5 Werkstofftechnik
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- Biaxial strength (1)
- Binder jetting (1)
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Organisationseinheit der BAM
- 5.4 Multimateriale Fertigungsprozesse (12) (entfernen)
Here we demonstrate that by applying exclusively Martian resources a processing route involving suspensions of mineral particles called slurries or slips can be established for manufacturing ceramics on Mars. We developed water-based slurries without the use of additives that had a 51 wt. % solid load resembling commercial porcelain slurries in respect to the particle size distribution and rheological properties. These slurries were used to slip cast discs, rings and vases that were sintered at temperatures between 1000 and 1130 °C using different sintering schedules, the latter were set-up according the results of hot-stage microscopic characterization. The microstructure, porosity and the mechanical properties were characterized by SEM, X-ray Computer tomography and Weibull analysis. Our wet processing of minerals yields ceramics with complex shapes that show similar mechanical properties to porcelain and could serve as a technology for future Mars colonization. The best quality parts with completely vitrificated matrix supporting a few idiomorphic crystals are obtained at 1130 °C with 10 h dwell time with volume and linear shrinkage as much as ~62% and ~17% and a characteristic compressive strength of 51 MPa.
The granules commonly yielded by spray drying procedures exhibit a hard shell and an irregular, dimpled shape, which is often described as donut-like morphology. Sintered parts produced from such granules suffer from microstructural defects and reduced mechanical properties resulting from these disadvantageous granule properties.
Using the example of alumina, zirconia and zirconia-toughened alumina (ZTA) batches, this paper shows that the morphology of the granules can be tuned by adjusting slurry stability. High zeta potential is essential to optimally disperse the particles. But to achieve spherical and soft granules the electrostatic repulsion forces between the particles should be reduced before spray granulation. Electrostatic repulsion forces were changed with the addition of nitric acid. Measurements of zeta potential and viscosity, as well as sedimentation investigations with an optical centrifuge were used for precise slurry assessment as a major precondition for optimal and reproducible adjustment of slurries before spray drying. Sedimentation analysis using an optical centrifuge was performed to investigate different influences like that of additive composition, solids content or pH-value on the sedimentation behavior. Adequately flocculated slurries lead to homogeneous, soft granules that can be easily deformed and pressed. The fraction of donut-shaped particles and the rigidity of granules were reduced. Consequently, the sintered parts produced from these granulates show improvements regarding porosity, pore size distribution, sintered density and biaxial strength.
The sintering behavior and the thermoelectric performance of Ca3Co4O9 multilayer laminates were studied, and a multilayer thermoelectric generator was fabricated. Compacts and multilayer samples with anisotropic microstructure and residual porosity were obtained after conventional sintering at 920 °C, whereas dense and isotropic multilayer samples were prepared by firing at 1200 °C and reoxidation at 900 °C. A hot-pressed sample has a dense and anisotropic microstructure. Samples sintered at 920 °C exhibit low electrical conductivity due to the low density, whereas the Seebeck coefficient is not sensitive to preparation conditions. However, thermal conductivity of multilayers is very low, and, hence acceptable ZT values are obtained. A ransversal multilayer thermoelectric generator (TMLTEG) was fabricated by stacking layers of Ca3Co4O9 green tapes, AgPd conductor printing, and co-firing at 920 °C. The TMLTEG has a power output of 3 mW at ΔT =200 K in the temperature interval of 25 °C to 300 °C.
Sand erosion of solar glass: Specific energy uptake, total transmittance, and module efficiency
(2018)
Surface roughness, R Z , normal transmittance, Τ N , total transmittance, Τ T , and photovoltaic (PV) module efficiency, η S , were measured for commercial solar glass plates and PV test modules identically sandblasted with different loads of quartz sand (200 – 400 μ m), impact inclination angles, and sand particle speed. Measured data are presented versus the specific energy uptake during sand blasting, E (J/m2). Cracks, adhering particles, and scratch ‐ like textures probably caused by plastic flow phenomena could be observed after sand blasting. Their characteristic size was much smaller than that of sand particles.
After blasting and subsequent cleaning, the glass surface was still covered with adhering glass particles. These particles, cracks, and scratch ‐ like textures could not be removed by cleaning. For sand blasting with α = 30° inclination angle and E = 30 000 J/m2, normal transmittance, total transmittance, and relative module efficiency decreased by 29%, 2% and ∽ 2%, respectively. This finding indicates that diffusive transmission of light substantially contributes to PV module efficiency and that the module efficiency decrease caused by sand erosion can be better estimated from total than by normal transmittance measurements.
Soiling of photovoltaic (PV) systems compromises their performance causing a significant power loss and demanding periodical cleaning actions. This phenomenon raises great concerns in the solar energy field, thus leading to notable research efforts over the last decades. Soiling is caused by a dual action of dust deposition and biofouling. However, surprisingly, the microbiological contribution to PV soiling is often overlooked or underestimated. In this study, a variety of qPCR-based methods have been developed to quantify the microbial load of fungi, bacteria and phototrophs on PV panels. These protocols were evaluated by comparison with culturedependent methods, and were implemented with real solar plants for two years. The results show that the developed molecular methods are highly sensitive and reliable to monitor the microbial component of the soiling. Fungal biomass was clearly dominant in all analysed PV modules, while bacteria and phototrophs showed much lower abundance. Light microscopy and qPCR results revealed that melanised microcolonial fungi and phototrophs are the main biofilm-forming microorganisms on the studied solar panels. In particular, the fungal qPCR protocol is proposed as a useful tool for monitoring of PV soiling, and investigating the microbial contribution to specific soiling cases.
Tricalcium phosphate (b-TCP) can be used as bone graft, exhibiting suitable bioabsorption and osteoconduction properties. The presence of silica may induce the formation of a hydroxyapatite layer, enhancing the integration between implant and bone tissue. Preceramic polymers present silicon in their composition, being a source of SiO2 after thermal treatment. Using the versatility of 3D printing, b-TCP and a polysiloxane were combined to manufacture a bulkb-TCP with a silica coating. For the additive manufacturing process, PMMA powder was used as passive binder for the b-TCP particles, and polymethylsilsesquioxane (MK), dissolved in an organic solvent, was used both as a printing binder (ink) and as the source of SiO2 for the coating. Five distinct coating compositions were printed with increasing amounts of MK. The structures were then submitted to heat treatment at 1180 °C for 4 h. XRD and FTIR showed no chemical reaction between the calcium phosphate and silica. SEM allowed observation of a silicon-based ating on the structure surface. Mechanical strength of the sintered porous structures was within the range of that of trabecular bones.
Tunable microwave devices will play an important role in future wireless systems, in which high-frequency bands, e.g. millimeter waves, will become promising, due to its huge spectrum availability. At such frequency bands, liquid crystals (LCs) exhibit low microwave loss, which is excellent compared with the other tuning elements. In this paper, LC-based microwave components are fabricated by using low temperature co-fired ceramic technology, allowing the integration of the LC into microwave structures. The first component, the Amplitude tuner, controls the signal’s amplitude by using the interference concept, which exhibits a tunable attenuation range from 11 dB to 30 dB at 30 GHz. The second component is a 3-pole tunable bandpass filter, which is realized by using a substrate integrated waveguide topology, enabling a device with comparatively high-quality factors (Q-factors). The measurement results show Q-factors in the range of 68 to 100 for a frequency tuning of 29.4–30.1 GHz, i.e. a tuning range of 700 MHz, accompanied by an insertion loss 2 dB to 4 dB.
Calcium cobaltite is one of the most promising oxide p-type thermoelectric materials. The solid-state reaction (or calcination, respectively), which is well known for large-scale powder synthesis of functional materials, can also be used for the synthesis of thermoelectric oxides. There are various calcination routines in literature for Ca3Co4O9 powder synthesis, but no systematic study has been done on the influence of calcination procedure on thermoelectric properties. Therefore, the influence of calcination conditions on the Seebeck coefficient and the electrical conductivity was studied by modifying calcination temperature, dwell time, particle size of raw materials and number of calcination cycles. This study shows that elevated temperatures, longer dwell times, or repeated calcinations during powder synthesis do not improve but deteriorate the thermoelectric properties of calcium cobaltite. Diffusion during calcination leads to idiomorphic grain growth, which lowers the driving force for sintering of the calcined powder. A lower driving force for sintering reduces the densification. The electrical conductivity increases linearly with densification. The calcination procedure barely influences the Seebeck coefficient. The calcination procedure has no influence on the phase formation of the sintered specimens.
A wide range of solid-state synthesis routes for calcium manganate is reported in the literature, but there is no systematic study about the influence of the solid-state synthesis conditions on thermoelectric properties. Therefore, this study examined the influence of calcination temperature and calcination cycles on the Seebeck coefficient, electrical conductivity, and thermal conductivity. Higher calcination temperatures and repeated calcination cycles minimized the driving force for sintering of the synthesized powder, leading to smaller shrinkage and lower densities of the sintered specimens. As the electrical conductivity increased monotonously with increasing density, a higher energy input during calcination caused deterioration of electrical conductivity. Phase composition and Seebeck coefficient of sintered calcium manganate were not influenced by the calcination procedure. The highest thermoelectric properties with the highest power factors and figures of merit were obtained by means of reaction-sintering of uncalcined powder.
Wollastonite (CaSiO 3 ) – diopside (CaMgSi 2 O 6 ) glass-ceramic scaffolds have been successfully fabricated using two different additive manufacturing techniques: powder-based 3D printing (3DP) and digital light processing (DLP), coupled with the sinter-crystallization of glass powders with two different compositions. The adopted manufacturing process depended on the balance between viscous flow sintering and crystallization of the glass particles, in turn in fluenced by the powder size and the sensitivity of CaO – MgO – SiO 2 glasses to surface nucleation. 3DP used coarser glass powders and was more appropriate for low temperature firing (800 – 900 °C), leading to samples with limited crystallization. On the contrary, DLP used finer glass powders, leading to highly crystallized glass-ceramic samples. Despite the differences in manufacturing technology and crystallization, all samples featured very good strength-to-density ratios, which bene fit theiruse for bone tissue engineering applications. The bioactivity of 3D-printed glass-ceramics after immersion in simulated body fluid and the similarities, in terms of ionic releases and hydroxyapatite formation with already validated bioactive glass-ceramics, were preliminarily assessed.