Search

This paper presents the results of physical modelling of the process of multi-pass rolling of a wire rod with controlled, multi-stage cooling. The main goal of this study was to verify the possibility of using a torsion plastometer, which allows conducting tests on multi-sequence torsion, tensile, compression and in the so-called complex strain state to physically replicate the actual technological process. The advantage of the research methodology proposed in this paper in relation to work published so far, is its ability to replicate the entire deformation cycle while precisely preserving the temperature of the deformed material during individual stages of the reproduced technological process and its ability to quickly and accurately determine selected mechanical properties during a static tensile test. Changes in the most important parameters of the process (strain, strain rate, temperature, and yield stress) were analyzed for each variant. After physical modelling, the material was subjected to metallographic and hardness tests. Then, on the basis of mathematical models and using measurements of the average grain size, chemical composition, and hardness, the yield strength, ultimate tensile strength, and plasticity reserve were determined. The scope of the tests also included determining selected mechanical properties during a static tensile test. The obtained results were verified by comparing to results obtained under industrial conditions. The best variant was a variant consisting of physically replicating the rolling process in a bar rolling mill as multi-sequence non-free torsion; the rolling process in an NTM block (no twist mill) as non-free continuous torsion, with the total strain equal to the actual strain occurring at this stage of the technological process; and the rolling process in an RSM block (reducing and sizing mill) as tension, while maintaining the total strain value in this block. The differences between the most important mechanical parameters determined during a static tensile test of a wire rod under industrial conditions and the material after physical modelling were 1.5% for yield strength, approximately 6.1% for ultimate tensile strength, and approximately 4.1% for the relative reduction of the area in the fracture and plasticity reserve. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The impact of water-induced degradation on the mechanical properties of the chosen two PTFE-coated, glass threads woven fabrics is investigated in this paper. The paper begins with a survey of literature concerning the investigation and determination of coated woven fabric properties. The authors carried out the uniaxial tensile tests with an application of flat and curved grips to establish the proper values of the ultimate tensile strength and the longitudinal stiffness of groups of specimens treated with different moisture conditions. Despite the water resistance of the main materials used for fabrics manufacturing, the change of the mechanical properties caused by the influence of water immersion has been noticed. The reduction in the tensile strength resulting under waterlogged is observed in the range from 5% to 16% depending on the type of investigated coated woven fabric and direction of weft or warp. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper deals with various selective laser melting (SLM) processing strategies for aluminum 2618 powder in order to get material densities and properties close to conventionally-produced, high-strength 2618 alloy. To evaluate the influence of laser scanning strategies on the resulting porosity and mechanical properties a row of experiments was done. Three types of samples were used: single-track welds, bulk samples and samples for tensile testing. Single-track welds were used to find the appropriate processing parameters for achieving continuous and well-shaped welds. The bulk samples were built with different scanning strategies with the aim of reaching a low relative porosity of the material. The combination of the chessboard strategy with a 2 x 2 mm field size fabricated with an out-in spiral order was found to eliminate a major lack of fusion defects. However, small cracks in the material structure were found over the complete range of tested parameters. The decisive criteria was the elimination of small cracks that drastically reduced mechanical properties. Reduction of the thermal gradient using support structures or fabrication under elevated temperatures shows a promising approach to eliminating the cracks. Mechanical properties of samples produced by SLM were compared with the properties of extruded material. The results showed that the SLM-processed 2618 alloy could only reach one half of the yield strength and tensile strength of extruded material. This is mainly due to the occurrence of small cracks in the structure of the built material. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The reuse system proposed by the authors is an overall business system for realizing a cyclic reuse flow through the processes of design, fabrication, construction, maintenance, demolition and storage. The reuse system is one of the methods to reduce the environmental burden in the field of building steel structures. These buildings are assumed to be demolished within approximately 30 years or more for physical, architectural, economic and social reasons in Japan. In this paper, focusing on building steel structures used for plants, warehouses and offices without fire protection, the performance of steel structural members for reuse is evaluated by a non-destructive test. First, performance evaluation procedures for a non-destructive test, such as mechanical properties, chemical compositions, dimension and degradation, are shown. Tensile strengths are estimated using Vickers hardness measured by a portable ultrasonic hardness tester, and chemical compositions are measured by a portable optical emission spectrometer. The weldability of steel structural members is estimated by carbon equivalent and weld crack sensitivity composition using chemical compositions. Finally, the material grade of structural members of the building steel structure for reuse is estimated based on the proposed procedures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present paper, the Mg-11Gd-2Y-1Zn alloys with different Al addition were fabricated by the gravity permanent mold method. The effect of Al content on microstructure evolution and mechanical properties of as-cast Mg-11Gd-2Y-1Zn alloy was studied by metallographic microscope, scanning electron microscope, XRD and tensile testing. The experimental results showed that the microstructure of as-cast Mg-11Gd-2Y-1Zn alloy consisted of α-Mg phase and island-shaped Mg3 (RE, Zn) phase. When Al element was added, Al2RE phase and lamellar Mg12REZn (LPSO) phase were formed in the Mg-11Gd-2Y-1Zn alloy. With increasing Al content, LPSO phase and Mg3 (RE, Zn) phase gradually decreased, while Al2RE phase gradually increased. There were only α-Mg and Al2RE phases in the Mg-11Gd-2Y-1Zn-5Al alloy. With the increase of Al content, the grain size decreased firstly and then increased. When the Al content was 1 wt.%, the grain size of the alloy was the minimum value (28.9 μm). The ultimate tensile strength and elongation increased firstly and then decreased with increasing Al addition. And the fracture mode changed from intergranular fracture to transgranular fracture with increasing addition. When Al addition was 1 wt.%, the maximum ultimate tensile strength reached 225.6 MPa, and the elongation was 7.8%. When the content of Al element was 3 wt.%, the maximum elongation reached 10.2% and the ultimate tensile strength was 207.7 MPa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The high aesthetic demands of patients have increased their requests to align their teeth using clear aligners, including Invisalign. Patients also want to have their teeth whitened for the same purpose; the use of Invisalign as a bleaching tray at night has been reported in few studies. However, whether 10% carbamide peroxide affects the physical properties of Invisalign is unknown. Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of 10% carbamide peroxide on the physical properties of Invisalign when used as a bleaching tray at night. Twenty-two unused Invisalign aligners (Santa Clara, CA, USA) were used to prepare 144 specimens to test their tensile strength, hardness, surface roughness, and translucency. The specimens were divided into four groups: a testing group at baseline (TG1), a testing group after application of bleaching material at 37 °C for 2 weeks (TG2), a control group at baseline (CG1), and a control group after immersion in distilled water at 37 °C for 2 weeks (CG2). Statistical analysis was conducted using a paired t-test, Wilcoxon signed rank test, independent samples t-test, and Mann–Whitney test to compare samples in CG2 to CG1, TG2 to TG1, and TG2 to CG2. Statistical analysis showed no statistically significant difference between the groups for all physical properties, except for hardness (p-value < 0.001) and surface roughness (p-value = 0.007 and p-value < 0.001 for the internal and external surface roughness, respectively), which revealed a reduction in hardness values (from 4.43 ± 0.86 N/mm2 to 2.2 ± 0.29 N/mm2) and an increase in surface roughness (from 1.6 ± 0.32 Ra to 1.93 ± 0.28 Ra and from 0.58 ± 0.12 Ra to 0.68 ± 0.13 Ra for the internal and external surface roughness, respectively) after 2 weeks of dental bleaching. Results showed that Invisalign can be used for dental bleaching without excessive distortion or degradation of the aligner material. However, future clinical trials are required to further assess the feasibility of using Invisalign for dental bleaching. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The proper process of preparing an adhesive composition has a significant impact on the degree of dispersion of the composition ingredients in the matrix, as well as on the degree of aeration of the resulting composition, which in turn directly affects the strength and functional properties of the obtained adhesive compositions. The paper presents the results of tensile strength tests and SEM microphotographs of the adhesive composition of Epidian 57 epoxy resin with Z-1 curing agent, which was modified using three fillers NanoBent ZR2 montmorillonite, CaCO3 calcium carbonate and CWZ-22 active carbon. For comparison purposes, samples made of unmodified composition were also tested. The compositions were prepared with the use of six mixing methods, with variable parameters such as type of mixer arm, deaeration and epoxy resin temperature. Then, three mixing speeds were applied: 460, 1170 and 2500 rpm. The analyses of the obtained results showed that the most effective tensile results were obtained in the case of mixing with the use of a dispersing disc mixer with preliminary heating of the epoxy resin to 50 °C and deaeration of the composition during mixing. The highest tensile strength of adhesive compositions was obtained at the highest mixing speed; however, the best repeatability of the results was observed at 1170 rpm mixing speed. Based on a comparison test of average values, it was observed that, in case of modified compositions, the values of average tensile strength obtained at mixing speeds at 1170 and 2500 rpm do not differ significantly with the assumed level of significance α = 0.05. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High-strength aluminum alloy (mainly refers to the 7xxx series) is the optimum material for lightweight military equipment. However, this type of aluminum alloy is a wrought aluminum alloy. If it is directly formed by traditional casting methods, there will inevitably be problems such as coarseness, unevenness, looseness, and hot cracking in the structure, which will greatly affect the final performance of the part. Based on the internal cooling with annular electromagnetic stirring (IC-AEMS) method, a new technology of rheological die forging is developed in this paper, and the scale-reduced parts of a brake hub of Al-6.54Zn-2.40Cu-2.35Mg-0.10Zr aluminum alloy were prepared. The influence of IC-AEMS and the addition of rare element Sc on the structure and mechanical properties of the parts was studied. An optical microscope and scanning electron microscope (SEM) were used to observe the microstructure evolution, energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) was used to analyze the phase distribution and composition, and the mechanical properties of the parts were tested by uniaxial tensile tests. The results show that the addition of Sc element can effectively refine the grains and improve the strength and elongation of the material; the application of IC-AEMS improves the cooling rate of the melt, increases the effective nucleation rate, and the grains are further refined. Through process optimization, scale-reduced parts of a brake hub with good formability and mechanical properties can be obtained, the ultimate tensile strength is 597.2 ± 3.1 MPa, the yield strength is 517.8 ± 4.3 MPa, and the elongation is 13.7 ± 1.3%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two novel ignition-resistant magnesium alloys, Mg-2Gd-2Y-1Ca and Mg-2Nd-1Y-1Ca, were prepared in the ultrafine-grain condition by equal channel angular pressing (ECAP). In addition, four commercial alloys—AZ31, AX41, AE42 and WE43—were prepared similarly as a reference. The microstructure, mechanical properties and ignition temperature were thoroughly investigated. Both novel alloys exhibited a mean grain size of ~1 µm and dense distribution of small secondary phase particles. The mechanical strength measured by the tensile deformation test showed that the novel alloys are much stronger (~290 MPa) than all commercial alloys except WE43. However, Ca segregation into the grain boundaries caused a significant decrease in ductility (<6%). The ignition temperature of the novel alloys (~950 °C) was considerably improved by the presence of Gd/Nd, Y and Ca. This study showed that both novel alloys exhibit high strength and high ignition temperature in the ultrafine-grain condition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, pure titanium equivalent to Grade 1 was subjected to tensile tests at strain rates ranging from 10−6 to 100 s−1 to investigate the relationship between its mechanical properties and its twinning and slip. Deformation properties and microstructures of samples having average grain sizes of 210 μm (Ti-210), 30 μm (Ti-30), and 5 μm (Ti-5) were evaluated. With increasing strain rates, the 0.2% proof stress and ultimate tensile strength increased for all samples; the fracture strain increased for Ti-210, decreased for Ti-5, and changed negligibly for Ti-30. Comparing high (100 s−1) and low (10−6 s−1) strain rates, twinning occurred more frequently in Ti-30 and Ti-210 at high strain rates, but the frequency did not change in Ti-5. The frequency of 1st order pyramidal slip tended to be higher in Ti-30 and Ti-5 at low strain rates. The higher ductility exhibited by Ti-210 at high strain rates was attributed to the high frequency of twinning. In contrast, the higher ductility of Ti-5 at low strain rates was attributed to the activity of the 1st order pyramidal slip. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the microstructure and mechanical properties of two magnesium matrix composites—a hypoeutectic with 1.9 wt% Mg2Si phase and a hypereutectic with 19 wt% Mg2Si compound—were analyzed. The investigated materials were prepared using the gravity casting method. Microstructure analyses of the fabricated composites were carried out by XRD and light microscopy. The tensile and compression strength as well as yield strength of the composites were examined in both uniaxial tensile and compression tests. The microstructure of the hypoeutectic composite was in agreement with the phase diagram and composed of primary Mg dendrites and an Mg–Mg2Si eutectic mixture. For the hypereutectic composite, besides the primary Mg2Si phase and eutectic mixture, additional magnesium dendrites surrounding the Mg2Si compound were observed due to nonequilibrium solidification conditions. The composites exhibited a rise in the examined mechanical properties with an increase in the Mg2Si weight fraction and also a higher tensile and compression strength in comparison to the pure magnesium matrix (cast in the same conditions). Additionally, analyses of fracture surfaces of the composites carried out using scanning electron microscopy (SEM + EDX) are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of process parameters and the orientation of the cladding layer on the mechanical properties of 316L stainless steel components manufactured by laser metal deposition (LMD) was investigated. High aspect-ratio walls were manufactured with layers of a 4.5 mm wide single-cladding track to study the microstructure and mechanical properties along the length and the height of the wall. Samples for the tensile test (according to ASTM E-8M-04) were machined from the wall along both the direction of the layers and the direction perpendicular to them. Cross-sections of the LMD samples were analyzed by optical and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The orientation of the growing grain was observed. It was associated with the thermal gradient through the building part. A homogeneous microstructure between consecutive layers and some degree of microporosity was observed by SEM. Uniaxial tension tests were performed on samples extracted from the wall in perpendicular and parallel directions. Results for ultimate tensile strength were similar in both cases and with the wrought material. The σ0.2 were similar in both cases but slightly superior to the wrought material. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the late 1950s, an effect of electrical current in addition to joule heating on the deformation of metals called the Electroplastic Effect (EPE) has been known. It is used nowadays in the so-called Electrically Assisted Forming (EAF) processes, but the understanding of the phenomenon is not very clear yet. It has been found that EPE increases the formability of high stacking fault energy (SFE) materials, while low SFE materials reach fracture prematurely. Since Duplex Stainless Steels (DSSs) possess a microstructure consisting of two phases with very different SFE (low SFE austenite and high SFE ferrite) and they are widely used in industry, we investigated EPE on those alloys. Tensile tests at 5 A/mm2, 10 A/mm2 and 15 A/mm2 current densities along with thermal counterparts were conducted on UNS S32101, UNS S32205, UNS S32304 and UNS S32750. The DSS grades were characterized by means of optical microscopy, X-ray diffraction and their mechanical properties (ultimate tensile strength, total elongation, uniform elongation and yield stress). An increase in uniform elongation for the electrical tests compared to the thermal counterparts as well as an increase in total elongation was found. No differences were observed on the yield stress and on the ultimate tensile strength. Un uneven distribution of the current because of the different resistivity and work hardening of the two phases has been hypothesized as the explanation for the positive effect of EPE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]