5 Werkstofftechnik
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In this presentation, the results of the determination of the diffraction and single-crystal elastic constants of laser powder bed fused Inconel 718 are presented. The analysis is based on high-energy synchrotron diffraction experiments performed at the Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron. It is shown that the characteristic microstructure of laser powder bed fused Inconel 718 impacts the elastic anisotropy and therefore the diffraction and single-crystal elastic constants. Finally, the consequences on the diffraction-based residual stress determination of laser powder bed fused Inconel 718 are discussed.
Several studies have been shown that the electron beam can be used to create nanomaterials from microparticle targets in situ in a transmission electron microscope (TEM). Here, we show how this method has to be modified in order to synthesize plasmonic gold nanoparticles (NPs) on insulating silicon oxide substrate by employing a scanning electron microscope with a comparatively low acceleration voltage of 30 kV. The synthesized NPs exhibit a random distribution around the initial microparticle target: Their average size reduces from 150 nm to 3 nm with growing distance to the initial Au microparticle target. Similarly, their average distance increases. The synthesized NP assemblies therefore show distinctly different plasmonic behaviour with growing distance to the target, which allows to study consequences of random hybridization of surface plasmon in disordered system, such as Anderson localization. To reveal the surface plasmons and their localization behaviour we apply electron energy loss spectroscopy in the TEM.
Gypsum (CaSO4∙2H2O), bassanite (CaSO4∙0.5H2O), and anhydrite (CaSO4) are essential evaporite minerals for the evolution of hyper-arid surface environments on Earth and Mars (Voigt et al. 2019; Vaniman et al. 2018). The formation mechanism of especially anhydrite has been a matter of scientific debate for more than a century (van’t Hoff et al. 1903). To date, there exists no model that can reliably predict anhydrite formation at earth’s surface conditions. While thermodynamics favor its formation, it is hardly achieved on laboratory time scales at conditions fitting either the Atacama Desert on Earth, or the surface of Mars (Wehmann et al. 2023). In light of most recent developments (e.g. Stawski et al. 2016), that advocate for a complex, non-classical nucleation mechanism for all calcium sulphates, we present an analysis of natural samples from the Atacama Desert to identify key features that promote the nucleation and growth of anhydrite under planetary surface conditions. Our analyses reveal at least three distinct anhydrite facies, with differing mineralogy and micro- to nano-structures. The facies are (1) aeolian deposits with sub-μm grain sizes, (2) (sub-)surface nodules that formed from aeolian deposits and (3) selenites with secondary anhydrite rims. Possible mechanisms of their formation will be discussed.
Several studies have shown that the electron beam (e-beam) can be used to create nanomaterials from microparticles in situ in a TEM. However, attempts to produce gold nanoparticles (NPs) on silicon oxide substrate remained to be accomplished. Here, we show that the production of gold NPs is possible by using the e-beam in a SEM, under a set of parameters. To understand the physical mechanisms leading to the gold NPs, the mechanisms of e-beam induced charging as well as e-beam induced heating of the MPs were discussed. Several hints point to heating as the driving mechanism.
Several studies have shown that the electron beam (e-beam) can be used to create nanomaterials from microparticles in situ in a TEM. However, attempts to produce gold nanoparticles (NPs) on silicon oxide substrate remained to be accomplished. Here, we show that the production of gold NPs is possible by using the e-beam in a SEM, under a set of parameters. The NPs produced present a size gradient along the radial direction. A parameter study shows that the microparticles may: 1) flicker away without producing NPs, 2) fragment to form NPs and/or 3) react with the silicon oxide substrate, depending on the applied current. A hypothesis regarding the driving physical phenomena that lead the microparticles to fragment into NPs is discussed. Fabrication of gold NPs in the SEM provides a more cost-effective option as compared to the established method in the TEM.
While a lage amount of research on high entropy alloys is oriented towards mechanical properties and the microstructural improvement it is also necessary to keep an eye on the environment that potential application materials will be submitted to. The Co-Cr-Fe-Ni based high entropy family has shown great potential over the years of high entropy research and some candidate alloys are chosen for an insight into their corrosion behaviour. Several atmospheres are studied, i.e. O2, H2O, SO2 and a mix thereof in argon as well as synthetic air. Just as for classic alloys, the chromium is the most important element in terms of protection agains further corrosion. The addition of manganese, as in case of the “Cantor alloy” CrMnFeCoNi, overpasses Cr when it comes to oxygen affinity and thus counteracts the layer formation of Cr2O3. Even without Mn, a temperature chosen too high will also affect the formation of the chromium oxide layer and spall it off, annulling its protective potential. We can also observe how trace elements influence the layer formation. These effects and their mechanisms will be discussed for the alloys CrFeNi, CoCrNi, CrMnFeCoNi and variations of Al10Co25Cr8Fe15Ni36Ti6 using a combination of electron microscopy, thermodynamic calculations and x-ray diffraction.
The multi-phase approach has proven to widen the application properties of high entropy alloys. After a decade of testing different alloys in the Al-Co-Cr-Cu-Fe-Ni-Ti family the Al10Co25Cr8Fe15Ni36Ti6 was found to be a solid base for more fine-tuned microstructural optimization. Following the example of superalloys, the Al10Co25Cr8Fe15Ni36Ti6 alloy aims for a γ/γ' microstructures in order to guarantee a good microstructural stability at high temperatures. The shape and volume fraction of the γ' particles is known to influence the mechanical properties of superalloys, and they do so in the high entropy family as well [1]. Shape, misfit and creep properties of several modified versions of the Al10Co25Cr8Fe15Ni36Ti6 alloy are compared and discussed in this talk.
Die Fraktographische Online-Datenbank der AG Fraktographie – Entwicklungsstand und weitere Planung
(2023)
Vortrag zum aktuellen Stand der fraktographischen online-Datenbank. Darstellung des AGM/DVM Gemeinschaftsausschusses REM in der Materialforschung und seiner Arbeitsgruppen Fraktographie, EBSD und 2D/3D-Prüfung. Ziele und Inhalte der fraktographischen Datenbank, Aufruf zum Mitmachen. Durchführung von Vergleichsversuchen, Entwicklung einer fraktographischen Symbolik, Ringversuch, Vorhaben iFrakto mit Entwicklung einer KI-gestützten Bruchflächenanalyse.
Inconel 718 (IN718) is a traditional age-hardenable nickel-based alloy that has been increasingly processed by additive manufacturing (AM) in recent years. In the as-solidified condition, IN718 exhibits chemical segregation and the undesired Laves phase, requiring a solution annealing (SA) prior to aging. The material produced by AM does not respond to the established thermal routines in the same way as conventionally produced IN718, and there is still no consensus on which routine yields optimal results. This work aims to provide a fundamental understanding of the heat treatment (HT) response by continuously monitoring the microstructural evolution during SA via time-resolved synchrotron x-ray diffraction, complemented by ex-situ scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The samples were produced by laser powder bed fusion to a geometry of 10x20x90 mm³, from which Ø1x5 mm³ cylindric specimens were extracted. Two different scanning strategies – incremental 67° rotations, Rot, and alternating 0°/67° tracks, Alt – were used, leading to two different as-built conditions. 1-hour SAs were carried out in the beamline ID22 of the ESRF at 50 KeV. Two SA temperatures, SA1 = 1020 °C, and SA2 = 1080 °C were tested for each scanning strategy. Data were processed using the software PDIndexer. In the as-built state, all samples showed typical subgrain columnar cell structures with predominant Nb/Mo segregation and Laves phase at the cell walls, as seen by SEM. The Alt scan induced higher intensity on the Laves peaks than the Rot scan, suggesting a greater content of Laves. Chemical homogenization in the SA was largely achieved during the heating ramp (Fig. 1). SA2 eliminated the Laves peaks just before reaching 1080 °C, and mitigated differences between Rot and Alt samples. On the other hand, SA1 induced the precipitation of the generally detrimental δ phase, also observed by SEM. Furthermore, the Rot scan showed higher δ peak intensities than the Alt scan, indicating a higher content of δ in the latter. No signs of recrystallization were observed in any of the investigated SAs.
The damage mechanisms of metallic components produced by process laser powder bed fusion differ significantly from those typically observed in conventionally manufactured variants of the same alloy. This is due to the unique microstructures of additively manufactured materials. Herein, the focus is on the study of the evolution of creep damage in stainless steel 316L specimens produced by laser powder bed fusion. X-ray computed tomography is used to unravel the influence of the process-specific microstructure from the influence of the initial void distribution on creep damage mechanisms. The void distribution of two specimens tested at 600 °C and 650 °C is analyzed before a creep test, after an interruption, and after fracture. The results indicate that the formation of damage is not connected to the initial void distribution. Instead, damage accumulation at grain boundaries resulting from intergranular cracking is observed.
Many microstructural features exhibit non-trivial geometries, which can only be derived to a limited extent from two-dimensional images. E.g., graphite arrangements in lamellar gray cast iron have complex geometries, and the same is true for additively manufactured materials and three-dimensional conductive path structures. Some can be visualized using tomographic methods, but some cannot be due to weak contrast and/or lack of resolution when analyzing macroscopic objects. Classic metallography can help but must be expanded to the third dimension. The method of reconstructing three-dimensional structures from serial metallographic sections surely is not new. However, the effort required to manually assemble many individual sections into image stacks is very high and stands in the way of frequent application. For this reason, an automated, robot-supported 3D metallography system is being developed at BAM, which carries out the steps of repeated preparation and image acquisition on polished specimen.
Preparation includes grinding, polishing and optionally etching of the polished surface. Image acquisition comprises autofocused light microscopic imaging at several magnification levels. The image stacks obtained are then pre-processed, segmented, and converted into 3D models, which in the result appear like microtomographic models, but with high resolution at large volume. Contrasting by classical chemical etching reveals structures that cannot be resolved using tomographic methods. The integration of further imaging and measuring methods into this system is underway. Some examples will be discussed in the presentation.
The surface corrosion behaviour is a key issue which determines whether the material is applicable at a given atmosphere. Medium-entropy alloy FeCrNi alloy was exposed to synthetic air at 1000°C, 1050°C, and 1100 °C for up to 1000 h using a thermobalance. The oxidation rate was parabolic at 1000 and 1050°C, but breakaway occurred at 1100°C after 5 h of aging time. The whole oxide scales formed under the isothermal oxidation tests spalled off and additional oxidation tests were carried out at 1000 °C and 1050°C for 24 h and up to 100 h at 1000°C in a tubular furnace. The corrosion behaviour of the MEA was analysed by scanning electron microscope, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction and compared to the behaviour of 316 L. The experimental results showed that under all conditions chromium is the main diffusion element resulting in the formation of a Cr2O3 layer at the MEA surface. Spallation of the layer induces the formation of additional oxidation products under the surface of the (spalled off) chromia layer.
The high-temperature corrosion behaviors of the equimolar CrCoNi medium- and CrMnFeCoNi high-entropy alloy were studied in a gas atmosphere consisting of a volumetric mixture of 10% H2O, 2% O2, 0.5% SO2, and 87.5% Ar at 800 °C for up to 96 h. Both alloys were initially single-phase fcc structured and showed a mean grain size of ~50 µm and a homogeneous chemical composition. The oxide layer thickness of the Cantor alloy CrMnFeCoNi increased linearly with exposure time while it remained constant at ~1 µm for CrCoNi. A Cr2O3 layer and minor amounts of (Co,Ni)Cr2O4 developed on CrCoNi while three layers were detected on the Cantor alloy. These layers were a thin and continuous chromium rich oxide layer at the oxide/alloy interface, a dense (Mn,Cr)3O4 layer in the center and a thick and porous layer of Mn3O4 and MnSO4 at the gas/oxide interface. Additionally, a few metal sulfides were observed in the CrMnFeCoNi matrix. These results were found to be in reasonable agreement with thermodynamic calculations.
High entropy alloys (HEA) are a new class of materials that have been investigated since the early 2000s and offer great potential to replace conventional alloys. However, since they sometimes have significant contents of expensive alloying elements such as Co or Ni, their use is only conceivable in highly stressed areas of components. For this purpose, the weldability with conventional alloys such as high-alloy austenitic steels must be investigated. In addition to the resulting microstructure, the mechanical properties are also fundamental for the usability of HEAs in DMWs. For this purpose, TIG welds of CoCrFeMnNi HEA (cold rolled and recrystallized state) with AISI 304 austenitic steel are investigated. These mechanical properties are analyzed in this work by means of tensile tests and local hardness measurement. The local strain behavior of the welded joints is also characterized by means of Digital Image Correlation (DIC). The results of the local hardness measurement show a clear influence of the initial condition of the HEA on the HAZ. Thus, the HEA in the cold-rolled condition shows a clear softening because of recrystallization processes in the HAZ. On the other hand, there is no influence on the hardness of the weld metal, which is approx. 200 HV0.1 in both cases. The tensile tests show a consistent failure of the weld in the weld metal. However, regardless of the HEA condition, strengths in the range of the recrystallized HEA (RM ~ 550–600 MPa) are achieved, although with significantly reduced fracture elongations.
Laser powder bed fusion (PBF-LB/M) of metallic alloys is a layer wise additive manufacturing process which provides significant scope for more efficient designs of components, benefiting performance and weight, leading to efficiency improvements for various sectors of industry. However, to benefit from these design freedoms, knowledge of the high produced induced residual stress and mechanical property anisotropy associated with the unique microstructures is critical. X-ray and neutron diffraction are considered the benchmark for non-destructive characterization of surface and bulk internal residual stress. The latter, characterized by the high penetration power in most engineering alloys, allows for the use of diffraction angle close to 90° enabling a near cubic sampling volume to be specified. However, the complex microstructures of columnar growth with inherent crystallographic texture typically produced during PBF-LB/M of metallics present significant challenges to the assumptions typically required for time efficient determination of residual stress. These challenges include the selection of an appropriate set of diffraction elastic constants and a representative strain-free reference for the material of interest. In this presentation advancements in the field of diffraction-based residual stress analysis of L-PBF Inconel 718 will be presented. The choice of an appropriate set of diffraction-elastic constants depending on the underlying microstructure will be described.
Das zyklische plastische Verformungsverhalten von additiv gefertigtem Edelstahl AISI 316L wurde in dehnungsgeregelten Kurzzeitfestigkeitsversuchen (LCF-Versuchen) untersucht. Dabei wurden zwei Wärmebehandlungszustände betrachtet: Beim ersten Zustand war die fertigungsbedingte zelluläre Struktur vorhanden, während sie durch die zweite Wärmebehandlung aufgelöst wurde. Untersuchungen im Transmissions-Elektronen-Mikroskop (TEM) zeigten, dass die zyklische Verformung die Zellstruktur lokal zerstörte und Gleitbänder entstanden, was die Entfestigung in diesem Fall erklärt. Für Material ohne Zellstrukturen resultierten nach zyklischer Verformung ähnliche Versetzungsstrukturen wie in konventionell gefertigtem (warmgewalzten) Material.
Investigation of degradation of the aluminum current collector in lithium-ion batteries by GD-OES
(2022)
Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) are one technology to overcome the challenges of climate and energy crisis. They are widely used in electric vehicles, consumer electronics, or as storage for renewable energy sources. However, despite innovations in batteries' components like cathode and anode materials, separators, and electrolytes, the aging mechanism related to metallic aluminum current collector degradation causes a significant drop in their performance and prevents the durable use of LIBs. Glow-discharge optical emission spectroscopy (GD-OES) is a powerful method for depth-profiling of batteries' electrode materials. This work investigates aging-induced aluminum deposition on commercial lithium cobalt oxide (LCO) batteries' cathodes. The results illustrate the depth-resolved elemental distribution from the cathode surface to the current collector. An accumulation of aluminum is found on the cathode surface by GD-OES, consistent with results from energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) combined with focused ion beam (FIB) cutting. In comparison to FIB-EDX, GD-OES allows a fast and manageable depth-profiling. Results from different positions on an aged cathode indicate an inhomogeneous aluminum film growth on the surface. The conclusions from these experiments can lead to a better understanding of the degradation of the aluminum current collector, thus leading to higher lifetimes of LIBs.
Additive manufacturing methods such as laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) allow geometrically complex parts to be manufactured within a single step. However, as an aftereffect of the localized heat input, the rapid cooling rates are the origin of the large residual stress (RS) retained in as-manufactured parts. With a view on the microstructure, the rapid directional cooling leads to a cellular solidification mode which is accompanied by columnar grown grains possessing crystallographic texture. The solidification conditions can be controlled by the processing parameters and the scanning strategy. Thus, the process allows one to tailor the microstructure and the texture to the specific needs. Yet, such microstructures are not only the origin of the mechanical anisotropy but also pose metrological challenges for the diffraction-based RS determination. In that context the micromechanical elastic anisotropy plays an important role: it translates the measured microscopic strain to macroscopic stress. Therefore, it is of uttermost importance to understand the influence of the hierarchical microstructures and the texture on the elastic anisotropy of LPBF manufactured materials.
This study reveals the influence of the build orientation and the texture on the micro-mechanical anisotropy of as-built Inconel 718. Through variations of the build orientation and the scanning strategy, we manufactured specimens possessing [001]/[011]-, [001]-, and [011]/[111]-type textures. The resulting microstructures lead to differences in the macroscopic mechanical properties. Even further, tensile in-situ loading experiments during neutron diffraction measurements along the different texture components revealed differences in the microstrain response of multiple crystal lattice planes. In particular, the load partitioning and the residual strain accumulation among the [011]/[111] textured specimen displayed distinct differences measured up to a macroscopic strain of 10 %. However, the behavior of the specimens possessing [001]/[011]-and [001]-type texture was only minorly affected. The consequences on the metrology of RS analysis by diffraction-based methods are discussed.
Komponenten von Fahrrädern werden im Betrieb vorwiegend schwingend beansprucht. Typische Werkstoffe sind Stahl, Aluminiumlegierungen, Messing, CFK und thermoplastische Kunststoffe. Da es sich, unabhängig von der Preiskategorie, um konstruktiven Leichtbau handelt, werden einige Bauteile betriebsfest mehr oder weniger weit oberhalb der Dauerfestigkeit ausgelegt. Die im normalen Betrieb auftretenden Schäden sind daher weit überwiegend Schwingbrüche. Andere Schadensmechanismen wie z.B. Korrosion spielen quantitativ eine untergeordnete Rolle. Schwingbrüche treten nach einer Periode unbemerkten Risswachstums oft ohne Vorwarnung und ohne makroskopische Verformung auf. Im Falle von sicherheitsrelevanten Komponenten wie Rahmen, Gabeln, Lenkern, Sattelstützen, Kurbelarmen oder Pedalen kann dies zu erheblichen Personenschäden führen, die den Wert des ursächlichen Bauteilschadens weit überschreiten.
Über einen langjährigen Zeitraum wurden gebrochene Komponenten aus dem Alltag und aus Gerichtsverfahren analysiert. Das Hauptaugenmerk lag hierbei auf der fraktographischen Analyse, teilweise wurden die zu Grunde liegenden Schadensursachen ermittelt. Einflussfaktoren sind beispielsweise konstruktive Kerben an ungünstigen Stellen, aber auch Werkstoffwahl und Fertigungsqualität spielen eine Rolle. In den meisten Fällen wurde jedoch die konstruktive Lebensdauer überschritten. Diese wird praktisch nie mitgeteilt, und eine wiederkehrende Prüfung sicherheitsrelevanter Bauteile findet nicht statt.
Im Sinne der Vermeidung von Schäden und Unfällen könnte darauf hingewirkt werden, für sicherheitsrelevante Komponenten Lebensdauern besser abzuschätzen und von der Laufleistung abhängige Sichtprüfungen zu empfehlen.
Ziel von fraktographischen Untersuchungen ist die Auswertung von makroskopischen und mikroskopischen Bruchflächenmerkmalen und daraus resultierend die Bestimmung des Bruchmechanismus eines Bauteils aus einem Schadensfall. Die Grundlage für die Bewertung von Bruchmerkmalen stammt dabei aus zuvor durchgeführten eigenen Vergleichsversuchen und aus der Literatur. Eine fraktographische Analyse kann sehr aufwändig sein und setzt in jedem Fall erhebliches Erfahrungswissen voraus. Im IGF-Vorhaben „iFrakto“ wird Software entwickelt, die auf Basis von digitalisiertem Expertenwissen, Machine Learning und unter Zuhilfenahme von Topographie-Daten anhand von REM-Aufnahmen Bruchmerkmale und Bruchmechanismen quantitativ bestimmt, s. Abbildung. Solche Software soll mittelfristig direkt am REM oder bei der nachfolgenden Auswertung wissensbasierte Vorschläge für die Bewertung von Bruchflächen liefern. Als Grundlage hierfür wurden Ringversuche unter Fraktograph/inn/en durchgeführt, um die Wissensbasis zu schaffen, die praxisrelevanten Anforderungen an solche Software abzufragen und erste Praxistests durchzuführen. Die bisherigen Ergebnisse werden vorgestellt und die Relevanz der Auswertestrategie und unterschiedlicher Sensordaten bewertet.
The aim of a fractographic investigation is the evaluation of macroscopic and microscopic fracture surface characteristics and, as a result, the determination of the fracture mechanism of a component from a failure case. The basis for such evaluations of fracture characteristics comes from actual comparative mechanical testing and from the literature. A fractographic analysis can be very complex and, in any case, requires considerable experience. In the IGF project "iFrakto", software is being developed that quantitatively determines fracture characteristics and fracture mechanisms utilizing digitized expert knowledge, machine learning, and standard 2D and topographical data from SEM imaging. Topographical data are obtained from 4QBSE detector using shape-from-shading technology. In the medium term, a software tool should provide knowledge-based suggestions for the evaluation of fracture surfaces in real time during SEM work or at subsequent evaluation. As a basis for this, round robins were carried out among fractographers in order to create a knowledge base, to query the practice-relevant requirements for such tools and to carry out first practical tests. Actual results are presented and the relevance of the evaluation strategy is evaluated.
The aim of a fractographic investigation is the evaluation of macroscopic and microscopic fracture surface characteristics and, as a result, the determination of the fracture mechanism of a component from a failure case. The basis for such evaluations of fracture characteristics comes from actual comparative mechanical testing and from the literature. A fractographic analysis can be very complex and, in any case, requires considerable experience.
Machine learning methods enables the quantitative determination of fracture characteristics and fracture mechanisms utilizing digitized expert knowledge [1]. Although the application of SE images provides promising results, additional information is required to obtain reliable solutions. As expected, BSE and 3D information helps to improve the classification (Fig. 1). But only a fast, widely integrated, and automated topography measurement can provide the required amount of referenced surface data for the application of machine learning methods.
To fulfil these requirements, topographical data are obtained from a BSE detector with four symmetric segments (4Q-BSE) using shape-from-shading technology [2]. Surface height calculation is performed live during image acquisition and provides immediate feedback in three dimensions. All available signals (SE, BSE and more if applicable) are recorded simultaneously together with the surface topography and stored in a multichannel data file. This guaranties the same geometrical reference for all data, which is required for further analysis (Fig. 2).
When applying machine learning methods to topographic data together with SEM images, topographic information must be provided as depth image. Consequently, a unique height scale is required for all applied data with different magnifications. This requires a calibrated height measurement, which is ensured with the integrated 3D calibration of the topographic acquisition and a dedicated calibration sample. Thus, a large number of data sets from different fracture samples was generated and used as training data for machine learning.
Substitution of lead oxide in low-melting glasses, e.g., for application in silver metallization pastes, is a current research goal. This work is focused on the investigation of silver diffusion in alkali zinc borate glasses (X2O-ZnO-B2O3, X = Li, Na, K, Rb). In addition, the redox state of silver (Ag) and thus the type of diffusing silver species were studied. For this purpose, a metallic silver coating was applied on glass cubes by means of sputtering. Heat treatment of the samples was performed close to the glass transition temperatures at 470 °C for 2 h under air and nitrogen atmosphere. Coating thickness was 1.8 µm after heat treatment, measured by a white light interferometer.
Silver diffusion profiles were measured by means of secondary neutral mass spectrometry. The silver diffusion coefficients are in the range of ~10-14 cm2/s and indicate no significant differences depending on the type of alkali ions in the glass. Dissolved Ag+-ions and [Agm]n+-clusters in the glasses were differentiated using fluorescence spectroscopy.
Precipitated metallic silver particles in the sodium containing glass were observed by means of transmission electron microcopy. Their mean particle diameter was ~6 nm.
Entwicklung der Mikrostruktur der mechanischen Eigenschaften und der Eigenspannungen in L-PBF 316L
(2022)
Die additive Fertigung (AM) metallischer Werkstoffe mittels Laser Powder Bed Fusion (L-PBF) ermöglicht einzigartige hierarchische Mikrostrukturen, die zu Verbesserungen bestimmter mechanischer Eigenschaften gegenüber konventionell hergestellten Varianten derselben Legierung führen können. Allerdings ist das L-PBF-Verfahren häufig durch das Vorhandensein hoher Eigenspannungen gekennzeichnet, die es zu verstehen und zu mindern gilt. Daher ist das Verständnis der Mikrostrukturen, der Eigenspannungen und der daraus resultierenden mechanischen Eigenschaften entscheidend für eine breite Akzeptanz bei sicherheitskritischen Anwendungen. Die BAM hat ein multidisziplinäres Forschungsprogramm gestartet, um diese Aspekte bei LPBF 316L zu untersuchen. Der vorliegende Beitrag stellt einige der wichtigsten Ergebnisse vor: der Einfluss von Prozessparametern auf die Mikrostruktur, der Einfluss von Mikrostruktur und Textur auf die Festigkeit, Kriechverhalten und Schädigung und die Stabilität von Eigenspannungen und Mikrostruktur unter Wärmebehandlungsbedingungen.
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.
Spurenelemente spielen eine wichtige Rolle bei der Verfeinerung der Eigenschaften von komplexen Materialien. Diese Arbeit zeigt die Korrelation zwischen der Mikrostruktur, der Gitterfehlpassung und den Kriecheigenschaften. Die Legierung Al10Co25Cr8Fe15Ni36Ti6 (in at. %) mit komplexer Zusammensetzung wurde mit den Elementen Hf und W verstärkt. Die Zugabe von Hf bewirkt eine eckigere Form der würfelförmigen gamma'-Ausscheidungen und einen erhöhten Anteil der Heusler-Phase. Die Zugabe von W wiederum formt die Würfelchen rundlicher und löst die Heusler-Phase auf. Eine Mischung der beiden Spurenelemente zeigt einen Übergang zwischen den beiden Extremen, sowohl in Hinsicht auf die Form der Ausscheidungen als auch in Bezug auf die Gitterfehlpassung und die Kriecheigenschaften.
Early Material Damage in Equimolar CrMnFeCoNi in Mixed Oxidizing/Sulfiding Hot Gas Atmosphere
(2022)
The challenges to use more varied fuels at medium and high temperatures above 500 °C need to be addressed by tuning the materials towards a better resistance against increased corrosion. As a first step the corrosion processes need to be better understood, especially in the case of the unavoidable and highly corrosive sulfur-based gases. In this work oxidation/sulfidation of an equimolar CrMnFeCoNi high entropy alloy is studied at an early stage after hot gas exposure at 600 °C for 6 h in 0.5% SO2 and 99.5% Ar. The oxidation process is studied by means of x-ray diffraction, scanning and transmission electron microscopy and supported by thermodynamic calculations. It is found that the sulfur does not enter the bulk material but interacts mainly with the fast-diffusing manganese at grain boundary triple junctions at the alloy surface. Sub-micrometer scaled Cr-S-O rich phases close to the grain boundaries complete the sulfur-based phase formation. The grains are covered in different Fe, Mn and Cr based spinels and other oxides.
Tempered martensite-ferritic steels, such as the grade P92 steel studied in this contribution, exhibit pronounced macroscopic cyclic softening under isothermal low-cycle fatigue (LCF) and non-isothermal thermomechanical fatigue (TMF) conditions, which is considered to be the predominant degradation mechanism in high-temperature fatigue in this and other material groups. However, such softening processes are highly complex since microscopic (e.g., recovery) and macroscopic (e.g., crack initiation and growth), as well as global and local effects superimpose, especially under creep-fatigue conditions. In this contribution, we discuss the cyclic deformation and softening behavior of P92 in strain-controlled LCF, in-phase (IP) TMF, and out-of-phase (OP) TMF tests with and without dwell times in the temperature range from 300 °C to 620°C. EBSD-based dislocation analysis on various fatigued material states confirms the continuous redistribution and annihilation of geometrically necessary dislocations in all studied states, which can be quantitatively correlated with macroscopic softening despite different damage mechanisms for different test types. Deviations from this correlation are observed for OP TMF and LCF with dwell times, i.e., for conditions where optical microscopy reveals pronounced crack-oxidation interactions at the specimen surfaces.
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.
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.
Metal Additive Manufacturing (AM) technologies such as Laser Powder Bed Fusion (LPBF) are characterized by layer wise construction, which enable advancements of component design, with associated potential gains in performance and efficiency. However, high magnitude residual stresses (RS) are often a product of the rapid thermal cycles typical of the layerwise process. Therefore, a deep understanding of the formation of RS, the influence of process parameters on their magnitude and the impact on mechanical performance is crucial for widespread application. The experimental characterisation of these RS is essential for safety related engineering application and supports the development of reliable numerical models. Diffraction-based methods for RS analysis using neutrons and high energy X-rays enable non-destructive spatially resolved characterisation of both surface and bulk residual stresses in complex components. This presentation will provide an overview of recent research by the BAM at large scale facilities for the characterization of residual stresses in LPBF metallic alloys as a function of process parameters. In addition, the challenges posed by the textured and hierarchical microstructures of LPBF materials on diffraction-based RS analysis in AM materials will be discussed. This will include the question of the d0 reference lattice spacing and the appropriate choice of the diffraction elastic constants (DECs) to calculate the level of RS in LPBF manufactured alloys.
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.
The chemically complex alloys (CCAs) that contain mostly refractory elements (rCCAs), may be highly resistant to heat and load, which makes them attractive candidates for use at extremely high temperatures associated with many technological applications, e.g. aeroengine turbines. However, the field of CCAs, especially their resistance in harsh (oxidative) and hot environment is still young and not much experimental evidence for the understanding mechanisms in this regime is available, which the proposed study addresses. For safe use in structural applications, in addition to their mechanical performance, the environmental resistance of this alloy is also critical. Surface degradation can significantly decrease the mechanical resistance during high temperature exposure, leading to premature failure. The AlMo0.5NbTa0.5TiZr rCCA only contains Al as a protection candidate and it is composed of a coherent B2/bcc nanoscopic cube-on-cube interweave and an hexagonal phase. The evaluation of the oxidation process in the AlMo0.5NbTa0.5TiZr rCCA in the heat-treated state has not been assessed yet. The proposed study focusses on a deeper understanding of the formation mechanism and growth kinetics of oxides at high temperature in the AlMo0.5NbTa0.5TiZr rCCA using synchrotron radiation. Due to the envisaged high temperature structural applications, the alloy is evaluated in an oxidation environment specifically between 800°C and 1000°C.
The development of refractory chemically complex alloys (rCCAs) has been explored for potential use in high temperature applications. An example of this is the AlMo0.5NbTa0.5TiZr alloy. It was named as “high entropy superalloy” as it resembles the well-known γ/γ’ microstructure in Ni-Base superalloys with cuboidal particles embedded in a continuous matrix. However, the continuous phase in Ni Base alloys is an fcc solution and the cuboidal γ’ precipitates present the L12 intermetallic structure. On the opposite, this CCA has a reversed microstructure where the continuous matrix is formed by an ordered B2 phase which contains cuboidal precipitates of a disordered BCC phase. Some of the most importat results of microstructural analysis, creep test and oxidation are presented in the following work. The as-cast sample shows a bcc/B2 structure with hexagonal phase precipitates in amorphous state whereas the annealed sample also shows a combination of these phases but with larger bcc precipitates and a fully crystallized hexagonal intermetallic. It was found that porosity was higher in the annealed samples (Kinkerdall effect) and the hardness was higher in samples with faster cooling rate due smaller nanostructure. Norton plots show both diffusion and dislocation controlled deformation, and it was found different kinetics between dry and humid air oxidation with the presence of spallation.
The main deference between high entropy alloys and conventional alloys is the solid solution strengthening effect, which moves from a single element to a multi-element matrix. Little is known about the effectiveness of this effect at high temperatures. Investigation of temperature dependent solid solution strengthening in single phase multicomponent alloys with medium and high entropy using creep testing was performed. Creep tests carried out on single phase SX CrCoNi , CrMnFeCoNi and pure Ni from 700 to 1200 °C excluding oxidation, grain boundaries and multiphase effects. It was found that the influence of solid solution strengthening of CrCoNi and CrMnFeCoNi increases by decreasing temperature (1200 to 700 °C), and dislocation forests occur in CrCoNi and CrMnFeCoNi in comparison to pure Ni.
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.
Laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) is an additive manufacturing process for materials which inherently tends to yield various degrees of metastable hierarchical microstructures, defects and high residual stresses in the as-built condition depending on the process parameters. The understanding of the evolution of these typical features during heat treatment and subsequent thermal and mechanical ageing is crucial for the wider acceptance for safety critical structures. A multi-disciplinary research project at BAM studying the development of the microstructure, defects, residual stresses typical of LPBF 316L and their evolution during thermal and mechanical ageing has led to insights into the stability of these inherent features. This presentation aims to give a broad overview of the project with a few specific cases of investigation. Firstly, the formation of residual stresses, the nature of the initial microstructure, the tensile properties and a modelling approach to understand the anisotropy will be presented. This will be followed by examples of studies of their evolution during heat treatment, long term thermal exposure, and room temperature and high temperature mechanical testing compared to a baseline of conventional wrought variant of the same alloy.
Zur Bewältigung der Herausforderung bei der Digitalisierung von Materialien und Prozessen ist eine mit allen Stakeholdern konsistente Kontextualisierung von Materialdaten anzustreben, d.h. alle erforderlichen Informationen über den Zustand des Materials einschließlich produktions- und anwendungsbezogener Änderungen müssen über eine einheitliche, maschinenlesbare Beschreibung verfügbar gemacht werden. Dazu werden Wissensrepräsentationen und Konzeptualisierungen ermöglichende Ontologien verwendet. Erste Bemühungen in den beiden Projekten Plattform Material Digital und Materials-open-Laboratory führten zur Erstellung von Anwendungsontologien, die Prozesse und Testmethoden explizit beschreiben. Dabei wurde u.a. der Zugversuch an Metallen bei Raumtemperatur nach DIN EN ISO 6892-1 ontologisch beschrieben. Diese als Beispiel dienende Ontologieentwicklung wird in dieser Präsentation vorgestellt.
Die „auffälligen großen Streifen“ sind von echten Schwingstreifen nur sehr schwer zu trennen, weil sie parallel zu den Schwingstreifen verlaufen und meistens ebenfalls nicht sehr groß sind. Die im Labor getesteten Proben zeigten, dass diese großen Streifen zusammen mit Verreibungen auftraten und „tire tracks“ („Reifenspuren“) verursachten. Dies wurde durch eine hochauflösende REM-Untersuchung bestätigt, die „tire tracks“ auf den „großen Streifen“ zeigte. Ein weiterer Hinweis ist die Änderung des R-Werts von -1 auf 0,1, was zu einer Bruchfläche ohne große Streifen und „tire tracks“ führt.
Die Analyse von Bruchflächen wird in der Schadensanalyse meist auf der Basis von Erfahrungswissen vorgenommen, welches aus vorliegenden Untersuchungen, eigenen Vergleichsversuchen und aus der Literatur stammt. Durch Vergleiche mit bereits vorliegenden Bildern werden qualitativ Bruchmechanismen ermittelt. Grundlage sind zumeist zweidimensionale Bilder aus licht- und elekt-ronenoptischen Verfahren. Quantitative Aussagen beziehen sich bislang beispielsweise auf makroskopische Anteile von Bruchmechanismen oder die Ausmessung von Schwingstreifen. In jüngerer Zeit gibt es vermehrt Ansätze, Computer-Algorithmen einzusetzen, die in der Lage sind, unterschiedlich strukturierte Bruchmerkmale zu finden und zu klassifizieren. Im hier vorgestellten IGF-Vorhaben „iFrakto“, IGF Vorhaben Nr.: 21477 N, werden licht- und elektronenoptisch Topographie-Bilder erzeugt und die gewonnenen 3D-Informationen zusammen mit den klassischen 2D-Bildern ausgewertet.
Die Analyse von Bruchflächen wird in der Schadensanalyse meist auf der Basis von Erfahrungswissen vorgenommen, welches aus vorliegenden Untersuchungen, eigenen Vergleichsversuchen und aus der Literatur stammt. Durch Vergleiche mit bereits vorliegenden Bildern werden qualitativ Bruchmechanismen ermittelt. Grundlage sind zumeist zweidimensionale Bilder aus licht- und elektronenoptischen Verfahren. Quantitative Aussagen beziehen sich bislang beispielsweise auf makroskopische Anteile von Bruchmechanismen oder die Ausmessung von Schwingstreifen. In jüngerer Zeit gibt es vermehrt Ansätze, Computer-Algorithmen einzusetzen, die in der Lage sind, unterschiedlich strukturierte Bruchmerkmale zu finden und zu klassifizieren. Im hier vorgestellten IGF-Vorhaben „iFrakto“, IGF Vorhaben Nr.: 21477 N, werden licht- und elektronen-optisch Topographie-Bilder erzeugt und die gewonnenen 3D-Informationen zusammen mit den klassischen 2D-Bildern ausgewertet. Analytische Algorithmen und Machine Learning werden eingesetzt, um Bruchmerkmale zu analysieren, zu bewerten und mit Informationen aus einer fraktographischen Datenbank zu verknüpfen. Ziel ist die Bereitstellung von Software zur Unterstützung der Fraktographie in der Schadensanalyse. In diesem Beitrag werden erste Ergebnisse des Vorhabens vorgestellt.
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.
To apply high-entropy alloys (HEA) of the CrMnFeCoNi family in challenging atmospheres, their degradation behavior under harsh environments needs to be investigated. Oxidation studies to HEAs have not been extensively investigated and most of them are concentrated on environments like synthetic air, laboratory air, CO/CO2, O2 and H2O atmospheres. Main corrosion products which were identified after aging times of up to 100 h are Mn2O3 (≤800°C) and Mn3O4 (≥800°C).
Another corrosive medium in high temperature applications is SO2, which preferentially forms sulfides on commercial steels for example. These can be occurred both in the oxide layer and at the oxide/metal interface. For instance, on Fe-Cr based alloys sulfides (Cr5S6) were detected along grain boundaries and their number increases with exposure time and Cr-content in the alloy. These sulfides show an increased hardness, compared to the bulk alloy, and cause an embrittlement of the grain boundaries. This is a serious material degradation phenomenon, now addressed for the case of HEAs.
In the present study metal sulfides were identified after corrosion of the HEA CrMnFeCoNi alloy in an Ar-0.5vol.%SO2 atmosphere at 800°C for 24 h, 48 h, 96 h and 192 h exposure time. After all three duration times, a thin non-protective Cr2O3 layer has formed at the oxide/alloy interface. At the gas side a thick Mn3O4 layer with local voids containing sulfur could be detected by SEM-EDS analysis. Furthermore, S precipitates could be detected in the bulk material near the surface. These sulfides were characterized in detail by scanning and transmission electron microscopy. Based on these results, a model for grain boundary sulfidation of high-entropy alloy CrMnFeCoNi is discussed.
Bei der Untersuchung von Bruchflächen werden zunächst Beobachtungen gemacht, d.h. makroskopische und mikroskopische Merkmale analysiert und in Bildern dokumentiert. Im zweiten Schritt werden anhand der gefundenen Merkmale Rissverlauf und Bruchmechanismen ermittelt. Abschließend sollen diese Ergebnisse in einem Bericht oder Gutachten zusammengefasst werden. Hierbei ist eine skizzenhafte Darstellung der fraktographischen Befunde hilfreich für das Verständnis des Lesers. Ein vorgefertigter fraktographischer Symbolsatz würde dies erheblich vereinfachen.
Skizzen von fraktographischen Befunden sind in der Literatur recht häufig zu finden, z.B. in der VDI 3822 oder dem ASM Handbook Fractography, allerdings gibt es hierzu keine umfassende Systematik, wie sie z.B. aus der Meteorologie (Wetterkarten), Geographie (Landkarten, Seekarten) oder Geologie (Bodenkarten) seit langer Zeit bekannt sind. Deshalb wird hier der Versuch unternommen, einen Symbolsatz zu entwickeln und zur Verfügung zu stellen, mit dessen Hilfe fraktographische Befunde in eindeutiger und übersichtlicher Weise veranschaulicht werden können. Der fraktographische Symbolsatz ("Fracto Graphics") befindet sich in Entwicklung, ist offen zur Diskussion sowie für Verbesserungen.
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 development of refractory CCAs has been explored for potential use in high temperature applications. An example of this is the AlMo0.5NbTa0.5TiZr alloy, which resembles the well-known γ/γ’ microstructure in Ni-Base superalloys with cuboidal particles embedded in a continuous matrix. The aim of this work is to evaluate the alloy’s mechanical behavior under tension in the temperature range 800-1000°C, by applying creep tests under vacuum (excluding oxidation effects). Some little temperature influence on minimum creep rate @ 1000 and 1100 °C was found and at a first glance, and Norton plots shows that deformation is probably both diffusion and dislocation controlled. However, further work is needed to stablish deformation and degradation micro mechanisms in the studied creep regime.
The refractory chemically complex alloy (rCCA) AlMo0.5NbTa0.5TiZr, with a density of 7.4 g/cm3, shows a compressive ultimate strength of 772 MPa at 1000 °C, comparatively surpassing Ni-base and other rCCAs. Its dual-phase microstructure, with a high volume fraction (≈ 62%) of cuboidal and plate-like particles coherently embedded in a continuous matrix, resembles the well-known pattern of the γ/γ" in Ni-base superalloys. Its developers have thus implied that it could stand as structural alloy for high temperature (HT) applications. Here, we report the HT creep properties and the underlying microstructural changes of the rCCA AlMo0.5NbTa0.5TiZr to propose deformation and degradation micromecanisms for this regime. The material was produced by arc-melting and subsequently heat treated in argon: at 1400 °C for 24 h plus a hot isostatic pressure treatment at 1370 °C and 170 MPa for 4 h, with a cooling rate of 10 K/min. Miniaturized tensile specimens (≈ 28 x 7 x 2 mm) were cut and polished to a quality of 1 μm. Creep tests were conducted in vacuum in the respective temperature and stress range 800-1200 °C and 30-120 MPa. For observation, thin slices were extracted from the gauge length, away from the fracture surface, grinded to a thickness of 100 μm, and electropolished to electron transparency. The microstructure was observed on the electropolished specimens using scanning (S) as well as transmission (T) electron microscopy (EM). The Norton plot gives Norton exponents of about 3.1 and 3.2 for temperatures of 1000 and 1100 °C, respectively. Curiously, creep rate minima are very close for a stress level of 30. The starting microstructure reflects a macroscopically lean coarse grain structure and a microscopically fine-meshed basketweave structure with coherency dislocations only around coarsened particles usually close to subgrain boundaries. Results are discussed on the base of variations of this starting microstructure after interrupted and ruptured creep tests.
A set of some unexpected and interesting microstructures has put the so-called complex concentrated alloys (CCAs) in the eye of the scientific community. The AlMo0.5NbTa0.5TiZr refractory (r)CCA, aimed at substituting Ni-base superalloys in gas turbine applications, belongs to this alloy family. After a two-stage heat treatment, this rCCA morphologically resembles the typical a two-phase microstructure of the latter. The objective of this work consists in determining the effect of the two stages of the heat treatment on the microstructure of the AlMo0.5NbTa0.5TiZr alloy to eventually improve it in terms of homogeneity and porosity.
The relaxation of macroscopic residual stresses in laser powder bed fused stainless steel 316L
(2021)
The processing of stainless steel 316L using the additive manufacturing process Laser Powder Bed Fusion (LPBF) can widen its field of application due to a strong increase in Yield strength, without making major compromises on the ductility nor its outstanding corrosion and oxidation properties. Furthermore, improved designs that either reduce the weight or optimise the function of a part can be obtained using LPBF. These benefits are however counterbalanced by the proneness of LPBF to inducing high Residual Stresses (RS) during manufacturing. The characterisation and monitoring of these RS are of paramount importance for the wider acceptance of the LPBF process. This study focuses on the relaxation of the initial macroscopic RS present in an LPBF 316L as-built prism that undergoes various routes of manufacturing steps to achieve different specimen geometries and stress relieving treatments. The RS are determined using Angle-Dispersive (AD) and Time-of-Flight (TOF) neutron diffraction. The results reveal high tensile RS close to the surfaces and compressive RS near the centre of the as-built parts. The reduction in size and change of geometry heavily impact the stress ranges of the remaining RS, with lower stress ranges in cylindrical shaped compared to rectangular shaped specimens. Also, the application of different stress relieving heat treatments showed that heat-treating temperatures above 800 °C are necessary to obtain a strong relaxation in LPBF 316L.
As more industrial interests focusing on using salt caverns and repurposed gas or petroleum reservoirs for alternative fuel storage, i.e. CO2/H2, the question raises whether microorganisms may impact the infrastructure, gas purity and storage condition over time.
Environments with high salinity (> 1.5 Meq of NaCl) are resided by halophiles (salt-loving microorganisms). To compensate for the intensive osmotic stress, they have resorted to two main adaptation strategies: 1) production of compatible solutes and 2) accumulation of intracellular KCl. Microbial community analysis of several high salinity environments revealed a number of recurring genera, including Halomonas and Halanaerobium. However, the impact of halophiles on the overall integrity and stability of the storage facilities remain largely unknown.
To evaluate the suitability and stability of saline storage facilities, several model halophilic microorganisms, such as members of Halomonas, will be selected as testing subjects. First, the impact of halophiles on the infrastructure will be determined using an integrative approach by combining a number of techniques, including electrochemistry, TOF-SIMS, SEM/FIB/EDS and FIB-TEM. Second, the abilities of halophiles to alter the fuel composition (i.e. increase/decrease the fractions of H2) will be monitored using gas chromatography by growing them under high pressure.
As a result of climate change and the accompanying mandatory shift to renewable energy resources, microorganisms will continue to play an important role in the energy sector, both to their benefit and detriment. Thus, it is important to achieve a certain level of understanding regarding the activities and mechanisms of halophiles prior to large-scaled excursions.
In many late-breaking research fields as in photovoltaics, microelectronics, nuclear waste glasses or at least mirror glasses silver diffusion in glasses is relevant to the issues of high-level functionality and recycling. The present study is focused on silver diffusion in innovative, low-melting alkali zinc borate glasses (X2O-ZnO-B2O3, X = Li, Na, K, Rb) potentially usable for silver metallization-pastes in solar cells. The glasses were coated with a thin metallic silver layer and heat treatments in air and nitrogen close to Tg at 470 °C for 2 h were performed. After heat treatment under air and nitrogen atmospheres the coating thickness, measured by a white light interferometer, was about 1.8 µm thick. Silver depth profiles determined by means of secondary neutral mass spectrometry (SNMS) indicate the fastest silver diffusion to a depth of 3.5 µm for Li2O-ZnO-B2O3 (LZB) glass. Nevertheless, the influence of the different alkali ions on the silver diffusion is small. The oxygen availability determines the silver diffusion into the glasses. The oxygen promotes the oxidation of the silver layer enabling Ag+ to diffuse into the glass and to precipitate as Ag0. Both species were detected by x-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS). The precipitated metallic silver particles in Na2O-ZnO-B2O3 (NZB) glass have a mean size of 5.9 nm ± 1.2 nm diameter, which was determined using transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Phase separation in zinc-rich and zinc-poor phases with a mean diameter of 75 nm ± 20 nm occurred in NZB glass after heat treatment. Ion diffusion of the glasses into the silver layer was suggested by EDX-line scans.
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.
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.
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.
The discovery of the high entropy concept at the beginning of the 3rd millennium lead to a worldwide increase in metallurgical research, as the possible element combinations seemed nearly endless and the range of applications wide. In the early years of research, one of the main goals was the discovery of a single-phase high entropy alloy. As research evolved, it was found that properties could be enhanced by opening the HE-concept towards multiphase alloys, and from the wide area of possibilities our group chose a tuning of the properties towards high temperature application.
Compositionally complex Al10Co25Cr8Fe15Ni36Ti6 alloy, which is single-phase at high temperature, around 1200°C, shows a three phase morphology at intermediate temperatures, around 800°C. A high temperature homogenization procedure has to be applied in order to decrease the segregation induced by the dendritic growth. Subsequent annealing promotes the formation of the strengthening γ' precipitates. The alloy shows a positive lattice misfit between the γ and the γ' phase, which can be an indicator for good creep properties.
The microstructure can be optimized by adding trace elements such as Mo and Hf, known as γ and γ' strengtheners in Ni-based superalloys, respectively. Atom probe measurements show that Mo segregates into the γ matrix, and Hf prefers the γ' precipitates, where it increases the lattice parameter and thus also the lattice misfit, by about 50%. The alloy family shows interesting mechanical properties, especially the Al9.5Co25Cr8Fe15Ni36Ti6Hf0,5 alloy – its tensile properties are better than those of commercial Alloy 800H and IN617 at temperatures up to 700°C.
The collaborative project “Impacts of impurities in CO2 streams captured from different emitters in a regional cluster on transport, injection and storage (CLUSTER)” aimed to set up recommendations on how to define “reasonable minimum composition thresholds” that CO2 streams should meet when accessing CO2 transport pipeline networks. Within CLUSTER, we investigated potential impacts of CO2 streams with different and temporally variable compositions and mass flow rates along the whole CCS chain. Investigations included, amongst others, impacts on: Corrosion of pipeline steel, pipeline network design and related transport costs, alteration of well bore cements, pressure evelopment and rock integrity, geochemical reactions, and petrophysical and geomechanical rock properties.
All investigations are based on a generic CCS chain scenario. In this scenario, CO2 streams are captured from a spatial cluster of eleven emitters and collected in a regional pipeline network. Emitters comprise seven fossil fuel-fired power plants equipped with different capture technologies, two cement plants, one refinery and one integrated iron and steel plant. In total, 19.78 Mio t CO2 (including impurities) are captured in the emitter cluster annually. The combined CO2 stream is transported in a trunk line with a length of 400 km (100 km of these offshore) and is injected into five generic storage structures. The storage reservoirs are saline aquifers of the Buntsandstein.
The investigations revealed beneficial and deteriorating impacts of different impurities and combinations thereof. Overall, no fundamental technical obstacles for transporting, injecting and storing CO2 streams of the modelled variable compositions and mass flow rates were observed. Based on the results, the CLUSTER project team recommends not to define “minimum composition thresholds” for CO2 streams as strict threshold values for eachindividual impurity in the stream. Instead, CO2 stream compositions and variabilities for specific CCS projects should be constrained with regard to a set of parameters including i) the overall CO2 content, ii) maximum contents of relevant impurities or elements, iii) acceptable variability of CO2 stream composition, and iv)impurity combinations to be avoided.
CALM is software for determining the Bravais lattice type and the resulting lattice parameters from a single Kikuchi pattern. It requires the definition of 4 bands and a single bandwidth from which all other band positions as well as bandwidths are derived. For band detection, it uses the Funk transform, which allows detection of twice as many bands as usual. CALM works for any symmetry and requires low-noise patterns of at least 320x240 pixels. The resulting errors are <2% even for such small patterns, assuming good quality. The relative errors are <0.5%. However, this requires a projection centre position best derived from a sample of a cubic phase in CALM. However, this must have been recorded under identical conditions. Hundreds of Kikuchi patterns of phases with different symmetries were examined.
Damage tolerance counts as one of the most widespread approach to fatigue assessment and surely as one of the most promising in understanding the process-structure-property-performance relationships in additively manufactured metallic materials. Manufacturing defects, surface roughness, microstructural features, short and long crack fatigue propagation, residual stresses and applied loads can be taken into consideration in a fracture mechanics-based fatigue assessment. Many aspects are crucial to the reliable component life prediction. Among those a prominent role is played by an accurate measurement and modelling of the short crack fatigue behavior, and reliable statistical characterization of defects and residual stresses.
This work aims at addressing the issues related to both experimental testing, fatigue and fatigue crack propagation, and fracture mechanics-based modelling of fatigue lives. Examples will be provided on an additively manufactured AISI 316 L.
Diese Untersuchung beschäftigt sich mit der Charakterisierung von Kurzrisswachstum in mittels Laser-Pulverbett-Verschmelzen (LPBF - Laser Powder Bed Fusion) hergestelltem rostfreien austenitischen Stahl. Spezifischer wird die Ermittlung zyklischer R-Kurven untersucht. Diese beschreiben den Aufbau des Widerstands gegen Ermüdungsrisswachstum - d.h. des Schwellenwertes - aufgrund von Rissschließeffekten bei physikalisch kurzen Rissen. Mit Hilfe der zyklischen R-Kurven kann die Fähigkeit eines Bauteils, physikalisch kurze Risse zu arretieren, charakterisiert werden. Wir verfügen damit über eine Schnittstelle zwischen klassischer Ermüdung und Bruchmechanik. Das ist gerade auch für additiv gefertigte (AM – Additive Manufacturing) Materialien von Interesse. Diese weisen prozessintrinsische Defekte auf, die als Initiierungsstellen kurzer Ermüdungsrisse agieren. Im Rahmen der experimentellen Untersuchungen wurden zyklische R-Kurven für konventionellen und LPBF AISI-316L-Stahl ermittelt. Insbesondere wurde der Einfluss verschiedener Wärmebehandlungen (WB1: 450°C, WB2: 800°C und WB3: 900°C) auf das Wachstumsverhalten physikalisch kurzer Risse im LPBF-Material untersucht. Aufgrund hoher Eigenspannungen war die Ermittlung des Kurzrisswachstumsverhaltens bei WB1 nicht möglich. Für WB2 und WB3 ergaben sich sehr unterschiedliche zyklische R-Kurven. Untersuchungen der Eigenspannungen, der Bruchfläche (insbesondere der Rauheit) und der Mikrostruktur sollen die Ursachen für das unterschiedliche Verhalten erklären. Die Ergebnisse werden mit den Verhältnissen in konventionellem Material verglichen.
Latente Wärmspeicher auf der Basis von NaCl-KCl-MgCl2 Mischungen stellen eine kostengünstige Option für die Energiespeicherung von Prozesswärme dar. Der Beitrag gibt einen Überblick über die materialwissenschaftlichen Herausforderungen im System Salz-Legierung, welche gelöst werden müssen, um diese Speichertechnologie industriell zu etablieren.
The high-temperature corrosion behavior of the medium-entropy alloy Cr33Co33Ni33 (MEA) and the high-entropy alloy Fe20Cr20Co20Ni20Mn20 (HEA) in a mixed gas atmosphere of 10% H2O-2% O2 -0.5% SO2 + Ar as carrier gas [Vol.%] at 800 °C with duration times of t = 24h, 48h and 96h was investigated. Both alloys have a single-phase fcc microstructure. The oxidation kinetics of the HEA-CrMnFeCoNi roughly followed a linear rate law and a slow oxide growth was observable for the MEA-CrCoNi. The scale thickness of the corrosion layer in the quinary alloy increased with exposure time, while the scale thickness in the ternary alloy remained constant at around 1 µm. The MEA-CrCoNi developed a protective Cr2O3 layer with minor buckled parts. Co,Ni-chromite (Co,Ni)Cr2O4 was detected by XRD in minor amounts. The scale on HEA-CrMnFeCoNi displayed a triplex structure of a thin, continuous, inner Cr2O3 layer, a dense, intermediate Mn3O4 layer, and a thick, outer, porous layer consisting of Mn3O4 and MnSO4. Sulphides were only identified in the matrix of HEA-CrMnFeCoNi. Thermodynamic equilibrium calculations with FactSage (Log(S2) vs. Log(O2), ΔG of reactions) are in good agreement with these observations. The intense diffusion of Cr in the ternary alloy leads to an immediate formation of a protective Cr2O3 layer. The fast diffusion of Mn through the bulk HEA material and through the formed Cr2O3 layer compared to the other alloying elements is considered as the rate-limiting process.
Eine kritische Aufgabe im Rahmen der Etablierung von Prozess-Struktur-Eigenschafts-Performance-Beziehungen bei der additiven Fertigung (AM) von Metallen ist die Ermittlung von zuverlässigen und gut dokumentierten Kennwerten zum Materialverhalten sowie das Schaffen von Wissen über die Struktur-Eigenschafts-Korrelation. Schließlich ist dies die Grundlage für die Entwicklung gezielterer Prozessoptimierungen und zuverlässigerer Lebensdauer-Vorhersagen. In diesem Zusammenhang zielt dieser Beitrag darauf ab, Daten und Erkenntnisse über das Kriechverhalten des austenitischen Edelstahls 316L zu liefern, der mittels Laser-Powder-Bed-Fusion (L-PBF) hergestellt wird. Um dieses Ziel zu erreichen, wurden Proben aus konventionellem warmgewalztem sowie AM-Material gemäß den bestehenden Normen für konventionelles Material geprüft und vor und nach dem Versagen mikrostrukturell charakterisiert. Die Probekörper wurden aus einzelnen Blöcken des AM-Materials gefertigt. Die Blöcke wurden mit einer Standard-Scan- und Aufbaustrategie hergestellt und anschließend wärmebehandelt. Das Kriechverhalten wird anhand der Kriechlebensdauer und ausgewählter Kriechkurven und Kennwerte beschrieben und vergleichend bewertet. Der Einfluss von Defekten und Mikrostruktur auf das Materialverhalten wird anhand von zerstörenden und zerstörungsfreien Auswertungen an ausgewählten Proben analysiert. Der AM-Werkstoff zeigt kürzere Kriechlebensdauern, erreicht das sekundäre Kriechstadium deutlich schneller und bei geringerer Dehnung und weist eine geringere Kriechduktilität im Vergleich zu seinem konventionellen Gegenstück auf. Das Kriechschädigungsverhalten des AM-Werkstoffs ist eher mikrostruktur- als defektgesteuert und ist durch die Bildung intergranularer Kriechrisse gekennzeichnet. Als kritische Merkmale werden die Versetzungsdichte sowie die Versprödung der Korngrenzen identifiziert. Die Mikro-Computertomographie (µCT) erweist sich als Alternative zur Metallographie, um die Kriechschädigung zu analysieren.
CALM is software for determining the Bravais lattice type and the resulting lattice parameters from a single Kikuchi pattern. It requires the definition of 4 bands and a single bandwidth from which all other band positions as well as bandwidths are derived. For band detection, it uses the Funk transform, which allows detection of twice as many bands as usual. CALM works for any symmetry and requires low-noise patterns of at least 320x240 pixels. The resulting errors are <2% even for such small patterns, assuming good quality. The relative errors are <0.5%. However, this requires a projection centre position best derived from a sample of a cubic phase in CALM. However, this must have been recorded under identical conditions. Hundreds of Kikuchi patterns of phases with different symmetries were examined.
Creep and fracture behavior of conventionally and additively manufactured stainless steel 316L
(2020)
A critical task within the frame of establishing process-structure-property-performance relationships in additive manufacturing (AM) of metals is producing reliable and well-documented material behavior’s data and knowledge regarding the structure-property correlation, including the role of defects. After all, it represents the basis for developing more targeted process optimizations and more reliable predictions of performance in the future. Within this context, this contribution aims to close the actual gap of limited historical data and knowledge concerning the creep behavior of the widely used austenitic stainless steel 316L, manufactured by Laser-Powder-Bed-Fusion (L-PBF). To address this objective, specimens from conventional hot-rolled and AM material were tested under application-relevant conditions according to existing standards for conventional material, and microstructurally characterized before and after failure. The test specimens were machined from single blocks from the AM material. The blocks were manufactured using a standard scan and build-up strategy and were subsequently heat-treated. The creep behavior is described and comparatively assessed based on the creep lifetime and selected creep curves and characteristic values. The effect of defects and microstructure on the material’s behavior is analyzed based on destructive and non-destructive evaluations on selected specimens. The AM material shows shorter creep lives, reaches the secondary creep stage much faster and at a lower strain, and features lower creep ductility compared to its conventional counterpart. The creep damage behavior of the AM material is more microstructure than defect controlled and is characterized by the formation and accumulation of single intergranular damage along the whole volume. Critical features identified are the grain morphology and the grain-boundary as well as the dislocation’s density. Micro-computed tomography (µCT) proves to be an alternative to metallography to analyze the creep damage.
Mit der Initiative MaterialDigital fördert das BMBF seit dem letzten Jahr ein wichtiges Instrument zur Digitalisierung der Materialwissenschaft und Werkstofftechnik in Deutschland. In der ersten Phase dieser Initiative wird seit Juli 2019 die Plattform MaterialDigital von einem Konsortium aufgestellt. Ziel dieser Plattform ist der Aufbau eines virtuellen Materialdatenraums, um zusammen mit allen Interessenten die Systematisierung des Umgangs mit Werkstoffdaten voranzutreiben. In einer zweiten Phase werden akademische F&E-Projekte voraussichtlich Anfang 2021 gefördert. In jedem dieser Projekte wird an einer konkreten Fragestellung das Themenfeld „Digitalisierung der Materialwissenschaft und Werkstofftechnik“ adressiert und multidisziplinär bearbeitet. In einer dritten Phase werden im Rahmen industriegeführter vorwettbewerblicher Verbundprojekte mit der gleichen Zielsetzung gefördert.
Fracture mechanics is a key to fatigue assessment in AM metal components. Short fatigue cracks are initiated at defects and pronounced surface roughness intrinsic to AM. The subsequent crack-propagation is strongly influenced by microstructural interactions and the build-up of crack-closure. The aim of the present study is to give an insight into short-crack propagation in AM-metals. Fatigue crack propagation resistance curves were determined experimentally for AISI 316L manufactured by Laser Powder Bed Fusion (L-PBF) which was heat treated at three different temperatures. Differences in the build-up of the fatigue-crack propagation threshold in between the L-PBF specimens and compared to wrought material are due to the residual stress states, a pronounced roughness of the crack-faces in the L-PBF specimens and phase transformation in the vicinity of the crack-tip, resulting in increased crack-closure. This, together with crack-branching found along the crack path, enhances the resistance to the propagation of fatigue cracks.
The importance of high-entropy alloy (HEAs) in the field of materials research is increasing continuously and numerous studies have been published, recently. These are mainly focused on manufacturing of different alloy systems having excellent structural properties from low to high temperatures. Therefore, HEAs are of high potential for many applications in very demanding conditions. However, this is so far limited by poor knowledge and experience regarding economic and reliable component manufacturing. The processability of HEAs has hardly been investigated so far, indicated by the small number of publications worldwide: welding <30 and machining <5.
Hence, this contribution provides an overview about the current state of the art on processing of HEAs. Fundamental principles are shown for safe weld joints while ensuring high component integrity. For safe welding, the combined consideration of complex interactions of material, construction and process is necessary. Recent studies on different HEAs showed the influence of heat input by means of different welding processes on the microstructure and respective properties. Based on intensive literature survey and on our initial study, the main research objectives of processing HEAs are presented.
Carbon Capture Utilization and Storage (CCUS) is a promising technology to reach the target for reduction of CO2 emissions. Crucial points for a sustainable and future-proof CCUS system 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. Recent studies have shown that even at a very low concentration of impurities, condensation of sulfuric and nitric acids in dense phase CO2 are possible and observable. Thus, impact of impure CO2 stream toward corrosion susceptibility of materials to be used in CCUS system need to be considered. In this talk, basing on results achieved from two German long-term projects (COORAL and CLUSTER), the dominating impurities of the CO2 stream and corrosion mechanisms are addressed. Investigations cover the whole CCUS process chain and provide a material recommendation for certain parts.
The high-entropy alloy (HEA) CrMnFeCoNi and the medium-entropy alloy (MEA) CrCoNi with a face-centered cubic (fcc) structure have excellent mechanical properties and are considered for high-temperature applications. Both materials were exposed under several oxidized atmospheres in a wide temperature range/regime. Mn-oxide (Mn3O4, Mn2O3) was mainly formed on the HEA and Cr2O3 on the MEA. The fast diffusion of manganese prevents the formation of a continuous chromia layer on CrMnFeCoNi in Ar-O2, Ar-H2O and Ar-SO2 at 800°C.
The Cantor alloy and his ternary subsystem CrCoNi were exposed in Ar-O2-H2O-SO2 at 800°C up to 96 h to clarify their oxidation behavior in a mixed atmosphere. The oxidized samples were analyzed by weight measurement, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD). It was found that mass gain of all samples increased with increasing exposure time. The oxidation rate of the Cantor alloy is significantly higher than that of the ternary alloy system.
Recherche verschiedener jeweils nationaler/internationaler Regelwerke
und Prozeduren für die Systematische Schadensanalyse
• Literaturrecherche zu Methoden der systematischen interdisziplinären Schadensanalyse
• Vergleich der Regelwerke VDI 3822, ASTM, ASM sowie der Methoden
• Anwendung der Regelwerke/Prozeduren und Methoden am Beispiel
Trace elements W and Hf have different influence on the microstructure and the mechanical properties when added to the Al10Co25Cr8Fe15Ni36Ti6 compositionally complex alloy. The addition of both can thus merge both element’s beneficial influences when combined with the appropriate heat treatment: Hf enhances the cubicity of the γ’ particles in the γ matrix while the W reduces the negative influence of the Heusler phase: this phase can be completely dissolved when W is present in the alloy.
Der weit verbreitete austenitische Stahl 316L soll auch mittels additiver Fertigung verarbeitet werden (316L-AM). Zur Entwicklung optimaler Aufbauverfahren ist ein detailliertes Verständnis des Gefüges notwendig. Das additiv aufgebaute Gefüge zeigt eine Mikrostruktur, die geprägt ist von sehr hohen Abkühlraten und gerichtetem Kornwachstum. Mittels klassischer Metallographie können die Charakteristika des Gefüges wie Körner, Subkörner und Schmelzlinien sichtbar gemacht werden. Mittels EBSD werden Kristallorientierungen ermittelt und bildhaft aufbereitet. Die Feinstruktur der Körner wird im REM in der Übersicht aufgelöst. Erst im TEM kann bei hoher Vergrößerung die Natur der Zellstruktur quantitativ ermittelt werden.
HEAs represent a relatively new class of materials. The the alloy concept is fundamentally different from the most conventional materials and alloys that are used today. Recently, the focus of HEA designs is more application-based. For that purpose, the elements of interest are carefully selected and multiple phases as well as micro-structures are deliberately adjusted. Currently, only limited attention has been paid to weldability of HEA. This encompasses possible effects on metallurgy and its influence on the desired properties. It remains open if welding causes e.g. considerable number of intermetallic phases or segregations and their effect on weld joint properties. For that reason, the scope of this study is to summarize already available studies on welding of HEAs with respect to the HEA-type, the applied welding process and its influence on the weld joint properties.
High- and medium-entropy alloys (HEAs and MEAs) constitute a new class of materials. Those with a face-centered cubic (fcc) structure from the Cr-Mn-Fe-Co-Ni system have excellent mechanical properties and are considered for high-temperature applications since diffusion in these alloys was reported to be sluggish. However, their corrosion resistance at high temperatures must still be evaluated to further qualify them for such kinds of applications.
Various groups studied the oxidation behavior of HEAs and MEAs under (dry) laboratory and artificial air as well as CO2/CO mixtures in different temperature ranges. CrCoNi exhibits the best corrosion resistance at 800 °C due to the formation of a protective Cr2O3 layer. The matrix below the oxide scale was reported to be correspondingly depleted in Cr. It was further shown that the addition of Mn and Fe to CrCoNi changes the phase composition of the oxide scale at 800 °C. A Mn2O3 layer was grown during oxidation on CrMnCoNi and CrMnFeCoNi and a Cr2O3 scale was formed at the matrix/oxide scale interface. Beneath these oxide layers, Mn- and Cr-depleted zones were detected. These phase morphologies demonstrate the inward diffusion of oxygen and outward diffusion of Cr and Mn resulting in the formation of Cr2O3 and Mn2O3.
In the present study, the corrosion resistance of CrMnFeCoNi and CrCoNi were confirmed and additionally characterized under further oxidizing atmospheres at 800 °C including Ar-2 Vol.% O2, Ar-2 Vol.% H20, and Ar-2 Vol.% SO2 mixtures.
Microstructural characterization of the AlMo 0.5 NbTa 0.5 ZrTi refractory complex concentrated alloy
(2020)
A set of some unexpected and interesting microstructures has put the so-called complex concentrated alloys (CCAs) in the eye of the scientific community and the AlMo0.5NbTa0.5TiZr refractory (r)CCA, aimed at substituting Ni-base superalloys in gas turbine applications, belongs to this alloy family. The AlMo0.5NbTa0.5TiZr rCCA was studied by SEM, EDX, EBSD and TEM, showing the presence of a nanoscopic basket-wave structure inside the grains, with two BCC phases. Additionally, thermodynamic calculations on the AlMo0.5NbTa0.5TiZr alloy were done with two different proprietary databases that anticipate two BCC-disordered phases with distinct constitutions as well as an HCP phase.
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.
The study presented here focusses on a systematic analysis of oxidation mechanisms of the well-known Cr20Mn20Fe20Co20Ni20 alloy and one of its ternary sub-system Cr33.3Co33.3Ni33.3 which were reported in the literature to exhibit attractive mechanical properties. Both alloys are single phase fcc prior to oxidation and were simultaneously exposed to different oxygen containing atmospheres at 700° C and 800° C for durations up to 288 h. Cr20Mn20Fe20Co20Ni20 showed poor oxidation resistance at high temperatures due to its high amount of manganese leading to the formation of non-protective Mn-oxide scales. In contrast, a relatively homogeneous and protective chromia layer was found to form on CrCoNi at 700° C and 800° C after each exposure time. Mass change-, SEM- and XRD analysis of the oxide layers were performed in the present study and provide a better understanding of the oxidation mechanisms as well as the impact of the alloy composition on oxidation behavior.
The application of implants e.g. for osteosynthesis or substitution of worn out joints is common practice since decades. Successes in surgery and orthopedics are highly dependent on the use of artificial parts for implanting into the human body. Over the years the number of surgical procedures and the number of different implants were growing rapidly. Implants, however, are exposed to complex mechanical, corrosive and tribological loads along with restriction in geometric dimension. While being essentially successful, the sheer number of cases leads to a rising number of implant failures. Such failures are painful for the affected patients and are very costly.
The failure cases presented in this paper occurred from 1981 to 2016. The predominant failure mechanism of all kinds of implants is fatigue fracture. Fatigue cracks are initiated due to a whole bunch of reasons: Material defects and fabrication defects are rare events. The main factors are cyclic overload due to improper fitting with delayed bone healing, corrosion and unauthorized modification of the implant during surgery
Cyclic mechanical performance and microstructure evolution of P92 under LCF and TMF conditions
(2019)
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 contribution 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 this 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 fatigue and creep/relaxation 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). Temperature intervals of TMF tests were chosen as either 300-620°C or 500-620°C, resembling so-called warm or hot start conditions of a power plant.
The test results will be presented and discussed with a focus on the impact of hold periods during testing (combined creep/relaxation-fatigue conditions) on mechanical softening, lifetime and formation of cracks. The findings will be complemented by results on the modification of the hierarchical ferritic-martensitic microstructure under different loading scenarios.
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.
Microstructure ageing of stainless steel AISI 316L manufactured by selective laser melting (SLM)
(2019)
Additive manufacturing (AM) processes, such as SLM, offer a variety of advantages compared to conventional manufacturing. Today AM parts are still comparatively less cost-effective if they are manufactured in large quantities. To make the AM parts more cost-efficient, the AM process has to be improved. It requires a good understanding of microstructure formation, microstructure-property-relations and ageing processes affected by different loads.
In this work the ageing behavior of SLM manufactured AISI 316L stainless steel is evaluated. The microstructure effected by mechanical, thermal and corrosive loads are investigated and compared to as-built microstructure. Tensile tests are used for mechanical ageing. For thermal and corrosive loads the typical application conditions of 316L apply. The methods of microstructure investigation include SEM, TEM, CT and EBSD. The main object of this work is the description of microstructure and ageing processes of AM parts.
Additive manufacturing (AM) offers diverse advantages compared to conventional manufacturing. In this work the microstructure of austenitic steel 316L, manufactured with Selective Laser Melting (SLM), was analyzed and compared to microstructure of 316L hot rolled material. Methods used for analysis are microprobe, optical microscopy and electron backscatter diffraction.
An overview of the BAM funed Focus Area Materials Project "AGIL" will be presented. AGIL focussed on the stdiy of the ageing characteristics of additively manufactured austenitic stainless steel with a "powder to mechanical failure" Approach. Recent Highlights are presented and a perspective for future studies.
The life time of mechanical components in high temperature applications is basically determined by their workings. Corrosion determines the loss of material corresponding to the loss of the effective load-bearing section and consequently increasing stress levels. To improve the material selection for such applications a numerical life prediction corrosion model for different alloys and environments is needed. Based on the ferritic alloys FeCr and FeCrCo a first quantitative model is to be developed. For this purpose, the alloys are aged at 600 °C, 650 °C and 700 °C in synthetic air under normal pressure for between 10 and 240 hours. The first objective is to establish a quantitative relationship between the oxidation rate as a function of composition and microstructure of the alloys. The influence of the inner interface as an essential parameter for transport by diffusion on the oxidation kinetics is discussed in this paper.
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.
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.
Sulfur and water have a fundamental impact on the corrosion rate and potential failure of materials. It is therefore necessary to understand the mechanisms, rates, and potential means of transport, as well as the reactions of these elements with an alloy. This work investigates the effect of water vapor in the initial stages of SO2 corrosion of an ferritic model alloy containing 9 wt% Cr and 0.5 wt% Mn.
The exposure experiments were studied at 650°C in situ under laboratory conditions using energy-dispersive x-ray diffraction analysis. Two separate experiments were run, one with a 99.5% Ar + 0.5% SO2 atmosphere and one with a 69.5% Ar + 0.5% SO2 + 30% H2O atmosphere. With a wet atmosphere, the alloy formed a scale with decreasing oxygen content towards the scale–alloy interface. Sulfides were identified above and below a (Fe, Cr)3O4 layer in the inner corrosion zone. In contrast to this, the overall scale growth was slower in a dry SO2 atmosphere.
Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) is identified as an excellent technology to reach the target of CO2 reduction. However, the safety issue and cost-effectiveness hinder the future of CCS. For the reliability and safety issues of injection wells, the corrosion resistance of the materials used needs to be determined.
In this study, representative low-cost materials including carbon steel 1.8977 and low alloyed steel 1.7225 were investigated in simulated pore water at 333 K and under CO2 saturation condition to represent the worst-case scenario: CO2 diffusion and aquifer fluid penetration. These simulated pore waters were made from relevant cement powder to mimic the realistic casing-cement interface. Electrochemical studies were carried out using the pore water made of cement powder dissolved in water in comparison with those dissolved in synthetic aquifer fluid, to reveal the effect of cement as well as formation water on the steel performance. Two commercially available types of cement were investigated: Dyckerhoff Variodur® and Wollastonite. Variodur® is a cement containing high performance binder with ultra-fine blast furnace slag which can be used to produce high acid resistance concrete. On the other hand, Wollastonite is an emerging natural material mainly made of CaSiO3 which can be hardened by converting to CaCO3 during CO2 injection.
The results showed the pH-reducing effect of CO2 on the simulated pore water/aquifer (from more than 10 to less than 5) leading to the active corrosion process that happened on both 1.8977 and 1.7225. Electrochemical characterization showed negative free corrosion potential and polarisation curves without passive behaviors. The tested coupons suffered from pitting corrosion, which was confirmed by surface analysis. Interestingly, basing on the pit depth measurements from the tested coupons and the hardness of cement powder, it is suggested that Variodur® performed better than Wollastonite in both aspects. The electrochemical data was compared to that resulted from exposure tests to give a recommendation on material selection for bore-hole construction.
Depending on the CO2 generating and the capture process as well as on consecutive purification steps applied, CO2 streams from different emitters may differ in their composition. When CO2 streams with different compositions are fed into a larger pipeline network, there are several aspects that must be considered: i) chemical reactions, such as acid formation, may occur within the joint CO2 stream; ii) there may be a variation of mass flow rate and CO2 stream composition within the pipeline network if the feed-in behavior of different CO2 sources changes with time. Potential impacts of changing CO2 stream compositions and mass flow rates in CCS cluster systems were investigated in the collaborative project "CLUSTER" (see also www.bgr.bund.de/CLUSTER). In this presentation, we focus on the experimental investigations of formation and condensation of strong acids and their impacts on the corrosion of pipeline steels. When SO2, NO2, O2 and H2O are present simultaneously in CO2 streams chemical cross-reactions may occur leading to the formation of strong acids such as sulfuric and nitric acid. To prevent this acid formation the concentration of at least one of these four impurities must be kept very low (e.g., Rütters et al., 2016). At temperatures below the acid dew point temperature, acids will condense, e.g., on pipeline steel surfaces. In turn, these acid condensates may trigger steel corrosion. To better understand the process of acid formation and condensation and its implications for steel corrosion, exposure tests were performed on pipeline steel X70 in dense CO2 with varying SO2, NO2 and O2 concentration under high pressure and at 278 K in an observable autoclave, in which water was added as droplets or as vapor. Further, electrochemical tests were carried out with X70 specimens immersed in 500 mL CO2-saturated synthetic condensate solution or in droplets of the same solution on the specimen’s surface. Depending on impurity concentrations in the CO2 streams, condensates consisting of different relative amounts of nitric and sulfuric acid were formed. In condensates containing both nitric and sulfuric acid, corrosion rates were higher than the sum of those of the individual acids. In addition, corrosion products and forms depended on the condensate composition. Investigations of water droplets on steel surfaces in impurity-containing dense-phase CO2 revealed the diffusion of SO2 and NO2, followed by cross-reactions forming corresponding acids. An increase in droplet size (from 1 to 5 µl) lead to higher corrosion rates. However, in comparison to measurements in bulk solution, corrosion reactions in droplets resulted in thick, high-resistance corrosion products and observed droplet corrosion rates were significantly lower. In addition, the possibility of acid droplet formation and growth in impure liquid CO2 is influenced by the wetting behavior of the acid droplet on the steel surface. Thus, the contact angle between a water droplet and the surface steel specimens in a CO2 atmosphere was investigated in a high pressure view cell following the sessile drop method. The contact angle wasand found to be larger at higher CO2 pressures (studied from 5 to 20 MPa) and at higher temperatures (e.g. 278 K to 333 K). Further, measured contact angles were larger on rough than on smooth metal surfaces. In addition, acid formation reduced the contact angle, i.e. lead to better wetting, thereby stimulating condensation that was followed by a corrosion process. These detailed insights on the complex interplay of acid formation, condensation, wetting behavior and corrosion allow a better assessment of material suitability for pipeline transportation of impure CO2 streams
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.
Der vorliegende Vortrag gibt einen Überblick über Probenpräparationen mit der Focused Ion Beam (FIB) für AFM-basierte Untersuchungsverfahren. Anhand zweier Beispiele wird gezeigt, wie ionenstrahlpolierte Lamellen aus Halbleiter-Schichtsystemen elektrisch leitfähig auf Substrate platziert werden, so dass in-situ und in-operando Messungen mit Scanning Microwave Microscope (SMM) bzw. Spectroscopic infrared scanning near-field optical microscope (IR-SNOM) durchgeführt werden können.
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.
The Ni-Cr-Mo-W alloy is characterized by the excellent high-temperature corrosion resistance, good strength and ability to work in aggressive environments. To protect the surface of the substrate 13CrMo4-5 steel against aggressive environments the Inconel 686 as clad layer was used. The corrosion process was performed in oxidizing mixture of gases like O2, COx, SOx. The second part of corrosion Experiment concerned the corrosion test of the coating in reducing atmosphere of the specified gases with ashes, which contained e.g. Na, Cl, Ca, Si, C, Fe, Al.
Im Rahmen der Erstellung einer fraktographischen online-Datenbank an der BAM wurden systematisch Schwingversuche an einem Sinterstahl vorgenommen, dessen Sinterdichte variiert wurde. Die erzeugten Bruchflächen wurden analysiert, mit der Literatur verglichen und Datensätze in die Datenbank eingefügt.
Im Rahmen der DGM/DVM AG Fraktographie wird an der BAM eine fraktographische online-Datenbank aufgebaut. Während von metallischen Werkstoffen viele Beispiele vorliegen, die auch gut verstanden sind, sind die Brüche von Kunststoffen bislang weniger prominent vertreten. Eine teils ungeklärte Frage ist, in welcher Form sich an Kunststoffen klassische Schwingbrüche nachweisen lassen, wie sie von metallischen Werkstoffen bekannt sind. Der Vortrag zeigt einige Beispiele im Detail und stellt diese zur Diskussion.
Ferritic-martensitic Fe-Cr alloys are widely utilised as materials for high temperature applications such as super heater tubes in coal, biomass or co-fired power plants. Various corrosive gases are produced in combustion processes, but especially SO2 is known to cause catastrophic application failure. In order to understand the effect of orientation and grain size of the alloy on the initial corrosion processes we analysed metal coupons of Fe-Cr- alloys (2-13 wt. % Cr) by electron backscattered diffraction (EBSD) before and after exposure to SO2 containing atmospheres in 650°C for short time spans (2 min – 12 h). An infra red heated furnace with integrated water-cooling was used for the ageing procedures to conduct short time experiments and to keep the reaction products in a ‘frozen’ state.
EBSD characterization of oxides formed on the surface of the alloys showed a topotactic relationship between grain orientation of the alloys and the oxides. With increasing scale thickness this relation diminishes possibly due to lattice strain. There appears to be no correlation between oxide growth and absolute, initial orientation, grain size, or the quality of polishing. An initially topotactic relationship between scale and steel had been already described for the formation of magnetite in hot steam environments, indicating that the initial corrosion mechanisms are mainly depending on the presence of Oxygen, and not changed by the presence of Sulphur. However, Sulphur is incorporated into the oxide scale in the low Cr alloy, and mainly observable in the inner corrosion zone for the higher alloyed material. Furthermore, oxides formed directly on grain boundaries in higher Cr alloyed materials are enriched in Cr compared to oxides on grain faces.
Ferritic high temperature alloys are widely used as boiler tube and heat exchanger materials in coal, biomass and co-fired power plants. All technologies have in common that the applied materials are exposed to different temperatures, process pressures and reactive atmospheres that lead to a change of the material properties and a further degradation of the material. Material changes caused by aging in highly corrosive and toxic gases such as SO2 are mainly studied ex situ after the reaction is finished. The solid material is deposited in the atmosphere for a certain period of time, and material changes are then examined by various microscopic techniques such as optical microscopy (OM), electron microprobe analysis (EMPA), scanning electron microscopy (SEM and TEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Nevertheless, extensive efforts were made to study material changes of high temperature alloys under oxidizing and reducing atmospheres by environmental scanning electron microscopy or in situ TEM techniques However, the possibilities of microscopic in situ techniques are very limited for the use of highly corrosive and toxic gases such as SO2. Since Sulfur induced corrosion at temperatures relevant for coal and biomass fired power plants, which is causing breakaway oxidation and sulfide precipitation at grain boundaries, is still of scientific interest, the current work focuses on the effect of SO2 in an initial stage of corrosion of ferritic alloys. For the analysis of early stages of combined oxidation and sulphidation processes of Fe-Cr model alloys the usage of a light furnace to conduct a rapid reactive annealing experiment is feasible. Previous studies presented distinct results of the influence of chromium on early high temperature corrosion by SO2 by this technique and subsequent classical metallographic analyses. However, it is still not possible to trace the corrosion mechanism in real time by conducting single aging experiments. The current work introduces two different approaches to study the initial stages of high temperature oxidation processes by applying above state of the art X-ray diffraction and spectroscopy methods. One part focuses on the real time observation of the formation of corrosion products such as oxides and sulfides by energy dispersive X-ray diffraction (EDXRD). The potential of this technique to study crystallization and growth processes of thin films in a reactive environment in real time was previously shown for different compound semiconductors. This approach was now applied to follow oxidation and sulphidation processes of ferritic model alloys in SO2 and SO2/H2O environments. The diffraction signals of the X-rays were detected during the corrosion process and the peak area and positions were analyzed as a function of time. This procedure enables monitoring external oxide growth and material loss in real time in an early stage of corrosion.
The other part of the current work presents the possibilities of X-ray absorption near edge structure spectroscopy (XANES) to characterize oxide scales and their growth mechanisms. Precise phase identification and quantification of corrosion products in a multi-phase oxide/sulfide scale is a pre-requisite to understand diffusion paths of metal ions and gas components. It is a challenging task to distinguish structurally similar reaction products such as Fe3O4 and FeCr2O4 especially in thin films with texture effects by diffraction. To illustrate for example Cr-out diffusion of an alloy throughout an inner and external oxide scale the differentiation of Fe3O4 and FeCr2O4 is indispensable. XANES uses the photoionization effect at the metal absorption edge in an aging product and accesses by this structural and chemical information. The current work uses XANES at the Fe-K and Cr-K absorption edge to identify various aging products grown as thin layers on alloys after short time aging experiments. A reaction chamber for combining high temperature oxidation experiments with surface sensitive X-ray absorption near edge structure spectroscopy will be introduced and first results of XANES on scales at high temperatures will be presented.
Ferritic-martensitic alloys with 12-16 % Cr in weight are subject to devices for various energy systems, such as coal power plants and waste incineration plants. These materials are exposed to a highly corrosive environment which lead to a degradation of the material. Especially the simultaneous oxidation and sulfidation is thereby of special interest. Proper spatially resolved measurements that determine not only chemical compositions but phases are rare. However, precise phase identification and quantification of corrosion products within the multi-phase corrosion scales is a key aspect to understand diffusion paths of metal ions and gas ions/molecules. This study investigated Fe-Cr model alloys with Cr contents from 0 to 13 % in weight in 0.5 % SO2 and 99.5 % Ar atmosphere to aim in a fundamental and systematic analysis. Samples were aged at 650 °C for time scales from 12 h to 250 h. The results presented here correspond to depth dependent phase identification of oxide and sulphide phases in the corrosion scales by using X-ray absorption near edge spectroscopy (XANES). Per sample a series of ca. 20 spots (1-5 µm spot size) from scale-gas to scale-metal interface were measured. XANES spectroscopy was performed at the Fe-K edge (7.11 keV) on polished cross sections. The collected spectra were fitted to a combination of reference materials to quantify the present phases at different positions within the scale.The phase distribution differs with Cr content and the Cr diffusion through pure Fe-oxide and mixed Fe-Cr-oxide phases is discussed.