time monitoring allows part inspection while it is built and simultaneous defect detection. Further developments of real-time monitoring can also bring to self-regulating process controls. Key points to reach such a goal are the extensive research and knowledge of correlations between sensor signals and their causes in the process.
Towards Interoperability: Digital Representation of a Material Specific Characterization Method
(2022)
Certain metallic materials gain better mechanical properties through controlled heat treatments. For example, in age-hardenable aluminum alloys, the strengthening mechanism is based on the controlled formation of nanometer sized precipitates, which represent obstacles to dislocation movement. Precise tuning of the material structure is critical for optimal mechanical behavior in the application. Therefore, analysis of the microstructure and especially the precipitates is essential to determine the ideal parameters for the interplay of material and heat treatment. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) is utilized to identify precipitate types and orientations in a first step. Dark-field imaging (DF-TEM) is often used to image the precipitates and to quantify their relevant dimensions.
The present work aims at the digital representation of this material-specific characterization method. Instead of a time-consuming, manual image analysis, an automatable, digital approach is demonstrated. Based on DF-TEM images of different precipitation states of a wrought aluminum alloy, a modularizable digital workflow for quantitative precipitation analysis is presented. The integration of this workflow into a data pipeline concept will also be discussed. Thus, by using ontologies, the raw image data, their respective contextual information, and the resulting output data from the quantitative precipitation analysis can be linked in a triplestore. Publishing the digital workflow and the ontologies will ensure the reproducibility of the data. In addition, the semantic structure enables data sharing and reuse for other applications and purposes, demonstrating interoperability.
The presented work is part of two digitization initiatives, the Platform MaterialDigital (PMD, materialdigital.de) and Materials-open-Laboratory (Mat-o-Lab).
Towards interoperability: Digital representation of a material specific characterization method
(2023)
Certain metallic materials gain better mechanical properties through controlled heat treatments. In age-hardenable aluminum alloys, the strengthening mechanism is based on the controlled formation of nanometer sized precipitates, which hinder dislocation movement. Analysis of the microstructure and especially the precipitates by transmission electron microscopy allows identification of precipitate types and orientations. Dark-field imaging is often used to image the precipitates and quantify their relevant dimensions.
The present work aims at the digital representation of this material-specific characterization method. Instead of a time-consuming, manual image analysis, a digital approach is demonstrated. The integration of an exemplary digital workflow for quantitative precipitation analysis into a data pipeline concept is presented. Here ontologies enable linking of contextual information to the resulting output data in a triplestore. Publishing digital workflow and ontologies ensures the reproducibility of the data. The semantic structure enables data sharing and reuse for other applications and purposes, demonstrating interoperability.
Knowledge representation in the materials science and engineering (MSE) domain is a vast and multi-faceted challenge: Overlap, ambiguity, and inconsistency in terminology are common. Invariant and variant knowledge are difficult to align cross-domain. Generic top-level semantic terminology often is too abstract, while MSE domain terminology often is too specific.
The PMDco is designed in direct support of the FAIR principles to address immediate needs of the global experts community and their requirements. The illustrated findings show how the PMDco bridges semantic gaps between high-level, MSE-specific, and other science domain semantics, how the PMDco lowers development and integration thresholds, and how to fuel it from real-world data sources ranging from manually conducted experiments and simulations as well as continuously automated industrial applications.
This presentation provides a comprehensive overview of recent developments and the current status within the Semantic Interoperability work area, with a particular emphasis on the advancements related to the Platform MaterialDigital Core Ontology (PMDco). The presentation will delve into the collaborative and community-supported curation process that has been instrumental in shaping PMDco. Additionally, we will introduce the innovative Ontology Playground, showcasing its role in fostering experimentation and exploration within the realm of ontology development.
This poster presents the focused ion beam preparation methodologies developed within the framework of the EU funded EURAMET project ADVENT (Advanced Energy-Saving Technology).
It summarises the key breakthroughs achieved for various in situ investigation techniques, e.g. in situ experiments at the Synchrotron facility BESSY II (IR-SNOM and XRS), TEM and SMM instrumentation.
The created experimental devices from diverse thin-film semiconductor materials paved the way to dynamic structural studies bearing the potential to determine nanoscale correlations between strain and electric fields and, moreover, for the fundamental development of new in situ capabilities.
The PMD Core Ontology (PMDco) is a comprehensive set of building blocks produced via consensus building. The ontological building blocks provide a framework representing knowledge about fundamental concepts used in Materials Science and Engineering (MSE) today. The PMDco is a mid-level ontology that establishes connections between narrower MSE application ontologies and domain neutral concepts used in already established broader (top-level) ontologies. The primary goal of the PMDco design is to enable interoperability between various other MSE-related ontologies and other common ontologies.
PMDco’s class structure is both comprehensive and extensible, rendering it an efficient tool to structure MSE knowledge. The PMDco serves as a semantic middle-layer unifying common MSE concepts via semantic mapping to other semantic representations using well-known key terms used in the MSE domain. The PMDco enables straight-forward documentation and tracking of science data generation and in consequence enables high-quality FAIR data that allows for precise reproducibility of scientific experiments.
The design of PMDco is based on the W3C Provenance Ontology (PROV-O), which provides a standard framework for capturing the production, derivation, and attribution of resources. Via this foundation, the PMDco enables the integration of data from various data origins and the representation of complex workflows.
In summary, the PMDco is a valuable advancement for researchers and practitioners in MSE domains. It provides a common MSE vocabulary to represent and share knowledge, allowing for efficient collaboration and promoting interoperability between diverse domains. Its design allows for the systematic integration of data and metadata, enabling seamless tracing of science data. Overall, the PMDco is a crucial step towards a unified and comprehensive understanding of the MSE domain in general.
Many metallic materials gain better mechanical properties through controlled heat treatments. For example, in age-hardenable aluminium alloys, the strengthening mechanism is based on the controlled formation of nanometre-sized precipitates, which represent obstacles to dislocation movement and consequently increase the strength. Precise tuning of the material microstructure is thus crucial for optimal mechanical behaviour under service condition of a component. Therefore, analysis of the microstructure, especially the precipitates, is essential to determine the optimum parameters for the interplay of material and heat treatment. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) is utilized to identify precipitate types and orientations in the first step. Dark-field imaging (DF-TEM) is often used to image the precipitates and thereafter quantify their relevant dimensions. Often, these evaluations are still performed by manual image analysis, which is very time-consuming and to some extent also poses reproducibility problems.
Our work aims at a semantic representation of an automatable digital approach for this material specific characterization method under adaption of FAIR data practices. Based on DF-TEM images of different precipitation states of a wrought aluminium alloy, the modularizable, digital workflow of quantitative analysis of precipitate dimensions is described. The integration of this workflow into a data pipeline concept will also be discussed. Using ontologies, the raw image data, their respective contextual information, and the resulting output data of the quantitative image analysis can be linked in a triplestore. Publishing the digital workflow and the ontologies will ensure data reproducibility. In addition, the semantic structure enables data sharing and reuse for other applications and purposes, demonstrating interoperability.
A large amount of publicly available data is reproduced every day in the field of materials science, while these kind of material data can have different formats and types like paper-type publications, standards, datasheets or isolated datasets in repositories. However, gathering a specific library from such extensive and diverse material data is always challenging for the materials scientists and engineers, since the time-related limitations are not allowed to fully access the large publicly available databases; search across these disparate databases, manage the large volumes of heterogeneous datasets, and integrate data from multiple sources. To address these challenges and make data findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable (FAIR), an efficient data management system is necessary to build comprehensive, documented, and connected data spaces in the future. A formal standardized knowledge representation through an ontology can address such problems and make data more available and interoperable between related domains. Ontology can also rich machine processable semantic descriptions that increases the performance of scientific searches. In this regard, the Platform MaterialDigital (PMD) is currently working on developing a high-level ontology for the materials and material related processes. For example, in one of the PMD projects of “KupferDigital”, we will try to develop a data ecosystem for digital materials research based on ontology-based digital representations of copper and copper alloys. As a case study, this paper describes the methodology for ontology development of Brinell hardness, based on PMD core ontology. The methodology we describe includes the following steps; gathering the required domain terminology from different resources like standards (DIN EN ISO 6506-1) and test reports, representing the performance of a standard-conformant hardness test and the treatment of the recorded values up to a “reportable” hardness value for a material, designing the process chain according to the semantic technologies, and developing a domain-level ontology of Brinell hardness based on PMD ontology semantic formalization. Apart the mentioned methodology, some interesting tools and methods were introduced and ontology design challenges and possible solutions for modelling materials and processes were discussed. Furthermore, a dataset from the Brinell hardness measurement of cast copper samples is prepared for testing the query process.
The materials mechanical testing ontology (MTO) was developed by collecting the mechanical testing vocabulary from ISO 23718 standard, as well as the standardized testing processes described for various mechanical testing of materials like tensile testing, Brinell hardness test, Vickers hardness test, stress relaxation test, and fatigue testing. Confirming the ISO/IEC 21838-2 standard, MTO utilizes the Basic Formal Ontology (BFO), Common Core Ontology (CCO), Industrial Ontologies Foundry (IOF), Quantities, Units, Dimensions, and data Types ontologies (QUDT), and Material Science and Engineering Ontology (MSEO) as the upper-level ontologies. Reusing these upper-level ontologies and materials testing standards not only makes MTO highly interoperable with other ontologies but also ensures its acceptance and applicability in the industry. MTO represents the mechanical testing entities in the 230 classes and four main parts: i) Mechanical testing experiments entities like tensile, hardness, creep, and fatigue tests as the subclasses of mseo:Experiment, ii) Mechanical testing quantity concepts such as toughness, elongation, and fatigue strength in the appropriate hierarchies of bfo:Disposition and bfo:Quality classes, iii) Mechanical testing artifacts like indenter as the subclasses of cco:Artifact, and iv) mechanical testing data like the stress-strain, S-N, or creep curves as the subclasses of cco:InformationContentEntity. MTO is publicly available via the KupferDigital GitLab repository.
The KupferDigital project aims to develop digital methods, tools, and data space infrastructures for digitalizing the entire life cycle of copper materials. The mechanical testing process is one of the main chains of such life cycles which generates lots of important testing data about the mechanical properties of the materials and their related materials and testing metadata. To train the digitalization of the mechanical testing process, different kinds of copper alloys were provided for this project, and their mechanical properties were measured by typical methods like Brinell and Vickers hardness and tensile testing. The primary raw testing data as well as the secondary datasets of these tests are provided. The detailed materials specifications, the utilized mechanical testing methods, and provided datasets are described in the content file. The test data files of heterogeneous structures are processed by the KupferDigital digital tools to be converted to standardized machine-readable data files.
KupferDigital mechanical testing datasets: Stress relaxation and low-cycle fatigue (LCF) tests
(2024)
The KupferDigital project deals with the development of a data ecosystem for digital materials research on the basis of ontology-based digital representations of copper and copper alloys. This document provides exemplary mechanical testing datasets for training the developed KupferDigital infrastructures. Different types of cast copper alloys were provided for this research and their mechanical testing (stress relaxation and low-cycle fatigue) was performed in the accredited materials testing laboratory, while the test results were reported according to the DIN/ISO standards and attached with the maximum possible metadata about the sample history, equipment, and calibration. The attached content file consisted of the obtained primary raw testing data as well as the secondary datasets of these tests containing the detailed metadata of mechanical testing methods. Such test data files are processed by the KupferDigital digital tools to be converted to standardized machine-readable data files.
This research deals with the development of the Vickers hardness knowledge graph, mapping the example dataset in them, and exporting the data-mapped knowledge graph as a machine-readable Resource Description Framework (RDF). Modeling the knowledge graph according to the standardized test procedure and using the appropriate upper-level ontologies were taken into consideration to develop the highly standardized, incorporable, and industrial applicable models. Furthermore, the Ontopanel approach was utilized for mapping the real experimental data in the developed knowledge graphs and the resulting RDF files were successfully evaluated through the SPARQL queries.
Mechanical testing ontology
(2023)
The materials mechanical testing ontology (MTO) was developed by collecting the mechanical testing vocabulary from ISO 23718 standard, as well as the standardized testing processes described for various mechanical testing of materials like tensile testing, Brinell hardness test, Vickers hardness test, stress relaxation test, and fatigue testing. Confirming the ISO/IEC 21838-2 standard, MTO utilizes the Basic Formal Ontology (BFO), Common Core Ontology (CCO), Industrial Ontologies Foundry (IOF), Quantities, Units, Dimensions, and data Types ontologies (QUDT), and Material Science and Engineering Ontology (MSEO) as the upper-level ontologies.
Nickel-based alloys have been widely used for gas turbine blades owing to their excellent mechanical properties and corrosion resistance at high temperatures. The operating temperatures of modern gas turbines have been increased in pursuit of increased thermal efficiency. Turbine blades are exposed to these high temperatures combined with mechanical stresses, resulting in material damage through creep, fatigue, and other mechanisms. These turbine blades must be regularly inspected and replaced as needed, to prevent the loss of efficiency, breakdown, and catastrophic failure. Repair of the damaged turbine blades is often a more practical and cost-effective option than replacement, as replacement is associated with high costs and loss of material resources. To this end, state-of-the-art repair technologies including different additive manufacturing and brazing processes are considered to ensure efficient repair and optimum properties of repaired components.
In any repaired part, materials property-mismatches and/or inner defects may facilitate the crack initiation and propagation and thus reduce the number of load cycles to failure. Therefore, a fundamental understanding of the fatigue crack growth and fracture mechanisms in joining zones is required to enable the prediction of the remaining life of repaired components and to further improve and adapt the repair technologies.
Fatigue crack growth experiments have been conducted on SEN (Single Edge Notch) specimens joined via brazing, and pre-sintered Preform (PSP) and multi-materials (casted/printed) specimens layered via additive manufacturing (AM). The experiments were performed at 950 °C and various stress ratios. The crack growth was measured using DCPD (Direct Current Potential Drop) method. The stress intensity factors for joined SEN specimens were calculated using the finite element method and then used to derive the fatigue crack growth curves. Metallographic and fractographic analyses were conducted to get insight into the fracture mechanism.
Results show that the experimental technique for fatigue crack growth was successfully adapted and applied for testing joined specimens. Furthermore, the initial tests indicate that the investigated braze filler material provides a lower resistance to crack growth, and bonding defects cause a crack to deviate to the interface of the base material and joining zone. In AM-sandwich specimens, the crack growth rates are significantly reduced when the crack reaches the interface of printed material and casted material. The obtained crack growth data can be used to calibrate a crack growth model, which will further be utilized to predict the remaining life of repaired components.
Gas turbine components, made of nickel-based alloys, undergo material damage due to high temperatures and mechanical stresses. These components need periodic replacement to avoid efficiency loss and failure. Repair of these parts is more cost-effective than replacement. State-of-the-art repair technologies, including different additive manufacturing (AM) and brazing processes, are considered for efficient restoration. Materials properties mismatches and/or internal defects in repaired parts may expedite crack initiation and propagation, reducing fatigue life. To understand the crack growth behavior in joining zones and predict the remaining life of repaired components, fatigue crack growth (FCG) tests were conducted on specimens of nickel-based alloys joined via brazing, pre-sintered preforms and AM. The FCG experimental technique was successfully adapted for joined specimens and results indicate that the investigated braze material provides a lower resistance to crack growth. In AM-sandwich specimens, the crack growth rates are significantly reduced at the interface of AM and cast material.
Knowledge representation in the materials science and engineering (MSE) domain is a vast and multi-faceted challenge: Overlap, ambiguity, and inconsistency in terminology are common. Invariant and variant knowledge are difficult to align cross-domain. Generic top-level semantic terminology often is too abstract, while MSE domain terminology often is too specific.
In this presentation, an approach how to maintain a comprehensive and intuitive MSE-centric terminology composing a mid-level ontology–the PMD core ontology (PMDco)–via MSE community-based curation procedures is shown.
The PMDco is designed in direct support of the FAIR principles to address immediate needs of the global experts community and their requirements. The illustrated findings show how the PMDco bridges semantic gaps between high-level, MSE-specific, and other science domain semantics, how the PMDco lowers development and integration thresholds, and how to fuel it from real-world data sources ranging from manually conducted experiments and simulations as well as continuously automated industrial applications.
Artificial bone replacement by individual customized three-dimensional resorbable bioactive glass has not yet been widely established in the clinical use. This is mainly due to the antagonism of sintering ability and suitable bioactivity. Competitive crystallization often prevents the generation of dense sintered bodies, especially for additive manufactured 3D structures. Previous studies of the fluoride-containing glass F3 have shown its potential to combine both sintering ability and suitable bioactivity. Furthermore, the occurring sintering blockade by surface crystallization of Na2CaSi2O6 was tunable by glass particle size.
In this study the glasses F3, F3-Cu with 1 mol% CuO added at the expense of CaO and the well-known 13-93 were chosen to determine the influence of surface crystallization on 3D printed sinter bodies. For this purpose, grain size fractions in range of smaller 32 µm to 315 µm in fraction size of 6-20 µm were sieved from jaw crushed glass frit as well as glass cubes were cut from casted blocks for all glasses. Sintering behavior of both pressed and printed powder compacts was observed via heating microscopy. Crystallization was determined by DTA and crystallization progress was monitored on fractured sinter bodies and polished cubes via electron and laser scanning microscopy as well as with diffractometry.
Depending on grain size the formation of crystalline support framework along former grain boundaries shows the capability to stabilize fully densified sinter bodies before softening. Beside of this, the generation of complex hierarchic porosity was possible as well.
Sintered bioactive glass scaffolds of defined shape and porosity, e.g. made via additive manufacturing, must provide sufficient bioactivity and sinterability. As higher bioactivity is often linked to high corrosion and crystallization tendency, a certain compromise between sintering ability and bioactivity is therefore required. Groh et al. developed a fluoride-containing bioactive glass (F3), which allows fiber drawing and shows a bioactivity well comparable to that of Bioglass®45S5.
To study whether and to what extent the sinterability of F3 glass powder is controlled by particle size, coarse and fine F3 glass powders (300-310µm and 0-32µm) were prepared by crushing, sieving and milling. Sintering, degassing and phase transformation during heating were studied with heating microscopy, vacuum hot extraction (VHE), DTA, XRD, and SEM.
For the coarse glass powder, sintering proceeds slowly and is limited by surface crystallization of primary Na2CaSi2O6 crystals. Although the crystallization onset of Na2CaSi2O6 is shifted to lower temperature, full densification is attained for the fine powder. This finding indicate that certain porosity might be tuned via particle size variation. Above 900°C, intensive foaming is evident for the fine powder. VHE studies revealed that carbon species are the main foaming source.
Crack healing in glass ceramic solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) sealants is of utmost importance as cracks caused by thermal cycling remain a bottleneck in developing durable SOFC. Whereas no or low crystal volume fraction seems most favorable for viscous crack healing, it does not for load bearing and undesired diffusion. On the other hand, crystals or filler particles can make the sealant less prone to these disadvantages but it could increase the effective composite viscosity and retard crack healing.
Against this background, the influence of crystal volume fraction, phi, on viscous crack healing in glass matrix composites prepared from soda lime silicate glass and zirconia filler particles was studied. Vickers indention induced radial cracks were healed isothermally during interrupted annealing steps and monitored with optical microscopy. Due to the slow crystallization of the glass under study, phi could be kept constant during crack healing.
For bulk glass samples (phi = =), the decrease in radial crack length was retarded by an initial increase in crack width due to crack rounding. Up to phi = 0.15 the increase in effective viscosity retarded this crack broadening thereby yielding faster crack healing. For phi > 0.15, crack broadening was progressively suppressed but the same was true for crack healing, which was fully prevented above phi = 0.3. Results indicate that optimum micro structures can prevent crack broadening limited by the global effective composite viscosity and this way promote crack healing limited by local glass viscosity.
The following work deals with the quantitative fracture surface evaluation in damage analysis. So far, fracture surfaces have almost exclusively been evaluated qualitatively, i.e. the presence of fracture features is documented and their surface proportions are estimated, if necessary. Many years of experience are required, as well as an intensive comparison with defined comparative images from the literature. The aim of this work is the development of classifiers which can recognize fracture mechanisms or fracture features in scanning electron microscope images (SEM). The basis is 46 SEM images, which have been evaluated by fractography experts with regard to fracture features. The existing data set of images is expanded using augmentation methods in order to increase the variability of the data and counteract overfitting. Only convolutional neural networks (CNN) are used to create the classifiers. Various network configurations are tested, with the SegNet achieving the best results.
The Global Exploration Strategy of the International Space Exploration Coordination Group (ISECG) describes a timeframe of 2020 and beyond with the ultimate aim to establish a human presence on Mars towards the 2040ies. The next steps lie on the Moon with a focus on the coming 10 years. Early lunar surface missions will establish a capability in support of lunar science and prepare and test mission operations for subsequent human exploration of Mars and long-duration human activities on the Moon.
Given the extreme costs involved in the shipping of material from Earth, a prerequisite for future human exploration is the manufacturing of elements directly on the Moon’s surface. Unlike the equipment, which at the beginning will have to be brought from Earth, raw materials and energy could be available following the concept of In-Situ Resource Utilization. The ESA OSIP PAVING THE ROAD (PAVER) study investigates the use of a laser to sinter regolith into paving elements for use as roadways and launch pads thus mitigating dust issues for transport and exploration vehicles.
The ESA-funded study examines the potential of using a laser (12 kW CO2 laser with spot beam up to 100 mm) for layer sintering of lunar and martian regolith powders to manufacture larger 3D elements and provide know-how for the automatic manufacture of paving elements in the lunar environment. The project contributes to the first step toward the establishment of a lunar base and will lead to the construction of equipment capable of paving areas and manufacturing 3D structures.
PAVER project sets the starting point for an examination of the larger context of lunar exploration. Mission scenarios will look at different phases of lunar exploration: Robotic Lunar Exploration, Survivability, Sustainability, and Operational Phase. A proposed Technology Roadmap investigates the mission scenario and analyses how, and to which extent, laser melting/sintering will play a role in the various phases of exploration. The paper contextualizes laser sintering within selected mission scenarios and discusses the different kinds of infrastructure that can be produced at each phase of the mission. The outcome of the study includes the detailing of the TRL steps in the project and an outline of a timeline for the different elements. Covered aspects include terrain modelling such as operation pads, roadways, or towers, non-pressurized building structures to protect machinery, and habitat envelopes, to protect and shield humans against dust, micrometeoroids, and radiation.
The Global Exploration Strategy of the International Space Exploration Coordination Group (ISECG) describes a timeframe of 2020 and beyond with the ultimate aim to establish a human presence on Mars towards the 2040ies. The next steps lie on the Moon with a focus on the coming 10 years. Early lunar surface missions will establish a capability in support of lunar science and prepare and test mission operations for subsequent human exploration of Mars and long-duration human activities on the Moon.
Given the extreme costs involved in the shipping of material from Earth, a prerequisite for future human exploration is the manufacturing of elements directly on the Moon’s surface. Unlike the equipment, which at the beginning will have to be brought from Earth, raw materials and energy could be available following the concept of In-Situ Resource Utilization. The ESA OSIP PAVING THE ROAD (PAVER) study investigates the use of a laser to sinter regolith into paving elements for use as roadways and launch pads thus mitigating dust issues for transport and exploration vehicles.
The ESA-funded study examines the potential of using a laser (12 kW CO2 laser with spot beam up to 100 mm) for layer sintering of lunar and martian regolith powders to manufacture larger 3D elements and provide know-how for the automatic manufacture of paving elements in the lunar environment. The project contributes to the first step toward the establishment of a lunar base and will lead to the construction of equipment capable of paving areas and manufacturing 3D structures.
PAVER project sets the starting point for an examination of the larger context of lunar exploration. Mission scenarios will look at different phases of lunar exploration: Robotic Lunar Exploration, Survivability, Sustainability, and Operational Phase. A proposed Technology Roadmap investigates the mission scenario and analyses how, and to which extent, laser melting/sintering will play a role in the various phases of exploration. The paper contextualizes laser sintering within selected mission scenarios and discusses the different kinds of infrastructure that can be produced at each phase of the mission. The outcome of the study includes the detailing of the TRL steps in the project and an outline of a timeline for the different elements. Covered aspects include terrain modelling such as operation pads, roadways, or towers, non-pressurized building structures to protect machinery, and habitat envelopes, to protect and shield humans against dust, micrometeoroids, and radiation.
Low-temperature co-fired ceramics (LTCC) are used to fabricate multilayer circuits which are robust in harsh environments. Thick-film technology is well established for the metallization of circuit boards and microsystems. For specific sensor applications, the combination of LTCC and thin-film technology is advantageous to reach higher structure resolutions. Due to the high roughness of as-fired LTCC surfaces compared with silicon-wafers, the deposition of low-defect- films with narrowly specified properties is challenging. There is spare literature about thin films on commercial LTCC comparing different material systems or sintering techniques. For developing thin film sensors on multilayer circuits it is crucial to identify thin-film-compatible commercial LTCC material as well as the crucial surface properties. In this work we evaluate the thin-film capability of different LTCC surfaces.
The as-fired surfaces of free-sintered, constrained-sintered (sacrificial tape), and pressure-assisted sintered commercial LTCCs (DP951, CT708, CT800), as well as respective polished surfaces, were analyzed by tactile and optical roughness measurements and scanning electron microscopy. The thin-film capability of the LTCC surfaces was assessed by sheet resistance and temperature coefficient of resistance (TCR) of deposited Ni thin-film layers. Contrary to the expectations, no correlation between roughness and thin-film capability was found. Ni thin films on constrained sintered DP951 show the lowest sheet resistance and highest TCR within the experimental framework of the as-fired surfaces. The influence of surface morphology on the film properties is discussed.
Thermoelectric generators can be used as energy harvesters for sensor applications. Multilayer thermoelectric generators (ML-TEGs) are a promising alternative to conventional π-type generators due to their high filling factor, high capability of automated production and the texturing potential during the production process. Calcium cobaltite is a promising thermoelectric oxide (p-type) with highly anisotropic properties. The following study shows the development of a textured unileg ML-TEG using ceramic multilayer technology.
Tape-casting and pressure assisted sintering are applied to fabricate textured calcium cobaltite. Compared to conventional sintering, pressure assisted sintering increases the strength by the factor 10. Thermoelectric properties can be tuned either towards maximum power factor or towards maximum figure of merit depending on the pressure level.
As electrical insulation material, a screen-printable glass-ceramic with high resistivity and adapted coefficient of thermal expansion is developed. From various commercial pastes a metallization with low contact resistance is chosen. The unileg ML-TEG is co-fired in one single step. The demonstrators reach 80% of the simulated output power and the power output is highly reproducible between the different demonstrators (99%). These results provide the first proof-of-concept for fabricating co-fired multilayer generators based on textured calcium cobaltite with high power factor, high density, and high strength.
Thermoelectric generators can be used for energy harvesting by directly transforming a temperature gradient into a voltage. Multilayer generators based on ceramic multilayer technology are an interesting alternative to conventional π-type generators. They exhibit several advantages like high filling factor, possibility of texturing, co-firing of all materials in one single-step, and reduction of production costs due to the high possible degree of automation. But, co-firing of promising oxide thermoelectric materials, Ca3Co4O9 (p-type) and CaMnO3 (n-type), is very challenging due to the large difference in sintering temperature (300 K).
In this work we show the material development of Ca3Co4O9, CaMnO3, and insulation for multilayer generators co-fired under uniaxial pressure at 900 °C. The materials are tailored regarding their sintering behavior, electrical performance and coefficients of thermal expansion. Tape-casting and pressure assisted sintering are applied to fabricate textured Ca3Co4O9. Compared to conventional sintering, pressure assisted sintering increases the strength by the factor 10 and the power factor by the factor of 20. The combination of sintering additives and uniaxial pressure is used to decrease the sintering temperature of CaMnO3 to 900 °C while maintaining acceptable thermoelectric properties.
Different generator designs (unileg and pn-type) were fabricated and analyzed regarding microstructure and thermoelectric performance. A lower level of complexity is beneficial for co-firing and performance. The unileg demonstrators reach 80% of the simulated output power and the power output is highly reproducible between the different demonstrators (99%).
Thermoelectric materials can convert waste heat directly into electrical power by using the Seebeck effect. Calcium cobaltite Ca3Co4O9 is a promising p-type oxide thermoelectric material for applications between 600 °C and 900 °C in air. The properties and morphology of Ca3Co4O9 are strongly anisotropic because of its crystal structure of alternating layers of CoO2 and Ca2CoO3. By aligning the plate-like grains, the anisotropic properties can be assigned to the component. Pressure-assisted sintering (PAS), as known from large-scale production of low temperature co-fired ceramics, was used to sinter multilayers of Ca3Co4O9 green tape at 900 °C with different pressures and dwell times. In-situ shrinkage measurements, microstructural investigations and electric measurements were performed. Pressure-less sintered multilayers have a 2.5 times higher electrical conductivity at room temperature than dry pressed test bars with randomly oriented particles. The combination of tape casting and PAS induces a pronounced alignment of the anisotropic grains. Relative density increases from 57 % after free sintering for 24 h to 94 % after 2 h of PAS with 10 MPa axial load. By applying a uniaxial pressure of 10 MPa during sintering, the electrical conductivity (at 25°C) improves by a factor of 15 compared to test bars with randomly oriented particles. The high temperature thermoelectric properties show the same dependencies. The smaller the applied axial load, the lower the relative densities, and the lower the electrical conductivity. Longer dwell times may increase the density and the electrical conductivity significantly if the microstructure is less densified as in the case of a small axial load like 2 MPa. At higher applied pressures the dwell time has no significant influence on the thermoelectric properties. This study shows that PAS is a proper technique to produce dense Ca3Co4O9 panels with good thermoelectric properties similar to hot-pressed tablets, even in large-scale production.
Lowering the sintering temperature of calcium manganate CaMnO3 for thermoelectric applications
(2018)
Thermoelectric materials can convert waste heat directly into electrical power by utilizing the Seebeck effect. Calcium cobaltite (p-type) and calcium manganate (n-type) are two of the most promising oxide thermoelectric materials. The development of cost-effective multilayer thermoelectric generators requires the co-firing of these materials and therefore the adjustment of sintering temperatures. Calcium manganate is conventionally sintered between 1200 °C and 1350 °C. Calcium cobaltite exhibits an undesired phase transition at 926 °C but can be sintered to high relative density of 95 % at 900 °C under axial pressure of 7.5 MPa. Hence, co-firing at 900 °C would be favourable. Therefore, strategies for lowering the sintering temperature of calcium manganate have been investigated. Basically, two approaches are common: i) addition of low melting additives like Bi2O3-ZnO-B2O3-SiO2 (BBSZ) glass or Bi2O3, and ii) addition of additives that form low-melting eutectics with the base material, for example CuO. In this study, several low melting additives including BBSZ glass and Bi2O3, as well as CuO were tested regarding their effect on calcium manganate densification. Bi2O3 did not improve the densification, whereas BBSZ glass led to 10 % higher relative density at 1200 °C. An addition of 4 wt% CuO decreases the temperature of maximum sinter rate from above 1200 °C to 1040 °C. By reducing the particle size of the raw materials from 2 μm to 0.7 μm the maximum sinter rate could be further shifted 20 K towards lower temperatures and the sinter begin decreased from 920 °C to 740 °C. It is shown that eutectic phase formation is more effective in lowering sintering temperature and accelerating densification than low-melting additives.
Reaction sintering and sintering additives for cost-effective production of thermoelectric oxides
(2020)
Thermoelectric oxides attract much interest recently. Although their thermoelectric properties are inferior to non-oxides, they exhibit distinct advantages. Thermoelectric oxides are stable in air at higher temperatures, their raw materials are less toxic, and more abundant. To enhance attractivity of these materials for industrial applications, production costs need to be reduced.
Conventionally, the legs of thermoelectric generators are sintered from green bodies of previously synthesized powder. Reaction-sintering is a fabrication method without a powder synthesis step, as the final phase is formed during the sintering from a raw material mixture. Moreover, the reduction of chemical potential during reaction-sintering is effective as an additional driving force for sintering. We show that reaction-sintering increases the densification of CaMnO3 (n-type, Sm doped). Consequently, the electrical conductivities improved by about 100 % leading to superior power factors (PF = 230 µW/mK² for CaMnO3).
Another approach to reduce the production costs is to lower the sintering temperature by adding sinter additives. The addition of 4 wt% CuO to CaMnO3 lowers the sinter temperature from 1250 °C to 1050 °C. The achieved power factor PF = 264 µW/mK is more than two times higher as reported in literature for the same dopant.
Thermoelectric materials can convert waste heat directly into electrical power by utilizing the Seebeck effect. Calcium cobaltite (Ca3Co4O9, p-type) and calcium manganate (CaMnO3, n-type) are two of the most promising oxide thermoelectric materials. The performance of these materials is evaluated by the power factor PF = S²∙σ and the figure of merit ZT = (PF ∙ T) / κ, demanding high Seebeck coefficient S, high electrical conductivity σ and low thermal conductivity κ. The latter two are increasing with increasing relative sinter density. According to theory, the relative density of ceramics can be improved by increasing the driving force for sintering. This study investigates different approaches to increase the driving force for sintering of Ca3Co4O9 and CaMnO3 to improve densities and thermoelectric properties.
The following approaches were applied: minimizing the energy input during powder synthesis by calcination, fine milling of the powder, using reaction-sintering without a powder synthesis step, and adding a transient liquid phase by sinter additives.
All different approaches led to an increased densification and thus higher electrical conductivity and higher PF. Thermal conductivity increased as well but not to the same extent. E.g. reaction-sintering increased the densification of Ca3Co4O9 (p-type) and CaMnO3 (n-type). Consequently, the electrical conductivities improved by about 100 % for both oxides leading to superior power factors (PF = 230 µW/mK² for CaMnO3). Although the thermal conductivity increased as well by 8 %, the figures of merit (ZT) were significantly higher compared to conventionally sintered bars. The addition of 4 wt% CuO as a sinter additive to CaMnO3 lowers the sinter temperature from above 1250 °C to below 1100 °C and increases the relative density. Due to the increased density, both electrical conductivity and PF increased by more than 200 % even though the sintering temperature was 150 K lower.
Thermoelectric generators can be used for energy harvesting by directly transforming a temperature gradient into a voltage. Multilayer generators based on low-temperature co-fired ceramics technology (LTCC) are an interesting alternative to conventional π-type generators. They exhibit several advantages like high filling factor, possibility of texturing, co-firing of all materials in one single-step, and reduction of production costs due to the high possible degree of automation. Pressure-assisted sintering enables the theoretical possibility of co-firing two promising oxide thermoelectric materials: Ca3Co4O9 (p-type) and CaMnO3 (n-type). Due to the large difference in sintering temperature (300 K) the process is very challenging.
In this work we show the material development of Ca3Co4O9, CaMnO3, insulation and metallization for multilayer generators co-fired under pressure at 900 °C. The materials are tailored regarding their sintering behavior, electrical performance and coefficients of thermal expansion. Different generator designs (unileg and pn-type) were fabricated and analyzed regarding crack formation, interaction layers and thermoelectric performance. Simulated stresses during cooling in the multilayers are compared with actual crack formation for different sintering conditions. This study shows that a lower pressure level and a lower level of complexity are beneficial for co-firing and performance.
Texturing of calcium cobaltite for thermoelectric applications by pressure assisted sintering
(2021)
Thermoelectric materials can convert waste heat directly into electrical power by using the Seebeck effect. Calcium cobaltite (CCO) is considered as a promising thermoelectric p-type oxide for energy harvesting applications at temperatures above 500 °C. The properties and morphology of single-crystal CCO are strongly anisotropic because of its crystal structure of alternating layers of CoO2 and Ca2CoO3. By aligning the plate-like grains, the anisotropic properties of the grains can be assigned to the poly-crystalline parts.
In this study, the combination of tape casting and pressure-assisted sintering is used to texture and densify large scale components (50 cm²). Thereby, the influence of powder preparation and applied pressure during sintering on texturing and thermoelectric properties is investigated.
The analysis of XRD pole figures revealed that tape casting already leads to highly textured CCO. By pressure variation during sintering, the microstructure of CCO can be tailored either toward maximum power factor as required for energy harvesting or toward maximum figure of merit as required for energy recovery. Low pressure lead to a porous microstructure and maximum figure of merit and higher pressure to full densification and maximum power factor. The electrical and thermal conductivity of CCO seem depending on both texture and sinter density.
Low-temperature co-fired ceramics (LTCC) are used to fabricate robust multilayer circuits. Typically, thick-film technology is applied for metallization. For specific sensor applications, thin films are deposited directly on the as-fired LTCC-surface. These deposited thin films are structured either by lift-off or by etching. The latter is less error-prone and thus preferred in industry provided the selected materials allow it.
200 nm Ni-thin films were deposited on three different commercial constrained-sintered LTCC (CT708, CT800 and DP951) by electron beam physical vapour deposition. The thin-films were structured by covering corresponding sections with a UV-curable photo resisn and subsequent etching of the uncovered surface, leaving behind the desired structure. The etched Ni-thin film showed high difference in failure rate and sheet resistance regarding the used LTCC-material. DP951 had the lowest sheet resistance and no failure, whereas the CT800 had a failure rate of 40 %. The LTCC with high failure rate showed a strong chemical attack by the used etching medium. To address this phenomenon, the chemical resistance of the three different commercial LTCC (CT708, CT800 and DP951) against four different commonly used etching media (sulphuric acid, phosphoric acid, aqua regia, and hydrofluoric acid) is investigated. The dissolved ions are analyzed by ICP-OES to correlate the LTCC-composition and its chemical resistance.
Low-temperature co-fired ceramics (LTCC) are used to fabricate multilayer circuits which are robust in harsh environments. Thick-film technology is well established for the metallization of circuit boards and microsystems. For specific sensor applications, the combination of LTCC and thin-film technology is advantageous to reach higher structure resolutions. Due to the high roughness of as-fired LTCC surfaces compared with silicon-wafers, the deposition of low-defect- films with narrowly specified properties is challenging. The deposited thin-films are structured either by lift-off or by etching. The latter is less error-prone and thus preferred in industry provided the selected materials allow it. There is spare literature about thin films on commercial LTCC comparing different material systems or sintering techniques. For developing thin-film sensors on multilayer circuits it is crucial to identify thin-film-compatible commercial LTCC material as well as the crucial surface properties. In this work we evaluate the thin-film capability of different LTCC compositions and surface qualities.
To evaluate the influence of the material composition on the thin film capability, 200 nm Ni-thin films were deposited on three different constrained-sintered LTCC (CT708, CT800 and DP951) by electron beam physical vapour deposition. The effect of surface quality was assessed by thin-film deposition on free-sintered, pressure-assisted sintered, and polished DP951. The thin-films were structured by covering corresponding sections with a UV-curable photo resin and subsequent etching of the uncovered surface, leaving behind the desired structure.
The etched Ni-thin films showed high difference in failure rate and sheet resistance regarding the used LTCC-material. DP951 had the lowest sheet resistance and no failure, whereas CT800 had a high sheet resistance and a failure rate of 40 %. These results are correlated with surface roughness of the LTCC, scanning electron micrographs of the deposited thin-films, and the chemical resistance of the LTCC against commonly used etching media. Contrary to the expectations, no correlation between roughness and thin-film capability was found. The LTCC with high failure rate showed a strong chemical attack by the used etching medium. Additionally, the adhesion of thin-films on DP951 is better than on CT708 and CT800.
Influence of deposition hatch length on residual stress in selective laser melted Inconel 718
(2018)
The present study aims to evaluate the bulk residual stresses in SLM parts by using neutron diffraction measurements performed at E3 line -BER II neutron reactor- of Helmholtz-Zentrum für Materialien und Energie (HZB) Berlin. Together with microstructure characterization and distortion measurements, it is possible to describe the stress state throughout the whole sample. The sample was measured in as-build condition (on a build plate) and after releasing from the build plate. The used material is the nickel based superalloy 718. This alloy is widely used in aerospace and chemical industries due to its superior corrosion and heat resistant properties.
Obtained results indicated different residual stress states for each of the transversal, longitudinal and normal component. The normal and transversal component exhibits a rather compressive behavior while the longitudinal was tensile in the center part of the sample and became compressive towards the tip. As expected, the absolute values of all stress components decreased after releasing the sample from the building plate. A surface scan utilizing a coordinate-measuring machine (CMM) allowed us to present top surface distortion before and after releasing. The top surface showed a distortion around ±80µm after releasing. Microstructure evolution in the scanning-building cross-section is largely dominated by columnar grains. In addition, many small random orientated grains are prominent in the regions of a laser overlap during SLM.
In summary, for the sample of superalloy 718 manufactured by SLM, a small distortion occurred when removing the sample from the build plate whereby the residual stress state decreases. Moreover, the observed columnar grains in the building direction could give a reason for the lowest stress values in that normal direction. However, the most important parameter controlling the residual stresses is the temperature gradient. Hence, future investigations are planned for a different scan strategy to distribute the laser impact in a more homogenous manner.
We report about a joint project aiming at the digitalization of a lab course in materials testing. The undergraduate students were asked to prepare samples of a precipitation hardened aluminum alloy and characterize them using hardness and tensile tests. In a first step, we developed the frames for the digital labor notebook using eLabFTW. The primary data and the relevant metadata of each run were saved in a central database and made available for analysis and report issues. The whole set of results produced in a course was made available in the database. This database can be improved and serve as an open repository for data on this specific alloy.
The logical frame for the joint project was provided by the PMD Core Ontology (PMDco), a mid-level ontology that enables the representation and description of processes and process chains in an MSE-specific manner, ensuring full traceability of generated data. For the digitalization of this lab course, the tensile test ontology (TTO) was applied which is designed as a module of the PMDco using strongly related semantic concepts.
Characterization of early crystallization stages in surface-crystallized diopside glass-ceramics
(2019)
Structure formation in glass-ceramics by means of surface crystallization is a challenging open question and remains elusive to definite answers. In several glass-ceramic systems, oriented crystal layers have been observed at the immediate surface, including diopside and some fresnoite systems. However, it is still open to debate, whether oriented surface crystallization is the result of oriented nucleation or growth selection effects. In the same vein, there is still discussion whether surface nucleation is governed by surface chemistry effects or by defects serving as active nucleation sites.
In order to help answer these questions, annealing experiments at 850°C have been performed on a MgO·CaO·2SiO2 glass, leading to the crystallization of diopside at the surface. Different annealing durations and surface treatment protocols (i.a. lapping with diamond slurries between 16 µm and 1 µm grain size) have been applied. Particular focus has been put on earliest crystallization stages, with crystal sizes down to about 200 nm. The resultant microstructure has been analyzed by electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) and two different kinds of textures have been observed, with the a- or b-axis being perpendicular to the sample surface and the c-axis lying in the sample plane. Even at shortest annealing durations, a clear texture was present in the samples. Additionally, selected samples have been investigated with energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy in the scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM-EDX). The diopside crystals have been found to exhibit distinguished submicron structure variations and the glass around the crystals was shown to be depleted of Mg.
This work examined the factors that influence the droplet corrosion of CO2 pipeline steels caused by oxyfuel flue gases in dense phase CO2 at 278 K, simulating the underground transport conditions. The wetting properties were studied by contact angle measurement, revealing pH and time dependency on the reactive wetting behaviors of carbon steel X70. Exposure tests with CO2 saturated water droplet on steel surface showed that the impurities (220 ppmv SO2 and 6700 ppmv O2) diffused into the droplet and then reacted with metal surfaces in dense phase condition, forming the corrosion products. The corrosion rate was confirmed strongly depending on the droplet volume as well as the SO2 concentration. Condensation experiments carried out on freshly polished coupons in CO2 with 200 ppmv H2O, 220 ppmv SO2 and 6700 ppmv O2, showed that the formation and aggregation of droplets is time and temperature dependent. At 278 K, condensation happened stronger and the corrosion products, mainly consisted of dense hydrated FeSO3/FeSO4. While at 288 K, more fluffy corrosion products consisting of iron oxide/hydroxide and hydrated FeSO3/FeSO4 were found. Further exposure tests on carbon steel coupons with different surface roughness did not reveal the difference in weight loss/gain and therefore the corrosion rate.
Study of Polyaniline/Silicon Dioxide based Coating on Carbon Steel in Artificial Geothermal Brine
(2021)
By using the available resources in Indonesia, such as silicon dioxide and marine coating base, the PANI/SiO2 modified alkyd coating was able to protect carbon steel in a deaerated artificial geothermal water. The screening of coatings shows that the modification by adding individual pigment was not sufficient to protect carbon steel even during a short-term exposure, indicated by the discoloration after only seven days of exposure. Electrochemical tests indicated that there was no significant change in the Ecorr between the coated and uncoated carbon steel at room temperature. At 150 °C, the coated carbon steel has a lower potential than that of carbon steel, indicating that the coating is protecting carbon steel cathodically or slowing down the corrosion reaction. Finally, a long-term exposure test confirmed that the PANI/SiO2 modified coating successfully protects the carbon steel in the Sibayak artificial geothermal water up to 150 °C for 6 months.
Commercially available carbon steels are suitable for compression and pipelines as long as moisture content and impurities are limited. (water 50 to 100 ppmv, SO2 and NO2 ca. 100 ppmv) Corrosion rates increase with increasing water content. (0.2 – 20 mm/a) Condensation of acids and therefore droplet formation is always possible, even at low water contents. A low SO2 content within the CO2-stream might be more important than a low water content. Cr13-steels showed a general susceptibility to shallow pitting and pitting. So, they seem to be not suitable for CCUS applications. Low alloyed steels showed better corrosion behavior (predictable uniform corrosion). For direct contact with saline aquifer fluids only high alloyed steels shall be used.
Commercially available carbon steels are suitable for compression and pipelines as long as moisture content and impurities are limited. (water 50 to 100 ppmv, SO2 and NO2 ca. 100 ppmv).
Corrosion rates increase with increasing water content.
(0.2 – 20 mm/a).
Condensation of acids and therefore droplet formation is always possible, even at low water contents.
A low SO2 content within the CO2-stream might be more important than a low water content.
Cr13-steels showed a general susceptibility to shallow pitting and pitting. So, they seem to be not suitable for CCUS applications.
Low alloyed steels showed better corrosion behavior. (predictable uniform corrosion)
For direct contact with saline aquifer fluids only high alloyed steels shall be used.
This contribution provides current findings regarding materials susceptibility for carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS) applications. Basing on results gathered in 2 German long-term projects (COORAL and CLUSTER) suitable materials are introduced as well as dominating impurities of the CO2-stream and corrosion mechanisms. Investigations cover the whole CCUS process chain and provide material recommendations for certain parts.
To reveal the corrosion resistance of casing steel/mortar interface in CO2 injection condition, sandwich samples were prepared and exposed up to 20 weeks in aquifer fluid under 10 MPa and 60 °C.
Cross section analysis revealed the crevice corrosion as main mechanism instead of pitting corrosion despite very high concentration of Cl in NGB.
EDS element line scan analysis of the 20-week-exposed metal/mortar coupon showed Chloride distribution, which still not reached the metal/mortar interface, explaining no pitting was observed.
It was confirmed that FeCO3 cannot protect the steel surface in CO2 saturated NGB.
To verify the protective possibility of passivation happened on casing steel/mortar interface, simulated pore solution was synthesized and used to passivate the steel for 42 days. OCP and EIS confirmed the formation of passive layer.
The 42 day passivated layer was broken during the first minute of exposure in CO2 saturated NGB.
However, due to high concentration of Ca2+, a new carbonate CaCO3 dense layer was formed, increased the corrosion resistance of steel surface.
CO2 quality specifications are not only a matter of CO2 purity (i.e. CO2 content).
The “rest” also matters, in particular contents of reactive impurities affecting material corrosion (and rock alteration).
Also chemical reactions in CO2 stream needs to be considered, in particular when combining CO2 streams of different compositions.
Al2O3 coatings are often used as protective layers on steels against electrochemical and high-temperature corrosion because they are chemically inert and stable at elevated temperatures. This study presents preliminary work on the possibilities of using Al2O3 sol-gel coatings for corrosion protection of martensitic stainless steels in geothermal environments. Al2O3 sol-gel coatings were applied on UNS S42000, which is known to be susceptible to uniform and localized corrosion. The coated steel specimens were then tested in two types of artificial geothermal water, which simulate the geothermal fluids found in Sibayak (SBY), Indonesia, and North German Basin (NGB), Germany, respectively. SBY has pH 4 and 1.5 g/L of chloride ions, whereas NGB has a pH of 6 and 166 g/L of chloride ions. All experiments were carried out in autoclaves at 150 °C and 1 MPa under the deaerated condition. Evaluations were performed by investigating the surface profiles of both uncoated and coated steels before and after the corrosion test using a Laser Scanning Microscope (LSM) and Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). Finally, Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) was performed to compare the corrosion resistance of Al2O3 coated steels in SBY and NGB solutions. It was observed from the corrosion test that Al2O3 coatings are more suitable for use in the geothermal water with a higher pH.
This contribution provides current findings regarding materials susceptibility for CCUS applications. Basing on results gathered in 2 German long-term projects (COORAL and CLUSTER) suitable materials are introduced as well as dominating impurities of the CO2 stream and corrosion mechanisms. Investigations cover the whole CCUS process chain and provide the following recommendations for certain parts. Commercially available carbon steels are suitable for compression and pipelines as long as moisture content and impurities are limited (water 50 to 100 ppmv, SO2 and NO2 ca. 100 ppmv).
Corrosion rates increase with increasing water content (0.2 – 20 mm/a).
Condensation of acids and therefore droplet formation is always possible, even at low water contents.
A low SO2 content within the CO2-stream might be more important than a low water content.
Cr13-steels showed a general susceptibility to shallow pitting and pitting. So, they seem to be not suitable for CCUS applications.
Low alloyed steels showed better corrosion behavior (predictable uniform corrosion).
For direct contact with saline aquifer fluids only high alloyed steels shall be used.
This contribution provides current findings regarding materials susceptibility for carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS) applications. Basing on results gathered in 2 German long-term projects (COORAL and CLUSTER) suitable materials are introduced as well as dominating impurities of the CO2-stream and corrosion mechanisms. Investigations cover the whole CCUS process chain and provide material recommendations for certain parts.
Carbon Capture Utilization and Storage (CCUS) is a promising technology to reach the target for reduction of CO2 emissions, e.g. from fossil-fuel operated power plants or cement mills. Crucial points for a sustainable and future-proof CCUS procedure are reliability and cost efficiency of the whole process chain, including separation of CO2 from the source, compression of CO2, its subsequent transportation to the injection site and injection into geological formations, e.g. aquifers.
Most components that are in contact with CO2-stream consist of steel. Depending on the operating conditions (e.g. temperature, pressure, and CO2-stream composition) specific suitable steels should be used. The compressed CO2-stream is likely to contain process specific impurities; small amounts of SO2 and NO2 in combination with oxygen and water are most harmful.
One approach, as currently preferred by pipeline operators, is to clean the CO2-stream to such levels, acceptable for carbon steel, commonly used as pipeline material. Another consideration would be, to use more corrosion resistant alloys for CO2-streams with higher amounts of impurities.
Due to the absence of certified benchmarks for upper limits, systematic experiments with impurities in the CO2-stream were carried out reflecting mainly transport and injection conditions.
Within the COORAL project (German acronym for “CO2 purity for capture and storage”) levels of impurities in the CO2-stream, being acceptable when using specific steels, were evaluated. Material exposure to dense or multiphase carbon dioxide (CO2) containing specific amounts of water vapor, oxygen (O2) sulfur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), carbon monoxide (CO) can be a challenge to steels. In some situations, condensation of impurities and reaction products from the CO2 stream can occur.
CO2 saturated brine is supposed to rise in the well when the injection process is interrupted. The material selection shall ensure that neither CO2 nor brine or a combination of both will leak out of the inner tubing.
This COORAL-work was extended by a follow-up project, called CLUSTER. Here the additional influence of impurities was investigated when merging CO2 streams from different sources, combined within a “so-called” cluster.
Results are summarized within the following table regarding suitability for different parts of the process chain.
Slow crack growth (SCG) under the influence of external fluid media, usually termed environmental stress cracking (ESC), is still one of the most frequent origins of severe damage and failure of polymeric materials. For polyethylene (PE) this is relevant for mass products, like bottles for consumer products, but also for high-performance materials for pipes or industrial packaging, including containers for chemicals and other dangerous goods. Especially for high-density polyethylene (PE-HD) the susceptibility to SGC and ESC is depending on the complex interplay between molecular weight and architecture and the resulting semicrystalline morphology, especially the formation of tie-molecules.
A reliable assessment of the resistance against this damage phenomenon is essential for demanding as well as safety-critical applications and has to take into account suitable testing methodologies and conditions in combination with environmental media reflecting the properties representative for typical fillings and relevant components causing ESC. In this context a better understanding of different influencing factors, such as sorption, swelling or surface activity is necessary together with a detailed characterization of different stages of crack propagation and underlying mechanisms. Therefor well-established testing methods, such as the Full Notch Creep Test (FNCT), were complemented by detailed fracture surface analysis using e.g. LSM and SEM in combination with a time-dependent optical monitoring of the progressing crack growth.
For the crack growth also the ratio of fibrillated craze zone to crack opening is important for the deeper understanding of crack propagation and related material parameters which can be additionally addressed by X-ray computed tomography.
The underlying cause of mechanical anisotropy in additively manufactured (AM) parts is not yet fully understood and has been attributed to several different factors like microstructural defects, residual stresses, melt pool boundaries, crystallographic and morphological textures.
To better understand the main contributing factor to the mechanical anisotropy of AM stainless steel 316L, bulk specimens were fabricated via laser powder bed fusion (LPBF).
Tensile specimens were machined from these AM bulk materials for three different inclinations relative to the build plate. Dynamic Young's modulus measurements and tensile tests were used to determine the mechanical anisotropy. Some tensile specimens were also subjected to residual stress measurement via neutron diffraction, porosity determination with X-ray micro-computed tomography, and texture analysis with electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD). A crystal plasticity model was used to analyze the elastic anisotropy and the anisotropic yield behavior of the AM specimens, and it was able to capture and predict the experimental behavior accurately. Overall, it was shown that the mechanical anisotropy of the tested specimens was mainly influenced by the crystallographic texture.
Virtual-lab-based determination of a macroscopic yield function for additively manufactured parts
(2019)
This work aims for a yield function description of additively manufactured parts of S316L steel at the continuum-mechanical macro-scale by means of so-called virtual experiments using a crystal plasticity (CP) model at meso-scale. Additively manufactured parts require the consideration of the specific process-related microstructure, which prevents this material to be macroscopically treated as isotropic, because of crystallographic as well as topological textures. From virtual experiments, yield loci under various loading conditions are simulated. The scale bridging from meso- to macro-scale is realised by the identification of the simulated yield loci as a modified anisotropic Barlat-type yield model representation.
Virtual-lab-based determination of a macroscopic yield function for additively manufactured parts
(2019)
This work aims for an yield function description of additively manufactured (AM) parts of S316L steel at the continuum-mechanical macro-scale by means of so-called virtual experiments using a crystal plasticity (CP) model at meso-scale. Additively manufactured parts require the consideration of the specific process-related microstructure, which prevents this material to be macroscopically treated as isotropic, because of crystallographic as well as topological textures.
EBSD/CT-Scans from in-house additively manufactured specimen extract the unique microstructural topology which is converted to a representative volume element (RVE) with grain structure and crystal orientations.
Crystal plasticity model parameters on this RVE are calibrated and validated by means of mechanical testing under different texture angles. From virtual experiments on this RVE, yield loci under various loading conditions are simulated. The scale bridging from meso- to macro-scale is realised by the identification of the simulated yield loci as a modified anisotropic Barlat-type yield model representation.
Additive manufacturing (AM) offers significantly greater freedom of design compared to conventional manufacturing processes since the final parts are built layer by layer. This enables metal AM, also known as metal 3D printing, to be utilized for improving efficiency and functionality, for the production of parts with very complex geometries, and rapid prototyping. However, despite many technological advancements made in recent years, several challenges hinder the mass adoption of metal AM. One of these challenges is mechanical anisotropy which describes the dependency of material properties on the material orientation. Therefore, in this work, stainless steel 316L parts produced by laser-based powder bed fusion are used to isolate and understand the root cause of anisotropy in AM parts. Furthermore, an efficient and accurate multiscale numerical framework is presented for predicting the deformation behavior of actual AM parts on the macroscale undergoing large plastic deformations. Finally, a novel constitutive model for the plastic spin is formulated to capture the influence of the microstructure evolution on the material behavior on the macroscale.
Ontologies that represent a map of the concepts and relationships between them, are becoming an effective solution for data standardization and integration of different resources in the field of materials science, as efficient data storage and management is the building block of material digitization. However, building a domain ontology is not a simple task. It requires not only a collaborative effort between ontologists and domain experts, but also the modeling approaches and tools play a key role in the process. Among all approaches, graphical representation of domain ontologies based on standard conceptual modeling languages is widely used because of its intuitiveness and simplicity. Various tools have been developed to realize this approach in an intuitive way, such as Protégé plugins and web visualization tools.
The Materials-open-Lab (MatOLab) project, which aims to develop ontologies and workflows in accordance with testing standards for the materials science and engineering domains, adopted a UML (Unified Modeling Language) approach based on the diagrams.net. It is a powerful, popular, open-source graphical editor. In practical case studies, however, many users’ needs could not be met, such as reusing ontology, conversion, and data mapping. Users must switch between different tools to achieve a certain step, and thereby invariably increase learning cost. The lack of validation also leads to incorrect diagrams and results for users who are not familiar with the ontology rules. To address these issues, we designed Ontopanel, a diagrams.net-based plugin that includes a set of pipeline tools for semantic modeling: importing and displaying protégé-like ontologies, converting diagrams to OWL, validating diagrams by OWL rules, and mapping data. It uses diagrams.net as the front-end for method modeling and Django as the back-end for data processing. As a web-based tool, it is very easy to expand its functionality to meet changing practical needs.
The possibility of creating patient-specific individual implants makes Additive Manufacturing technologies of special interest for the medical sector. For substitution of bone defects, powder based Additive Manufacturing by Binder Jetting is a suitable method to produce complex scaffold-like structures made of bioceramics with easily adapted geometries and controlled porosity. The process inherent residual porosity in the printed part, even though desired as it supports bone ingrowth, also leads to limited mechanical strength. Currently, bioceramic scaffolds made by Binder Jetting feature suitable biocompatible and biodegradable properties, while a sufficient mechanical stability is rather challenging. The purpose of this work is to apply the gas flow assisted powder deposition introduced in 2014 by Zocca et al., to the powder bed during printing of bioceramic tablets and scaffolds using α-TCP powder as feedstock. This enables exploiting the advantages of an increased powder bed density, thereby improving the mechanical properties of the printed parts.
Development and characterization of starch film and the incorporation of silver nanoparticles
(2020)
Starch is one of the biopolymers being used for bioplastic synthesis. For production, starch can be combined with different plasticizers, starches from different plant sources and even with nanomaterials to improve or to add film properties. The challenge of adding these, e.g. in the form of silver nanoparticles (AgNp) is to determine the concentration so as to avoid impairing the properties of the film, agglomeration or altering the visual characteristics of the film. In this study, a starch film synthesis route and the incorporation of silver nanoparticles has been proposed in order not to alter the properties of the film while maintaining the transparency and a clear colour of the starch film. The results showed that the proposed synthesis route is promising, efficient, reproducible, fast and the film has good mechanical properties.
An investigation of the dislocation substructure and mechanical properties of high-purity niobium single crystals with different initial crystal orientations deformed in tension at strain rates of 10^{-4} to 10^3 s^{-1} is presented. Specimens were cut from a large grain niobium disk used for the manufacturing of SRF cavities. Different crystallographic tensile directions exhibited significantly different softening and hardening behaviors and elongation at fracture. Such anisotropy is reduced at high strain rates. Also, different dislocation substructures were observed with TEM at low and high strain rates. At low strain rates, dislocation cells with a high density of long dislocations were observed. At high strain rates, homogeneously distributed dislocations with a higher dislocation dipole density were observed. The relationship between the differences in dislocation substructures and mechanical properties at low and high strain rates and the potential effects on the superconducting properties are discussed.
Self-healing agents have the potential to restore mechanical properties and extend service life of composite materials. Thermoplastic healing agents have been extensively investigated for this purpose in epoxy matrix composites due to their strong adhesion to epoxy and their ability to fill in microcracks. One of the most
investigated thermoplastic additives for this purpose is poly(ethylene-co-methacrylic acid) (EMAA). Despite the ability of thermoplastic healing agents to restore mechanical properties, it is important to assess how the addition of thermoplastic healing agents affect properties of the original epoxy material. In this work, EMAA was added to epoxy resin and the effect of the additive on fracture toughness of epoxy was evaluated. Results indicate that although added in low concentrations, EMAA can affect fracture toughness.
A constitutive model for the mechanical behaviour of single crystal Ni-base superalloys under high temperature conditions has been developed in the framework of a Cooretec project in cooperation with Siemens AG, MTU Aero Engines AG and University Bayreuth. In addition to the conventional material properties e.g. elastic constants, the model requires the parameters of the initial microstructure as an input. Thus, the γ’-precipitate size and the channel width of the γ-matrix were obtained from SEM micrographs. The model uses the slip system theory and describes the movement, multiplication and annihilation of dislocations in the channels. Furthermore, the cutting of precipitates is another mechanism contributing to the plastic flow. The evolution of the morphology due to rafting and its effects on the deformation have been implemented according to. The kinematic hardening is introduced as a stress tensor to realistically represent the strain hardening of arbitrary oriented single crystals.
The mechanical behaviour of single crystal specimens has been experimentally investigated in tension tests at different strain rates and in creep tests under various loads. The constitutive model has been calibrated based on the experimental data for temperatures of 950°C and 850°C and the [001] and [111] crystallographic orientations.
Finally, a micromechanical model was created to simulate the creep response of additive manufactured polycrystalline structures. An EBSD image is taken to obtain the grain geometry and their respective orientation. The grain boundaries are discretised using cohesive elements, whereas the single crystal model was applied to each grain in the representative volume. The polycrystal model is generated using Dream3D, NetGen and other software previously developed at the BAM.
The large surface-to-volume ratio of nanoparticles is understood to be the source of many interesting phenomena. The melting temperature of nanoparticles is shown to dramatically reduce compared to bulk material. Yet, at temperatures below this reduced melting point, a liquid-like atomic arrangement on the surface of nanoparticles is still anticipated to influence its properties. To understand such surface effects, here, we study the coalescence of Au nanoparticles of various sizes using molecular dynamics simulations. Analysis of the potential energy and Lindemann index distribution across the nanoparticles reveals that high-energy, high-mobility surface atoms can enable the coalescence of nanoparticles at temperatures much lower than their corresponding melting point. The smaller the nanoparticles, the larger the difference between their melting and coalescence temperatures. For small enough particles and/or elevated enough temperatures, we found that the coalescence leads to a melting transition of the two nominally solid nanoparticles, here discussed in relation to the heat released due to the surface reduction upon the coalescence and the size dependence of latent heat. Such discontinuous melting transitions can lead to abrupt changes in the properties of nanoparticles, important for their applications at intermediate temperatures.
A main source of current challenges in materials science and engineering is the ever-increasing complexity in materials chemistry and processing resulting in complex microstructures, making the assessment of process-microstructure-property-performance relations difficult, even unmanageable. Here the computational materials science is facing the same situation. In this talk, I share a viewpoint that the complexities in chemistry, processing and microstructures can be circumscribed by integrating existing knowledges of bulk thermodynamics and kinetics to the unknown thermodynamics and kinetics of microstructure elements. To this end, I discuss several successful examples on grain boundary segregation engineering how this scientific advance can be conducted. A roadmap is proposed, beginning to form on generalizing the concept of phase diagrams.
Engineering grain boundaries demands a quantitative description of both their segregation and specific phase behavior. Recently I have proposed a density-based model for grain boundary thermodynamics that enables CALPHAD integrated derivation of grain boundary phase diagrams, broadly applied now in studying various alloys. Combining this model with experimental investigations, in this talk, new aspects of interfacial segregation and phase transformation revealed in polycrystalline alloys are discussed. The effect of elastic interaction on grain boundary phase behavior is incorporated. We consider Al alloys and novel high-entropy alloys and discuss a general strategy for grain boundary engineering.
Interfacial Spinodals
(2021)
Despite their finite spatial extent, interfaces can have profound impacts on microstructure properties. This is because of their distinct phase-like properties distinguishing them from the adjacent homogeneous bulk structure. When noticed by solute atoms, interfaces can experience their own chemical phase changes. In this talk, we investigate the constrained states of chemically decomposed phases at interfaces. A density-based theory of interfaces is proposed to describe the confined chemical decomposition at general grain boundaries. Here the grain boundary is viewed as a lesser dense, defected structure with reference to the corresponding bulk structure. Using this picture, the thermodynamic origins of interfacial spinodal phenomena are revealed. We also show that transient interfacial spinodals can be activated over a large alloy composition range, enabling kinetic engineering of interfacial chemistry.
Several recent studies have revealed that the phase decomposition in medium- and high-entropy alloys is triggered by solute segregation at grain boundaries. The chemically complex nature of these alloys already clues that such segregation in materials should be something more than the interaction between solutes and grain boundary, but also affected by the solute-solute interactions during the segregation. In fact, experiments indicate the significance of such solute-solute interaction. Yet, the mechanisms of co-segregation in multi-component alloys are rather challenging to explore and rarely studied quantitatively. Recently, a CALPHAD-integrated density-based phase-field model has been proposed for studying grain boundary phenomena. Several applications of this model have shown its expansive capacity for investigating grain boundary segregation and phase behavior. In this talk, the applications of this model to studying co-segregation phenomena and grain boundary phase diagrams in multi-component alloys are presented ––the term ‘co-segregation’ here refers to co-evolution and any mutual interplay among the solutes and grain boundary during the segregation. In particular, the iron-based ternary and quaternary alloys are discussed. I show how a grain boundary may have its own miscibility gap and how this immiscibility can influence the co-segregation behavior. As an alternative to grain boundary phase diagrams, rather suited for binary and ternary alloys, a new concept of co-segregation maps for screening and segregation design in multi-component alloys is presented. Applying the co-segregation maps, the nonlinear Mn and Cr co-segregation in Fe-Co-Mn-Cr is discussed.
A giant Zn segregation transition is revealed using CALPHAD-integrated density-based modeling of segregation into Fe grain boundaries (GBs). The results show that above a threshold of only a few atomic percent Zn in the alloy, a substantial amount of up to 60 at.% Zn can segregate to the GB. We found that the amount of segregation abruptly increases with decreasing temperature, while the Zn content in the alloy required for triggering the segregation transition decreases. Direct evidence of the Zn segregation transition is obtained using high-resolution scanning transmission electron microscopy. Base on the model, we trace the origin of the segregation transition back to the low cohesive energy of Zn and a miscibility gap in Fe-Zn GB, arising from the magnetic ordering effect, which is confirmed by ab-initio calculations. We also show that the massive Zn segregation resulting from the segregation transition greatly assists with liquid wetting and reduces the work of separation along the GB. The current predictions suggest that control over Zn segregation, by both alloy design and optimizing the galvanization and welding processes, may offer preventive strategies against liquid metal embrittlement.
The Gibbs free energy of a grain boundary is a complex thermodynamic function of temperature, pressure, and composition. These complexities add to the intrinsic crystallographic and chemical constraints imposed by the adjacent bulk phase. Recently we have proposed a density-based model for assessing grain boundary thermodynamics that enables a CALPHAD-informed description of the grain boundary. As such, the Gibbs free energy of the grain boundary is directly linked with available CALPHAD thermodynamic data. In this talk, new aspects of interfacial segregation and phase transformation are revealed by benchmarking the current model for various experimental cases, including several steels, high-entropy alloys and aluminum alloys. The effects of elastic interactions on the grain boundary segregation and the application of the model to a nanocrystalline Pt-Au alloy, with numerous grain boundaries of various characters, will be discussed.
A new approach for fabrication of ceramic components with inner channels is proposed, as a result of the combination of two additive and one subtractive manufacturing processes. In this project, porcelain parts are manufactured by the Layerwise Slurry Deposition (LSD) process, meanwhile end milling and Direct Ink Writing (DIW) are applied to create channels on the surface of the deposited ceramic. Unique to the LSD process is the Formation of a freestanding powder bed with a mechanical strength comparable to conventional slip casted ceramic green bodies. Combining these three processes allows the manufacturing of ceramic objects containing an internal path of ink, which in this case was a graphite-based ink that can be further eliminated by heat treatment to obtain a porcelain object embedded with channels. The results show the capabilities of this method and its potential to fabricate not only parts with inner channels, but also multi-material and multi-functional components (such as integrated electronic circuits).