Ingenieurwissenschaften und zugeordnete Tätigkeiten
AbstractHigh-strength aluminum alloys used in aerospace and automotive applications obtain their strength through precipitation hardening. Achieving the desired mechanical properties requires precise control over the nanometer-sized precipitates. However, the microstructure of these alloys changes over time due to aging, leading to a deterioration in strength. Typically, the size, number, and distribution of precipitates for a quantitative assessment of microstructural changes are determined by manual analysis, which is subjective and time-consuming. In our work, we introduce a progressive and automatable approach that enables a more efficient, objective, and reproducible analysis of precipitates. The method involves several sequential steps using an image repository containing dark-field transmission electron microscopy (DF-TEM) images depicting various aging states of an aluminum alloy. During the process, precipitation contours are generated and quantitatively evaluated, and the results are comprehensibly transferred into semantic data structures. The use and deployment of Jupyter Notebooks, along with the beneficial implementation of Semantic Web technologies, significantly enhances the reproducibility and comparability of the findings. This work serves as an exemplar of FAIR image and research data management.
Mechanical properties of metals and their alloys are strongly governed by their microstructure. The nanometer-sized precipitates in hardenable wrought aluminium alloys, which can be controlled by heat treatment, act as obstacles to dislocation movement within the material and are critical to the mechanical performance of the component, in this case a radial compressor wheel of a ships’ engine. TEM-based image analysis is essential for the study to investigate the microstructural changes (precipitation coarsening) that occur as a result of ageing at elevated temperatures.