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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 PMD Core Ontology (PMDco) is a comprehensive set of building blocks produced via consensus building. The ontological building blocks provide a framework representing knowledge about fundamental concepts used in Materials Science and Engineering (MSE) today. The PMDco is a mid-level ontology that establishes connections between narrower MSE application ontologies and domain neutral concepts used in already established broader (top-level) ontologies. The primary goal of the PMDco design is to enable interoperability between various other MSE-related ontologies and other common ontologies.
PMDco’s class structure is both comprehensive and extensible, rendering it an efficient tool to structure MSE knowledge. The PMDco serves as a semantic middle-layer unifying common MSE concepts via semantic mapping to other semantic representations using well-known key terms used in the MSE domain. The PMDco enables straight-forward documentation and tracking of science data generation and in consequence enables high-quality FAIR data that allows for precise reproducibility of scientific experiments.
The design of PMDco is based on the W3C Provenance Ontology (PROV-O), which provides a standard framework for capturing the production, derivation, and attribution of resources. Via this foundation, the PMDco enables the integration of data from various data origins and the representation of complex workflows.
In summary, the PMDco is a valuable advancement for researchers and practitioners in MSE domains. It provides a common MSE vocabulary to represent and share knowledge, allowing for efficient collaboration and promoting interoperability between diverse domains. Its design allows for the systematic integration of data and metadata, enabling seamless tracing of science data. Overall, the PMDco is a crucial step towards a unified and comprehensive understanding of the MSE domain in general.
Zirconium vanadate (ZrV2O7) is a well-known negative thermal expansion (NTE) material which exhibits significant isotropic contraction over a broad temperature range (~150°C < T < 800°C). The linear thermal expansion coefficient of ZrV2O7 is −7.1×10-6 K-. Therefore, it can be used to create composites with controllable expansion coefficients and prevent destruction by thermal shock.
Material characterization, leading to application, requires pure, homogenous samples of high crystallinity via a reliable synthesis route. While there is a selection of described syntheses in the literature, it still needs to be addressed which synthesis route leads to truly pure and homogenous samples. Here, we study the influence of the synthesis methods (solid-state, sol-gel, solvothermal) and their parameters on the sample's purity, crystallinity, and homogeneity. The reproducibility of results and data obtained with scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), differential scanning calorimetry, and thermogravimetric analysis (DSC/TGA) were analyzed extensively. The sol-gel method proves superior to the solid-state method and produces higher-quality samples over varying parameters. Sample purity also plays an important role in NTE micro and macro-scale characterizations that explain the impact of porosity versus structural changes.
Moreover, we implement ab-initio-based vibrational computations with partially treated anharmonicity (quasi-harmonic approximation, temperature-dependent effective harmonic potentials) in combination with experimental methods to follow and rationalize the negative thermal expansion in this material, including the influence of the local structure disorder, microstructure, and defects. Khosrovani et al. and Korthuis et al., in a series of diffraction experiments, attributed the thermal contraction of ZrV2O7 to the transverse thermal motion of oxygen atoms in V-O-V linkages. In addition to previous explanations, we hypothesize that local disorder develops in ZrV2O7 crystals during heating.
We are working on the experimental ZrV2O7 development and discuss difficulties one might face in the process as well as high-quality sample significance in further investigation. The obtained samples are currently used in the ongoing research of structure analysis and the negative thermal expansion mechanism.
Zirconium vanadate (ZrV2O7) is a well-known negative thermal expansion (NTE) material which exhibits significant isotropic contraction over a broad temperature range (~150°C < T < 800°C). The linear thermal expansion coefficient of ZrV2O7 is −7.1×10-6 K-. Therefore, it can be used to create composites with controllable expansion coefficients and prevent destruction by thermal shock.
Material characterization, leading to application, requires pure, homogenous samples of high crystallinity via a reliable synthesis route. While there is a selection of described syntheses in the literature, it still needs to be addressed which synthesis route leads to truly pure and homogenous samples. Here, we study the influence of the synthesis methods (solid-state, sol-gel, solvothermal) and their parameters on the sample's purity, crystallinity, and homogeneity. The reproducibility of results and data obtained with scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), differential scanning calorimetry, and thermogravimetric analysis (DSC/TGA) were analyzed extensively. The sol-gel method proves superior to the solid-state method and produces higher-quality samples over varying parameters. Sample purity also plays an important role in NTE micro and macro-scale characterizations that explain the impact of porosity versus structural changes.
Moreover, we implement ab-initio-based vibrational computations with partially treated anharmonicity (quasi-harmonic approximation, temperature-dependent effective harmonic potentials) in combination with experimental methods to follow and rationalize the negative thermal expansion in this material, including the influence of the local structure disorder, microstructure, and defects. Khosrovani et al. and Korthuis et al., in a series of diffraction experiments, attributed the thermal contraction of ZrV2O7 to the transverse thermal motion of oxygen atoms in V-O-V linkages. In addition to previous explanations, we hypothesize that local disorder develops in ZrV2O7 crystals during heating.
We are working on the experimental ZrV2O7 development and discuss difficulties one might face in the process as well as high-quality sample significance in further investigation. The obtained samples are currently used in the ongoing research of structure analysis and the negative thermal expansion mechanism.
Zirconium vanadate (ZrV2O7) is a well-known negative thermal expansion (NTE) material which exhibits significant isotropic contraction over a broad temperature range (~150°C < T < 800°C). The linear thermal expansion coefficient of ZrV2O7 is −7.1×10-6 K-1. Therefore, it can be used to create composites with controllable expansion coefficients and prevent destruction by thermal shock.
Material characterization, leading to application, requires pure, homogenous samples of high crystallinity via a reliable synthesis route. While there is a selection of described syntheses in the literature, it still needs to be addressed which synthesis route leads to truly pure and homogenous samples. Here, we study the influence of the synthesis methods (solid-state, sol-gel, solvothermal) and their parameters on the sample's purity, crystallinity, and homogeneity. The reproducibility of results and data obtained with scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), differential scanning calorimetry, and thermogravimetric analysis (DSC/TGA) were analyzed extensively. The sol-gel method proves superior to the solid-state method and produces higher-quality samples over varying parameters. Sample purity also plays an important role in NTE micro and macro-scale characterizations that explain the impact of porosity versus structural changes.
Moreover, we implement ab-initio-based vibrational computations with partially treated anharmonicity (quasi-harmonic approximation, temperature-dependent effective harmonic potentials) in combination with experimental methods to follow and rationalize the negative thermal expansion in this material, including the influence of the local structure disorder, microstructure, and defects. Khosrovani et al. and Korthuis et al., in a series of diffraction experiments, attributed the thermal contraction of ZrV2O7 to the transverse thermal motion of oxygen atoms in V-O-V linkages. In addition to previous explanations, we hypothesize that local disorder develops in ZrV2O7 crystals during heating.
We are working on the experimental ZrV2O7 development and discuss difficulties one might face in the process as well as high-quality sample significance in further investigation. The obtained samples are currently used in the ongoing research of structure analysis and the negative thermal expansion mechanism.
This research deals with the development of the Vickers hardness knowledge graph, mapping the example dataset in them, and exporting the data-mapped knowledge graph as a machine-readable Resource Description Framework (RDF). Modeling the knowledge graph according to the standardized test procedure and using the appropriate upper-level ontologies were taken into consideration to develop the highly standardized, incorporable, and industrial applicable models. Furthermore, the Ontopanel approach was utilized for mapping the real experimental data in the developed knowledge graphs and the resulting RDF files were successfully evaluated through the SPARQL queries.
Low-temperature co-fired ceramics (LTCC) are used to fabricate multilayer circuits which are robust in harsh environments. Thick-film technology is well established for the metallization of circuit boards and microsystems. For specific sensor applications, the combination of LTCC and thin-film technology is advantageous to reach higher structure resolutions. Due to the high roughness of as-fired LTCC surfaces compared with silicon-wafers, the deposition of low-defect- films with narrowly specified properties is challenging. The deposited thin-films are structured either by lift-off or by etching. The latter is less error-prone and thus preferred in industry provided the selected materials allow it. There is spare literature about thin films on commercial LTCC comparing different material systems or sintering techniques. For developing thin-film sensors on multilayer circuits it is crucial to identify thin-film-compatible commercial LTCC material as well as the crucial surface properties. In this work we evaluate the thin-film capability of different LTCC compositions and surface qualities.
To evaluate the influence of the material composition on the thin film capability, 200 nm Ni-thin films were deposited on three different constrained-sintered LTCC (CT708, CT800 and DP951) by electron beam physical vapour deposition. The effect of surface quality was assessed by thin-film deposition on free-sintered, pressure-assisted sintered, and polished DP951. The thin-films were structured by covering corresponding sections with a UV-curable photo resin and subsequent etching of the uncovered surface, leaving behind the desired structure.
The etched Ni-thin films showed high difference in failure rate and sheet resistance regarding the used LTCC-material. DP951 had the lowest sheet resistance and no failure, whereas CT800 had a high sheet resistance and a failure rate of 40 %. These results are correlated with surface roughness of the LTCC, scanning electron micrographs of the deposited thin-films, and the chemical resistance of the LTCC against commonly used etching media. Contrary to the expectations, no correlation between roughness and thin-film capability was found. The LTCC with high failure rate showed a strong chemical attack by the used etching medium. Additionally, the adhesion of thin-films on DP951 is better than on CT708 and CT800.
Grain boundary (GB) chemical and structural variations can significantly influence materials performance. The former is generally ascribed to the structural gradient between the grain and GB. While GB segregation may be accompanied by chemical and structural variations, clear insights about the GB’s thermodynamic phase behaviour upon coupling between its chemistry and structure is lacking. Using the CALPHAD integrated density-based phase field model, we study the co-evolution of GB’s structure and segregation in Fe-Mn alloys. We found that the GB segregation transition is amplified if its structure can respond to chemical variation. Additionally, the coupling between GB structural and segregation evolution was found to enable co-existence of the spinodally formed low- and high-Mn phases within the GB. In the light of atomistic simulations, we expand on investigating the correlation between the parameters that characterise the GB density map with GB properties.
Several recent studies have revealed that the phase decomposition in medium- and high-entropy alloys is triggered by solute segregation at grain boundaries. The chemically complex nature of these alloys already clues that such segregation in materials should be something more than the interaction between solutes and grain boundary, but also affected by the solute-solute interactions during the segregation. In fact, experiments indicate the significance of such solute-solute interaction. Yet, the mechanisms of co-segregation in multi-component alloys are rather challenging to explore and rarely studied quantitatively. Recently, a CALPHAD-integrated density-based phase-field model has been proposed for studying grain boundary phenomena. Several applications of this model have shown its expansive capacity for investigating grain boundary segregation and phase behavior. In this talk, the applications of this model to studying co-segregation phenomena and grain boundary phase diagrams in multi-component alloys are presented ––the term ‘co-segregation’ here refers to co-evolution and any mutual interplay among the solutes and grain boundary during the segregation. In particular, the iron-based ternary and quaternary alloys are discussed. I show how a grain boundary may have its own miscibility gap and how this immiscibility can influence the co-segregation behavior. As an alternative to grain boundary phase diagrams, rather suited for binary and ternary alloys, a new concept of co-segregation maps for screening and segregation design in multi-component alloys is presented. Applying the co-segregation maps, the nonlinear Mn and Cr co-segregation in Fe-Co-Mn-Cr is discussed.
Tensile Test Ontology (TTO)
(2023)
This is the stable version 2.0.1 of the PMD ontology module of the tensile test (Tensile Test Ontology - TTO) as developed on the basis of the 2019 standard ISO 6892-1: Metallic materials - Tensile Testing - Part 1: Method of test at room temperature.
The TTO was developed in the frame of the PMD project. The TTO provides conceptualizations valid for the description of tensile test and corresponding data in accordance with the respective standard. By using TTO for storing tensile test data, all data will be well structured and based on a common vocabulary agreed on by an expert group (generation of FAIR data) which will lead to enhanced data interoperability. This comprises several data categories such as primary data, secondary data and metadata. Data will be human and machine readable. The usage of TTO facilitates data retrieval and downstream usage. Due to a close connection to the mid-level PMD core ontology (PMDco), the interoperability of tensile test data is enhanced and data querying in combination with other aspects and data within the broad field of material science and engineering (MSE) is facilitated.
The TTO class structure forms a comprehensible and semantic layer for unified storage of data generated in a tensile test including the possibility to record data from analysis, re-evaluation and re-use. Furthermore, extensive metadata allows to assess data quality and reproduce experiments. Following the open world assumption, object properties are deliberately low restrictive and sparse.
Wind turbine rotor blades are produced as aerodynamic, three-dimensionally formed sandwich shell structures using mainly glass fiber reinforced plastics (GFRP). The GFRP used today have the potential to withstand the harsh operating conditions of rotor blades over the projected service life of 20 years. Premature damages that occur can be traced primarily back to design and/or manufacturing imperfections, as well as unusually high load scenarios (for instance lightning strikes, or strong winds combined with system control errors). Therefore, rotor blades have to be repaired several times (on average 2-3 times) during their projected service life. Approximately 70% of these are repairs of small- to medium-sized sandwich shells, carried out by technicians directly accessing the blade by suspended roping at the wind turbine location. The goal is to execute repairs that will last over the remaining service life, i.e. be sustainable.
Within the framework of a research project carried out at BAM, Division 5.3 Polymer Matrix Composites, Department 5 for Materials Engineering, not only was the geometric shape (round vs. square in relation to the top view) varied, but also the layup of the scarf repair structure, variables that have not been studied systematically to-date. Sub-component scale sandwich shell specimens with representative repairs were used in this work in addition to coupon-scale specimens that are more commonly seen in literature. These sub-component shell specimens were tested using a unique shell test bench under loading conditions representative of wind turbine blade shell operating conditions with respect to fatigue strength. Using non-destructive testing methods (field strain measurement and thermography), damage development and distribution was monitored and analyzed in-situ. As a result, a concept was developed in which the repaired areas showed at least equivalent if not higher fatigue strength than the reference shells that were not repaired.
In our current view, reference datasets in the MSE domain represent specific material properties, e.g., structural, mechanical, … characteristics. A reference dataset must fulfill high-quality standards, not only in precision of measurement but also in a comprehensive documentation of material, processing, and testing history (metadata). This Infrastructure Use Case (IUC) aims to develop a framework for generating reference material datasets using creep data of a single crystal Ni-based superalloy as a best practice example. In a community-driven process, we aim to encourage the discussion and establish a framework for the creation and distribution of reference material datasets. In this poster presentation, we highlight our current vision and activities and intend to stimulate the discussion about the topic reference datasets and future collaborations and work.
In our current view, reference datasets in the MSE domain represent specific material properties, e.g., structural, mechanical, … characteristics. A reference dataset must fulfill high-quality standards, not only in precision of measurement but also in a comprehensive documentation of material, processing, and testing history (metadata). This Infrastructure Use Case (IUC) aims to develop a framework for generating reference material datasets using creep data of a single crystal Ni-based superalloy as a best practice example. In a community-driven process, we aim to encourage the discussion and establish a framework for the creation and distribution of reference material datasets. In this poster presentation, we highlight our current vision and activities and intend to stimulate the discussion about the topic reference datasets and future collaborations and work.
The essence of dynamic failure is closely linked to the formation of adiabatic shear bands (ASB), which result from the localization of shear strain under high deformation speeds accompanied by a rapid temperature increase. Understanding this phenomenon is crucial in view of safety issues when impacts of fast rotating machine components (i.e. aircraft turbine blades) may occur. Our contribution addresses both the experimental evidence and characterization of ASBs due to high-speed impact tests at the Split HOPKINSON pressure bar (SHPB) setup and the finite element analysis to determine the parameters of the underlying constitutive model, which is closely related to JOHNSON-COOK (JC) material model.
Experimental investigations were performed on notched shear specimens made of the fine -grained structural steel S690QL and the displacements in the regions affected by shear localization were measured with subset-based local Digital Image Correlation (DIC). The displacement fields, obtained in the SHPB tests, were considered as an objective to validate and to identify the constitutive parameters with. The JC model could reasonably reproduce the displacement distribution. In order to overcome the issues with mesh dependency we provide a nonlocal extension based on the implicit gradient model approach.
This is an interactive workshop of the Plattform MaterialDigital (PMD) on Semantic Web technologies (SWT) where we delve into the world of ontology development and data structuring in the field of materials science and engineering (MSE). This workshop is designed to equip participants with essential skills in categorizing classes within ontologies, with a special emphasis on the PMD Core Ontology (PMDco). Discover the immense value of ontologies for MSE data reproducibility and reuse and harness the power of PMDco to foster your data management practices.
In this workshop, you will explore the intricacies of class categorization when developing ontologies in the MSE domain. Through interactive discussions and hands-on exercises, you will learn effective techniques for structuring and organizing ontologies to enhance data retrieval and analysis. You will gain valuable insights into best practices and considerations for class categorization, aiming at optimal data organization and management within your MSE projects.
One of the highlights of this workshop is the introduction to PMDco, a mid-level ontology in the field of MSE developed community-driven in the frame of the project PMD. Learn about PMDco, its underlying concepts, and its application in detail. Discover how PMDco provides a comprehensive framework for MSE data representation, enabling seamless integration and interoperability across different systems and platforms. In addition to exploring PMDco, this workshop will illustrate the benefits of data interoperability and SWT with respect to leveraging the full potential of MSE data.
LTCCs (Low-temperature co-fired ceramics) consist of three-dimensionally distributed, hermetically bonded ceramic and metallic components with structure sizes within [10; 100] µm. A non-destructive imaging technique is needed that provides 3D, sharp, high-contrast resolution of these structures, as well as porosity and defect analysis, which is made difficult by the very different X-ray absorption coefficients of the individual components of the microstructure. A HDR method is being developed that allows a combination of different tomograms, each with X-ray energies adapted to individual materials.
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.
Slow crack growth (SCG) under the influence of external fluid media, usually termed environmental stress cracking (ESC), is still one of the most frequent origins of severe damage and failure of polymeric materials. For polyethylene (PE) this is relevant for mass products, like bottles for consumer products, but also for high-performance materials for pipes or industrial packaging, including containers for chemicals and other dangerous goods. Especially for high-density polyethylene (PE-HD) the susceptibility to SGC and ESC is depending on the complex interplay between molecular weight and architecture and the resulting semicrystalline morphology, especially the formation of tie-molecules.
A reliable assessment of the resistance against this damage phenomenon is essential for demanding as well as safety-critical applications and has to take into account suitable testing methodologies and conditions in combination with environmental media reflecting the properties representative for typical fillings and relevant components causing ESC. In this context a better understanding of different influencing factors, such as sorption, swelling or surface activity is necessary together with a detailed characterization of different stages of crack propagation and underlying mechanisms. Therefor well-established testing methods, such as the Full Notch Creep Test (FNCT), were complemented by detailed fracture surface analysis using e.g. LSM and SEM in combination with a time-dependent optical monitoring of the progressing crack growth.
For the crack growth also the ratio of fibrillated craze zone to crack opening is important for the deeper understanding of crack propagation and related material parameters which can be additionally addressed by X-ray computed tomography.
The efforts taken within the project ‘platform MaterialDigital’ (PMD, materialdigital.de) to store FAIR data in accordance with a standard-compliant ontological representation (‘application ontology’) of a tensile test of metals at room temperature (ISO 6892-1:2019-11) will be presented. This includes the path from developing an ontology in accordance with the respective standard, converting ordinary data obtained from standard tests into the interoperable RDF format, up to connecting the ontology and data. The semantic connection of the ontology and data leads to interoperability and an enhanced ability of querying. For further reusability of data and knowledge semantically stored, the PMD core ontology (PMDco) was developed, which is a mid-level ontology in the field of MSE. The semantic connection of the tensile test application ontology to the PMDco is also presented. Moreover, Ontopanel, a tool for domain experts facilitating visual ontology development and mapping for FAIR data sharing in MSE, is introduced briefly.
Towards interoperability: Digital representation of a material specific characterization method
(2023)
Certain metallic materials gain better mechanical properties through controlled heat treatments. In age-hardenable aluminum alloys, the strengthening mechanism is based on the controlled formation of nanometer sized precipitates, which hinder dislocation movement. Analysis of the microstructure and especially the precipitates by transmission electron microscopy allows identification of precipitate types and orientations. Dark-field imaging is often used to image the precipitates and quantify their relevant dimensions.
The present work aims at the digital representation of this material-specific characterization method. Instead of a time-consuming, manual image analysis, a digital approach is demonstrated. The integration of an exemplary digital workflow for quantitative precipitation analysis into a data pipeline concept is presented. Here ontologies enable linking of contextual information to the resulting output data in a triplestore. Publishing digital workflow and ontologies ensures the reproducibility of the data. The semantic structure enables data sharing and reuse for other applications and purposes, demonstrating interoperability.
Packaging containers for dangerous goods that include aggressive liquids require that any packaging material that is based on high-density polyethylene has a high degree of stability and durability. This work is focused on testing the environmental stress cracking of the high-density polyethylenes used for such containers in contact with crop protection formulations, in particular, two model liquids established in Germany as standardized test media representatives for crop protection formulations containing the various admixtures typical for such products. One of the liquids is water-based and contains mostly surface-active ingredients, while the other is solvent-based and includes some emulsifiers. Originally established for pin impression tests, these model liquids and their individual components were here used for the first time as environmental media in the Full Notch Creep Test, which addresses the resistance against environmental stress cracking. The Full Notch Creep Test was carried out on five high-density polyethylene types with both model liquids, and also on one selected material with its components. The evaluation was focused on the fracture surface structures, which were visualized by a scanning electron microscope and by optical in situ imaging of the notch opening. While the water-based model liquid and its surface-active individual components induced environmental stress cracking with the characteristic pattern for a craze-crack mechanism and so-called brittle fracture on the surface, the solvent-based model liquid and its soluble ingredients exhibited rather ductile failure behavior, caused by the plasticizing effect on the polymer that reduced the yield stress of the high-density polyethylene.
For both cases, fracture surface analysis, together with side views of the crack opening, showed a clear relation between surface pattern, notch deformation (e.g., by blunting), or crack opening due to crack growth with time to failure and the solubility of the liquids in high-density polyethylene.
This dataset consists of indentation data measured with a conospherical tip in a Hysitron-Bruker TI980 Nanoindenter on the surface of a <100> Silicon wafer and a polished cross-sectional cut of a Zr65Cu25Al10 bulk metallic glass.
It is associated with the following publication:
Birte Riechers, Catherine Ott, Saurabh Mohan Das, Christian H. Liebscher, Konrad Samwer, Peter M. Derlet and Robert Maass "On the elastic microstructure of bulk metallic glasses" Materials and Design xxx, (2023) 111929. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matdes.2023.111929
All experimental information can be found in this paper and in the accompanying supplementary information.
This electronic version of the data was published on the "Zenodo Data repository" found at http://zenodo.org/deposit in the community "Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM)".
The authors have copyright to these data. You are welcome to use the data for further analysis, but are requested to cite the original publication whenever use is made of the data in publications, presentations, etc.
Any questions regarding the data can be addressed to birte.riechers@bam.de who would also appreciate a note if you find the data useful.
The elastic properties (Young's modulus, shear modulus) of austenitic stainless steel AISI 316L were investigated between room temperature and 900 °C in an additively manufactured variant (laser powder bed fusion, PBF‑LB/M) and from a conventional process route (hot rolled sheet). The moduli were determined using the dynamic resonance method. The data set includes information on processing parameters, heat treatments, grain size, specimen dimensions and weight, Young’s and shear modulus as well as their measurement uncertainty.
The dataset was generated in an accredited testing lab using calibrated measuring equipment. The calibrations meet the requirements of the test procedure and are metrologically traceable. The dataset was audited as BAM reference data.
The elastic properties (Young's modulus, shear modulus) of Ni-based alloy Inconel IN718 were investigated between room temperature and 800 °C in an additively manufactured variant (laser powder bed fusion, PBF‑LB/M) and from a conventional process route (hot rolled bar). The moduli were determined using the dynamic resonance method. The data set includes information on processing parameters, heat treatments, grain size, specimen dimensions and weight, Young’s and shear modulus as well as their measurement uncertainty.
The dataset was generated in an accredited testing lab using calibrated measuring equipment. The calibrations meet the requirements of the test procedure and are metrologically traceable. The dataset was audited as BAM reference data.
The elastic properties (Young's modulus, shear modulus) of titanium alloy Ti-6Al-4V were investigated between room temperature and 400 °C in an additively manufactured variant (laser-based directed energy deposition with powder as feedstock, DED-LB/M) and from a conventional process route (hot rolled bar). The moduli were determined using the dynamic resonance method. The data set includes information on processing parameters, heat treatments, microstructure, grain size, specimen dimensions and weight, Young’s and shear modulus as well as their measurement uncertainty.
The dataset was generated in an accredited testing lab using calibrated measuring equipment. The calibrations meet the requirements of the test procedure and are metrologically traceable. The dataset was audited as BAM reference data.
Oxide thermoelectric semiconducting materials like p-type calcium cobaltite Ca3Co4O9 are investigated as oxidation- and temperature-resistant thermoelectric materials for thermoelectric generators (TEGs). To realize TEGs in planar film technology, the powder aerosol deposition (PAD) method is emerging recently. PAD is a method to obtain dense ceramic films directly from the synthesized starting powders without a subsequent high temperature step.
In the present work, Ca3Co4O9 (CCO) powders are processed by PAD to ceramic films at room temperature. The thermoelectric properties of the films (film thickness 10 – 20 µm) are characterized from room temperature to 900°C. Additionally, the layer morphology and texture of the films will be investigated.
As result, the Seebeck coefficient of the CCO-PAD film is comparable to pressed and sintered CCO-bulk materials during the 1st heating cycle to 900°C. The morphology of the films after the thermal treatment shows strong aligned crystallites resulting in a strong texture of the films. The electrical conductivity increases strongly during the 1st heating cycle to 900°C and stays almost constant afterwards. Compared to CCO-bulks, the films provide higher electrical conductivity which could be explained by the oriented crystal growth in-plane direction of the film.
The relationship between thermoelectric properties and layer morphology as a function of thermal annealing parameters will be further investigated.
Self-healing agents have the potential to restore mechanical properties and extend service life of composite materials. Thermoplastic healing agents have been extensively investigated for this purpose in epoxy matrix composites due to their strong adhesion to epoxy and their ability to fill in microcracks. One of the most
investigated thermoplastic additives for this purpose is poly(ethylene-co-methacrylic acid) (EMAA). Despite the ability of thermoplastic healing agents to restore mechanical properties, it is important to assess how the addition of thermoplastic healing agents affect properties of the original epoxy material. In this work, EMAA was added to epoxy resin and the effect of the additive on fracture toughness of epoxy was evaluated. Results indicate that although added in low concentrations, EMAA can affect fracture toughness.
Low-temperature co-fired ceramics (LTCC) are used to fabricate robust multilayer circuits. Typically, thick-film technology is applied for metallization. For specific sensor applications, thin films are deposited directly on the as-fired LTCC-surface. These deposited thin films are structured either by lift-off or by etching. The latter is less error-prone and thus preferred in industry provided the selected materials allow it.
200 nm Ni-thin films were deposited on three different commercial constrained-sintered LTCC (CT708, CT800 and DP951) by electron beam physical vapour deposition. The thin-films were structured by covering corresponding sections with a UV-curable photo resisn and subsequent etching of the uncovered surface, leaving behind the desired structure. The etched Ni-thin film showed high difference in failure rate and sheet resistance regarding the used LTCC-material. DP951 had the lowest sheet resistance and no failure, whereas the CT800 had a failure rate of 40 %. The LTCC with high failure rate showed a strong chemical attack by the used etching medium. To address this phenomenon, the chemical resistance of the three different commercial LTCC (CT708, CT800 and DP951) against four different commonly used etching media (sulphuric acid, phosphoric acid, aqua regia, and hydrofluoric acid) is investigated. The dissolved ions are analyzed by ICP-OES to correlate the LTCC-composition and its chemical resistance.
Destructive and non-destructive 3D-characterization of inner metal structures in ceramic packages
(2023)
Ceramic multilayer packages provide successful solutions for manifold
applications in telecommunication, microsystem, and sensor technology. In such packages, three-dimensional circuitry is generated by combination of structured and metallized ceramic layers by means of tape casting and multilayer technology. During development and for quality assurance in manufacturing, characterization of integrity, deformation, and positioning of the inner metal features is necessary.
Visualization with high resolution and material contrast is needed.
Robot-assisted 3D-materialography is a useful technique to characterize such multimaterial structures. In that, many sections of the specimen are polished and imaged automatically. A three-dimensional representation of the structure is created by digital combination of the image stack. A quasi non-destructive approach is to perform X-ray computer tomography (CT) with different beam energies. The energies are chosen to achieve a good imaging of either the metal features, or the ceramic matrix of the structure. The combination of the respective tomograms results in a high contrast representation of the entire structure. Both methods were tested to characterize Ag and Ag/Pd conductors in a ceramic multilayer package. The results were compared in terms of information content, effort, and applicability of the methods.
The increasing importance of resource availability and closed-loop material cycles are driving materials research to reduce alloying content in conventional materials or even substitute them with more sustainable alternatives. Intermetallic iron aluminide alloys (FeAl) present a potential alternative. Many alloy concepts for improved high-temperature properties or ductility have already been successfully implemented in casting technologies on a laboratory scale. However, successful testing of FeAl alloys on an industrial scale was still pending at the beginning of the project.
Therefore, the aim of the project was to develop simulation based casting concepts for industrial casting processes using the base alloy Fe-26Al-4Mo-0.5Ti-1B and to narrow down process limits by means of hot cracking tests. Findings were transferred into practice-oriented guidelines for casting of iron aluminides, which is accessible to future applicants in SMEs. The focus was placed on centrifugal casting combined with investment casting or die casting. In addition to numerous design and casting process parameters, heat treatments and alloying additions (Al, Mo, B) were varied to determine the influence of alloying elements on castability, microstructure and mechanical properties. Data from microstructure analyses (microscopic imaging, determination of grain sizes as well as phase compositions and volume fractions, fractography), mechanical tests (hardness measurements, compression tests, ambient and high-temperature tensile tests, creep tests) as well as measurements of thermophysical properties could be generated on the base alloy. Correlations of materials data with process variables allowed conclusions to be drawn on strengthening mechanisms and ductility of the alloy and how they can be controlled in terms of processing and component design. Successful casting of highly complex components with thin wall thicknesses and optimised alloy compositions points out prospects for new fields of application.
3D printing or additive manufacturing in space is of great value for long-term human spaceflight missions and space stations, conveniently offering access to a ‘virtual warehouse’ of tools and spare parts on the push of a button. The process only needs one type of feedstock such as powder or filament and only as much material as the final part requires, giving it a huge weight benefit over traditional subtractive methods.
While 3D printers are already operational on the ISS since 2014, the utilized processes are only capable of manufacturing relatively low strength parts from polymers not suitable for many tools or critical components. To gain access to high quality metal prints, a modified Laser Powder Bed Fusion (LPBF) process was developed to stabilize the critical powder bed in microgravity through a gas flow [2]. This setup was able to generate a (miniature) steel wrench during parabolic flights, but a reliable layer deposition has raised challenges due to the combination of gas flow parameters with microgravity conditions. Furthermore, the quality and density of the powder bed, which is critical for the process, cannot be examined afterward on the ground. This is due to hyper gravity phases during the flight that are influencing the properties of the powder bed.
In this paper, the challenges of the layer deposition are revised, and the subsequent evolution of the recoating system explained. Later, the challenges of an in-situ quality control, evaluation, and quantification of the properties of the powder bed are examined. As a solution, a high-resolution line-scanner is proposed and its implementation int the compact LPBF system demonstrated. Its ability to measure common defects such as ridges in the deposited layer is shown in experiments at normal gravity. As an illustration, Figure 1 shows an extreme case of the formation of ridges.
The increasing importance of resource availability and closed-loop material cycles are driving materials research to reduce alloying content in conventional materials or even substitute them with more sustainable alternatives. Intermetallic iron aluminide alloys (FeAl) present a potential alternative. Many alloy concepts for improved high-temperature properties or ductility have already been successfully implemented in casting technologies on a laboratory scale. However, successful testing of FeAl alloys on an industrial scale was still pending at the beginning of the project.
Therefore, the aim of the project was to develop simulation-based casting concepts for industrial casting processes using the base alloy Fe-26Al-4Mo-0.5Ti-1B and to narrow down process limits by means of hot cracking tests. Findings were transferred into practice-oriented guidelines for casting of iron aluminides, which is accessible to future applicants in SMEs. The focus was placed on centrifugal casting combined with investment casting or die casting. In addition to numerous design and casting process parameters, heat treatments and alloying additions (Al, Mo, B) were varied to determine the influence of alloying elements on castability, microstructure and mechanical properties. Data from microstructure analyses (microscopic imaging, determination of grain sizes as well as phase compositions and volume fractions, fractography), mechanical tests (hardness measurements, compression tests, ambient and high-temperature tensile tests, creep tests) as well as measurements of thermophysical properties could be generated on the base alloy. Correlations of materials data with process variables allowed conclusions to be drawn on strengthening mechanisms and ductility of the alloy and how they can be controlled in terms of processing and component design. Successful casting of highly complex components with thin wall thicknesses and optimised alloy compositions points out prospects for new fields of application.
The aim of the task area Materials Data Infrastructure (TA-MDI) of the consortium Materials Science and Engineering (MatWerk) of National Research Data Infrastructure (NFDI) is to shape scientific datasets obtained through the Participant Projects (PPs) from a data management perspective conforming to the FAIR principles, making use of the FAIR Digital Object (FAIR DO) concept, including structured metadata and storage solutions. As an example, they apply PP18 (BAM) as a use case to demonstrate the proposed technical workflow.
Reference datasets in the MSE domain represent specific material properties, e.g., structural, mechanical, … characteristics. A reference dataset must fulfill high-quality standards, not only in precision of measurement but also in a comprehensive documentation of material, processing, and testing history (metadata). This Infrastructure Use Case (IUC) of the consortium Materials Science and Engineering (MatWerk) of National Research Data Infrastructure (NFDI) aims to develop, together with BAM and other Participant Projects (PP), a framework for generating reference material datasets using creep data of a single crystal Ni-based superalloy as a best practice example. In a community-driven process, we aim to encourage the discussion and establish a framework for identifying reference material datasets. In this poster presentation, we highlight our current vision and activities and intend to stimulate the discussion about the topic reference datasets and future collaborations and work.
A Round Robin study has been carried out to estimate the impact of the human element in small-angle scattering data analysis. Four corrected datasets were provided to participants ready for analysis. All datasets were measured on samples containing spherical scatterers, with two datasets in dilute dispersions, and two from powders.
Most of the 46 participants correctly identified the number of populations in the dilute dispersions, with half of the population mean entries within 1.5 % and half of the population width entries within 40 %, respectively. Due to the added complexity of the structure factor, much fewer people submitted answers on the powder datasets.
For those that did, half of the entries for the means and widths were within 44 % and 86 % respectively. This Round Robin experiment highlights several causes for the discrepancies, for which solutions are proposed.
The KupferDigital project aims to develop digital methods, tools, and data space infrastructures for digitalizing the entire life cycle of copper materials. The mechanical testing process is one of the main chains of such life cycles which generates lots of important testing data about the mechanical properties of the materials and their related materials and testing metadata. To train the digitalization of the mechanical testing process, different kinds of copper alloys were provided for this project, and their mechanical properties were measured by typical methods like Brinell and Vickers hardness and tensile testing. The primary raw testing data as well as the secondary datasets of these tests are provided. The detailed materials specifications, the utilized mechanical testing methods, and provided datasets are described in the content file. The test data files of heterogeneous structures are processed by the KupferDigital digital tools to be converted to standardized machine-readable data files.
Due to their unique physico-chemical properties, nanoparticles are well established in research and industrial applications. A reliable characterization of their size, shape, and size distribution is not only mandatory to fully understand and exploit their potential and develop reproducible syntheses, but also to manage environmental and health risks related to their exposure and for regulatory requirements. To validate and standardize methods for the accurate and reliable particle size determination nanoscale reference materials (nanoRMs) are necessary. However, there is only a very small number of nanoRMs for particle size offered by key distributors such as the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the Joint Research Centre (JRC) and, moreover, few provide certified values. In addition, these materials are currently restricted to polymers, silica, titanium dioxide, gold and silver, which have a spherical shape except for titania nanorods. To expand this list with other relevant nanomaterials of different shapes and elemental composition, that can be used for more than one sizing technique, we are currently building up a platform of novel nanoRMs relying on iron oxide nanoparticles of different shape, size and surface chemistry. Iron oxide was chosen as a core material because of its relevance for the material and life sciences.
A new patented dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) is presented, where the tensile, bending- or torsional stiffness of a media can be characterized in-situ during the phase transition from liquid to solid. An epoxy system, e.g. Hexion L285/H287, is filled into an elastomer container, such as a silicone tube. This can be mounted into a conventional OMA and, based on a linear viscoelastic approach, the storage modulus (E';G'), the loss modulus (E'';G'') and the loss angle tan(δ) can be measured at constant temperature as a function of time in order to investigate the liquid to sol-gel to solid transition. With this new method, the stiffness increase as a result of the cure process can be directly measured more precisely than with a rheometer in a shear plate set-up, because using an elastomer container gives a defined cross section for calculating the Young's modulus.
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.[1] 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.
Fully-reversed fatigue behavior of scarf joint repairs for wind turbine blade shell applications
(2022)
To enable a quick and cost-effective return to service for wind turbine blades, localized repairs can be executed by technicians in the field. Scarf repairs, shown to be highly efficient with a smooth load transition across angled joint walls and a restored aerodynamic profile, are the focus of this work. The failure mechanisms of these structures were examined under quasi-static tensile and fully-reversed cyclic loading. While the scarf ratio was held constant at 1:50, the repair layup was varied between large-to-small and small-to-large. The effect of the presence of resin pockets and the fiber orientation mismatch between parent and repair material on the restored strength of BIAX ±45° glass fiber reinforced polymer scarf joint structures was studied.
Due to combined cyclic mechanical and thermal loading during operation, the material of exhaust gas conducting components of combustion engines is exposed to thermomechanical fatigue (TMF). This leads to formation and growth of cracks, especially at the most highly stressed points of these components. In order to better predict the service life of cracked components before failure, it is necessary to identify a crack propagation law for the material used. Isothermal crack propagation tests have been carried out at several temperatures with a typical cast iron to identify such a law. The crack length is measured by the potential drop method. The compliance method, fractography and thermographic camera measurements have been used to validate and calibrate the potential drop measurements. Each of the isothermal tests has been simulated using a specially developed FEM-algorithm based on remeshing and remapping. This algorithm has been implemented in python and ABAQUS. Thereby, the crack tip region is modeled by collapsed Quad8 elements. From the individual simulations, the cyclic crack tip opening displacement (ΔCTOD) is extracted and regarded as a potential fracture mechanics parameter which controls the crack growth rate. By combining the data from the experiments and the simulations, the crack propagation law has been identified. Finally, anisothermal crack propagation tests have been performed for validation of the crack growth law.
This contribution contains the raw data used to compare experimental results with thermodynamic calculations using the CALPHAD method, which is related to the research article “The AlMo0.5NbTa0.5TiZr refractory high entropy superalloy: experimental findings and comparison with calculations using the CALPHAD method” [1] , and therefore this article can be used as a basis for interpreting the data contained therein. The AlMo0.5NbTa0.5TiZr refractory superalloy was characterized in the cast and annealed condition (1400 °C for 24 h) in order to measure grain size and to identify and measure the size and area fraction of the phases present. The raw data of this article include X-ray diffraction (XRD) measurements, microstructural characterization by scanning and transmission electron microscopy (SEM and TEM), and elemental analysis by energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). XRD includes the determination of phases and the lattice parameters (A2, B2, and hexagonal structure). Microstructural analysis by scanning and transmission electron microscopy includes (1) identification of composition, size, and volume fraction of the present phases and (2) determination of grain size. Based on these experimental data, it is possible to identify similarities and discrepancies with the data calculated using the CALPHAD method for the alloy under study in Ref. [1] , which provides the basis for better and more efficient development of reliable databases.
Small-angle Scattering Data Analysis Round Robin: anonymized results, figures and Jupyter notebook
(2023)
The intent of this round robin was to find out how comparable results from different researchers are, who analyse exactly the same processed, corrected dataset.
This zip file contains the anonymized results and the jupyter notebook used to do the data processing, analysis and visualisation. Additionally, TEM images of the samples are included
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.
Within NFDI-MatWerk (“National Research Data Infrastructure for Material Sciences”/ “Nationale Forschungsdateninfrastruktur für Materialwissenschaften und Werkstofftechnik“), the Task Area Materials Data Infrastructure (TA-MDI) will provide tools and services to easily store, share, search, and analyze data and metadata. Such a digital materials environment will ensure data integrity, provenance, and authorship. The MatWerk consortium aims to develop specific solutions jointly with Participant Projects (PPs), which are scientific groups or institutes covering different domains, from theory and simulations to experiments. The Data Exploitation Methods group of the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology-Steinbuch Centre of Computing, as part of TA-MDI, is developing specific solutions in close collaboration with three PPs.
PP07, together with the University of Stuttgart, aims at the image-based prediction of the material properties of stochastic microstructures using large-scale supercomputers. PP13, in cooperation with the University of Saarland, focuses on tomographic methods at various scales in materials research. PP18, together with the Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing (“Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung”), aspires to define the criteria for materials reference datasets and usage analytics.
The requirements and goals are comparable for each PP: their research outputs, which are scientific datasets, should conform to the FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) principles. We aim to shape them from a data management perspective making use of the FAIR Digital Object concept, including structured metadata and storage solutions. The results will be a blueprint which will act as a reference for future datasets. Even though the collaboration is in an early stage, the initial steps already show the added value of this approach.
This research has been supported by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research
(BMBF) – funding code M532701 / the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German
Research Foundation) - project number NFDI 38/1, project no. 460247524.
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.
Trace elements play an important role in the fine-tuning of complex material properties. This study focuses on the correlation of microstructure, lattice misfit and creep properties. The compositionally complex alloy Al10Co25Cr8Fe15Ni36Ti6 (in at. %) was tuned with high melting trace elements Hf and W. The microstructure consists of a γ matrix, γ' precipitates and the Heusler phase and it is accompanied by good mechanical properties for high temperature applications. The addition of 0.5 at.% Hf to the Al10Co25Cr8Fe15Ni36Ti6 alloy resulted in more sharp-edged cubic γ′ precipitates and an increase in the Heusler phase amount. The addition of 1 at.% W led to more rounded γ′ precipitates and the dissolution of the Heusler phase. The shapes of the γ' precipitates of the alloys Al9.25Co25Cr8Fe15Ni36Ti6Hf0.25W0.5 and Al9.25Co25Cr8Fe15Ni36Ti6Hf0.5W0.25, that are the alloys of interest in this paper, create a transition from the well-rounded precipitates in the alloy with 1% W containing alloy to the sharp angular particles in the alloy with 0.5% Hf. While the lattice misfit has a direct correlation to the γ' precipitates shape, the creep rate is also related to the amount of the Heusler phase. The lattice misfit increases with decreasing corner radius of the γ' precipitates. So does the creep rate, but it also increases with the amount of Heusler phase. The microstructures were investigated by SEM and TEM, the lattice misfit was calculated from the lattice parameters obtained by synchrotron radiation measurements.
The Global Exploration Strategy of the International Space Exploration Coordination Group (ISECG) describes a timeframe of 2020 and beyond with the ultimate aim to establish a human presence on Mars towards the 2040ies. The next steps lie on the Moon with a focus on the coming 10 years. Early lunar surface missions will establish a capability in support of lunar science and prepare and test mission operations for subsequent human exploration of Mars and long-duration human activities on the Moon.
Given the extreme costs involved in the shipping of material from Earth, a prerequisite for future human exploration is the manufacturing of elements directly on the Moon’s surface. Unlike the equipment, which at the beginning will have to be brought from Earth, raw materials and energy could be available following the concept of In-Situ Resource Utilization. The ESA OSIP PAVING THE ROAD (PAVER) study investigates the use of a laser to sinter regolith into paving elements for use as roadways and launch pads thus mitigating dust issues for transport and exploration vehicles.
The ESA-funded study examines the potential of using a laser (12 kW CO2 laser with spot beam up to 100 mm) for layer sintering of lunar and martian regolith powders to manufacture larger 3D elements and provide know-how for the automatic manufacture of paving elements in the lunar environment. The project contributes to the first step toward the establishment of a lunar base and will lead to the construction of equipment capable of paving areas and manufacturing 3D structures.
PAVER project sets the starting point for an examination of the larger context of lunar exploration. Mission scenarios will look at different phases of lunar exploration: Robotic Lunar Exploration, Survivability, Sustainability, and Operational Phase. A proposed Technology Roadmap investigates the mission scenario and analyses how, and to which extent, laser melting/sintering will play a role in the various phases of exploration. The paper contextualizes laser sintering within selected mission scenarios and discusses the different kinds of infrastructure that can be produced at each phase of the mission. The outcome of the study includes the detailing of the TRL steps in the project and an outline of a timeline for the different elements. Covered aspects include terrain modelling such as operation pads, roadways, or towers, non-pressurized building structures to protect machinery, and habitat envelopes, to protect and shield humans against dust, micrometeoroids, and radiation.
Powder bed technologies are amongst the most successful Additive Manufacturing (AM) techniques. Powder bed fusion and binder jetting especially are leading AM technologies for metals and polymers, thanks to their high productivity and scalability. The application of these techniques to most ceramics has been difficult so far, because of the challenges related to the deposition of homogeneous powder layers when using fine powders. In this context, the “layerwise slurry deposition” (LSD) has been developed as a layer deposition method which enables the use of powder bed AM technologies also for advanced ceramic materials. The layerwise slurry deposition consists of the layer-by-layer deposition of a ceramic slurry by means of a doctor blade, in which the slurry is deposited and dried to achieve a highly packed powder layer. This offers high flexibility in the ceramic feedstock used, especially concerning material and particle size. The LSD technology can be combined with binder jetting to develop the so-called “LSDprint” process for the additive manufacturing of ceramics. The LSDprint technology combines the high-speed printing of binder jetting with the possibility of producing a variety of high-quality ceramics with properties comparable to those achieved by traditional processing. In this presentation, the LSD process will be introduced and several examples of application ranging from silicate to high-performance ceramics will be shown. Recent developments towards the scale-up and industrialization of this process will be discussed, alongside future perspectives for the multi-material additive manufacturing.
At the Workshop "Neutron and Synchrotron Monitoring in Aerospace Advanced Manufacturing" at the Institute of Materials Physics in Space, German Aerospace Center (DLR) in Cologne, we presented on the opportunities and our experiences of using a powder based additive manufacturing process for in-space manufacturing applications in microgravity.
The Global Exploration Strategy of the International Space Exploration Coordination Group (ISECG) describes a timeframe of 2020 and beyond with the ultimate aim to establish a human presence on Mars towards the 2040ies. The next steps lie on the Moon with a focus on the coming 10 years. Early lunar surface missions will establish a capability in support of lunar science and prepare and test mission operations for subsequent human exploration of Mars and long-duration human activities on the Moon.
Given the extreme costs involved in the shipping of material from Earth, a prerequisite for future human exploration is the manufacturing of elements directly on the Moon’s surface. Unlike the equipment, which at the beginning will have to be brought from Earth, raw materials and energy could be available following the concept of In-Situ Resource Utilization. The ESA OSIP PAVING THE ROAD (PAVER) study investigates the use of a laser to sinter regolith into paving elements for use as roadways and launch pads thus mitigating dust issues for transport and exploration vehicles.
The ESA-funded study examines the potential of using a laser (12 kW CO2 laser with spot beam up to 100 mm) for layer sintering of lunar and martian regolith powders to manufacture larger 3D elements and provide know-how for the automatic manufacture of paving elements in the lunar environment. The project contributes to the first step toward the establishment of a lunar base and will lead to the construction of equipment capable of paving areas and manufacturing 3D structures.
PAVER project sets the starting point for an examination of the larger context of lunar exploration. Mission scenarios will look at different phases of lunar exploration: Robotic Lunar Exploration, Survivability, Sustainability, and Operational Phase. A proposed Technology Roadmap investigates the mission scenario and analyses how, and to which extent, laser melting/sintering will play a role in the various phases of exploration. The paper contextualizes laser sintering within selected mission scenarios and discusses the different kinds of infrastructure that can be produced at each phase of the mission. The outcome of the study includes the detailing of the TRL steps in the project and an outline of a timeline for the different elements. Covered aspects include terrain modelling such as operation pads, roadways, or towers, non-pressurized building structures to protect machinery, and habitat envelopes, to protect and shield humans against dust, micrometeoroids, and radiation.
As part of a joint project involving the Fraunhofer Institute for Silicate Research (ISC), the Friedrich Schiller University of Jena, the Clausthal University of Technology and the Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing (BAM), digital tools are to be created for the development of new types of glass materials. Current processes for the production of glasses with improved properties are usually very cost- and energy-intensive due to the low degree of automation and are subject to long development cycles. The use of robotic synthesis processes in combination with self-learning machines is intended to overcome these problems in the long term. The development of new types of glass can then not only be accelerated considerably, but also be achieved with much less effort.
In this talk, data generation via a robotic high-throughput glass melting system is presented, which should be the experimental basis for the ontology developed within the project GlasDigital.
Although the slow crack growth in glass is dominated by stress-corrosion phenomena, it also should reflect the underlaying intrinsic fracture behavior controlled by glass chemistry and structure. To investigate such underlaying phenomena, crack growth velocity in alkali silicate glasses was measured in vacuum across 10 orders of magnitude with double cantilever beam technique. Measured and literature crack growth data were compared with calculated intrinsic fracture toughness data obtained from Young’s moduli and theoretical fracture surface energy. Data analysis reveals slight correlation with the packing density and significant deviations from the intrinsic brittle fracture behavior. These deviations do not follow simple compositional trends. Two opposing processes may explain this finding: a decrease in the apparent fracture surface energy due to stress-induced chemical changes at the crack tip and its increase due to energy dissipation during fracture.
Efforts towards digitalization in the material science and technology community have enhanced in the last years. In 2019 the German digitalization initiative platform „MaterialDigital“1 (MD) has been started. Numerous projects concerning digitalization, including the copper related project „KupferDigital“ (copper digital) have been initiated under the umbrella of MD. The initiative strives to
address numerous issues concerning data access, exchange, security, provenance and sovereignty. Heterogeneous data origin, storage and evaluation often result in problems concerning comparability and reproducibility of scientific and technological results. In many cases material data are recorded, but the methods of testing are insufficiently described, or such information is not communicated along with the raw data. The material data can also have numerous different formats such as paper printouts, pdfs, excel sheets or csv-files. Hence, gathering and integrating material data from different sources is challenging for potential users like materials scientists and engineers, especially if there are contradictory data where the reasons for contradictions is not clear due their vague description. In order to address these problems, data should comply to the so called „FAIR“ principle which calls for data to be findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable (FAIR)2 and hence be accessible via so-called decentralized but interconnected data spaces. By using knowledge representation withontologies, data can be enriched with meaning and the methods of the testing procedures can be accurately provided. In this presentation we want to introduce our approach to such knowledge representation based on a high-throughput alloy development process for Cu-based alloys³ along with characterization techniques such as hardness testing and microstructural characterization (e.g. EBSD – Electron Backscattered Diffraction).
3D-printed landing pads on the moon: Paving the road for large area sintering of lunar regolith.
A prerequisite for lunar exploration and beyond is the manufacturing of objects directly on the moon, given the extreme costs involved in the shipping of material from Earth. Looking at processes, raw materials, and energy sources, equipment will certainly have to be brought from Earth at the beginning. Available on the moon are lunar regolith as raw material and the sun as an energy source. One of the first steps towards the establishment of a lunar base is the creation of infrastructure elements, such as roads and landing pads.
We’ll introduce you to the ESA-project PAVER that demonstrates the sintering and melting of lunar regolith simulant material to produce large scale 3D printed elements that could be used during human and robotic lunar explorations.
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.
A main source of current challenges in materials science and engineering is the ever-increasing complexity in materials chemistry and processing resulting in complex microstructures, making the assessment of process-microstructure-property-performance relations difficult, even unmanageable. Here the computational materials science is facing the same situation. In this talk, I share a viewpoint that the complexities in chemistry, processing and microstructures can be circumscribed by integrating existing knowledges of bulk thermodynamics and kinetics to the unknown thermodynamics and kinetics of microstructure elements. To this end, I discuss several successful examples on grain boundary segregation engineering how this scientific advance can be conducted. A roadmap is proposed, beginning to form on generalizing the concept of phase diagrams.
Die technischen Möglichkeiten der robotischen Glasschmelzanlage der BAM werden vorgestellt.
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.
The homogeneous introduction of organic additives is a prerequisite for good processability of ceramic powders during dry pressing. The addition of organic additives by wet route via ceramic slurries offers advantages over dry processing. The organic content can be reduced and a more homogeneous distribution of the additives on the particle surface is achieved. In addition to the measurements of zeta potential and viscosity, sedimentation analysis by optical centrifugation was also tested and successfully used to characterize the ceramic slurries and accurately evaluate of the suitability of different types, amounts, and compositions of organic additives.
Spray drying of well-stabilized slurries usually results in mostly hollow granules with a hard shell leading to sintered bodies with defects and reduced strength and density. By purposefully degrading the slurry stability after dispersion of the ceramic powder, the drying behavior of the granules in the spray drying process and thus the granule properties can be influenced. Destabilization of the slurry and thus partial flocculation was quantified by optical centrifugation. Spray drying of the destabilized alumina slurries resulted in "non-hollow" granules without the detrimental hard shell and thus improved granule properties.
Further improvement of the granules was achieved by installing ultrasonic atomization in the spray dryer. A narrower granule size distribution was achieved, which had a positive effect on, among other things, the flowability of the granules.
Specimens produced from this granules had fewer defects of smaller size, leading to better results for the density and strength of the sintered bodies. The observations made for alumina could be transferred to zirconia and as well to ZTA with 20 wt% zirconia.
A large amount of publicly available data is reproduced every day in the field of materials science, while these kind of material data can have different formats and types like paper-type publications, standards, datasheets or isolated datasets in repositories. However, gathering a specific library from such extensive and diverse material data is always challenging for the materials scientists and engineers, since the time-related limitations are not allowed to fully access the large publicly available databases; search across these disparate databases, manage the large volumes of heterogeneous datasets, and integrate data from multiple sources. To address these challenges and make data findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable (FAIR), an efficient data management system is necessary to build comprehensive, documented, and connected data spaces in the future. A formal standardized knowledge representation through an ontology can address such problems and make data more available and interoperable between related domains. Ontology can also rich machine processable semantic descriptions that increases the performance of scientific searches. In this regard, the Platform MaterialDigital (PMD) is currently working on developing a high-level ontology for the materials and material related processes. For example, in one of the PMD projects of “KupferDigital”, we will try to develop a data ecosystem for digital materials research based on ontology-based digital representations of copper and copper alloys. As a case study, this paper describes the methodology for ontology development of Brinell hardness, based on PMD core ontology. The methodology we describe includes the following steps; gathering the required domain terminology from different resources like standards (DIN EN ISO 6506-1) and test reports, representing the performance of a standard-conformant hardness test and the treatment of the recorded values up to a “reportable” hardness value for a material, designing the process chain according to the semantic technologies, and developing a domain-level ontology of Brinell hardness based on PMD ontology semantic formalization. Apart the mentioned methodology, some interesting tools and methods were introduced and ontology design challenges and possible solutions for modelling materials and processes were discussed. Furthermore, a dataset from the Brinell hardness measurement of cast copper samples is prepared for testing the query process.
Up to now, oriented surface crystallization phenomena are discussed controversially, and related studies are restricted to few glasses. For silicate glasses we found a good correlation between the calculated surface energy of crystal faces and oriented surface nucleation. Surface energies were estimated assuming that crystal surfaces resemble minimum energy crack paths along the given crystal plane. This concept was successfully applied by Rouxel in calculating fracture surface energies of glasses. Several oriented nucleation phenomena can be herby explained assuming that high energy crystal surfaces tend to be wetted by the melt. This would minimize the total interfacial energy of the nucleus. Furthermore, we will discuss the evolution of the microstructure and its effect on the preferred crystal orientation.
Up to now, oriented surface crystallization phenomena are discussed controversially, and related studies are restricted to few glasses. For silicate glasses we found a good correlation between the calculated surface energy of crystal faces and oriented surface nucleation. Surface energies were estimated assuming that crystal surfaces resemble minimum energy crack paths along the given crystal plane. This concept was successfully applied by Rouxel in calculating fracture surface energies of glasses. Several oriented nucleation phenomena can be herby explained assuming that high energy crystal surfaces tend to be wetted by the melt. This would minimize the total interfacial energy of the nucleus. Furthermore, we will discuss the evolution of the microstructure and its effect on the preferred crystal orientation.
Engineering grain boundaries demands a quantitative description of both their segregation and specific phase behavior. Recently I have proposed a density-based model for grain boundary thermodynamics that enables CALPHAD integrated derivation of grain boundary phase diagrams, broadly applied now in studying various alloys. Combining this model with experimental investigations, in this talk, new aspects of interfacial segregation and phase transformation revealed in polycrystalline alloys are discussed. The effect of elastic interaction on grain boundary phase behavior is incorporated. We consider Al alloys and novel high-entropy alloys and discuss a general strategy for grain boundary engineering.
The dataset contains experimental mechanical data from complex service-like creep-fatigue experiments performed isothermally at 620 °C and a low strain amplitude of 0.2 % on tempered martensite-ferritic grade P92 steel. The data sets in text file format provide cyclic deformation (min. and max. stresses) and the total (hysteresis) data of all recorded fatigue cycles for three different creep-fatigue experiments: 1) a standard relaxation fatigue (RF) test with symmetrical dwell times of three minutes introduced at minimum and maximum strain, 2) a fully strain-controlled service-like relaxation (SLR) test combining these three-minute peak strain dwells with a 30-minute dwell in between at zero strain, and 3) a partly stress-controlled service-like creep (SLC) test combining the three-minute peak strain dwells with 30-minute dwells at constant stress.
Further information on data and data acquisition, analysis, and experimental details are given in “Experimental Data from Service-Like Creep-Fatigue Experiments on Grade P92 Steel”, submitted to Data in Brief. Additional analyses of these datasets, as well as experimental findings and discussions are presented in “Creep-Fatigue of P92 in Service-Like Tests with Combined Stress- and Strain-Controlled Dwell Times”, submitted to International Journal of Fatigue.
Due to the increasing scarcity of critical raw materials current high-temperature materials are sought to be replaced by alloys based on more abundant metals. One possibility within the class of intermetallics are iron aluminides, which combine sustainability and cost-efficiency with the prospect of mass savings. Iron aluminides show competitive specific strength up to 700 °C and excellent creep and wet corrosion resistance by small additions of Mo, Ti and B. Nevertheless, a Mo content of above 2 at.% which is needed for optimum corrosion resistance results in enhanced brittleness, especially at room temperature. This is why alloys with these Mo fractions were only mechanically tested under compressive loading so far. Still, testing of static and creep properties under tensile loading is required for reliable component design. Besides high standards for crack-free processing, data acquisition for tensile loads is especially complicated by environmental embrittling effects for iron aluminides. To cope with these challenges, the AiF research project “WAFEAL – Materials applications for iron aluminides” was initiated. The main goal is to collect standardised data on ambient and high-temperature tensile properties and creep properties. Samples with a nominal composition of Fe-26Al-4Mo-0.5Ti-1B [at.%] were manufactured via centrifugal casting in ceramic shell moulds followed by machining. Heat treatment for homogenisation and final polishing were carried out where appropriate. A summary of the achieved tensile and creep properties such as yield and tensile strength, maximum elongation, secondary creep rate and stress exponents will be given. Results will be also discussed regarding the influence of temperature, stress level and microstructure on the damage mechanisms. Furthermore, the effect of different alloy concentrations on the mechanical response at different temperatures will be outlined within a small experimental series.
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.
Towards Interoperability: Digital Representation of a Material Specific Characterization Method
(2022)
Certain metallic materials gain better mechanical properties through controlled heat treatments. For example, in age-hardenable aluminum alloys, the strengthening mechanism is based on the controlled formation of nanometer sized precipitates, which represent obstacles to dislocation movement. Precise tuning of the material structure is critical for optimal mechanical behavior in the application. Therefore, analysis of the microstructure and especially the precipitates is essential to determine the ideal parameters for the interplay of material and heat treatment. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) is utilized to identify precipitate types and orientations in a first step. Dark-field imaging (DF-TEM) is often used to image the precipitates and to quantify their relevant dimensions.
The present work aims at the digital representation of this material-specific characterization method. Instead of a time-consuming, manual image analysis, an automatable, digital approach is demonstrated. Based on DF-TEM images of different precipitation states of a wrought aluminum alloy, a modularizable digital workflow for quantitative precipitation analysis is presented. The integration of this workflow into a data pipeline concept will also be discussed. Thus, by using ontologies, the raw image data, their respective contextual information, and the resulting output data from the quantitative precipitation analysis can be linked in a triplestore. Publishing the digital workflow and the ontologies will ensure the reproducibility of the data. In addition, the semantic structure enables data sharing and reuse for other applications and purposes, demonstrating interoperability.
The presented work is part of two digitization initiatives, the Platform MaterialDigital (PMD, materialdigital.de) and Materials-open-Laboratory (Mat-o-Lab).
Ontologies that represent a map of the concepts and relationships between them, are becoming an effective solution for data standardization and integration of different resources in the field of materials science, as efficient data storage and management is the building block of material digitization. However, building a domain ontology is not a simple task. It requires not only a collaborative effort between ontologists and domain experts, but also the modeling approaches and tools play a key role in the process. Among all approaches, graphical representation of domain ontologies based on standard conceptual modeling languages is widely used because of its intuitiveness and simplicity. Various tools have been developed to realize this approach in an intuitive way, such as Protégé plugins and web visualization tools.
The Materials-open-Lab (MatOLab) project, which aims to develop ontologies and workflows in accordance with testing standards for the materials science and engineering domains, adopted a UML (Unified Modeling Language) approach based on the diagrams.net. It is a powerful, popular, open-source graphical editor. In practical case studies, however, many users’ needs could not be met, such as reusing ontology, conversion, and data mapping. Users must switch between different tools to achieve a certain step, and thereby invariably increase learning cost. The lack of validation also leads to incorrect diagrams and results for users who are not familiar with the ontology rules. To address these issues, we designed Ontopanel, a diagrams.net-based plugin that includes a set of pipeline tools for semantic modeling: importing and displaying protégé-like ontologies, converting diagrams to OWL, validating diagrams by OWL rules, and mapping data. It uses diagrams.net as the front-end for method modeling and Django as the back-end for data processing. As a web-based tool, it is very easy to expand its functionality to meet changing practical needs.
Following the new paradigm of materials development, design and optimization, the digitalization of materials and processes is the main goal which imposes a huge challenge. In this respect, the quality assurance of processes and output data as well as the interoperability between applications following FAIR (findability, accessibility, interoperability, reusability) principles are to be ensured. This includes storage, processing and querying of data in a preferably standardized form, also addressing the incorporation of standardization bodies. To meet the challenge to contextualize material data in a way that is consistent with all stakeholders, all necessary information on the condition of the material including production and application-related changes have to be made available via a uniform, machine-readable description. For this purpose, ontologies are to be used since they allow for machine-understandable knowledge representations and semantic conceptualizations that are needed for data management and the digitalization in the field of materials science.
With respect to this currently ever-growing topic of integration and reuse of data and knowledge from synthesis, production and characterization of materials, this presentation shows the efforts taken within the project Platform MaterialDigital (PMD, materialdigital.de) to store tensile test data in accordance with a standard-compliant ontological representation. The includes the path from developing an ontology in accordance with the respective standard, converting ordinary and arbitrarily selected data gained from standard tests into the interoperable RDF format, up to connecting the ontology and data, respectively. Finally, such data can be queried from a triple store.
In the field of material science and engineering (MSE), most mechanical test methods are standardized which serves as a valid basis for ontology development. Therefore, the well-known tensile test of metals at room temperature (DIN EN ISO standard 6892-1:2019-11) was selected to be considered as one of the first use cases in PMD. This consideration within the PMD features both, the ontological representation of such a tensile test in accordance with the standard as well as exemplary data generation. The semantic connection of the ontology and data leads to interoperability and an enhanced ability of querying.
The mechanical strength of wrought high-strength aluminum alloys is essentially based on precipitation hardening, possibly in combination with prior forming, e. g. by stretching. Important parameters for achieving an optimum combination of hardness, strength, ductility, toughness, and further properties such as corrosion resistance are age-hardening temperature and time.
During thermal (mechanical) treatment, nucleation and growth of precipitates takes place, leading to the desired degree of hardening. In aluminum alloys, precipitation sequences are usually passed through, i. e. a sequence of metastable precipitates is formed before the stable phase can precipitate. The optimum combination of properties is therefore based on a certain (optimum) microstructure, which can, however, change during the use of a component, since the microstructure is not stable. This happens in particular when the operating temperatures are close to the aging temperature and/or the operating times are sufficiently long. An external mechanical load may accelerate the processes. The presentation gives some examples for this.
The presentation shows the results of high cycle fatigue (HCF) tests from the aluminium alloy EN AW-2618A. This study investigates the mean stress influence in the T61 condition and the effect of overaging. For this purpose, axial HCF tests were carried out at room temperature and different stress ratios (R=-1, R=0.1) as well as with overaged conditions (T61+10h@230°C, T61+1000h@230°C). After completion of the tests, the fracture surfaces were examined to study crack initiation.
Thermal spraying enables a fast and propelling way to additively deposit various ceramics as electric insulators, which are used in conditions where polymers are not suitable. Alumina (Al2O3) is among the most employed materials in the coating industry since it exhibits good dielectric properties, high hardness, high melting point while still being cost-effective. Various parameters (e.g. feedstock type, plasma gas mixture, plasma power) significantly influence the resulting coating in terms of microstructure, porosity, crystallinity, and degree of un-or molten particles. As a consequence, these parameters need to be investigated to estimate the impact on the electrical insulating properties of thermally sprayed alumina. This study focuses on the development of a novel electric insulation coating from Al2O3 feedstock powders deposited via atmospheric plasma spray (APS). The microstructure, porosity, and corresponding crystallographic phases have been analyzed with optical microscopy, XRD, and SEM images. To achieve an understanding of the parameters influencing the electrical insulation performance of the manufactured coatings, an in-depth analysis of the fundamental dielectric parameters e.g., DC resistance, breakdown strength, dielectric loss tangent, permittivity is presented.
Multilayer thermoelectric generators are a promising perspective to the conventional π-type generators. Ceramic multilayer technology is well established for production of microelectronics and piezo-stacks. Key features of ceramic multilayer technology are full-automation, cost-effectiveness, and the co-firing of all materials in one single step. This requires similar sintering temperatures of all used materials. The development of multilayer thermoelectric generators is a subject of current research due to the advantages of this technology. One of the challenges is the compatibility of the different materials with respect to the specific design.
The presented study compares three different designs of multilayer generators based on a given set of material properties. Dualleg, unileg and transverse multilayer generators are compared to conventional π-type generators., the designs are evaluated regarding the expected maximum output power and power density using analytical calculations and FEM simulations. Additionally, the complexity of the production process and material requirements are assessed and design optimizations to simplify production are discussed.
Besides the theoretical aspects, unileg multilayer generator prototypes were produced by tape-casting and pressure-assisted sintering. These prototypes are compared to other multilayer generators from literature regarding the power factors of the used material system and the power density. Improvements of the power output by design optimizations are discussed
The interest to additively manufacture Nickel-based superalloys has substantially grown within the past decade both academically and industrially. More specifically, additive manufacturing processes such as laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) offer the ability to produce dense parts within a single manufacturing step. In fact, the exceptional freedom in design associated with the layer-based nature of the processes is of particular interest for the complex shapes typically required in turbine applications. In certain cases, the overall part performance can be achieved by tailoring the microstructure and the crystallographic texture to the specific application. However, these advantages must be paid at a price: the large local temperature gradients associated with the rapid melting and solidification produce parts that inherently contain large residual stress in the as-manufactured state. In addition, the presence of pores in the final part may further affect the in-service part failure. As among Nickel-based alloys Inconel 718 exhibits excellent weldability, this alloy has been widely studied in open research in the domain of LPBF. However, significant microsegregation of the heavier alloying elements such as Niobium and Molybdenum accompanied by dislocation entanglements may preclude the application of conventional heat treatment schedules. Therefore, different post processing heat treatments are required for laser powder bed fused Inconel 718 as compared to conventional variants of the same alloy.
In this study, we investigated two different heat treatment routes for LPBF Inconel 718. In a first routine, the samples were stress relieved and subsequently subjected to hot isostatic pressing (HIP) followed by a solution heat treatment and a two-step age (referred to as FHT). In a second routine, the samples were subjected to a single-step direct age post stress relieving heat treatment (referred to DA). We investigated the consequences of such heat treatment schedules on the microstructure, texture, and mechanical behavior. We show that by applying a DA heat treatment the typical columnar microstructure possessing a crystallographic texture is retained, while an equiaxed untextured microstructure prevails in case of an FHT heat treatment. We further evaluate how these heat treatments affect the mechanical behaviour on the macroscopic and microscopic scale.
Currently, calcium manganate CaMnO3 and calcium cobaltite Ca3Co4O9 are being investigated as n-type resp. p-type semiconducting materials as oxidation- and temperature-resistant thermoelectric materials for oxide multilayer thermoelectric generators (TEGs). In order to manufacture multilayer TEGs, pressure-assisted sintering processes at high temperatures are necessary to achieve optimal thermoelectric material properties. To realize TEGs in planar film technology, another method to obtain dense ceramic layers directly from the synthesized starting powders without a subsequent high temperature step is emerging recently: the powder aerosol deposition (PAD) method. In the present work, it is investigated whether PAD is suitable to produce dense ceramic films from Sm-doped CaMnO3 and Ca3Co4O9 powders. The resulting thermoelectric properties are characterized as a function of temperature.
CaMnO3 powder could successfully be processed by PAD with resulting layer thicknesses of 5- 6 µm without any high-temperature sintering steps of the films. The electrical conductivity and the Seebeck coefficient of the films were determined in-plane from room temperature to 600 °C in air. The results show a Seebeck coefficient of around -200 µV/K, which is comparable to results of pressed and sintered bars. At 400 °C, the electrical conductivity corresponds to the conductivity of the bar. At higher temperatures the conductivity is better than with the reference. Below 400°C, the electrical conductivity is somewhat lower than that of the reference sample, a mild thermal treatment of the PAD layer improves it. It is expected that the thermal conductivity of the PAD film will be lower compared to the bars due to the nano-crystalline film morphology. This should result in a significantly increased ZT value for the PAD layers and a higher efficiency of the TEG.
The work shows that both CaMnO3 and Ca3Co4O9 can be successfully processed by PAD, and the PAD films show comparable thermoelectric properties.
Melting of Na2CO3-ZnO-B2O3 batches containing up to 16.8 wt% AgNO3 (5 mol% Ag2O in the target glass composition) was observed in situ by means of hot stage microscopy. In all batches metallic silver precipitation took place as most of the silver nitrate was reduced to metallic silver before Ag+ ions could be dissolved in the evolving borate melts. In turn, only traces of Ag+ (<300 ppmw) were dissolved in the sodium zinc borate glass melts under study. It is assumed that the oxidation to Ag+ was limited due to poor availability of reducible oxygen in the glass melts and presence of Na2O being a stronger base than Ag2O. Thus, the precipitated metallic silver formed droplets of different sizes. The larger droplets (d > 20 µm) were already settled at the bottom of the container and remained constant in size upon dwelling for 1 h at 1050 °C of about one hour and the subsequent cooling (45 K/min) to room temperature, whereas the smaller droplets (d < 20 µm) were mobile in the borate melt due to Marangoni and Stokes motion. For the latter droplets, coalescence was observed in situ. A growth of larger droplets at the expense of smaller ones, i.e., Ostwald ripening was also expected but could not be studied with the used experimental equipment.
Liquid phase sintering of glass bearing silver pastes used in photovoltaics and microelectronics is poorly understood. In particular, the role of different network modifiers acting in the glass component and the question of the most suitable atmospheric oxygen level during sintering are still under considerable debate. To tackle these issues, low-melting and lead-free X2O-ZnO-B2O3 glasses with X = Li, Na, K and Rb (LZB, NZB, KZB and RZB) were prepared. Infrared spectroscopy showed that the glass structure was similar to each other, while an increase of tetrahedrally coordinated boron with increasing field strength of the alkali was evident. In turn, the glass transition temperature (from differential thermal analysis) increased in the order: RZB (449 °C) < KZB (460 °C) < NZB (465 °C) < LZB (472 °C). Powders of each glass were mixed with organics to receive silver-glass-pastes containing 30 vol% glass and these were subjected to heating microscopy in air. Although similar onset temperatures of sintering were recorded for Ag-NZB and Ag-LZB glass pastes, and for Ag-RZB paste and KZB-Ag-paste, respectively, differences in the crystallization behavior and final densification were observed between the former and the latter group. These were translated in terms of differences in silver dissolution and reprecipitation among the two groups. Further, running the experiments in nitrogen gas showed that sintering of all pastes was considerably hampered. The slow-down of the sinter kinetics was found to be in line with the assumed lower oxidation and dissolution of silver ions into the glass-forming liquid.
Monte-Carlo-Analysis of Minimum Burst Requirements for Composite Cylinders for Hydrogen Service
(2021)
For achieving Net Zero-aims hydrogen is an indispensable component, probably the main component. For the usage of hydrogen, a wide acceptance is necessary, which requires trust in hydrogen based on absence of major incidents resulting from a high safety level. Burst tests stand for a type of testing that is used in every test standard and regulation as one of the key issues for ensuring safety in use. The central role of burst and proof test is grown to historical reasons for steam engines and steel vessels but - with respect for composite pressure vessels (CPVs) - not due an extraordinary depth of outcomes. Its importance results from the relatively simple test process with relatively low costs and gets its importance by running of the different test variations in parallel. In relevant test und production standards (as e. g. ECE R134) the burst test is used in at least 4 different meanings. There is the burst test on a) new CPVs and some others b) for determining the residual strength subsequent to various simulations of ageing effects. Both are performed during the approval process on a pre-series. Then there is c) the batch testing during the CPVs production and finally d) the 100% proof testing, which means to stop the burst test at a certain pressure level. These different aspects of burst tests are analysed and compared with respect to its importance for the resulting safety of the populations of CPVs in service based on experienced test results and Monte-Carlo simulations. As main criterial for this the expected failure rate in a probabilistic meaning is used. This finally ends up with recommendations for relevant RC&S especially with respect to GTR 13.
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, which would be expected to happen in the extremely high Chloride concentration. Detailed analysis using EDS line scan shown the slow diffusion of Chloride, suggesting why pitting did not happen after 20 weeks. To mimic the passivated steel surface, the steel coupon was passivated in simulated pore solution having pH 13.5 for 42 days. The passivated coupon was further exposed to NGB solution for 28 days. Electrochemical characterization was performed along the exposure processes to reveal the change in impedance, indicating the corrosion resistance of steel casing/mortar interface.
Fully-reversed fatigue behavior of scarf joint repairs for wind turbine blade shell applications
(2022)
Due to manufacturing imperfections which can propagate to damage under in-service loads, wind turbine rotor blades, made primarily of glass fiber reinforced polymers (GFRP), often fail significantly before their design life. To enable a quick and cost-effective return to service, localized repairs can be executed by technicians in the field, directly accessing the blades by suspended roping. Scarf joint repairs, shown to be highly efficient with a smooth load transition across angled joint walls and a restored aerodynamic profile, are the focus of this study. The damage mechanisms of these structures were examined under fully-reversed mechanical cyclic loading with a load ratio R = -1, which was made possible on the coupon scale by a custom designed anti-buckling support. The number of cycles to failure were compared across load levels. While the scarf joint ratio was held constant at 1:50, known from industry and literature to be a good compromise between restored mechanical properties and repair size, the layup sequence was varied between small-to-large and large-to-small. Hereby the effect of the presence of resin pockets and fiber orientation mismatch between the parent and repair structure on the failure mechanism as well as fatigue strength of ±45° GFRP scarf joint repair structures was studied. Strain development across the joint length was measured to assess stiffness degradation in addition to the fatigue strength recovery of scarf joint structures with respect to pristine reference specimens. Grayscale analysis was used to monitor the damage state leading to fracture across the specimens. Post-mortem fractography analysis with light microscopy described the global failure mechanisms as well as local damage distribution within the structure, all of which provided insight to critical variables in scarf joint GFRP structures under fully-reversed mechanical cyclic loading, allowing for the tailoring of such repairs on wind turbine blade shells for maximum restoration of service life.
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.
Glasses in the systems Me2O-ZnO-B2O3 with Me = Li, Na, K, Rb (MeZB), Na2O-ZnO-CuO-B2O3 (NZCuB), CaO-ZnO-B2O3 (CaZB), and Li2O-PbO-B2O3 (LPbB) as a reference, were studied by differential thermal analysis, dilatometry, rotational viscometry, and heating microscopy. A decrease of viscosity and sintering range was found with decreasing number of fourfold coordinated boron. The viscosity of the alkali zinc borate glasses varies only slightly. LPbB and CaZB stand out by their reduced and increased viscosities, respectively. Sodium, potassium, and calcium zinc borate glasses possess a fragility above 76. All glasses were sintered to full density before crystallization. Mostly binary zinc borate phases govern crystallization. A ternary crystalline phase was detected only in the potassium containing sample. The Weinberg glass stability parameter ranges between 0.07 and 0.12. This is caused by the presence of several crystalline phases and varying melting points of even the same crystalline phase in different glass matrices.
Low melting Li2O-PbO-B2O3, Me2O-ZnO-B2O3, Me = Li, Na, K, Rb and CaO-ZnO-B2O3 glasses were studied with Raman and infrared spectroscopies to advance the structural understanding of zinc borate glasses as potential candidates for substitution of lead containing glasses. Although the effect of type of alkali ions on the number (N4) of fourfold coordinated boron (B4) in the glasses is small, the alkali ions direct the type of borate groups, i.e., pentaborate in lithium, sodium, and calcium zinc borate glasses, as well as diborate in potassium and rubidium containing ones. Both groups were simultaneously found in Li2O-PbO-B2O3. Alkali ions are mainly responsible for the formation of B4-units and metaborate. Zinc ions favorably compensate non-bridging oxygen and partially form ZnO4. With decreasing N4 and field strength of the alkali ions the atomic packing density, glass transition temper ature and Young’s Modulus also decrease. The coefficient of thermal expansion increases with decreasing N4.
BAM is currently building up a platform of novel nanoRMs relying on iron oxide nanoparticles of different shape, size and surface chemistry. Iron oxide was chosen as a core material because of its relevance to the material and life sciences.
As a first candidate of this series, we present cubic iron oxide nanoparticles with a nominal edge length of 8 nm. These particles were synthesized by thermal decomposition of iron oleate in high boiling organic solvents adapting well-known literature procedures. After dilution to a concentration suitable for electron microscopy (TEM and SEM) as well as for small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) measurements, the candidate nanoRM was bottled and assessed for homogeneity and stability by both methods following the guidelines of ISO 17034 and ISO Guide 35.
The particle sizes obtained by both STEM-in-SEM and TEM are in excellent agreement with a minimum Feret of 8.3 nm ± 0.7 nm. The aspect ratio (AR) of the iron oxide cubes were extracted from the images as the ratio of minimum Feret to Feret resulting in an AR of 1.18 for TEM to 1.25 for SEM. Alternatively, a rectangular bounding box was fitted originating from the minimum Feret and the longest distance through the particle in perpendicular direction. This led to AR values of 1.05 for TEM and 1.12 for SEM, respectively. The results confirm the almost ideal cubic shape.
Powder bed technologies are amongst the most successful Additive Manufacturing (AM) techniques. Powder bed fusion and binder jetting especially are leading AM technologies for metals and polymers, thanks to their high productivity and scalability.
The application of these techniques to most ceramics has been difficult so far, because of the challenges related to the deposition of homogeneous powder layers when using fine powders.
In this context, the "layerwise slurry deposition" (LSD) has been developed as a layer deposition method which enables the use of powder bed AM technologies also for advanced ceramic materials. The layerwise slurry deposition consists of the layer-by-layer deposition of a ceramic slurry by means of a doctor blade, in which the slurry is deposited and dried to achieve a highly packed powder layer. This offers high flexibility in the ceramic feedstock used, especially concerning material and particle size.
The LSD technology can be combined with binder jetting to develop the so-called “LSDprint” process for the additive manufacturing of ceramics.
The LSDprint technology combines the high-speed printing of binder jetting with the possibility of producing a variety of high-quality ceramics with properties comparable to those achieved by traditional processing.
In this presentation, the LSD process will be introduced and several examples of application ranging from silicate to high-performance ceramics will be shown.
Recent developments towards the scale-up and industrialization of this process will be discussed, alongside future perspectives for the multi-material additive manufacturing.
Early Material Damage in Equimolar CrMnFeCoNi in Mixed Oxidizing/Sulfiding Hot Gas Atmosphere
(2022)
The use of more and more varied fuels implies an increased list of criteria that need to be addressed when choosing a material for a combustion chamber and its supply pipes. The materials must be very resistant against corrosion, especially when the process takes place at temperatures above 500°C. In this work the influence of SO2 on the surface of the “Cantor alloy” is investigated.
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.
BAM! This issue of Advanced Engineering Materials celebrates 150 years of scientific and technical research at the interface between academia, industry and politics. Rooted in 1871 at the birth of the German Empire and at that time located in simple basements and barracks, the institutional development began around mechanical metallurgy of iron and steel and represents today a diverse portfolio of fore-front research that orients itself along tomorrow's societal challenges and long-term research horizons.
Thermoelectric generators can be used for energy harvesting by directly transforming a temperature gradient into a voltage. Multilayer generators based on ceramic multilayer technology are an interesting alternative to conventional π-type generators. They exhibit several advantages like high filling factor, possibility of texturing, co-firing of all materials in one single-step, and reduction of production costs due to the high possible degree of automation. But, co-firing of promising oxide thermoelectric materials, Ca3Co4O9 (p-type) and CaMnO3 (n-type), is very challenging due to the large difference in sintering temperature (300 K).
In this work we show the material development of Ca3Co4O9, CaMnO3, and insulation for multilayer generators co-fired under uniaxial pressure at 900 °C. The materials are tailored regarding their sintering behavior, electrical performance and coefficients of thermal expansion. Tape-casting and pressure assisted sintering are applied to fabricate textured Ca3Co4O9. Compared to conventional sintering, pressure assisted sintering increases the strength by the factor 10 and the power factor by the factor of 20. The combination of sintering additives and uniaxial pressure is used to decrease the sintering temperature of CaMnO3 to 900 °C while maintaining acceptable thermoelectric properties.
Different generator designs (unileg and pn-type) were fabricated and analyzed regarding microstructure and thermoelectric performance. A lower level of complexity is beneficial for co-firing and performance. The unileg demonstrators reach 80% of the simulated output power and the power output is highly reproducible between the different demonstrators (99%).
Turbine blades often contain cylindric holes used to generate an air film that protects the blade alloy from the hot gases. These cooling holes of diameter around one mm are drilled by laser through the thickness of the blades. Unfortunately, the resulting stress concentration and the drilling-induced damage are known to favor crack initiation from the holes. It is thus necessary to assess the impact of these cooling holes on the structural integrity of the blades. Since cracks initiate very readily, the fatigue life of the components is mainly controlled by the propagation of the cracks in the stress gradient induced by the holes.
For this purpose, displacement controlled high-temperature LCF (Low-Cycle-Fatigue) tests were performed with center hole specimens of a coarse-grained Nickel base Superalloy. The tests were stopped after a defined load drop. In addition, crack propagation tests with Double Edge Notch specimens were performed. Moreover, specimens with different hole surface finishes were investigated, which showed a detrimental effect of the hole surface roughness. In parallel, an evaluation of the LCF tests based on a fracture mechanics-based model (Madia et al., Eng. Fract. Mech., 2018) has been applied. Thereby, the specimen life is controlled by the crack propagation time until failure. Crack growth is controlled by a modified NASGRO equation accounting for large-scale yielding and a progressive build-up of crack closure. The initial crack size has been derived from the measurements of defects around the borehole. A reasonable agreement between predicted and measured lifetimes is observed if one keeps in mind the large uncertainty regarding the effective shape of the cracks.
Thermal spraying provides a rapid method for additive deposition of various ceramics as electrical insulation in applications where polymers are not suitable. New applications in complex shaped additive manufactured metal parts are emerging for example in large scale electrical devices. Microstructural and dielectric evaluation of coatings is crucial to the employment of such free-form processes. The properties and microstructure of the plasma sprayed alumina coatings are compared with dense reference samples of the same powder produced by spark plasma sintering (SPS). To obtain dense bulk samples from the coarse alumina powder for spray coating, SPS is used.
Samples are fabricated by atmospheric plasma spraying (APS) of commercially available alumina powder (d50 = 33 µm) on copper substrates and by SPS of the same powder. Microstructure and porosity were analyzed by optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Phase compositions were determined by X-ray diffraction (XRD). Dielectric properties such as DC resistance, dielectric strength, dielectric loss, and relative permittivity were determined according to the standards. The microstructure and dielectric properties of the coating and bulk material are compared to assess whether the coating is suitable for use in electrical insulation application.
The scatter of fatigue crack growth data can become significant for coarse grained materials. By using a probabilistic description of crack propagation as the foundation of a lifetime prediction model, lifetime scatter of laboratory specimens can be reproduced. However, the lifetime of real components is subjected to additional scattering factors such as surface condition or uncertainty regarding direction and shape of emerging cracks. These factors need to be addressed in order to exploit the advantages of probabilistic description, i.e. the reduction of unnecessary conservatisms.
High temperature LCF (Low-Cycle-Fatigue) tests were performed with center hole specimens of a coarse-grained Nickel base Superalloy. In addition, crack propagation tests with Double Edge Notch specimens were performed. A procedure to detect the shape of the starting crack that combines the potential drop method and induction thermography was developed. The geometry and the number of notches were varied. Moreover, specimen with different hole surface finishes were investigated, which showed a detrimental effect of the roughness of the hole surface.
The results have been compared to predictions of a probabilistic tool for the estimation of lcf lifetime that has been calibrated beforehand on laboratory specimens with and without notches. In parallel, a fracture mechanics-based lifetime model was developed, which includes the initial crack size as a critical parameter. Thereby, the influence of the large grain size (>1mm), and the shape of the starting crack at the notch were considered.
Acknowledgements
The investigations are conducted as part of the joint research program COOREFLEX-Turbo in the frame of AG Turbo. The work is supported by Siemens AG and the Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft und Technologie (BMWi) as per resolution of the German Federal Parliament under grant number 03ET7071E.
Dielectric breakdown of insulators is a combined electrical, thermal, and mechanical failure. The exact breakdown mechanism in ceramics and the formulation of useful models are still subject of investigation. Recent studies highlighted that several experimental aspects of dielectric breakdown strength testing affect the test results, and thus impede the recognition of fundamental principles.
Excess field strength near the electrode can lead to premature breakdown in the insulating liquid. This would cause superficial damage to the test specimen and thus falsify the measurement results.
The field strength distribution is influenced by the ratio of permittivity of the sample and the surrounding insulating liquid. Premature breakdown depends on the breakdown strength of the liquid and the actual test voltage. The test voltage again depends on the specimen thickness.
To systematically investigate these relations, a numerical simulation study (FEM) of the electric field distribution in a typical testing rig with cylindrical electrodes was performed. The permittivity of the sample and the insulating liquid was parameterized, as well as the sample thickness. The electric field distribution was calculated for increasing test voltage. Field strength maxima are compared to experimental breakdown strength of typical insulating liquids and experimental breakdown locations on alumina. Strategies are discussed to adjust the insulation liquid and the sample thickness to reduce the influence of the testing setup on the dielectric breakdown strength results.
Artificial bone replacement by individual customized three-dimensional resorbable bioactive glass has not yet been widely established in the clinical use. This is mainly due to the antagonism of sintering ability and suitable bioactivity. Competitive crystallization often prevents the generation of dense sintered bodies, especially for additive manufactured 3D structures. Previous studies of the fluoride-containing glass F3 have shown its potential to combine both sintering ability and suitable bioactivity. Furthermore, the occurring sintering blockade by surface crystallization of Na2CaSi2O6 was tunable by glass particle size.
In this study the glasses F3, F3-Cu with 1 mol% CuO added at the expense of CaO and the well-known 13-93 were chosen to determine the influence of surface crystallization on 3D printed sinter bodies. For this purpose, grain size fractions in range of smaller 32 µm to 315 µm in fraction size of 6-20 µm were sieved from jaw crushed glass frit as well as glass cubes were cut from casted blocks for all glasses. Sintering behavior of both pressed and printed powder compacts was observed via heating microscopy. Crystallization was determined by DTA and crystallization progress was monitored on fractured sinter bodies and polished cubes via electron and laser scanning microscopy as well as with diffractometry.
Depending on grain size the formation of crystalline support framework along former grain boundaries shows the capability to stabilize fully densified sinter bodies before softening. Beside of this, the generation of complex hierarchic porosity was possible as well.
A new patented dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) is presented, where the tensile, bending- or torsional stiffness of a media can be characterized in-situ during the phase transition from liquid to solid. An epoxy system, e.g. Hexion L285/H287, is filled into an elastomer container, such as a silicone tube. This can be mounted into a conventional DMA and, based on a linear viscoelastic approach, the storage modulus (E’;G’), the loss modulus (E’’;G’’) and the loss angle tan(delta) can be measured at constant temperature as a function of time in order to investigate the liquid to sol-gel to solid transition. With this new method, the stiffness increase as a result of the cure process can be directly measured more precisely than with a rheometer in a shear plate set-up, because using an elastomer container gives a defined cross section for calculating the Young’s modulus.
The large surface-to-volume ratio of nanoparticles is understood to be the source of many interesting phenomena. The melting temperature of nanoparticles is shown to dramatically reduce compared to bulk material. Yet, at temperatures below this reduced melting point, a liquid-like atomic arrangement on the surface of nanoparticles is still anticipated to influence its properties. To understand such surface effects, here, we study the coalescence of Au nanoparticles of various sizes using molecular dynamics simulations. Analysis of the potential energy and Lindemann index distribution across the nanoparticles reveals that high-energy, high-mobility surface atoms can enable the coalescence of nanoparticles at temperatures much lower than their corresponding melting point. The smaller the nanoparticles, the larger the difference between their melting and coalescence temperatures. For small enough particles and/or elevated enough temperatures, we found that the coalescence leads to a melting transition of the two nominally solid nanoparticles, here discussed in relation to the heat released due to the surface reduction upon the coalescence and the size dependence of latent heat. Such discontinuous melting transitions can lead to abrupt changes in the properties of nanoparticles, important for their applications at intermediate temperatures.