Microstructure and mechanical properties of nickel coated multi walled carbon nanotube reinforced stainless steel 316L matrix composites by laser sintering process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mahanthesha, P.; Mohankumar, G. C.

2018-04-01

Electroless Ni coated Multi-walled Carbon nanotubes reinforced with Stainless Steel 316L matrix composite was developed by Direct Metal Laser Sintering process (DMLS). Homogeneous mixture of Stainless Steel 316L powder and carbon nanotubes in different vol. % was obtained by using double cone blender machine. Characterization of electroless Ni coated carbon nanotubes was done by using X-ray diffraction, FESEM and EDS. Test samples were fabricated at different laser scan speeds. Effect of process parameters and CNT vol. % content on solidification microstructure and mechanical properties of test samples was investigated by using Optical microscopy, FESEM, and Hounsfield tensometer. Experimental results reveal DMLS process parameters affect the density and microstructure of sintered parts. Dense parts with minimum porosity when processed at low laser scan speeds and low CNT vol. %. Tensile fractured surface of test specimens evidences the survival of carbon nanotubes under high temperature processing condition.

Porous Titanium Parts Fabricated by Sintering of TiH2 and Ti Powder Mixtures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peng, Qin; Yang, Bin; Friedrich, Bernd

2018-01-01

A new simple powder metallurgy process by sintering TiH2 powders was used to manufacture porous Ti components. The effects of the processing parameters (pressure of cold isostatic pressing and sintering temperature) and the TiH2/Ti ratio in the powder mixtures on the impurities, the linear shrinkage and the pore properties (including overall and open porosities) were comprehensively determined. The addition of TiH2 as a reactant has been found beneficial for the synthesis of porous Ti components. The formation mechanisms of pores were demonstrated based on the dehydrogenation process of TiH2 during sintering, resulting in highest reactivity due to the "in statu nascendi" generation of the metal. In addition, the hardness and corrosion resistance of all the sintered samples were evaluated, related to the overall and open porosities. As a result, an optimal composition of Ti-40 wt.% TiH2 was defined, as its maximum open porosity was about 23%.

Data on the densification during sintering of binder jet printed samples made from water- and gas-atomized alloy 625 powders.

PubMed

Mostafaei, Amir; Hughes, Eamonn T; Hilla, Colleen; Stevens, Erica L; Chmielus, Markus

2017-02-01

Binder jet printing (BJP) is a metal additive manufacturing method that manufactures parts with complex geometry by depositing powder layer-by-layer, selectively joining particles in each layer with a polymeric binder and finally curing the binder. After the printing process, the parts still in the powder bed must be sintered to achieve full densification (A. Mostafaei, Y. Behnamian, Y.L. Krimer, E.L. Stevens, J.L. Luo, M. Chmielus, 2016; A. Mostafaei, E. Stevens, E. Hughes, S. Biery, C. Hilla, M. Chmielus, 2016; A. Mostafaei, Y. Behnamian, Y.L. Krimer, E.L. Stevens, J.L. Luo, M. Chmielus, 2016) [1-3]. The collected data presents the characterization of the as-received gas- and water-atomized alloy 625 powders, BJP processing parameters and density of the sintered samples. The effect of sintering temperatures on the microstructure and the relative density of binder jet printed parts made from differently atomized nickel-based superalloy 625 powders are briefly compared in this paper. Detailed data can be found in the original published papers by authors in (A. Mostafaei, J. Toman, E.L. Stevens, E.T. Hughes, Y.L. Krimer, M. Chmielus, 2017) [4].

Toward Interpreting Failure in Sintered-Silver Interconnection Systems

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wereszczak, Andrew A; Waters, Shirley B

2016-01-01

The mechanical strength and subsequent reliability of a sintered-silver interconnection system is a function of numerous independent parameters. That system is still undergoing process development. Most of those parameters (e.g., choice of plating) are arguably and unfortunately taken for granted and are independent of the silver s cohesive strength. To explore such effects, shear strength testing and failure analyses were completed on a simple, mock sintered-silver interconnection system consisting of bonding two DBC ceramic substrates. Silver and gold platings were part of the test matrix, as was pre-drying strategies, and the consideration of stencil-printing vs. screen-printing. Shear strength of sintered-silvermore » interconnect systems was found to be was insensitive to the choice of plating, drying practice, and printing method provided careful and consistent processing of the sintered-silver are practiced. But if the service stress in sintered silver interconnect systems is anticipated to exceed ~ 60 MPa, then the system will likely fail.« less

High resolution laser micro sintering / melting using q-switched and high brilliant laser radiation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Exner, H.; Streek, A.

2015-03-01

Since the discovery of selective laser sintering/melting, numerous modifications have been made to upgrade or customize this technology for industrial purposes. Laser micro sintering (LMS) is one of those modifications: Powders with particles in the range of a few micrometers are used to obtain products with highly resolved structures. Pulses of a q-switched laser had been considered necessary in order to generate sinter layers from the micrometer scaled metal powders. LMS has been applied with powders from metals as well as from ceramic and cermet feedstock's to generate micro parts. Recent technological progress and the application of high brilliant continuous laser radiation have now allowed an efficient laser sintering/melting of micrometer scaled metal powders. Thereby it is remarkable that thin sinter layers are generated using high continuous laser power. The principles of the process, the state of the art in LMS concerning its advantages and limitations and furthermore the latest results of the recent development of this technology will be presented. Laser Micro Sintering / Laser Micro Melting (LMM) offer a vision for a new dimension of additive fabrication of miniature and precise parts also with application potential in all engineering fields.

Removable partial denture alloys processed by laser-sintering technique.

PubMed

Alageel, Omar; Abdallah, Mohamed-Nur; Alsheghri, Ammar; Song, Jun; Caron, Eric; Tamimi, Faleh

2018-04-01

Removable partial dentures (RPDs) are traditionally made using a casting technique. New additive manufacturing processes based on laser sintering has been developed for quick fabrication of RPDs metal frameworks at low cost. The objective of this study was to characterize the mechanical, physical, and biocompatibility properties of RPD cobalt-chromium (Co-Cr) alloys produced by two laser-sintering systems and compare them to those prepared using traditional casting methods. The laser-sintered Co-Cr alloys were processed by the selective laser-sintering method (SLS) and the direct metal laser-sintering (DMLS) method using the Phenix system (L-1) and EOS system (L-2), respectively. L-1 and L-2 techniques were 8 and 3.5 times more precise than the casting (CC) technique (p < 0.05). Co-Cr alloys processed by L-1 and L-2 showed higher (p < 0.05) hardness (14-19%), yield strength (10-13%), and fatigue resistance (71-72%) compared to CC alloys. This was probably due to their smaller grain size and higher microstructural homogeneity. All Co-Cr alloys exhibited low porosity (2.1-3.3%); however, pore distribution was more homogenous in L-1 and L-2 alloys when compared to CC alloys. Both laser-sintered and cast alloys were biocompatible. In conclusion, laser-sintered alloys are more precise and present better mechanical and fatigue properties than cast alloys for RPDs. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater, 106B: 1174-1185, 2018. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Fabrication of a porous material with a porosity gradient by a pulsed electric current sintering process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Suk, Myung-Jin; Choi, Sung-II; Kim, Ji-Soon; Kim, Young Do; Kwon, Young-Soon

2003-12-01

A porous structure with a porosity gradient can be applied to the preparation of continuous FGM, where liquid or chemical vapor of the second phase is infiltrated into the graded pores. It also has applications in skeletal implant materials and ultrafiltration media. An attempt was made to fabricate a porous material with a porosity gradient by means of a pulsed electric current sintering (PECS) process. The present work describes not only the measured value of the temperature difference between the upper and lower part of the specimen, which brings about a gradual change in pore distribution, but also the sintering characteristics of the porous structure obtained by the pressureless PECS process.

Study on the Ingredient Proportions and After-Treatment of Laser Sintering Walnut Shell Composites

PubMed Central

Guo, Yanling; Jiang, Ting; Li, Jian; Jiang, Kaiyi; Zhang, Hui

2017-01-01

To alleviate resource shortage, reduce the cost of materials consumption and the pollution of agricultural and forestry waste, walnut shell composites (WSPC) consisting of walnut shell as additive and copolyester hot melt adhesive (Co-PES) as binder was developed as the feedstock of selective laser sintering (SLS). WSPC parts with different ingredient proportions were fabricated by SLS and processed through after-treatment technology. The density, mechanical properties and surface quality of WSPC parts before and after post processing were analyzed via formula method, mechanical test and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), respectively. Results show that, when the volume fraction of the walnut shell powder in the WSPC reaches the maximum (40%), sintered WSPC parts have the smallest warping deformation and the highest dimension precision, although the surface quality, density, and mechanical properties are low. However, performing permeating resin as the after-treatment technology could considerably increase the tensile, bending and impact strength by 496%, 464%, and 516%, respectively. PMID:29207485

Thermoplastic Elastomer Part Color as Function of Temperature Histories and Oxygen Atmosphere During Selective Laser Sintering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kummert, C.; Josupeit, S.; Schmid, H.-J.

2018-03-01

The influence of selective laser sintering (SLS) parameters on PA12 part properties is well known, but research on other materials is rare. One alternative material is a thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) called PrimePart ST that is more elastic and shows a distinct SLS processing behavior. It undergoes a three-dimensional temperature distribution during the SLS process within the TPE part cake. To examine this further, a temperature measurement system that allows temperature measurements inside the part cake is applied to TPE in the present work. Position-dependent temperature histories are directly correlated with the color and mechanical properties of built parts and are in very good agreement with artificial heat treatment in a furnace. Furthermore, it is clearly shown that the yellowish discoloration of parts in different intensities is not only temperature dependent but also influenced by the residual oxygen content in the process atmosphere. Nevertheless, the discoloration has no influence on the mechanical part properties.

Embrittling Components in Sintered Steels: Comparison of Phosphorus and Boron

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Danninger, Herbert; Vassileva, Vassilka; Gierl-Mayer, Christian

2017-12-01

In ferrous powder metallurgy, both boron and phosphorus have been known to be sintering activators for a long time. However, the use has been widely different: while P is a standard additive to sintered iron and steels, boron has been frequently studied, but its use in practice is very limited. Both additives are also known to be potentially embrittling, though in a different way. In the present study the differences between the effects of both elements are shown: while P activates sintering up to a certain threshold, in part by stabilizing ferrite, in part by forming a transient liquid phase, boron is the classical additive enhancing persistent liquid phase, being virtually insoluble in the iron matrix. The consequence is that sintered steels can tolerate quite a proportion of phosphorus, depending on composition and sintering process; boron however is strongly embrittling in particular in combination with carbon, which requires establishing a precisely defined content that enhances sintering but is not yet embrittling. The fracture mode of embrittled materials is also different: while with Fe-P the classical intergranular fracture is observed, with boron a much more rugged fracture surface appears, indicating some failure through the eutectic interparticle network but mostly transgranular cleavage. If carbon is added, in both cases transgranular cleavage dominates even in the severely embrittled specimens, indicating that no more the grain boundaries and sintering necks are the weakest links in the systems.

Tensile Properties Characterization of AlSi10Mg Parts Produced by Direct Metal Laser Sintering via Nested Effects Modeling.

PubMed

Palumbo, Biagio; Del Re, Francesco; Martorelli, Massimo; Lanzotti, Antonio; Corrado, Pasquale

2017-02-08

A statistical approach for the characterization of Additive Manufacturing (AM) processes is presented in this paper. Design of Experiments (DOE) and ANalysis of VAriance (ANOVA), both based on Nested Effects Modeling (NEM) technique, are adopted to assess the effect of different laser exposure strategies on physical and mechanical properties of AlSi10Mg parts produced by Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DMLS). Due to the wide industrial interest in AM technologies in many different fields, it is extremely important to ensure high parts performances and productivity. For this aim, the present paper focuses on the evaluation of tensile properties of specimens built with different laser exposure strategies. Two optimal laser parameters settings, in terms of both process quality (part performances) and productivity (part build rate), are identified.

Tensile Properties Characterization of AlSi10Mg Parts Produced by Direct Metal Laser Sintering via Nested Effects Modeling

PubMed Central

Palumbo, Biagio; Del Re, Francesco; Martorelli, Massimo; Lanzotti, Antonio; Corrado, Pasquale

2017-01-01

A statistical approach for the characterization of Additive Manufacturing (AM) processes is presented in this paper. Design of Experiments (DOE) and ANalysis of VAriance (ANOVA), both based on Nested Effects Modeling (NEM) technique, are adopted to assess the effect of different laser exposure strategies on physical and mechanical properties of AlSi10Mg parts produced by Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DMLS). Due to the wide industrial interest in AM technologies in many different fields, it is extremely important to ensure high parts performances and productivity. For this aim, the present paper focuses on the evaluation of tensile properties of specimens built with different laser exposure strategies. Two optimal laser parameters settings, in terms of both process quality (part performances) and productivity (part build rate), are identified. PMID:28772505

Phosphorus as sintering activator in powder metallurgical steels: characterization of the distribution and its technological impact.

PubMed

Krecar, Dragan; Vassileva, Vassilka; Danninger, Herbert; Hutter, Herbert

2004-06-01

Powder metallurgy is a highly developed method of manufacturing reliable ferrous parts. The main processing steps in a powder metallurgical line are pressing and sintering. Sintering can be strongly enhanced by the formation of a liquid phase during the sintering process when using phosphorus as sintering activator. In this work the distribution (effect) of phosphorus was investigated by means of secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) supported by Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) and electron probe micro analysis (EPMA). To verify the influence of the process conditions (phosphorus content, sintering atmosphere, time) on the mechanical properties, additional measurements of the microstructure (pore shape) and of impact energy were performed. Analysis of fracture surfaces was performed by means of scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The concentration of phosphorus differs in the samples from 0 to 1% (w/ w). Samples with higher phosphorus concentrations (1% (w/ w) and above) are also measurable by EPMA, whereas the distributions of P at technically relevant concentrations and the distribution of possible impurities are only detectable (visible) by means of SIMS. The influence of the sintering time on the phosphorus distribution will be demonstrated. In addition the grain boundary segregation of P was measured by AES at the surface of in-situ broken samples. It will be shown that the distribution of phosphorus depends also on the concentration of carbon in the samples.

In vitro biodegradation testing of Mg-alloy EZK400 and manufacturing of implant prototypes using PM (powder metallurgy) methods.

PubMed

Wolff, M; Luczak, M; Schaper, J G; Wiese, B; Dahms, M; Ebel, T; Willumeit-Römer, R; Klassen, T

2018-09-01

The study is focussing towards Metal Injection Moulding (MIM) of Mg-alloys for biomedical implant applications. Especially the influence of the sintering processing necessary for the consolidation of the finished part is in focus of this study. In doing so, the chosen high strength EZK400 Mg-alloy powder material was sintered using different sintering support bottom plate materials to evaluate the possibility of iron impurity pick up during sintering. It can be shown that iron pick up took place from the steel bottom plate into the specimen. Despite the fact that a separating boron nitrite (BN) barrier layer was used and the Mg-Fe phase diagram is not predicting any significant solubility to each other. As a result of this study a new bottom plate material not harming the sintering and the biodegradation performance of the as sintered material, namely a carbon plate material, was found.

Process Parameter Optimization of Extrusion-Based 3D Metal Printing Utilizing PW-LDPE-SA Binder System.

PubMed

Ren, Luquan; Zhou, Xueli; Song, Zhengyi; Zhao, Che; Liu, Qingping; Xue, Jingze; Li, Xiujuan

2017-03-16

Recently, with a broadening range of available materials and alteration of feeding processes, several extrusion-based 3D printing processes for metal materials have been developed. An emerging process is applicable for the fabrication of metal parts into electronics and composites. In this paper, some critical parameters of extrusion-based 3D printing processes were optimized by a series of experiments with a melting extrusion printer. The raw materials were copper powder and a thermoplastic organic binder system and the system included paraffin wax, low density polyethylene, and stearic acid (PW-LDPE-SA). The homogeneity and rheological behaviour of the raw materials, the strength of the green samples, and the hardness of the sintered samples were investigated. Moreover, the printing and sintering parameters were optimized with an orthogonal design method. The influence factors in regard to the ultimate tensile strength of the green samples can be described as follows: infill degree > raster angle > layer thickness. As for the sintering process, the major factor on hardness is sintering temperature, followed by holding time and heating rate. The highest hardness of the sintered samples was very close to the average hardness of commercially pure copper material. Generally, the extrusion-based printing process for producing metal materials is a promising strategy because it has some advantages over traditional approaches for cost, efficiency, and simplicity.

Process Parameter Optimization of Extrusion-Based 3D Metal Printing Utilizing PW–LDPE–SA Binder System

PubMed Central

Ren, Luquan; Zhou, Xueli; Song, Zhengyi; Zhao, Che; Liu, Qingping; Xue, Jingze; Li, Xiujuan

2017-01-01

Recently, with a broadening range of available materials and alteration of feeding processes, several extrusion-based 3D printing processes for metal materials have been developed. An emerging process is applicable for the fabrication of metal parts into electronics and composites. In this paper, some critical parameters of extrusion-based 3D printing processes were optimized by a series of experiments with a melting extrusion printer. The raw materials were copper powder and a thermoplastic organic binder system and the system included paraffin wax, low density polyethylene, and stearic acid (PW–LDPE–SA). The homogeneity and rheological behaviour of the raw materials, the strength of the green samples, and the hardness of the sintered samples were investigated. Moreover, the printing and sintering parameters were optimized with an orthogonal design method. The influence factors in regard to the ultimate tensile strength of the green samples can be described as follows: infill degree > raster angle > layer thickness. As for the sintering process, the major factor on hardness is sintering temperature, followed by holding time and heating rate. The highest hardness of the sintered samples was very close to the average hardness of commercially pure copper material. Generally, the extrusion-based printing process for producing metal materials is a promising strategy because it has some advantages over traditional approaches for cost, efficiency, and simplicity. PMID:28772665

Magnesium Powder Injection Molding (MIM) of Orthopedic Implants for Biomedical Applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wolff, M.; Schaper, J. G.; Suckert, M. R.; Dahms, M.; Ebel, T.; Willumeit-Römer, R.; Klassen, T.

2016-04-01

Metal injection molding (MIM) has a high potential for the economic near-net-shape mass production of small-sized and complex-shaped parts. The motivation for launching Mg into the MIM processing chain for manufacturing biodegradable medical implants is related to its compatibility with human bone and its degradation in a non-toxic matter. It has been recognized that the load-bearing capacity of MIM Mg parts is superior to that of biodegradable polymeric components. However, the choice of appropriate polymeric binder components and alloying elements enabling defect-free injection molding and sintering is a major challenge for the use of MIM Mg parts. This study considered the full processing chain for MIM of Mg-Ca alloys to achieve ultimate tensile strength of up to 141 MPa with tensile yield strength of 73 MPa, elongation at fracture Af of 7% and a Young's modulus of 38 GPa. To achieve these mechanical properties, a thermal debinding study was performed to determine optimal furnace and atmosphere conditions, sintering temperature, heating rates, sintering time and pressure.

Improved Tubulars for Better Economics in Deep Gas Well Drilling Using Microwave Technology

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Dinesh Agrawal

2006-09-30

The main objective of the entire research program has been to improve the rate-of-penetration in deep hostile environments by improving the life cycle and performance of coiled-tubing, an important component of a deep well drilling system for oil and gas exploration, by utilizing the latest developments in the microwave materials technology. Based on the results of the Phase I and insurmountable difficulties faced in the extrusion and de-waxing processes, the approach of achieving the goals of the program was slightly changed in the Phase II in which an approach of microwave sintering combined with Cold Isostatic Press (CIP) and joiningmore » (by induction or microwave) has been adopted. This process can be developed into a semicontinuous sintering process if the CIP can produce parts fast enough to match the microwave sintering rates. The main objective of the Phase II research program is to demonstrate the potential to economically manufacture microwave processed coiled tubing with improved performance for extended useful life under hostile coiled tubing drilling conditions. After the completion of the Phase II, it is concluded that scale up and sintering of a thin wall common O.D. size tubing that is widely used in the market is still to be proved and further experimentation and refinement of the sintering process is needed in Phase III. Actual manufacturing capability of microwave sintered, industrial quality, full length tubing will most likely require several million dollars of investment.« less

Improved Tubulars for Better Economics in Deep Gas Well Drilling using Microwave Technology

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Dinesh Agrawal; Paul Gigl; Mark Hunt

2007-07-31

The main objective of the entire research program has been to improve the rate-of-penetration in deep hostile environments by improving the life cycle and performance of coiled-tubing, an important component of a deep well drilling system for oil and gas exploration, by utilizing the latest developments in the microwave materials technology. Based on the results of the Phase I and insurmountable difficulties faced in the extrusion and de-waxing processes, the approach of achieving the goals of the program was slightly changed in the Phase II in which an approach of microwave sintering combined with Cold Isostatic Press (CIP) and joiningmore » (by induction or microwave) has been adopted. This process can be developed into a semicontinuous sintering process if the CIP can produce parts fast enough to match the microwave sintering rates. The main objective of the Phase II research program is to demonstrate the potential to economically manufacture microwave processed coiled tubing with improved performance for extended useful life under hostile coiled tubing drilling conditions. After the completion of the Phase II, it is concluded that scale up and sintering of a thin wall common O.D. size tubing that is widely used in the market is still to be proved and further experimentation and refinement of the sintering process is needed in Phase III. Actual manufacturing capability of microwave sintered, industrial quality, full length tubing will most likely require several million dollars of investment.« less

Microstructural optimization of solid-state sintered silicon carbide

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vargas-Gonzalez, Lionel R.

Silicon carbide armor, manufactured through solid-state sintering, liquid-phase sintering, and hot-pressing, is being used by the United States Armed Forces for personal and vehicle protection. There is a lack of consensus, however, on which process results in the best-performing ballistic armor. Previous studies have shown that hot-pressed ceramics processed with secondary oxide and/or rare earth oxides, which exhibit high fracture toughness, perform well in handling and under ballistic impact. This high toughness is due to the intergranular nature of the fracture, creating a tortuous path for cracks and facilitating crack deflection and bridging. However, it has also been shown that higher-hardness sintered SiC materials might perform similarly or better to hot-pressed armor, in spite of the large fracture toughness deficit, if the microstructure (density, grain size, purity) of these materials are improved. In this work, the development of theoretically-dense, clean grain boundary, high hardness solid-state sintered silicon carbide (SiC) armor was pursued. Boron carbide and graphite (added as phenolic resin to ensure the carbon is finely dispersed throughout the microstructure) were used as the sintering aids. SiC batches between 0.25--4.00 wt.% carbon were mixed and spray dried. Cylindrical pellets were pressed at 13.7 MPa, cold-isostatically pressed (CIP) at 344 MPa, sintered under varying sintering soaking temperatures and heating rates, and varying post hot-isostatic pressing (HIP) parameters. Carbon additive amounts between 2.0--2.5 wt.% (based on the resin source), a 0.36 wt.% B4C addition, and a 2050°C sintering soak yielded parts with high sintering densities (˜95.5--96.5%) and a fine, equiaxed microstructure (d50 = 2.525 mum). A slow ramp rate (10°C/min) prevented any occurrence of abnormal grain growth. Post-HIPing at 1900°C removed the remaining closed porosity to yield a theoretically-dense part (3.175 g/cm3, according to rule of mixtures). These parts exhibited higher density and finer microstructure than a commercially-available sintered SiC from Saint-Gobain (Hexoloy Enhanced, 3.153 g/cm3 and d50 = 4.837 mum). Due to the optimized microstructure, Verco SiC parts exhibited the highest Vickers (2628.30 +/- 44.13 kg/mm 2) and Knoop (2098.50 +/- 24.8 kg/mm2) hardness values of any SiC ceramic, and values equal to those of the "gold standard" hot-pressed boron carbide (PAD-B4C). While the fracture toughness of hot-pressed SiC materials (˜4.5 MPa m ) are almost double that of Verco SiC (2.4 MPa m ), Verco SiC is a better performing ballistic product, implying that the higher hardness of the theoretically-dense, clean-grain boundary, fine-grained SiC is the defining mechanical property for optimization of ballistic behavior.

Processing of surrogate nuclear fuel pellets for better dimensional control with dry bag isostatic pressing

DOE PAGES

Hoggan, Rita E.; Zuck, Larry D.; Cannon, W. Roger; ...

2016-05-26

A study of improved methods of processing fuel pellets was undertaken using ceria and zirconia/yttria/alumina as surrogates. Through proper granulation and vertical vibration (tapping) of the parts bag prior to dry bag isostatic pressing (DBIP), reproducibility of diameter profiles among multiple pellets of ceria was improved by almost an order of magnitude. Reproducibility of sintered pellets was sufficiently good to possibly avoid grinding. Deviation from the mean diameter along the length of multiple pellets, as well as, deviation from roundness, decreased after sintering. This is not generally observed with dry pressed pellets. Thus it is possible to machine to tolerancemore » before sintering if grinding is necessary.« less

The effect of impurities elements on titanium alloy (Ti-6Al-4V) MIM sintered part properties

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ahmad, M. Azmirruddin; Jabir, M.; Johari, N.; Ibrahim, R.; Hamidi, N.

2017-12-01

The titanium alloys (Ti-6Al-4V) compact were fabricated by Metal Injection Molding (MIM). However, the real challenge of MIM processing for titanium alloy is its affinity to be contaminated by interstitial light elements such as oxygen and carbon which could degrade the mechanical properties of sintered titanium alloy such as its tensile strength and ductility. The sintering temperature effect on carbon and oxygen content that affects its physical and mechanical properties of the sintered titanium alloy was studied. The titanium MIM brown specimen was sintered at four different sintering temperatures which are 1100 °C, 1150 °C, 1200 °C and 1250 °C for 4 hours under furnace control atmosphere. The experimental result indicated that the specimen which has been made from 100% gas atomized powder have a relative density of 92.2 % - 97.6 %, the range of porosity percent around 2.38 %-3.84 %. Ultimate tensile strength of 873.11 MPa - 1007.19 MPa and ductility percent in range of 1.89 %-3.46 %. The titanium alloy MIM specimen which was sintered at 1150 °C contained 0.145 % of carbon and 0.143 % of oxygen possess the highest value of density and tensile strength, with value of 4.344 gcm-3 and 1007.2 MPa respectively. Meanwhile, the titanium alloy MIM specimen which was sintered at 1200 °C contains 0.130 % of carbon and 0.127 % of oxygen, has the highest percentage of ductility with 3.46 %. The carbon content level increased as the sintering temperature increased due to decomposition of high molecule weight of residue binder system which could not be eliminated during solvent extraction debinding process and sintered at low temperature. Contrarily, the oxygen content level indicates a decrease as the sintering temperature increased. Briefly, the sintering temperature could influence the physical and mechanical properties of titanium alloy MIM sintered specimen as it influences the oxygen and carbon content level in the alloys.

Understanding and improving optical coherence tomography imaging depth in selective laser sintering nylon 12 parts and powder

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lewis, Adam D.; Katta, Nitesh; McElroy, Austin; Milner, Thomas; Fish, Scott; Beaman, Joseph

2018-04-01

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) has shown promise as a process sensor in selective laser sintering (SLS) due to its ability to yield depth-resolved data not attainable with conventional sensors. However, OCT images of nylon 12 powder and nylon 12 components fabricated via SLS contain artifacts that have not been previously investigated in the literature. A better understanding of light interactions with SLS powder and components is foundational for further research expanding the utility of OCT imaging in SLS and other additive manufacturing (AM) sensing applications. Specifically, in this work, nylon powder and sintered parts were imaged in air and in an index matching liquid. Subsequent image analysis revealed the cause of "signal-tail" OCT image artifacts to be a combination of both inter and intraparticle multiple-scattering and reflections. Then, the OCT imaging depth of nylon 12 powder and the contrast-to-noise ratio of a sintered part were improved through the use of an index matching liquid. Finally, polymer crystals were identified as the main source of intraparticle scattering in nylon 12 powder. Implications of these results on future research utilizing OCT in SLS are also given.

Melt-Infiltration Process For SiC Ceramics And Composites

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Behrendt, Donald R.; Singh, Mrityunjay

1994-01-01

Reactive melt infiltration produces silicon carbide-based ceramics and composites faster and more economically than do such processes as chemical vapor infiltration (CVI), reaction sintering, pressureless sintering, hot pressing, and hot isostatic pressing. Process yields dense, strong materials at relatively low cost. Silicon carbide ceramics and composites made by reactive melt infiltration used in combustor liners of jet engines and in nose cones and leading edges of high-speed aircraft and returning spacecraft. In energy industry, materials used in radiant-heater tubes, heat exchangers, heat recuperators, and turbine parts. Materials also well suited to demands of advanced automobile engines.

Machinability of Green Powder Metallurgy Components: Part I. Characterization of the Influence of Tool Wear

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Robert-Perron, Etienne; Blais, Carl; Pelletier, Sylvain; Thomas, Yannig

2007-06-01

The green machining process is an interesting approach for solving the mediocre machining behavior of high-performance powder metallurgy (PM) steels. This process appears as a promising method for extending tool life and reducing machining costs. Recent improvements in binder/lubricant technologies have led to high green strength systems that enable green machining. So far, tool wear has been considered negligible when characterizing the machinability of green PM specimens. This inaccurate assumption may lead to the selection of suboptimum cutting conditions. The first part of this study involves the optimization of the machining parameters to minimize the effects of tool wear on the machinability in turning of green PM components. The second part of our work compares the sintered mechanical properties of components machined in green state with other machined after sintering.

Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Ti-6Al-4V Fabricated by Selective Laser Melting of Powder Produced by Granulation-Sintering-Deoxygenation Method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, Pei; Fang, Z. Zak; Zhang, Ying; Xia, Yang

2017-12-01

Commercial spherical Ti powders for additive manufacturing applications are produced today by melt-atomization methods at relatively high costs. A meltless production method, called granulation-sintering-deoxygenation (GSD), was developed recently to produce spherical Ti alloy powder at a significantly reduced cost. In this new process, fine hydrogenated Ti particles are agglomerated to form spherical granules, which are then sintered to dense spherical particles. After sintering, the solid fully dense spherical Ti alloy particles are deoxygenated using novel low-temperature deoxygenation processes with either Mg or Ca. This technical communication presents results of 3D printing using GSD powder and the selective laser melting (SLM) technique. The results showed that tensile properties of parts fabricated from spherical GSD Ti-6Al-4V powder by SLM are comparable with typical mill-annealed Ti-6Al-4V. The characteristics of 3D printed Ti-6Al-4V from GSD powder are also compared with that of commercial materials.

Direct observation of grain rotations during coarsening of a semisolid Al–Cu alloy

PubMed Central

Dake, Jules M.; Oddershede, Jette; Sørensen, Henning O.; Werz, Thomas; Shatto, J. Cole; Uesugi, Kentaro; Schmidt, Søren; Krill, Carl E.

2016-01-01

Sintering is a key technology for processing ceramic and metallic powders into solid objects of complex geometry, particularly in the burgeoning field of energy storage materials. The modeling of sintering processes, however, has not kept pace with applications. Conventional models, which assume ideal arrangements of constituent powders while ignoring their underlying crystallinity, achieve at best a qualitative description of the rearrangement, densification, and coarsening of powder compacts during thermal processing. Treating a semisolid Al–Cu alloy as a model system for late-stage sintering—during which densification plays a subordinate role to coarsening—we have used 3D X-ray diffraction microscopy to track the changes in sample microstructure induced by annealing. The results establish the occurrence of significant particle rotations, driven in part by the dependence of boundary energy on crystallographic misorientation. Evidently, a comprehensive model for sintering must incorporate crystallographic parameters into the thermodynamic driving forces governing microstructural evolution. PMID:27671639

Continuum simulation of heat transfer and solidification behavior of AlSi10Mg in Direct Metal Laser Sintering Process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ojha, Akash; Samantaray, Mihir; Nath Thatoi, Dhirendra; Sahoo, Seshadev

2018-03-01

Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DMLS) process is a laser based additive manufacturing process, which built complex structures from powder materials. Using high intensity laser beam, the process melts and fuse the powder particles makes dense structures. In this process, the laser beam in terms of heat flux strikes the powder bed and instantaneously melts and joins the powder particles. The partial solidification and temperature distribution on the powder bed endows a high cooling rate and rapid solidification which affects the microstructure of the build part. During the interaction of the laser beam with the powder bed, multiple modes of heat transfer takes place in this process, that make the process very complex. In the present research, a comprehensive heat transfer and solidification model of AlSi10Mg in direct metal laser sintering process has been developed on ANSYS 17.1.0 platform. The model helps to understand the flow phenomena, temperature distribution and densification mechanism on the powder bed. The numerical model takes into account the flow, heat transfer and solidification phenomena. Simulations were carried out for sintering of AlSi10Mg powders in the powder bed having dimension 3 mm × 1 mm × 0.08 mm. The solidification phenomena are incorporated by using enthalpy-porosity approach. The simulation results give the fundamental understanding of the densification of powder particles in DMLS process.

Examining Mechanical Strength Characteristics of Selective Inhibition Sintered HDPE Specimens Using RSM and Desirability Approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rajamani, D.; Esakki, Balasubramanian

2017-09-01

Selective inhibition sintering (SIS) is a powder based additive manufacturing (AM) technique to produce functional parts with an inexpensive system compared with other AM processes. Mechanical properties of SIS fabricated parts are of high dependence on various process parameters importantly layer thickness, heat energy, heater feedrate, and printer feedrate. In this paper, examining the influence of these process parameters on evaluating mechanical properties such as tensile and flexural strength using Response Surface Methodology (RSM) is carried out. The test specimens are fabricated using high density polyethylene (HDPE) and mathematical models are developed to correlate the control factors to the respective experimental design response. Further, optimal SIS process parameters are determined using desirability approach to enhance the mechanical properties of HDPE specimens. Optimization studies reveal that, combination of high heat energy, low layer thickness, medium heater feedrate and printer feedrate yielded superior mechanical strength characteristics.

The development and characterization of a novel aluminum-copper-magnesium P/M alloy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boland, Christopher Daniel

Powder metallurgy (P/M) is a metal fabrication process that is characterized by high yield and ability to be automated, as well as the resultant part complexity and reproducibility. This press and sinter process is favoured by the automotive industry. Aluminum alloy P/M parts are particularly attractive because they have a high strength to weight ratio and they can be made to have high corrosion and wear resistance. There are few commercial Al P/M alloys currently in use and they occupy a small portion of the market. To expand the use of aluminum in the industry a new alloy was created, modeled after the wrought AC2024 family of alloys. P/M 2324, with a nominal composition of Al-4.4Cu-1.5Mg, was assessed using physical, chemical and mechanical methods to help maximize alloy properties through processing. The objective of this work was to develop a viable industrial alloy. The investigation of 2324 included the evaluation of starting powders, starting composition, processing methods, secondary treatments, and industrial response. All blending and compacting was completed at Dalhousie University, while sintering was undertaken at Dalhousie and GKN Sinter Metals. The green alloy was assessed for best compaction pressure using green density and strength. The sintered alloy was assessed to determine the best press and sinter variables, using dimensional change, sintered density, apparent hardness, tensile properties and microscopy. These same sintered properties were tested to determine if sintering done on a laboratory scale could be replicated industrially. The viability of heat treatment was tested using differential scanning calorimetry, hardness and tensile properties. The alloy was also subject to modifications of Cu and Mg amounts, as well as to the addition of tin to the base composition. It was determined that compaction at 400MPa and sintering at 600°C for 20min produced the best properties for the sintered bodies. The resultant mechanical properties were attributed to a high sintered density (2.68g/cm 3 or 97% of theoretical) and strengthening mechanisms present in the Al-Cu-Mg system. These mechanisms included possible secondary phases formed in the alloy seen using microscopy and differential scanning calorimetry analyses. A T6 heat treatment of solutionizing at 495°C for 1.5h, water quench and aging for 10h was found to improve the properties of 2324. Modifications to Cu and Mg alloying additions produced few gains. However, the presence of 0.2Sn (w/o) was found to enhance the alloy. Resultant properties of the optimal alloy included an apparent hardness of 76.6HRE and an ultimate tensile strength of 367MPa. Also studied was the discrepancy observed in sintering at GKN and Dalhousie and the mechanisms at work with the addition of Sn. 2324 was adapted successfully to P/M applications. It was capable of performing against an established Al P/M industry standard, and with further testing its uses can undoubtedly be expanded.

IMPROVED TUBULARS FOR BETTER ECONOMICS IN DEEP GAS WELL DRILLING USING MICROWAVE TECHNOLOGY

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Dinesh Agrawal; Paul Gigl; Mahlon Dennis

2005-03-01

The main objective of the research program has been to improve the rate-of-penetration in deep hostile environments by improving the life cycle and performance of coiled-tubing, an important component of a deep well drilling system for oil and gas exploration, by utilizing the latest developments in the microwave materials technology. Originally, it was proposed to accomplish this by developing an efficient and economically viable continuous microwave process to sinter continuously formed/extruded steel powder for the manufacture of seamless coiled tubing and other tubular products. However, based on the results and faced with insurmountable difficulties in the extrusion and de-waxing processes,more » the approach of achieving the goals of the program has been slightly changed. In the continuation proposal an approach of microwave sintering combined with Cold Isostatic Press (CIP) and joining (by induction or microwave) is adopted. This process can be developed into a semi-continuous sintering process if the CIP can produce parts fast enough to match the microwave sintering rates. Originally, the entire program was spread over three phases with the following goals: Phase I: Demonstration of the feasibility concept of continuous microwave sintering process for tubular steel products. Phase II: Design, building and testing of a prototype microwave system which shall be combined with a continuous extruder for steel tubular objects. Phase III: Execution of the plan for commercialization of the technology by one of the industrial partners. However, since some of the goals of the phase I were not completed, an extension of nine months was granted and we continued extrusion experiments, designed and built semicontinuous microwave sintering unit.« less

From Powders to Dense Metal Parts: Characterization of a Commercial AlSiMg Alloy Processed through Direct Metal Laser Sintering

PubMed Central

Manfredi, Diego; Calignano, Flaviana; Krishnan, Manickavasagam; Canali, Riccardo; Ambrosio, Elisa Paola; Atzeni, Eleonora

2013-01-01

In this paper, a characterization of an AlSiMg alloy processed by direct metal laser sintering (DMLS) is presented, from the analysis of the starting powders, in terms of size, morphology and chemical composition, through to the evaluation of mechanical and microstructural properties of specimens built along different orientations parallel and perpendicular to the powder deposition plane. With respect to a similar aluminum alloy as-fabricated, a higher yield strength of about 40% due to the very fine microstructure, closely related to the mechanisms involved in this additive process is observed. PMID:28809344

From Powders to Dense Metal Parts: Characterization of a Commercial AlSiMg Alloy Processed through Direct Metal Laser Sintering.

PubMed

Manfredi, Diego; Calignano, Flaviana; Krishnan, Manickavasagam; Canali, Riccardo; Ambrosio, Elisa Paola; Atzeni, Eleonora

2013-03-06

In this paper, a characterization of an AlSiMg alloy processed by direct metal laser sintering (DMLS) is presented, from the analysis of the starting powders, in terms of size, morphology and chemical composition, through to the evaluation of mechanical and microstructural properties of specimens built along different orientations parallel and perpendicular to the powder deposition plane. With respect to a similar aluminum alloy as-fabricated, a higher yield strength of about 40% due to the very fine microstructure, closely related to the mechanisms involved in this additive process is observed.

Room-Temperature Chemical Welding and Sintering of Metallic Nanostructures by Capillary Condensation.

PubMed

Yoon, Sung-Soo; Khang, Dahl-Young

2016-06-08

Room-temperature welding and sintering of metal nanostructures, nanoparticles and nanowires, by capillary condensation of chemical vapors have successfully been demonstrated. Nanoscale gaps or capillaries that are abundant in layers of metal nanostructures have been found to be the preferred sites for the condensation of chemically oxidizing vapor, H2O2 in this work. The partial dissolution and resolidification at such nanogaps completes the welding/sintering of metal nanostructures within ∼10 min at room-temperature, while other parts of nanostructures remain almost intact due to negligible amount of condensation on there. The welded networks of Ag nanowires have shown much improved performances, such as high electrical conductivity, mechanical flexibility, optical transparency, and chemical stability. Chemically sintered layers of metal nanoparticles, such as Ag, Cu, Fe, Ni, and Co, have also shown orders of magnitude increase in electrical conductivity and improved environmental stability, compared to nontreated ones. Pertinent mechanisms involved in the chemical welding/sintering process have been discussed. Room-temperature welding and sintering of metal nanostructures demonstrated here may find widespread application in diverse fields, such as displays, deformable electronics, wearable heaters, and so forth.

Manufacture of sintered silicon nitrides

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Iwai, T.

1985-01-01

Sintered silicon nitrides are manufactured by sintering Si3N powder containing 2 to 15% in wt of a powder mixture composed of nitride powder of lanthanide or Y 100 parts and AIN powder less than 100 parts at 1500 to 1900 deg. temperature under a pressure of less than 200 Kg/sq. cm. The sintered Si3N has high mechanical strength in high temperature. Thus, Si3N4 93.0, Y 5.0 and AlN 2.0% in weight were wet mixed in acetone in N atom, molded and sintered at 1750 deg. and 1000 Kg/sq. cm. to give a sintered body having high hardness.

Development of Bulk Nanocrystalline Tungsten Alloys for Fusion Reactor Structures

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Fang, Zhigang Zak

This project developed a technology for manufacturing bulk ultrafine tungsten materials that are at or near full density for fusion reactor structural applications, aiming to improve ductility and toughness of tungsten before and after irradiation. The project involved the development of fabrication processes for making bulk ultrafine grained W, the development of new alloys of ultrafine grained W and evaluations of properties of these specific materials. The goal of this fabrication process is to produce fully dense bulk W with ultrafine grain sizes, with uniform distributions of grain size and additives. To date there is no known process that couldmore » be used to make ultrafine grained tungsten in a fully dense state and in a cost-acceptable fashion. The specific technology described in this proposal for making ultrafine grained tungsten involves a suite of nano-particle processing and sintering techniques. The program also developed new alloys of ultrafine grained W, e.g. W-(Ta,V,Ti)-TiC alloys to improve ductility and toughness before and after irradiation. By completing this project, we achieved the following objectives: • Demonstrated experimentally the feasibility of producing bulk ultrafine grained tungsten alloys (at or near 100% dense, <1000 nm grain size) using the proposed process • Demonstrated the proposed ultrafine grained W alloys, namely, W-(Ta, V, Ti)-TiC, can indeed be made using the proposed process • Demonstrated that the properties of nano tungsten alloys meet the requirements for fusion reactor applications. The overall goal was to harness the potential of ultrafine grained W produced using the proposed processes as the core structural materials for future fusion reactors. The project was very successful overall, meeting all milestones and surpassing project goals in terms of process development and material’s blistering resistance properties. A novel process similar to the conventional press-and-sinter powder metallurgy method was developed for producing ultrafine grain tungsten from nanosize tungsten powders. Grain growth was significantly controlled during sintering by certain alloy compositions, particularly Ti, and most compositions sintered to maximum densification. To optimize this process, the effect of processing parameters on the densification and grain growth of nano-W powders was investigated. Near-fully densified tungsten was obtained at sintering temperatures between 1100 and 1300 °C, and both Ar and H2 sintering atmospheres were investigated. The Ar sintering atmosphere was determined to more favorably promote densification and minimize grain growth. The nanosized tungsten powder compacts were subjected to reduction in H2 as a part of the sintering cycle. The reduction temperature was found to have significant effects on the sintering of nano-W powder, primarily as a result of grain coarsening, which was seen at temperatures as low as 700 °C. In an effort to inhibit grain growth, the effect of Ti-based additives on the densification and grain growth of nano-W powders was investigated in this project. The addition of 1 wt.% Ti into tungsten led to more than a 63% decrease in average grain size of sintered samples at comparable density levels. Compared to conventional high temperature sintering, a lower temperature sintering cycle for a longer hold time resulted in both near-full density and fine grain size. The roles of the Ti additives include not only the inhibition of grain growth, but also the potential absorption of oxygen from W particles. The project has resulted in the publication; thus far, of six peer reviewed journal articles and seven conference presentations, as well as a master’s thesis. Two additional journal articles are currently in preparation. Presentations and articles were a particular focus of the second half of the project, once significant experimentation had been performed and analyzed. As part of our efforts to disseminate information of our results, the W research teams with Prof. Fang had a strong presence at multiple international conferences during 2015 and 2016. Several research groups in the US are now performing experiments using the ultrafine grained W materials.« less

Recent Advances and Research Status in Energy Conservation of Iron Ore Sintering in China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Yao-Zu; Zhang, Jian-Liang; Liu, Zheng-Jian; Du, Cheng-Bo

2017-11-01

For the ferrous burden of blast furnaces in China, sinter generally accounts for more than 70% and the sintering process accounts for approximately 6-10% of the total energy consumption of the iron and steel enterprise. Therefore, saving energy during the sintering process is important to reduce the energy consumption in the iron and steel industry. This paper aims to illustrate recent advances and the research status of energy conservation of iron ore sintering in China. It focuses on the development and application of energy-saving technologies such as the composite agglomeration process, sintering with high-proportion flue gas recirculation sintering, recovery of sensible heat from the sinter cooling process, homogeneous deep-bed sintering technology, and comprehensive treatment technology of leakage of sintering. Moreover, some suggestions for the future development of energy-saving technologies are put forward.

Particle morphology influence on mechanical and biocompatibility properties of injection molded Ti alloy powder.

PubMed

Gülsoy, H Özkan; Gülsoy, Nagihan; Calışıcı, Rahmi

2014-01-01

Titanium and Titanium alloys exhibits properties that are excellent for various bio-applications. Metal injection molding is a processing route that offers reduction in costs, with the added advantage of near net-shape components. Different physical properties of Titanium alloy powders, shaped and processed via injection molding can achieve high complexity of part geometry with mechanical and bioactivity properties, similar or superior to wrought material. This study describes that the effect of particle morphology on the microstructural, mechanical and biocompatibility properties of injection molded Ti-6Al-4V (Ti64) alloy powder for biomaterials applications. Ti64 powders irregular and spherical in shape were injection molded with wax based binder. Binder debinding was performed in solvent and thermal method. After debinding the samples were sintered under high vacuum. Metallographic studies were determined to densification and the corresponding microstructural changes. Sintered samples were immersed in a simulated body fluid (SBF) with elemental concentrations that were comparable to those of human blood plasma for a total period of 15 days. Both materials were implanted in fibroblast culture for biocompatibility evaluations were carried out. The results show that spherical and irregular powder could be sintered to a maximum theoretical density. Maximum tensile strength was obtained for spherical shape powder sintered. The tensile strength of the irregular shape powder sintered at the same temperature was lower due to higher porosity. Finally, mechanical tests show that the irregular shape powder has lower mechanical properties than spherical shape powder. The sintered irregular Ti64 powder exhibited better biocompatibility than sintered spherical Ti64 powder. Results of study showed that sintered spherical and irregular Ti64 powders exhibited high mechanical properties and good biocompatibility properties.

Producing Zirconium Diboride Components with Complex, Near-Net Shape Geometries by Aqueous Room-Temperature Injection Molding

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wiesner, Valerie L.; Youngblood, Jeffrey; Trice, Rodney

2014-01-01

Room-temperature injection molding is proposed as a novel, low-cost and more energy efficient manufacturing process capable of forming complex-shaped zirconium diboride (ZrB2) parts. This innovative processing method utilized aqueous suspensions with high powder loading and a minimal amount (5 vol.) of water-soluble polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP), which was used as a viscosity modifier. Rheological characterization was performed to evaluate the room-temperature flow properties of ZrB2-PVP suspensions. ZrB2 specimens were fabricated with high green body strength and were machinable prior to binder removal despite their low polymer content. After binder burnout and pressureless sintering, the bulk density and microstructure of specimens were characterized using Archimedes technique and scanning electron microscopy. X-Ray Diffraction was used to determine the phase compositions present in sintered specimens. Ultimate strength of sintered specimens will be determined using ASTM C1323-10 compressive C-ring test.

Method of forming and assembly of parts

DOEpatents

Ripley, Edward B.

2010-12-28

A method of assembling two or more parts together that may be metal, ceramic, metal and ceramic parts, or parts that have different CTE. Individual parts are formed and sintered from particles that leave a network of interconnecting porosity in each sintered part. The separate parts are assembled together and then a fill material is infiltrated into the assembled, sintered parts using a method such as capillary action, gravity, and/or pressure. The assembly is then cured to yield a bonded and fully or near-fully dense part that has the desired physical and mechanical properties for the part's intended purpose. Structural strength may be added to the parts by the inclusion of fibrous materials.

Finite element method analysis of cold forging for deformation and densification of Mo alloyed sintered steel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kamakoshi, Y.; Nishida, S.; Kanbe, K.; Shohji, I.

2017-10-01

In recent years, powder metallurgy (P/M) materials have been expected to be applied to automobile products. Then, not only high cost performance but also more strength, wear resistance, long-life and so on are required for P/M materials. As an improvement method of mechanical properties of P/M materials, a densification is expected to be one of effective processes. In this study, to examine behaviours of the densification of Mo-alloyed sintered steel in a cold-forging process, finite element method (FEM) analysis was performed. Firstly, a columnar specimen was cut out from the inner part of a sintered specimen and a load-stroke diagram was obtained by the compression test. 2D FEM analysis was performed using the obtained load-stroke diagram. To correct the errors of stress between the porous mode and the rigid-elastic mode of analysis software, the analysis of a polynominal approximation was performed. As a result, the modified true stress-true strain diagram was obtained for the sintered steel with the densification. Afterwards, 3D FEM analysis of backward extrusion was carried out using the modified true stress-true strain diagram. It was confirmed that both the shape and density of the sintered steel analyzed by new FEM analysis that we suggest correspond well with experimental ones.

Multiphysics modeling of selective laser sintering/melting

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ganeriwala, Rishi Kumar

A significant percentage of total global employment is due to the manufacturing industry. However, manufacturing also accounts for nearly 20% of total energy usage in the United States according to the EIA. In fact, manufacturing accounted for 90% of industrial energy consumption and 84% of industry carbon dioxide emissions in 2002. Clearly, advances in manufacturing technology and efficiency are necessary to curb emissions and help society as a whole. Additive manufacturing (AM) refers to a relatively recent group of manufacturing technologies whereby one can 3D print parts, which has the potential to significantly reduce waste, reconfigure the supply chain, and generally disrupt the whole manufacturing industry. Selective laser sintering/melting (SLS/SLM) is one type of AM technology with the distinct advantage of being able to 3D print metals and rapidly produce net shape parts with complicated geometries. In SLS/SLM parts are built up layer-by-layer out of powder particles, which are selectively sintered/melted via a laser. However, in order to produce defect-free parts of sufficient strength, the process parameters (laser power, scan speed, layer thickness, powder size, etc.) must be carefully optimized. Obviously, these process parameters will vary depending on material, part geometry, and desired final part characteristics. Running experiments to optimize these parameters is costly, energy intensive, and extremely material specific. Thus a computational model of this process would be highly valuable. In this work a three dimensional, reduced order, coupled discrete element - finite difference model is presented for simulating the deposition and subsequent laser heating of a layer of powder particles sitting on top of a substrate. Validation is provided and parameter studies are conducted showing the ability of this model to help determine appropriate process parameters and an optimal powder size distribution for a given material. Next, thermal stresses upon cooling are calculated using the finite difference method. Different case studies are performed and general trends can be seen. This work concludes by discussing future extensions of this model and the need for a multi-scale approach to achieve comprehensive part-level models of the SLS/SLM process.

Modeling of microstructure evolution in direct metal laser sintering: A phase field approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nandy, Jyotirmoy; Sarangi, Hrushikesh; Sahoo, Seshadev

2017-02-01

Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DMLS) is a new technology in the field of additive manufacturing, which builds metal parts in a layer by layer fashion directly from the powder bed. The process occurs within a very short time period with rapid solidification rate. Slight variations in the process parameters may cause enormous change in the final build parts. The physical and mechanical properties of the final build parts are dependent on the solidification rate which directly affects the microstructure of the material. Thus, the evolving of microstructure plays a vital role in the process parameters optimization. Nowadays, the increase in computational power allows for direct simulations of microstructures during materials processing for specific manufacturing conditions. In this study, modeling of microstructure evolution of Al-Si-10Mg powder in DMLS process was carried out by using a phase field approach. A MATLAB code was developed to solve the set of phase field equations, where simulation parameters include temperature gradient, laser scan speed and laser power. The effects of temperature gradient on microstructure evolution were studied and found that with increase in temperature gradient, the dendritic tip grows at a faster rate.

Microwave processing of a dental ceramic used in computer-aided design/computer-aided manufacturing.

PubMed

Pendola, Martin; Saha, Subrata

2015-01-01

Because of their favorable mechanical properties and natural esthetics, ceramics are widely used in restorative dentistry. The conventional ceramic sintering process required for their use is usually slow, however, and the equipment has an elevated energy consumption. Sintering processes that use microwaves have several advantages compared to regular sintering: shorter processing times, lower energy consumption, and the capacity for volumetric heating. The objective of this study was to test the mechanical properties of a dental ceramic used in computer-aided design/computer-aided manufacturing (CAD/CAM) after the specimens were processed with microwave hybrid sintering. Density, hardness, and bending strength were measured. When ceramic specimens were sintered with microwaves, the processing times were reduced and protocols were simplified. Hardness was improved almost 20% compared to regular sintering, and flexural strength measurements suggested that specimens were approximately 50% stronger than specimens sintered in a conventional system. Microwave hybrid sintering may preserve or improve the mechanical properties of dental ceramics designed for CAD/CAM processing systems, reducing processing and waiting times.

Development of Macroscale Models of UO 2 Fuel Sintering and Densification using Multiscale Modeling and Simulation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Greenquist, Ian; Tonks, Michael

2016-10-01

Light water reactor fuel pellets are fabricated using sintering to final densities of 95% or greater. During reactor operation, the porosity remaining in the fuel after fabrication decreases further due to irradiation-assisted densification. While empirical models have been developed to describe this densification process, a mechanistic model is needed as part of the ongoing work by the NEAMS program to develop a more predictive fuel performance code. In this work we will develop a phase field model of sintering of UO 2 in the MARMOT code, and validate it by comparing to published sintering data. We will then add themore » capability to capture irradiation effects into the model, and use it to develop a mechanistic model of densification that will go into the BISON code and add another essential piece to the microstructure-based materials models. The final step will be to add the effects of applied fields, to model field-assisted sintering of UO 2. The results of the phase field model will be validated by comparing to data from field-assisted sintering. Tasks over three years: 1. Develop a sintering model for UO 2 in MARMOT 2. Expand model to account for irradiation effects 3. Develop a mechanistic macroscale model of densification for BISON« less

A New Method for Low Cost Production of Titanium Alloys for Reducing Energy Consumption of Mechanical Systems

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Fang, Z. Zak; Chandran, Ravi; Koopman, Mark

This project investigated an innovative manufacturing process intended to minimize the cost of production of titanium materials and components, and increase the adoption of Ti components for energy consuming applications, such as automobiles. A key innovation of the proposed manufacturing approach is a novel Ti powder sintering technology for making titanium materials with ultrafine grain microstructure in the as-sintered state with minimum, or an absence, of post-sintering processes. The new sintering technology is termed Hydrogen Sintering and Phase Transformations (HSPT), and constitutes a promising manufacturing technology that can be used to produce titanium (Ti) materials and components in a near-net-shapemore » form, thus also minimizing machining costs. Our objective was to meet, or possibly surpass, the mechanical property levels for ASTM B348 Grade 5 for wrought Ti-6Al-4V. Although specific applications call for varying mechanical property requirements, ASTM B348 was created for the demanding applications of the aerospace industry, and is the established standard for Ti-6Al-4V. While the primary goal was to meet, or exceed this standard, the team also had the goal of demonstrating this could be done at a significantly lower cost of production. Interim goals of the project were to fully develop this novel sintering process, and provide sufficient baseline testing to make the method practical and attractive to industry. By optimizing the process parameters for the sintering of titanium hydride (TiH 2) powders in a hydrogen atmosphere and controlling the phase transformations during and after sintering, the HSPT process was expected to reduce the energy consumption, and thus cost, of making Ti alloys and fabricating Ti components. The process was designed such that no high temperature melting is required for producing Ti alloys; little or no post-sintering processing is needed for producing desired microstructures (and therefore enhanced mechanical properties), and finally, minimum machining is needed to fabricate finished Ti components. An energy analysis within this report provides more detail, but calculated values indicate that the HSPT process is less than half as energy intensive as conventional wrought processing, while producing mechanical properties that are comparable. In addition to the energy savings anticipated from the industrial production of Ti components, a second prong of energy savings resides in the use phase of components produced, primarily from use in the transportation sector. Titanium has a number of material qualities appropriate for the auto industry, particularly low mass and corrosion resistance. By reducing the weight of automobiles and other vehicles, energy costs and CO 2 production will be reduced over the lifetime of the vehicles, and components in corrosive environments on vehicles, such as exhaust systems and other under carriage parts, may not have to be replaced during a vehicle’s lifetime. Our analysis indicates that by replacing only 5.6 kg of steel parts in an auto with Ti components across the entire US fleet would save approximately 486 million gallons of gasoline per year. This correlates to a reduction of 3.6 million metric tons of CO 2 per year. The potential for replacing many more of the steel parts in automobiles with lighter weight titanium components is clear. The project was very successful overall, meeting all milestones and surpassing project goals in terms of mechanical properties and microstructures produced. In addition to tensile properties, fatigue properties were emphasized in the project work. Powder metallurgy processes often have porosity to some degree in their final microstructure, and porosity is a well-known cause of crack initiation and low fatigue performance. Although many automobile applications do not undergo fatigue stress regimes, many others do encounter cyclic stress, and design criteria in the latter case require good fatigue properties. Production and testing of HSPT parts showed excellent tensile properties and fracture toughness, and fatigue properties that exceeded all previously reported powder metallurgy Ti methods, overlapping with wrought processed values. Fatigue limits exceeded 500 MPa and tensile strength exceeded 1,000 MPa while maintaining good ductility. Microstructures produced during the project period easily surpassed pre-project expectations. In addition to producing very fine grains in the as-sintered state (without post sintered thermo-mechanical work), porosity was reduced and industrially relevant microstructures previously undemonstrated in any other powder metallurgy titanium method were produced using HSPT materials. These microstructures, both bi-modal and globularized, were produced with simple post-sinter heat treatments, but without the need for energy intensive mechanical work. The employed heat treatments expanded the available mechanical property range (tensile strength vs. ductility) of the HSPT system in Ti-6Al-4V. The project has resulted in the publication, thus far, of five refereed journal articles and five conference proceedings papers, as well as a patent application, two dissertations and a master’s thesis. Two additional journal articles are currently under review, and at least three others are currently in preparation, with several additional students anticipated to graduate within the coming year. Presentations and papers were a particular focus of the second half of the project, once significant experimentation had been performed and analyzed. As part of our efforts to disseminate information of our results, the Ti research teams within Prof. Fang’s and Prof. Chandran’s research groups had a strong presence at the 13th World Conference on Ti, August 16-20, 2015, in San Diego. Several research groups in the US and in Europe are now performing experiments using the HSPT process. Accompanying efforts to bring HSPT to the Ti community at large, and industry in particular, work has continued with our partners and with other interested industrial Ti users and producers, including Boeing and GKN (a major powder metallurgy parts manufacturer). Commercialization has been a central focus of the final phase of the project, and Reading Alloys signed a provisional licensing agreement in summer of 2015. They are currently seeking an appropriate customer with which to pursue initial parts manufacturing efforts. Other licensing options and partners are continuing to be pursued. The promise of lightweight, strong and corrosion resistant Ti alloys with long fatigue lifetimes for automobile or transportation applications has been the vision of the metal industry since titanium came to the attention of scientists and engineers. The sole limitation of realizing these goals has been cost, which is primarily a function of energy used in production. The HSPT process was shown through this work to be capable of realizing this goal, and facilitating the practical use of titanium in US automotive and other industries.« less

Characterization of the distribution of the sintering activator boron in powder metallurgical steels with SIMS.

PubMed

Krecar, Dragan; Vassileva, Vassilka; Danninger, Herbert; Hutter, Herbert

2004-06-01

Powder metallurgy is a well-established method for manufacturing ferrous precision parts. A very important step is sintering, which can be strongly enhanced by the formation of a liquid phase during the sintering process. Boron activates this process by forming such a liquid phase at about 1200 degrees C. In this work, the sintering of Fe-B was performed under the protective atmospheres of hydrogen, argon or nitrogen. Using different grain sizes of the added ferroboron leads to different formations of pores and to the formation of secondary pores. The effect of boron was investigated by means of Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (SIMS) supported by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Light Microscopy (LM). To verify the influence of the process parameters on the mechanical properties, the microstructure (pore shape) was examined and impact energy measurements were performed. The concentrations of B in different samples were varied from 0.03-0.6 weight percent (wt%). Higher boron concentrations are detectable by EPMA, whereas the distributions of boron in the samples with interesting overall concentration in the low wt% range are only detectable by means of SIMS. This work shows that the distribution of boron strongly depends on its concentration and the sintering atmosphere used. At low concentration (up to 0.1 wt%) there are boride precipitations; at higher concentration there is a eutectic iron-boron grain boundary network. There is a decrease of the impact energy observed that correlates with the amount of eutectic phase.

On the microstructure analysis of FSW joints of aluminium components made via direct metal laser sintering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Scherillo, Fabio; Astarita, Antonello; di Martino, Daniela; Contaldi, Vincenzo; di Matteo, Luca; di Petta, Paolo; Casarin, Renzo; Squillace, Antonino; Langella, Antonio

2017-10-01

Additive Manufacturing (AM), applied to metal industry, is a family of processes that allow complex shape components to be realized from raw materials in the form of powders. The compaction of the powders can be achieved by local melting of the powder bed or by solid state sintering. Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DMLS) is an additive manufacturing process in which a focalized laser beam is the heat source that allows the powders to be compacted. By DMLS it is possible to realize complex shape components. One of the limits of DMLS, as for every additive layer manufacturing techniques, is the unfeasibility to realize large dimension parts. Due to this limit the study of joining process of parts made via ALM is of great interest. One of the most promising options is the Friction Stir Welding (FSW), a solid state welding technique that has been proven to be very effective in the welding of metals difficult to weld, above all aluminium alloys. Since FSW is a solid-state technique, the microstructure of the various zone of the weld bead depends not only by the process itself but also by the parent microstruct ure of the parts to be welded. Furthermore, parts made of aluminium alloy via DMLS have a particular microstructure that is the result of repeated severe thermal cycles. In the present work the authors, starting from the description of the parent microstructure of parts made of AlSi10Mg aluminium alloy, study the microstructure evolution occurred within the joint made by Friction Stir Welding, analysing in details the microstructure of the main well recognized zone of the weld bead. The structure of the parent material is characterized by the presence of melting pools with a very fine microstructure. In the joint the recrystallization, the grain refinement and, above all, the redistribution of intermetallic phases occurs, resulting in an homogenization of the microstructure and in an increase of micro hardness.

[Studies on sintering of dental porcelain. (Part 1) Binary system sintering of alumina and low fusing frit (author's transl)].

PubMed

Kuwayama, N; Kon, M

1981-04-01

Dental porcelains were made from frit and glass powder with electro fused alumina powder addition in the range from 20 to 60 wt% using sintering method at the temperature from 500 degree C to 1 000 degree C, and the effects of alumina content and firing temperature on firing processes of sintered composite were investigated. Shrinkage curves of the powder compacts varied with kind of frit and content of alumina. Particulary, powder compact with alumina addition in the range from 50 to 55% was found to have a remarkable influence for extention of firing temperature range. The densification of the powder compacts was considered to be accelerated by the dissolution of a small a mount of alumina particle into the frit and glass above 900 degree C. Expansion coefficient value of sintered composite of alumina and Pyrex glass powder gradually increased with increase of alumina content. Inversely, expansion coefficient of soda-lime-silica glass showed the minimum value at 40 wt% alumina content and then had a tendency of slight increases with increase of alumina content.

Integration of Heat Treatment with Shot Peening of 17-4 Stainless Steel Fabricated by Direct Metal Laser Sintering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

AlMangour, Bandar; Yang, Jenn-Ming

2017-11-01

Direct metal laser sintering (DMLS) is a promising powder-based additive manufacturing process for fabrication of near-net-shape parts. However, the typically poor fatigue performance of DMLS parts must be addressed for use in demanding industrial applications. Post-treatment can be applied to enhance the performance of such components. Earlier attempts at inducing grain refinement through severe plastic deformation of part surfaces using shot peening improved the physical and mechanical properties of metals without chemical alteration. However, heat treatment can modify the surface-hardening effects attained by shot peening. Hence, we examined the feasibility of applying shot peening combined with heat treatment to improve the performance of DMLS-fabricated 17-4 stainless steel parts through microstructural evolution studies and hardness measurements. Compared to a specimen treated only by shot peening, the sample exposed to additional heat treatment showed increased hardness due to aging of the dominant phase.

40 CFR 63.1543 - Standards for process and process fugitive sources.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... section. (1) Sinter machine; (2) Blast furnace; (3) Dross furnace; (4) Dross furnace charging location; (5) Blast furnace and dross furnace tapping location; (6) Sinter machine charging location; (7) Sinter machine discharge end; (8) Sinter crushing and sizing equipment; and (9) Sinter machine area. (b) The...

Investigation of the Deposition and Densification Parameters on the Mechanical Properties of Pressurized Spray Deposited (PSD) 3-D Printed Ceramic Components

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Menchhofer, Paul A.; Becker, Benjamin

Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and HotEnd Works teamed to investigate the use of pressurized spray deposition (PSD) technology for the production of ceramic parts via additive manufacturing. Scanning electron microscopy of sintered parts provided by HotEnd Works revealed voids large enough to compromise the mechanical properties of PSD manufactured parts. Scanning electron microscopy and particle size analysis of the alumina oxide powder feedstocks indicated that the powders contained some large particles and some agglomerations in the powder. Further classification of the powder feedstocks and removal of the agglomerates by sonication in the liquid used for the PSD process aremore » recommended. Analysis of sintered parts indicated that the sonic modulus for the alumina part is consistent with other known values for alumina. The density for this part was determined by standard Archimedes immersion density methods and was found to be > 99.7 % of the theoretical density for pure alumina.« less

One step sintering of homogenized bauxite raw material and kinetic study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gao, Chang-he; Jiang, Peng; Li, Yong; Sun, Jia-lin; Zhang, Jun-jie; Yang, Huan-ying

2016-10-01

A one-step sintering process of bauxite raw material from direct mining was completed, and the kinetics of this process was analyzed thoroughly. The results show that the sintering kinetics of bauxite raw material exhibits the liquid-phase sintering behavior. A small portion of impurities existed in the raw material act as a liquid phase. After X-ray diffraction analyses, scanning electron microscopy observations, and kinetics calculations, sintering temperature and heating duration were determined as the two major factors contributing to the sintering process and densification of bauxite ore. An elevated heating temperature and longer duration favor the densification process. The major obstacle for the densification of bauxite material is attributed to the formation of the enclosed blowhole during liquid-phase sintering.

Corrosion of High-Density Sintered Tungsten Alloys. Part 2. Accelerated Corrosion Testing

DTIC Science & Technology

1988-12-01

REPORT MRL-R- 1145 CORROSION OF HIGH-DENSITY SINTERED TUNGSTEN ALLOYS PART 2: ACCELERATED CORROSION TESTING J.J. Batten and B.T. Moore I DTIC . *arit*fl...Commo,,wea°h 91 Avor,++.°_ DECEMBER 1988 012 rI DEPARTMENT OF DEFENCE MATERIALS RESEARCH LABORATORY REPORT MRL-R- 1145 CORROSION OF HIGH-DENSITY SINTERED...TUNGSTEN ALLOYS PART 2: ACCELERATED CORROSION TESTING J.J. Batten and B.T. Moore ABSTRACT As a consequence of corrosion during long-term storage in

Consolidation of Hierarchy-Structured Nanopowder Agglomerates and Its Application to Net-Shaping Nanopowder Materials

PubMed Central

Lee, Jai-Sung; Choi, Joon-Phil; Lee, Geon-Yong

2013-01-01

This paper provides an overview on our recent investigations on the consolidation of hierarchy-structured nanopowder agglomerates and related applications to net-shaping nanopowder materials. Understanding the nanopowder agglomerate sintering (NAS) process is essential to processing of net-shaped nanopowder materials and components with small and complex shape. The key concept of the NAS process is to enhance material transport through controlling the powder interface volume of nanopowder agglomerates. Based upon this concept, we have suggested a new idea of full density processing for fabricating micro-powder injection molded part using metal nanopowder agglomerates produced by hydrogen reduction of metal oxide powders. Studies on the full density sintering of die compacted- and powder injection molded iron base nano-agglomerate powders are introduced and discussed in terms of densification process and microstructure. PMID:28788317

Rapid vacuum sintering: A novel technique for fabricating fluorapatite ceramic scaffolds for bone tissue engineering.

PubMed

Denry, Isabelle; Goudouri, Ourania-Menti; Harless, Jeffrey; Holloway, Julie A

2018-01-01

Macroporous bioceramic scaffolds are often fabricated via the foam replica technique, based on polymeric foam impregnation with a glass slurry, followed by slow heat treatment to allow for drying, polymeric burnout, and sintering of the glass particles. As a consequence, the process is time consuming and complicated by concurrent crystallization of the glass, often leading to incomplete sintering. Our goal was to investigate the effect of heating rate on sintering behavior, architecture, and mechanical properties of fluorapatite-based glass and glass-ceramic scaffolds. Glass scaffolds were prepared and sintered by rapid vacuum sintering (RVS) at 785°C under vacuum at a fast heating rate (55°C/min.) or without vacuum at a slow heating rate (2°C/min.). Two additional groups were further crystallized at 775°C/1 h. XRD confirmed the presence of fluorapatite for crystallized scaffolds. All groups presented interconnected porosity with a pore size in the 500 μm range. Scaffolds produced by RVS exhibited an excellent degree of sintering while scaffolds produced by slow sintering were incompletely sintered. The mean compressive strength was significantly higher for the RVS groups (1.52 ± 0.55 and 1.72 ± 0.61 MPa) compared to the slow-sintered groups (0.54 ± 0.30 and 0.45 ± 0.26 MPa). Meanwhile, the total production time was reduced by more than 12 h by using the RVS technique. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater, 106B: 291-299, 2018. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Investigation of Boron addition and compaction pressure on the compactibility, densification and microhardness of 316L Stainless Steel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ali, S.; Rani, A. M. A.; Altaf, K.; Baig, Z.

2018-04-01

Powder Metallurgy (P/M) is one of the continually evolving technologies used for producing metal materials of various sizes and shapes. However, some P/M materials have limited use in engineering for their performance deficiency including fully dense components. AISI 316L Stainless Steel (SS) is one of the promising materials used in P/M that combines outstanding corrosion resistance, strength and ductility for numerous applications. It is important to analyze the material composition along with the processing conditions that lead to a superior behaviour of the parts manufactured with P/M technique. This research investigates the effect of Boron addition on the compactibility, densification, sintering characteristics and microhardness of 316L SS parts produced with P/M. In this study, 0.25% Boron was added to the 316L Stainless Steel matrix to study the increase in densification of the 316L SS samples. The samples were made at different compaction pressures ranging from 100 MPa to 600 MPa and sintered in Nitrogen atmosphere at a temperature of 1200°C. The effect of compaction pressure and sintering temperature and atmosphere on the density and microhardness was evaluated. The microstructure of the samples was examined by optical microscope and microhardness was found using Vickers hardness machine. Results of the study showed that sintered samples with Boron addition exhibited high densification with increase in microhardness as compared to pure 316L SS sintered samples.

Developing Characterization Procedures for Qualifying both Novel Selective Laser Sintering Polymer Powders and Recycled Powders

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bajric, Sendin

Selective laser sintering (SLS) is an additive technique which is showing great promise over conventional manufacturing techniques. SLS requires certain key material properties for a polymer powder to be successfully processed into an end-use part, and therefore limited selection of materials are available. Furthermore, there has been evidence of a powder’s quality deteriorating following each SLS processing cycle. The current investigation serves to build a path forward in identifying new SLS powder materials by developing characterization procedures for identifying key material properties as well as for detecting changes in a powder’s quality. Thermogravimetric analyses, differential scanning calorimetry, and bulk densitymore » measurements were investigated.« less

Effect of Process Parameter on Barium Titanate Stannate (BTS) Materials Sintered at Low Sintering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shukla, Alok; Bajpai, P. K.

2011-11-01

Ba(Ti1-xSnx)O3 solid solutions with (x = 0.15, 0.20, 0.30 and 0.40) are synthesized using conventional solid state reaction method. Formation of solid solutions in the range 0 ≤ x ≤0.40 is confirmed using X-ray diffraction technique. Single phase solid solutions with homogeneous grain distribution are observed at relatively low sintering by controlling process parameters viz. sintering time. Composition at optimized temperature (1150 °C) sintered by varying the sintering time, stabilize in cubic perovskite phase. The % experimental density increase with increasing the time of sintering instead of increasing sintering temperature. The lattice parameter increases by increasing the tin composition in the material. This demonstrates that process parameter optimization can lead to single phase at relatively lower sintering-a major advantage for the materials used as capacitor element in MLCC.

Liquid Phase Sintering

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2004-01-01

Industry spends billions of dollars each year on machine tools to manufacture products out of metal. This includes tools for cutting every kind of metal part from engine blocks to Shuttle main engine components. Cutting tool tips often break because of weak spots or defects in their composition. Based on a new concept called defect trapping, space offers a novel environment to study defect formation in molten metal materials as they solidify. After the return of these materials from space, researchers can evaluate the source of the defect and seek ways to eliminate them in products prepared on Earth. A widely used process for cutting tip manufacturing is liquid phase sintering. Compared to Earth-sintered samples which slump due to buoyancy induced by gravity, space samples are uniformly shaped and defects remain where they are formed. By studying metals sintered in space the US tool industry can potentially enhance its worldwide competitiveness. The Consortium for Materials Development in Space along with Wyle Labs, Teledyne Advanced Materials, and McDornell Douglas have conducted experiments in space.

Fabrication of thermoelectric modules with Mg2Si and SrRuO3 by the spark plasma sintering method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nishio, Keishi; Sawada, Yukie; Arai, Koya; Sakamoto, Tatsuya; Kogo, Yasuo; Iida, Tsutomu

2012-06-01

Thermoelectric (TE) modules with a π structure were fabricated by the spark plasma sintering method. The modules were composed of SrRuO3 for the p-type semiconductor, Mg2Si for the n-type semiconductor, and Ni for the electrodes. The SrRuO3 powder was synthesized using the metal-citric-acid complex decomposition method. Mg2Si bulk prepared by meltquenching was ground into powder and sieved to a particle size of 75 μm or less. To obtain the sintered body of SrRuO3, the powder was sintered using spark plasma sintering (SPS). For SPS, the precursor powder was placed in a graphite die and kept at that temperature under a uni-axial pressure of 50 MPa and in vacuum conditions (less than 7 Pa). After sintering by SPS, the ceramic sample was annealed at 1573K in air because the SrRuO3 was slightly reduced during the SPS process in the graphite die. These TE sintered bodies were cut and polished. The dimensions of the samples used for fabrication of the p-type parts of the TE modules were 4.50×9.50×7.45 mm3 and those for the n-type parts were 5.50×11.45×7.45 mm3. Pressed Ni powder was put between these TE materials and the Ni electrodes in order to connect them together, and electrical power was passed through the electrodes from the SPS equipment. The output power under temperature differences ΔT ranging from 100 to 500 K was measured. The open-circuit voltage, maximum output current and maximum output power increased with increasing temperature difference ΔT. The open-circuit voltage of the single module was 91.0 mV, and the maximum output current and maximum output power were 5000 mA and 110 mW at ΔT=500 K, respectively.

Lanthanide (Nd, Gd) compounds with garnet and monazite structures. Powders synthesis by "wet" chemistry to sintering ceramics by Spark Plasma Sintering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Potanina, Ekaterina; Golovkina, Ludmila; Orlova, Albina; Nokhrin, Aleksey; Boldin, Maksim; Sakharov, Nikita

2016-05-01

Complex oxide Y2.5Nd0.5Al5O12 with garnet structure and phosphates NdPO4 and GdPO4 with monazite structure were obtained by using precipitation methods. Ceramics Y2.5Nd0.5Al5O12 and NdPO4 were processed by Spark Plasma Sintering (SPS). Relative density more 98%, sintering time did not exceed 8 min, sintering temperature 1330-1390 °C. Leaching rates of elements from ceramics were 10-6-10-7 g/(cm2 d). The process of ceramics sintering has two-stage character: the first step of sintering-compaction process is related to the plastic flow of the material, the second step-to the process of grain boundary diffusion and grain growth.

Melt-Pool Temperature and Size Measurement During Direct Laser Sintering

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

List, III, Frederick Alyious; Dinwiddie, Ralph Barton; Carver, Keith

2017-08-01

Additive manufacturing has demonstrated the ability to fabricate complex geometries and components not possible with conventional casting and machining. In many cases, industry has demonstrated the ability to fabricate complex geometries with improved efficiency and performance. However, qualification and certification of processes is challenging, leaving companies to focus on certification of material though design allowable based approaches. This significantly reduces the business case for additive manufacturing. Therefore, real time monitoring of the melt pool can be used to detect the development of flaws, such as porosity or un-sintered powder and aid in the certification process. Characteristics of the melt poolmore » in the Direct Laser Sintering (DLS) process is also of great interest to modelers who are developing simulation models needed to improve and perfect the DLS process. Such models could provide a means to rapidly develop the optimum processing parameters for new alloy powders and optimize processing parameters for specific part geometries. Stratonics’ ThermaViz system will be integrated with the Renishaw DLS system in order to demonstrate its ability to measure melt pool size, shape and temperature. These results will be compared with data from an existing IR camera to determine the best approach for the determination of these critical parameters.« less

Bimodal metal micro-nanopowders for powder injection molding

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pervikov, Aleksandr; Rodkevich, Nikolay; Glazkova, Elena; Lerner, Marat

2017-12-01

The paper studies a bimodal metal powder composition designed to prepare feedstock for powder injection molding, as well as microstructure and porosity of sintered pats. Two kinds of metal powder compositions are used, in particular, a mixture of micro- and nanopowders and a bimodal powder prepared with dispersion of steel wire. The feedstock is prepared by mixing a bimodal metal powder composition with acetylacetone and paraffin wax. The microstructure of the debound parts is observed by scanning electron microscopy. The sintered parts are characterized by density measurements and metallographic analysis. The technique of the metal powder composition proves to affect the characteristics of sintered parts. Nanoparticles are shown in the interstitial spaces among the microparticles upon mixing micro- and nanopowders, but the regular distribution of nanoparticles on the surface of microparticles is observed in the bimodal powder providing the reduction of the porosity of sintered parts and increasing the density to the proper density of steel.

Lost mold-rapid infiltration forming: Strength control in mesoscale 3Y-TZP ceramics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Antolino, Nicholas E.

The strength of nanoparticulate enabled microdevices and components is directly related to the interfacial control between particles and the flaws introduced as these particles come together to form the device or component. One new application for micro-scale or meso-scale (10's microm to 100's microm) devices is surgical instruments designed to enter the body, perform a host of surgeries within the body cavity, and be extracted with no external incisions to the patient. This new concept in surgery, called natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery (NOTES), requires smaller and more functional surgical tools. Conventional processing routes do not exist for making these instruments with the desired size, topology, precision, and strength. A process, called lost mold-rapid infiltration forming (LM-RIF), was developed to satisfy this need. A tetragonally stabilized zirconia polycrystalline material (3Y-TZP) is a candidate material for this process and application because of its high strength, chemical stability, high elastic modulus, and reasonably high toughness for a ceramic. Modern technical ceramics, like Y-TZP, are predicated on dense, fine grained microstructures and functional mesoscale devices must also adhere to this standard. Colloid and interfacial chemistry was used to disperse and concentrate the Y-TZP nanoparticles through a very steep, yet localized, potential energy barrier against the van der Waals attractive force. The interparticle interaction energies were modeled and compared to rheological data on the suspension. At high concentrations, the suspension was pseudoplastic, which is evidence that a structure was formed within the suspension that could be disrupted by a shearing force. The LM-RIF process exploits this rheological behavior to fill mold cavities created by photolithography. The premise of the LM-RIF process is to process the particulate material into a dense ceramic body while the unsintered mesoscale parts are supported en masse by a substrate. Numerous challenges were overcome that relate to the application of photoresist on a refractory substrate capable of withstanding the high temperatures needed to sinter the ceramic parts. Strength of approximately 1 GPa was achieved for the first parts produced, which demonstrated the feasibility of the LM-RIF process. Although respectable, a 1GPa strength is not as strong as would be predicted based on the small size (332 x 26 x 17 microm) of the parts. An effort to identify and eliminate the largest flaws in the specimen produced by the LM-RIF process was undertaken, which ultimately increased the average strength to 2.35 GPa. Geometric defects, previously unreported in ceramic microfabrication techniques, were degrading the strength of the early parts. An in-depth characterization of these defects by optical profilometry and then eliminating the underlying cause was the key to obtaining this high strength. One interesting phenomena discovered in this work was the role that the substrate plays in the sintering of the ceramic part through the enhanced diffusion pathways created by the more intimate contact of the mesoscale parts compared to macroscale analogs. Impurities of alumina and silica were found to adversely affect the sintering kinetics of mesoscale parts causing localized grain growth or exaggerated grain growth depending on the sintering conditions. The role that the microstructure, specifically the grain size, plays in determining the strength versus the role that the surface flaw population plays, as characterized by the surface roughness, was determined through isothermal sintering experiments. It was found that the strength of mesoscale ceramics lies in the transition region between the flaw-dominated stress intensity effect and the Hall-Petch microstructural effect. This proves that processing science and microstructural refinement about equally determine the strength of particulate based mesoscale materials. The hierarchical approach that was used to marry the development of the LM-RIF process to the mechanical design and optimization of surgical instruments is described. This approach used nested iteration loops to refine both the design and fabrication processes to create and test surgical instrument prototypes. These prototypes as well as some of the unique shapes possible with the LM-RIF process are presented.

Thermosetting Fluoropolymer Foams

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lee, Sheng Yen

1987-01-01

New process makes fluoropolymer foams with controllable amounts of inert-gas fillings in foam cells. Thermosetting fluoropolymers do not require foaming additives leaving undesirable residues and do not have to be molded and sintered at temperatures of about 240 to 400 degree C. Consequently, better for use with electronic or other parts sensitive to high temperatures or residues. Uses include coatings, electrical insulation, and structural parts.

Numerical simulation of residual stress in laser based additive manufacturing process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kalyan Panda, Bibhu; Sahoo, Seshadev

2018-03-01

Minimizing the residual stress build-up in metal-based additive manufacturing plays a pivotal role in selecting a particular material and technique for making an industrial part. In beam-based additive manufacturing, although a great deal of effort has been made to minimize the residual stresses, it is still elusive how to do so by simply optimizing the processing parameters, such as beam size, beam power, and scan speed. Amid different types of additive manufacturing processes, Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DMLS) process uses a high-power laser to melt and sinter layers of metal powder. The rapid solidification and heat transfer on powder bed endows a high cooling rate which leads to the build-up of residual stresses, that will affect the mechanical properties of the build parts. In the present work, the authors develop a numerical thermo-mechanical model for the measurement of residual stress in the AlSi10Mg build samples by using finite element method. Transient temperature distribution in the powder bed was assessed using the coupled thermal to structural model. Subsequently, the residual stresses were estimated with varying laser power. From the simulation result, it found that the melt pool dimensions increase with increasing the laser power and the magnitude of residual stresses in the built part increases.

Ti6Al4V laser surface preparation and functionalization using hydroxyapatite for biomedical applications.

PubMed

Faria, D; Abreu, C S; Buciumeanu, M; Dourado, N; Carvalho, O; Silva, F S; Miranda, G

2018-05-01

This work presents a novel texture design for implants surface functionalization, through the creation of line-shaped textures on Ti6Al4V surfaces and subsequent sintering of hydroxyapatite (HAp) powder into the designated locations. HAp-rich locations were designed to avoid HAp detachment during insertion, thus guaranteeing an effective osseointegration. This process starts by creating textured lines using a Nd:YAG laser, filling these lines with HAp powder and sintering HAp using a CO 2 laser. The adhesion of HAp is known to be influenced by HAp sintering parameters, especially laser power and scanning speed and also by the textured lines manufacturing. Different laser parameters combinations were used to assess the sintering and adhesion of HAp to the textured lines. HAp adhesion was assessed by performing high energy ultrasonic cavitation tests and sliding tests mimicking an implant insertion, with Ti6Al4V/HAp specimens sliding against animal bone. The HAp content retained after these tests was measured and results showed that an excellent HAp sintering and adhesion was achieved when using a scan speed of 1 mm/s and laser power between 9 and 9.6 W. It is important to emphasize that results indicated that the HAp bioactivity was maintained when using these conditions, validating this functionalization process for the production of hip prosthesis with improved bioactivity. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater, 106B: 1534-1545, 2018. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Numerical Simulation of Sintering Process in Ceramic Powder Injection Moulded Components

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Song, J.; Barriere, T.; Liu, B.; Gelin, J. C.

2007-05-01

A phenomenological model based on viscoplastic constitutive law is presented to describe the sintering process of ceramic components obtained by powder injection moulding. The parameters entering in the model are identified through sintering experiments in dilatometer with the proposed optimization method. The finite element simulations are carried out to predict the density variations and dimensional changes of the components during sintering. A simulation example on the sintering process of hip implant in alumina has been conducted. The simulation results have been compared with the experimental ones. A good agreement is obtained.

Fabrication Processes and Mechanical Behavior of CNT/Metal Nanocomposites

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-12-01

process, were investigated and applied for fabrication of CNT/Cu and CNT/Ni nanocomposite powders. The spark plasma sintering process was applied... spark plasma sintering process to fabricate CNT/NiTi and CNT/Al-Cu nanocomposites. It is confirmed that the CNTs were homogeneously dispersed in NiTi...can be seen in Figure 1-1. The CNT/NiTi composite powders were consolidated by spark plasma sintering (SPS, Dr. Sinter Lab., Sumitomo). The CNT/NiTi

Flash sintering of ceramic materials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dancer, C. E. J.

2016-10-01

During flash sintering, ceramic materials can sinter to high density in a matter of seconds while subjected to electric field and elevated temperature. This process, which occurs at lower furnace temperatures and in shorter times than both conventional ceramic sintering and field-assisted methods such as spark plasma sintering, has the potential to radically reduce the power consumption required for the densification of ceramic materials. This paper reviews the experimental work on flash sintering methods carried out to date, and compares the properties of the materials obtained to those produced by conventional sintering. The flash sintering process is described for oxides of zirconium, yttrium, aluminium, tin, zinc, and titanium; silicon and boron carbide, zirconium diboride, materials for solid oxide fuel applications, ferroelectric materials, and composite materials. While experimental observations have been made on a wide range of materials, understanding of the underlying mechanisms responsible for the onset and latter stages of flash sintering is still elusive. Elements of the proposed theories to explain the observed behaviour include extensive Joule heating throughout the material causing thermal runaway, arrested by the current limitation in the power supply, and the formation of defect avalanches which rapidly and dramatically increase the sample conductivity. Undoubtedly, the flash sintering process is affected by the electric field strength, furnace temperature and current density limit, but also by microstructural features such as the presence of second phase particles or dopants and the particle size in the starting material. While further experimental work and modelling is still required to attain a full understanding capable of predicting the success of the flash sintering process in different materials, the technique non-etheless holds great potential for exceptional control of the ceramic sintering process.

Densification of LSGM electrolytes using activated microwave sintering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kesapragada, S. V.; Bhaduri, S. B.; Bhaduri, S.; Singh, P.

Lanthanum gallate doped with alkaline rare earths (LSGM) powders were densified using an activated microwave sintering process for developing a dense stable electrolyte layer for applications in intermediate temperature-solid oxide fuel cells (IT-SOFCs). Due to heat generation in situ, the process of sintering gets activated with faster kinetics compared to a conventional sintering process. The effect of various microwave process parameters on the microstructure and phase formation was studied. The sintered pellets were characterized using scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive analysis (SEM-EDAX), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The density of LSGM pellets microwave sintered at 1350 °C for 20 min is greater than 95% theoretical density with a fine grained microstructure (˜2-3 μm) and without the presence of other phase(s).

SinterHab

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rousek, Tomáš; Eriksson, Katarina; Doule, Ondřej

2012-05-01

This project describes a design study for a core module on a Lunar South Pole outpost, constructed by 3D printing technology with the use of in-situ resources and equipped with a bio-regenerative life support system. The module would be a hybrid of deployable (CLASS II) and in-situ built (CLASS III) structures. It would combine deployable membrane structures and pre-integrated rigid elements with a sintered regolith shell for enhanced radiation and micrometeorite shielding. The closed loop ecological system would support a sustainable presence on the Moon with particular focus on research activities. The core module accommodates from four to eight people, and provides laboratories as a test bed for development of new lunar technologies directly in the environment where they will be used. SinterHab also includes an experimental garden for development of new bio-regenerative life support system elements. The project explores these various concepts from an architectural point-of-view particularly, as they constitute the building, construction and interior elements. The construction method for SinterHab is based on 3D printing by sintering of the lunar regolith. Sinterator robotics 3D printing technology proposed by NASA JPL enables construction of future generations of large lunar settlements with little imported material and the use of solar energy. The regolith is processed, placed and sintered by the Sinterator robotics system which combines the NASA ATHLETE and the Chariot remotely controlled rovers. Microwave sintering creates a rigid structure in the form of walls, vaults and other architectural elements. The interior is coated with a layer of inflatable membranes inspired by the TransHab project. The life-support system is mainly bio-regenerative and several parts of the system are intrinsically multifunctional and serve more than one purpose. The plants for food production are also an efficient part of atmosphere revitalization and water treatment. Moreover, the plants will be used as a "winter garden" for psychological and recreational purposes. The water in the revitalization system has a multifunctional use, as radiation shielding in the safe-haven habitat core. The garden module creates an artificial outdoor environment mitigating the notion of confinement on the lunar surface. Fiber optics systems and plasma lamps are used for transmission of natural and artificial light into the interior.

40 CFR 63.1543 - Standards for process and process fugitive sources.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... paragraphs (a)(1) through (9) of this section. (1) Sinter machine; (2) Blast furnace; (3) Dross furnace; (4... machine charging location; (7) Sinter machine discharge end; (8) Sinter crushing and sizing equipment; and (9) Sinter machine area. (b) No owner or operator of any existing, new, or reconstructed primary lead...

40 CFR 63.1543 - Standards for process and process fugitive sources.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... paragraphs (a)(1) through (9) of this section. (1) Sinter machine; (2) Blast furnace; (3) Dross furnace; (4... machine charging location; (7) Sinter machine discharge end; (8) Sinter crushing and sizing equipment; and (9) Sinter machine area. (b) No owner or operator of any existing, new, or reconstructed primary lead...

40 CFR 63.1543 - Standards for process and process fugitive sources.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... paragraphs (a)(1) through (9) of this section. (1) Sinter machine; (2) Blast furnace; (3) Dross furnace; (4... machine charging location; (7) Sinter machine discharge end; (8) Sinter crushing and sizing equipment; and (9) Sinter machine area. (b) No owner or operator of any existing, new, or reconstructed primary lead...

Microwave sintering of Ag-nanoparticle thin films on a polyimide substrate

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Fujii, S., E-mail: fujii.s.ap@m.titech.ac.jp; Department of Information and Communication System Engineering, National Institute of Technology, Okinawa College, Nago, Okinawa 905-2192; Kawamura, S.

2015-12-15

Ag-nanoparticle thin films on a polyimide substrate were subjected to microwave sintering by use of a single-mode waveguide applicator. A two-step sintering process was employed. First, at low conductivities of the film, the film sample was placed at the site of the maximum electric field and subjected to microwave irradiation. Second, when the conductivity of the film increased, the film sample was placed at the site of the maximum magnetic field and again subjected to microwave irradiation. The microwave sintering process was completed within 1.5 min, which is significantly lower than the time required for the oven heating process. Themore » resulting conductivity of the film, albeit only 30% of that of the bulk material, was seven times that of a film annealed at the same temperature in a furnace. Scanning electron microscopy images revealed that the nanoparticles underwent both grain necking and grain growth during microwave sintering. In addition, this sintering process was equivalent to the oven heating process performed at a 50 °C higher annealing temperature. An electromagnetic wave simulation and a heat transfer simulation of the microwave sintering process were performed to gain a thorough understanding of the process.« less

Effect of sintering process on the magnetic and mechanical properties of sintered Nd-Fe-B magnets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hu, Z. H.; Qu, H. J.; Zhao, J. Q.; Yan, C. J.; Liu, X. M.

2014-11-01

The magnetic and mechanical properties of sintered Nd-Fe-B magnets prepared by different sintering processes were investigated. The results showed that the intrinsic coercivity and fracture toughness of sintered Nd-Fe-B magnets first increased, and then declined with increasing annealing temperature. The optimum magnetic properties and fracture toughness of sintered Nd-Fe-B magnets were obtained at the annealing temperature of 540 °C. Sintering temperature increasing from 1047 °C to 1071 °C had hardly effect on the magnetic properties of sintered Nd-Fe-B magnets. The variation of Vickers hardness and fracture toughness was not the same with increasing sintering temperature, and the effect of sintering temperature on the mechanical properties was complex and irregular. The reasons for the variation on magnetic and mechanical properties were analyzed, and we presumed that the effect of microstructure on the mechanical properties was more sensitive than the magnetic properties through analyzing the microstructure of sintered Nd-Fe-B magnets.

Review of selective laser melting: Materials and applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yap, C. Y.; Chua, C. K.; Dong, Z. L.; Liu, Z. H.; Zhang, D. Q.; Loh, L. E.; Sing, S. L.

2015-12-01

Selective Laser Melting (SLM) is a particular rapid prototyping, 3D printing, or Additive Manufacturing (AM) technique designed to use high power-density laser to melt and fuse metallic powders. A component is built by selectively melting and fusing powders within and between layers. The SLM technique is also commonly known as direct selective laser sintering, LaserCusing, and direct metal laser sintering, and this technique has been proven to produce near net-shape parts up to 99.9% relative density. This enables the process to build near full density functional parts and has viable economic benefits. Recent developments of fibre optics and high-power laser have also enabled SLM to process different metallic materials, such as copper, aluminium, and tungsten. Similarly, this has also opened up research opportunities in SLM of ceramic and composite materials. The review presents the SLM process and some of the common physical phenomena associated with this AM technology. It then focuses on the following areas: (a) applications of SLM materials and (b) mechanical properties of SLM parts achieved in research publications. The review is not meant to put a ceiling on the capabilities of the SLM process but to enable readers to have an overview on the material properties achieved by the SLM process so far. Trends in research of SLM are also elaborated in the last section.

Review of selective laser melting: Materials and applications

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Yap, C. Y., E-mail: cyap001@e.ntu.edu.sg; Energy Research Institute @ NTU, Interdisciplinary Graduate School, Nanyang Technological University, 50 Nanyang Avenue, Block S2 - B3a - 01, Singapore 639798; Chua, C. K., E-mail: mckchua@ntu.edu.sg

Selective Laser Melting (SLM) is a particular rapid prototyping, 3D printing, or Additive Manufacturing (AM) technique designed to use high power-density laser to melt and fuse metallic powders. A component is built by selectively melting and fusing powders within and between layers. The SLM technique is also commonly known as direct selective laser sintering, LaserCusing, and direct metal laser sintering, and this technique has been proven to produce near net-shape parts up to 99.9% relative density. This enables the process to build near full density functional parts and has viable economic benefits. Recent developments of fibre optics and high-power lasermore » have also enabled SLM to process different metallic materials, such as copper, aluminium, and tungsten. Similarly, this has also opened up research opportunities in SLM of ceramic and composite materials. The review presents the SLM process and some of the common physical phenomena associated with this AM technology. It then focuses on the following areas: (a) applications of SLM materials and (b) mechanical properties of SLM parts achieved in research publications. The review is not meant to put a ceiling on the capabilities of the SLM process but to enable readers to have an overview on the material properties achieved by the SLM process so far. Trends in research of SLM are also elaborated in the last section.« less

Effects of pressure and temperature on sintering of Cr-doped Al2O3 by pulsed electric current sintering process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dang, K. Q.; Nanko, M.

2011-03-01

The aluminium oxide crystal, Al2O3, which contains a small amount of chromium, Cr, is called ruby. Pulsed electric current sintering (PECS) was applied to sinter ruby polycrystals. Cr2O3-Al2O3 powder mixture prepared by drying an aqueous slurry containing amounts of Al2O3 and Cr(NO3)3 was consolidated by PECS process. The PECS process was performed in vacuum at sintering temperature raging from 1100 to 1300°C with heating rate of 2 K/min under applied uniaxial pressure varied from 40 to 100 MPa. This study found that highly densified and transparent Cr-doped Al2O3 can be obtained by the PECS process with the high applied pressure at sintering temperature of 1200°C.

Effect of starting powders on the sintering of nanostructured ZrO2 ceramics by colloidal processing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Suárez, Gustavo; Sakka, Yoshio; Suzuki, Tohru S.; Uchikoshi, Tetsuo; Zhu, Xinwen; Aglietti, Esteban F.

2009-04-01

The effect of starting powders on the sintering of nanostructured tetragonal zirconia was evaluated. Suspensions were prepared with a concentration of 10 vol.% by mixing a bicomponent mixture of commercial powders (97 mol.% monoclinic zirconia with 3 mol.% yttria) and by dispersing commercially available tetragonal zirconia (3YTZ, Tosoh). The preparation of the slurry by bead-milling was optimized. Colloidal processing using 50 μm zirconia beads at 4000 rpm generated a fully deagglomerated suspension leading to the formation of high-density consolidated compacts (62% of the theoretical density (TD) for the bicomponent suspension). Optimum colloidal processing of the bicomponent suspension followed by the sintering of yttria and zirconia allowed us to obtain nanostructured tetragonal zirconia. Three different sintering techniques were investigated: normal sintering, two-step sintering and spark plasma sintering. The inhibition of grain growth in the bicomponent mixed powders in comparison with 3YTZ was demonstrated. The inhibition of the grain growth may have been caused by inter-diffusion of cations during the sintering.

Improved Tubulars for Better Economics in Deep Gas Well Drilling using Microwave Technology

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Dinesh Agrawal; Paul Gigl; Mahlon Dennis

2006-02-01

The objective of the research program has been to improve the rate-of-penetration in deep hostile environments by improving the life cycle and performance of coiled-tubing, an important component of a deep well drilling system for oil and gas exploration. The current process of the manufacture long tubular steel products consists of shaping the tube from flat strip, welding the seam and sections into lengths that can be miles long, and coiling onto reels. However, the welds, that are a weak point, now limit the performance of the coil tubing. This is not only from a toughness standpoint but also frommore » a corrosion standpoint. By utilizing the latest developments in the sintering of materials with microwave energy and powder metal extrusion technology for the manufacture of seamless coiled tubing and other tubular products, these problems can be eliminated. The project is therefore to develop a continuous microwave process to sinter continuously steel tubulars and butt-join them using microwave/induction process. The program started about three years ago and now we are in the middle of Phase II. In Phase I (which ended in February 2005) a feasibility study of the extrusion process of steel powder and continuously sinter the extruded tubing was conducted. The research program has been based on the development of microwave technology to process tubular specimens of powder metals, especially steels. The existing microwave systems at the Materials Research Laboratory (MRL) and Dennis Tool Company (DTC) were suitably modified to process tubular small specimens. The precursor powder metals were either extruded or cold isostatically pressed (CIP) to form tubular specimens. After conducting an extensive and systematic investigation of extrusion process for producing long tubes, it was determined that there were several difficulties in adopting extrusion process and it cannot be economically used for producing thousands of feet long green tubing. Therefore, in the Phase II the approach was modified to the microwave sintering combined with Cold Isostatic Press (CIP) and joining (by induction or microwave). This process can be developed into a semi-continuous sintering process if the CIP can produce parts fast enough to match the microwave sintering rates. This report summarizes the progress made to-date in this new approach. The final steel composition matching with the Quality tubing's QT-16Cr80 was short listed and used for all experiments. Bonding experiments using 4 different braze powders were conducted and the process optimized to obtain high degree of bonding strength. For fabrication of green tubulars a large CIP unit was acquired and tested. This equipment is located at the Dennis Tool facility in Houston. Microwave sintering experiments for continuous processing of the CIPed tubes are under progress in order to identify the optimum conditions. There have been some reproducibility problems and we are at present working to resolve these problems.« less

Sintering Kinetics of Inkjet Printed Conductive Silver Lines on Insulating Plastic Substrate

DOE PAGES

Zhou, Wenchao; List, III, Frederick Alyious; Duty, Chad E; ...

2015-01-24

This paper focuses on sintering kinetics of inkjet printed lines containing silver nanoparticles deposited on a plastic substrate. Upon heat treatment, the change of resistance in the printed lines was measured as a function of time and sintering temperatures from 150 to 200 C. A critical temperature was observed for the sintering process, beyond which there was no further reduction in resistance. Analysis shows the critical temperature correlates to the boiling point of the solvent, which is attributed to a liquid-mediated sintering mechanism. It is demonstrated that the sintering process shuts down after the solvent has completely evaporated.

Production of Metallic and Ceramic Parts with the Optoform Process

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-05-01

or ceramic (Zircon/Silica, alumina, hydroxyapatite ) powders form about 60 % (in volume) of a pasty photo-curable material. After the building of...Rombouts from the Katholieke Universiteit van Leuven (KUL – Belgium) for their collaboration in metal debinding and sintering. Many thanks to Ir Jean

Additive Manufacturing/Diagnostics via the High Frequency Induction Heating of Metal Powders: The Determination of the Power Transfer Factor for Fine Metallic Spheres

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Rios, Orlando; Radhakrishnan, Balasubramaniam; Caravias, George

2015-03-11

Grid Logic Inc. is developing a method for sintering and melting fine metallic powders for additive manufacturing using spatially-compact, high-frequency magnetic fields called Micro-Induction Sintering (MIS). One of the challenges in advancing MIS technology for additive manufacturing is in understanding the power transfer to the particles in a powder bed. This knowledge is important to achieving efficient power transfer, control, and selective particle heating during the MIS process needed for commercialization of the technology. The project s work provided a rigorous physics-based model for induction heating of fine spherical particles as a function of frequency and particle size. This simulationmore » improved upon Grid Logic s earlier models and provides guidance that will make the MIS technology more effective. The project model will be incorporated into Grid Logic s power control circuit of the MIS 3D printer product and its diagnostics technology to optimize the sintering process for part quality and energy efficiency.« less

Microwave Sintering of Ceramic Materials for Industrial Application Final Report CRADA No. TC-1116-95

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Caplan, M.; Tandon, R.; Callis, R.

The goal of this project was to develop the commercial capability in the US to sinter alumina oxide ceramic parts for the semiconductor manufacturing equipment industry. We planned to use the millimeter microwave (30 GHz) sintering system first developed by IAP in Russia.

Prototyping of radially oriented piezoelectric ceramic-polymer tube composites using fused deposition and lost mold processing techniques

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McNulty, Thomas Francis

Piezoelectric tube composite hydrophones of 3-1, 3-2, and 2-2 connectivity were developed using Fused Deposition (FD) and lost mold processing (LMP). In this work, a new series of thermoplastic binder formulations, named the ECG series, were developed for the FD process. The ECG-9 formulation exhibits mechanical, thermal, and rheological properties suitable for the Fused Deposition of functional lead zirconate titanate ceramic devices. This binder consists of 100 parts (by weight) Vestoplast 408, 20 parts Escorez 2520, 15 parts Vestowax A-227, and 5 parts Indopol H-1500. Oleic acid, oleyl alcohol, stearic acid, and stearyl alcohol (in toluene) were tested for use as a dispersant in the PZT/ECG-9 system. It was found that stearic acid adsorbs the most onto PZT powder, adsorbing 8.1 mg/m2. Using stearic acid, solutions of increasing concentration (5.0--50.0 g/l) were measured for adsorption. It was found that 30.0 g/l is the minimum concentration necessary for optimum surface coverage. The surfactant-coated powder was compounded with ECG-9 binder to create a 54 vol.% mix. The mix was extruded using a single screw extrusion apparatus into continuous lengths (>30 m) of 1.78 mm diameter filament. Fused Deposition was used to create composite designs of 3-1, 3-2, and 2-2 connectivity. After sintering, samples exhibit a sintered density greater than 97%. Sanders Prototyping (SPI) was used to manufacture molds for use with LMP techniques. Molds of 3-1, 3-2, and 2-2 connectivity were developed. The molds were infiltrated with a 55 vol.% aqueous based PZT slurry. The parts were subjected to a binder decomposition cycle, followed by sintering. Resultant samples were highly variable due to random macro-pores present in the samples after sintering. The resultant preforms were embedded in epoxy, and polished to dimensions of 8.0 mm inside diameter (ID), 14.0 mm outside diameter (OD), and 10.0 mm length (l) the OD and l dimensions are accurate to +/--2%, while the ID is accurate to +/--5%. Samples were corona poled, and the electromechanical properties were evaluated. Dielectric constant (K), hydrostatic charge coefficients (dh), and radial displacements (ur) were measured. Of the seven composite types studied, the FD-based composites with 3-2 connectivity exhibited the highest average dh of 42.4 pCN. The same 3-2 composites exhibited the highest dhgh (FOM) of 140 fm2/N.

Process for the production of metal nitride sintered bodies and resultant silicon nitride and aluminum nitride sintered bodies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yajima, S.; Omori, M.; Hayashi, J.; Kayano, H.; Hamano, M.

1983-01-01

A process for the manufacture of metal nitride sintered bodies, in particular, a process in which a mixture of metal nitrite powders is shaped and heated together with a binding agent is described. Of the metal nitrides Si3N4 and AIN were used especially frequently because of their excellent properties at high temperatures. The goal is to produce a process for metal nitride sintered bodies with high strength, high corrosion resistance, thermal shock resistance, thermal shock resistance, and avoidance of previously known faults.

Synthesis of Silicon Nitride and Silicon Carbide Nanocomposites through High Energy Milling of Waste Silica Fume for Structural Applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Suri, Jyothi

Nanocomposites have been widely used in a multitude of applications in electronics and structural components because of their improved mechanical, electrical, and magnetic properties. Silicon nitride/Silicon carbide (Si 3N4/SiC) nanocomposites have been studied intensively for low and high temperature structural applications, such as turbine and automobile engine components, ball bearings, turbochargers, as well as energy applications due to their superior wear resistance, high temperature strength, high oxidation resistance and good creep resistance. Silica fume is the waste material produced during the manufacture of silicon and ferro-silicon alloys, and contains 94 to 97 wt.% SiO2. In the present dissertation, the feasibility of using waste silica fume as the raw material was investigated to synthesize (I) advanced nanocomposites of Si3N4/SiC, and (2) porous silicon carbide (SiC) for membrane applications. The processing approach used to convert the waste material to advanced ceramic materials was based on a novel process called, integrated mechanical and thermal activation process (IMTA) process. In the first part of the dissertation, the effect of parameters such as carbothermic nitridation and reduction temperature and the graphite concentration in the starting silica fume plus graphite mixture, were explored to synthesize nanocomposite powders with tailored amounts of Si3N4 and SiC phases. An effective way to synthesize carbon-free Si3N 4/SiC composite powders was studied to provide a clear pathway and fundamental understanding of the reaction mechanisms. Si3N4/SiC nanocomposite powders were then sintered using two different approaches, based on liquid phase sintering and spark plasma sintering processes, with Al 2O3 and Y2O3 as the sintering aids. The nanocomposites were investigated for their densification behavior, microstructure, and mechanical properties. Si3N4/SiC nanocomposites thus obtained were found to possess superior mechanical properties at much lower costs. The second part of the work has comprised of the successful fabrication of bilayered SiC membranes with a graded porosity, consisting of porous nano-SiC layer on the surface of a porous coarse-grained SiC support layer. The effect of different particle sizes of SiC in the support layers was systematically studied. Also, the effects of sintering temperature were investigated to control the pore size, particle size and overall density of the bi-layered SiC membrane.

Verification of the Skorohod-Olevsky Viscous Sintering (SOVS) Model

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lester, Brian T.

2017-11-16

Sintering refers to a manufacturing process through which mechanically pressed bodies of ceramic (and sometimes metal) powders are heated to drive densification thereby removing the inherit porosity of green bodies. As the body densifies through the sintering process, the ensuing material flow leads to macroscopic deformations of the specimen and as such the final configuration differs form the initial. Therefore, as with any manufacturing step, there is substantial interest in understanding and being able to model the sintering process to predict deformation and residual stress. Efforts in this regard have been pursued for face seals, gear wheels, and consumer productsmore » like wash-basins. To understand the sintering process, a variety of modeling approaches have been pursued at different scales.« less

Simulation of warpage induced by non-isothermal crystallization of co-polypropylene during the SLS process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Amado, Antonio; Schmid, Manfred; Wegener, Konrad

2015-05-01

Polymer processing using Additive Manufacturing Technologies (AM) has experienced a remarkable growth during the last years. The application range has been expanding rapidly, particularly driven by the so-called consumer 3D printing sector. However, for applications demanding higher requirements in terms of thermo-mechanical properties and dimensional accuracy the long established AM technologies such as Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) do not depict a comparable development. The higher process complexity hinders the number of materials that can be currently processed and the interactions between the different physics involved have not been fully investigated. In case of thermoplastic materials the crystallization kinetics coupled to the shrinkage strain development strongly influences the stability of the process. Thus, the current investigation presents a transient Finite Element simulation of the warpage effect during the SLS process of a new developed polyolefin (co-polypropylene) coupling the thermal, mechanical and phase change equations that control the process. A thermal characterization of the material was performed by means of DSC, integrating the Nakamura model with the classical Hoffmann-Lauritzen theory. The viscoelastic behavior was measured using a plate-plate rheometer at different degrees of undercooling and a phase change-temperature superposition principle was implemented. Additionally, for validation porpoises the warpage development of the first sintered layers was captured employing an optical device. The simulation results depict a good agreement with experimental measurements of deformation, describing the high sensitivity of the geometrical accuracy of the sintered parts related to the processing conditions.

Enhanced Densification and Hardness of Titanium Bodies Sintered by Advanced Hydrogen Sintering Process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oh, Jung-Min; Koo, Ja-Geon; Lim, Jae-Won

2018-05-01

A new sintering technique for enhancing a densification and hardness of sintered titanium body by supplying hydrogen was developed (Hydrogen Sintering Process, HSP). The HSP was developed by only injecting hydrogen into an argon atmosphere during the core time. As a result, sound titanium sintered bodies with high density and hardness were obtained by the HSP. In addition, a pore size and number of the HSP specimens were smaller than those of the argon atmosphere specimen. It was found that the injecting hydrogen into the argon atmosphere by HSP can prevent the formation of oxide layers, resulting in enhanced densification and hardness.

Rapid sintering of anisotropic, nanograined Nd-Fe-B by flash-spark plasma sintering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Castle, Elinor; Sheridan, Richard; Grasso, Salvatore; Walton, Allan; Reece, Mike

2016-11-01

A Spark Plasma Sintering (SPS) furnace was used to Flash-Sinter (FS) Nd-Fe-Dy-Co-B-Ga melt spun permanent magnetic material. During the 10 s "Flash" process (heating rate 2660 K min-1), sample sintering (to theoretical density) and deformation (54% height reduction) occurred. This produced texturing and significant magnetic anisotropy, comparable to conventional die-upset magnets; yet with much greater coercivities (>1600 kA m-1) due to the nanoscale characteristics of the plate-like sintered grains. These preliminary results suggest that Flash-SPS could provide a new processing route for the mass production of highly anisotropic, nanocrystalline magnetic materials with high coercivity.

Solvent/non-solvent sintering: a novel route to create porous microsphere scaffolds for tissue regeneration.

PubMed

Brown, Justin L; Nair, Lakshmi S; Laurencin, Cato T

2008-08-01

Solvent/non-solvent sintering creates porous polymeric microsphere scaffolds suitable for tissue engineering purposes with control over the resulting porosity, average pore diameter, and mechanical properties. Five different biodegradable biocompatible polyphosphazenes exhibiting glass transition temperatures from -8 to 41 degrees C and poly (lactide-co-glycolide), (PLAGA) a degradable polymer used in a number of biomedical settings, were examined to study the versatility of the process and benchmark the process to heat sintering. Parameters such as: solvent/non-solvent sintering solution composition and submersion time effect the sintering process. PLAGA microsphere scaffolds fabricated with solvent/non-solvent sintering exhibited an interconnected porosity and pore size of 31.9% and 179.1 mum, respectively which was analogous to that of conventional heat sintered PLAGA microsphere scaffolds. Biodegradable polyphosphazene microsphere scaffolds exhibited a maximum interconnected porosity of 37.6% and a maximum compressive modulus of 94.3 MPa. Solvent/non-solvent sintering is an effective strategy for sintering polymeric microspheres, with a broad spectrum of glass transition temperatures, under ambient conditions making it an excellent fabrication route for developing tissue engineering scaffolds and drug delivery vehicles. (c) 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Solvent/Non-Solvent Sintering: A Novel Route to Create Porous Microsphere Scaffolds For Tissue Regeneration

PubMed Central

Brown, Justin L.; Nair, Lakshmi S.; Laurencin, Cato T.

2009-01-01

Solvent/non-solvent sintering creates porous polymeric microsphere scaffolds suitable for tissue engineering purposes with control over the resulting porosity, average pore diameter and mechanical properties. Five different biodegradable biocompatible polyphosphazenes exhibiting glass transition temperatures from −8°C to 41oC and poly(lactide-co-glycolide), (PLAGA) a degradable polymer used in a number of biomedical settings, were examined to study the versatility of the process and benchmark the process to heat sintering. Parameters such as: solvent/non-solvent sintering solution composition and submersion time effect the sintering process. PLAGA microsphere scaffolds fabricated with solvent/non-solvent sintering exhibited an interconnected porosity and pore size of 31.9% and 179.1µm respectively which was analogous to that of conventional heat sintered PLAGA microsphere scaffolds. Biodegradable polyphosphazene microsphere scaffolds exhibited a maximum interconnected porosity of 37.6% and a maximum compressive modulus of 94.3MPa. Solvent/non-solvent sintering is an effective strategy for sintering polymeric microspheres, with a broad spectrum of glass transition temperatures, under ambient conditions making it an excellent fabrication route for developing tissue engineering scaffolds and drug delivery vehicles. PMID:18161819

Structural Ceramic Nanocomposites: A Review of Properties and Powders’ Synthesis Methods

PubMed Central

Palmero, Paola

2015-01-01

Ceramic nanocomposites are attracting growing interest, thanks to new processing methods enabling these materials to go from the research laboratory scale to the commercial level. Today, many different types of nanocomposite structures are proposed in the literature; however, to fully exploit their exceptional properties, a deep understanding of the materials’ behavior across length scales is necessary. In fact, knowing how the nanoscale structure influences the bulk properties enables the design of increasingly performing composite materials. A further key point is the ability of tailoring the desired nanostructured features in the sintered composites, a challenging issue requiring a careful control of all stages of manufacturing, from powder synthesis to sintering. This review is divided into four parts. In the first, classification and general issues of nanostructured ceramics are reported. The second provides basic structure–property relations, highlighting the grain-size dependence of the materials properties. The third describes the role of nanocrystalline second-phases on the mechanical properties of ordinary grain sized ceramics. Finally, the fourth part revises the mainly used synthesis routes to produce nanocomposite ceramic powders, underlining when possible the critical role of the synthesis method on the control of microstructure and properties of the sintered ceramics. PMID:28347029

Vacuum Compatibility of Laser-Sintered Metals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rivera, W. F.; Romero-Talamas, C. A.; Bates, E. M.; Birmingham, W. J.; Quinley, M.; Woodruff, S.; Stuber, J. E.; Sieck, P. E.; Melnik, P. A.

2016-10-01

We present the design and results of a mass spectrometry system used to assess vacuum compatibility of selective laser-sintered parts. The parts are disks with a thickness of 0.20 cm and a diameter of 8.25 cm, and are made of aluminum, stainless steel, inconel, and titanium. From preliminary results, titanium had the lowest partial pressure for hydrogen. Outgassing from laser-sintered parts is compared against parts with similar surface area that are manufactured with traditional methods. Outgassing is also measured while the part is heated, emulating the conditions at the edge of high temperature plasma confinement chambers. Each part is placed on a heated container that can vary in temperature inside the mass spectrometer's vacuum chamber. The partial pressures of elements up to 200 atomic mass units are analyzed to obtain outgassing data from each sample. This work supported under DOE SBIR Grant DE SC0011858.

Lost Mold Rapid Infiltration Forming of Mesoscale Ceramics: Part 1, Fabrication

PubMed Central

Antolino, Nicholas E.; Hayes, Gregory; Kirkpatrick, Rebecca; Muhlstein, Christopher L.; Frecker, Mary I.; Mockensturm, Eric M.; Adair, James H.

2009-01-01

Free-standing mesoscale (340 μm × 30 μm × 20 μm) bend bars with an aspect ratio over 15:1 and an edge resolution as fine as a single grain diameter (∼400 nm) have been fabricated in large numbers on refractory ceramic substrates by combining a novel powder processing approach with photoresist molds and an innovative lost-mold thermal process. The colloid and interfacial chemistry of the nanoscale zirconia particulates has been modeled and used to prepare highly concentrated suspensions. Engineering solutions to challenges in mold fabrication and casting have yielded free-standing, crack-free parts. Molds are fabricated using high-aspect-ratio photoresist on ceramic substrates. Green parts are formed using a rapid infiltration method that exploits the shear thinning behavior of the highly concentrated ceramic suspension in combination with gelcasting. The mold is thermally decomposed and the parts are sintered in place on the ceramic substrate. Chemically aided attrition milling disperses and concentrates the as-received 3Y-TZP powder to produce a dense, fine-grained sintered microstructure. Initial three-point bend strength data are comparable to that of conventional zirconia; however, geometric irregularities (e.g., trapezoidal cross sections) are present in this first generation and are discussed with respect to the distribution of bend strength. PMID:19809595

Sintering Behavior of Spark Plasma Sintered SiC with Si-SiC Composite Nanoparticles Prepared by Thermal DC Plasma Process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yu, Yeon-Tae; Naik, Gautam Kumar; Lim, Young-Bin; Yoon, Jeong-Mo

2017-11-01

The Si-coated SiC (Si-SiC) composite nanoparticle was prepared by non-transferred arc thermal plasma processing of solid-state synthesized SiC powder and was used as a sintering additive for SiC ceramic formation. Sintered SiC pellet was prepared by spark plasma sintering (SPS) process, and the effect of nano-sized Si-SiC composite particles on the sintering behavior of micron-sized SiC powder was investigated. The mixing ratio of Si-SiC composite nanoparticle to micron-sized SiC was optimized to 10 wt%. Vicker's hardness and relative density was increased with increasing sintering temperature and holding time. The relative density and Vicker's hardness was further increased by reaction bonding using additional activated carbon to the mixture of micron-sized SiC and nano-sized Si-SiC. The maximum relative density (97.1%) and Vicker's hardness (31.4 GPa) were recorded at 1800 °C sintering temperature for 1 min holding time, when 0.2 wt% additional activated carbon was added to the mixture of SiC/Si-SiC.

Energy-Saving Sintering of Electrically Conductive Powders by Modified Pulsed Electric Current Heating Using an Electrically Nonconductive Die

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ito, Mikio; Kawahara, Kenta; Araki, Keita

2014-04-01

Sintering of Cu and thermoelectric Ca3Co4O9 was tried using a modified pulsed electric current sintering (PECS) process, where an electrically nonconductive die was used instead of a conventional graphite die. The pulsed electric current flowed through graphite punches and sample powder, which caused the Joule heating of the powder compact itself, resulting in sintering under smaller power consumption. Especially for the Ca3Co4O9 powder, densification during sintering was also accelerated by this modified PECS process.

Al2O3-TiC Composite Prepared by Spark Plasma Sintering Process: Evaluation of Mechanical and Tribological Properties

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kumar, Rohit; Chaubey, A. K.; Bathula, Sivaiah; Prashanth, K. G.; Dhar, Ajay

2018-03-01

Al2O3-10TiC composites were synthesized by spark plasma sintering (SPS) process. Microstructural and mechanical properties of the composite reveal homogeneous distribution of the fine TiC particles in the matrix. The samples were produced with different sintering temperature, and it shows that the hardness and density gradually increases with increasing sintering temperature. Abrasion wear test result reveals that the composite sintered at 1500 °C shows high abrasion resistance (wt. loss 0.016 g) and the lowest abrasion resistance was observed for the composite sample sintered at 1100 °C (wt. loss 1.459 g). The profilometry surface roughness study shows that sample sintered at 1100 °C shows maximum roughness ( R a = 6.53 µm) compared to the sample sintered at 1500 °C ( R a = 0.66 µm) corroborating the abrasion wear test results.

New materials through a variety of sintering methods

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jaworska, L.; Cyboroń, J.; Cygan, S.; Laszkiewicz-Łukasik, J.; Podsiadło, M.; Novak, P.; Holovenko, Y.

2018-03-01

New sintering techniques make it possible to obtain materials with special properties that are impossible to obtain by conventional sintering techniques. This issue is especially important for ceramic materials for application under extreme conditions. Following the tendency to limit critical materials in manufacturing processes, the use of W, Si, B, Co, Cr should be limited, also. One of the cheapest and widely available materials is aluminum oxide, which shows differences in phase composition, grain size, hardness, strain and fracture toughness of the same type of powder, sintered via various methods. In this paper the alumina was sintered using the conventional free sintering process, microwave sintering, Spark Plasma Sintering (SPS), high pressure-high temperature method (HP-HT) and High Pressure Spark Plasma Sintering (HP SPS). Phase composition analysis, by X-ray diffraction of the alumina materials sintered using various methods, was carried out. For the conventional sintering method, compacts are composed of α-Al2O3 and θ-Al2O3. For compacts sintered using SPS, microwave and HP-HT methods, χ-Al2O3 and γ-Al2O3 phases were additionally present. Mechanical and physical properties of the obtained materials were compared between the methods of sintering. On the basis of images from scanning electron microscope quantitative analysis was performed to determine the degree of grain growth of alumina after sintering.

Behavior of Oxide Film at Interface between Particles of Al-Mg Alloy Powder Compacts Prepared by Pulse Electric Current Sintering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xie, Guoqiang; Ohashi, Osamu; Yamaguchi, Norio; Song, Minghui; Mitsuishi, Kazutaka; Furuya, Kazuo; Noda, Tetsuji

2003-07-01

Al-1.0 mass% Mg alloy powders were sintered using the pulse electric current sintering (PECS) process at various temperatures. The microstructure at the interfaces between powder particles and the effect of sintering temperature on interface characteristics were investigated using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). The precipitates were observed at the interfaces between powder particles of the compacts. The amounts of the precipitates increased and the compositions changed with an increase in sintering temperature: MgO for the compact sintered at 613 K, MgAl2O4+MgO for those at 663 K and 713 K, and MgAl2O4 for those above 763 K. Comparing the results obtained by the PECS process with those of diffusion bonding experiments and thermodynamic calculation, it was suggested that the temperature at the interfaces between the particles was higher than that of the particles sintered by the PECS process.

Sintering Theory and Practice

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

German, Randall M.

1996-01-01

Although sintering is an essential process in the manufacture of ceramics and certain metals, as well as several other industrial operations, until now, no single book has treated both the background theory and the practical application of this complex and often delicate procedure. In Sintering Theory and Practice, leading researcher and materials engineer Randall M. German presents a comprehensive treatment of this subject that will be of great use to manufacturers and scientists alike. This practical guide to sintering considers the fact that while the bonding process improves strength and other engineering properties of the compacted material, inappropriate methods of control may lead to cracking, distortion, and other defects. It provides a working knowledge of sintering, and shows how to avoid problems while accounting for variables such as particle size, maximum temperature, time at that temperature, and other problems that may cause changes in processing. The book describes the fundamental atomic events that govern the transformation from particles to solid, covers all forms of the sintering process, and provides a summary of many actual production cycles. Building from the ground up, it begins with definitions and progresses to measurement techniques, easing the transition, especially for students, into advanced topics such as single-phase solid-state sintering, microstructure changes, the complications of mixed particles, and pressure-assisted sintering. German draws on some six thousand references to provide a coherent and lucid treatment of the subject, making scientific principles and practical applications accessible to both students and professionals. In the process, he also points out and avoids the pitfalls found in various competing theories, concepts, and mathematical disputes within the field. A unique opportunity to discover what sintering is all about--both in theory and in practice What is sintering? We see the end product of this thermal process all around us--in manufactured objects from metals, ceramics, polymers, and many compounds. From a vast professional literature, Sintering Theory and Practice emerges as the only comprehensive, systematic, and self-contained volume on the subject. Covering all aspects of sintering as a processing topic, including materials, processes, theories, and the overall state of the art, the book Offers numerous examples, illustrations, and tables that detail actual processing cycles, and that stress existing knowledge in the field Uses the specifics of various consolidation cycles to illustrate the basics Leads the reader from the fundamentals to advanced topics, without getting bogged down in various mathematical disputes over treatments and measurements Supports the discussion with critically selected references from thousands of sources Examines the sintering behavior of a wide variety of engineered materials--metals, alloys, oxide ceramics, composites, carbides, intermetallics, glasses, and polymers Guides the reader through the sintering processes for several important industrial materials and demonstrates how to control these processes effectively and improve present techniques Provides a helpful reference for specific information on materials, processing problems, and concepts For practitioners and researchers in ceramics, powder metallurgy, and other areas, and for students and faculty in materials science and engineering, this book provides the know-how and understanding crucial to many industrial operations, offers many ideas for further research, and suggests future applications of this important technology. This book offers an unprecedented opportunity to explore sintering in both practical and theoretical terms, whether at the lab or in real-world applications, and to acquire a broad, yet thorough, understanding of this important technology.

Metal injection molding of titanium for medical and aerospace applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Scharvogel, Matthias; Winkelmueller, Wendelin

2011-02-01

Mixing of titanium powder and thermoplastic binders creates a feedstock that is injection molded similar to plastic, has a chemical and thermal debinding process, and then is sintered to form a net-shape or near-net shape part. TiJet Medizintechnik GmbH (TiJet) developed and uses its own feedstock and powder processing technology to achieve desired mechanical properties. This paper explains the theory of the process and the possibilities that result from the development of this new powder processing technology, such as new alloys, design possibilities, etc. Discussed will be the microstructure, chemical composition, and mechanical properties of the manufactured parts.

Correlation of gold in siliceous sinters with 3He 4He in hot spring waters of Yellowstone National Park

USGS Publications Warehouse

Fournier, R.O.; Kennedy, B.M.; Aoki, M.; Thompson, J.M.

1994-01-01

Opaline sinter samples collected at Yellowstone National Park (YNP) were analyzed for gold by neutron activation and for other trace elements by the inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES) method. No correlation was found between Au and As, Sb, or total Fe in the sinters, although the sample containing the highest Au also contains the highest Sb. There also was no correlation of Au in the sinter with the H2S concentration in the discharged hot spring water or with the estimated temperature of last equilibration of the water with the surrounding rock. The Au in rhyolitic tuffs and lavas at YNP found within the Yellowstone caldera show the same range in Au as do those outside the caldera, while thermal waters from within this caldera all have been found to contain relatively low dissolved Au and to deposit sinters that contain relatively little Au. Therefore, it is not likely that variations in Au concentrations among these sinters simply reflect differences in leachable Au in the rocks through which the hydrothermal fluids have passed. Rather, variations in [H2S], the concentration of total dissolved sulfide, that result from different physical and chemical processes that occur in different parts of the hydrothermal system appear to exert the main control on the abundance of Au in these sinters. Hydrothermal fluids at YNP convect upward through a series of successively shallower and cooler reservoirs where water-rock chemical and isotopic reactions occur in response to changing temperature and pressure. In some parts of the system the fluids undergo decompressional boiling, and in other parts they cool conductively without boiling. Mixing of ascending water from deep in the system with shallow groundwaters is common. All three processes generally result in a decrease in [H2S] and destabilize dissolved gold bisulfide complexes in reservoir waters in the YNP system. Thus, different reservoirs in rocks of similar composition and at similar temperatures may contain waters with different [H2S] and [Au]. The [H2S] in a subsurface reservoir water is difficult to assess on the basis of analyses of hot spring waters because of uncertainties about steam loss during fluid ascent. However, the same processes that result in low [H2S] in reservoir waters also tend to result in decreases in the ratio of 3He 4He(R) dissolved in that water. Values of R relative to this ratio in air (Ra) attain values > 15 in YNP thermal waters. To date, all of the thermal waters at YNP that have R Ra values <9 have been found to deposit sinters with relatively low gold concentrations. These include all of the thermal waters that discharge from 180-215??C reservoirs at Upper, Midway, and Lower Geyser Basins within the western part of the Yellowstone caldera, and thermal waters at Norris Geyser Basin, outside the Yellowstone caldera, where some of the waters flow directly to the surface from a reservoir where the temperature is about 300??C. A high 3He 4He ratio in thermal water discharged at the surface does not guarantee high gold concentrations in the sinter deposited by this water. Boiling with loss of steam (the gas phase takes a separate route to the surface) during rapid upflow from the shallowest reservoir to the surface decreases the [H2S] and total He dissolved in the residual liquid without appreciably changing the 3He 4He ratio. This is because the isotopic composition of the He of the initial bulk fluid is unchanged and there is too little time for much radiogenic 4He to build back into the liquid during this rapid ascent from the near-surface reservoir. However, if boiling with phase separation and loss of steam occurs deep in the system, the 3He 4He ratio in the residual liquid, now depleted in H2S and total He, will be susceptible to dilution with radiogenic 4He that is acquired during the longer residence time underground. Some or all of the Au that comes out of solution when an initial gold bisulfide complex breaks

Low-Temperature Oxidation-Free Selective Laser Sintering of Cu Nanoparticle Paste on a Polymer Substrate for the Flexible Touch Panel Applications.

PubMed

Kwon, Jinhyeong; Cho, Hyunmin; Eom, Hyeonjin; Lee, Habeom; Suh, Young Duk; Moon, Hyunjin; Shin, Jaeho; Hong, Sukjoon; Ko, Seung Hwan

2016-05-11

Copper nanomaterials suffer from severe oxidation problem despite the huge cost effectiveness. The effect of two different processes for conventional tube furnace heating and selective laser sintering on copper nanoparticle paste is compared in the aspects of chemical, electrical and surface morphology. The thermal behavior of the copper thin films by furnace and laser is compared by SEM, XRD, FT-IR, and XPS analysis. The selective laser sintering process ensures low annealing temperature, fast processing speed with remarkable oxidation suppression even in air environment while conventional tube furnace heating experiences moderate oxidation even in Ar environment. Moreover, the laser-sintered copper nanoparticle thin film shows good electrical property and reduced oxidation than conventional thermal heating process. Consequently, the proposed selective laser sintering process can be compatible with plastic substrate for copper based flexible electronics applications.

Flash (Ultra-Rapid) Spark-Plasma Sintering of Silicon Carbide

PubMed Central

Olevsky, Eugene A.; Rolfing, Stephen M.; Maximenko, Andrey L.

2016-01-01

A new ultra-rapid process of flash spark plasma sintering is developed. The idea of flash spark plasma sintering (or flash hot pressing - FHP) stems from the conducted theoretical analysis of the role of thermal runaway phenomena for material processing by flash sintering. The major purpose of the present study is to theoretically analyze the thermal runaway nature of flash sintering and to experimentally address the challenge of uncontrollable thermal conditions by the stabilization of the flash sintering process through the application of the external pressure. The effectiveness of the developed FHP technique is demonstrated by the few seconds–long consolidation of SiC powder in an industrial spark plasma sintering device. Specially designed sacrificial dies heat the pre-compacted SiC powder specimens to a critical temperature before applying any voltage to the powder volume and allowing the electrode-punches of the SPS device setup to contact the specimens and pass electric current through them under elevated temperatures. The experimental results demonstrate that flash sintering phenomena can be realized using conventional SPS devices. The usage of hybrid heating SPS devices is pointed out as the mainstream direction for the future studies and utilization of the new flash hot pressing (ultra-rapid spark plasma sintering) technique. PMID:27624641

Flash (Ultra-Rapid) Spark-Plasma Sintering of Silicon Carbide

DOE PAGES

Olevsky, Eugene A.; Rolfing, Stephen M.; Maximenko, Andrey L.

2016-09-14

A new ultra-rapid process of flash spark plasma sintering is developed. The idea of flash spark plasma sintering (or flash hot pressing - FHP) stems from the conducted theoretical analysis of the role of thermal runaway phenomena for material processing by flash sintering. The major purpose of the present study is to theoretically analyze the thermal runaway nature of flash sintering and to experimentally address the challenge of uncontrollable thermal conditions by the stabilization of the flash sintering process through the application of the external pressure. The effectiveness of the developed FHP technique is demonstrated by the few seconds–long consolidationmore » of SiC powder in an industrial spark plasma sintering device. Specially designed sacrificial dies heat the pre-compacted SiC powder specimens to a critical temperature before applying any voltage to the powder volume and allowing the electrode-punches of the SPS device setup to contact the specimens and pass electric current through them under elevated temperatures. The experimental results demonstrate that flash sintering phenomena can be realized using conventional SPS devices. The usage of hybrid heating SPS devices is pointed out as the mainstream direction for the future studies and utilization of the new flash hot pressing (ultra-rapid spark plasma sintering) technique.« less

On the factors affecting porosity dissolution in selective laser sintering process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ly, H.-B.; Monteiro, E.; Dal, M.; Regnier, G.

2018-05-01

Selective Laser Sintering process is one of the additive manufacturing techniques in which parts are manufactured layer by layer. During such process, gas bubbles are formed in the melted polymer due to faster polymer grains coalescence at surface than deeper in the powder bed. Although gas diffusion is possible through the polymer melt, it's usual that some porosities remain in the final part if their initial sizes are too big and solidification time too short. In this contribution, a bubble dissolution model involving fluid dynamics and mass transport has been developed to study factors affecting porosity resorption kinetic. In this model, gas diffusion follows Fick's laws and the melted polymer is supposed Newtonian. At the polymer/gas interface, surface tension is considered and Henry's law is used to relate the partial pressure of gas with its concentration in the fluid. This problem is solved numerically by means of the finite element method in 1D. After validation of the numerical tool, the influence on dissolution time of several parameters (e.g. the initial size and form of gas porosities, the viscosity, the diffusion coefficient, the surface tension constant or the ambient pressure) has been examined.

Mechanical and microstructural characterization of W–Cu FGM fabricated by one-step sintering method through PM route

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gupta, Rajat; Kumar, Rohit; Chaubey, A. K.; Kanpara, Shailesh; Khirwadkar, S. S.

2018-03-01

Five layer W-Cu functionally graded material (FGM) for components in nuclear fusion application was fabricated by a one-step resistance sintering process, known as spark plasma sintering (SPS). In this study effect of sintering temperature (Ts) on physical, mechanical and surface property was investigated. Detailed microstructural study revealed that the graded structure of the composite layers with varying composition from 0 to 100 wt% W and Cu in opposite directions could be well densified after the SPS process. It also indicates that the fine microstructure within functionally graded layers can be maintained because of short sintering time. The sample sintered at 1050°C shows more than 90% theoretical density, hardness greater than 239±5 Hv and excellent surface scratch resistance. The result demonstrates that SPS is promising and more suitable process for fabrication of W-Cu FGM.

Effect of temperature on porosity of iron ore sinter with biochar derived from EFB

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Purwanto, H.; Rozhan, A. N.; Zakiyuddin, A.; Mohamad, A. S.

2018-01-01

In this research, the replacement of fossil fuel energy (coke) with oil palm empty fruit bunch as a potential energy in sintering of iron ore was investigated. Carbon derived biomass has been produced by using oil palm empty fruit bunch by heat treatment process. In the present investigation, sintering process was carried out by heating the mixed iron ore and biochar at various temperatures. The apparent density and porosity for iron sinter show a significant increase and gradual decrement as the temperature increase, respectively. The porosity of iron sinter shows a gradual decrement from 950 °C to 1050 °C but up to 1150 °C it shows a significant decrement about 44%. Inferring to the micrograph, the agglomeration and assimilation of sinter at high temperature is better compared with low sintering temperature.

Reflow-oven-processing of pressureless sintered-silver interconnects

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wereszczak, Andrew A.; Chen, Branndon R.; Oistad, Brian A.

Here, a method was developed to pressurelessly fabricate strong and consistent sinterable-silver joints or interconnects using reflow oven heating. Circular sinterable-silver interconnects, having nominal diameter of 5 mm and 0.1 mm thickness were stencil printed, contact-dried, and then pressurelessly sinter-bonded to Au-plated direct copper bonded ceramic substrates at 250 °C in ambient air. That sintering was done in either a reflow oven or a convective oven (latter being a conventional heating source for processing sinterable-silver). Consistently strong (>40 MPa) interconnects were produced with reflow oven heating and were as strong as those produced with convective oven heating. This is significantmore » because reflow oven technology affords better potential for continuous mass production and it was shown that strong sintered-silver bonds can indeed be achieved with its use.« less

Reflow-oven-processing of pressureless sintered-silver interconnects

DOE PAGES

Wereszczak, Andrew A.; Chen, Branndon R.; Oistad, Brian A.

2018-01-04

Here, a method was developed to pressurelessly fabricate strong and consistent sinterable-silver joints or interconnects using reflow oven heating. Circular sinterable-silver interconnects, having nominal diameter of 5 mm and 0.1 mm thickness were stencil printed, contact-dried, and then pressurelessly sinter-bonded to Au-plated direct copper bonded ceramic substrates at 250 °C in ambient air. That sintering was done in either a reflow oven or a convective oven (latter being a conventional heating source for processing sinterable-silver). Consistently strong (>40 MPa) interconnects were produced with reflow oven heating and were as strong as those produced with convective oven heating. This is significantmore » because reflow oven technology affords better potential for continuous mass production and it was shown that strong sintered-silver bonds can indeed be achieved with its use.« less

Sintering Behavior of Spark Plasma Sintered SiC with Si-SiC Composite Nanoparticles Prepared by Thermal DC Plasma Process.

PubMed

Yu, Yeon-Tae; Naik, Gautam Kumar; Lim, Young-Bin; Yoon, Jeong-Mo

2017-11-25

The Si-coated SiC (Si-SiC) composite nanoparticle was prepared by non-transferred arc thermal plasma processing of solid-state synthesized SiC powder and was used as a sintering additive for SiC ceramic formation. Sintered SiC pellet was prepared by spark plasma sintering (SPS) process, and the effect of nano-sized Si-SiC composite particles on the sintering behavior of micron-sized SiC powder was investigated. The mixing ratio of Si-SiC composite nanoparticle to micron-sized SiC was optimized to 10 wt%. Vicker's hardness and relative density was increased with increasing sintering temperature and holding time. The relative density and Vicker's hardness was further increased by reaction bonding using additional activated carbon to the mixture of micron-sized SiC and nano-sized Si-SiC. The maximum relative density (97.1%) and Vicker's hardness (31.4 GPa) were recorded at 1800 °C sintering temperature for 1 min holding time, when 0.2 wt% additional activated carbon was added to the mixture of SiC/Si-SiC.

Densification behavior, nanocrystallization, and mechanical properties of spark plasma sintered Fe-based bulk amorphous alloys

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Singh, Ashish Kumar

Fe-based amorphous alloys are gaining increasing attention due to their exceptional wear and corrosion resistance for potential structural applications. Two major challenges that are hindering the commercialization of these amorphous alloys are difficulty in processing of bulk shapes (diameter > 10 mm) and lack of ductility. Spark plasma sintering (SPS) is evolving as a promising technique for processing bulk shapes of amorphous and nanocrystalline materials. The objective of this work is to investigate densification behavior, nanocrystallization, and mechanical properties of SPS sintered Fe-based amorphous alloys of composition Fe48Cr15Mo14Y2C15B6. SPS processing was performed in three distinct temperature ranges of amorphous alloys: (a) below glass transition temperature (Tg), (b) between Tg and crystallization temperature (Tx), and (c) above Tx. Punch displacement data obtained during SPS sintering was correlated with the SPS processing parameters such as temperature, pressure, and sintering time. Powder rearrangement, plastic deformation below T g, and viscous flow of the material between Tg and Tx were observed as the main densification stages during SPS sintering. Micro-scale temperature distributions at the point of contact and macro-scale temperature distribution throughout the sample during SPS of amorphous alloys were modeled. The bulk amorphous alloys are expected to undergo structural relaxation and nanocrystallization during SPS sintering. X-ray diffraction (XRD), small angle neutron scattering (SANS), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) was performed to investigate the evolution of nanocrystallites in SPS sintered Fe-based bulk amorphous alloys. The SANS analysis showed significant scattering for the samples sintered in the supercooled region indicating local structural and compositional changes with the profuse nucleation of nano-clusters (~4 nm). Compression tests and microhardness were performed on the samples sintered at different temperatures ranging from 570 °C to 800 °C. Maximum compression strength (1.1+/-0.2 MPa) was obtained for the samples sintered in the supercooled region. Effects of crystallization on tribological behavior of sintered samples were also investigated where crystallization resulted in increase in wear resistance. Laser surface hardening of SPS sintered amorphous samples were performed. Depending on the processing parameters, the laser surface irradiation causes structural relaxation and nanocrystallization, resulting in surface hardening.

Development of a sintering process for recycling oil shale fly ash and municipal solid waste incineration bottom ash into glass ceramic composite.

PubMed

Zhang, Zhikun; Zhang, Lei; Li, Aimin

2015-04-01

Oil shale fly ash and municipal solid waste incineration bottom ash are industrial and municipal by-products that require further treatment before disposal to avoid polluting the environment. In the study, they were mixed and vitrified into the slag by the melt-quench process. The obtained vitrified slag was then mixed with various percentages of oil shale fly ash and converted into glass ceramic composites by the subsequent sintering process. Differential thermal analysis was used to study the thermal characteristics and determine the sintering temperatures. X-ray diffraction analysis was used to analyze the crystalline phase compositions. Sintering shrinkage, weight loss on ignition, density and compressive strength were tested to determine the optimum preparation condition and study the co-sintering mechanism of vitrified amorphous slag and oil shale fly ash. The results showed the product performances increased with the increase of sintering temperatures and the proportion of vitrified slag to oil shale fly ash. Glass ceramic composite (vitrified slag content of 80%, oil shale fly ash content of 20%, sintering temperature of 1000 °C and sintering time of 2h) showed the properties of density of 1.92 ± 0.05 g/cm(3), weight loss on ignition of 6.14 ± 0.18%, sintering shrinkage of 22.06 ± 0.6% and compressive strength of 67 ± 14 MPa. The results indicated that it was a comparable waste-based material compared to previous researches. In particular, the energy consumption in the production process was reduced compared to conventional vitrification and sintering method. Chemical resistance and heavy metals leaching results of glass ceramic composites further confirmed the possibility of its engineering applications. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Stress-dislocation interaction mechanism in low-temperature thermo-compression sintering of Ag NPs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Fuliang; Tang, Zikai; He, Hu

2018-04-01

The sintering of metal nanoparticles (NPs) has been widely studied in the field of nanotechnology, and low-temperature sintering has become the industry standard. In this study, a molecular dynamics (MD) model was established to study the sintering behaviour of silver NPs during low-temperature thermo-compression. Primarily, we studied the sintering process, in which the ratio of neck radius to particle radius (x/r) changes. Under a uniaxial pressure, the maximum ratio in the temperature range 420-425 K was 1. According to the change of x/r, the process can be broken down into three stages: the neck-formation stage, neck-growth stage, and neck-stability stage. In addition, the relationship between potential energy, internal stress, and dislocation density during sintering is discussed. The results showed that cycling internal stress played an important role in sintering. Under the uniaxial pressure, the stress-dislocation interaction was found to be the major mechanism for thermo-compression sintering because the plastic deformation product dislocation intensified the diffusion of atoms. Also, the displacement vector, the mean square displacement, and the changing crystal structure during sintering were studied.

Effect of surface oxide films on the properties of pulse electric-current sintered metal powders

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xie, Guoqiang; Ohashi, Osamu; Yamaguchi, Norio; Wang, Airu

2003-11-01

Metallic powders with various thermodynamic stability oxide films (Ag, Cu, and Al powders) were sintered using a pulse electric-current sintering (PECS) process. Behavior of oxide films at powder surfaces and their effect on the sintering properties were investigated. The results showed that the sintering properties of metallic powders in the PECS process were subject to the thermodynamic stability of oxide films at particles surfaces. The oxide films at Ag powder surfaces are decomposed during sintering with the contact region between the particles being metal/metal bond. The oxide films at Cu powder surfaces are mainly broken via loading pressure at a low sintering temperature. At a high sintering temperature, they are mainly dissolved in the parent metal, and the contact regions turn into the direct metal/metal bonding. Excellent sintering properties can be received. The oxide films at Al powder surfaces are very stable, and cannot be decomposed and dissolved, but broken by plastic deformation of particles under loading pressure at experimental temperatures. The interface between particles is partially bonded via the direct metal/metal bonding making it difficult to achieve good sintered properties.

Enhanced thermal conductivity of uranium dioxide-silicon carbide composite fuel pellets prepared by Spark Plasma Sintering (SPS)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yeo, S.; Mckenna, E.; Baney, R.; Subhash, G.; Tulenko, J.

2013-02-01

Uranium dioxide (UO2)-10 vol% silicon carbide (SiC) composite fuel pellets were produced by oxidative sintering and Spark Plasma Sintering (SPS) at a range of temperatures from 1400 to 1600 °C. Both SiC whiskers and SiC powder particles were utilized. Oxidative sintering was employed over 4 h and the SPS sintering was employed only for 5 min at the highest hold temperature. It was noted that composite pellets sintered by SPS process revealed smaller grain size, reduced formation of chemical products, higher density, and enhanced interfacial contact compared to the pellets made by oxidative sintering. For given volume of SiC, the pellets with powder particles yielded a smaller grain size than pellets with SiC whiskers. Finally thermal conductivity measurements at 100 °C, 500 °C, and 900 °C revealed that SPS sintered UO2-SiC composites exhibited an increase of up to 62% in thermal conductivity compared to UO2 pellets, while the oxidative sintered composite pellets revealed significantly inferior thermal conductivity values. The current study points to the improved processing capabilities of SPS compared to oxidative sintering of UO2-SiC composites.

Borax as flux on sintering of iron Ancor Steel 1000® under glow discharge

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ariza Suarez, H. G.; Sarmiento Santos, A.; Ortiz Otálora, C. A.

2016-02-01

This work studies the flux effect of borax (di sodium tetraborate decahydrate) on sintering of iron Ancor Steel 1000® in abnormal glow discharge. The incidence of the percentage by weight of borax and the sintering temperature in the process were observed. Samples of powder metallurgical iron were prepared with proportions of 0.50%, 2.0%, 4.0% and 6.0% by weight of borax using the procedures of powder metallurgy. The samples were sintered at 800 and 1100°C for 30min, by glow discharge at low pressure in a reducing atmosphere composed of 20% H2+80% Ar. The samples in compact green-state were analyzed by TGA-DSC to determine the fusion process and mass loss during sintering. The analysis of microhardness and density, shows that at a sintering temperature of 800°C the sample density decreases and the sample microhardness increases with respect to sintered samples without borax. Sintered samples were analysed by DRX showing the absence of precipitates.

Effect of vanadium carbide on dry sliding wear behavior of powder metallurgy AISI M2 high speed steel processed by concentrated solar energy

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

García, C.

Mixtures of AISI M2 high speed steel and vanadium carbide (3, 6 or 10 wt.%) were prepared by powder metallurgy and sintered by concentrated solar energy (CSE). Two different powerful solar furnaces were employed to sinter the parts and the results were compared with those obtained by conventional powder metallurgy using a tubular electric furnace. CSE allowed significant reduction of processing times and high heating rates. The wear resistance of compacts was studied by using rotating pin-on-disk and linearly reciprocating ball-on-flat methods. Wear mechanisms were investigated by means of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) observations and chemical inspections of the microstructuresmore » of the samples. Better wear properties than those obtained by conventional powder metallurgy were achieved. The refinement of the microstructure and the formation of carbonitrides were the reasons for this. - Highlights: •Powder metallurgy of mixtures of M2 high speed steel and VC are studied. •Some sintering is done by concentrated solar energy. •Rotating pin-on-disk and linearly reciprocating ball-on-flat methods are used. •The tribological properties and wear mechanisms, under dry sliding, are studied.« less

Estimation of Sintering Kinetics of Oxidized Magnetite Pellet Using Optical Dilatometer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sandeep Kumar, T. K.; Viswanathan, Neelakantan Nurni; Ahmed, Hesham M.; Andersson, Charlotte; Björkman, Bo

2015-04-01

The quality of magnetite pellet is primarily determined by the physico-chemical changes the pellet undergoes as it makes excursion through the gaseous and thermal environment in the induration furnace. Among these physico-chemical processes, the oxidation of magnetite phase and the sintering of oxidized magnetite (hematite) and magnetite (non-oxidized) phases are vital. Rates of these processes not only depend on the thermal and gaseous environment the pellet gets exposed in the induration reactor but also interdependent on each other. Therefore, a systematic study should involve understanding these processes in isolation to the extent possible and quantify them seeking the physics. With this motivation, the present paper focusses on investigating the sintering kinetics of oxidized magnetite pellet. For the current investigation, sintering experiments were carried out on pellets containing more than 95 pct magnetite concentrate from LKAB's mine, dried and oxidized to completion at sufficiently low temperature to avoid sintering. The sintering behavior of this oxidized pellet is quantified through shrinkage captured by Optical Dilatometer. The extent of sintering characterized by sintering ratio found to follow a power law with time i.e., Kt n . The rate constant K for sintering was determined for different temperatures from isothermal experiments. The rate constant, K, varies with temperature as and the activation energy ( Q) and reaction rate constant ( K') are estimated. Further, the sintering kinetic equation was also extended to a non-isothermal environment and validated using laboratory experiments.

[Application of sintered Ti powder to dental prostheses].

PubMed

Hikosaka, Tatsuya; Tanaka, Yoshinobu; Hoshiai, Kazumoto; Kanazawa, Takeshi; Nakamura, Yoshinori; Tsuda, Kenji; Ohasi, Hideya

2005-04-01

Powder metallurgy is a metal processing technology. Porous titanium produced from powder is widely used. The method is applied to titanium, which is not easy to cast as it sinters under melting point. In prosthetic dentistry, powder metallurgy can be applied to high fusing metal that is biocompatible. In this study, we examined the mechanical characteristics of the Ti sheet produced by sintering and discussed its application to dental prosthesis manufacturing. Ti sheets of 1-mm thickness, in which a binder was added to spherical Ti powder, were produced with the Doctor Blade Method. The sintering was carried out between 900-1150 degrees C at 6 temperatures. The sintered compact was evaluated by dimensional change rate, hardness test, bending strength, tensile strength and SEM observation. Another compact was sintered on the refractory cast. Mechanical strength significantly increased with sintering temperature. In addition, excellent mechanical strength was acquired by adding crushed powder and performing the de-binder process. In the sintering on the refractory cast, pre-baking for more than 100 minutes and sintering at over 1050 degrees C was needed for practical application. It thus seems possible to apply sintered titanium to dental prostheses. However, it will be necessary to examine the control of the shrinkage of the sintered compact in the future too.

Accelerated sintering in phase-separating nanostructured alloys

PubMed Central

Park, Mansoo; Schuh, Christopher A.

2015-01-01

Sintering of powders is a common means of producing bulk materials when melt casting is impossible or does not achieve a desired microstructure, and has long been pursued for nanocrystalline materials in particular. Acceleration of sintering is desirable to lower processing temperatures and times, and thus to limit undesirable microstructure evolution. Here we show that markedly enhanced sintering is possible in some nanocrystalline alloys. In a nanostructured W–Cr alloy, sintering sets on at a very low temperature that is commensurate with phase separation to form a Cr-rich phase with a nanoscale arrangement that supports rapid diffusional transport. The method permits bulk full density specimens with nanoscale grains, produced during a sintering cycle involving no applied stress. We further show that such accelerated sintering can be evoked by design in other nanocrystalline alloys, opening the door to a variety of nanostructured bulk materials processed in arbitrary shapes from powder inputs. PMID:25901420

Ice sintering timescales at the surface of Europa and implications for surface properties

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Phillips, C. B.; Molaro, J.; Meirion-Griffith, G.

2017-12-01

The planned exploration of Europa by NASA's Europa Clipper Mission and the possibility of a future Europa lander have driven the need to characterize its surface strength, roughness, porosity, thermal conductivity, and regolith depth in order to accurately interpret remote sensing data and develop appropriate spacecraft landing systems. Many processes contribute to Europa's landscape evolution, such as sputtering, mass wasting, thermal segregation, and impact gardening, driving the creation and distribution of icy regolith across the surface. While the efficacy of these processes are not well constrained, any amount of regolith emplaced at the surface will undergo subsequent processing due to sintering. Ice sintering is a form of frost metamorphism whereby contacting ice grains experience the diffusion of material into their contact region, forming a "neck" between them and densifying over time. Over long enough timescales, ice aggregates will sinter into solid material, which may contribute to the incorporation of non-ice material into Europa's subsurface and help to drive subsurface chemistry. Sintering also interacts with other processes, adding to the complexity of icy surface evolution. For example, sputtering preferentially removes larger grains and may enhance sintering rates, and changes in ice porosity may affect the response of the surface to micrometeorite impacts. Quantifying the effects of ice sintering will allow us to predict the microstructural properties of Europa's surface at spacecraft scales. To this end, we have modeled pressure-less (no overburden) sintering of spherical water-ice grains and validated the results with a laboratory experiment. We also modeled ice at the surface of Europa to obtain a first-order approximation of the sintering timescale and surface properties. Preliminary results indicate that ice grains will experience neck growth but not significant densification over Europa's surface age, suggesting that loose surface ice forms a weak and porous crust. Furthermore, our results suggest that existing models do not accurately quantify all stages of the sintering process for ice, emphasizing the need for more laboratory studies on this topic.

Optimization of Sinter Plant Operating Conditions Using Advanced Multivariate Statistics: Intelligent Data Processing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fernández-González, Daniel; Martín-Duarte, Ramón; Ruiz-Bustinza, Íñigo; Mochón, Javier; González-Gasca, Carmen; Verdeja, Luis Felipe

2016-08-01

Blast furnace operators expect to get sinter with homogenous and regular properties (chemical and mechanical), necessary to ensure regular blast furnace operation. Blends for sintering also include several iron by-products and other wastes that are obtained in different processes inside the steelworks. Due to their source, the availability of such materials is not always consistent, but their total production should be consumed in the sintering process, to both save money and recycle wastes. The main scope of this paper is to obtain the least expensive iron ore blend for the sintering process, which will provide suitable chemical and mechanical features for the homogeneous and regular operation of the blast furnace. The systematic use of statistical tools was employed to analyze historical data, including linear and partial correlations applied to the data and fuzzy clustering based on the Sugeno Fuzzy Inference System to establish relationships among the available variables.

Sintering activation energy MoSi2-WSi2-Si3N4 ceramic

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Titov, D. D.; Lysenkov, A. S.; Kargin, Yu F.; Frolova, M. G.; Gorshkov, V. A.; Perevislov, S. N.

2018-04-01

The activation energy of sintering process was calculated based on dilatometric studies of shrinkage processes (Mo,W)Si2 + Si3N4 composite ceramic. (Mo,W)Si2 powders was obtained by solid-phase solutions of 70 wt% MoSi2 and 30 wt% WSi2 by SHS in the ISMAN RAS. The concentration rate Si3N4 was from 1 to 15 wt.%. The sintering was carried out to 1850°C in Ar atmosphere the heating rate of 5, 10, 12 and 15°C/min by the way of dilatometer tests. Based on the differential kinetic analysis method (Friedman’s method), the sintering process activation energy of (Mo,W)Si2 + Si3N4 were calculated. The two-stage sintering process and the dependence of the activation energy on the Si3N4 content was shown. Average value of 370 kJ/mol for Q was obtained.

Sintering of MSW fly ash for reuse as a concrete aggregate.

PubMed

Mangialardi, T

2001-10-12

The sintering process of municipal solid waste (MSW) fly ash was investigated in order to manufacture sintered products for reuse as concrete aggregates. Four types of fly ash resulting from different Italian MSW incineration plants were tested in this study. A modification of the chemical composition of MSW fly ash--through a preliminary four-stage washing treatment of this material with water--was attempted to improve the chemical and mechanical characteristics of sintered products.The sintering treatment of untreated or washed fly ash was performed on cylindrical compact specimens (15 mm in diameter and 20mm in height) at different compact pressures, sintering temperatures and times.The sintering process of untreated MSW fly ashes proved to be ineffective for manufacturing sintered products for reuse as a construction material, because of the adverse chemical characteristics of these fly ashes in terms of sulfate, chloride, and vitrifying oxide contents.A preliminary washing treatment of MSW fly ash with water greatly improved the chemical and mechanical characteristics of sintered products and, for all the types of fly ash tested, the sintered products satisfied the Italian requirements for normal weight aggregates for use in concretes having a specified strength not greater than 12 and 15N/mm(2), when measured on cylindrical and cubic specimens, respectively.A compact pressure of 28 N/mm(2), a sintering temperature of 1140 degrees C, and a sintering time of 60 min were the best operating conditions for manufacturing sintered products of washed MSW fly ash.

Radiation-Thermal Sintering of Zirconia Powder Compacts Under Conditions of Bilateral Heating Using Beams of Low-Energy Electrons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ghyngazov, S. A.; Frangulyan, T. S.; Chernyavskii, A. V.; Goreev, A. K.; Naiden, E. P.

2015-06-01

Comparative experiments on sintering zirconia ceramics are performed using colliding beams of low-energy electrons and under conditions of thermal heating. The density and microhardness of ceramic materials manufactured via different processes are determined. The use of a regime of bilateral heating by high-intensity,low-energy electron beams is shown to intensify the sintering process and yield material specimens with improved characteristics compared to those formed by thermal sintering.

Microgravity

NASA Image and Video Library

2004-04-15

Industry spends billions of dollars each year on machine tools to manufacture products out of metal. This includes tools for cutting every kind of metal part from engine blocks to Shuttle main engine components. Cutting tool tips often break because of weak spots or defects in their composition. Based on a new concept called defect trapping, space offers a novel environment to study defect formation in molten metal materials as they solidify. After the return of these materials from space, researchers can evaluate the source of the defect and seek ways to eliminate them in products prepared on Earth. A widely used process for cutting tip manufacturing is liquid phase sintering. Compared to Earth-sintered samples which slump due to buoyancy induced by gravity, space samples are uniformly shaped and defects remain where they are formed. By studying metals sintered in space the US tool industry can potentially enhance its worldwide competitiveness. The Consortium for Materials Development in Space along with Wyle Labs, Teledyne Advanced Materials, and McDornell Douglas have conducted experiments in space.

Effects of H2 Atmospheres on Sintering of Low Alloy Steels Containing Oxygen-Sensitive Masteralloys

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

de Oro Calderon, Raquel; Jaliliziyaeian, Maryam; Gierl-Mayer, Christian; Danninger, Herbert

2017-04-01

Processing of novel sintered steels with compositions including oxygen-sensitive elements requires deep understanding of the chemistry of sintering. The use of H2 atmospheres alleviates the oxygen transference from the base powder to the oxygen-sensitive particles. However, in H2, methane formation at 700-1200°C causes dramatic homogeneous decarburization of the part that affects both mechanical behavior and dimensional stability. The intensity and the critical temperatures of this effect depend strongly on the alloying elements, being significantly enhanced in presence of Si. When combining the alloying elements as Fe-Mn-Si masteralloys, methane formation is enhanced around 760°C due to the high Mn content (40 wt.%) in the masteralloys. Nevertheless, the benefits of H2 towards oxide reduction can still be advantageously used if diluting it in the form of N2-H2 atmospheres, or if limiting the use of H2 to temperatures below 500°C. Thus, decarburization due to methane formation can be successfully controlled.

Study of micropart fabrication via 17-4 PH stainless nanopowder injection molding.

PubMed

Tirta, Andy; Prasetyo, Yus; Baek, Eung-Ryul; Choi, Chul-Jin

2011-01-01

Micropart fabrication via 17-4 PH stainless nanopowder injection molding was investigated. The nanopowder was mixed with a binder that was based on wax to produce a feedstock composed of 45% powder and binder (the powder load). Initially, the fit and proper test was done before the micropart was made by making some bars of green samples, which the properties were examined after the sintering process. The examination involved the mechanical properties such as the porosity, hardness, and some of metallurgical aspects, such as the second-phase formation and the final compound after the sintering. The results showed that utilizing 17-4 PH stainless nanopowder is promising for micropart fabrication since it can form a nearly full-density sintered sample with a low porosity and good toughness, and can provide a smooth surface finish. After this, the investigations followed with the injection of the feedstock into the PDMS micromold that was formed by the nickel pattern from the X-Ray LIGA process. The green samples successfully produced a high-aspect-ratio sample with a thickness of up to 1 mm and an aspect ratio of 15 in the microchannel part. Then the green samples were sintered at 1,300 degrees C for 2 h, since from the initial test, they showed optimum parameters with nearly full density, low porosity, and a high degree of hardness. The research shows the excellent results of the application of the 17-4 PH stainless nanopowder to micropart fabrication.

Development of a sintering process for recycling oil shale fly ash and municipal solid waste incineration bottom ash into glass ceramic composite

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zhang, Zhikun; Zhang, Lei; Li, Aimin, E-mail: leeam@dlut.edu.cn

Highlights: • Glass ceramic composite is prepared from oil shale fly ash and MSWI bottom ash. • A novel method for the production of glass ceramic composite is presented. • It provides simple route and lower energy consumption in terms of recycling waste. • The vitrified slag can promote the sintering densification process of glass ceramic. • The performances of products decrease with the increase of oil shale fly ash content. - Abstract: Oil shale fly ash and municipal solid waste incineration bottom ash are industrial and municipal by-products that require further treatment before disposal to avoid polluting the environment.more » In the study, they were mixed and vitrified into the slag by the melt-quench process. The obtained vitrified slag was then mixed with various percentages of oil shale fly ash and converted into glass ceramic composites by the subsequent sintering process. Differential thermal analysis was used to study the thermal characteristics and determine the sintering temperatures. X-ray diffraction analysis was used to analyze the crystalline phase compositions. Sintering shrinkage, weight loss on ignition, density and compressive strength were tested to determine the optimum preparation condition and study the co-sintering mechanism of vitrified amorphous slag and oil shale fly ash. The results showed the product performances increased with the increase of sintering temperatures and the proportion of vitrified slag to oil shale fly ash. Glass ceramic composite (vitrified slag content of 80%, oil shale fly ash content of 20%, sintering temperature of 1000 °C and sintering time of 2 h) showed the properties of density of 1.92 ± 0.05 g/cm{sup 3}, weight loss on ignition of 6.14 ± 0.18%, sintering shrinkage of 22.06 ± 0.6% and compressive strength of 67 ± 14 MPa. The results indicated that it was a comparable waste-based material compared to previous researches. In particular, the energy consumption in the production process was reduced compared to conventional vitrification and sintering method. Chemical resistance and heavy metals leaching results of glass ceramic composites further confirmed the possibility of its engineering applications.« less

Hybrid processing and anisotropic sintering shrinkage in textured ZnO ceramics

PubMed Central

Keskinbora, Kahraman; Suzuki, Tohru S; Ozgur Ozer, I; Sakka, Yoshio; Suvaci, Ender

2010-01-01

We have studied the combined effects of the templated grain growth and magnetic alignment processes on sintering, anisotropic sintering shrinkage, microstructure development and texture in ZnO ceramics. Suspensions of 0–10 vol % ZnO template particles were slip cast in a 12 T rotating magnetic field. Sintering and texture characteristics were investigated via thermomechanical analysis and electron backscatter diffraction, respectively. Sintering as well as texture characteristics depend on template concentration. For the studied ZnO system, there is a critical template concentration (2 vol % in this study) above which densification is limited by the templates owing to constrained sintering. Below this limit, the densification is enhanced and the anisotropic shrinkage is reduced, which is attributed to densifying characteristics of the templates. PMID:27877373

Advanced Ceramic Technology for Space Applications at NASA MSFC

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Alim, Mohammad A.

2003-01-01

The ceramic processing technology using conventional methods is applied to the making of the state-of-the-art ceramics known as smart ceramics or intelligent ceramics or electroceramics. The sol-gel and wet chemical processing routes are excluded in this investigation considering economic aspect and proportionate benefit of the resulting product. The use of ceramic ingredients in making coatings or devices employing vacuum coating unit is also excluded in this investigation. Based on the present information it is anticipated that the conventional processing methods provide identical performing ceramics when compared to that processed by the chemical routes. This is possible when sintering temperature, heating and cooling ramps, peak temperature (sintering temperature), soak-time (hold-time), etc. are considered as variable parameters. In addition, optional calcination step prior to the sintering operation remains as a vital variable parameter. These variable parameters constitute a sintering profile to obtain a sintered product. Also it is possible to obtain identical products for more than one sintering profile attributing to the calcination step in conjunction with the variables of the sintering profile. Overall, the state-of-the-art ceramic technology is evaluated for potential thermal and electrical insulation coatings, microelectronics and integrated circuits, discrete and integrated devices, etc. applications in the space program.

Dental implant customization using numerical optimization design and 3-dimensional printing fabrication of zirconia ceramic.

PubMed

Cheng, Yung-Chang; Lin, Deng-Huei; Jiang, Cho-Pei; Lin, Yuan-Min

2017-05-01

This study proposes a new methodology for dental implant customization consisting of numerical geometric optimization and 3-dimensional printing fabrication of zirconia ceramic. In the numerical modeling, exogenous factors for implant shape include the thread pitch, thread depth, maximal diameter of implant neck, and body size. Endogenous factors are bone density, cortical bone thickness, and non-osseointegration. An integration procedure, including uniform design method, Kriging interpolation and genetic algorithm, is applied to optimize the geometry of dental implants. The threshold of minimal micromotion for optimization evaluation was 100 μm. The optimized model is imported to the 3-dimensional slurry printer to fabricate the zirconia green body (powder is bonded by polymer weakly) of the implant. The sintered implant is obtained using a 2-stage sintering process. Twelve models are constructed according to uniform design method and simulated the micromotion behavior using finite element modeling. The result of uniform design models yields a set of exogenous factors that can provide the minimal micromotion (30.61 μm), as a suitable model. Kriging interpolation and genetic algorithm modified the exogenous factor of the suitable model, resulting in 27.11 μm as an optimization model. Experimental results show that the 3-dimensional slurry printer successfully fabricated the green body of the optimization model, but the accuracy of sintered part still needs to be improved. In addition, the scanning electron microscopy morphology is a stabilized t-phase microstructure, and the average compressive strength of the sintered part is 632.1 MPa. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Effect of Sintering Temperature on Magnetic Core-Loss Properties of a NiCuZn Ferrite for High-Frequency Power Converters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yan, Yi; Ngo, Khai D. T.; Hou, Dongbin; Mu, Mingkai; Mei, Yunhui; Lu, Guo-Quan

2015-10-01

In an effort to find a magnetic material for making low-loss magnetic components for high-power-density converters, we investigated the magnetic core-loss characteristics of a commercial NiCuZn ferrite (LSF 50) at 5 MHz as a function of the sintering temperature of the ferrite powder. The ferrite powder was compacted into toroid cores and then sintered at 850°C, 900°C, 950°C, 1000°C, and 1050°C for 2 h. The sintered densities of the cores increased at higher sintering temperatures. The magnetic properties of the sintered cores—complex permeability and core-loss density—were measured. We found that both the real and imaginary parts of the relative permeability increased with sintering temperature. The core-loss results at 5 MHz showed that the cores sintered at 950°C and 1000°C had the lowest core-loss densities, being two to three times lower than that of a commercial NiZn ferrite (4F1) core. Microstructures of the sintered cores were examined by scanning electron microscopy; the grains grew significantly at higher sintering temperatures.

40 CFR Appendix Y to Part 51 - Guidelines for BART Determinations Under the Regional Haze Rule

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... establishing BART emission limitations for fossil-fuel fired power plants having a capacity in excess of 750...: (1) Fossil-fuel fired steam electric plants of more than 250 million British thermal units (BTU) per...) Sintering plants, (20) Secondary metal production facilities, (21) Chemical process plants, (22) Fossil-fuel...

40 CFR Appendix Y to Part 51 - Guidelines for BART Determinations Under the Regional Haze Rule

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... establishing BART emission limitations for fossil-fuel fired power plants having a capacity in excess of 750...: (1) Fossil-fuel fired steam electric plants of more than 250 million British thermal units (BTU) per...) Sintering plants, (20) Secondary metal production facilities, (21) Chemical process plants, (22) Fossil-fuel...

40 CFR Appendix Y to Part 51 - Guidelines for BART Determinations Under the Regional Haze Rule

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... establishing BART emission limitations for fossil-fuel fired power plants having a capacity in excess of 750...: (1) Fossil-fuel fired steam electric plants of more than 250 million British thermal units (BTU) per...) Sintering plants, (20) Secondary metal production facilities, (21) Chemical process plants, (22) Fossil-fuel...

40 CFR Appendix Y to Part 51 - Guidelines for BART Determinations Under the Regional Haze Rule

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... establishing BART emission limitations for fossil-fuel fired power plants having a capacity in excess of 750...: (1) Fossil-fuel fired steam electric plants of more than 250 million British thermal units (BTU) per...) Sintering plants, (20) Secondary metal production facilities, (21) Chemical process plants, (22) Fossil-fuel...

40 CFR Appendix Y to Part 51 - Guidelines for BART Determinations Under the Regional Haze Rule

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... establishing BART emission limitations for fossil-fuel fired power plants having a capacity in excess of 750...: (1) Fossil-fuel fired steam electric plants of more than 250 million British thermal units (BTU) per...) Sintering plants, (20) Secondary metal production facilities, (21) Chemical process plants, (22) Fossil-fuel...

Effects of the addition of municipal solid waste incineration fly ash on the behavior of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and furans in the iron ore sintering process.

PubMed

Min, Yi; Liu, Chengjun; Shi, Peiyang; Qin, Chongda; Feng, Yutao; Liu, Baichen

2018-04-11

Raw materials were co-sintered with municipal solid waste incineration (MSWI) fly ash through iron ore sintering to promote the safe treatment and utilization of MSWI fly ash. To assess the feasibility of this co-sintering method, in this study, the effects of the addition of MSWI fly ash on the formation and emission of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and furans (PCDD/Fs) were estimated via iron ore sintering pot experiments. During co-sintering, most of the PCDD/Fs in the added MSWI fly ash were decomposed and transformed into PCDD/Fs associated with iron sintering, and the concentrations of lower- and mid-chlorinated congeners increased. As there was a sufficient chlorine source and the sintering bed permeability was decreased by the addition of MSWI fly ash, the PCDD/F concentration in the exhaust gas increased. The mass emission of PCDD/Fs decreased; however, the emission of toxic PCDD/Fs increased beyond the total emissions from the independent MSW incineration and iron ore sintering processes due to the transformation of PCDD/F congeners. The co-sintering may be an important solution after technological improvements in the flue gas cleaning system and PCDD/F formation inhibition procedures. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Formation of microporous NiTi by transient liquid phase sintering of elemental powders.

PubMed

Ismail, Muhammad Hussain; Goodall, Russell; Davies, Hywel A; Todd, Iain

2012-08-01

Porous metallic structures are attractive for biomedical implant applications as their open porosity simultaneously improves the degree of fixation and decreases the mismatch in stiffness between bone and implant, improving bonding and reducing stress-shielding effects respectively. NiTi alloys exhibit both the shape memory effect and pseudoelasticity, and are of particular interest, though they pose substantial problems in their processing. This is because the shape memory and pseudoelastic behaviours are exceptionally sensitive to the presence of oxygen, and other minor changes in alloy chemistry. Thus in processing careful control of composition and contamination is vital. In this communication, we investigate these issues in a novel technique for producing porous NiTi parts via transient liquid phase sintering following metal injection moulding (MIM) of elemental Ni and Ti powders, and report a new mechanism for pore formation in the powder processing of metallic materials from elemental powders. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Thermal barrier coating resistant to sintering

DOEpatents

Subramanian, Ramesh; Seth, Brig B.

2005-08-23

A device (10) is made, having a ceramic thermal barrier coating layer (16) characterized by a microstructure having gaps (18) with a sintering inhibiting material (22) disposed on the columns (20) within the gaps (18). The sintering resistant material (22) is stable over the range of operating temperatures of the device (10), is not soluble with the underlying ceramic layer (16) and is applied by a process that is not an electron beam physical vapor deposition process. The sintering inhibiting material (22) has a morphology adapted to improve the functionality of the sintering inhibiting material (22), characterized as continuous, nodule, rivulet, grain, crack, flake and combinations thereof and being disposed within at least some of the vertical and horizontal gaps.

Method of forming and assembly of metal parts and ceramic parts

DOEpatents

Ripley, Edward B [Knoxville, TN

2011-11-22

A method of forming and assembling at least two parts together that may be metal, ceramic, or a combination of metal and ceramic parts. Such parts may have different CTE. Individual parts that are formed and sintered from particles leave a network of interconnecting porosity in each sintered part. The separate parts are assembled together and then a fill material is infiltrated into the assembled parts using a method such as capillary action, gravity, and/or pressure. The assembly is then cured to yield a bonded and fully or near-fully dense part that has the desired physical and mechanical properties for the part's intended purpose. Structural strength may be added to the parts by the inclusion of fibrous materials.

Si-Ca species modification and microwave sintering for NiZn ferrites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Yin-Ju; Sheu, Ching-Iuan; Cheng, Syh-Yuh; Chang, Horng-Yi

2004-12-01

NiZn ferrite particles were precoated with Si-Ca precursor by sol-gel method. Thus convention-sintered particles exhibited small grain size about 2 μm and lowered magnetic permeability as well as increased coercive magnetic field effectively. Microwave sintering could suppress grain growth as the same result of conventional sintering specimens with SiO2-CaO precoating. In microwave process, the grain growth inhibition expressed more obviously for the SiO2-CaO precoated specimens. The magnetic permeability (∼300) after SiO2-CaO precoating became lower than original ferrite (∼800) without SiO2-CaO precoating in conventional sintering. However, the magnetic permeability was lowered no matter whether SiO2-CaO precoating in microwave process. On the other hand, microwave sintering possessed short processing time, for example, 1250 °C/5 min, to prohibit ZnO volatilization in accompanied with grain size reduction. Therefore, such contribution increased resistivity to about 12×106 Ω cm compared to 3×106 Ω cm of original NiZn ferrite. The large coercive magnetic field (Hc) was ascribed to the superposition of small grain size and stress induced by microwave sintering.

Experimental and Numerical Analysis of Injection Molding of Ti-6Al-4V Powders for High-Performance Titanium Parts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lin, Dongguo; Kang, Tae Gon; Han, Jun Sae; Park, Seong Jin; Chung, Seong Taek; Kwon, Young-Sam

2018-02-01

Both experimental and numerical analysis of powder injection molding (PIM) of Ti-6Al-4V alloy were performed to prepare a defect-free high-performance Ti-6Al-4V part with low carbon/oxygen contents. The prepared feedstock was characterized with specific experiments to identify its viscosity, pressure-volume-temperature and thermal properties to simulate its injection molding process. A finite-element-based numerical scheme was employed to simulate the thermomechanical process during the injection molding. In addition, the injection molding, debinding, sintering and hot isostatic pressing processes were performed in sequence to prepare the PIMed parts. With optimized processing conditions, the PIMed Ti-6Al-4V part exhibits excellent physical and mechanical properties, showing a final density of 99.8%, tensile strength of 973 MPa and elongation of 16%.

Rheological changes of polyamide 12 under oscillatory shear

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mielicki, C.; Gronhoff, B.; Wortberg, J.

2014-05-01

Changes in material properties as well as process deviation prevent Laser Sintering (LS) technology from manufacturing of quality assured parts in a series production. In this context, the viscosity of Polyamide 12 (PA12) is assumed to possess the most significant influence, as it determines the sintering velocity, the resistance towards melt formation and the bonding strength of sintered layers. Moreover, the viscosity is directly related to the structure of the molten polymer. In particular, it has been recently reported that LS process conditions lead to structural changes of PA12 affecting viscosity and coalescence of adjacent polymer particles, i.e. melt formation significantly. Structural change of PA12 was understood as a post condensation. Its influence on viscosity was described by a time and temperature depending rheological model whereas time dependence was considered by a novel structural change shift factor which was derived from melt volume rate data. In combination with process data that was recorded using online thermal imaging, the model is suitable to control the viscosity (processability of the material) as result of material and process properties. However, as soon as laser energy is exposed to the powder bed PA12 undergoes a phase transition from solid to molten state. Above the melting point, structural change is expected to occur faster due to a higher kinetic energy and free volume of the molten polymer. Oscillatory shear results were used to study the influence of aging time and for validation of the novel structural change shift factor and its model parameters which were calibrated based on LS processing condition.

Pyrometallurgical Recovery of Platinum Group Metals from Spent Catalysts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peng, Zhiwei; Li, Zhizhong; Lin, Xiaolong; Tang, Huimin; Ye, Lei; Ma, Yutian; Rao, Mingjun; Zhang, Yuanbo; Li, Guanghui; Jiang, Tao

2017-09-01

As an important secondary resource with abundant platinum group metals (PGMs), spent catalysts demand recycling for both economic and environmental benefits. This article reviews the main pyrometallurgical processes for PGM recovery from spent catalysts. Existing processes, including smelting, vaporization, and sintering processes, are discussed based in part on a review of the physiochemical characteristics of PGMs in spent catalysts. The smelting technology, which produces a PGM-containing alloy, is significantly influenced by the addition of various collectors, such as lead, copper, iron, matte, or printed circuit board (PCB), considering their chemical affinities for PGMs. The vaporization process can recover PGMs in vapor form at low temperatures (250-700°C), but it suffers high corrosion and potential environmental and health risks as a result of involvement of the hazardous gases, mainly Cl2 and CO. The sintering process serves as a reforming means for recycling of the spent catalysts by in situ reduction of their oxidized PGMs components. Among these processes, the smelting process seems more promising although its overall performance can be further improved by seeking a suitable target-oriented collector and flux, together with proper pretreatment and process intensification using an external field.

Method of forming and assembly of metal and ceramic parts

DOEpatents

Ripley, Edward B

2014-04-22

A method of forming and assembling at least two parts together that may be metal, ceramic, or a combination of metal and ceramic parts. Such parts may have different CTE. Individual parts that are formed and sintered from particles leave a network of interconnecting porosity in each sintered part. The separate parts are assembled together and then a fill material is infiltrated into the assembled parts using a method such as capillary action, gravity, and/or pressure. The assembly is then cured to yield a bonded and fully or near-fully dense part that has the desired physical and mechanical properties for the part's intended purpose. Structural strength may be added to the parts by the inclusion of fibrous materials.

Application of the Zero-Order Reaction Rate Model and Transition State Theory to predict porous Ti6Al4V bending strength.

PubMed

Reig, L; Amigó, V; Busquets, D; Calero, J A; Ortiz, J L

2012-08-01

Porous Ti6Al4V samples were produced by microsphere sintering. The Zero-Order Reaction Rate Model and Transition State Theory were used to model the sintering process and to estimate the bending strength of the porous samples developed. The evolution of the surface area during the sintering process was used to obtain sintering parameters (sintering constant, activation energy, frequency factor, constant of activation and Gibbs energy of activation). These were then correlated with the bending strength in order to obtain a simple model with which to estimate the evolution of the bending strength of the samples when the sintering temperature and time are modified: σY=P+B·[lnT·t-ΔGa/R·T]. Although the sintering parameters were obtained only for the microsphere sizes analysed here, the strength of intermediate sizes could easily be estimated following this model. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Processing and Characterization of Porous Ti2AlC with Controlled Porosity and Pore Size

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-09-11

fabricated by spark plasma sintering , were also characterized. The effects of porosity and/or pore size on the room temperature elastic moduli...pressureless- sintered without NaCl pore former, or fabricated by spark plasma sintering , were also characterized. The effects of porosity and/or pore size...as well as several samples sintered using spark plasma sintering (SPS). Furthermore, we demon- strate that the developed methodology can be implemented

The effect of aging treatment on the fracture toughness and impact strength of injection molded Ni-625 superalloy parts

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Özgün, Özgür, E-mail: oozgun@bingol.edu.tr; Yılmaz, Ramazan; Özkan Gülsoy, H.

In this study, the effect of aging heat treatment on fracture toughness and impact strength of Ni-625 superalloy fabricated by using powder injection molding (PIM) method was examined. After a feedstock was prepared by mixing the prealloyed Ni-625 superalloy powder, which was fabricated by gas atomisation, with a polymeric binder system and then it was granulated, it was shaped through the use of injection. The molded specimens were sintered at 1300 °C for 3 h after a two-stage debinding process. Once the sintered specimens were treated in the solution at 1150 °C for 2 h, they were quenched. Aging treatmentmore » was performed by keeping specimens at 745 °C for 22 h. Fracture toughness and impact tests were performed on sintered and aged specimens. Microstructure examinations were performed by using optical microscope, scanning electron microscope, and transmission electron microscope. The results revealed that aging heat treatment led to the formation of some carbides and intermetallic phases in the microstructure. While the hardness of the aged specimens increased due to these phases, their fracture toughness and impact strength values decreased. - Highlights: • Ni-625 superalloy components were produced by means of powder injection molding. • The produced components were subjected to aging treatment. • Aging process provided approximately 50% increase in the hardness of components. • Intermetallic precipitates, carbides and TCP phases occurred within the aged parts. • Fracture toughness and impact strength values decreased due to the hard phases.« less

Combined Inkjet Printing and Infrared Sintering of Silver Nanoparticles using a Swathe-by-Swathe and Layer-by-Layer Approach for 3-Dimensional Structures.

PubMed

Vaithilingam, Jayasheelan; Simonelli, Marco; Saleh, Ehab; Senin, Nicola; Wildman, Ricky D; Hague, Richard J M; Leach, Richard K; Tuck, Christopher J

2017-02-22

Despite the advancement of additive manufacturing (AM)/3-dimensional (3D) printing, single-step fabrication of multifunctional parts using AM is limited. With the view of enabling multifunctional AM (MFAM), in this study, sintering of metal nanoparticles was performed to obtain conductivity for continuous line inkjet printing of electronics. This was achieved using a bespoke three-dimensional (3D) inkjet-printing machine, JETx, capable of printing a range of materials and utilizing different post processing procedures to print multilayered 3D structures in a single manufacturing step. Multiple layers of silver were printed from an ink containing silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) and infrared sintered using a swathe-by-swathe (SS) and layer-by-layer sintering (LS) regime. The differences in the heat profile for the SS and LS was observed to influence the coalescence of the AgNPs. Void percentage of both SS and LS samples was higher toward the top layer than the bottom layer due to relatively less IR exposure in the top than the bottom. The results depicted a homogeneous microstructure for LS of AgNPs and showed less deformation compared to the SS. Electrical resistivity of the LS tracks (13.6 ± 1 μΩ cm) was lower than the SS tracks (22.5 ± 1 μΩ cm). This study recommends the use of LS method to sinter the AgNPs to obtain a conductive track in 25% less time than SS method for MFAM.

New Bond Coat Materials for Thermal Barrier Coating Systems Processed Via Different Routes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Soare, A.; Csaki, I.; Sohaciu, M.; Oprea, C.; Soare, S.; Costina, I.; Petrescu, M. I.

2017-06-01

This paper aims at describing the development of new Ru-based Bond Coats (BC) as part of Thermal Barrier Coatings. The challenge of this research was to obtain an adherent and uniform layer of alumina protective layer after high temperature exposure. We have prepared a RuAl 50/50 at% alloy in an induction furnace which was subsequently subjected to oxidation in an electric furnace, in air, at 1100C, for 10h and 100h. Mechanical alloying of Ru and Al powders was another processing route used in an attempt to obtain a stoichiometric RuAl. The alloy was sintered by Spark Plasma Sintering (SPS) and then oxidized at 1100C for 1 and10h. The alloys obtained as such were analysed before and after oxidation using advanced microscopy techniques (SEM and TEM). The encouraging results in case of RuAl alloys prepared by induction melting reveal that we obtained an adherent and uniform layer of alumina, free of delta-Ru. The results for the samples processed by powder metallurgy were positive but need to be further investigated. We should note here the novelty of this method for this particular type of application - as a BC part of a TBC system.

Ice sintering timescales at the surface of Europa and implications for surface properties

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Molaro, Jamie; Phillips, Cynthia B.; Meirion-Griffith, Gareth

2017-10-01

The planned exploration of Europa by NASA’s Europa Clipper Mission and the possibility of a future Europa lander have driven the need to characterize its surface strength, roughness, porosity, thermal conductivity, and regolith depth in order to accurately interpret remote sensing data and develop appropriate spacecraft landing systems. Many processes contribute to Europa’s landscape evolution, such as sputtering, mass wasting, thermal segregation, and impact gardening, driving the creation and distribution of icy regolith across the surface. While the efficacy of these processes are not well constrained, any amount of regolith emplaced at the surface will undergo subsequent processing due to sintering. Ice sintering is a form of frost metamorphism whereby contacting ice grains experience the diffusion of material into their contact region, forming a “neck” between them and densifying over time. Over long enough timescales, ice aggregates will sinter into solid material, which may contribute to the incorporation of non-ice material into Europa’s subsurface and help to drive subsurface chemistry. Sintering also interacts with other processes, adding to the complexity of icy surface evolution. For example, sputtering preferentially removes larger grains and may enhance sintering rates, and changes in ice porosity may affect the response of the surface to micrometeorite impacts.Quantifying the effects of ice sintering will allow us to predict the microstructural properties of Europa’s surface at spacecraft scales. To this end, we have modeled pressure-less (no overburden) sintering of spherical water-ice grains and validated the results with a laboratory experiment. We also modeled ice at the surface of Europa to obtain a first-order approximation of the sintering timescale and surface properties. Preliminary results indicate that ice grains will experience neck growth but not significant densification over Europa’s surface age, suggesting that loose surface ice forms a weak and porous crust. Furthermore, our results suggest that existing models do not accurately quantify all stages of the sintering process for ice, emphasizing the need for more laboratory studies on this topic.

Comparison of residual stresses in Inconel 718 simple parts made by electron beam melting and direct laser metal sintering

DOE PAGES

Kolbus, Lindsay M.; Payzant, E. Andrew; Cornwell, Paris A.; ...

2015-01-10

Residual stress profiles were mapped using neutron diffraction in two simple prism builds of Inconel 718: one fabricated with electron beam melting and the other with direct laser sintering. Spatially indexed stress-free cubes were obtained by EDM sectioning equivalent prisms of similar shape. The (311) interplanar spacing examined for the EDM sectioned sample was compared to the interplanar spacings calculated to fulfill force and moment balance. We have shown that Applying force and moment balance is a necessary supplement to the measurements for the stress-free cubes with respect to accurate stress calculations in additively manufactured components. Furthermore, our work hasmore » shown that residual stresses in electron beam melting parts are much smaller than that of direct laser metal sintering parts.« less

Replication of microchannel structures in WC-Co feedstock using elastomeric replica moulds by hot embossing process.

PubMed

Sahli, M; Gelin, J-C; Barrière, T

2015-10-01

Hot embossing is a net shaping process that is able to produce the micro-components of polymers with intrinsic and complex shapes at lower cost compared with machining and injection moulding. However, the emboss of hard metals, such as WC-Co, is more challenging due to their high thermal conductivity and ease of agglomeration. Thus, a WC-Co alloy mixed with a wax-based binder feedstock was selected. The formed feedstock exhibited pseudo-plastic flow and was successfully embossed (green part). Here, we developed a novel process that is used to replicate polymer microfluidic chips while simultaneously reducing the channel surface roughness of the mould insert, yielding optical-grade (less than 100 nm surface roughness) channels and reservoirs. This paper concerns the replication of metallic microfluidic mould inserts in WC-Co and the parameters associated with feedstock formation via a hot embossing process. A suitable formulation for micro-powder hot embossing has been established and characterised by thermogravimetric analyses and measurements of mixing torques to verify and quantify the homogeneity of the proposed feedstocks. The relative density of the samples increased with processing temperature, and almost fully dense materials were obtained. In this work, the effects of the sintering temperature on the physical properties were systematically analysed. The evolution of the metal surface morphology during the hot embossing process was also investigated. The results indicate that the feedstock can be used to manufacture micro-fluidic die mould cavities with a low roughness, proper dimensions and good shape retention. The shrinkage of the sintered part was approximately 19-24% compared with that of the brown part. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Determining optimal operation parameters for reducing PCDD/F emissions (I-TEQ values) from the iron ore sintering process by using the Taguchi experimental design.

PubMed

Chen, Yu-Cheng; Tsai, Perng-Jy; Mou, Jin-Luh

2008-07-15

This study is the first one using the Taguchi experimental design to identify the optimal operating condition for reducing polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/ Fs) formations during the iron ore sintering process. Four operating parameters, including the water content (Wc; range = 6.0-7.0 wt %), suction pressure (Ps; range = 1000-1400 mmH2O), bed height (Hb; range = 500-600 mm), and type of hearth layer (including sinter, hematite, and limonite), were selected for conducting experiments in a pilot scale sinter pot to simulate various sintering operating conditions of a real-scale sinter plant We found that the resultant optimal combination (Wc = 6.5 wt%, Hb = 500 mm, Ps = 1000 mmH2O, and hearth layer = hematite) could decrease the emission factor of total PCDD/Fs (total EF(PCDD/Fs)) up to 62.8% by reference to the current operating condition of the real-scale sinter plant (Wc = 6.5 wt %, Hb = 550 mm, Ps = 1200 mmH2O, and hearth layer = sinter). Through the ANOVA analysis, we found that Wc was the most significant parameter in determining total EF(PCDD/Fs (accounting for 74.7% of the total contribution of the four selected parameters). The resultant optimal combination could also enhance slightly in both sinter productivity and sinter strength (30.3 t/m2/day and 72.4%, respectively) by reference to those obtained from the reference operating condition (29.9 t/m (2)/day and 72.2%, respectively). The above results further ensure the applicability of the obtained optimal combination for the real-scale sinter production without interfering its sinter productivity and sinter strength.

An experimental study on effect of coke ratio on SO2 and NOx emissions in sintering process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Hui; Zhang, Pu; Yang, Jingling

2018-02-01

By using the sinter cup experiment, the effects of different coke ratios of 0%, 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100% on the formation and total emissions of SO2 and NOx in the sintering process were studied with the Testo350 flue gas analyzer. The experimental results show that the emissions of SO2 and NOx are closely related to sintering process. With the increase of the coke proportion, the sintering temperature changes and the maximum peak time appears earlier. SO2 concentration has a bimodal distribution and NOx concentration has a triple peak. Besides, the both maximum peaks appear at the end of sintering. In addition, due to the increasing of the S and N contents in the fuel with the coke ratios from 0% to 100%, the amounts of SO2 and NOx emissions are raised respectively at 10.82 mg, 11.42 mg, 13.84 mg, 13.69 mg, 20.36 mg and 3.11 mg, 3.39 mg, 4.44 mg, 4.31 mg, 6.16 mg.

Building a Competitive Edge with Additive Manufacturing

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-02-14

construct ceramic molds for complex metal parts using a 3D printing technique. They estimate the new 6 technique could eliminate all of the...processes. They include 3D printing and Additive Beam Techniques.15 Most Additive Manufacturing techniques are specific to certain classes of materials...9 Example Additive Manufacturing Techniques16 3D Printing Additive Beam Stereolithography (SLA) Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DMLS

Surfaces and Interfaces of Ceramic Materials. Programme

DTIC Science & Technology

1988-09-01

MOCELLIN , Ecole Polytechnque Fdlale, Lausanne, Switzerland 9.30-1030 ROUND TABLE . Sintering processes,(Discussion leader A MOCELLIN , Ecole...TABLE& Sinteringprocesses (second part) (Discussion leader A MOCELLIN , Ecole Polytechnique Fgdrale, Lausanne, Switzerland) P27 / Amrfialevidnesih A4... MOCELLIN Laboratoire de c6ramique Ecole Polytechnique F6d6rale de Lausanne ABSTRACT In polycrystalline ceramics, grain growth which is driven by the

Study of sintering behavior of vapor forms of 1-octanethiol coated copper nanoparticles for application to ink-jet printing technology.

PubMed

Kwon, Jinhyeong; Park, Shinyoung; Haque, Md Mominul; Kim, Young-Seok; Lee, Caroline Sunyong

2012-04-01

Sub-50 nm copper nanoparticles coated with sub-5 nm 1-octanethiol layer for oxidation inhibition were examined to confirm the 1-octanethiol removal temperature as the sub-50 nm copper nanoparticles are sintered. As a result, 1-octanethiol Self-Assembled Multi-layers (SAMs) on sub-50 nm copper nanoparticles were successfully removed before sintering of copper nanoparticles so that a high density of copper line could be obtained. Finally, the line resistivity was measured and compared to verify the effect of sintering in different atmospheres. As a result, electrical resistivity of the copper pattern sintered in hydrogen atmosphere was measured at 6.96 x 10(-6) ohm-cm whereas that of the copper pattern sintered in mixed gas atmosphere was measured at 2.62 x 10(-5) ohm-cm. Thus, sintering of copper patterns was successfully done to show low electrical resistivity values. Moreover, removal of 1-octanethiol coating after sintering process was confirmed using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis. By showing no sulfur content, XPS results indicate that 1-octanethiol is completely removed. Therefore, the vapor form of 1-octanethiol coating layers can be safely used as an oxidation inhibition layer for low temperature sintering processes and ink-jet applications.

Vacuum Pressureless Sintering of Ti-6Al-4V Alloy with Full Densification and Forged-Like Mechanical Properties

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Ce; Lu, Boxin; Wang, Haiying; Guo, Zhimeng; Paley, Vladislav; Volinsky, Alex A.

2018-01-01

Ti-6Al-4V ingots with a nearly 100% density, fine and homogeneous basket-weave microstructure, and better comprehensive mechanical properties (UTS = 935 MPa, Y.S. = 865 MPa, El. = 15.8%), have been manufactured by vacuum pressureless sintering of blended elemental powders. Coarse TiH2 powder, Al powder (2, 20 μm), V powder, and Al-V master alloy powder were used as raw materials to produce different powder mixtures ( D 50 = 10 μm). Then, the compacts made by cold isostatic pressing were consolidated by different sintering curves. A detailed investigation of different as-sintered samples revealed that a higher density can be obtained by generating transient molten Al in the sintering process. Coarse Al powder and a rapid heating rate under the melting point of Al contribute to molten Al formation. The presence of temporary liquid phase changes the sintering mechanism, accelerating the sintering neck formation, improving sinterability of the powder mixtures. Density of 99.5% was achieved at 1150 °C, which is markedly lower than the sintering temperatures reported for conventional blended elemental powder metallurgy routes. In addition, low interstitial content, especially for oxygen (0.17 wt.%), is obtained by strict process control.

Preparation of Porous Stainless Steel Hollow-Fibers through Multi-Modal Particle Size Sintering towards Pore Engineering

PubMed Central

Allioux, Francois-Marie; Etxeberria Benavides, Miren

2017-01-01

The sintering of metal powders is an efficient and versatile technique to fabricate porous metal elements such as filters, diffusers, and membranes. Neck formation between particles is, however, critical to tune the porosity and optimize mass transfer in order to minimize the densification process. In this work, macro-porous stainless steel (SS) hollow-fibers (HFs) were fabricated by the extrusion and sintering of a dope comprised, for the first time, of a bimodal mixture of SS powders. The SS particles of different sizes and shapes were mixed to increase the neck formation between the particles and control the densification process of the structure during sintering. The sintered HFs from particles of two different sizes were shown to be more mechanically stable at lower sintering temperature due to the increased neck area of the small particles sintered to the large ones. In addition, the sintered HFs made from particles of 10 and 44 μm showed a smaller average pore size (<1 μm) as compared to the micron-size pores of sintered HFs made from particles of 10 μm only and those of 10 and 20 μm. The novel HFs could be used in a range of applications, from filtration modules to electrochemical membrane reactors. PMID:28777352

3D FE simulation of semi-finishing machining of Ti6Al4V additively manufactured by direct metal laser sintering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Imbrogno, Stano; Rinaldi, Sergio; Raso, Antonio; Bordin, Alberto; Bruschi, Stefania; Umbrello, Domenico

2018-05-01

The Additive Manufacturing techniques are gaining more and more interest in various industrial fields due to the possibility of drastically reduce the material waste during the production processes, revolutionizing the standard scheme and strategies of the manufacturing processes. However, the metal parts shape produced, frequently do not satisfy the tolerances as well as the surface quality requirements. During the design phase, the finite element simulation results a fundamental tool to help the engineers in the correct decision of the most suitable process parameters, especially in manufacturing processes, in order to produce products of high quality. The aim of this work is to develop a 3D finite element model of semi-finishing turning operation of Ti6Al4V, produced via Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DMLS). A customized user sub-routine was built-up in order to model the mechanical behavior of the material under machining operations to predict the main fundamental variables as cutting forces and temperature. Moreover, the machining induced alterations are also studied by the finite element model developed.

Residual stress evaluation of components produced via direct metal laser sintering

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kemerling, Brandon; Lippold, John C.; Fancher, Christopher M.

Direct metal laser sintering is an additive manufacturing process which is capable of fabricating three-dimensional components using a laser energy source and metal powder particles. Despite the numerous benefits offered by this technology, the process maturity is low with respect to traditional subtractive manufacturing methods. Relationships between key processing parameters and final part properties are generally lacking and require further development. In this study, residual stresses were evaluated as a function of key process variables. The variables evaluated included laser scan strategy and build plate preheat temperature. Residual stresses were measured experimentally via neutron diffraction and computationally via finite elementmore » analysis. Good agreement was shown between the experimental and computational results. Results showed variations in the residual stress profile as a function of laser scan strategy. Compressive stresses were dominant along the build height (z) direction, and tensile stresses were dominant in the x and y directions. Build plate preheating was shown to be an effective method for alleviating residual stress due to the reduction in thermal gradient.« less

Residual stress evaluation of components produced via direct metal laser sintering

DOE PAGES

Kemerling, Brandon; Lippold, John C.; Fancher, Christopher M.; ...

2018-03-22

Direct metal laser sintering is an additive manufacturing process which is capable of fabricating three-dimensional components using a laser energy source and metal powder particles. Despite the numerous benefits offered by this technology, the process maturity is low with respect to traditional subtractive manufacturing methods. Relationships between key processing parameters and final part properties are generally lacking and require further development. In this study, residual stresses were evaluated as a function of key process variables. The variables evaluated included laser scan strategy and build plate preheat temperature. Residual stresses were measured experimentally via neutron diffraction and computationally via finite elementmore » analysis. Good agreement was shown between the experimental and computational results. Results showed variations in the residual stress profile as a function of laser scan strategy. Compressive stresses were dominant along the build height (z) direction, and tensile stresses were dominant in the x and y directions. Build plate preheating was shown to be an effective method for alleviating residual stress due to the reduction in thermal gradient.« less

Frequency domain kinetic of positron-electron annihilation in the MgO-Al2O3 spinel-type ceramics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fl'unt, Orest; Klym, Halyna; Ingram, Adam

2018-03-01

In this work, the kinetic of positron-electron annihilation in the MgO-Al2O3 spinel-type ceramics sintered at different temperatures (1100, 1200 and 1400 °C) has been calculated and analyzed in a frequency domain. The spectra of real (in-phase) and imaginary (quadrature) components of positron-electron annihilation kinetic have been obtained numerically from usual temporal characteristics using integral Fourier transform. The numerical calculations were carried out using cubic spline interpolation of the pulse characteristics of MgO-Al2O3 ceramics in time domain with following analytical calculations of integrals. The obtained spectra as real so imaginary part of MgO-Al2O3 ceramics in frequency domain almost good obey a Debye law denying correlation between elementary positron annihilation processes. Complex diagrams of frequency domain responses of as-prepared samples have a shape of semicircles with close characteristic frequencies. Some deviation on low-frequency side of the semicircles is observed confirming an availability of longer time kinetic processes. Sintering temperature dependencies of the relaxation times and characteristic frequencies of positron-electron annihilation processes have been obtained. It is shown that position of large maxima on the frequency dependencies of imaginary part corresponds to fast average relaxation lifetime representing the most intensive interaction process of positrons with small cavity traps in solids.

Selective Laser Sintering of Porous Silica Enabled by Carbon Additive.

PubMed

Chang, Shuai; Li, Liqun; Lu, Li; Fuh, Jerry Ying Hsi

2017-11-16

The aim of this study is to investigate the possibility of a freeform fabrication of porous ceramic parts through selective laser sintering (SLS). SLS was proposed to manufacture ceramic green parts because this additive manufacturing technique can be used to fabricate three-dimensional objects directly without a mold, and the technique has the capability of generating porous ceramics with controlled porosity. However, ceramic printing has not yet fully achieved its 3D fabrication capabilities without using polymer binder. Except for the limitations of high melting point, brittleness, and low thermal shock resistance from ceramic material properties, the key obstacle lies in the very poor absorptivity of oxide ceramics to fiber laser, which is widely installed in commercial SLS equipment. An alternative solution to overcome the poor laser absorptivity via improving material compositions is presented in this study. The positive effect of carbon additive on the absorptivity of silica powder to fiber laser is discussed. To investigate the capabilities of the SLS process, 3D porous silica structures were successfully prepared and characterized.

Selective laser sintering: A qualitative and objective approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kumar, Sanjay

2003-10-01

This article presents an overview of selective laser sintering (SLS) work as reported in various journals and proceedings. Selective laser sintering was first done mainly on polymers and nylon to create prototypes for audio-visual help and fit-to-form tests. Gradually it was expanded to include metals and alloys to manufacture functional prototypes and develop rapid tooling. The growth gained momentum with the entry of commercial entities such as DTM Corporation and EOS GmbH Electro Optical Systems. Computational modeling has been used to understand the SLS process, optimize the process parameters, and enhance the efficiency of the sintering machine.

Influence of Hydrogen on Atomized Titanium Powders Sintering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Senkevich, K. S.

2018-07-01

The aim of this work is to study the effect of hydrogen reversible alloying (thermohydrogen processing, THP) on low-temperature sintering of atomized titanium powders. It is stated that alloying with 0.2 to 0.8 wt pct of hydrogen beneficially affects titanium powders sintering. The effect is caused by phase transformations occurring upon hydrogen saturation of powders and dehydrogenation, which substantially intensifies sintering at temperatures from 800 °C to 900 °C. The role of certain THP stages (sintering in hydrogenated state and upon dehydrogenation) on formation of sintered contacts in porous materials is shown.

Influence of Hydrogen on Atomized Titanium Powders Sintering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Senkevich, K. S.

2018-05-01

The aim of this work is to study the effect of hydrogen reversible alloying (thermohydrogen processing, THP) on low-temperature sintering of atomized titanium powders. It is stated that alloying with 0.2 to 0.8 wt pct of hydrogen beneficially affects titanium powders sintering. The effect is caused by phase transformations occurring upon hydrogen saturation of powders and dehydrogenation, which substantially intensifies sintering at temperatures from 800 °C to 900 °C. The role of certain THP stages (sintering in hydrogenated state and upon dehydrogenation) on formation of sintered contacts in porous materials is shown.

Improvement of mechanical strength of sintered Mo alloyed steel by optimization of sintering and cold-forging processes with densification

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kamakoshi, Y.; Shohji, I.; Inoue, Y.; Fukuda, S.

2017-10-01

Powder metallurgy (P/M) materials have been expected to be spread in automotive industry. Generally, since sintered materials using P/M ones contain many pores and voids, mechanical properties of them are inferior to those of conventional wrought materials. To improve mechanical properties of the sintered materials, densification is effective. The aim of this study is to improve mechanical strength of sintered Mo-alloyed steel by optimizing conditions in sintering and cold-forging processes. Mo-alloyed steel powder was compacted. Then, pre-sintering (PS) using a vacuum sintering furnace was conducted. Subsequently, coldforging (CF) by a backward extrusion method was conducted to the pre-sintered specimen. Moreover, the cold-forged specimen was heat treated by carburizing, tempering and quenching (CQT). Afterwards, mechanical properties were investigated. As a result, it was found that the density of the PS specimen is required to be more than 7.4 Mg/m3 to strengthen the specimen by heat treatment after CF. Furthermore, density and the microstructure of the PS specimen are most important factors to make the high density and strength material by CF. At the CF load of 1200 kN, the maximum density ratio reached approximately 99% by the use of the PS specimen with proper density and microstructure. At the CF load of 900 kN, although density ratio was high like more than 97.8%, transverse rupture strength decreased sharply. Since densification caused high shear stress and stress concentration in the surface layer, microcracks occurred by the damages of inter-particle sintered connection of the surface layer. On the contrary, in case of the CF load of 1200 kN, ultra-densification of the surface layer occurred by a sufficient plastic flow. Such sufficient compressed specimens regenerated the sintered connections by high temperature heat treatment and thus the high strength densified material was obtained. These processes can be applicable to near net shape manufacturing without surface machining.

Characteristics of iron ore sinter with EFB addition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Purwanto, H.; Rozhan, A. N.; Mohamad, A. S.; Zakiyuddin, A.

2018-04-01

Utilization of EFB-derived biochar in sintering of iron ore has been conducted in this work with regards to the porosity of iron sinter. EFB has been heated up in argon atmosphere to 450°C in order to produce biochar. In the present work, the sintering process was conducted at 1150°C with variations of biochar content from 5% to 10%. In this case, the apparent density for iron sinter shows significant decrease as the biochar addition increase. The porosity of iron sinter showed a gradual increment from 5% to 7.5% and escalated at 10% biochar content. The results of porosity and apparent density were in line with the micrograph of iron sinter.

Numerical study of the process parameters in spark plasma sintering (sps)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chowdhury, Redwan Jahid

Spark plasma sintering (SPS) is one of the most widely used sintering techniques that utilizes pulsed direct current together with uniaxial pressure to consolidate a wide variety of materials. The unique mechanisms of SPS enable it to sinter powder compacts at a lower temperature and in a shorter time than the conventional hot pressing, hot isostatic pressing and vacuum sintering process. One of the limitations of SPS is the presence of temperature gradients inside the sample, which could result in non-uniform physical and microstructural properties. Detailed study of the temperature and current distributions inside the sintered sample is necessary to minimize the temperature gradients and achieve desired properties. In the present study, a coupled thermal-electric model was developed using finite element codes in ABAQUS software to investigate the temperature and current distributions inside the conductive and non-conductive samples. An integrated experimental-numerical methodology was implemented to determine the system contact resistances accurately. The developed sintering model was validated by a series of experiments, which showed good agreements with simulation results. The temperature distribution inside the sample depends on some process parameters such as sample and tool geometry, punch and die position, applied current and thermal insulation around the die. The role of these parameters on sample temperature distribution was systematically analyzed. The findings of this research could prove very useful for the reliable production of large size sintered samples with controlled and tailored properties.

Effect of Alloying Type and Lean Sintering Atmosphere on the Performance of PM Components

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sundaram, M. Vattur; Shvab, R.; Millot, S.; Hryha, E.; Nyborg, L.

2017-12-01

In order to be cost effective and to meet increasing performance demands, powder metallurgy steel components require continuous improvement in terms of materials and process development. This study demonstrates the feasibility of manufacturing structural components using two different alloys systems, i.e. lean Cr-prealloyed and diffusion bonded water atomised powders with different processing conditions. The components were sintered at two different temperatures, i.e. 1120 and 1250 °C for 30 minutes in three different atmospheres: vacuum, N2- 10%H2 atmosphere as well as lean N2-5%H2-0.5%CO-(0.1-0.4)%CH4 sintering atmosphere. Components after sintering were further processed by either low pressure carburizing, sinterhardening or case hardening. All trials were performed in the industrial furnaces to simulate the actual production of the components. Microstructure, fractography, apparent and micro hardness analyses were performed close to the surface and in the middle of the sample to characterize the degree of sintering (temperature and atmosphere) and the effect of heat treatment. In all cases, components possess mostly martensitic microstructure with a few bainitic regions. The fracture surface shows well developed sinter necks. Inter- and trans-granular ductile and cleavage fracture modes are dominant and their fraction is determined by the alloy and processing route.

Studies on sintering additives for hydroxyapatite, and controlled porosity structures of calcium aluminates and polypropylene-tricalcium phosphate for bone graft applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kalita, Samar Jyoti

Tissue engineering has made a significant contribution in developing new biomaterials that can restore the structural features and physiological functions of natural tissues. Various materials, such as metals, ceramics, polymers and composites have been developed for their use in hard tissue engineering applications. Part A of this thesis describes my research on HAp ceramics. HAp, a bioactive ceramic, is known for its osteoconductivity, but shows poor mechanical performance. This program aimed at improving mechanical performance of synthetic HAp by introducing small quantities of various sintering additives. A range of oxide-based sintering additives were selected and prepared. Dense compacts were prepared using a uniaxial press with an average green density of 1.6 g/cc. Results showed that some of these sintering additives improved densification, hardness and compression strength of synthetic HAp compared to the pure composition. A maximum bulk density of 3.06 g/cc was achieved for 2.5 wt% addition of MgO. A Microhardness of 4.9 GPa (505 HV) was measured for 2.5 wt% addition of BaO, and the highest compression strength (220MPa) was reported for 2.5 wt% addition of CaO. Cytotoxicity and cell proliferation studies with a modified human osteoblast (HOB) cell-line (OPC1) proved most of these materials non-toxic and biocompatible. Microscopic observation revealed that bone cells were attached and grew well on most of these ceramic matrices. Part B describes my work on development of controlled porosity polypropylene-tricalcium phosphate composite scaffolds via the fused deposition modeling (FDM) process. Hg-porosimetry was performed to determine pore size and their distribution. Uniaxial compression testing performed on samples with 36 vol% porosity and pore size of 160 mum showed the best compressive strength of 12.7 MPa. Part C includes my research on development of "3-D honeycomb" porous calcium aluminate structures via the indirect FDM process. Samples of 29% and 44% VFP (designed) with average pore size of 300 mum showed compressive strength between 2 and 24 MPa. Cell proliferation studies conducted with OPC1 cells on polymer-ceramic composite scaffolds and porous calcium aluminate structures showed good cell attachment and a steady cell growth behavior during the first three weeks of in vitro analyses.

Quality prediction modeling for sintered ores based on mechanism models of sintering and extreme learning machine based error compensation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tiebin, Wu; Yunlian, Liu; Xinjun, Li; Yi, Yu; Bin, Zhang

2018-06-01

Aiming at the difficulty in quality prediction of sintered ores, a hybrid prediction model is established based on mechanism models of sintering and time-weighted error compensation on the basis of the extreme learning machine (ELM). At first, mechanism models of drum index, total iron, and alkalinity are constructed according to the chemical reaction mechanism and conservation of matter in the sintering process. As the process is simplified in the mechanism models, these models are not able to describe high nonlinearity. Therefore, errors are inevitable. For this reason, the time-weighted ELM based error compensation model is established. Simulation results verify that the hybrid model has a high accuracy and can meet the requirement for industrial applications.

Processing, characterization, and in vitro/in vivo evaluations of powder metallurgy processed Ti-13Nb-13Zr alloys.

PubMed

Bottino, Marco C; Coelho, Paulo G; Henriques, Vinicius A R; Higa, Olga Z; Bressiani, Ana H A; Bressiani, José C

2009-03-01

This article presents details of processing, characterization and in vitro as well as in vivo evaluations of powder metallurgy processed Ti-13Nb-13Zr samples with different levels of porosity. Sintered samples were characterized for density, crystalline phases (XRD), and microstructure (SEM and EDX). Samples sintered at 1000 degrees C showed the highest porosity level ( approximately 30%), featuring open and interconnected pores ranging from 50 to 100 mum in diameter but incomplete densification. In contrast, samples sintered at 1300 and 1500 degrees C demonstrated high densification with 10% porosity level distributed in a homogeneous microstructure. The different sintering conditions used in this study demonstrated a coherent trend that is increase in temperature lead to higher sample densification, even though densification represents a drawback for bone ingrowth. Cytotoxicity tests did not reveal any toxic effects of the starting and processed materials on surviving cell percentage. After an 8-week healing period in rabbit tibias, the implants were retrieved, processed for nondecalcified histological evaluation, and then assessed by backscattered electron images (BSEI-SEM) and EDX. Bone growth into the microstructure was observed only in samples sintered at 1000 degrees C. Overall, a close relation between newly formed bone and all processed samples was observed. (c) 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

A major advance in powder metallurgy

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Williams, Brian E.; Stiglich, Jacob J., Jr.; Kaplan, Richard B.; Tuffias, Robert H.

1991-01-01

Ultramet has developed a process which promises to significantly increase the mechanical properties of powder metallurgy (PM) parts. Current PM technology uses mixed powders of various constituents prior to compaction. The homogeneity and flaw distribution in PM parts depends on the uniformity of mixing and the maintenance of uniformity during compaction. Conventional PM fabrication processes typically result in non-uniform distribution of the matrix, flaw generation due to particle-particle contact when one of the constituents is a brittle material, and grain growth caused by high temperature, long duration compaction processes. Additionally, a significant amount of matrix material is usually necessary to fill voids and create 100 percent dense parts. In Ultramet's process, each individual particle is coated with the matrix material, and compaction is performed by solid state processing. In this program, Ultramet coated 12-micron tungsten particles with approximately 5 wt percent nickel/iron. After compaction, flexure strengths were measured 50 percent higher than those achieved in conventional liquid phase sintered parts (10 wt percent Ni/Fe). Further results and other material combinations are discussed.

Effects of particle packing on the sintered microstructure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barringer, E. A.; Bowen, H. K.

1988-04-01

The sintering process is shown to be critically dependent on particle-packing density and porosity uniformity. Sintering experiments were conducted on compacts consisting of monodisperse, spherical TiO2 particles. Densification kinetics and microstructure evolution for two initial packing densities, 55% and 69% of theoretical, were investigated. The lower-density compacts sintered rapidly to theoretical density, yet improved particle-packing density and uniformity significantly enhanced densification.

Concentrated solar energy used for sintering magnesium titanates for electronic applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Apostol, Irina; Rodríguez, Jose; Cañadas, Inmaculada; Galindo, Jose; Mendez, Senen Lanceros; de Abreu Martins, Pedro Libȃnio; Cunha, Luis; Saravanan, Kandasamy Venkata

2018-04-01

Solar energy is an important renewable source of energy with many advantages: it is unlimited, clean and free. The main objective of this work was to sinter magnesium titanate ceramics in a solar furnace using concentrated solar energy, which is a novel and original process. The direct conversion of solar power into high temperature makes this process simple, feasible and ecologically viable/environmentally sustainable. We performed the solar sintering experiments at Plataforma Solar de Almeria-CIEMAT, Spain. This process takes place in a vertical axis solar furnace (SF5-5 kW) hosting a mobile flat mirror heliostat, a fixed parabolic mirror concentrator, an attenuator and a test table the concentrator focus. We sintered (MgO)0.63(TiO2)0.37, (MgO)0.49(TiO2)0.51, (MgO)0.50(TiO2)0.50 ceramics samples in air at about 1100 °C for a duration of 16 min, 1 h, 2 h and 3 h in the solar furnace. The MgO/TiO2 ratio and the dwell time was varied in order to obtain phase pure MgTiO3 ceramic. We obtained a pure MgTiO3 geikielite phase by solar sintering of (MgO)0.63(TiO2)0.37 samples at 1100 °C (16 min-3 h). Samples of (MgO)0.63(TiO2)0.37, solar sintered at 1100 °C for 3 h, resulted in well-sintered, non-porous samples with good density (3.46 g/cm3). The sintered samples were analyzed by XRD for phase determination. The grain and surface morphology was observed using SEM. Electrical measurements were carried out on solar sintered samples. The effect of processing parameters on microstructure and dielectric properties were investigated and is presented.

Studying hardness, workability and minimum bending radius in selectively laser-sintered Ti–6Al–4V alloy samples

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Galkina, N. V.; Nosova, Y. A.; Balyakin, A. V.

2018-03-01

This research is relevant as it tries to improve the mechanical and service performance of the Ti–6Al–4V titanium alloy obtained by selective laser sintering. For that purpose, sintered samples were annealed at 750 and 850°C for an hour. Sintered and annealed samples were tested for hardness, workability and microstructure. It was found that incomplete annealing of selectively laser-sintered Ti–6Al–4V samples results in an insignificant reduction in hardness and ductility. Sintered and incompletely annealed samples had a hardness of 32..33 HRC, which is lower than the value of annealed parts specified in standards. Complete annealing at temperature 850°C reduces the hardness to 25 HRC and ductility by 15...20%. Incomplete annealing lowers the ductility factor from 0.08 to 0.06. Complete annealing lowers that value to 0.025. Complete annealing probably results in the embrittlement of sintered samples, perhaps due to their oxidation and hydrogenation in the air. Optical metallography showed lateral fractures in both sintered and annealed samples, which might be the reason why they had lower hardness and ductility.

[Influence on microstructure of dental zirconia ceramics prepared by two-step sintering].

PubMed

Jian, Chao; Li, Ning; Wu, Zhikai; Teng, Jing; Yan, Jiazhen

2013-10-01

To investigate the microstructure of dental zirconia ceramics prepared by two-step sintering. Nanostructured zirconia powder was dry compacted, cold isostatic pressed, and pre-sintered. The pre-sintered discs were cut processed into samples. Conventional sintering, single-step sintering, and two-step sintering were carried out, and density and grain size of the samples were measured. Afterward, T1 and/or T2 of two-step sintering ranges were measured. Effects on microstructure of different routes, which consisted of two-step sintering and conventional sintering were discussed. The influence of T1 and/or T2 on density and grain size were analyzed as well. The range of T1 was between 1450 degrees C and 1550 degrees C, and the range of T2 was between 1250 degrees C and 1350 degrees C. Compared with conventional sintering, finer microstructure of higher density and smaller grain could be obtained by two-step sintering. Grain growth was dependent on T1, whereas density was not much related with T1. However, density was dependent on T2, and grain size was minimally influenced. Two-step sintering could ensure a sintering body with high density and small grain, which is good for optimizing the microstructure of dental zirconia ceramics.

Infiltration sintering properties of Ni-4B-4Si(wt.%) alloy powders

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Q.; Zhang, X. C.; Wang, F. L.; Zou, J. T.

2018-01-01

The Ni-4B-4Si(wt.%) alloy powders were infiltrated into the nickel skeletons, the effects of sintering temperatures (1050-1150 °C) and skeletons (loose and compact nickel powders) on the microstructures and hardness of the sintered alloys were investigated. The Ni-B-Si alloy sintered at 1100 °C consisted of γ-Ni and Ni3B, and Si mainly solid soluted in the γ-Ni. The loose nickel powders favored to the infiltration of Ni-B-Si liquid alloy into the nickel skeletons, the sintered alloys exhibited dense microstructures and good interfacial bonding with Ni substrates. The interfacial hardness was equal to that of the sintered alloys and Ni substrates. Loose nickel powders ensured the density and interfacial bonding of the sintered alloys, the infiltration sintering process can be simplified and easily applied to practice.

Surface hardening of Al alloys through controlled ball-milling and sintering.

PubMed

Kim, Seek Hyeoun; Kim, Yong Jin; Ahn, Jung-Ho

2012-07-01

One of the drawbacks of aluminum and its alloys is the lack of proper heat-treatment for surface-hardening. In the present work, a new and simple method of hardening the surface of aluminum and its alloys was developed. Low-energy ball-milling using specific process control agents (PCAs) was employed, using subsequent sintering in a controlled atmosphere. The PCAs in the present work were very effective both for milling and the formation of hard nanocrystalline dispersoids during sintering. The residual oxygen in a sintering atmosphere also played an important role in the formation of AIN or Al-O-N dispersoids. Through the proper control of the processing atmosphere and PCAs, the hardness and thickness of the hardened layers could be adjusted. The results of the wear test showed that the present aluminum alloys can be effectively utilized as light-weight components with a good wear resistance. Furthermore, the present method involves a simple forming process of die-compaction and sintering.

A constitutive model and numerical simulation of sintering processes at macroscopic level

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wawrzyk, Krzysztof; Kowalczyk, Piotr; Nosewicz, Szymon; Rojek, Jerzy

2018-01-01

This paper presents modelling of both single and double-phase powder sintering processes at the macroscopic level. In particular, its constitutive formulation, numerical implementation and numerical tests are described. The macroscopic constitutive model is based on the assumption that the sintered material is a continuous medium. The parameters of the constitutive model for material under sintering are determined by simulation of sintering at the microscopic level using a micro-scale model. Numerical tests were carried out for a cylindrical specimen under hydrostatic and uniaxial pressure. Results of macroscopic analysis are compared against the microscopic model results. Moreover, numerical simulations are validated by comparison with experimental results. The simulations and preparation of the model are carried out by Abaqus FEA - a software for finite element analysis and computer-aided engineering. A mechanical model is defined by the user procedure "Vumat" which is developed by the first author in Fortran programming language. Modelling presented in the paper can be used to optimize and to better understand the process.

Numerical Study of the Features of Ti-Nb Alloy Crystallization during Selective Laser Sintering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dmitriev, A. I.; Nikonov, A. Y.

2016-07-01

The demand for implants with individual shape requires the development of new methods and approaches to their production. The obvious advantages of additive technologies and selective laser sintering are the capabilities to form both the external shape of the product and its internal structure. Recently appeared and attractive from the perspective of biomechanical compatibility are beta alloys of titanium-niobium that have similar mechanical properties to those of cortical bone. This paper studies the processes occurring at different stages of laser sintering using computer simulation on atomic scale. The effect of cooling rate on the resulting crystal structure of Ti-Nb alloy was analysed. Also, the dependence of tensile strength of sintered particles on heating time and cooling rate was studied. It was shown that the main parameter, which determines the adhesive properties of sintered particles, is the contact area obtained during sintering process. The simulation results can both help defining the technological parameters of the process to provide the desired mechanical properties of the resulting products and serve as a necessary basis for calculations on large scale levels in order to study the behaviour of actually used implants.

The recovery of Zn and Pb and the manufacture of lightweight bricks from zinc smelting slag and clay.

PubMed

Hu, Huiping; Deng, Qiufeng; Li, Chao; Xie, Yue; Dong, Zeqin; Zhang, Wei

2014-04-30

Novel lightweight bricks have been produced by sintering mixes of zinc smelting slag and clay. A two-stage sintered process has been proposed to recovery of Zn and Pb and reutilization of the zinc smelting slag. In the first stage of the process, called reduction and volatilization procedure, zinc and lead were reduced by the carbon contained in the zinc smelting slag and volatilized into the dust, and the dust can be used as a secondary zinc resource. In the second stage of the process, called oxidation sintering procedure, a lightweight brick was produced. Samples containing up to 60 wt.% zinc smelting slag and 40 wt.% kaolin clay were reduced at 1050°C for 6h, and then sintered at 1050°C for 4h. The recoveries of Zn and Pb from the brick are 94.5 ± 0.6% and 97.6 ± 0.2%, respectively. Low bulk density (1.42 g cm(-3)) and relatively high compressive strength (2 2MPa) sintered bricks were produced, and the leaching toxicity of the sintered bricks was below the regulatory thresholds of Chinese National Standards. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Method of preparing uranium nitride or uranium carbonitride bodies

DOEpatents

Wilhelm, Harley A.; McClusky, James K.

1976-04-27

Sintered uranium nitride or uranium carbonitride bodies having a controlled final carbon-to-uranium ratio are prepared, in an essentially continuous process, from U.sub.3 O.sub.8 and carbon by varying the weight ratio of carbon to U.sub.3 O.sub.8 in the feed mixture, which is compressed into a green body and sintered in a continuous heating process under various controlled atmospheric conditions to prepare the sintered bodies.

Thermal barrier coating resistant to sintering

DOEpatents

Subramanian, Ramesh; Seth, Brij B.

2004-06-29

A device (10) is made, having a ceramic thermal barrier coating layer (16) characterized by a microstructure having gaps (18) with a sintering inhibiting material (22) disposed on the columns (20) within the gaps (18). The sintering resistant material (22) is stable over the range of operating temperatures of the device (10), is not soluble with the underlying ceramic layer (16) and is applied by a process that is not an electron beam physical vapor deposition process.

Nanocrystalline Iron-Cobalt Alloys for High Saturation Indutance

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-02-24

toroid. Before fully embarking on the problem of creating the toroid’s from particles sintered by a process known as sparked plasma sintering which...allows the particles to be rapidly sintered without compromising the nano crystalline particle size, it was deemed necessary to anticipate the

SINTERING AND SULFATION OF CALCIUM SILICATE-ALUMINATE

EPA Science Inventory

The effect of sintering on the reactivity of solids at high temperature was studied. The nature of the interaction was studied with calcium silicate-aluminate reacting with SO2 between 665 and 800 C. The kinetics of the sintering and sulfation processes were measured independentl...

Open-Source Selective Laser Sintering (OpenSLS) of Nylon and Biocompatible Polycaprolactone

PubMed Central

Paulsen, Samantha J.; Hwang, Daniel H.; Ta, Anderson H.; Yalacki, David R.; Schmidt, Tim; Miller, Jordan S.

2016-01-01

Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) is an additive manufacturing process that uses a laser to fuse powdered starting materials into solid 3D structures. Despite the potential for fabrication of complex, high-resolution structures with SLS using diverse starting materials (including biomaterials), prohibitive costs of commercial SLS systems have hindered the wide adoption of this technology in the scientific community. Here, we developed a low-cost, open-source SLS system (OpenSLS) and demonstrated its capacity to fabricate structures in nylon with sub-millimeter features and overhanging regions. Subsequently, we demonstrated fabrication of polycaprolactone (PCL) into macroporous structures such as a diamond lattice. Widespread interest in using PCL for bone tissue engineering suggests that PCL lattices are relevant model scaffold geometries for engineering bone. SLS of materials with large powder grain size (~500 μm) leads to part surfaces with high roughness, so we further introduced a simple vapor-smoothing technique to reduce the surface roughness of sintered PCL structures which further improves their elastic modulus and yield stress. Vapor-smoothed PCL can also be used for sacrificial templating of perfusable fluidic networks within orthogonal materials such as poly(dimethylsiloxane) silicone. Finally, we demonstrated that human mesenchymal stem cells were able to adhere, survive, and differentiate down an osteogenic lineage on sintered and smoothed PCL surfaces, suggesting that OpenSLS has the potential to produce PCL scaffolds useful for cell studies. OpenSLS provides the scientific community with an accessible platform for the study of laser sintering and the fabrication of complex geometries in diverse materials. PMID:26841023

Open-Source Selective Laser Sintering (OpenSLS) of Nylon and Biocompatible Polycaprolactone.

PubMed

Kinstlinger, Ian S; Bastian, Andreas; Paulsen, Samantha J; Hwang, Daniel H; Ta, Anderson H; Yalacki, David R; Schmidt, Tim; Miller, Jordan S

2016-01-01

Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) is an additive manufacturing process that uses a laser to fuse powdered starting materials into solid 3D structures. Despite the potential for fabrication of complex, high-resolution structures with SLS using diverse starting materials (including biomaterials), prohibitive costs of commercial SLS systems have hindered the wide adoption of this technology in the scientific community. Here, we developed a low-cost, open-source SLS system (OpenSLS) and demonstrated its capacity to fabricate structures in nylon with sub-millimeter features and overhanging regions. Subsequently, we demonstrated fabrication of polycaprolactone (PCL) into macroporous structures such as a diamond lattice. Widespread interest in using PCL for bone tissue engineering suggests that PCL lattices are relevant model scaffold geometries for engineering bone. SLS of materials with large powder grain size (~500 μm) leads to part surfaces with high roughness, so we further introduced a simple vapor-smoothing technique to reduce the surface roughness of sintered PCL structures which further improves their elastic modulus and yield stress. Vapor-smoothed PCL can also be used for sacrificial templating of perfusable fluidic networks within orthogonal materials such as poly(dimethylsiloxane) silicone. Finally, we demonstrated that human mesenchymal stem cells were able to adhere, survive, and differentiate down an osteogenic lineage on sintered and smoothed PCL surfaces, suggesting that OpenSLS has the potential to produce PCL scaffolds useful for cell studies. OpenSLS provides the scientific community with an accessible platform for the study of laser sintering and the fabrication of complex geometries in diverse materials.

Low-cost optical fabrication of flexible copper electrode via laser-induced reductive sintering and adhesive transfer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Back, Seunghyun; Kang, Bongchul

2018-02-01

Fabricating copper electrodes on heat-sensitive polymer films in air is highly challenging owing to the need of expensive copper nanoparticles, rapid oxidation of precursor during sintering, and limitation of sintering temperature to prevent the thermal damage of the polymer film. A laser-induced hybrid process of reductive sintering and adhesive transfer is demonstrated to cost-effectively fabricate copper electrode on a polyethylene film with a thermal resistance below 100 °C. A laser-induced reductive sintering process directly fabricates a high-conductive copper electrode onto a glass donor from copper oxide nanoparticle solution via photo-thermochemical reduction and agglomeration of copper oxide nanoparticles. The sintered copper patterns were transferred in parallel to a heat-sensitive polyethylene film through self-selective surface adhesion of the film, which was generated by the selective laser absorption of the copper pattern. The method reported here could become one of the most important manufacturing technologies for fabricating low-cost wearable and disposable electronics.

Electric field-assisted sintering of nanocrystalline hydroxyapatite for biomedical applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tran, Tien Bich

As the main inorganic component of bone, hydroxyapatite (HA, Ca 10(PO4)6(OH)2) should be an ideal candidate in biomaterials selection. When grain sizes are in the nanometric regime, protein adsorption and cell adhesion are enhanced, while strength, hardness, and wear resistance are improved. Unfortunately, low phase stability, poor sinterability, and a tendency towards exaggerated grain coarsening challenge full densification of nanocrystalline hydroxyapatite by conventional sintering methods. The field-assisted sintering technique (FAST) has successfully consolidated a variety of nanocrystalline metals and ceramics in dramatically reduced times. The sintering enhancements observed during FAST can be attributed to thermal and athermal effects. The rapid heating rates (up to ˜1000ºC/min) afforded by FAST contribute a significant thermal effect. Since fast heating rates reduce powder exposure to sub-sintering temperatures, non-densifying surface diffusion is limited. The athermal effects of FAST are less well understood and can include plasma generation, dielectric breakdown, particle surface cleaning, grain boundary pinning, and space charge effects. Applying the field-assisted sintering technique to nanocrystalline hydroxyapatite yielded surprising results. Deviations from conventional densification behavior were observed, with dehydroxylation identified as the most deleterious process to densification as well as mechanical and biological performance. Since hydroxyapatite is not a stable phase at high temperatures and low water partial pressure atmospheres, desintering due to dehydroxylation-related pore formation became apparent during Stage III sintering. In fact, the degree of desintering and pore formation increased with the extent of Stage III sintering and grain growth. The atomic rearrangements taking place during grain boundary migration are believed to favor the formation of more-stable oxyapatite through hydroxyapatite dehydroxylation. This behavior was consistent during varied heating rate (50--400ºC/min) and varied pressure application (25--90 MPa) studies. While in vitro cytocompatibility studies using MG63 osteoblast-like cells demonstrated the biocompatibility of the FAST-processed specimens, bioactivity was sensitive to processing parameters. Since extensive dehydroxylation reduces the surface charge of the sintered materials, apatite deposition during simulated body fluid immersion only occurred when dehydroxylation was mild---i.e., on specimens sintered at low temperatures (800--900ºC) or for short periods. Microstructural investigations revealed that HA sintered at temperatures above 900ºC under an applied electric field contained nanometric residual pores in grain interiors, as well as micron-sized dehydroxylation-related pores at grain boundaries and grain boundary junctions. These larger pores were responsible for the increasing embrittlement of specimens sintered at higher temperatures. Although grain size dependence could not be found in the 60--100 nm grain size range, fracture toughness (KIC = 1.92 MPa√m, maximum) increased with decreasing sintering temperature. Results from the suite of investigations conducted demonstrate that biocompatible and bioactive nanocrystalline hydroxyapatite with enhanced mechanical properties can be efficiently manufactured by field-assisted sintering under controlled processing conditions.

Mechanism research on arsenic removal from arsenopyrite ore during a sintering process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cheng, Ri-jin; Ni, Hong-wei; Zhang, Hua; Zhang, Xiao-kun; Bai, Si-cheng

2017-04-01

The mechanism of arsenic removal during a sintering process was investigated through experiments with a sintering pot and arsenic-bearing iron ore containing arsenopyrite; the corresponding chemical properties of the sinter were determined by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) coupled with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). The experimental results revealed that the reaction of arsenic removal is mainly related to the oxygen atmosphere and temperature. During the sintering process, arsenic could be removed in the ignition layer, the sinter layer, and the combustion zone. A portion of FeAsS reacted with excess oxygen to generate FeAsO4, and the rest of the FeAsS reacted with oxygen to generate As2O3(g) and SO2(g). A portion of As2O3(g) mixed with Al2O3 or CaO, which resulted in the formation of arsenates such as AlAsO4 and Ca3(AsO4)2, leading to arsenic residues in sintering products. The FeAsS component in the blending ore was difficult to decompose in the preliminary heating zone, the dry zone, or the bottom layer because of the relatively low temperatures; however, As2O3(g) that originated from the high-temperature zone could react with metal oxides, resulting in the formation of arsenate residues.

Development of bismuth tellurium selenide nanoparticles for thermoelectric applications via a chemical synthetic process

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kim, Cham; Department of Chemical Engineering, Pohang University of Science and Technology; Kim, Dong Hwan

2011-03-15

Research highlights: {yields} We synthesized a Bi{sub 2}Te{sub y}Se{sub 3-y} nano-compound via a chemical synthetic process. {yields} The compound was sintered to achieve an average grain size of about 300 nm. {yields} The resulting sintered body showed very low thermal conductivity. It is likely caused by the vigorous phonon scattering of the nano-sized grains. -- Abstract: Bismuth tellurium selenide (Bi{sub 2}Te{sub y}Se{sub 3-y}) nanoparticles for thermoelectric applications are successfully prepared via a water-based chemical reaction under atmospheric conditions. The nanostructured compound is prepared using a complexing agent (ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid) and a reducing agent (ascorbic acid) to stabilize the bismuth precursormore » (Bi(NO{sub 3}){sub 3}) in water and to favor the reaction with reduced sources of tellurium and selenium. The resulting powder is smaller than ca. 100 nm and has a crystalline structure corresponding to the rhombohedral Bi{sub 2}Te{sub 2.7}Se{sub 0.3}. The nanocrystalline powder is sintered via a spark plasma sintering process to obtain a sintered body composed of nano-sized grains. Important transport properties of the sintered body are measured to calculate its most important characteristic, the thermoelectric performance. The results demonstrate a relationship between the nanostructure of the sintered body and its thermal conductivity.« less

Clean recycle and utilization of hazardous iron-bearing waste in iron ore sintering process.

PubMed

Gan, Min; Ji, Zhiyun; Fan, Xiaohui; Chen, Xuling; Zhou, Yang; Wang, Guojing; Tian, Ye; Jiang, Tao

2018-04-18

Applying recycled iron-bearing waste materials (RIM) into iron ore sintering process is the general disposal approach worldwide, while its use is still a thorny problem. Results showed that adding RIM increased contents of hazardous elements (K, Na, Pb, Zn, and Cl) in sinter product, and also enhanced emission concentration of PM 2.5 in flue gas; increasing reaction temperature, and contents of CaO & coke breeze in raw mixtures improved hazardous elements removal. Based on these features, a novel method through granulating natural iron ores and RIM separately and distributing granulated RIM in bottom sintering layers was proposed for clean RIM cycle. When recycling 5% RIM, granulating RIM separately with higher contents of CaO and coke breeze removed hazardous elements effectively, the contents of which in sinter were reduced to comparable level of the case without RIM. Moreover, distributing RIM in bottom sintering layer reached intensive release of hazardous elements and PM 2.5 during sintering, which reduced the flue gas volume needing purification by about 2/3. Through activated carbon purification, about 60% of PM 2.5 comprised high contents of hazardous elements was removed. Novel technique eliminated the negative impact of RIM and has the prospect to reach clean recycle in sinter-making plants. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Selective Laser Sintering of Nano Al2O3 Infused Polyamide

PubMed Central

Warnakula, Anthony; Singamneni, Sarat

2017-01-01

Nano Al2O3 polyamide composites are evaluated for processing by selective laser sintering. A thermal characterization of the polymer composite powders allowed us to establish the possible initial settings. Initial experiments are conducted to identify the most suitable combinations of process parameters. Based on the results of the initial trials, more promising ranges of different process parameters could be identified. The post sintering characterization showed evidence of sufficient inter-particle sintering and intra-layer coalescence. While the inter-particle coalescence gradually improved, the porosity levels slightly decreased with increasing laser power. The nano-filler particles tend to agglomerate around the beads along the solid tracks, possibly due to Van der Walls forces. The tensile stress results showed an almost linear increase with increasing nano-filler content. PMID:28773220

Structure and properties of parts produced by electron-beam additive manufacturing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Klimenov, Vasilii; Klopotov, Anatolii; Fedorov, Vasilii; Abzaev, Yurii; Batranin, Andrey; Kurgan, Kirill; Kairalapov, Daniyar

2017-12-01

The paper deals with the study of structure, microstructure, composition and microhardness of a tube processed by electron-beam additive manufacturing using optical and scanning electron microscopy. The structure and macrodefects of a tube made of Grade2 titanium alloy is studied using the X-ray computed tomography. The principles of layer-by-layer assembly and boundaries after powder sintering are set out in this paper. It is found that the titanium alloy has two phases. Future work will involve methods to improve properties of created parts.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sudiana, I. Nyoman, E-mail: sudiana75@yahoo.com; Ngkoimani, La Ode; Usman, Ida

Microwave sintering of materials has attracted much research interest because of its significant advantages (e.g. reduced sintering temperatures and soaking times) over the conventional heating. Most researchers compared processes that occurred during the microwave and conventional heating at the same temperature and time. The enhancements found in the former method are indicated as a 'non-thermal effect' which is usually used for explaining the phenomena in microwave processing. Numerous recent studies have been focused on the effect to elucidate the microwave interaction mechanism with materials. Moreover, recent progress on microwave sources such as gyrotrons has opened the possibility for processing materialsmore » by using a higher microwave frequency. Therefore, the technology is expected to exhibit a stronger non-thermal effect. This paper presents results from a series of experiments to study the non-thermal effect on microwave sintered alumina. Sintering by using a wide rage of microwave frequencies up to 300 GHz as well as a conventional furnace was carried out. The linear shrinkages of samples for each sintering method were measured. Pores and grains taken from scanning electron microstructure (SEM) images of cut surfaces were also examined. The results of a comparative study of the shrinkages and microstructure evolutions of the sintered samples under annealing in microwave heating systems and in an electric furnace were analyzed. A notably different behavior of the shrinkages and microstructures of alumina after being annealed was found. The results suggested that microwave radiations provided an additional force for mass transports. The results also indicated that the sintering process depended on microwave frequencies.« less

Vacuum-sintered body of a novel apatite for artificial bone

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tamura, Kenichi; Fujita, Tatsushi; Morisaki, Yuriko

2013-12-01

We produced regenerative artificial bone material and bone parts using vacuum-sintered bodies of a novel apatite called "Titanium medical apatite (TMA®)" for biomedical applications. TMA was formed by chemically connecting a Ti oxide molecule with the reactive [Ca10(PO4)6] group of Hydroxyapatite (HAp). The TMA powders were kneaded with distilled water, and solid cylinders of compacted TMA were made by compression molding at 10 MPa using a stainless-steel vessel. The TMA compacts were dried and then sintered in vacuum (about 10-3 Pa) or in air using a resistance heating furnace in the temperature range 1073-1773 K. TMA compacts were sintered at temperatures greater than 1073 K, thus resulting in recrystallization. The TMA compact bodies sintered in the range 1273-1773 K were converted into mixtures composed of three crystalline materials: α-TCP (tricalcium phosphate), β-TCP, and Perovskite-CaTiO3. The Perovskite crystals were stable and hard. In vacuum-sintering, the Perovskite crystals were transformed into fibers (approximately 1 µm in diameter × 8 µm in length), and the fiber distribution was uniform in various directions. We refer to the TMA vacuum-sintered bodies as a "reinforced composite material with Perovskite crystal fibers." However, in atmospheric sintering, the Perovskite crystals were of various sizes and were irregularly distributed as a result of the effect of oxygen. After sintering temperature at 1573 K, the following results were obtained: the obtained TMA vacuum-sintered bodies (1) were white, (2) had a density of approximately 2300 kg/m3 (corresponding to that of a compact bone or a tooth), and had a thermal conductivity of approximately 31.3 W/(m·K) (corresponding to those of metal or ceramic implants). Further, it was possible to cut the TMA bodies into various forms with a cutting machine. An implant made of TMA and inserted into a rabbit jaw bone was covered by new bone tissues after just one month because of the high biocompatibility of the TMA implant. TMA vacuum-sintered bodies are promising biomaterials for use as artificial bone materials to regenerate bone parts and produce bone reinforcement structures that are used for bone junctions in dental and orthopedic surgery.

Physical properties and microstructure study of 316L SS fabricated by metal injection moulding process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dandang, Nur Aidah Nabihah; Harun, Wan Sharuzi Wan; Khalil, Nur Zalikha; Ismail, Muhammad Hussain; Ibrahim, Rosdi

2017-12-01

Metal injection moulding (MIM) has been practised to process alloy powders to become components with significant physical and mechanical properties. Dissimilar than other methods, MIM focuses on the production of high volume, a small, and complex shape of products. The performance of the compacts depends on the suitable sintering parameters that governs their strengths in the final phase which determines the excellent properties of the sintered compacts. Three different sintering temperatures were utilised; 1100, 1200, and 1300 °C with two different soaking times; 1 and 3 hours at 10 °C/min heating rate to study their effect on the physical properties and microstructure analysis of 316L SS alloy compacts. The shrinkage measurement, surface roughness, and density measurement had been conducted for physical properties study. Different sintering temperatures give an effect to the physical properties of the sintered compacts. The shrinkage measurement at 1300 °C and 3-hour sintering condition demonstrated the highest percentage reading which was 10.1 % compared to the lowest percentage reading of 6.4 % at 1100 °C and 1-hour sintering conditions. Whereas, the minimum percentage of density measurement can be found at sintering conditions of 1100 °C and 1-hour which is 83.9 % and the highest percentage is at 1300 °C and 3-hour sintering condition which is about 89.51 %. Therefore, it has been determined that there could be a significant relationship between sintering temperature and physical properties in which it can be found from the porosity of the compact based on the microstructure studies.

An application of powder metallurgy to dentistry.

PubMed

Oda, Y; Ueno, S; Kudoh, Y

1995-11-01

Generally, the dental casting method is used to fabricate dental prostheses made with metal. The method of fabricating dental prostheses from sintered titanium alloy has certain advantages: the elimination of casting defects, a sintering temperature that is lower than the melting point, and a shorter processing time. By examining (1) the properties of green, sintered compacts of titanium powder, (2) the effects of adding aluminum powder on the properties of green, sintered compacts of Ti-Al compound, and (3) the effects of adding copper powder on the properties of green, sintered compacts of Ti-Al-Cu compound, the authors developed a sintered titanium alloy on a trial basis. Because the properties satisfied the requirements of dental restorations, a powder metallurgical method of making dental restorations from this sintered titanium alloy was devised. Applications of such sintered titanium alloys for the metal coping of metal-ceramic crowns and denture base plates were discussed.

Grain growth effects on magnetic properties of Ni0.6Zn0.4Fe2O4 material prepared using mechanically alloyed nanoparticles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Syazwan, M. M.; Hapishah, A. N.; Azis, R. S.; Abbas, Z.; Hamidon, M. N.

2018-06-01

The effect of grain growth via sintering temperature on some magnetic properties is reported in this research. Ni0.6Zn0.4Fe2O4 nanoparticles were mechanically alloyed for 6 h and the sintering process starting from 600 to 1200 °C with 25 °C increment with only one sample subjected to all sintering scheme. The resulting change in the material was observed after each sintering. Single phase has been formed at 600 °C and above and the intensity peaks increased with sintering temperature as well as crystallinity increment. The morphological studies showed grain size increment as the sintering temperature increased. Moreover, the density increased while the porosity decreased with increasing sintering temperature. The saturation induction, Bs increased with the increased of grain size. On the other hand, the coercivity-vs-grain size plot reveals the critical single-domain-to-multidomain grain size to be about ∼400 nm. The initial permeability, μi value was increased with grain size enhancement. The microstructural grain growth, as exposed for the first time by this research, is shown as a process of multiple activation energy barriers.

Behavior of oxide film at the interface between particles in sintered Al powders by pulse electric-current sintering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xie, Guoqiang; Ohashi, Osamu; Song, Minghui; Furuya, Kazuo; Noda, Tetsuji

2003-03-01

The microstructure of the bonding interfaces between particles in aluminum (Al) powder sintered specimens by the pulse electric-current sintering (PECS) process was observed, using conventional transmission electron microscopy (CTEM) and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). The behavior of oxide film at the interface between Al particles and its effect on properties of the sintered specimens were investigated. The results showed there were two kinds of bonding interfaces in the sintered specimens, namely, the direct metal/metal bonding and the metal/oxide film layer/metal bonding interface. By increasing the fraction of the direct metal/metal bonding interfaces, the tensile strength of the sintered specimens increased, and the electrical resistivity decreased. By increasing the loading pressure at higher sintering temperatures or increasing the sintering temperature under loading pressure, the breakdown of oxide film was promoted. The broken oxide film debris was dispersed in aluminum metal near the bonding interfaces between particles.

Ir-based refractory superalloys by pulse electric current sintering (PECS) process (II prealloyed powder)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, C.; Yamabe-Mitarai, Y.; Harada, H.

2002-02-01

Five prealloyed powder samples prepared from binary Ir-based refractory superalloys were sintered at 1800 °C for 4 h by Pulse Electric Current Sintering (PECS). No metal loss was observed during sintering. The relative densities of the sintered specimens all exceeded 90% T.D. The best one was Ir-13% Hf with the density of 97.82% T.D. Phases detected in sintered samples were in accordance with the phase diagram as expected. Fractured surfaces were observed in two samples (Ir-13% Hf and Ir-15% Zr). Some improvements obtained by using prealloyed powders instead of elemental powders, which were investigated in the previous studies, were presented.

Densification kinetics of nanocrystalline zirconia powder using microwave and spark plasma sintering--a comparative study.

PubMed

Vasylkiv, Oleg; Demirskyi, Dmytro; Sakka, Yoshio; Ragulya, Andrey; Borodianska, Hanna

2012-06-01

Two-stage densification process of nanosized 3 mol% yttria-stabilized zirconia (3Y-SZ) polycrystalline compacts during consolidation via microwave and spark-plasma sintering have been observed. The values of activation energies obtained for microwave and spark-plasma sintering 260-275 kJ x mol(-1) are quite similar to that of conventional sintering of zirconia, suggesting that densification during initial stage is controlled by the grain-boundary diffusion mechanism. The sintering behavior during microwave sintering was significantly affected by preliminary pressing conditions, as the surface diffusion mechanism (230 kJ x mol(-1)) is active in case of cold-isostatic pressing procedure was applied.

Ultra high purity, dimensionally stable INVAR 36

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sokolowski, Witold M. (Inventor); Lane, Marc S. (Inventor); Odonnell, Timothy P. (Inventor); Hsieh, Cheng H. (Inventor)

1994-01-01

An INVAR 36 material having long-term dimensional stability is produced by sintering a blend of powders of nickel and iron under pressure in an inert atmosphere to form an alloy containing less than 0.01 parts of carbon and less than 0.1 part aggregate and preferably 0.01 part individually of Mn, Si, P, S and Al impurities. The sintered alloy is heat treated and slowly and uniformly cooled to form a material having a coefficient of thermal expansion of less than 1 ppm/C and a temporal stability of less than 1 ppm/year.

Ultra high purity, dimensionally stable INVAR 36

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sokolowski, Witold M. (Inventor); Lane, Marc S. (Inventor); Hsieh, Cheng H. (Inventor); Odonnell, Timothy P. (Inventor)

1995-01-01

An INVAR 36 material having long-term dimensional stability is produced by sintering a blend of powders of nickel and iron under pressure in an inert atmosphere to form an alloy containing less than 0.01 parts of carbon and less than 0.1 part aggregate and preferably 0.01 part individually of Mn, Si, P, S and Al impurities. The sintered alloy is heat treated and slowly and uniformly cooled to form a material having a coefficient of thermal expansion of less than 1 ppm/C and a temporal stability of less than 1 ppm/year.

Processing of sintered alpha SiC

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Storm, R. S.

1984-01-01

Processing methods of sintered alpha SiC for engine applications are developed in a cost effective manner, using a submicron sized powder blended with sintering aids (boron and carbon). The processes for forming a green powder compact, such as dry pressing, cold isostatic pressing and green machining, slip casting, aqueous extrusion, plastic extrusion, and injection molding, are described. Dry pressing is the simplest route to component fabrication, and is carried out at approximately 10,000 psi pressure, while in the cold isostatic method the pressure could go as high as 20,000 psi. Surfactants are added to control settling rates and casting characteristics in the slip casting. The aqueous extrusion process is accomplished by a hydraulic ram forcing the aqueous mixture through a die. The plastic forming processes of extrusion and injection molding offer the potential of greater diversity in shape capacity. The physical properties of sintered alpha SiC (hardness, Young's modulus, shear modulus, and thermal diffusivity) are extensively tested. Corrosion resistance test results of silicon carbide are included.

Synchrotron X-ray CT characterization of titanium parts fabricated by additive manufacturing. Part II. Defects.

PubMed

Scarlett, Nicola Vivienne Yorke; Tyson, Peter; Fraser, Darren; Mayo, Sheridan; Maksimenko, Anton

2016-07-01

Synchrotron X-ray tomography (SXRT) has been applied to the study of defects within three-dimensional printed titanium parts. These parts were made using the Arcam EBM(®) (electron beam melting) process which uses powdered titanium alloy, Ti64 (Ti alloy with approximately 6%Al and 4%V) as the feed and an electron beam for the sintering/welding. The experiment was conducted on the Imaging and Medical Beamline of the Australian Synchrotron. The samples represent a selection of complex shapes with a variety of internal morphologies. Inspection via SXRT has revealed a number of defects which may not otherwise have been seen. The location and nature of such defects combined with detailed knowledge of the process conditions can contribute to understanding the interplay between design and manufacturing strategy. This fundamental understanding may subsequently be incorporated into process modelling, prediction of properties and the development of robust methodologies for the production of defect-free parts.

Processing and characterization of boron carbide-hafnium diboride ceramics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brown-Shaklee, Harlan James

Hafnium diboride based ceramics are promising candidate materials for advanced aerospace and nuclear reactor components. The effectiveness of boron carbide and carbon as HfB2 sintering additives was systematically evaluated. In the first stage of the research, boron carbide and carbon additives were found to improve the densification behavior of milled HfB2 powder in part by removing oxides at the HfB2 surface during processing. Boron carbide additives reduced the hot pressing temperature of HfB2 by 150°C compared to carbon, which reduced the hot pressing temperature by ˜50°C. Reduction of oxide impurities alone could not explain the difference in sintering enhancement, however, and other mechanisms of enhancement were evaluated. Boron carbides throughout the homogeneity range were characterized to understand other mechanisms of sintering enhancement in HfB2. Heavily faulted carbon rich and boron rich boron carbides were synthesized for addition to HfB2. The greatest enhancement to densification was observed in samples containing boron- and carbon-rich compositions whereas B6.5 C provided the least enhancement to densification. It is proposed that carbon rich and boron rich boron carbides create boron and hafnium point defects in HfB2, respectively, which facilitate densification. Evaluation of the thermal conductivity (kth) between room temperature and 2000°C suggested that the stoichiometry of the boron carbide additives did not significantly affect kth of HfB2-BxC composites. The improved sinterability and the high kth (˜110 W/m-K at 300K and ˜90 W/m-K at 1000°C ) of HfB2-BxC ceramics make them excellent candidates for isotopically enriched reactor control materials.

Method of electrode fabrication for solid oxide electrochemical cells

DOEpatents

Jensen, R.R.

1990-11-20

A process for fabricating cermet electrodes for solid oxide electrochemical cells by sintering is disclosed. First, a porous metal electrode is fabricated on a solid oxide cell, such as a fuel cell by, for example, sintering, and is then infiltrated with a high volume fraction stabilized zirconia suspension. A second sintering step is used to sinter the infiltrated zirconia to a high density in order to more securely attach the electrode to the solid oxide electrolyte of the cell. High performance fuel electrodes can be obtained with this process. Further electrode performance enhancement may be achieved if stabilized zirconia doped with cerium oxide, chromium oxide, titanium oxide, and/or praseodymium oxide for electronic conduction is used. 5 figs.

Method of electrode fabrication for solid oxide electrochemical cells

DOEpatents

Jensen, Russell R.

1990-01-01

A process for fabricating cermet electrodes for solid oxide electrochemical cells by sintering is disclosed. First, a porous metal electrode is fabricated on a solid oxide cell, such as a fuel cell by, for example, sintering, and is then infiltrated with a high volume fraction stabilized zirconia suspension. A second sintering step is used to sinter the infiltrated zirconia to a high density in order to more securely attach the electrode to the solid oxide electrolyte of the cell. High performance fuel electrodes can be obtained with this process. Further electrode performance enhancement may be achieved if stabilized zirconia doped with cerium oxide, chromium oxide, titanium oxide, and/or praseodymium oxide for electronic conduction is used.

Preparation Of Sources For Plasma Vapor Deposition

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Waters, William J.; Sliney, Hal; Kowalski, D.

1993-01-01

Multicomponent metal targets serving as sources of vapor for plasma vapor deposition made in modified pressureless-sintering process. By use of targets made in modified process, one coats components with materials previously plasma-sprayed or sintered but not plasma-vapor-deposited.

Advancements in Binder Systems for Solid Freeform Fabrication

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cooper, Ken; Munafo, Paul (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

Paper will present recent developments in advanced material binder systems for solid freeform fabrication (SFF) technologies. The advantage of SFF is the capability to custom fabricate complex geometries directly from computer aided design data in layer- by-layer fashion, eliminated the need for traditional fixturing and tooling. Binders allow for the low temperature processing of 'green' structural materials, either metal, ceramic or composite, in traditional rapid prototyping machines. The greatest obstacle comes when green parts must then go through a sintering or burnout process to remove the binders and fully densify the parent material, without damaging or distorting the original part geometry. Critical issues and up-to-date assessments will be delivered on various material systems.

Synchrotron X-ray CT characterization of titanium parts fabricated by additive manufacturing. Part I. Morphology.

PubMed

Scarlett, Nicola Vivienne Yorke; Tyson, Peter; Fraser, Darren; Mayo, Sheridan; Maksimenko, Anton

2016-07-01

Synchrotron X-ray tomography has been applied to the study of titanium parts fabricated by additive manufacturing (AM). The AM method employed here was the Arcam EBM(®) (electron beam melting) process which uses powdered titanium alloy, Ti64 (Ti alloy with approximately 6%Al and 4%V), as the feed and an electron beam for the sintering/welding. The experiment was conducted on the Imaging and Medical Beamline of the Australian Synchrotron. Samples were chosen to examine the effect of build direction and complexity of design on the surface morphology and final dimensions of the piece.

Laser surface processing on sintered PM alloys

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reiter, Wilfred; Daurelio, Giuseppe; Ludovico, Antonio D.

1997-08-01

Usually the P.M. alloys are heat treated like case hardening, gas nitriding or plasma nitriding for a better wear resistance of the product surface. There is an additional method for gaining better tribological properties and this is the surface hardening (or remelting or alloying) of the P.M. alloy by laser treatment on a localized part of the product without heating the whole sample. This work gives a cured experimentation about the proper sintering powder alloys for laser surface processing from the point of view of wear, fatigue life and surface quality. As concerns the materials three different basic alloy groups with graduated carbon contents were prepared. Regarding these sintered powder alloys one group holds Fe, Mo and C and other group holds Fe, Ni, Mo and C and the last one holds Fe, Ni, Cu, Mo and C contents. Obviously each group has a different surface hardness, different porosity distribution, different density and diverse metallurgical structures (pearlite or ferrite-pearlite, etc.). ON the sample surfaces a colloidal graphite coating, in different thicknesses, has been sprayed to increase laser energy surface absorption. On some other samples a Mo coating, in different thicknesses, has been produced (on the bulk alloy) by diverse deposition techniques (D.C. Sputtering, P.V.D. and Flame Spraying). Only a few samples have a Mo coating and also an absorber coating, that is a bulk material- Mo and a colloidal graphite coating. All these sintered alloys have been tested by laser technology; so that, many laser working parameters (covering gas, work-speed, focussed and defocussed spot, rastered and integrated beam spots, square and rectangular beam shapes and so on) have been experimented for two different processes at constant laser power and at constant surface temperature (by using a temperature surface sensor and a closed controlled link). For all experiments a transverse fast axial flow CO2 2.5 kW c.w. laser source has been employed.

Mineral Phases and Release Behaviors of As in the Process of Sintering Residues Containing As at High Temperature

PubMed Central

Wang, Xingrun; Zhang, Fengsong; Nong, Zexi

2014-01-01

To investigate the effect of sintering temperature and sintering time on arsenic volatility and arsenic leaching in the sinter, we carried out experimental works and studied the structural changes of mineral phases and microstructure observation of the sinter at different sintering temperatures. Raw materials were shaped under the pressure of 10 MPa and sintered at 1000~1350°C for 45 min with air flow rate of 2000 mL/min. The results showed that different sintering temperatures and different sintering times had little impact on the volatilization of arsenic, and the arsenic fixed rate remained above 90%; however, both factors greatly influenced the leaching concentration of arsenic. Considering the product's environmental safety, the best sintering temperature was 1200°C and the best sintering time was 45 min. When sintering temperature was lower than 1000°C, FeAsS was oxidized into calcium, aluminum, and iron arsenide, mainly Ca3(AsO4)2 and AlAsO4, and the arsenic leaching was high. When it increased to 1200°C, arsenic was surrounded by a glass matrix and became chemically bonded inside the matrix, which lead to significantly lower arsenic leaching. PMID:24723798

Study of the suitability of a commercial hydroxyapatite powder to obtain sintered compacts for medical applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Palacio, C.; Jaramillo, D.; Correa, S.; Arroyave, M.

2017-06-01

Hydroxyapatite (HA) is a material widely used by the medical community due to its Ca/P ratio is comparable to the Ca/P ratio of bones and teeth, which promotes osteoinduction and osteoconduction processes when in contact with bone tissue, either as volume piece or coating. This work focuses on studying the quality of the commercial HA powder MKnano-#MKN-HXAP-S12 µm, after processing, to obtain sintered compact discs with suitable physical and chemical characteristics for implants applications. The HA powder was processed through calcination, grinding, pressing and sintering to evaluate the effect of such as procedures in the compacts dics quality. The raw powder was characterized by laser diffraction, SEM, XRF, XRD, TGA and DSC while the characteristics of the obtained compact discs were determined by dilatometry and XRD to identify the sintering temperature range, constituent phases, the amorphous content and the crystallinity degree, parameters that allow determining their suitability for implants applications. Although, it was not possible to obtain sintered compacts with the suitable chemical composition and without fractures, this work allowed to identify the parameters that determine the suitability of a HA powder to obtain sintered compacts for medical applications, as well as the characterization protocol that allows the evaluation of such parameters.

New horizons in selective laser sintering surface roughness characterization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vetterli, M.; Schmid, M.; Knapp, W.; Wegener, K.

2017-12-01

Powder-based additive manufacturing of polymers and metals has evolved from a prototyping technology to an industrial process for the fabrication of small to medium series of complex geometry parts. Unfortunately due to the processing of powder as a basis material and the successive addition of layers to produce components, a significant surface roughness inherent to the process has been observed since the first use of such technologies. A novel characterization method based on an elastomeric pad coated with a reflective layer, the Gelsight, was found to be reliable and fast to characterize surfaces processed by selective laser sintering (SLS) of polymers. With help of this method, a qualitative and quantitative investigation of SLS surfaces is feasible. Repeatability and reproducibility investigations are performed for both 2D and 3D areal roughness parameters. Based on the good results, the Gelsight is used for the optimization of vertical SLS surfaces. A model built on laser scanning parameters is proposed and after confirmation could achieve a roughness reduction of 10% based on the S q parameter. The Gelsight could be successfully identified as a fast, reliable and versatile surface topography characterization method as it applies to all kind of surfaces.

Tailoring of processing parameters for sintering microsphere-based scaffolds with dense-phase carbon dioxide

PubMed Central

Jeon, Ju Hyeong; Bhamidipati, Manjari; Sridharan, BanuPriya; Scurto, Aaron M.; Berkland, Cory J.; Detamore, Michael S.

2015-01-01

Microsphere-based polymeric tissue-engineered scaffolds offer the advantage of shape-specific constructs with excellent spatiotemporal control and interconnected porous structures. The use of these highly versatile scaffolds requires a method to sinter the discrete microspheres together into a cohesive network, typically with the use of heat or organic solvents. We previously introduced subcritical CO2 as a sintering method for microsphere-based scaffolds; here we further explored the effect of processing parameters. Gaseous or subcritical CO2 was used for making the scaffolds, and various pressures, ratios of lactic acid to glycolic acid in poly(lactic acid-co-glycolic acid), and amounts of NaCl particles were explored. By changing these parameters, scaffolds with different mechanical properties and morphologies were prepared. The preferred range of applied subcritical CO2 was 15–25 bar. Scaffolds prepared at 25 bar with lower lactic acid ratios and without NaCl particles had a higher stiffness, while the constructs made at 15 bar, lower glycolic acid content, and with salt granules had lower elastic moduli. Human umbilical cord mesenchymal stromal cells (hUCMSCs) seeded on the scaffolds demonstrated that cells penetrate the scaffolds and remain viable. Overall, the study demonstrated the dependence of the optimal CO2 sintering parameters on the polymer and conditions, and identified desirable CO2 processing parameters to employ in the sintering of microsphere-based scaffolds as a more benign alternative to heat-sintering or solvent-based sintering methods. PMID:23115065

A strategy to optimize the thermoelectric performance in a spark plasma sintering process

PubMed Central

Chiu, Wan-Ting; Chen, Cheng-Lung; Chen, Yang-Yuan

2016-01-01

Spark plasma sintering (SPS) is currently widely applied to existing alloys as a means of further enhancing the alloys’ figure of merit. However, the determination of the optimal sintering condition is challenging in the SPS process. This report demonstrates a systematic way to independently optimize the Seebeck coefficient S and the ratio of electrical to thermal conductivity (σ/κ) and thus achieve the maximum figure of merit zT = S2(σ/κ)T. Sb2−xInxTe3 (x = 0–0.2) were chosen as examples to validate the method. Although high sintering temperature and pressure are helpful in enhancing the compactness and electrical conductivity of pressed samples, the resultant deteriorated Seebeck coefficient and increasing thermal conductivity eventually offset the benefit. We found that the optimal sintering temperature coincides with temperatures at which the maximum Seebeck coefficient begins to degrade, whereas the optimal sintering pressure coincided with the pressure at which the σ/κ ratio reaches a maximum. Based on this principle, the optimized sintering conditions were determined, and the zT of Sb1.9In0.1Te3 is raised to 0.92 at 600 K, showing an approximately 84% enhancement. This work develops a facile strategy for selecting the optimal SPS sintering condition to further enhance the zT of bulk specimens. PMID:26975209

Processing and properties of SiC whisker reinforced Si sub 3 N sub 4 ceramic matrix composites

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Nunn, S.D.

1991-01-01

Silicon carbide whiskers reinforced silicon nitride ceramic matrix composites were pressureless sintered to high density by liquid phase sintering. Important processing parameters included: whisker dispersion by ultrasonic shear homogenization, particle refinement by attrition milling, pressure slip casting to obtain high greed densities, and sintering in a protective powder bed to limit decomposition. Composites with a {beta}20-Si{sub 3}N{sub 4} solid solution matrix containing 20 vol.% SiC whiskers were sintered to 98-100% theoretical density; composites having a Si{sub 3}N{sub 4} matrix containing YAG sintering aid were sintered to 98% of the theoretical density with 20 vol.% SiC whiskers, and 94% density withmore » 30 vol.% SiC whiskers. Analysis of the pressureless sintered composites revealed orientation of the SiC whiskers and the Si{sub 3}N{sub 4} matrix grains. The mechanical properties of hot pressed Si{sub 3}N{sub 4} composites reinforced with 20 vol.% SiC whiskers were shown to depend on the characteristics of the intergranular phase. Variations in the properties of the composites were analyzed in terms of the amount and morphology of the secondary phase, and the development of internal residual stresses due to the thermal expansion mismatch between the sintering aid phase at the grain boundaries.« less

The physical chemistry and materials science behind sinter-resistant catalysts.

PubMed

Dai, Yunqian; Lu, Ping; Cao, Zhenming; Campbell, Charles T; Xia, Younan

2018-06-18

Catalyst sintering, a main cause of the loss of catalytic activity and/or selectivity at high reaction temperatures, is a major concern and grand challenge in the general area of heterogeneous catalysis. Although all heterogeneous catalysts are inevitably subjected to sintering during their operation, the immediate and drastic consequences can be mitigated by carefully engineering the catalytic particles and their interactions with the supports. In this tutorial review, we highlight recent progress in understanding the physical chemistry and materials science involved in sintering, including the discussion of advanced techniques, such as in situ microscopy and spectroscopy, for investigating the sintering process and its rate. We also discuss strategies for the design and rational fabrication of sinter-resistant catalysts. Finally, we showcase recent success in improving the thermal stability and thus sinter resistance of supported catalytic systems.

Production Process for Strong, Light Ceramic Tiles

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Holmquist, G. R.; Cordia, E. R.; Tomer, R. S.

1985-01-01

Proportions of ingredients and sintering time/temperature schedule changed. Production process for lightweight, high-strength ceramic insulating tiles for Space Shuttle more than just scaled-up version of laboratory process for making small tiles. Boron in aluminum borosilicate fibers allows fusion at points where fibers contact each other during sintering, thereby greatly strengthening tiles structure.

A Review of Metal Injection Molding- Process, Optimization, Defects and Microwave Sintering on WC-Co Cemented Carbide

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shahbudin, S. N. A.; Othman, M. H.; Amin, Sri Yulis M.; Ibrahim, M. H. I.

2017-08-01

This article is about a review of optimization of metal injection molding and microwave sintering process on tungsten cemented carbide produce by metal injection molding process. In this study, the process parameters for the metal injection molding were optimized using Taguchi method. Taguchi methods have been used widely in engineering analysis to optimize the performance characteristics through the setting of design parameters. Microwave sintering is a process generally being used in powder metallurgy over the conventional method. It has typical characteristics such as accelerated heating rate, shortened processing cycle, high energy efficiency, fine and homogeneous microstructure, and enhanced mechanical performance, which is beneficial to prepare nanostructured cemented carbides in metal injection molding. Besides that, with an advanced and promising technology, metal injection molding has proven that can produce cemented carbides. Cemented tungsten carbide hard metal has been used widely in various applications due to its desirable combination of mechanical, physical, and chemical properties. Moreover, areas of study include common defects in metal injection molding and application of microwave sintering itself has been discussed in this paper.

Consolidation Process in Near Net Shape Manufacturing of Armstrong CP-Ti/Ti-6Al-4V Powders

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Yamamoto, Yukinori; Kiggans, Jim; Clark, Michael B

2010-01-01

This paper summarizes our recent efforts to develop the manufacturing technologies of consolidated net-shape components by using new low-cost commercially pure titanium (CP-Ti) and Ti-6Al-4V alloy powders made by the Armstrong process. Fabrication processes of net shape/ near net shape components, such as uniaxial die-pressing, cold isostatic pressing (CIP), sintering, roll compaction and stamping, have been evaluated. The press-and-sinter processing of the powders were systematically investigated in terms of theoretical density and microstructure as a function of time, pressure, and temperature. Up to 96.4% theoretical density has been achieved with the press-and-sinter technology. Tensile properties of the consolidated samples exhibitmore » good ductility as well as equivalent yield/ultimate tensile strengths to those of fully consolidate materials, even with the presence of a certain amount of porosity. A consolidation model is also under development to interpret the powder deformation during processing. Net shape components made of the Armstrong powder can successfully be fabricated with clearer surface details by using press-and-sinter processing.« less

CALCIUM OXIDE SINTERING IN ATMOSPHERES CONTAINING WATER AND CARBON DIOXIDE

EPA Science Inventory

The paper gives results of measurements of the effects of water vapor and CO2 on the sintering rate of nascent CaO, as a function of partial pressure and temperature using CaO prepared by rapid decomposition of CaCO3 and CA(OH)2. Each gas strongly catalyzed the sintering process ...

In Vitro Study of Surface Modified Poly(ethylene glycol)-Impregnated Sintered Bovine Bone Scaffolds on Human Fibroblast Cells

PubMed Central

Pramanik, Sumit; Ataollahi, Forough; Pingguan-Murphy, Belinda; Oshkour, Azim Ataollahi; Osman, Noor Azuan Abu

2015-01-01

Scaffold design from xenogeneic bone has the potential for tissue engineering (TE). However, major difficulties impede this potential, such as the wide range of properties in natural bone. In this study, sintered cortical bones from different parts of a bovine-femur impregnated with biodegradable poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) binder by liquid phase adsorption were investigated. Flexural mechanical properties of the PEG-treated scaffolds showed that the scaffold is stiffer and stronger at a sintering condition of 1000°C compared with 900°C. In vitro cytotoxicity of the scaffolds evaluated by Alamar Blue assay and microscopic tests on human fibroblast cells is better at 1000°C compared with that at 900°C. Furthermore, in vitro biocompatibility and flexural property of scaffolds derived from different parts of a femur depend on morphology and heat-treatment condition. Therefore, the fabricated scaffolds from the distal and proximal parts at 1000°C are potential candidates for hard and soft TE applications, respectively. PMID:25950377

Enhanced Sintering of TiNi Shape Memory Foams under Mg Vapor Atmosphere

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aydoğmuş, Tarik; Bor, Şakir

2012-12-01

TiNi alloy foams are promising candidates for biomaterials to be used as artificial orthopedic implant materials for bone replacement applications in biomedical sector. However, certain problems exist in their processing routes, such as formation of unwanted secondary intermetallic phases leading to brittleness and deterioration of shape memory and superelasticity characteristics; and the contamination during processing resulting in oxides and carbonitrides which affect mechanical properties negatively. Moreover, the eutectic reaction present in Ti-Ni binary system at 1391 K (1118 °C) prevents employment of higher sintering temperatures (and higher mechanical properties) even when equiatomic prealloyed powders are used because of Ni enrichment of TiNi matrix as a result of oxidation. It is essential to prevent oxidation of TiNi powders during processing for high-temperature (>1391 K i.e., 1118 °C) sintering practices. In the current study, magnesium powders were used as space holder material to produce TiNi foams with the porosities in the range of 40 to 65 pct. It has been found that magnesium prevents secondary phase formation and contamination. It also prevents liquid phase formation while enabling employment of higher sintering temperatures by two-step sintering processing: holding the sample at 1373 K (1100 °C) for 30 minutes, and subsequently sintering at temperatures higher than the eutectic temperature, 1391 K (1118 °C). By this procedure, magnesium may allow sintering up to temperatures close to the melting point of TiNi. TiNi foams produced with porosities in the range of 40 to 55 pct were found to be acceptable as implant materials in the light of their favorable mechanical properties.

Selective Laser Sintering of Porous Silica Enabled by Carbon Additive

PubMed Central

Chang, Shuai; Li, Liqun; Lu, Li

2017-01-01

The aim of this study is to investigate the possibility of a freeform fabrication of porous ceramic parts through selective laser sintering (SLS). SLS was proposed to manufacture ceramic green parts because this additive manufacturing technique can be used to fabricate three-dimensional objects directly without a mold, and the technique has the capability of generating porous ceramics with controlled porosity. However, ceramic printing has not yet fully achieved its 3D fabrication capabilities without using polymer binder. Except for the limitations of high melting point, brittleness, and low thermal shock resistance from ceramic material properties, the key obstacle lies in the very poor absorptivity of oxide ceramics to fiber laser, which is widely installed in commercial SLS equipment. An alternative solution to overcome the poor laser absorptivity via improving material compositions is presented in this study. The positive effect of carbon additive on the absorptivity of silica powder to fiber laser is discussed. To investigate the capabilities of the SLS process, 3D porous silica structures were successfully prepared and characterized. PMID:29144425

Ceramic electrolyte coating methods

DOEpatents

Seabaugh, Matthew M.; Swartz, Scott L.; Dawson, William J.; McCormick, Buddy E.

2004-10-12

Processes for preparing aqueous suspensions of a nanoscale ceramic electrolyte material such as yttrium-stabilized zirconia. The invention also includes a process for preparing an aqueous coating slurry of a nanoscale ceramic electrolyte material. The invention further includes a process for depositing an aqueous spray coating slurry including a ceramic electrolyte material on pre-sintered, partially sintered, and unsintered ceramic substrates and products made by this process.

Copper stabilization via spinel formation during the sintering of simulated copper-laden sludge with aluminum-rich ceramic precursors.

PubMed

Tang, Yuanyuan; Chui, Stephen Sin-Yin; Shih, Kaimin; Zhang, Lingru

2011-04-15

The feasibility of incorporating copper-laden sludge into low-cost ceramic products, such as construction ceramics, was investigated by sintering simulated copper-laden sludge with four aluminum-rich ceramic precursors. The results indicated that all of these precursors (γ-Al(2)O(3), corundum, kaolinite, mullite) could crystallochemically stabilize the hazardous copper in the more durable copper aluminate spinel (CuAl(2)O(4)) structure. To simulate the process of copper transformation into a spinel structure, CuO was mixed with the four aluminum-rich precursors, and fired at 650-1150 °C for 3 h. The products were examined using powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopic techniques. The efficiency of copper transformation among crystalline phases was quantitatively determined through Rietveld refinement analysis of the XRD data. The sintering experiment revealed that the optimal sintering temperature for CuAl(2)O(4) formation was around 1000 °C and that the efficiency of copper incorporation into the crystalline CuAl(2)O(4) structure after 3 h of sintering ranged from 40 to 95%, depending on the type of aluminum precursor used. Prolonged leaching tests were carried out by using acetic acid with an initial pH value of 2.9 to leach CuO and CuAl(2)O(4) samples for 22 d. The sample leachability analysis revealed that the CuAl(2)O(4) spinel structure was more superior to stabilize copper, and suggested a promising and reliable technique for incorporating copper-laden sludge or its incineration ash into usable ceramic products. Such results also demonstrated the potential of a waste-to-resource strategy by using waste materials as part of the raw materials with the attainable temperature range used in the production of ceramics.

Structural comparison of sintering products made of "TiC + Ti" composite powders and "Ti + C" powder mixtures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Krinitcyn, Maksim G.; Pribytkov, Gennadii A.; Korosteleva, Elena N.; Firsina, Irina A.; Baranovskii, Anton V.

2017-12-01

In this study, powder composite materials comprised of TiC and Ti with different ratios are processed by sintering of Ti and C powder mixtures and self-propagating high-temperature synthesis (SHS) in "Ti+C" system followed by sintering. The microstructure and porosity of obtained composites are investigated and discussed. The dependence of porosity on sintering time is explained theoretically. Optimal regimes that enable to obtain the most homogeneous structure with the least porosity are described.

Fabrication of turbine components and properties of sintered silicon nitride

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Neil, J. T.; French, K. W.; Quackenbush, C. L.; Smith, J. T.

1982-01-01

This paper presents a status report on the injection molding of sinterable silicon nitride at GTE Laboratories. The effort involves fabrication of single axial turbine blades and monolithic radial turbine rotors. The injection molding process is reviewed and the fabrication of the turbine components discussed. Oxidation resistance and strength results of current injection molded sintered silicon nitride as well as dimensional checks on sintered turbine blades demonstrate that this material is a viable candidate for high temperature structural applications.

The effect of various sintering temperature on used refractory towards its physical properties

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sudibyo; Wulandari, Y. R.; Amin, M.; Azhar

2018-01-01

The used magnesia refractory from the kiln of cement industry was successfully recycled to new refractory using Kaolin as an adhesive. In this work, the temperatures of sintering were varied from 1000°C to 1500°C. The result shows that the increment temperature effects in sintering process will enhance refractory physical properties such as bulk density, cold crushing strength or pressure strength and thermal conductivity. Meanwhile, the porosity was decreased as the increase of the sintering temperature.

Homogeneity of Gd-based garnet transparent ceramic scintillators for gamma spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Seeley, Z. M.; Cherepy, N. J.; Payne, S. A.

2013-09-01

Transparent polycrystalline ceramic scintillators based on the composition Gd1.49Y1.49Ce0.02Ga2.2Al2.8O12 are being developed for gamma spectroscopy detectors. Scintillator light yield and energy resolution depend on the details of various processing steps, including powder calcination, green body formation, and sintering atmosphere. We have found that gallium sublimation during vacuum sintering creates compositional gradients in the ceramic and can degrade the energy resolution. While sintering in oxygen produces ceramics with uniform composition and little afterglow, light yields are reduced, compared to vacuum sintering. By controlling the atmosphere during the various process steps, we were able to minimize the gallium sublimation, resulting in a more homogeneous composition and improved gamma spectroscopy performance.

Comparison of aged polyamide powders for selective laser sintering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martínez, A.; Ibáñez, A.; Sánchez, A.; León, M. A.

2012-04-01

Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) is an additive manufacturing technology in which a three-dimensional object is manufactured layer by layer by melting powder materials with heat generated from a CO2 laser. However, a disadvantage of sintered materials is that the unsintered powder material during the process can be reused only a limited number of cycles, as during the heating phase in the sintering chamber the material remains at a temperature near the fusion point for a certain period of time and lose properties. This work shows the study of two polyamides (PA12)-based powders used in SLS with the aim of understanding the modification of their properties mainly with the temperature and the time at which they are exposed during the processing.

Process for the recovery of alumina from fly ash

DOEpatents

Murtha, M.J.

1983-08-09

An improvement in the lime-sinter process for recovering alumina from pulverized coal fly ash is disclosed. The addition of from 2 to 10 weight percent carbon and sulfur to the fly ash-calcium carbonate mixture increase alumina recovery at lower sintering temperatures.

Dry Sintering Meets Wet Silver-Ion "Soldering": Charge-Transfer Plasmon Engineering of Solution-Assembled Gold Nanodimers From Visible to Near-Infrared I and II Regions.

PubMed

Fang, Lingling; Wang, Yueliang; Liu, Miao; Gong, Ming; Xu, An; Deng, Zhaoxiang

2016-11-07

Achieving highly tunable and localized surface plasmon resonance up to near infrared (NIR) regions is a key target in nanoplasmonics. In particular, a self-assembly process capable of producing highly uniform and solution-processable nanomaterials with tailor-made plasmonic properties is lacking. We herein address this problem through a conjunctive use of wet Ag + soldering and dry thermal sintering to produce nanodimer-derived structures with precisely engineered charge-transfer plasmon (CTP). The sintered dimers are water soluble, featuring gradually shifted CTP spanning an 800 nm wavelength range (up to NIR II). Upon silica removal, the products are grafted by DNA to offer surface functionality. This process is also adaptable to DNA-linked AuNP dimers toward plasmonic meta-materials via DNA-guided soldering and sintering. © 2016 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Experimental Study on Hot Metal Desulfurization Using Sintered Red Mud-Based Flux

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Fengshan; Zhang, Yanling; Guo, Zhancheng

2017-09-01

This research presents the results of laboratory and pilot-scale tests conducted on the use of sintered red mud (RM)-based flux in the hot metal desulfurization (HMD) process. Al2O3/Na2O in RM can decrease the melting point of lime-based slag and can work as a flux in the HMD process. Good slag fluidity was observed throughout the process, and high desulfurization rates ( 80%) with a low final S content (<0.02%) were experimentally obtained when the RM:CaO ratio was between 1.2:1 and 2.4:1. The pilot-scale test results indicated that a desulfurization rate as high as 91% and a S content <0.0099% could be acquired when RM:lime = 1:1, verifying the feasibility of using sintered RM-based flux in HMD. The data obtained provide important information for promoting the large-scale application of sintered RM in steelmaking.

Chemical Sintering Generates Uniform Porous Hyaluronic Acid Hydrogels

PubMed Central

Cam, Cynthia; Segura, Tatiana

2014-01-01

Implantation of scaffolds for tissue repair has been met with limited success primarily due to the inability to achieve vascularization within the construct. Many strategies have shifted to incorporate pores into these scaffolds to encourage rapid cellular infiltration and subsequent vascular ingrowth. We utilized an efficient chemical sintering technique to create a uniform network of polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) microspheres for porous hyaluronic acid hydrogel formation. The porous hydrogels generated from chemical sintering possessed comparable pore uniformity and interconnectivity as the commonly used non- and heat sintering techniques. Moreover, similar cell response to the porous hydrogels generated from each sintering approach was observed in cell viability, spreading, proliferation in vitro, as well as, cellular invasion in vivo. We propose chemical sintering of PMMA microspheres using a dilute acetone solution as an alternative method to generating porous hyaluronic acid hydrogels since it requires equal or ten-fold less processing time as the currently used non-sintering or heat sintering technique, respectively. PMID:24120847

Improved microstructure and thermoelectric properties of iodine doped indium selenide as a function of sintering temperature

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dhama, Pallavi; Kumar, Aparabal; Banerji, P.

2018-04-01

In this paper, we explored the effect of sintering temperature on the microstructure, thermal and electrical properties of iodine doped indium selenide in the temperature range 300 - 700 K. Samples were prepared by a collaborative process of vacuum melting, ball milling and spark plasma sintering at 570 K, 630 K and 690 K. Single phase samples were obtained at higher sintering temperature as InSe is stable only at lower temperature. With increasing sintering temperature, densities of the samples were found to improve with larger grain size formation. Negative values of Seebeck coefficient were observed which indicates n-type carrier transport. Seebeck coefficient increases with sintering temperature and found to be the highest for the sample sintered at 690 K. Thermal conductivity found to be lower in the samples sintered at lower temperatures. The maximum thermoelectric figure of merit found to be ˜ 1 at 700 K due to the enhanced power factor as a result of improved microstructure.

On the self-damping nature of densification in photonic sintering of nanoparticles

PubMed Central

MacNeill, William; Choi, Chang-Ho; Chang, Chih-Hung; Malhotra, Rajiv

2015-01-01

Sintering of nanoparticle inks over large area-substrates is a key enabler for scalable fabrication of patterned and continuous films, with multiple emerging applications. The high speed and ambient condition operation of photonic sintering has elicited significant interest for this purpose. In this work, we experimentally characterize the temperature evolution and densification in photonic sintering of silver nanoparticle inks, as a function of nanoparticle size. It is shown that smaller nanoparticles result in faster densification, with lower temperatures during sintering, as compared to larger nanoparticles. Further, high densification can be achieved even without nanoparticle melting. Electromagnetic Finite Element Analysis of photonic heating is coupled to an analytical sintering model, to examine the role of interparticle neck growth in photonic sintering. It is shown that photonic sintering is an inherently self-damping process, i.e., the progress of densification reduces the magnitude of subsequent photonic heating even before full density is reached. By accounting for this phenomenon, the developed coupled model better captures the experimentally observed sintering temperature and densification as compared to conventional photonic sintering models. Further, this model is used to uncover the reason behind the experimentally observed increase in densification with increasing weight ratio of smaller to larger nanoparticles. PMID:26443492

Rapid laser sintering of metal nano-particles inks.

PubMed

Ermak, Oleg; Zenou, Michael; Toker, Gil Bernstein; Ankri, Jonathan; Shacham-Diamand, Yosi; Kotler, Zvi

2016-09-23

Fast sintering is of importance in additive metallization processes and especially on sensitive substrates. This work explores the mechanisms which set limits to the laser sintering rate of metal nano-particle inks. A comparison of sintering behavior of three different ink compositions with laser exposure times from micro-seconds to seconds reveals the dominant factor to be the organic content (OC) in the ink. With a low OC silver ink, of 2% only, sintering time falls below 100 μs with resistivity <×4 bulk silver. Still shorter exposure times result in line delamination and deformation with a similar outcome when the OC is increased.

Effect of Al(OH)3 on the sintering of UO2-Gd2O3 fuel pellets with addition of U3O8 from recycle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

dos Santos, Lauro Roberto; Durazzo, Michelangelo; Urano de Carvalho, Elita Fontenele; Riella, Humberto Gracher

2017-09-01

The incorporation of gadolinium as burnable poison directly into nuclear fuel is important for reactivity compensation, which enables longer fuel cycles. The function of the burnable poison fuel is to control the neutron population in the reactor core during its startup and the beginning of the fuel burning cycle to extend the use of the fuel. The implementation of UO2-Gd2O3 poisoned fuel in Brazil has been proposed according to the future requirements established for the Angra-2 nuclear power plant. The UO2 powder used is produced from the Ammonium Uranyl Carbonate (AUC). The incorporation of Gd2O3 powder directly into the AUC-derived UO2 powder by dry mechanical blending is the most attractive process, because of its simplicity. Nevertheless, processing by this method leads to difficulties while obtaining sintered pellets with the minimum required density. The cause of the low densities is the bad sintering behavior of the UO2-Gd2O3 mixed fuel, which shows a blockage in the sintering process that hinders the densification. This effect has been overcome by microdoping of the fuel with small quantities of aluminum. The process for manufacturing the fuel inevitably generates uranium-rich scraps from various sources. This residue is reincorporated into the production process in the form of U3O8 powder additions. The addition of U3O8 also hinders densification in sintering. This study was carried out to investigate the influence of both aluminum and U3O8 additives on the density of fuel pellets after sintering. As the effects of these additives are counterposed, this work studied the combined effect thereof, seeking to find an applicable composition for the production process. The experimental results demonstrated the effectiveness of aluminum, in the form of Al(OH)3, as an additive to promote increase in the densification of the (U,Gd)O2 pellets during sintering, even with high additions of U3O8 recycled from the manufacturing process.

Fabrication of Bi2223 bulks with high critical current properties sintered in Ag tubes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Takeda, Yasuaki; Shimoyama, Jun-ichi; Motoki, Takanori; Kishio, Kohji; Nakashima, Takayoshi; Kagiyama, Tomohiro; Kobayashi, Shin-ichi; Hayashi, Kazuhiko

2017-03-01

Randomly grain oriented Bi2223 sintered bulks are one of the representative superconducting materials having weak-link problem due to very short coherence length particularly along the c-axis, resulting in poor intergrain Jc properties. In our previous studies, sintering and/or post-annealing under moderately reducing atmospheres were found to be effective for improving grain coupling in Bi2223 sintered bulks. Further optimizations of the synthesis process for Bi2223 sintered bulks were attempted in the present study to enhance their intergrain Jc. Effects of applied pressure of uniaxial pressing and sintering conditions on microstructure and superconducting properties have been systematically investigated. The best sample showed intergrain Jc of 2.0 kA cm-2 at 77 K and 8.2 kA cm-2 at 20 K, while its relative density was low ∼65%. These values are quite high as for a randomly oriented sintered bulk of cuprate superconductors.

Influence of sulfur dioxide-related interactions on PM2.5 formation in iron ore sintering.

PubMed

Ji, Zhiyun; Fan, Xiaohui; Gan, Min; Chen, Xuling; Lv, Wei; Li, Qiang; Zhou, Yang; Tian, Ye; Jiang, Tao

2017-04-01

The formation of PM 2.5 (aerosol particulate matter less than 2.5 µm in aerodynamic diameter) in association with SO 2 emission during sintering process has been studied by dividing the whole sintering process into six typical sampling stages. A low-pressure cascade impactor was used to collect PM 2.5 by automatically segregating particulates into six sizes. It was found that strong correlation existed between the emission properties of PM 2.5 and SO 2 . Wet mixture layer (overwetted layer and raw mixture layer) had the function to simultaneously capture SO 2 and PM 2.5 during the early sintering stages, and released them back into flue gas mainly in the flue gas temperature-rising period. CaSO 4 crystals constituted the main SO 2 -related PM 2.5 during the disappearing process of overwetted layer, which was able to form perfect individual crystals or to form particles with complex chemical compositions. Besides the existence of individual CaSO 4 crystals, mixed crystals of K 2 SO 4 -CaSO 4 in PM 2.5 were also found during the first half of the temperature-rising period of flue gas. The interaction between fine-grained Ca-based fluxes, potassium vapors, and SO 2 was the potential source of SO 2 -related PM 2.5 . The emission property of PM 2.5 and SO 2 throughout the sintering process exhibited well similarity. This phenomenon tightened the relationship between the formation of PM 2.5 and the emission of SO 2 . Through revealing the properties of SO 2 -related PM 2.5 during sintering process, the potential interaction between fine-grained Ca-based fluxes, potassium vapors, and SO 2 was found to be the source of SO 2 -related PM 2.5 . This information can serve as the guidance to develop efficient techniques to control the formation and emission of PM 2.5 in practical sintering plants.

Direct metal laser sintering: a digitised metal casting technology.

PubMed

Venkatesh, K Vijay; Nandini, V Vidyashree

2013-12-01

Dental technology is undergoing advancements at a fast pace and technology is being imported from various other fields. One such imported technology is direct metal laser sintering technology for casting metal crowns. This article will discuss the process of laser sintering for making metal crowns and fixed partial dentures with a understanding of their pros and cons.

Fast sintering of silver nanoparticle and flake layers by infrared module assistance in large area roll-to-roll gravure printing system

PubMed Central

Park, Janghoon; Kang, Hyi Jae; Shin, Kee-Hyun; Kang, Hyunkyoo

2016-01-01

We present fast sintering for silver (Ag) nanoparticle (NP) and flake layers printed using roll-to-roll (R2R) gravure printing. An infrared (IR) sintering module was applied to an R2R system to shorten the sintering duration of an R2R gravure-printed Ag layer. IR sintering of the conductive layer was improved by optimising the process condition. After printing of the Ag NP and Ag flake layers, additional IR sintering was performed in the R2R system. The lowest sheet resistance obtained in the Ag NP layer was 0.294 Ω/□, the distance between the substrate and lamp was 50-mm long, the IR lamp power was 500 W, and the sintering time was 5.4 s. The fastest sintering of 0.34 Ω/□ was achieved with 50-mm distance, 1,000-W IR lamp power, and 1.08-s sintering time. In the Ag flake layer, the lowest sheet resistance obtained was 0.288 Ω/□ with a 20-mm distance, 1,000-W IR lamp power, and 10.8-s sintering time. Meanwhile, the fastest sintering was obtained with a 3.83 Ω/□ sheet resistance, 20-mm distance, 1000-W IR lamp, and 1.08-s sintering time. Thus, the IR sintering module can easily be employed in an R2R system to obtain excellent layer sheet resistance. PMID:27713469

CAD/CAM machining Vs pre-sintering in-lab fabrication techniques of Y-TZP ceramic specimens: Effects on their mechanical fatigue behavior.

PubMed

Zucuni, C P; Guilardi, L F; Fraga, S; May, L G; Pereira, G K R; Valandro, L F

2017-07-01

This study evaluated the effects of different pre-sintering fabrication processing techniques of Y-TZP ceramic (CAD/CAM Vs. in-lab), considering surface characteristics and mechanical performance outcomes. Pre-sintered discs of Y-TZP ceramic (IPS e.max ZirCAD, Ivoclar Vivadent) were produced using different pre-sintering fabrication processing techniques: Machined- milling with a CAD/CAM system; Polished- fabrication using a cutting device followed by polishing (600 and 1200 SiC papers); Xfine- fabrication using a cutting machine followed by grinding with extra-fine diamond bur (grit size 30 μm); Fine- fabrication using a cutting machine followed by grinding with fine diamond bur (grit size 46 μm); SiC- fabrication using a cutting machine followed by grinding with 220 SiC paper. Afterwards, the discs were sintered and submitted to roughness (n=35), surface topography (n=2), phase transformation (n=2), biaxial flexural strength (n=20), and biaxial flexural fatigue strength (fatigue limit) (n=15) analyses. No monoclinic-phase content was observed in all processing techniques. It can be observed that obtaining a surface with similar characteristics to CAD/CAM milling is essential for the observation of similar mechanical performance. On this sense, grinding with fine diamond bur before sintering (Fine group) was the best mimic protocol in comparison to the CAD/CAM milling. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Parallel Large-Scale Molecular Dynamics Simulation Opens New Perspective to Clarify the Effect of a Porous Structure on the Sintering Process of Ni/YSZ Multiparticles.

PubMed

Xu, Jingxiang; Higuchi, Yuji; Ozawa, Nobuki; Sato, Kazuhisa; Hashida, Toshiyuki; Kubo, Momoji

2017-09-20

Ni sintering in the Ni/YSZ porous anode of a solid oxide fuel cell changes the porous structure, leading to degradation. Preventing sintering and degradation during operation is a great challenge. Usually, a sintering molecular dynamics (MD) simulation model consisting of two particles on a substrate is used; however, the model cannot reflect the porous structure effect on sintering. In our previous study, a multi-nanoparticle sintering modeling method with tens of thousands of atoms revealed the effect of the particle framework and porosity on sintering. However, the method cannot reveal the effect of the particle size on sintering and the effect of sintering on the change in the porous structure. In the present study, we report a strategy to reveal them in the porous structure by using our multi-nanoparticle modeling method and a parallel large-scale multimillion-atom MD simulator. We used this method to investigate the effect of YSZ particle size and tortuosity on sintering and degradation in the Ni/YSZ anodes. Our parallel large-scale MD simulation showed that the sintering degree decreased as the YSZ particle size decreased. The gas fuel diffusion path, which reflects the overpotential, was blocked by pore coalescence during sintering. The degradation of gas diffusion performance increased as the YSZ particle size increased. Furthermore, the gas diffusion performance was quantified by a tortuosity parameter and an optimal YSZ particle size, which is equal to that of Ni, was found for good diffusion after sintering. These findings cannot be obtained by previous MD sintering studies with tens of thousands of atoms. The present parallel large-scale multimillion-atom MD simulation makes it possible to clarify the effects of the particle size and tortuosity on sintering and degradation.

Sintered electrode for solid oxide fuel cells

DOEpatents

Ruka, Roswell J.; Warner, Kathryn A.

1999-01-01

A solid oxide fuel cell fuel electrode is produced by a sintering process. An underlayer is applied to the electrolyte of a solid oxide fuel cell in the form of a slurry, which is then dried. An overlayer is applied to the underlayer and then dried. The dried underlayer and overlayer are then sintered to form a fuel electrode. Both the underlayer and the overlayer comprise a combination of electrode metal such as nickel, and stabilized zirconia such as yttria-stabilized zirconia, with the overlayer comprising a greater percentage of electrode metal. The use of more stabilized zirconia in the underlayer provides good adhesion to the electrolyte of the fuel cell, while the use of more electrode metal in the overlayer provides good electrical conductivity. The sintered fuel electrode is less expensive to produce compared with conventional electrodes made by electrochemical vapor deposition processes. The sintered electrodes exhibit favorable performance characteristics, including good porosity, adhesion, electrical conductivity and freedom from degradation.

Sintered electrode for solid oxide fuel cells

DOEpatents

Ruka, R.J.; Warner, K.A.

1999-06-01

A solid oxide fuel cell fuel electrode is produced by a sintering process. An underlayer is applied to the electrolyte of a solid oxide fuel cell in the form of a slurry, which is then dried. An overlayer is applied to the underlayer and then dried. The dried underlayer and overlayer are then sintered to form a fuel electrode. Both the underlayer and the overlayer comprise a combination of electrode metal such as nickel, and stabilized zirconia such as yttria-stabilized zirconia, with the overlayer comprising a greater percentage of electrode metal. The use of more stabilized zirconia in the underlayer provides good adhesion to the electrolyte of the fuel cell, while the use of more electrode metal in the overlayer provides good electrical conductivity. The sintered fuel electrode is less expensive to produce compared with conventional electrodes made by electrochemical vapor deposition processes. The sintered electrodes exhibit favorable performance characteristics, including good porosity, adhesion, electrical conductivity and freedom from degradation. 4 figs.

Fabrication of sinterable silicon nitride by injection molding

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Quackenbush, C. L.; French, K.; Neil, J. T.

1982-01-01

Transformation of structural ceramics from the laboratory to production requires development of near net shape fabrication techniques which minimize finish grinding. One potential technique for producing large quantities of complex-shaped parts at a low cost, and microstructure of sintered silicon nitride fabricated by injection molding is discussed and compared to data generated from isostatically dry-pressed material. Binder selection methodology, compounding of ceramic and binder components, injection molding techniques, and problems in binder removal are discussed. Strength, oxidation resistance, and microstructure of sintered silicon nitride fabricated by injection molding is discussed and compared to data generated from isostatically dry-pressed material.

Effects of sintering process on wear and mechanical behavior properties of titanium carbide/hexagonal boron nitrid/steel 316L base nanocomposites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sadooghi, Ali; Payganeh, Gholamhassan

2018-02-01

Powder metallurgy process is one of the approaches to manufacture nanocomposite samples, in which the product quality depends upon the pressure, temperature, and sintering time. In this manuscript, steel is selected as the base material together with 2% carbon-based reinforcing TiC particles, and 2% hBN particles as the self-lubricant material. The powders were mixed for 5 h in high ball milling, and compacted with two pressures of 350 and 450 MPa, sintered in the furnace for 2 and 4 h, and sintering temperatures of 1350 and 1450 °C were utilized. SEM, XRD, and EDX tests are performed to identify the nanocomposite structure, and DTA tests are carried out to specify the temperature graph of the material. Finally, hardness, wear, and bending tests are done to find the corresponding mechanical properties of the samples. As a result, the optimum process parameters, including pressure, temperature and sintering duration is achieved. Results show that adding the reinforcing particles into a steel matrix increase the hardness, as well as flexural strength of the nanocomposite product. Also, coefficient of friction shows a decreases.

Toward Better Personal Ballistic Protection

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-03-04

nanotube-reinforced zirconia-toughened alumina composites prepared by spark plasma sintering , Carbon, Vol 50, Iss 2 (2012), 706-717. [4] Bolduc M...attempt to optimize mechanical properties. The processing approaches investigated were pressureless sintering , hot pressing and hot isostatic...pressing (CIP) and pressureless sintering (PS). Test samples were made with high purity commercially available ceramic powder (over 99.5% for Al2O3). For

Phenomenological model of sintering of oxide nuclear fuel with doping admixtures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baranov, V. G.; Devyatko, Yu. N.; Tenishev, A. V.; Khomyakov, O. V.

2015-12-01

It is shown that a change in the linear dimension of compacted UO2 in the sintering process is associated with its plastic yielding under the action of the forces of residual stress and capillary forces. From the curves of sintering of a fuel with doping admixtures in various gaseous media, its rate of creep is reduced.

Sintering of catalytic nanoparticles: particle migration or Ostwald ripening?

PubMed

Hansen, Thomas W; Delariva, Andrew T; Challa, Sivakumar R; Datye, Abhaya K

2013-08-20

Metal nanoparticles contain the active sites in heterogeneous catalysts, which are important for many industrial applications including the production of clean fuels, chemicals and pharmaceuticals, and the cleanup of exhaust from automobiles and stationary power plants. Sintering, or thermal deactivation, is an important mechanism for the loss of catalyst activity. This is especially true for high temperature catalytic processes, such as steam reforming, automotive exhaust treatment, or catalytic combustion. With dwindling supplies of precious metals and increasing demand, fundamental understanding of catalyst sintering is very important for achieving clean energy and a clean environment, and for efficient chemical conversion processes with atom selectivity. Scientists have proposed two mechanisms for sintering of nanoparticles: particle migration and coalescence (PMC) and Ostwald ripening (OR). PMC involves the mobility of particles in a Brownian-like motion on the support surface, with subsequent coalescence leading to nanoparticle growth. In contrast, OR involves the migration of adatoms or mobile molecular species, driven by differences in free energy and local adatom concentrations on the support surface. In this Account, we divide the process of sintering into three phases. Phase I involves rapid loss in catalyst activity (or surface area), phase II is where sintering slows down, and phase III is where the catalyst may reach a stable performance. Much of the previous work is based on inferences from catalysts that were observed before and after long term treatments. While the general phenomena can be captured correctly, the mechanisms cannot be determined. Advancements in the techniques of in situ TEM allow us to observe catalysts at elevated temperatures under working conditions. We review recent evidence obtained via in situ methods to determine the relative importance of PMC and OR in each of these phases of catalyst sintering. The evidence suggests that, in phase I, OR is responsible for the rapid loss of activity that occurs when particles are very small. Surprisingly, very little PMC is observed in this phase. Instead, the rapid loss of activity is caused by the disappearance of the smallest particles. These findings are in good agreement with representative atomistic simulations of sintering. In phase II, sintering slows down since the smallest particles have disappeared. We now see a combination of PMC and OR, but do not fully understand the relative contribution of each of these processes to the overall rates of sintering. In phase III, the particles have grown large and other parasitic phenomena, such as support restructuring, can become important, especially at high temperatures. Examining the evolution of particle size and surface area with time, we do not see a stable or equilibrium state, especially for catalysts operating at elevated temperatures. In conclusion, the recent literature, especially on in situ studies, shows that OR is the dominant process causing the growth of nanoparticle size. Consequently, this leads to the loss of surface area and activity. While particle migration could be controlled through suitable structuring of catalyst supports, it is more difficult to control the mobility of atomically dispersed species. These insights into the mechanisms of sintering could help to develop sinter-resistant catalysts, with the ultimate goal of designing catalysts that are self-healing.

Processing conditions and microstructural features of porous 316L stainless steel components by DMLS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gu, Dongdong; Shen, Yifu

2008-12-01

Direct metal laser sintering (DMLS), due to its flexibility in materials and shapes, would be especially interesting to produce complex shaped porous metallic components. In the present work, processing conditions and microstructural characteristics of direct laser sintered porous 316L stainless steel components were studied. It was found that a partial melting mechanism of powders gave a high feasibility in obtaining porous sintered structures possessing porosities of ˜21-˜55%. Linear energy density (LED), which was defined by the ratio of laser power to scan speed, was used to tailor the laser sintering mechanism. A moderate LED of ˜3400-˜6000 J/m and a lower scan speed less than 0.06 m/s proved to be feasible. With the favorable sintering mechanism prevailed, lowering laser power or increasing scan speed, scan line spacing, and powder layer thickness generally led to a higher porosity. Metallurgical mechanisms of pore formation during DMLS were addressed. It showed that the presence of pores was through: (i) the formation of liquid bridges between partially melted particles during laser irradiation; and (ii) the growth of sintering necks during solidification, leaving residual pores between solidified metallic agglomerates.

Process for fabrication of large titanium diboride ceramic bodies

DOEpatents

Moorhead, Arthur J.; Bomar, E. S.; Becher, Paul F.

1989-01-01

A process for manufacturing large, fully dense, high purity TiB.sub.2 articles by pressing powders with a sintering aid at relatively low temperatures to reduce grain growth. The process requires stringent temperature and pressure applications in the hot-pressing step to ensure maximum removal of sintering aid and to avoid damage to the fabricated article or the die.

Method for forming porous sintered bodies with controlled pore structure

DOEpatents

Whinnery, LeRoy Louis; Nichols, Monte Carl

2000-01-01

The present invention is based, in part, on a method for combining a mixture of hydroxide and hydride functional siloxanes to form a polysiloxane polymer foam, that leaves no residue (zero char yield) upon thermal decomposition, with ceramic and/or metal powders and appropriate catalysts to produce porous foam structures having compositions, densities, porosities and structures not previously attainable. The siloxanes are mixed with the ceramic and/or metal powder, wherein the powder has a particle size of about 400 .mu.m or less, a catalyst is added causing the siloxanes to foam and crosslink, thereby forming a polysiloxane polymer foam having the metal or ceramic powder dispersed therein. The polymer foam is heated to thermally decompose the polymer foam and sinter the powder particles together. Because the system is completely nonaqueous, this method further provides for incorporating reactive metals such as magnesium and aluminum, which can be further processed, into the foam structure.

Magnesia tuned multi-walled carbon nanotubes–reinforced alumina nanocomposites

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ahmad, Iftikhar, E-mail: ifahmad@ksu.edu.sa; Islam, Mohammad; Dar, Mushtaq Ahmad

2015-01-15

Magnesia tuned alumina ceramic nanocomposites, reinforced with multi-walled carbon nanotubes, were condensed using pressureless and hot-press sintering processes. Densification, microstructure and mechanical properties of the produced nanocomposites were meticulously investigated. Electron microscopy studies revealed the homogenous carbon nanotube dispersion within the alumina matrix and confirmed the retention of carbon nanotubes' distinctive tubular morphology and nanoscale features during the extreme mixing/sintering processes. Pressureless sintered nanocomposites showed meagre mechanical responses due to the poorly-integrated microstructures with a slight improvement upon magnesia addition. Conversely, both the magnesia addition and application of hot-press sintering technique resulted in the nanocomposite formation with near-theoretical densities (~more » 99%), well-integrated microstructures and superior mechanical properties. Hot-press sintered nanocomposites incorporating 300 and 600 ppm magnesia exhibited an increase in hardness (10 and 11%), flexural strength (5 and 10%) and fracture toughness (15 and 20%) with respect to similar magnesia-free samples. Compared to monolithic alumina, a decent rise in fracture toughness (37%), flexural strength (22%) and hardness (20%) was observed in the hot-press sintered nanocomposites tuned with merely 600 ppm magnesia. Mechanically superior hot-press sintered magnesia tailored nanocomposites are attractive for several load-bearing structural applications. - Highlights: • MgO tailored Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}–2 wt.% CNT nanocomposites are presented. • The role of MgO and sintering on nanocomposite structures and properties was studied. • Well-dispersed CNTs maintained their morphology/structure after harsh sintering. • Hot-pressing and MgO led nanocomposites to higher properties/unified structures. • MgO tuned composites showed higher toughness (37%) and strength (22%) than Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}.« less

Optimization of sintering conditions for cerium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cranston, Robert Wesley McEachern

YAG:Ce phosphors have become widely used as blue/yellow light converters in camera projectors, white light emitting diodes (WLEDs) and general lighting applications. Many studies have been published on the production, characterization, and analysis of this optical ceramic but few have been done on determining optimal synthesis conditions. In this work, YAG:Ce phosphors were synthesized through solid state mixing and sintering. The synthesized powders and the highest quality commercially available powders were pressed and sintered to high densities and their photoluminescence (PL) intensity measured. The optimization process involved the sintering temperature, sintering time, annealing temperature and the level of Ce concentration. In addition to the PL intensity, samples were also characterized using particle size analysis, X-ray diffraction (XRD), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The PL data was compared with data produced from a YAG:Ce phosphor sample provided by Christie Digital. The peak intensities of the samples were converted to a relative percentage of this industry product. The highest value for the intensity of the commercial powder was measured for a Ce concentration of 0.3 mole% with a sintering temperature of 1540°C and a sintering dwell time of 7 hours. The optimal processing parameters for the in-house synthesized powder were slightly different from those of commercial powders. The optimal Ce concentration was 0.4 mole% Ce, sintering temperature was 1560°C and sintering dwell time was 10 hours. These optimal conditions produced a relative intensity of 94.20% and 95.28% for the in-house and commercial powders respectively. Polishing of these samples resulted in an increase of 5% in the PL intensity.

Efficient sintering of nanocrystalline titanium dioxide films for dye solar cells via raster scanning laser

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mincuzzi, Girolamo; Vesce, Luigi; Reale, Andrea; Di Carlo, Aldo; Brown, Thomas M.

2009-09-01

By identifying the right combination of laser parameters, in particular the integrated laser fluence Φ, we fabricated dye solar cells (DSCs) with UV laser-sintered TiO2 films exhibiting a power conversion efficiency η =5.2%, the highest reported for laser-sintered devices. η is dramatically affected by Φ and a clear trend is reported. Significantly, DSCs fabricated by raster scanning the laser beam to sinter the TiO2 films are made as efficient as those with oven-sintered ones. These results, confirmed on three batches of cells, demonstrate the remarkable potential (noncontact, local, low cost, rapid, selective, and scalable) of scanning laser processing applied to DSC technology.

Sintering Uranium Dioxide of Domestic Production. Report No. 78; SINTERIZACION DE DIOXIDO DE URANIO DE PRODUCCION NACIONAL. Informe No. 78

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Carrea, A.J.

1963-01-01

After a brief indication of the uranium- oxygen equilibrium and the methods for the preparation of UO/sub 2/, the sintering of UO/sub 2/ is considered. The effects of various sintering atmospheres on the properties of the product are discussed and tabulated. The method used for the processing of domestic ores for the preparation of UO/sub 2/ and the fabricition of the sintered UO/sub 2/are described. The properties of the product obtained are illustrated graphically. (J.S.R.)

Sintering effects on dielectric properties of Zn-doped CaCu3Ti4O12 ceramic synthesized by modified sol-gel route

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Singh, Laxman; Rai, U. S.; Rai, Alok Kumar; Mandal, K. D.

2013-01-01

CaCu2.90Zn0.10Ti4O12 ceramic was synthesized by a novel semi-wet route and calcined at 800°C in air for 8 h. The obtained powder was divided into three parts and sintered in air at 950°C for 6 h, 8 h, and 12 h, separately. XRD results confirmed the single phase formation of all the sintered samples with similar cubic structure of CaCu3Ti4O12 (CCTO). Scanning electron micrographs of the CaCu2.9Zn0.1Ti4O12 ceramic sintered for 6 h shows bimodal grain size distribution. Increasing the sintering time significantly promotes the grain growth and microstructural densification. The sintering duration was found to have tremendous influence on microstructure and dielectric properties of CaCu2.90Zn0.10Ti4O12 ceramic. The CaCu2.9Zn0.1Ti4O12 ceramic sintered for 12 h exhibited high dielectric constant ɛ r ˜ 5971 at 1 kHz and room temperature. It is found that ɛ r is independent at high frequency and weakly dependent on temperature.

Volatile organic compound constituents from an integrated iron and steel facility.

PubMed

Tsai, Jiun-Horng; Lin, Kuo-Hsiung; Chen, Chih-Yu; Lai, Nina; Ma, Sen-Yi; Chiang, Hung-Lung

2008-09-15

This study measured the volatile organic compound (VOC) constituents of four processes in an integrated iron and steel industry; cokemaking, sintering, hot forming, and cold forming. Toluene, 1,2,4-trimethylbenzene, isopentane, m,p-xylene, 1-butene, ethylbenzene, and benzene were the predominant VOC species in these processes. However, some of the chlorinated compounds were high (hundreds ppbv), i.e., trichloroethylene in all four processes, carbon tetrachloride in the hot forming process, chlorobenzene in the cold forming process, and bromomethane in the sintering process. In the sintering process, the emission factors of toluene, benzene, xylene, isopentane, 1,2,4-trimethylbenzene, and ethylbenzene were over 9 g/tonne-product. In the vicinity of the manufacturing plant, toluene, isopentane, 1,2,4-trimethylbenzene, xylene and ethylbenzene were high. Toluene, 1,2,4-trimethylbenzene, xylene, 1-butene and isopentane were the major ozone formation species. Aromatic compounds were the predominant VOC groups, constituting 45-70% of the VOC concentration and contributing >70% to the high ozone formation potential in the stack exhaust and workplace air. The sequence of VOC concentration and ozone formation potential was as follows: cold forming>sintering>hot forming>cokemaking. For the workplace air, cokemaking was the highest producer, which was attributed to the fugitive emissions of the coke oven and working process release.

Rapid production of hollow SS316 profiles by extrusion based additive manufacturing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rane, Kedarnath; Cataldo, Salvatore; Parenti, Paolo; Sbaglia, Luca; Mussi, Valerio; Annoni, Massimiliano; Giberti, Hermes; Strano, Matteo

2018-05-01

Complex shaped stainless steel tubes are often required for special purpose biomedical equipment. Nevertheless, traditional manufacturing technologies, such as extrusion, lack the ability to compete in a market of customized complex components because of associated expenses towards tooling and extrusion presses. To rapid manufacture few of such components with low cost and high precision, a new Extrusion based Additive Manufacturing (EAM) process, is proposed in this paper, and as an example, short stainless steel 316L complex shaped and sectioned tubes were prepared by EAM. Several sample parts were produced using this process; the dimensional stability, surface roughness and chemical composition of sintered samples were investigated to prove process competence. The results indicate that feedstock with a 316L particle content of 92.5 wt. % can be prepared with a sigma blade mixing, whose rheological behavior is fit for EAM. The green samples have sufficient strength to handle them for subsequent treatments. The sintered samples considerably shrunk to designed dimensions and have a homogeneous microstructure to impart mechanical strength. Whereas, maintaining comparable dimensional accuracy and chemical composition which are required for biomedical equipment still need iterations, a kinematic correction and modification in debinding cycle was proposed.

Effects of sintering atmosphere on the physical and mechanical properties of modified BOF slag glass

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dai, Wen-bin; Li, Yu; Cang, Da-qiang; Zhou, Yuan-yuan; Fan, Yong

2014-05-01

This study proposes an efficient way to utilize all the chemical components of the basic oxygen furnace (BOF) slag to prepare high value-added glass-ceramics. A molten modified BOF slag was converted from the melting BOF slag by reducing it and separating out iron component in it, and the modified BOF slag was then quenched in water to form glasses with different basicities. The glasses were subsequently sintered in the temperature range of 600-1000°C in air or nitrogen atmosphere for 1 h. The effects of different atmospheres on the physical and mechanical properties of sintered samples were studied by using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and by conducting experiment on evaluating the sintering shrinkage, water absorption and bulk density. It is found that the kinetics of the sintering process is significantly affected by sintering atmosphere. In particular, compared with sintering in air atmosphere, sintering in N2 atmosphere promotes the synergistic growth of pyroxene and melilite crystalline phases, which can contribute to better mechanical properties and denser microstructure.

Low-Temperature Sintering Behavior (≤ 400°C) of Micro-sized Silver Particles Decorated by Silver Nanoparticles Through Surface Iodination

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, Jian; Tang, Hongbo

2018-05-01

This paper introduces a facile and effective route to decorate micro-sized silver particle surfaces with Ag/AgI nanoclusters through a wet chemical reaction at room temperature using iodine and ethanol as reactant and solvent, respectively. Photosensitivity of AgI is utilized in the route, and AgI decomposes into Ag upon contact with sunshine, forming Ag/AgI nanoclusters. The modified micro-sized Ag particles showed sinterability even at 200°C and formed rigid electrical conductive networks at 350°C. Moreover, sintered film containing the modified Ag particles reached the best conductivity, 9.35 mΩ/sq, after sintering at 350°C for 20 min, while the film with untreated control Ag particles obtained its best conductivity at 400°C. The excellent sinterability should be attributed to the nanoclusters which served as a sintering aid during the heating process. However, increase of sintering temperature and time destroyed densification and conductivity of the sintered film containing the modified particles.

Processing of uranium dioxide nuclear fuel pellets using spark plasma sintering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ge, Lihao

Uranium dioxide (UO2), one of the most common nuclear fuels, has been applied in most of the nuclear plant these days for electricity generation. The main objective of this research is to introduce a novel method for UO 2 processing using spark plasma sintering technique (SPS). Firstly, an investigation into the influence of processing parameters on densification of UO2 powder during SPS is presented. A broad range of sintering temperatures, hold time and heating rates have been systematically varied to investigate their influence on the sintered pellet densification process. The results revealed that up to 96% theoretical density (TD) pellets can be obtained at a sintering temperature of 1050 °C for 30s hold time and a total run time of only 10 minutes. A systematic study is performed by varying the sintering temperature between 750°C to 1450°C and hold time between 0.5 min to 20 min to obtain UO2 pellets with a range of densities and grain sizes. The microstructure development in terms of grain size, density and porosity distribution is investigated. The Oxygen/Uranium (O/U) ratio of the resulting pellets is found to decrease after SPS. The mechanical and thermal properties of UO2 are evaluated. For comparable density and grain size, Vickers hardness and Young's modulus are in agreement with the literature value. The thermal conductivity of UO2 increases with the density but the grain size in the investigated range has no significant influence. Overall, the mechanical and thermal properties of UO2 are comparable with the one made using conventional sintering methods. Lastly, the influence of chromium dioxide (Cr2O3) and zirconium diboride (ZrB2) on the grain size of doped UO 2 fuel pellet is performed to investigate the feasibility of producing large-grain-size nuclear fuel using SPS. The benefits of using SPS over the conventional sintering of UO2 are summarized. The future work of designing macro-porous UO2 pellet and thorium dioxide (ThO 2) cored UO2 pellet is also proposed.

Development of three-axis inkjet printer for gear sensors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Iba, Daisuke; Rodriguez Lopez, Ricardo; Kamimoto, Takahiro; Nakamura, Morimasa; Miura, Nanako; Iizuka, Takashi; Masuda, Arata; Moriwaki, Ichiro; Sone, Akira

2016-04-01

The long-term objective of our research is to develop sensor systems for detection of gear failure signs. As a very first step, this paper proposes a new method to create sensors directly printed on gears by a printer and conductive ink, and shows the printing system configuration and the procedure of sensor development. The developing printer system is a laser sintering system consisting of a laser and CNC machinery. The laser is able to synthesize micro conductive patterns, and introduced to the CNC machinery as a tool. In order to synthesize sensors on gears, we first design the micro-circuit pattern on a gear through the use of 3D-CAD, and create a program (G-code) for the CNC machinery by CAM. This paper shows initial experiments with the laser sintering process in order to obtain the optimal parameters for the laser setting. This new method proposed here may provide a new manufacturing process for mechanical parts, which have an additional functionality to detect failure, and possible improvements include creating more economical and sustainable systems.

Examining nanoparticle assemblies using high spatial resolution x-ray microtomography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jenneson, P. M.; Luggar, R. D.; Morton, E. J.; Gundogdu, O.; Tüzün, U.

2004-09-01

An experimental system has been designed to examine the assembly of nanoparticles in a variety of process engineering applications. These applications include the harvesting from solutions of nanoparticles into green parts, and the subsequent sintering into finished components. The system is based on an x-ray microtomography with a spatial resolution down to 5μm. The theoretical limitations in x-ray imaging are considered to allow experimental optimization. A standard nondestructive evaluation type apparatus with a small focal-spot x-ray tube, high-resolution complementary metal oxide semiconductor flat-panel pixellated detector, and a mechanical rotational stage is used to image the static systems. Dynamic sintering processes are imaged using the same x-ray source and detector but a custom rotational stage which is contained in an environmental chamber where the temperature, atmospheric pressure, and compaction force can be controlled. Three-dimensional tomographic data sets are presented here for samples from the pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, biotechnology, and nanoparticle handling industries and show the microscopic features and defects which can be resolved with the system.

Sintering in Ceramics and Solid Oxide Fuel Cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hunt, Clay Dale

Nature's propensity to minimize energy, and the change in energy with respect to position, drives diffusion. Diffusion is a means by which mass transport resulting in the bonding of the particles of a powder compact can be achieved without melting. This phenomenon occurs in powdered materials near their melting temperature, and is referred to as "sintering". Because of the extreme melting temperature of some materials, sintering might be the only practical means of processing. The complexity and subtlety of sintering ceramics motivated the evaluation of empirical data and existing sintering models. This project examined polycrystalline cubic-zirconia sintering with and without transition-metal oxide additions that change sintering behavior. This study was undertaken to determine how sintering aids affect the driving force, and activation energy, the energy barrier that must be overcome in order for an atom or ion to diffuse, of the densification occurring during sintering. Examination of commercially-available cubic-zirconia powder sintering behavior was undertaken with dilatometry, which allows monitoring of the length change a material undergoes as it sinters, and with scanning electron microscopy, which facilitates the study of sintered-sample microstructure. MATLAB algorithms quantifying sintering results were developed. Results from this work include proposed definitions of a 26-year-old undefined function of density factor in a well-accepted mathematical model of sintering. These findings suggest activation energy is not changing with density, as is suggested by recent published results. The first numerical integration of the studied sintering model has been performed. With these tools, a measure of the activation energy of densification of cubic-zirconia with and without the addition of cobalt-oxide as a sintering aid has been performed. The resulting MATLAB algorithms can be used in future sintering studies. It is concluded that sintering enhancement achieved with cobalt-oxide addition comes from reduction in activation energy of densification of cubic-zirconia. Further, it is suggested that the activation energy of densification does not change with material density. This conclusion is supported by the sensitivity of the numerical integration of the aforementioned sintering model to changes in activation energy.

Consolidation of materials by pulse-discharge processes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Strizhakov, E. L.; Nescoromniy, S. V.

2017-07-01

The article presents the research and the analysis of the pulse-discharge processes of capacitor discharge sintering: CD Stud Welding, capacitor discharge percussion welding (CDPW), high-voltage capacitor welding with an inductive-dynamic drive (HVCW with IDD), pulse electric current sintering (PECS) of powders. The comparative analysis of the impact parameter is presented.

Improved silicon carbide for advanced heat engines

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Whalen, Thomas J.; Mangels, J. A.

1986-01-01

The development of silicon carbide materials of high strength was initiated and components of complex shape and high reliability were formed. The approach was to adapt a beta-SiC powder and binder system to the injection molding process and to develop procedures and process parameters capable of providing a sintered silicon carbide material with improved properties. The initial effort was to characterize the baseline precursor materials, develop mixing and injection molding procedures for fabricating test bars, and characterize the properties of the sintered materials. Parallel studies of various mixing, dewaxing, and sintering procedures were performed in order to distinguish process routes for improving material properties. A total of 276 modulus-of-rupture (MOR) bars of the baseline material was molded, and 122 bars were fully processed to a sinter density of approximately 95 percent. Fluid mixing techniques were developed which significantly reduced flaw size and improved the strength of the material. Initial MOR tests indicated that strength of the fluid-mixed material exceeds the baseline property by more than 33 percent. the baseline property by more than 33 percent.

Sintered Intermetallic Reinforced 434L Ferritic Stainless Steel Composites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Upadhyaya, A.; Balaji, S.

2009-03-01

The present study examines the effect of aluminide (Ni3Al, Fe3Al) additions on the sintering behavior of ferritic 434L stainless steels during solid-state sintering (SSS) and supersolidus liquid-phase sintering (SLPS). 434L stainless steel matrix composites containing 5 and 10 wt pct of each aluminide were consolidated at 1200 °C (SSS) and 1400 °C (SLPS). The effects of sintering and aluminide additions on the densification, microstructural evolution, mechanical, tribological, and corrosion behavior of sintered ferritic (434L) stainless steels were investigated. The performances of the 434L-aluminide composites were compared with the straight 434L stainless steels processed at similar conditions. Supersolidus sintering resulted in significant improvement in densification, mechanical, wear, and corrosion resistance in both straight 434L and 434L-aluminide composites. Fe3Al additions to 434L stainless steels result in improved wear resistance without significant degradation of corrosion resistance in 3.56 wt pct NaCl solution.

Reactive sintering process of ferromagnetic MnBi under high magnetic fields

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mitsui, Yoshifuru; Umetsu, Rie Y.; Takahashi, Kohki; Koyama, Keiichi

2018-05-01

The magnetic field effect on the reactive sintering process of MnBi was investigated. Magnetic-field-induced enhancement of the reaction was found to be exhibited at the initial stages. The coercivity field decreased with an increase in the in-field annealing time. The kinetics of the reaction were in good agreement with the diffusion-controlled reaction model. It is suggested that the decrease in activation energy at the initial stages of reaction increased the amount of formed MnBi phases, resulting in enhancement of the reaction Mn + Bi to MnBi phase by in-field reactive sintering.

Taguchi Analysis on the Effect of Process Parameters on Densification During Spark Plasma Sintering of HfB2-20SiC (Preprint)

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-11-01

30 kN pressure and heating rate of 100 K/min. Introduction Boride , carbides and nitrides of the group IVB and VB transition metals are considered...10. Sciti D., Silvestroni L., Nygren M. Spark plasma sintering of Zr- and Hf- borides with decreasing amounts of MoSi2 as sintering aid Journal of

Electric-Loading Enhanced Kinetics in Oxide Ceramics: Pore Migration, Sintering and Grain Growth: Final Report

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chen, I-Wei

Solid oxide fuel cells and solid oxide electrolysis cells rely on solid electrolytes in which a large ionic current dominates. This project was initiated to investigate microstructural changes in such devices under electrochemical forces, because nominally insignificant processes may couple to the large ionic current to yield non-equilibrium phenomena that alter the microstructure. Our studies had focused on yttria-stabilized cubic zirconia (YSZ) widely used in these devices. The experiments have revealed enhanced grain growth at higher temperatures, pore and gas bubble migration at all temperatures, and the latter also lead to enhanced sintering of highly porous ceramics into fully densemore » ceramics at unprecedentedly low temperatures. These results have shed light on kinetic processes that fall completely outside the realm of classical ceramic processing. Other fast-oxygen oxide ceramics closely related to, and often used in conjunction with zirconia ceramics, have also be investigated, as are closely related scientific problems in zirconia ceramics. These include crystal structures, defects, diffusion kinetics, oxygen potentials, low temperature sintering, flash sintering, and coarsening theory, and all have resulted in greater clarity in scientific understanding. The knowledge is leveraged to provide new insight to electrode kinetics and near-electrode mixed conductivity and to new materials. In the following areas, our research has resulted in completely new knowledge that defines the state-of-the-art of the field. (a) Electrical current driven non-equilibrium phenomena, (b) Enhanced grain growth under electrochemically reducing conditions, (c) Development of oxygen potential polarization in electrically loaded electrolyte, (d) Low temperature sintering and grain growth, and (e) Structure, defects and cation kinetics of fluorite-structured oxides. Our research has also contributed to synthesis of new energy-relevant electrochemical materials and new understanding of flash sintering, which is a rapid sintering process initiated by a large electrical loading.« less

Grain refinement in heavy rare earth element-free sintered Nd–Fe–B magnets by addition of a small amount of molybdenum

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kim, Jin Woo; Lee, Won Suk; Byun, Jong Min

2015-05-07

We employed a modified refractory-metal-addition method to achieve higher coercivity and remanence in heavy rare earth element (HREE)-free Nd–Fe–B sintered magnets. This process involved inducing the formation of a homogeneous secondary phase at the grain boundaries during sintering, making it possible to control the intergrain diffusion by adding small amounts of Mo, a refractory metal. To control the microstructure of the secondary phase effectively, a metal organic compound of the refractory metal was coated on the surfaces of the particles of an HREE-free Nd–Fe–B powder. The average grain size after this process was 5.60 μm, which was approximately 1.8 μm smaller thanmore » that of the HREE-free sintered Nd–Fe–B magnets (7.4 μm). The coercivity of the magnets prepared through this process could be increased from 11.88 kOe to 13.91 kOe without decreasing their remanence.« less

Copper indium gallium selenide (CIGS) photovoltaic devices made using multistep selenization of nanocrystal films.

PubMed

Harvey, Taylor B; Mori, Isao; Stolle, C Jackson; Bogart, Timothy D; Ostrowski, David P; Glaz, Micah S; Du, Jiang; Pernik, Douglas R; Akhavan, Vahid A; Kesrouani, Hady; Vanden Bout, David A; Korgel, Brian A

2013-09-25

The power conversion efficiency of photovoltaic devices made with ink-deposited Cu(InxGa1-x)Se2 (CIGS) nanocrystal layers can be enhanced by sintering the nanocrystals with a high temperature selenization process. This process, however, can be challenging to control. Here, we report that ink deposition followed by annealing under inert gas and then selenization can provide better control over CIGS nanocrystal sintering and yield generally improved device efficiency. Annealing under argon at 525 °C removes organic ligands and diffuses sodium from the underlying soda lime glass into the Mo back contact to improve the rate and quality of nanocrystal sintering during selenization at 500 °C. Shorter selenization time alleviates excessive MoSe2 formation at the Mo back contact that leads to film delamination, which in turn enables multiple cycles of nanocrystal deposition and selenization to create thicker, more uniform absorber films. Devices with power conversion efficiency greater than 7% are fabricated using the multiple step nanocrystal deposition and sintering process.

Co-melting technology in resource recycling of sludge derived from stone processing.

PubMed

Hu, Shao-Hua; Hu, Shen-Chih; Fu, Yen-Pei

2012-12-01

Stone processing sludge (SPS) is a by-product of stone-processing wastewater treatment; it is suitable for use as a raw material for making artificial lightweight aggregates (ALWAs). In this study, boric acid was utilized as a flux to lower sintering temperature. The formation of the viscous glassy phase was observed by DTA curve and changes in XRD patterns. Experiments were conducted to find the optimal combination of sintering temperature, sintering time, and boric acid dosage to produce an ALWA of favorable characteristics in terms of water absorption, bulk density, apparent porosity, compressive strength and weight loss to satisfy Taiwan's regulatory requirements for construction and insulation materials. Optimal results gave a sintering temperature of 850 degrees C for 15 min at a boric acid dosage of 15% by weight of SPS. Results for ALWA favorable characteristics were: 0.21% (water absorption), 0.35% (apparent porosity), 1.67 g/cm3 (bulk density), 66.94 MPa (compressive strength), and less than 0.1% (weight loss).

Co-melting technology in resource recycling of sludge derived from stone processing.

PubMed

Hu, Shao-Hua; Hu, Shen-Chih; Fu, Yen-Pei

2012-12-01

Stone processing sludge (SPS) is a by-product of stone-processing wastewater treatment; it is suitable for use as a raw material for making artificial lightweight aggregates (ALWAs). In this study, boric acid was utilized as a flux to lower sintering temperature. The formation of the viscous glassy phase was observed by DTA curve and changes in XRD patterns. Experiments were conducted to find the optimal combination of sintering temperature, sintering time, and boric acid dosage to produce an ALWA of favorable characteristics in terms of water absorption, bulk density, apparent porosity, compressive strength and weight loss to satisfy Taiwan's regulatory requirements for construction and insulation materials. Optimal results gave a sintering temperature of 850 °C for 15 min at a boric acid dosage of 15 % by weight of SPS. Results for ALWA favorable characteristics were: 0.21 % (water absorption), 0.35 %(apparent porosity), 1.67 g/cm3 (bulk density), 66.94 MPa (compressive strength), and less than 0.1% (weight loss). [Box: see text].

Department of Defense Advisory Group on Electron Devices. Special Technology Area Review on Microwave Packaging Technology. Appendix

DTIC Science & Technology

1993-02-01

sintered in hydrogen furnace at very high temperatures . Multiple furnace firing occurs until the binders are removed and part density is achieved "* Process...and base Low temperature co-fired ceramic - Metallized for shielding and grounding - Low resistance thick-film metallization - High thermal resistance...ESPECIALLY LOW TEMPERATURE COFIRED CERAMIC CERAMICS HIGH THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY,MATCHED GaAS AND SILICON SUBSTRATE MATERIALS I I,1Z#A,17Mr1 J, TI

Processing of solid solution, mixed uranium/refractory metal carbides for advanced space nuclear power and propulsion systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Knight, Travis Warren

Nuclear thermal propulsion (NTP) and space nuclear power are two enabling technologies for the manned exploration of space and the development of research outposts in space and on other planets such as Mars. Advanced carbide nuclear fuels have been proposed for application in space nuclear power and propulsion systems. This study examined the processing technologies and optimal parameters necessary to fabricate samples of single phase, solid solution, mixed uranium/refractory metal carbides. In particular, the pseudo-ternary carbide, UC-ZrC-NbC, system was examined with uranium metal mole fractions of 5% and 10% and corresponding uranium densities of 0.8 to 1.8 gU/cc. Efforts were directed to those methods that could produce simple geometry fuel elements or wafers such as those used to fabricate a Square Lattice Honeycomb (SLHC) fuel element and reactor core. Methods of cold uniaxial pressing, sintering by induction heating, and hot pressing by self-resistance heating were investigated. Solid solution, high density (low porosity) samples greater than 95% TD were processed by cold pressing at 150 MPa and sintering above 2600 K for times longer than 90 min. Some impurity oxide phases were noted in some samples attributed to residual gases in the furnace during processing. Also, some samples noted secondary phases of carbon and UC2 due to some hyperstoichiometric powder mixtures having carbon-to-metal ratios greater than one. In all, 33 mixed carbide samples were processed and analyzed with half bearing uranium as ternary carbides of UC-ZrC-NbC. Scanning electron microscopy, x-ray diffraction, and density measurements were used to characterize samples. Samples were processed from powders of the refractory mono-carbides and UC/UC 2 or from powders of uranium hydride (UH3), graphite, and refractory metal carbides to produce hypostoichiometric mixed carbides. Samples processed from the constituent carbide powders and sintered at temperatures above the melting point of UC showed signs of liquid phase sintering and were shown to be largely solid solutions. Pre-compaction of mixed carbide powders prior to sintering was shown to be necessary to achieve high densities. Hypostoichiometric, samples processed at 2500 K exhibited only the initial stage of sintering and solid solution formation. Based on these findings, a suggested processing methodology is proposed for producing high density, solid solution, mixed carbide fuels. Pseudo-binary, refractory carbide samples hot pressed at 3100 K and 6 MPa showed comparable densities (approximately 85% of the theoretical value) to samples processed by cold pressing and sintering at temperatures of 2800 K.

A novel method based on selective laser sintering for preparing high-performance carbon fibres/polyamide12/epoxy ternary composites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, Wei; Yan, Chunze; Shi, Yunsong; Wen, Shifeng; Liu, Jie; Wei, Qingsong; Shi, Yusheng

2016-09-01

A novel method based on selective laser sintering (SLS) process is proposed for the first time to prepare complex and high-performance carbon fibres/polyamide12/epoxy (CF/PA12/EP) ternary composites. The procedures are briefly described as follows: prepare polyamide12 (PA12) coated carbon fibre (CF) composite powder; build porous green parts by SLS; infiltrate the green parts with high-performance thermosetting epoxy (EP) resin; and finally cure the resin at high temperature. The obtained composites are a ternary composite system consisting of the matrix of novolac EP resin, the reinforcement of CFs and the transition thin layer of PA12 with a thickness of 595 nm. The SEM images and micro-CT analysis prove that the ternary system is a three-dimensional co-continuous structure and the reinforcement of CFs are well dispersed in the matrix of EP with the volume fraction of 31%. Mechanical tests show that the composites fabricated by this method yield an ultimate tensile strength of 101.03 MPa and a flexural strength of 153.43 MPa, which are higher than those of most of the previously reported SLS materials. Therefore, the process proposed in this paper shows great potential for manufacturing complex, lightweight and high-performance CF reinforced composite components in aerospace, automotive industries and other areas.

A novel method based on selective laser sintering for preparing high-performance carbon fibres/polyamide12/epoxy ternary composites

PubMed Central

Zhu, Wei; Yan, Chunze; Shi, Yunsong; Wen, Shifeng; Liu, Jie; Wei, Qingsong; Shi, Yusheng

2016-01-01

A novel method based on selective laser sintering (SLS) process is proposed for the first time to prepare complex and high-performance carbon fibres/polyamide12/epoxy (CF/PA12/EP) ternary composites. The procedures are briefly described as follows: prepare polyamide12 (PA12) coated carbon fibre (CF) composite powder; build porous green parts by SLS; infiltrate the green parts with high-performance thermosetting epoxy (EP) resin; and finally cure the resin at high temperature. The obtained composites are a ternary composite system consisting of the matrix of novolac EP resin, the reinforcement of CFs and the transition thin layer of PA12 with a thickness of 595 nm. The SEM images and micro-CT analysis prove that the ternary system is a three-dimensional co-continuous structure and the reinforcement of CFs are well dispersed in the matrix of EP with the volume fraction of 31%. Mechanical tests show that the composites fabricated by this method yield an ultimate tensile strength of 101.03 MPa and a flexural strength of 153.43 MPa, which are higher than those of most of the previously reported SLS materials. Therefore, the process proposed in this paper shows great potential for manufacturing complex, lightweight and high-performance CF reinforced composite components in aerospace, automotive industries and other areas. PMID:27650254

Processing of U-2.5Zr-7.5Nb and U-3Zr-9Nb alloys by sintering process

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Dos Santos, A. M. M.; Ferraz, W. B.; Lameiras, F. S.

2012-07-01

To minimize the risk of nuclear proliferation, there is worldwide interest in reducing fuel enrichment of research and test reactors. To achieve this objective while still guaranteeing criticality and cycle length requirements, there is need of developing high density uranium metallic fuels. Alloying elements such as Zr, Nb and Mo are added to uranium to improve fuel performance in reactors. In this context, the Centro de Desenvolvimento da Tecnologia Nuclear (CDTN) is developing the U-2.5Zr-7.5Nb and U-3Zr-9Nb (weight %) alloys by the innovative process of sintering that utilizes raw materials in the form of powders. The powders were pressed atmore » 400 MPa and then sintered under a vacuum of about 1x10{sup -4} Torr at temperatures ranging from 1050 deg. to 1500 deg.C. The densities of the alloys were measured geometrically and by hydrostatic method and the phases identified by X ray diffraction (XRD). The microstructures of the pellets were observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and the alloying elements were analyzed by energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). The results obtained showed the fuel density to slightly increase with the sintering temperature. The highest density achieved was approximately 80% of theoretical density. It was observed in the pellets a superficial oxide layer formed during the sintering process. (authors)« less

Direct laser sintered WC-10Co/Cu nanocomposites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gu, Dongdong; Shen, Yifu

2008-04-01

In the present work, the direct metal laser sintering (DMLS) process was used to prepare the WC-Co/Cu nanocomposites in bulk form. The WC reinforcing nanoparticles were added in the form of WC-10 wt.% Co composite powder. The microstructural features and mechanical properties of the laser-sintered sample were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), atomic force microscope (AFM), scanning electron microscope (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscope (EDX), and nanoindentation tester. It showed that the original nanometric nature of the WC reinforcing particulates was well retained without appreciable grain growth after laser processing. A homogeneous distribution of the WC reinforcing nanoparticles with a coherent particulate/matrix interfacial bonding was obtained in the laser-sintered structure. The 94.3% dense nanocomposites have a dynamic nanohardness of 3.47 GPa and a reduced elastic modulus of 613.42 GPa.

Powder metallurgy preparation of Mg-Ca alloy for biodegradable implant application

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Annur, D.; Suhardi, A.; Amal, M. I.; Anwar, M. S.; Kartika, I.

2017-04-01

Magnesium and its alloys is a promising candidate for implant application especially due to its biodegradability. In this study, Mg-7Ca alloys (in weight %) were processed by powder metallurgy from pure magnesium powder and calcium granule. Milling process was done in a shaker mill using stainless steel balls in various milling time (3, 5, and 8 hours) followed by compaction and sintering process. Different sintering temperatures were used (450°C and 550°C) to examine the effect of sintering temperature on mechanical properties and corrosion resistance. Microstructure evaluation was characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscope and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. Mechanical properties and corrosion behavior were examined through hardness testing and electrochemical testing in Hank’s solution (simulation body fluid). In this report, a prolonged milling time reduced particle size and later affected mechanical properties of Mg alloy. Meanwhile, the phase analysis showed that α Mg, Mg2Ca, MgO phases were formed after the sintering process. Further, this study showed that Mg-Ca alloy with different powder metallurgy process would have different corrosion rate although there were no difference of Ca content in the alloy.

Final Report on Initial Samples Supplied by LLNL for Task 3.3 Binder Burnout and Sintering Schedule Optimisation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Walls, P

Sixteen of the twenty-one samples have been investigated using the scanning laser dilatometer. This includes all three types of samples with different preparation routes and organic content. Cracks were observed in all samples, even those only heated to 300 C. It was concluded that the cracking was occurring in the early part of the heat treatment before the samples reached 300 C. Increase in the rate of dilation of the samples occurred above 170 C which coincided with the decomposition of the binder/wax additives as determined by differential thermal analysis. A comparison was made with SYNROC C material (Powder Runmore » 143), samples of which had been CIPed and green machined to a similar diameter and thickness as the 089mm SRTC pucks. These samples contained neither binder nor other organic processing aids and had been kept in the same desiccator as the SRTC samples. The CIPed Synroc C samples sintered to high density with zero cracks. As the cracks made up only a small contribution to the change in diameter of the sample compared to the sintering shrinkage, useful information could still be gained from the runs. The sintering curves showed that there was much greater shrinkage of the Type III samples containing only the 5% PEG binder compared to the Type I which contained polyolefin wax as processing aid. Slight changes in gradient of the sintering curve were observed, however, due to the masking effect of the cracking, full analysis of the sintering kinetics cannot be conducted. Even heating the samples to 300 C at 1.0 or 0.5 C/min could not prevent crack formation. This indicated that heating rate was not the critical parameter causing cracking of the samples. Sectioning of green bodies revealed the inhomogeneous nature of the binder/lubricant distribution in the samples. Increased homogeneity would reduce the amount of binder/lubricant required, which should in turn, reduce the degree of cracking observed during heating to the binder burnout temperature. A combination of: (1) use of a higher forming pressure, (2) reduction of organics content, (3) improvement in the distribution of the organic wax and binder components throughout the green body, could possibly alleviate cracking. Ultrasonic emulsification of the binder and wax with a small quantity of water prior to adding to the ball or attrition mill is advised to ensure more even distribution of the wax/binder system. This would also reduce the proportion of organic additives required. The binder burnout stage of the operation must first be optimized (i.e. production of pucks with no cracks) prior to optimization of the sintering stage.« less

Selective Laser Sintering of PA2200: Effects of print parameters on density, accuracy, and surface roughness

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bajric, Sendin

Additive manufacturing needs a broader selection of materials for part production. In order for the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) to investigate new materials for selective laser sintering (SLS), this paper reviews research on the effect of print parameters on part density, accuracy, and surface roughness of polyamide 12 (PA12, PA2200). The literature review serves to enhance the understanding of how changing the laser powder, scan speed, etc. will affect the mechanical properties of a commercial powder. By doing so, this understanding will help the investigation of new materials for SLS.

Reduction behavior and kinetics of vanadium-titanium sinters under high potential oxygen enriched pulverized coal injection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ma, Jin-fang; Wang, Guang-wei; Zhang, Jian-liang; Li, Xin-yu; Liu, Zheng-jian; Jiao, Ke-xin; Guo, Jian

2017-05-01

In this work, the reduction behavior of vanadium-titanium sinters was studied under five different sets of conditions of pulverized coal injection with oxygen enrichment. The modified random pore model was established to analyze the reduction kinetics. The results show that the reduction rate of sinters was accelerated by an increase of CO and H2 contents. Meanwhile, with the increase in CO and H2 contents, the increasing range of the medium reduction index (MRE) of sinters decreased. The increasing oxygen enrichment ratio played a diminishing role in improving the reduction behavior of the sinters. The reducing process kinetic parameters were solved using the modified random role model. The results indicated that, with increasing oxygen enrichment, the contents of CO and H2 in the reducing gas increased. The reduction activation energy of the sinters decreased to between 20.4 and 23.2 kJ/mol.

Evaluation of Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Al-TiC Metal Matrix Composite Prepared by Conventional, Microwave and Spark Plasma Sintering Methods

PubMed Central

Ghasali, Ehsan; Fazili, Ali; Alizadeh, Masoud; Shirvanimoghaddam, Kamyar; Ebadzadeh, Touradj

2017-01-01

In this research, the mechanical properties and microstructure of Al-15 wt % TiC composite samples prepared by spark plasma, microwave, and conventional sintering were investigated. The sintering process was performed by the speak plasma sintering (SPS) technique, microwave and conventional furnaces at 400 °C, 600 °C, and 700 °C, respectively. The results showed that sintered samples by SPS have the highest relative density (99% of theoretical density), bending strength (291 ± 12 MPa), and hardness (253 ± 23 HV). The X-ray diffraction (XRD) investigations showed the formation of TiO2 from the surface layer decomposition of TiC particles. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) micrographs demonstrated uniform distribution of reinforcement particles in all sintered samples. The SEM/EDS analysis revealed the formation of TiO2 around the porous TiC particles. PMID:29088114

Improved silicon carbide for advanced heat engines. II - Pressureless sintering and mechanical properties of injection molded silicon carbide

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Whalen, Thomas J.; Baer, J. R.

1989-01-01

The influence on density and strength of pressureless sintering in vacuum and argon environments has been evaluated with injection molded SiC materials. Main effects and two factor interactions of sintering (cycle variables temperature, time, heating rate, and atmosphere) were assessed. An improved understanding of the influence of the processing flaws and sintering conditions has been obtained. Strength and density have improved from a baseline level of 299 MPa (43.3 Ksi) and 94 pct of theoretical density to values greater than 483 MPa (70 Ksi) and 97 pct.

Development of Experimental Setup of Metal Rapid Prototyping Machine using Selective Laser Sintering Technique

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Patil, S. N.; Mulay, A. V.; Ahuja, B. B.

2018-04-01

Unlike in the traditional manufacturing processes, additive manufacturing as rapid prototyping, allows designers to produce parts that were previously considered too complex to make economically. The shift is taking place from plastic prototype to fully functional metallic parts by direct deposition of metallic powders as produced parts can be directly used for desired purpose. This work is directed towards the development of experimental setup of metal rapid prototyping machine using selective laser sintering and studies the various parameters, which plays important role in the metal rapid prototyping using SLS technique. The machine structure in mainly divided into three main categories namely, (1) Z-movement of bed and table, (2) X-Y movement arrangement for LASER movements and (3) feeder mechanism. Z-movement of bed is controlled by using lead screw, bevel gear pair and stepper motor, which will maintain the accuracy of layer thickness. X-Y movements are controlled using timing belt and stepper motors for precise movements of LASER source. Feeder mechanism is then developed to control uniformity of layer thickness metal powder. Simultaneously, the study is carried out for selection of material. Various types of metal powders can be used for metal RP as Single metal powder, mixture of two metals powder, and combination of metal and polymer powder. Conclusion leads to use of mixture of two metals powder to minimize the problems such as, balling effect and porosity. Developed System can be validated by conducting various experiments on manufactured part to check mechanical and metallurgical properties. After studying the results of these experiments, various process parameters as LASER properties (as power, speed etc.), and material properties (as grain size and structure etc.) will be optimized. This work is mainly focused on the design and development of cost effective experimental setup of metal rapid prototyping using SLS technique which will gives the feel of metal rapid prototyping process and its important parameters.

Residual stress determination of direct metal laser sintered (DMLS) inconel specimens and parts

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Watkins, Thomas R.; Unocic, Kinga A.; Maziasz, Philip J.

Residual stress determinations and microstructural studies were performed on a series of Inconel 718Plus prisms built using Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DMLS) at Honeywell Aerospace (hereafter also referred to as Honeywell). The results are being used to validate and improve existing models at Honeywell, and ultimately will expedite the implementation of DMLS throughout various industrial sectors (automotive, biomedical, etc.).

Novel Routes for Sintering of Ultra-high Temperature Ceramics and their Properties

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-10-31

UHTCs charge (zirconium and hafnium borides , SiC) with additives (chromium carbide, nickel, chromium, etc.), which activate sintering process, is...temperature phases in a form of carboborides of zirconium and bi borides of zirconium or chromium. Elevation of densification rate of sintered borides is...superplasticity under the slip mechanism of zirconium boride and silica carbide grains on grain boundary interlayers with nanocrystalline grains of carbon

Microstructural evolution during sintering of copper particles studied by laboratory diffraction contrast tomography (LabDCT).

PubMed

McDonald, S A; Holzner, C; Lauridsen, E M; Reischig, P; Merkle, A P; Withers, P J

2017-07-12

Pressureless sintering of loose or compacted granular bodies at elevated temperature occurs by a combination of particle rearrangement, rotation, local deformation and diffusion, and grain growth. Understanding of how each of these processes contributes to the densification of a powder body is still immature. Here we report a fundamental study coupling the crystallographic imaging capability of laboratory diffraction contrast tomography (LabDCT) with conventional computed tomography (CT) in a time-lapse study. We are able to follow and differentiate these processes non-destructively and in three-dimensions during the sintering of a simple copper powder sample at 1050 °C. LabDCT quantifies particle rotation (to <0.05° accuracy) and grain growth while absorption CT simultaneously records the diffusion and deformation-related morphological changes of the sintering particles. We find that the rate of particle rotation is lowest for the more highly coordinated particles and decreases during sintering. Consequently, rotations are greater for surface breaking particles than for more highly coordinated interior ones. Both rolling (cooperative) and sliding particle rotations are observed. By tracking individual grains the grain growth/shrinkage kinetics during sintering are quantified grain by grain for the first time. Rapid, abnormal grain growth is observed for one grain while others either grow or are consumed more gradually.

Formability and mechanical properties of porous titanium produced by a moldless process.

PubMed

Naito, Yoshihito; Bae, Jiyoung; Tomotake, Yoritoki; Hamada, Kenichi; Asaoka, Kenzo; Ichikawa, Tetsuo

2013-08-01

Tailor-made porous titanium implants show great promise in both orthopedic and dental applications. However, traditional powder metallurgical processes require a high-cost mold, making them economically unviable for producing unique devices. In this study, a mixture of titanium powder and an inlay wax binder was developed for moldless forming and sintering. The formability of the mixture, the dimensional changes after sintering, and the physical and mechanical properties of the sintered porous titanium were evaluated. A 90:10 wt % mixture of Ti powder and wax binder was created manually at 70°C. After debindering, the specimen was sintered in Ar at 1100°C without any mold for 1, 5, and 10 h. The shrinkage, porosity, absorption ratio, bending and compressive strength, and elastic modulus were measured. The bending strength (135-356 MPa), compression strength (178-1226 MPa), and elastic modulus (24-54 GPa) increased with sintering time; the shrinkage also increased, whereas the porosity (from 37.1 to 29.7%) and absorption ratio decreased. The high formability of the binder/metal powder mixture presents a clear advantage for fabricating tailor-made bone and hard tissue substitution units. Moreover, the sintered compacts showed high strength and an elastic modulus comparable to that of cortical bone. Copyright © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Effect of microwave-assisted sintering on dielectric properties of CaCu3Ti4O12 ceramic

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rani, Suman; Ahlawat, Neetu; Punia, R.; Kundu, R. S.; Ahlawat, N.

2016-05-01

In this present work, CaCu3Ti4O12 (CCTO) was synthesized by conventional solid-state reaction technique. The synthesis process was carried out in two phases; by conventional process (calcination and sintering at 1080°C for 10 hours) and phase II involves the micro assisted pre sintering of conventionally calcined CCTO for very short soaking time of 30 min at 1080°C in a microwave furnace followed by sintering at 1080°C for 10 hours in conventional furnace. X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns confirmed the formation of single phase ceramic. Dielectric properties were studied over the frequency range from 50Hz -5MHz at temperatures (273K-343K). It was observed that pre- microwave sintering enhance the dielectric constant values from 10900 to 11893 and respectively reduces the dielectric loss values from 0.49 to 0.34 at room temperature(1 KHz). CCTO ceramics which are found desirable for many technological applications. The effect is more pronounced at low frequencies of applied electric field.

Preparation of micro-porous bioceramic containing silicon-substituted hydroxyapatite and beta-tricalcium phosphate.

PubMed

Fuh, Lih-Jyh; Huang, Ya-Jing; Chen, Wen-Cheng; Lin, Dan-Jae

2017-06-01

Dimensional instability caused by sintering shrinkage is an inevitable drawback for conventional processing of hydroxyapatite (HA). A new preparation method for biphasic calcium phosphates was developed to increase micro pores and biodegradation without significant dimensional change. Powder pressed HA discs, under 100MPa, were immersed in a colloidal mixture of tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) and ammonium hydroxide for 10min, followed by drying, and then were sintered at 900°C, 1050°C, and 1200°C, respectively. Comparing with pure HA discs, the newly prepared product sintered up to 1200°C contained silicon substituted HA, beta-tricalcium phosphate, and calcium silicate with better micro-porosity, high specific surface area, less sintering shrinkage and the strength maintained. The cytocompatibility test demonstrated a better viability for D1 mice stem cells cultured on TEOS treated HA for 14days compared to the pure HA. This simple TEOS sol-gel pretreatment has the potential to be applied to any existing manufacturing process of HA scaffold for better control of sintering shrinkage, create micropores, and increase biodegradation. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Development of NASA's Sample Cartridge Assembly: Summary of GEDS Design, Development Testing, and Thermal Analyses

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

O'Connor, Brian; Hernandez, Deborah; Hornsby, Linda; Brown, Maria; Horton-Mullins, Kathryn

2017-01-01

Outline: Background of ISS (International Space Station) Material Science Research Rack; NASA SCA (Sample Cartridge Assembly) Design; GEDS (Gravitational Effects in Distortion in Sintering) Experiment Ampoule Design; Development Testing Summary; Thermal Modeling and Analysis. Summary: GEDS design development challenging (GEDS Ampoule design developed through MUGS (Microgravity) testing; Short duration transient sample processing; Unable to measure sample temperatures); MUGS Development testing used to gather data (Actual LGF (Low Gradient Furnace)-like furnace response; Provided sample for sintering evaluation); Transient thermal model integral to successful GEDS experiment (Development testing provided furnace response; PI (Performance Indicator) evaluation of sintering anchored model evaluation of processing durations; Thermal transient model used to determine flight SCA sample processing profiles).

Pressure-assisted low-temperature sintering for paper-based writing electronics.

PubMed

Xu, L Y; Yang, G Y; Jing, H Y; Wei, J; Han, Y D

2013-09-06

With the aim of preparing paper-based writing electronics, a kind of conductive pen was made with nano-silver ink as the conductive component and a rollerball pen as the writing implement. This was used to direct-write conductive patterns on Epson photo paper. In order to decrease the sintering temperature, pressure was introduced to enhance the driving forces for sintering. Compared with hot sintering without pressure, hot-pressure can effectively improve the conductivity of silver coatings, reduce the sintering time and thus improve productivity. Importantly, pressure can achieve a more uniform and denser microstructure, which increases the connection strength of the silver coating. At the optimum hot-pressure condition (sintering temperature 120 ° C/sintering pressure 25 MPa/sintering time 15 min), a typical measured resistivity value was 1.43 × 10⁻⁷ Ω m, nine greater than that of bulk silver. This heat treatment process is compatible with paper and does not cause any damage to the paper substrates. Even after several thousand bending cycles, the resistivity values of writing tracks by hot-pressure sintering stay almost the same (from 1.43 × 10⁻⁷ to 1.57 × 10⁻⁷ Ω m). The stability and flexibility of the writing circuits are good, which demonstrates the promising future of writing electronics.

Cryomilled and spark plasma sintered titanium: the evolution of microstructure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kozlík, Jiří; Becker, Hanka; Harcuba, Petr; Stráský, Josef; Janeček, Milos

2017-05-01

Bulk ultra-fine grained (UFG) commercially pure Ti was prepared by cryogenic milling in liquid argon and subsequent spark plasma sintering (SPS). During cryogenic milling, individual powder particles are repetitively severely deformed by attrition forces. Powder particles were not significantly refined, but due to severe repetitive plastic deformation, ultra-fine grained microstructure emerges within each powder particle. Cryogenic milling can be therefore considered as a specific severe plastic deformation (SPD) method. Compactization of cryomilled powder by SPS technique (also referred to as field assisted sintering technique - FAST) requires significantly lower sintering temperatures and shorter sintering times for successful compaction when compared to any other sintering technique. This is crucial for maintaining the UFG microstructure due to its limited thermal stability. Several specimens were prepared by varying processing parameters, in particular the sintering temperature. The microstructure of powders and compacted samples was observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Increased sintering temperature results in recrystallization and grain growth. A trade-off relationship between the density of compacted material and grain size was identified. Microhardness of the material was found to depend on residual porosity rather than grain size. This contribution presents cryogenic milling and spark plasma sintering as a viable alternative for achieving UFG microstructure in commercially pure Ti.

Collaboration for the Advancement of Indirect 3D Printing Technology

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Cordero, Zachary; Elliott, Amy M.

Amorphous powders often possess high hardness values and other useful mechanical properties. However, densifying these powders into complex shapes while retaining their unique properties is a challenge with standard processing routes. Pressureless sintering, for example, can densify intricate green parts composed of rapidly-solidified powders. But this process typically involves long exposures to elevated temperatures, during which the non-equilibrium microstructure of the powder can evolve towards lower energy configurations with inferior properties. Pressure-assisted compaction techniques, by contrast, can consolidate green parts with simple shapes while preserving the microstructure and properties of the powder feedstock. But parts made with these processes generallymore » require additional post-processing, including machining, which introduces new challenges due to the high hardness of these materials. One processing route that can potentially avoid these issues is Indirect 3D Printing (I-3DP; aka Binder Jetting) followed by melt infiltration. In I-3DP, an organic binder is used to join powder feedstock, layer-by-layer, into a green part. In melt infiltration, this green preform is densified by placing it in contact with a molten alloy that wets the preform and wicks into the pores as a result of capillary forces. When these processes are paired together, they offer two key advantages for the densification of rapidly-solidified powders. The first advantage is that the timescale associated with melt infiltration is on the order of seconds for parts with cm-scale dimensions. So in many instances, infiltration requires only a brief thermal excursion that does not degrade the feedstock’s microstructure. The second advantage is that the combination of binder-jet 3D printing and melt infiltration gives fully-dense net shape objects, minimizing the need for subsequent post-processing. In this work, fully-dense, net shape objects have been fabricated from an amorphous powder using I-3DP and molten bronze infiltration while maintaining the amorphous microstructure. X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and differential thermal analysis were used to characterize the structural evolution of the powder feedstock during an infiltration heating cycle. Microindentation and bend tests were performed on the infiltrated material to evaluate its mechanical properties. It was found that infiltration improved both the ductility and strength of the sintered preforms by eliminating the stress concentration at the interparticle necks. The infiltrated material had an 11 GPa Vickers hardness and moderate damage tolerance, making it well-suited for applications requiring hard, net shape parts.« less

Microstructures and mechanical properties of powder injection molded Ti-6Al-4V/HA powder.

PubMed

Thian, E S; Loh, N H; Khor, K A; Tor, S B

2002-07-01

Taguchi method with an L9 orthogonal array was employed to investigate the sintered properties of Ti-6Al-4V/HA tensile bars produced by powder injection molding. The effects of sintering factors at the 90% significance level: sintering temperature (1050 degrees C, 1100 degrees C and 1150 degrees C), heating rate (5 degrees C/min, 7.5 degrees C/min and 10 degrees C/min), holding time (30, 45 and 60 min) and cooling rate (5 degrees C/min, 20 degrees C/min and 40 degrees C/min) were investigated. Results showed that sintering temperature, heating rate and cooling rate have significant effects on sintered properties, whereas the influence of holding time was insignificant. It was found that a sintering temperature of 1100 degrees C, a heating rate of 7.5 degrees C/min and a cooling rate of 5 degrees C/min increased the relative density, Vicker's microhardness, flexural strength and flexural modulus. However, a further increment of sintering temperature to 1150 degrees C did not show any discernable improvement in the relative density and Vicker's microhardness, but there was a slight increase of 0.6% and 0.9% in the flexural strength and flexural modulus, respectively. Mechanically strong Ti-6Al-4V/HA parts with an open porosity of around 50% were developed.

Development of a Cr-Based Hard Composite Processed by Spark Plasma Sintering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

García-Junceda, A.; Sáez, I.; Deng, X. X.; Torralba, J. M.

2018-04-01

This investigation analyzes the feasibility of processing a composite material comprising WC particles randomly dispersed in a matrix in which Cr is the main metallic binder. Thus, a new composite material is processed using a commercial, economic, and easily available Cr-based alloy, assuming that there is a certain Cr solubility in the WC particles acting as reinforcement. The processing route followed includes mechanical milling of the powders and consolidation by spark plasma sintering.

Investigation of sample preparation on the moldability of ceramic injection molding feedstocks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ide, Jared

Ceramic injection molding is a desirable option for those who are looking to make ceramic parts with complex geometries. Formulating the feedstock needed to produce ideal parts is a difficult process. In this research a series of feedstock blends will be evaluated for moldability. This was done by investigating their viscosity, and how certain components affect the overall ability to flow. These feedstocks varied waxes, surfactants, and solids loading. A capillary rheometer was used to characterize some of the materials, which led to one batch being selected for molding trials. The parts were sintered and further refinements were made to the feedstock. Solids loading was increased from 77.5% to 82%, which required different ratios of organics to flow. Finally, the ceramic powders were treated to lower their specific surface area before being compounded, which resulted in materials that would process easily through an extruder and exhibit properties suitable for CIM.

A novel polymer extrusion micropelletization process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aquite, William

Polymer micropellets provide a variety of potential applications for different processes in the polymer industry. Conventional pellets are in the size range of 2.5 mm to 5 mm, while micropellets are at least ten times smaller, in the size range of 50 μm to 1000 μm. The potential benefits to a processor using micropellets include: high surface to volume ratio, high bulk density, fast and even melting rates in extrusion, improved dry flow properties, faster injection molding cycles, and consequently lower energy consumption during processing. More specialized sintering processes that require polymer powders, such as selective sintering techniques, microporous plastics parts manufacturing, and other powder sintering methods would benefit from the production of polymer micropellets since these exhibit the advantages of pellets yet have a lower average size. This work focuses on the study of a technique developed at the Polymer Engineering Center. The technique uses a microcapillary die for the production of micropellets by causing instabilities in extruded polymer threads deformed using an air stream. Tuning of process conditions allow the development of surface disturbances that promote breakup of the threads into pellets, which are subsequently cooled and collected. Although micropellets with high sphericity and a narrow size distribution can be produced using this technique, minimal changes in process conditions also lead to the production of lenticular pellets as well as pellets, fibers and threads with a wide range of size and shape distributions. This work shows how changing processing conditions achieve a variety of shapes and sizes of micropellets, broadening its application for the production of powders from a variety of polymer resins. Different approaches were used, including dimensional analysis and numerical simulation of the micropelletization process. This research reveals the influence of non-linear viscoelastic effects on the dispersion of a polymer thread through surface disturbances. Furthermore, this research reveals how processing parameters can influence the quality of the produced micropellet. Through this work, an economically feasible technique was developed that can produce the raw material for processors that depend on polymer powders that will deliver ideally shaped and distributed micropellets.

Thermoelectric properties of a doped LaNiO3 perovskite system prepared using a spark-plasma sintering process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tak, Jang-Yeul; Choi, Soon-Mok; Seo, Won-Seon; Cho, Hyung Koun

2013-07-01

Both perovskites LaNiO3 and LaCuO3 have a limitation associated with phase transitions for high-temperature thermoelectric applications. The optimized conditions were investigated to obtain the LaNi1- x Cu x O3- δ perovskite single phase showing a Cu-doping effect into Ni sites against unintended deoxidized phases. Three advantages of synergetic effects due to the simultaneous presence of nickel and copper were investigated: a low melting temperature of CuO as compared to that of NiO, the absence of intermediated deoxidized phases in the LaCuO3 system, and the Cu doping effect, which suppresses the formation of intermediate secondary phases. A solid solution was also fabricated using a spark-plasma sintering (SPS) process for the purpose of sintering LaNi1- x Cu x O3- δ compositions at a low sintering temperature.

Computer simulation of low-temperature composites sintering processes for additive technologies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tovpinets, A. O.; Leytsin, V. N.; Dmitrieva, M. A.

2017-12-01

This is impact research of mixture raw components characteristics on the low-temperature composites structure formation during the sintering process. The obtained results showed that the structure determination of initial compacts obtained after thermal destruction of the polymer binder lets quantify the concentrations of main components and the refractory crystalline product of thermal destruction. Accounting for the distribution of thermal destruction refractory product allows us to refine the forecast of thermal stresses in the matrix of sintered composite. The presented results can be considered as a basis for optimization of initial compositions of multilayer low-temperature composites obtained by additive technologies.

Sinterless Fabrication Of Contact Pads On InP Devices

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Weizer, Victor G.; Fatemi, Navid S.; Korenyi-Both, Andras L.

1995-01-01

Research has shown that with proper choice of material, low-resistance contact pads deposited on solar cells and other devices by improved technique that does not involve sintering. Research directed at understanding mechanisms involved in contact-sintering process has resulted in identification of special group of materials that includes phosphides of gold, silver, and nickel; specifically, Au(2)P(3), AgP(2), and Ni(3)P. Incorporation of phosphide interlayer substantially reduces resistivity between gold current-carrying layer and indium phosphide substrate. Further research indicated only very thin interlayer of any of these compounds needed to obtain low contact resistance, without subjecting contact to destructive sintering process.

Improved efficiency of hybrid organic photovoltaics by pulsed laser sintering of silver nanowire network transparent electrode.

PubMed

Spechler, Joshua A; Nagamatsu, Ken A; Sturm, James C; Arnold, Craig B

2015-05-20

In this Research Article, we demonstrate pulsed laser processing of a silver nanowire network transparent conductor on top of an otherwise complete solar cell. The macroscopic pulsed laser irradiation serves to sinter nanowire-nanowire junctions on the nanoscale, leading to a much more conductive electrode. We fabricate hybrid silicon/organic heterojunction photovoltaic devices, which have ITO-free, solution processed, and laser processed transparent electrodes. Furthermore, devices which have high resistive losses show up to a 35% increase in power conversion efficiency after laser processing. We perform this study over a range of laser fluences, and a range of nanowire area coverage to investigate the sintering mechanism of nanowires inside of a device stack. The increase in device performance is modeled using a simple photovoltaic diode approach and compares favorably to the experimental data.

Nano-Hydroxyapatite/Fluoridated and Unfluoridated Bioactive Glass Composites: Structural Analysis and Bioactivity Evaluation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Batra, Uma; Kapoor, Seema; Sharma, J. D.

2011-12-12

Biphasic bioceramic composites containing nano-hydroxyapatite (HAP) and nanosized bioactive glasses have been prepared in the form of pellets and have been examined for the effects of bioglass concentrations and sintering temperature on the structural transformations and bioactivity behavior. Pure stoichiometric nano-HAP was synthesized using sol-gel technique. Two bioglasses synthesized in this work--fluoridated bioglass (Cao-P{sub 2}O{sub 5}-Na{sub 2}O{sub 3}-CaF{sub 2}) and unfluoridated bioglass (Cao-P{sub 2}O{sub 5}-Na{sub 2}O{sub 3}) designated as FBG and UFBG respectively, were added to nano-HAP with concentrations of 5, 10, 12 and 15%. The average particle sizes of synthesized HAP and bioglasses were 23 nm and 35 nm,more » respectively. The pellets were sintered at four different temperatures i.e. 1000 deg. C, 1150 deg. C, 1250 deg. C and 1350 deg. C. The investigations involved study of structural and bioactivity behavior of green and sintered pellets and their deviations from original materials i.e. HAP, FBG and UFBG, using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The phase composition of the sintered pellets was found to be non-stoichiometric HAP with {alpha}-TCP (tricalcium phosphate) and {beta}-TCP. It was revealed from SEM images that bonding mechanism was mainly solid state sintering for all pellets sintered at 1000 deg. C and 1150 deg. C and also for pellets with lower concentrations of bioglass i.e. 5% and 10% sintered at 1250 deg. C. Partly liquid phase sintering was observed for pellets with higher bioglass concentrations of 12% and 15% sintered at 1250 deg. C and same behaviour was noted for pellets at all concentrations of bioglasses at 1350 deg. C. The sintered density, hardness and compression strength of pellets have been influenced both by the concentration of the bioglasses and sintering temperature. It was observed that the biological HAP layer formation was faster on the green pellets surface than on pure HAP and sintered pellets, showing higher bioactivity in the green pellets.« less

Sintering, properties and fabrication of Si3N4 + Y2O3 based ceramics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Quackenbush, C. L.; Smith, J. T.; Neil, J. T.; French, K. W.

1983-01-01

Pure silicon nitride shows a remarkable resistance to sintering without the use of densification additives. The present investigation is concerned with results which show the effect of chemical content on sinterability, taking into account the composition, raw material impurities, and processing contaminants. Aspects of sintering are discussed along with strength characteristics, and oxidation relations. Attention is given to phase field I and II materials, phase field III and IV materials, tungsten carbide and oxidation at 600 C, and studies involving shape fabrication by injection molding. It was found that in sintering Si3N4 + Y2O3 an increase in the amount of Y2O3 and, in particular, the addition of Al2O3 enhances the fluidity of the liquid phase.

Morphology and phase identification of micron to nanosized manganese oxide (MnO) with variations in sintering time

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sasongko, Muhammad Ilman Nur; Puspitasari, Poppy; Yazirin, Cepi; Tsamroh, Dewi Izzatus; Risdanareni, Puput

2017-09-01

Manganese oxide (MnO) occurs in many rock types and may take the form of minerals. MnO has its drawbacks, namely highly reactive oxidizing species classified as dangerous and explosive at temperatures above 55 °C. Despite this,MnO has excellent magnetic, electrochemical, and conductivity properties, which should be reduced to nano-size to maximize their use and improve the properties of MnO. Phase and morphology characterization of powder this research aims to reduce the grain size of the MnO from micro to nano using the sol-gel method with various sintering times. Sol-gel is a simple synthesis method that has been proven capable of synthesizing a wide variety of micro-sized oxide materials into nano. Sintering time is a technique performed in the synthesis process to dry the material to a temperature above the normal temperature. The temperature used for sintering starting from 600 °C to 1000 °C. Characterizations were done using XRD, SEM, EDX, and FTIR machines. The sintering processes in this study used a temperature of 600 °C with different sintering periods of 30, 60 and 90 minutes. The XRD characterization with a 30-minute sintering time resulted in the smallest MnO in the form crystalline powder of 47.3 nm. The highest intensity (degree of crystallinity) found in MnO sintered for 90 minutes. The results of the morphological characterization of SEM showed a morphological change in MnO from micro-sized triangular to nano-sized spherical shape. The EDX characterization results indicated that the 30-minute sintering caused the lowest change in Mn and the highest change in O. The results of FTIR characterization showed a shift in C-H and Mn-O followed by an increase in the group of N-H, C=O and Mn-O.

Injection molding of silicon carbide capable of being sintered without pressure

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Muller-Zell, A.; Schwarzmeier, R.

1984-01-01

The most suitable SiC mass for injection molding of SiC articles (for subsequent pressureless sintering) consisted of beta SiC 84, a wax mixture 8, and polyethylene or polystyrene 8 parts. The most effective method for adding the binders was by dissolving them in a solvent and subsequent evaporation. The sequence of component addition was significant, and all parameters were optimized together rather than individually.

Effect of the application of surface treatments before and after sintering on the flexural strength, phase transformation and surface topography of zirconia.

PubMed

Kurtulmus-Yilmaz, Sevcan; Aktore, Huseyin

2018-05-01

To evaluate the effects of airborne-particle abrasion (APA) and Er,Cr:YSGG laser irradiation on 4-point-flexural strength, phase transformation and morphologic changes of zirconia ceramics treated at pre-sintered or post-sintered stage. Three hundred and forty-two bar shaped zirconia specimens were milled with different sizes according to the flexural strength test (n = 10), X-ray diffraction (XRD) (n = 4) and field emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM) (n = 4) analyses. For each test protocol, specimens were divided into 4 main groups whether the surface treatments applied before or after sintering and whether the specimens received heat treatment or not as pre-sintered, post-sintered no-heat and post-sintered heat-treated groups, and a group was served as control. Main groups were further divided into 6 equal subgroups according to surface treatment method applied (2 W-, 3 W-, 4 W-, 5 W-, 6 W-laser irradiations and APA). Surface treatments were applied to pre-sintered groups before sintering and to post-sintered groups after sintering. Post-sintered heat-treated groups were subjected to veneer ceramic firing simulation after surface treatments. Flexural strength and flexural modulus values were statistically analysed and monoclinic phase content was calculated. Weibull analysis was used to evaluate strength reliability and fractographic analysis was conducted. Highest flexural strength values were detected at post-sintered no-heat APA and 4W-laser groups (P < 0.05). Pre-sintered groups showed statistically lower flexural strength values. Heat treatment decreased the strength of the specimens. Monoclinic phase content was only detected at post-sintered no-heat groups and the highest amount was detected at APA group. Rougher surfaces and deeper irregularities were detected at FE-SEM images pre-sintered groups. Application of surface treatments at pre-sintered stage may be detrimental for zirconia ceramics in terms of flexural strength. Treating the surface of zirconia ceramic before sintering process is not recommended due to significant decrease in flexural strength values. 2 W-4 W Er,Cr:YSGG laser irradiations can be regarded as alternative surface treatment methods when zirconia restoration would be subjected to veneer ceramic firing procedures. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

High density, uniformly distributed W/UO2 for use in Nuclear Thermal Propulsion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tucker, Dennis S.; Barnes, Marvin W.; Hone, Lance; Cook, Steven

2017-04-01

An inexpensive, quick method has been developed to obtain uniform distributions of UO2 particles in a tungsten matrix utilizing 0.5 wt percent low density polyethylene. Powders were sintered in a Spark Plasma Sintering (SPS) furnace at 1600 °C, 1700 °C, 1750 °C, 1800 °C and 1850 °C using a modified sintering profile. This resulted in a uniform distribution of UO2 particles in a tungsten matrix with high densities, reaching 99.46% of theoretical for the sample sintered at 1850 °C. The powder process is described and the results of this study are given below.

Fabrication of thin layer beta alumina

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tennenhouse, G. J.

1977-01-01

Beta alumina tubes having walls 700 microns, 300 microns, and 140 microns were processed by extrusion and sintering utilizing Ford proprietary binder and fabrication systems. Tubes prepared by this method have properties similar to tubes prepared by isostatic pressing and sintering, i.e. density greater than 98% of theoretical and a helium leak rate less than 3 x 10 to the -9th power cc/sq cm/sec. Ford ultrasonic bonding techniques were used for bonding beta alumina end caps to open ended beta -alumina tubes prior to sintering. After sintering, the bond was hermetic, and the integrity of the bonded area was comparable to the body of the tube.

Liquid phase sintering of silicon carbide

DOEpatents

Cutler, R.A.; Virkar, A.V.; Hurford, A.C.

1989-05-09

Liquid phase sintering is used to densify silicon carbide based ceramics using a compound comprising a rare earth oxide and aluminum oxide to form liquids at temperatures in excess of 1,600 C. The resulting sintered ceramic body has a density greater than 95% of its theoretical density and hardness in excess of 23 GPa. Boron and carbon are not needed to promote densification and silicon carbide powder with an average particle size of greater than one micron can be densified via the liquid phase process. The sintered ceramic bodies made by the present invention are fine grained and have secondary phases resulting from the liquid phase. 4 figs.

Liquid phase sintering of silicon carbide

DOEpatents

Cutler, Raymond A.; Virkar, Anil V.; Hurford, Andrew C.

1989-01-01

Liquid phase sintering is used to densify silicon carbide based ceramics using a compound comprising a rare earth oxide and aluminum oxide to form liquids at temperatures in excess of 1600.degree. C. The resulting sintered ceramic body has a density greater than 95% of its theoretical density and hardness in excess of 23 GPa. Boron and carbon are not needed to promote densification and silicon carbide powder with an average particle size of greater than one micron can be densified via the liquid phase process. The sintered ceramic bodies made by the present invention are fine grained and have secondary phases resulting from the liquid phase.

Spinel formation for stabilizing simulated nickel-laden sludge with aluminum-rich ceramic precursors.

PubMed

Shih, Kaimin; White, Tim; Leckie, James O

2006-08-15

The feasibility of stabilizing nickel-laden sludge from commonly available Al-rich ceramic precursors was investigated and accomplished with high nickel incorporation efficiency. To simulate the process, nickel oxide was mixed alternatively with gamma-alumina, corundum, kaolinite, and mullite and was sintered from 800 to 1480 degrees C. The nickel aluminate spinel (NiAl2O4) was confirmed as the stabilization phase for nickel and crystallized with efficiencies greater than 90% for all precursors above 1250 degrees C and 3-h sintering. The nickel-incorporation reaction pathways with these precursors were identified, and the microstructure and spinel yield were investigated as a function of sintering temperature with fixed sintering time. This study has demonstrated a promising process for forming nickel spinel to stabilize nickel-laden sludge from a wide range of inexpensive ceramic precursors, which may provide an avenue for economically blending waste metal sludges via the building industry processes to reduce the environmental hazards of toxic metals. The correlation of product textures and nickel incorporation efficiencies through selection of different precursors also provides the option of tailoring property-specific products.

Effect of electrode material on characteristics of non-volatile resistive memory consisting of Ag{sub 2}S nanoparticles

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Jang, Jaewon, E-mail: j1jang@knu.ac.kr

2016-07-15

In this study, Ag{sub 2}S nanoparticles are synthesized and used as the active material for two-terminal resistance switching memory devices. Sintered Ag{sub 2}S films are successfully crystallized on plastic substrates with synthesized Ag{sub 2}S nanoparticles, after a relatively low-temperature sintering process (200 °C). After the sintering process, the crystallite size is increased from 6.8 nm to 80.3 nm. The high ratio of surface atoms to inner atoms of nanoparticles reduces the melting point temperature, deciding the sintering process temperature. In order to investigate the resistance switching characteristics, metal/Ag{sub 2}S/metal structures are fabricated and tested. The effect of the electrode materialmore » on the non-volatile resistive memory characteristics is studied. The bottom electrochemically inert materials, such as Au and Pt, were critical for maintaining stable memory characteristics. By using Au and Pt inert bottom electrodes, we are able to significantly improve the memory endurance and retention to more than 10{sup 3} cycles and 10{sup 4} sec, respectively.« less

Pore Formation Process of Porous Ti3SiC2 Fabricated by Reactive Sintering

PubMed Central

Zhang, Huibin; Liu, Xinli; Jiang, Yao

2017-01-01

Porous Ti3SiC2 was fabricated with high purity, 99.4 vol %, through reactive sintering of titanium hydride (TiH2), silicon (Si) and graphite (C) elemental powders. The reaction procedures and the pore structure evolution during the sintering process were systematically studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscope (SEM). Our results show that the formation of Ti3SiC2 from TiH2/Si/C powders experienced the following steps: firstly, TiH2 decomposed into Ti; secondly, TiC and Ti5Si3 intermediate phases were generated; finally, Ti3SiC2 was produced through the reaction of TiC, Ti5Si3 and Si. The pores formed in the synthesis procedure of porous Ti3SiC2 ceramics are derived from the following aspects: interstitial pores left during the pressing procedure; pores formed because of the TiH2 decomposition; pores formed through the reactions between Ti and Si and Ti and C powders; and the pores produced accompanying the final phase synthesized during the high temperature sintering process. PMID:28772515

Investigation of consolidation kinetics and microstructure evolution of Al alloys in direct metal laser sintering using phase field simulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bimal Satpathy, Bubloom; Nandy, Jyotirmoy; Sahoo, Seshadev

2018-03-01

Direct metal laser sintering is one of the very efficient processes which comes under the field of additive manufacturing and is capable of producing products of good mechanical and physical properties. The process parameters affect the physical and mechanical properties of the final products. Rapid solidification plays an important role in the consolidation kinetics as the powdered material sinters and forms a polycrystalline structure. In the recent times, the enormous use of computational modeling has helped in examining the utility of final products in a wide range of applications. In this study, a phase field model has been implemented to foresee the consolidation kinetics during the liquid state sintering. Temperature profiles have been used to study the densification behavior and neck growth which is caused by the surface diffusion of particles at initial stage. Later, importance of grain boundary and the volume diffusion during densification process is analyzed. It is also found that with rise in temperature, neck growth also increases rapidly due to the interaction of adjacent grains through grain boundary diffusion and stabilization of grain growth.

Phase stability, porosity distribution and microstructural evolution of amorphous Al{sub 50}Ti{sub 50} powders consolidated by electrical resistance sintering

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Urban, P., E-mail: purban@us.es; Montes, J. M.; Cintas, J.

2015-03-30

The effect of intensity and duration of the electrical resistance sintering process on the phase stability, porosity distribution and microstructural evolution of Al{sub 50}Ti{sub 50} amorphous powders is studied. The phase transformations during the consolidation process were determined by X-ray diffraction. The porosity distribution was observed by optical and scanning electron microscopy. The amorphous phase is partially transformed to the crystalline phase during the sintering process, and formation of AlTi and AlTi{sub 3} intermetallic compounds occurs for temperatures higher than 300 °C. Finally, it is observed that the compacts core have lower porosity and a higher tendency to the amorphous-crystallinemore » phase transformation than the periphery.« less

Effect of Partial Substitution of Neodymium with Praseodymium on the Magnetic and Process Properties of Sintered Magnets of Type NdFeB

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dormidontov, N. A.; Dormidontov, A. G.; Lileev, A. S.; Kamynin, A. V.; Lukin, A. A.

2017-01-01

The effect of substitution of neodymium with praseodymium in sintered magnets of type NdFeB on their magnetic and process properties in the concentration range of [Pr] = 0 - 13 wt.% is studied. The special features of milling of the alloys, sintering processes and heat treatments in the production of magnets containing praseodymium are discussed. Hysteresis characteristics of B r ≥ 1.2 T, H cJ ≥ 1200 kA/m, H cb ≥ 880 kA/m, H k ≥ 960 kA/m, and BH max ≥ 280 kJ/m3 are obtained for magnets with composition (in wt.%) 33 Nd, 10 Pr, 1.5 (Ti + Al + Cu), 1.3 B, the remainder Fe.

Powder Metallurgy Fabrication of Porous 51(at.%)Ni-Ti Shape Memory Alloys for Biomedical Applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ibrahim, Mustafa K.; Hamzah, E.; Saud, Safaa N.; Nazim, E. M.

2018-05-01

The effect of time and temperature on the microwave sintering of 51(at.%)Ni-Ti shape memory alloys (SMAs) was investigated in the current research. Furthermore, the microstructure, mechanical properties, and bio-corrosion properties were analyzed based on the sintering conditions. The results revealed that the sintering condition of 700 °C for 15 min produced a part with coherent surface survey that does not exhibit gross defects. Increasing the sintering time and temperature created defects on the outer surface, while reducing the temperature to 550 °C severely affected the mechanical properties. The microstructure of these samples showed two regions of Ni-rich region and Ti-rich region between them Ti2Ni, NiTi, and Ni3Ti phases. The differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) curves of Ni-Ti samples exhibited a multi-step phase transformation B19'-R-B2 during heating and cooling. An increase in the sintering temperature from 550 to 700 °C was found to increase the fracture strength significantly and decreased the fracture strain slightly. Reducing the sintering temperature from 700 to 550 °C severely affected the corrosion behaviors of 51%Ni-Ti SMAs. This research aims to select the optimum parameters to produce Ni-Ti alloys with desired microstructure, mechanical properties, and corrosion behaviors for biomedical applications.

Process Developed for Generating Ceramic Interconnects With Low Sintering Temperatures for Solid Oxide Fuel Cells

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zhong, Zhi-Min; Goldsby, Jon C.

2005-01-01

Solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) have been considered as premium future power generation devices because they have demonstrated high energy-conversion efficiency, high power density, and extremely low pollution, and have the flexibility of using hydrocarbon fuel. The Solid-State Energy Conversion Alliance (SECA) initiative, supported by the U.S. Department of Energy and private industries, is leading the development and commercialization of SOFCs for low-cost stationary and automotive markets. The targeted power density for the initiative is rather low, so that the SECA SOFC can be operated at a relatively low temperature (approx. 700 C) and inexpensive metallic interconnects can be utilized in the SOFC stack. As only NASA can, the agency is investigating SOFCs for aerospace applications. Considerable high power density is required for the applications. As a result, the NASA SOFC will be operated at a high temperature (approx. 900 C) and ceramic interconnects will be employed. Lanthanum chromite-based materials have emerged as a leading candidate for the ceramic interconnects. The interconnects are expected to co-sinter with zirconia electrolyte to mitigate the interface electric resistance and to simplify the processing procedure. Lanthanum chromites made by the traditional method are sintered at 1500 C or above. They react with zirconia electrolytes (which typically sinter between 1300 and 1400 C) at the sintering temperature of lanthanum chromites. It has been envisioned that lanthanum chromites with lower sintering temperatures can be co-fired with zirconia electrolyte. Nonstoichiometric lanthanum chromites can be sintered at lower temperatures, but they are unstable and react with zirconia electrolyte during co-sintering. NASA Glenn Research Center s Ceramics Branch investigated a glycine nitrate process to generate fine powder of the lanthanum-chromite-based materials. By simultaneously doping calcium on the lanthanum site, and cobalt and aluminum on the chromium site, we could sinter the materials below 1400 C. The doping concentrations were adjusted so that the thermal expansion coefficient matched that of the zirconia electrolyte. Also, the investigation was focused on stoichiometric compositions so that the materials would have better stability. Co-sintering and chemical compatibility with zirconia electrolyte were examined by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and energy dispersive spectroscopy (line scanning and dot map). The results showed that the materials bond well, but do not react, with zirconia electrolyte. The electric conductivity of the materials measured at 900 C in air was about 20 S/cm.

Influence of the sintering temperature on the electrical properties of Ce-doped WO3 ceramics prepared from nano-powders

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dong, Liang; Chen, Han-Jun; Wang, Yu; Li, De-Zhu; Li, Tong-Ye; Zhao, Yong

2007-04-01

Using a nm-level powder fabricated by a wet chemical method as precursor, the CeO2-doped WO3 ceramics were prepared by the conventional solid state reaction at sintering temperatures from 600 to 1100 °C. The x-ray diffraction analysis reveals the coexistence of different WO3 phases in the samples sintered at temperatures below 900 °C, whereas a single phase appears in the samples sintered above 1000 °C. No new Ce-W compound appears. As the sintering temperature increases, the electrical properties of the samples display an interesting transformation from linear to nonlinear behaviour. The measurements of scanning electron microscope, complex impedance and electrical stability indicate that a lot of grain boundary regions in the samples sintered at low temperatures strongly influences the electrical transportation. Therefore, the electrical nonlinearity is due to a basic process controlled by the back-to-back Schottky barriers at grain boundaries with suitable thickness as well as the coexistence of phases.

Fabrication of low thermal expansion SiC/ZrW2O8 porous ceramics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Poowancum, A.; Matsumaru, K.; Juárez-Ramírez, I.; Torres-Martínez, L. M.; Fu, Z. Y.; Lee, S. W.; Ishizaki, K.

2011-03-01

Low or zero thermal expansion porous ceramics are required for several applications. In this work near zero thermal expansion porous ceramics were fabricated by using SiC and ZrW2O8 as positive and negative thermal expansion materials, respectively, bonded by soda lime glass. The mixture of SiC, ZrW2O8 and soda lime glass was sintered by Pulsed Electric Current Sintering (PECS, or sometimes called Spark Plasma Sintering, SPS) at 700 °C. Sintered samples with ZrW2O8 particle size smaller than 25 μm have high thermal expansion coefficient, because ZrW2O8 has the reaction with soda lime glass to form Na2ZrW3O12 during sintering process. The reaction between soda lime glass and ZrW2O8 is reduced by increasing particle size of ZrW2O8. Sintered sample with ZrW2O8 particle size 45-90 μm shows near zero thermal expansion.

Strength and fatigue properties of three-step sintered dense nanocrystal hydroxyapatite bioceramics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guo, Wen-Guang; Qiu, Zhi-Ye; Cui, Han; Wang, Chang-Ming; Zhang, Xiao-Jun; Lee, In-Seop; Dong, Yu-Qi; Cui, Fu-Zhai

2013-06-01

Dense hydroxyapatite (HA) ceramic is a promising material for hard tissue repair due to its unique physical properties and biologic properties. However, the brittleness and low compressive strength of traditional HA ceramics limited their applications, because previous sintering methods produced HA ceramics with crystal sizes greater than nanometer range. In this study, nano-sized HA powder was employed to fabricate dense nanocrystal HA ceramic by high pressure molding, and followed by a three-step sintering process. The phase composition, microstructure, crystal dimension and crystal shape of the sintered ceramic were examined by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Mechanical properties of the HA ceramic were tested, and cytocompatibility was evaluated. The phase of the sintered ceramic was pure HA, and the crystal size was about 200 nm. The compressive strength and elastic modulus of the HA ceramic were comparable to human cortical bone, especially the good fatigue strength overcame brittleness of traditional sintered HA ceramics. Cell attachment experiment also demonstrated that the ceramics had a good cytocompatibility.

The Development of a Ti-6Al-4V Alloy via Oxygen Solid Solution Strengthening for Aerospace and Defense Applications

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-03-01

latter strategy. Mixtures of titanium powders and TiO2 particles were employed as starting materials and consolidated by spark - plasma sintering and...were consolidated in a carbon container installed in the spark - plasma sintering (SPS) equipment under vacuum condition (ɞ Pa) at a temperature of...evaluation of tensile properties of the wrought pure titanium materials consolidated by sintering and hot extrusion process, a theoretical approach using

Utilizing Interfaces for Nano- and Micro-scale Control of Thermal Conductivity

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-08-17

performance of these promising materials by 50%. Ballmilling and spark plasma sintering (SPS) processes were investigated to try to lower the thermal...samples fabricated through the spark plasma sintering ”, Mater Renew Sustain Energy, 3, 31-1 31-6 (2014). DOI: 10.1007/s40243-014-0031-8 9. O. Sologub...for doping of foreign elements (therefore no migration problems) is very striking. In further development, addition of Al as a sintering element was

Synthesis of Nano-Scale Fast Ion Conducting Cubic Li7La3Zr2O12

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-09-25

offer the flexibility to make nano-dimensional particles with high sinterability nor the ability to coat/protect electrode powders. By developing a...sintering temperature are needed. One possible approach is to use small particles , such as nano-scale particles , that can be sintered at lower temperatures...matrix to suppress Li dendrite penetration. By developing a sol–gel process, the LLZO particle size can be precisely tuned, from the nanometer to the

Fracture behavior of metal-ceramic fixed dental prostheses with frameworks from cast or a newly developed sintered cobalt-chromium alloy.

PubMed

Krug, Klaus-Peter; Knauber, Andreas W; Nothdurft, Frank P

2015-03-01

The aim of this study was to investigate the fracture behavior of metal-ceramic bridges with frameworks from cobalt-chromium-molybdenum (CoCrMo), which are manufactured using conventional casting or a new computer-aided design/computer-aided manufacturing (CAD/CAM) milling and sintering technique. A total of 32 metal-ceramic fixed dental prostheses (FDPs), which are based on a nonprecious metal framework, was produced using a conventional casting process (n = 16) or a new CAD/CAM milling and sintering process (n = 16). Eight unveneered frameworks were manufactured using each of the techniques. After thermal and mechanical aging of half of the restorations, all samples were subjected to a static loading test in a universal testing machine, in which acoustic emission monitoring was performed. Three different critical forces were revealed: the fracture force (F max), the force at the first reduction in force (F decr1), and the force at the critical acoustic event (F acoust1). With the exception of the veneered restorations with cast or sintered metal frameworks without artificial aging, which presented a statistically significant but slightly different F max, no statistically significant differences between cast and CAD/CAM sintered and milled FDPs were detected. Thermal and mechanical loading did not significantly affect the resulting forces. Cast and CAD/CAM milled and sintered metal-ceramic bridges were determined to be comparable with respect to the fracture behavior. FDPs based on CAD/CAM milled and sintered frameworks may be an applicable and less technique-sensitive alternative to frameworks that are based on conventionally cast frameworks.

Temperature variation in metal ceramic technology analyzed using time domain optical coherence tomography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sinescu, Cosmin; Topala, Florin I.; Negrutiu, Meda Lavinia; Duma, Virgil-Florin; Podoleanu, Adrian G.

2014-01-01

The quality of dental prostheses is essential in providing good quality medical services. The metal ceramic technology applied in dentistry implies ceramic sintering inside the dental oven. Every ceramic material requires a special sintering chart which is recommended by the producer. For a regular dental technician it is very difficult to evaluate if the temperature inside the oven remains the same as it is programmed on the sintering chart. Also, maintaining the calibration in time is an issue for the practitioners. Metal ceramic crowns develop a very accurate pattern for the ceramic layers depending on the temperature variation inside the oven where they are processed. Different patterns were identified in the present study for the samples processed with a variation in temperature of +30 °C to +50 °C, respectively - 30 0°C to -50 °C. The OCT imagistic evaluations performed for the normal samples present a uniform spread of the ceramic granulation inside the ceramic materials. For the samples sintered at a higher temperature an alternation between white and darker areas between the enamel and opaque layers appear. For the samples sintered at a lower temperature a decrease in the ceramic granulation from the enamel towards the opaque layer is concluded. The TD-OCT methods can therefore be used efficiently for the detection of the temperature variation due to the ceramic sintering inside the ceramic oven.

A sintering study on the β-spodumene-based glass ceramics prepared from gel-derived precursor powders with LiF additive

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Moo-Chin; Wu, Nan-Chung; Yang, Sheng; Wen, Shaw-Bing

2002-01-01

Beta-spodumene (Li2O·Al2O3·4SiO2, LAS) powders were prepared by a sol-gel process using Si(OC2H5)4, Al(OC4H9)3, and LiNO3 as precursors and LiF as a sintering aid agent. Dilatometry, X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM), and electron diffraction (ED) were utilized to study the sintering, phase transformation, microstructure, and properties of the β-spodumene glass-ceramics prepared from the gel-derived precursor powders with and without LiF additives. For the LAS precursor powders containing no LiF, the only crystalline phase obtained was β-spodumene. For the pellets containing less than 4 wt pct LiF and sintered at 1050 °C for 5 hours the crystalline phases were β-spodumene and β-eucryptite (Li2O·Al2O3·2SiO2). When the LiF content was 5 wt pct and the sintering process was carried out at 1050 °C for 5 hours, the crystalline phases were β-spodumene, β-eucryptite (triclinic), and eucryptite (rhombohedral (hex.)) phases. With the LiF additive increased from 0.5 to 4 wt pct and sintering at 1050 °C for 5 hours, the open porosity of the sintered bodies decrease from 30 to 2.1 pct. The grains size is about to 4 to 5 µm when pellect LAS compact contains LiF 3 wt pct as sintered at 1050 °C for 5 hours. The grains size grew to 8 to 25 µm with a remarkable discontinuous grain growth for pellet LAS compact contain LiF 5 wt pct sintered at 1050 °C for 5 hours. Relative densities greater than 90 pct could be obtained for the LAS precursor powders with LiF > 2 wt pct when sintered at 1050 °C for 5 hours. The coefficient of thermal expansion of the sintered bodies decreased from 8.3 × 10-7 to 5.2 × 10-7/°C (25 °C to 900 °C) as the LiF addition increased from 0 to 5 wt pct.

Mechanisms and mechanics of shape loss during supersolidus liquid-phase sintering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lal, Anand

Rapid sinter densification of relatively coarse prealloyed powders is possible by exceeding the solidus temperature in an approach termed supersolidus liquid phase sintering (SLPS). However, narrow processing windows for densification without distortion often limit this process. The liquid films at the grain boundaries that are responsible for densification also reduce the structural rigidity of components. Hence, components tend to slump under their own weight. Thus, the present study investigates shape loss during SLPS and rationalizes the processing and material factors with regard to separating densification from distortion. Experiments are performed on various prealloyed powders, including bronze, 316L stainless steel, and T15 tool steel. Differential thermal analysis, dilatometry, and in situ video imaging of sintering compacts are used to follow melting, densification, and distortion, respectively. Further, density and dimensional measurements are performed on sintered compacts. Results indicate a dependence of distortion on the sintering temperature and time, compact size, and melting behavior of the alloy. It is shown that the sintering temperature window, where high-density, precise components are obtained, can be widened for 316L stainless steel by boron addition. For the first time, a beam bending technique is used to measure the macroscopic apparent viscosity of semisolid bronze. The viscosity drops with temperature above the solidus and lies in the range of 108 to 106 Pa-s. Additionally, the in situ transverse rupture strength of bronze is measured to demonstrate the softening above the solidus temperature. Further, microstructural measurements are performed to enable correlation with the slumping behavior and viscosity. A model combining the deformation mechanisms, driving forces, and microstructural characteristics is developed to predict the conditions for densification and distortion onset. The microstructure is also correlated with the magnitude of shape loss and viscosity of a semisolid aggregate. A mechanistic model, based on the semisolid rheological characteristics, is developed to predict the magnitude and nature of shape loss. The model shows good correlation with experimental data for bronze. This study offers critical insight into SLPS and provides processing strategies for fabrication of high-density components without shape loss.

High efficiency solution processed sintered CdTe nanocrystal solar cells: the role of interfaces.

PubMed

Panthani, Matthew G; Kurley, J Matthew; Crisp, Ryan W; Dietz, Travis C; Ezzyat, Taha; Luther, Joseph M; Talapin, Dmitri V

2014-02-12

Solution processing of photovoltaic semiconducting layers offers the potential for drastic cost reduction through improved materials utilization and high device throughput. One compelling solution-based processing strategy utilizes semiconductor layers produced by sintering nanocrystals into large-grain semiconductors at relatively low temperatures. Using n-ZnO/p-CdTe as a model system, we fabricate sintered CdTe nanocrystal solar cells processed at 350 °C with power conversion efficiencies (PCE) as high as 12.3%. JSC of over 25 mA cm(-2) are achieved, which are comparable or higher than those achieved using traditional, close-space sublimated CdTe. We find that the VOC can be substantially increased by applying forward bias for short periods of time. Capacitance measurements as well as intensity- and temperature-dependent analysis indicate that the increased VOC is likely due to relaxation of an energetic barrier at the ITO/CdTe interface.

Self Sealing Magmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

von Aulock, Felix W.; Wadsworth, Fabian B.; Kennedy, Ben M.; Lavallee, Yan

2015-04-01

During ascent of magma, pressure decreases and bubbles form. If the volume increases more rapidly than the relaxation timescale, the magma fragments catastrophically. If a permeable network forms, the magma degasses non-violently. This process is generally assumed to be unidirectional, however, recent studies have shown how shear and compaction can drive self sealing. Here, we additionally constrain skin formation during degassing and sintering. We heated natural samples of obsidian in a dry atmosphere and monitored foaming and impermeable skin formation. We suggest a model for skin formation that is controlled by diffusional loss of water and bubble collapse at free surfaces. We heated synthetic glass beads in a hydrous atmosphere to measure the timescale of viscous sintering. The beads sinter at drastically shorter timescales as water vapour rehydrates an otherwise degassed melt, reducing viscosity and glass transition temperatures. Both processes can produce dense inhomogeneities within the timescales of magma ascent and effectively disturb permeabilities and form barriers, particularly at the margins of the conduit, where strain localisation takes place. Localised ash in failure zones (i.e. Tuffisite) then becomes associated with water vapour fluxes and alow rapid rehydration and sintering. When measuring permeabilities in laboratory and field, and when discussing shallow degassing in volcanoes, local barriers for degassing should be taken into account. Highlighting the processes that lead to the formation of such dense skins and sintered infills of cavities can help understanding the bulk permeabilities of volcanic systems.

Effect of Sintering Temperature to Physical, Magnetic Properties and Crystal Structure on Permanent Magnet BaFe12O19 Prepared From Mill Scale

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ramlan; Muljadi; Sardjono, Priyo; Gulo, Fakhili; Setiabudidaya, Dedi

2017-07-01

Permanent magnet of Barium hexa Ferrite with formula BaFe12O19 has been made by metallurgy powder method from raw materials : Barium carbonate (BaCO3 E-merck) and Iron Oxide (Fe2O3 from mill scale). Both of raw materials have been mixed with stoichiometry composition by using a ball mill for 24 hours. The fine powder obtained from milling process was formed by using a hydraulic press at pressure 50 MPa and continued with sintering process. The sintering temperature was varied : 1150°C, 1200°C, 1250°C and 1300°C with holding time for 1 hour. The sintered samples were characterized such as : physical properties (bulk density, porosity and shrinkage), magnetic properties (flux density, remanence, coercivity and magnetic saturation) by using VSM and crystal structure by using XRD. According characterization results show that the crystal structure of BaFe12O19 does not change after sintering process, but the grain size tends to increase. The optimum condition is achieved at temperature 1250°C, and at this condition, the sample has characterization such as : bulk density = 4.35 g/cm3, porosity = 1.03% and firing shrinkage = 11.63%, flux density = 681.1 Gauss, remanence (σr) = 20.78 emu/g, coercivity (Hc) = 2058 Oe and magnetic saturation (σs) 45.16 emu/g.

Dielectric Properties of Sol-Gel Derived Barium Strontium Titanate and Microwave Sintering of Ceramics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Selmi, Fathi A.

This thesis consists of two areas of research: (1) sol-gel processing of Ba_{rm 1-x}Sr_{rm x} TiO_3 ceramics and their dielectric properties measurement; and (2) microwave versus conventional sintering of ceramics such as Al_2 O_3, Ba_{ rm 1-x}Sr_{rm x}TiO_3, Sb-doped SnO _2 and YBa_2Cu _3O_7. Sol-gel powders of BaTiO_3, SrTiO_3, and their solid solutions were synthesized by the hydrolysis of titanium isopropoxide and Ba and Sr methoxyethoxides. The loss tangent and dielectric constant of both sol-gel and conventionally prepared and sintered Ba_{rm 1-x}Sr _{rm x}TiO _3 ceramics were investigated at high frequencies. The sol-gel prepared ceramics showed higher dielectric constant and lower loss compared to those prepared conventionally. Ba _{rm 1-x}Sr _{rm x}TiO_3 ceramics were tunable with applied bias, indicating the potential use of this material for phase shifter applications. Porous Ba_{0.65}Sr _{0.35}TiO_3 was also investigated to lower the dielectric constant. Microwave sintering of alpha -Al_2O_3 and SrTiO_3 was investigated using an ordinary kitchen microwave oven (2.45 GHz; 600 Watts). The use of microwaves with good insulation of alpha -Al_2O_3 and SrTiO_3 samples resulted in their rapid sintering with good final densities of 96 and 98% of the theoretical density, respectively. A comparison of grain size for conventionally and microwave sintered SrTiO_3 samples did not show a noticeable difference. However, the grain size of microwave sintered alpha-Al_2O _3 was found to be larger than that of conventionally sintered sample. These results show that rapid sintering of ceramics can be achieved by using microwave radiation. The sintering behavior of coprecipitated Sb-doped SnO_2 was investigated using microwave power absorption. With microwave power, samples were sintered at 1450^circC for 20 minutes and showed a density as high as 99.9% of theoretical. However, samples fired in a conventional electric furnace at the same temperature for 4 hours showed only 60% of theoretical density. Microwave sintering also led to improvement in terms of uniform structure and electrical properties. Ba_{0.65}Sr _{0.35}TiO_3 was sintered using the microwave power at 1300 ^circC for 10 minutes. A density of 99% was achieved with small and uniform grain size. Superconducting powders have been successfully prepared by the sol-gel process and sintered and annealed using microwave power. Sintering and densification was achieved in a shorter time with microwave heating than with conventional heating and microwave heating appears to result in refined microstructure.

Effect of Starch on Sintering Behavior for Fabricating Porous Cordierite Ceramic

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Ye; Cao, Wei; Gong, Lunlun; Zhang, Ruifang; Cheng, Xudong

2016-10-01

Porous cordierite ceramics were prepared with starch as pore-forming agent by solid-state method. The green bodies were sintered at 1,100-1,400 °C for 2 h. The characterization was focused on thermal analysis, phase evolution, sintering behavior, porosity and micro-structural changes. The results show that cordierite becomes the main crystallization phase at 1,200 °C. The shrinkage behavior shows the most obvious dependence on the sintering temperature and starch content, and it can be divided into three stages. Moreover, the open porosity increases with the increase of starch content, but the pore-forming effectivity decreases. Nevertheless, compared with the open porosity curves, the bulk density curves are more in line with the linear rule. The microphotographs show the densification process with the sintering temperature and the variation of pore connectivity with the starch content.

PRODUCCION DE PLACAS DELGADAS DE UO$sub 2$ INFORME NO. 71. (Production of Thin Plates of UO$sub 2$. Report No. 71)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Koll, H.; Carrea, A.J.

1962-01-01

The effect of some parameters on the fabrication of thin plates of UO/ sub 2/ by the sintering process is studied. Compacting pressures of 0.25 to 2 ton/cm/sub 2/, temperatures from 1100 to 1400 deg C, and sintering times from 1 to 3 hrs were used to determine the optimum values of these parameters. An analysis of the effect of the lubricant during the compression showed that the results were improved by the substitution of polyethylene glycol types for steric types, as the former were more easily removed from the compact and did not attack the UO/sub 2/ during sintering.more » Fracture during compression and extraction was studied. The compression law for the powder was determined, and the valid ity of the Bal'shin law was proved. The furnace atmospher is of importance to the sintered product. Two types of atmosphere were analyzed ---neutral atmosphere during sintering with final reduction in hydrogen and slightly reducing atmosphere during the entire process. An analysis of the effects on the final density and porosity showed that adding 3% H/sub 2/ to Ar produced good density and a stoichiometric oxide in the final product. It was shown that density is not a sufficient measurement to evaluate the degree of sintering. Only the combined use of density and porosity give a good evaluation. The compression pressure has a great effect on the pore size and distribution in the sintered product. Best results are obtained with high pressures, which gives small uniformly distributed pores. A metallographic study was made to determine the relation between pore size and distribution and the process parameters. Compact zones'' were observed with mean diameter from 1 to 2 mm with very reduced porosity. These zones had better hardness and resistance to corrosion and chemical attack than the rest of the material. (tr-auth)« less

Reproducibility of Aluminum Foam by Combining Sintering and Dissolution Process with Precursor Foaming Process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hangai, Yoshihiko; Matsushita, Hayato; Koyama, Shinji; Suzuki, Ryosuke; Matsubara, Masaaki

2017-07-01

A preliminary study of the reproducibility of aluminum foam was performed. Aluminum foam was fabricated by a sintering and dissolution process. It was found that aluminum foam containing a blowing agent can be fabricated without the decomposition of the blowing agent, namely, the densified aluminum foam can be used as a foamable precursor for refoaming. By heat treatment of the densified aluminum foam containing the blowing agent, pores were reproduced in the aluminum.

WSi2 in Si(1-x)Ge(x) Composites: Processing and Thermoelectric Properties

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mackey, Jonathan A.; Sehirlioglu, Alp; Dynys, Fred

2015-01-01

Traditional SiGe thermoelectrics have potential for enhanced figure of merit (ZT) via nano-structuring with a silicide phase, such as WSi2. A second phase of nano-sized silicides can theoretically reduce the lattice component of thermal conductivity without significantly reducing the electrical conductivity. However, experimentally achieving such improvements in line with the theory is complicated by factors such as control of silicide size during sintering, dopant segregation, matrix homogeneity, and sintering kinetics. Samples were prepared using powder metallurgy techniques; including mechano-chemical alloying, via ball milling, and spark plasma sintering for densification. Processing, micro-structural development, and thermoelectric properties will be discussed. Additionally, couple and device level characterization will be introduced.

Processing of non-oxide ceramics from sol-gel methods

DOEpatents

Landingham, Richard; Reibold, Robert A.; Satcher, Joe

2014-12-12

A general procedure applied to a variety of sol-gel precursors and solvent systems for preparing and controlling homogeneous dispersions of very small particles within each other. Fine homogenous dispersions processed at elevated temperatures and controlled atmospheres make a ceramic powder to be consolidated into a component by standard commercial means: sinter, hot press, hot isostatic pressing (HIP), hot/cold extrusion, spark plasma sinter (SPS), etc.

Effect of microwave-assisted sintering on dielectric properties of CaCu{sub 3}Ti{sub 4}O{sub 12} ceramic

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Rani, Suman, E-mail: sumanranigju@gmail.com; Ahlawat, Neetu; Punia, R.

2016-05-23

In this present work, CaCu{sub 3}Ti{sub 4}O{sub 12} (CCTO) was synthesized by conventional solid-state reaction technique. The synthesis process was carried out in two phases; by conventional process (calcination and sintering at 1080°C for 10 hours) and phase II involves the micro assisted pre sintering of conventionally calcined CCTO for very short soaking time of 30 min at 1080°C in a microwave furnace followed by sintering at 1080°C for 10 hours in conventional furnace. X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns confirmed the formation of single phase ceramic. Dielectric properties were studied over the frequency range from 50Hz -5MHz at temperatures (273K-343K). It wasmore » observed that pre- microwave sintering enhance the dielectric constant values from 10900 to 11893 and respectively reduces the dielectric loss values from 0.49 to 0.34 at room temperature(1 KHz). CCTO ceramics which are found desirable for many technological applications. The effect is more pronounced at low frequencies of applied electric field.« less

Examination of the Mass Transfer of Additive Elements in Barium Titanate Ceramics during Sintering Process by Laser Ablation ICP-MS.

PubMed

Sakate, Daisuke; Iwazaki, Yoshiki; Kon, Yoshiaki; Yokoyama, Takaomi; Ohata, Masaki

2018-01-01

The mass transfer of additive elements during the sintering of barium titanate (BaTiO 3 ) ceramic was examined by laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) in the present study. An analytical sample consisting of two pellets of BaTiO 3 with different concentrations of additive elements of manganese (Mn) and holmium (Ho) as well as silicon (Si) as a sintering reagent was prepared and measured by LA-ICP-MS with small laser irradiated diameter of 10 μm to evaluate the distributions and concentrations of additive elements in order to examine their mass transfers. As results, enrichments of Mn and Si as an additive element and a sintering reagent, respectively, were observed on the adhesive surface between two BaTiO 3 pellets, even though Ho did not show a similar phenomenon. The mass transfers of additive elements of Mn and Ho were also examined, and Mn seemed to show a larger mass transfer than that of Ho during the sintering process for BaTiO 3 ceramics. The results obtained in this study shows the effectives of LA-ICP-MS for the future improvement of MLCCs.

Study of sintering on Mg-Zn-Ca alloy system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Annur, Dhyah; Lestari, Franciska P.; Erryani, Aprilia; Kartika, Ika

2018-05-01

Magnesium and its alloy have gained a lot of interest to be used in biomedical application due to its biodegradable and biocompatible properties. In this study, sintering process in powder metallurgy was chosen to fabricatenonporous Mg-6Zn-1Ca (in wt%) alloy and porous Mg-6Zn-1Ca-10 Carbamide alloy. For creating porous alloy, carbamide (CO(NH2)2 was added to alloy system as the space holder to create porous structure material. Effect of the space holder addition and sintering temperature on porosity, phase formation, mechanical properties, and corrosion properties was observed. Sintering process was done in a tube furnace under Argon atmosphere in for 5 hours. The heat treatment was done in two steps; heated up at 250 °C for 4 hours to decompose spacer particle, followed by heated up at 580 °C or 630 °C for 5 hours. The porous structure of the resulted alloys was examined using Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), while the phase formation was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. Mechanical properties were examined using compression testing. From this study, increasing sintering temperature up to 630 °C reduced the mechanical properties of Mg-Zn-Ca alloy.

Thermoelectric properties of Ca0.8Dy0.2MnO3 synthesized by solution combustion process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Park, Kyeongsoon; Lee, Ga Won

2011-10-01

High-quality Ca0.8Dy0.2MnO3 nano-powders were synthesized by the solution combustion process. The size of the synthesized Ca0.8Dy0.2MnO3 powders was approximately 23 nm. The green pellets were sintered at 1150-1300°C at a step size of 50°C. Sintered Ca0.8Dy0.2MnO3 bodies crystallized in the perovskite structure with an orthorhombic symmetry. The sintering temperature did not affect the Seebeck coefficient, but significantly affected the electrical conductivity. The electrical conductivity of Ca0.8Dy0.2MnO3 increased with increasing temperature, indicating a semiconducting behavior. The absolute value of the Seebeck coefficient gradually increased with an increase in temperature. The highest power factor (3.7 × 10-5 Wm-1 K-2 at 800°C) was obtained for Ca0.8Dy0.2MnO3 sintered at 1,250°C. In this study, we investigated the microstructure and thermoelectric properties of Ca0.8Dy0.2MnO3, depending on sintering temperature.

Thermoelectric properties of Ca0.8Dy0.2MnO3 synthesized by solution combustion process

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

High-quality Ca0.8Dy0.2MnO3 nano-powders were synthesized by the solution combustion process. The size of the synthesized Ca0.8Dy0.2MnO3 powders was approximately 23 nm. The green pellets were sintered at 1150-1300°C at a step size of 50°C. Sintered Ca0.8Dy0.2MnO3 bodies crystallized in the perovskite structure with an orthorhombic symmetry. The sintering temperature did not affect the Seebeck coefficient, but significantly affected the electrical conductivity. The electrical conductivity of Ca0.8Dy0.2MnO3 increased with increasing temperature, indicating a semiconducting behavior. The absolute value of the Seebeck coefficient gradually increased with an increase in temperature. The highest power factor (3.7 × 10-5 Wm-1 K-2 at 800°C) was obtained for Ca0.8Dy0.2MnO3 sintered at 1,250°C. In this study, we investigated the microstructure and thermoelectric properties of Ca0.8Dy0.2MnO3, depending on sintering temperature. PMID:21974984

Thermoelectric properties of Ca0.8Dy0.2MnO3 synthesized by solution combustion process.

PubMed

Park, Kyeongsoon; Lee, Ga Won

2011-10-05

High-quality Ca0.8Dy0.2MnO3 nano-powders were synthesized by the solution combustion process. The size of the synthesized Ca0.8Dy0.2MnO3 powders was approximately 23 nm. The green pellets were sintered at 1150-1300°C at a step size of 50°C. Sintered Ca0.8Dy0.2MnO3 bodies crystallized in the perovskite structure with an orthorhombic symmetry. The sintering temperature did not affect the Seebeck coefficient, but significantly affected the electrical conductivity. The electrical conductivity of Ca0.8Dy0.2MnO3 increased with increasing temperature, indicating a semiconducting behavior. The absolute value of the Seebeck coefficient gradually increased with an increase in temperature. The highest power factor (3.7 × 10-5 Wm-1 K-2 at 800°C) was obtained for Ca0.8Dy0.2MnO3 sintered at 1,250°C. In this study, we investigated the microstructure and thermoelectric properties of Ca0.8Dy0.2MnO3, depending on sintering temperature.

A Process for Manufacturing Metal-Ceramic Cellular Materials with Designed Mesostructure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Snelling, Dean Andrew, Jr.

The goal of this work is to develop and characterize a manufacturing process that is able to create metal matrix composites with complex cellular geometries. The novel manufacturing method uses two distinct additive manufacturing processes: i) fabrication of patternless molds for cellular metal castings and ii) printing an advanced cellular ceramic for embedding in a metal matrix. However, while the use of AM greatly improves the freedom in the design of MMCs, it is important to identify the constraints imposed by the process and its process relationships. First, the author investigates potential differences in material properties (microstructure, porosity, mechanical strength) of A356 - T6 castings resulting from two different commercially available Binder Jetting media and traditional "no-bake" silica sand. It was determined that they yielded statistically equivalent results in four of the seven tests performed: dendrite arm spacing, porosity, surface roughness, and tensile strength. They differed in sand tensile strength, hardness, and density. Additionally, two critical sources of process constraints on part geometry are examined: (i) depowdering unbound material from intricate casting channels and (ii) metal flow and solidification distances through complex mold geometries. A Taguchi Design of Experiments is used to determine the relationships of important independent variables of each constraint. For depowdering, a minimum cleaning diameter of 3 mm was determined along with an equation relating cleaning distance as a function of channel diameter. Furthermore, for metal flow, choke diameter was found to be significantly significant variable. Finally, the author presents methods to process complex ceramic structure from precursor powders via Binder Jetting AM technology to incorporate into a bonded sand mold and the subsequently casted metal matrix. Through sintering experiments, a sintering temperature of 1375°C was established for the ceramic insert (78% cordierite). Upon printing and sintering the iii ceramic, three point bend tests showed the MMCs had less strength than the matrix material likely due to the relatively high porosity developed in the body. Additionally, it was found that the ceramic metal interface had minimal mechanical interlocking and chemical bonding limiting the strength of the final MMCs.

Improved silicon carbide for advanced heat engines

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Whalen, Thomas J.

1989-01-01

The development of high strength, high reliability silicon carbide parts with complex shapes suitable for use in advanced heat engines is studied. Injection molding was the forming method selected for the program because it is capable of forming complex parts adaptable for mass production on an economically sound basis. The goals were to reach a Weibull characteristic strength of 550 MPa (80 ksi) and a Weibull modulus of 16 for bars tested in four-point loading. Statistically designed experiments were performed throughout the program and a fluid mixing process employing an attritor mixer was developed. Compositional improvements in the amounts and sources of boron and carbon used and a pressureless sintering cycle were developed which provided samples of about 99 percent of theoretical density. Strengths were found to improve significantly by annealing in air. Strengths in excess of 550 MPa (80 ksi) with Weibull modulus of about 9 were obtained. Further improvements in Weibull modulus to about 16 were realized by proof testing. This is an increase of 86 percent in strength and 100 percent in Weibull modulus over the baseline data generated at the beginning of the program. Molding yields were improved and flaw distributions were observed to follow a Poisson process. Magic angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance spectra were found to be useful in characterizing the SiC powder and the sintered samples. Turbocharger rotors were molded and examined as an indication of the moldability of the mixes which were developed in this program.

Sol-gel synthesis and densification of aluminoborosilicate powders. Part 2: Densification

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bull, Jeffrey; Selvaduray, Guna; Leiser, Daniel

1992-01-01

Aluminoborosilicate (ABS) powders, high in alumina content, were synthesized by the sol-gel process utilizing four different methods of synthesis. The effect of these methods on the densification behavior of ABS powder compacts was studied. Five regions of shrinkage in the temperature range 25-1184 C were identified. In these regions, the greatest shrinkage occurred between the gel-to-glass transition temperature (T sub g approximately equal to 835 C) and the crystallization transformation temperature (T sub t approximately equal 900 C). The dominant mechanism of densification in this range was found to be viscous sintering. ABS powders were amorphous to x-rays up to T sub t at which a multiphasic structure crystallized. No 2Al2O3.B2O3 was found in these powders as predicted in the phase diagram. Above T sub t, densification was the result of competing mechanisms including grain growth and boria fluxed viscous sintering. Apparent activation energies for densification in each region varied according to the method of synthesis.

Development of SiC/SiC composites by PIP in combination with RS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kotani, Masaki; Kohyama, Akira; Katoh, Yutai

2001-02-01

In order to improve the mechanical performances of SiC/SiC composite, process improvement and modification of polymer impregnation and pyrolysis (PIP) and reaction sintering (RS) process were investigated. The fibrous prepregs were prepared by a polymeric intra-bundle densification technique using Tyranno-SA™ fiber. For inter-bundle matrix, four kinds of process options utilizing polymer pyrolysis and reaction sintering were studied. The process conditions were systematically optimized through fabricating monoliths. Then, SiC/SiC composites were fabricated using optimized inter-bundle matrix slurries in each process for the first inspection of process requirements.

Computational Process Modeling for Additive Manufacturing (OSU)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bagg, Stacey; Zhang, Wei

2015-01-01

Powder-Bed Additive Manufacturing (AM) through Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DMLS) or Selective Laser Melting (SLM) is being used by NASA and the Aerospace industry to "print" parts that traditionally are very complex, high cost, or long schedule lead items. The process spreads a thin layer of metal powder over a build platform, then melts the powder in a series of welds in a desired shape. The next layer of powder is applied, and the process is repeated until layer-by-layer, a very complex part can be built. This reduces cost and schedule by eliminating very complex tooling and processes traditionally used in aerospace component manufacturing. To use the process to print end-use items, NASA seeks to understand SLM material well enough to develop a method of qualifying parts for space flight operation. Traditionally, a new material process takes many years and high investment to generate statistical databases and experiential knowledge, but computational modeling can truncate the schedule and cost -many experiments can be run quickly in a model, which would take years and a high material cost to run empirically. This project seeks to optimize material build parameters with reduced time and cost through modeling.

Porous calcium polyphosphate bone substitutes: additive manufacturing versus conventional gravity sinter processing-effect on structure and mechanical properties.

PubMed

Hu, Youxin; Shanjani, Yaser; Toyserkani, Ehsan; Grynpas, Marc; Wang, Rizhi; Pilliar, Robert

2014-02-01

Porous calcium polyphosphate (CPP) structures proposed as bone-substitute implants and made by sintering CPP powders to form bending test samples of approximately 35 vol % porosity were machined from preformed blocks made either by additive manufacturing (AM) or conventional gravity sintering (CS) methods and the structure and mechanical characteristics of samples so made were compared. AM-made samples displayed higher bending strengths (≈1.2-1.4 times greater than CS-made samples), whereas elastic constant (i.e., effective elastic modulus of the porous structures) that is determined by material elastic modulus and structural geometry of the samples was ≈1.9-2.3 times greater for AM-made samples. X-ray diffraction analysis showed that samples made by either method displayed the same crystal structure forming β-CPP after sinter annealing. The material elastic modulus, E, determined using nanoindentation tests also showed the same value for both sample types (i.e., E ≈ 64 GPa). Examination of the porous structures indicated that significantly larger sinter necks resulted in the AM-made samples which presumably resulted in the higher mechanical properties. The development of mechanical properties was attributed to the different sinter anneal procedures required to make 35 vol % porous samples by the two methods. A primary objective of the present study, in addition to reporting on bending strength and sample stiffness (elastic constant) characteristics, was to determine why the two processes resulted in the observed mechanical property differences for samples of equivalent volume percentage of porosity. An understanding of the fundamental reason(s) for the observed effect is considered important for developing improved processes for preparation of porous CPP implants as bone substitutes for use in high load-bearing skeletal sites. Copyright © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

The Processing and Mechanical Properties of High Temperature/High Performance Composites. Book 6, Section 4: Processing: Matrices and Composites. Part 2

DTIC Science & Technology

1989-10-15

discussed in the context of the above results. [Key words: sintering, densification, zirconia , powder fz irication, grain growth] Member, American...Ceram. Soc. 71 (4) 225-35 (1988). 3. M.A.C.G. van de Graaf, A.J. Burggraaf, ’Wet-Chemical Preparation of Zirconia Powders : Their Microstructure and...40h Zr0-1OY23 30- 1 Oh Zr2IY231WC 2 (A) 1.’DENSIFICATION OF ZIRCONIA POWDER l0 W 0.7-~tr~ TIME bRYST (B CONTAN CEli RSAETL10 w S0.45-- 0.4- 1060 110

Reduction mechanism of surface oxide films and characterization of formations on pulse electric-current sintered Al Mg alloy powders

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xie, Guoqiang; Ohashi, Osamu; Song, Minghui; Mitsuishi, Kazutaka; Furuya, Kazuo

2005-02-01

The microstructure of interfaces between powder particles in Al-Mg alloy specimens sintered by pulse electric-current sintering (PECS) process was characterized using high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). The crystalline precipitates with nano-size in the interface were observed in all of Al-Mg alloy specimens. The composition was determined to be MgAl 2O 4 or MgO, or both of them, which depended on Mg content in alloy powder and sintering temperature. The precipitates were suggested to contribute to reduction reaction of Mg with oxide films originally covered at powder particles surface.

Characterizing Sintered Nano-Hydroxyapatite Sol-Gel Coating Deposited on a Biomedical Ti-Zr-Nb Alloy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jafari, Hassan; Hessam, Hamid; Shahri, Seyed Morteza Ghaffari; Assadian, Mahtab; Shairazifard, Shahin Hamtaie Pour; Idris, Mohd Hasbullah

2016-03-01

In this study, sol-gel dip-coating method was used to coat nano-hydroxyapatite on specimens of Ti-14Zr-13Nb alloy for orthopedic applications. The coated specimens were sintered at three different temperatures and time spans to evaluate the impact of sintering process on microstructure, mechanical, bio-corrosion, and bioactivity properties of the coating. Field-emission scanning electron microscopy and x-ray diffraction were used to analyze the coating microstructure. Coating adhesion and mechanical performance were also investigated by scratch testing. Besides, electrochemical corrosion and immersion tests were performed in simulated body fluid to examine the sintering effect on corrosion performance and bioactivity of the coatings, respectively. The evaluations of coated specimens displayed that sintering at elevated temperatures leads to higher surface integrity and improves crystallinity of the nano-hydroxyapatite to approximately 89% which brings about distinctively enhanced mechanical properties. Similarly, it improved the corrosion rate for about 17 times through sintering at 700 °C. Immersion test proved that the coating increased the bioactivity resulted from the dissolution of calcium phosphates into the corresponding environment. It is noticeable that sintering the dip-coated specimens in the nano-hydroxyapatite improves corrosion performance and maintains bioactive behaviors as well.

Utilization of lignite power generation residues for the production of lightweight aggregates.

PubMed

Anagnostopoulos, Iason M; Stivanakis, Victor E

2009-04-15

A novel process is proposed for the utilization of lignite combustion solid residues in the production of inflammable lightweight aggregates (LWA). The process consists of two stages, pelletization and sintering, and carbon contained in BA was used as the process fuel. The main residues bottom ash (BA) and fly ash (FA) from Megalopolis power plant were characterized, mixed in different proportions and treated through pelletization and sintering process. Sintering benefits from combustion of BA carbon content and the product is a hardened porous cake. The energy required for achievement of high temperatures, in the range of 1250 degrees C, was offered by carbon combustion and CO(2) evolution is responsible for porous structure formation. Selected physical properties of sintered material relevant to use as lightweight aggregates were determined, including bulk density, porosity and water absorption. Bulk density varies from 0.83 to 0.91 g/cm(3), porosity varies from 60% to 64% and water absorption varies from 66% to 80%. LWA formed is used for the production of lightweight aggregate concrete (LWAC). Thermal conductivity coefficient varies from 0.25 to 0.37 W/mK (lower than maximum limit 0.43 W/mK) and compressive strength varies from 19 to 23 MPa (higher than minimum limit 17 MPa). The results indicate that sintering of lignite combustion residues is an efficient method of utilization of carbon containing BA and production of LWA for structural and insulating purposes. Carbon content of BA is a key factor in LWA production. Finally, this research work comprises the first proposed application for utilization of BA in Greece.

Additive Manufacturing Consolidation of Low-Cost Water Atomized Steel Powder Using Micro-Induction Sintering

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Carter, William G.; Rios, Orlando; U

ORNL worked with Grid Logic Inc to demonstrate micro induction sintering (MIS) and binder decomposition of steel powders. It was shown that MIS effectively emits spatially confined electromagnetic energy that is directly coupled to metallic powders resulting in resistive heating of individual particles. The non-uniformity of particle morphology and distribution of the water atomized steel powders resulted in inefficient transfer of energy. It was shown that adhering the particles together using polymer binders resulted in more efficient coupling. Using the MIS processes, debinding and sintering could be done in a single step. When combined with another system, such as binder-jet,more » this could reduce the amount of required post-processing. An invention disclosure was filed on hybrid systems that use MIS to reduce the amount of required post-processing.« less

Novel hydrophilic nanostructured microtexture on direct metal laser sintered Ti-6Al-4V surfaces enhances osteoblast response in vitro and osseointegration in a rabbit model.

PubMed

Hyzy, Sharon L; Cheng, Alice; Cohen, David J; Yatzkaier, Gustavo; Whitehead, Alexander J; Clohessy, Ryan M; Gittens, Rolando A; Boyan, Barbara D; Schwartz, Zvi

2016-08-01

The purpose of this study was to compare the biological effects in vivo of hierarchical surface roughness on laser sintered titanium-aluminum-vanadium (Ti-6Al-4V) implants to those of conventionally machined implants on osteoblast response in vitro and osseointegration. Laser sintered disks were fabricated to have micro-/nano-roughness and wettability. Control disks were computer numerical control (CNC) milled and then polished to be smooth (CNC-M). Laser sintered disks were polished smooth (LST-M), grit blasted (LST-B), or blasted and acid etched (LST-BE). LST-BE implants or implants manufactured by CNC milling and grit blasted (CNC-B) were implanted in the femurs of male New Zealand white rabbits. Most osteoblast differentiation markers and local factors were enhanced on rough LST-B and LST-BE surfaces in comparison to smooth CNC-M or LST-M surfaces for MG63 and normal human osteoblast cells. To determine if LST-BE implants were osteogenic in vivo, we compared them to implant surfaces used clinically. LST-BE implants had a unique surface with combined micro-/nano-roughness and higher wettability than conventional CNC-B implants. Histomorphometric analysis demonstrated a significant improvement in cortical bone-implant contact of LST-BE implants compared to CNC-B implants after 3 and 6 weeks. However, mechanical testing revealed no differences between implant pullout forces at those time points. LST surfaces enhanced osteoblast differentiation and production of local factors in vitro and improved the osseointegration process in vivo. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part A: 104A: 2086-2098, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

A novel in situ synthesis of SiBCN-Zr composites prepared by a sol-gel process and spark plasma sintering.

PubMed

Miao, Yang; Yang, Zhihua; Liang, Bin; Li, Quan; Chen, Qingqing; Jia, Dechang; Cheng, Yi-Bing; Zhou, Yu

2016-08-09

In the work reported here, SiBCN amorphous powders were first prepared by a mechanical alloying technique, employing cubic silicon, graphite and hexagonal boron nitride powders as raw materials. Zirconia was then introduced via sol-gel methods. The resulting powder composite was then consolidated via SPS sintering. The SPS sintering sample was evaluated using XRD, SEM and TEM. XRD reveals a chemical transformation wherein amorphous BN(C) and ZrO2 form the primary ZrC and ZrB2 phases after SPS processing along with SiC and BN(C). Thereafter ZrC reacts with BN(C) completely to form ZrB2. The reaction starts at the temperature of 1500 °C and is complete at the temperature of 1900 °C. The fracture toughness of the sintered composites reaches 4.9 ± 0.2 MPa m(1/2) due to the presence of the laminated structure of the BN(C) phase.

Intrinsic and extrinsic relaxation of CaCu{sub 3}Ti{sub 4}O{sub 12} ceramics: Effect of sintering

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Li, J. Y.; Zhao, X. T.; Li, S. T.

2010-11-15

The effect of sintering process on the electrical properties of CaCu{sub 3}Ti{sub 4}O{sub 12} (CCTO) ceramic dielectrics were investigated in this paper. It was found that grain size is affected by sintering and the nonlinear current-voltage (I-V) property will decrease with the increased sintering time. Also, the frequency and temperature dependences of dielectric permittivity and loss in the ranges of 10{sup -1}-10{sup 7} Hz and 130-270 K were studied. Two relaxation processes with activation energy of 0.51 eV and 0.10 eV, respectively, were found in the frequency dependence of tan {delta} and Cole-Cole planes, which can be interpreted in termsmore » of insulating grain boundaries and semiconducting grains. It was suggested that grain boundary Maxwell-Wagner relaxation and ionization of oxygen vacancy V{sub O}{sup ++}, proposed as extrinsic and intrinsic relaxations, are responsible for the dielectric behaviors of CCTO ceramics.« less

Copper-polydopamine composite derived from bioinspired polymer coating

DOE PAGES

Zhao, Yao; Wang, Hsin; Qian, Bosen; ...

2018-04-01

Metal matrix composites with nanocarbon phases, such carbon nanotube (CNT) and graphene, have shown potentials to achieve improved mechanical, thermal, and electrical properties. However, incorporation of these nanocarbons into the metal matrix usually involves complicated processes. Here, this study explored a new processing method to fabricate copper (Cu) matrix composite by coating Cu powder particles with nanometer-thick polydopamine (PDA) thin films and sintering of the powder compacts. For sintering temperatures between 300°C and 750°C, the Cu-PDA composite samples showed higher electrical conductivity and thermal conductivity than the uncoated Cu samples, which is likely related to the higher mass densities ofmore » the composite samples. After being sintered at 950°C, the thermal conductivity of the Cu-PDA sample was approximately 12% higher than the Cu sample, while the electrical conductivity did not show significant difference. On the other hand, Knoop micro-hardness values were comparable between the Cu-PDA and Cu samples sintered at the same temperatures.« less

Improved silicon nitride for advanced heat engines

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yeh, H. C.; Wimmer, J. M.; Huang, H. H.; Rorabaugh, M. E.; Schienle, J.; Styhr, K. H.

1985-01-01

The AiResearch Casting Company baseline silicon nitride (92 percent GTE SN-502 Si sub 3 N sub 4 plus 6 percent Y sub 2 O sub 3 plus 2 percent Al sub 2 O sub 3) was characterized with methods that included chemical analysis, oxygen content determination, electrophoresis, particle size distribution analysis, surface area determination, and analysis of the degree of agglomeration and maximum particle size of elutriated powder. Test bars were injection molded and processed through sintering at 0.68 MPa (100 psi) of nitrogen. The as-sintered test bars were evaluated by X-ray phase analysis, room and elevated temperature modulus of rupture strength, Weibull modulus, stress rupture, strength after oxidation, fracture origins, microstructure, and density from quantities of samples sufficiently large to generate statistically valid results. A series of small test matrices were conducted to study the effects and interactions of processing parameters which included raw materials, binder systems, binder removal cycles, injection molding temperatures, particle size distribution, sintering additives, and sintering cycle parameters.

Low-Cost Manufacturing of Bioresorbable Conductors by Evaporation-Condensation-Mediated Laser Printing and Sintering of Zn Nanoparticles.

PubMed

Shou, Wan; Mahajan, Bikram K; Ludwig, Brandon; Yu, Xiaowei; Staggs, Joshua; Huang, Xian; Pan, Heng

2017-07-01

Currently, bioresorbable electronic devices are predominantly fabricated by complex and expensive vacuum-based integrated circuit (IC) processes. Here, a low-cost manufacturing approach for bioresorbable conductors on bioresorbable polymer substrates by evaporation-condensation-mediated laser printing and sintering of Zn nanoparticle is reported. Laser sintering of Zn nanoparticles has been technically difficult due to the surface oxide on nanoparticles. To circumvent the surface oxide, a novel approach is discovered to print and sinter Zn nanoparticle facilitated by evaporation-condensation in confined domains. The printing process can be performed on low-temperature substrates in ambient environment allowing easy integration on a roll-to-roll platform for economical manufacturing of bioresorbable electronics. The fabricated Zn conductors show excellent electrical conductivity (≈1.124 × 10 6 S m -1 ), mechanical durability, and water dissolvability. Successful demonstration of strain gauges confirms the potential application in various environmentally friendly sensors and circuits. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Copper-polydopamine composite derived from bioinspired polymer coating

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zhao, Yao; Wang, Hsin; Qian, Bosen

Metal matrix composites with nanocarbon phases, such carbon nanotube (CNT) and graphene, have shown potentials to achieve improved mechanical, thermal, and electrical properties. However, incorporation of these nanocarbons into the metal matrix usually involves complicated processes. Here, this study explored a new processing method to fabricate copper (Cu) matrix composite by coating Cu powder particles with nanometer-thick polydopamine (PDA) thin films and sintering of the powder compacts. For sintering temperatures between 300°C and 750°C, the Cu-PDA composite samples showed higher electrical conductivity and thermal conductivity than the uncoated Cu samples, which is likely related to the higher mass densities ofmore » the composite samples. After being sintered at 950°C, the thermal conductivity of the Cu-PDA sample was approximately 12% higher than the Cu sample, while the electrical conductivity did not show significant difference. On the other hand, Knoop micro-hardness values were comparable between the Cu-PDA and Cu samples sintered at the same temperatures.« less

A new integrated evaluation method of heavy metals pollution control during melting and sintering of MSWI fly ash.

PubMed

Li, Rundong; Li, Yanlong; Yang, Tianhua; Wang, Lei; Wang, Weiyun

2015-05-30

Evaluations of technologies for heavy metal control mainly examine the residual and leaching rates of a single heavy metal, such that developed evaluation method have no coordination or uniqueness and are therefore unsuitable for hazard control effect evaluation. An overall pollution toxicity index (OPTI) was established in this paper, based on the developed index, an integrated evaluation method of heavy metal pollution control was established. Application of this method in the melting and sintering of fly ash revealed the following results: The integrated control efficiency of the melting process was higher in all instances than that of the sintering process. The lowest integrated control efficiency of melting was 56.2%, and the highest integrated control efficiency of sintering was 46.6%. Using the same technology, higher integrated control efficiency conditions were all achieved with lower temperatures and shorter times. This study demonstrated the unification and consistency of this method. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Magnetic properties of ball-milled SrFe12O19 particles consolidated by Spark-Plasma Sintering

PubMed Central

Stingaciu, Marian; Topole, Martin; McGuiness, Paul; Christensen, Mogens

2015-01-01

The room-temperature magnetic properties of ball-milled strontium hexaferrite particles consolidated by spark-plasma sintering are strongly influenced by the milling time. Scanning electron microscopy revealed the ball-milled SrFe12O19 particles to have sizes varying over several hundred nanometers. X-Ray powder-diffraction studies performed on the ball-milled particles before sintering clearly demonstrate the occurrence of a pronounced amorphization process. During sintering at 950 oC, re-crystallization takes place, even for short sintering times of only 2 minutes and transformation of the amorphous phase into a secondary phase is unavoidable. The concentration of this secondary phase increases with increasing ball-milling time. The remanence and maximum magnetization values at 1T are weakly influenced, while the coercivity drops dramatically from 2340 Oe to 1100 Oe for the consolidated sample containing the largest amount of secondary phase. PMID:26369360

Fabrication and thermoelectric properties of n-type (Sr0.9Gd0.1)TiO3 oxides

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Liangliang; Qin, Xiaoying; Liu, Yongfei; Xin, Hongxing; Zhang, Jian; Li, Di; Song, Chunjun; Guo, Guanglei; Dou, Yunchen; Zou, Tianhua

2014-02-01

The n-type oxides (Sr0.9Gd0.1)TiO3 (SGTO) have been successfully prepared via a sol-gel process followed by solid-state sintering. The effects of sintering temperature on the thermoelectric (TE) properties of the SGTO samples have been investigated. The Seebeck coefficient showed no obvious difference, while the electrical conductivity increased with increasing sintering temperature, benefiting from an enhancement of densification. The maximum power factor (PF) value, 20.5μW/K2cm at 370 K in the metallic region, was observed for the sample sintered at 1748 K. As a result, the peak figure of merit (ZT) values for the samples sintered at higher than 1673 K were in the range of 0.28-0.30. All the results indicate that such synthetic method provides a simple and effective way to prepare TE oxides.

Multilayer ceramic oxide solid electrolyte for fuel cells and electrolysis cells and method for fabrication thereof

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schroeder, James E. (Inventor); Anderson, Harlan U. (Inventor)

1990-01-01

An unitary layered ceramic structure is disclosed which comprises co-sintered layers. The co-sintered structure comprises a sintered central layer of yttria stabilized zirconia (YSZ) which is about 8 mole percent yttria and having a density of at least about 95% of theoretical, and sintered outer layers of strontium lanthanum manganite (LSM) having the approximate molecular composition La.sub.0.8 Sr.sub.0.2 MnO.sub.3, having a density from about 50 to about 60% of theoretical, and having interconnected porosity from about 40 to 50% with an interconnected pore diameter from about one micron to about five microns. The sintered central layer is sandwiched by and bonded and sintered to the outer layers and is essentially free of significant amounts of manganese. A process for making the unitary composition-of-matter is also disclosed which involves tape casting a LSM tape and then on top thereof casting a YSZ tape. The process comprises presintering LSM powder at 1250.degree. F., crushing the presintered commercially available LSM powder, forming a slurry with the crushed LSM, a binder and solvent, tape casting the slurry and allowing the slurry to air dry. A mixture of commercially available submicron size particle YSZ powder is milled with a dispersant and solvent to disperse the YSZ particles thereby forming a dispersed YSZ slurry. The YSZ slurry is then tape cast on the dried LSM tape. If desired, a third layer of LSM can be cast on top of the dried YSZ layer. After drying the composite LSM/YSZ and LSM/YSZ/LSM tapes are fired at 1300.degree. C. No migration of manganese into the YSZ layer was observed with scanning electron microscope/edax in the sintered multilayer tape.

Multilayer ceramic oxide solid electrolyte for fuel cells and electrolysis cells

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schroeder, James E. (Inventor); Anderson, Harlan U. (Inventor)

1991-01-01

A unitary layered ceramic structure is disclosed which comprises co-sintered layers. The co-sintered structure comprises a sintered central layer of yttria stabilized zirconia (YSZ) which is about 8 mole percent yttria and having a density of at least about 95% of theoretical, and sintered outer layers of strontium lanthanum manganite (LSM) having the approximate molecular composition La.sub.0.8 Sr.sub.0.2 MnO.sub.3, having a density from about 50 to about 60% of theoretical, and having interconnected porosity from about 40 to 50% with an interconnected pore diameter from about one micron to about five microns. The sintered central layer is sandwiched by and bonded and sintered to the outer layers and is essentially free of significant amounts of manganese. A process for making the unitary composition-of-matter is also disclosed which involves tape casting a LSM tape and then on top thereof casting a YSZ tape. The process comprises presintering LSM powder at 1250.degree. F., crushing the presintered commercially available LSM powder, forming a slurry with the crushed LSM, a binder and solvent, tape casting the slurry and allowing the slurry to air dry. A mixture of commercially available submicron size particle YSZ powder is milled with a dispersant and solvent to disperse the YSZ particles thereby forming a dispersed YSZ slurry. The YSZ slurry is then tape cast on the dried LSM tape. If desired, a third layer of LSM can be cast on top of the dried YSZ layer. After drying the composite LSM/YSZ and LSM/YSZ/LSM tapes are fired at 1300.degree. C. No migration of manganese into the YSZ layer was observed with scanning electron microscope/edax in the sintered multilayer tape.

Role of Cu During Sintering of Fe0.96Cu0.04 Nanoparticles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sivaprahasam, D.; Sriramamurthy, A. M.; Bysakh, S.; Sundararajan, G.; Chattopadhyay, K.

2018-04-01

Nanoparticle agglomerates of passivated Fe ( n-Fe) and Fe0.96Cu0.04 ( n-Fe0.96Cu0.04), synthesized through the levitational gas condensation (LGC) process, were compacted and sintered using the conventional powder metallurgy method. The n-Fe0.96Cu0.04 agglomerates produced lower green density than n-Fe, and when compacted under pressure beyond 200 MPa, they underwent lateral cracking during ejection attributed to the presence of a passive oxide layer. Sintering under dynamic hydrogen atmosphere can produce a higher density of compact in n-Fe0.96Cu0.04 in comparison to n-Fe. Both the results of dilatometry and thermogravimetric (TG) measurements of the samples under flowing hydrogen revealed enhancement of the sintering process as soon as the reduction of oxide layers could be accomplished. The shrinkage rate of n-Fe0.96Cu0.04 reached a value three times higher than n-Fe at a low temperature of 723 K (450 °C) during heating. This enhanced shrinkage rate was the manifestation of accumulation of Cu at the surface of the particles. The formation of a thin-surface melted layer enriched with copper during heating to isothermal holding facilitated as a medium of transport for diffusion of the elements. The compacts produced by sintering at 773 K (500 °C), with relative density 82 pct, were found to be unstable and oxidized instantly when exposed to ambient atmosphere. The stable compacts of density more than 92 pct with 300- to 450-nm grain size could only be produced when sintering was carried out at 973 K (700 °C) and beyond. The 0.22 wt pct residual oxygen obtained in the sintered compact is similar to what is used for conventional ferrous powder metallurgy products.

Process Simulation of Cold Pressing and Sintering of Armstrong CP-Ti Powders

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gorti, Sarma B; Sabau, Adrian S; Peter, William H

A computational methodology is presented for the process simulation of cold pressing and sintering of Armstrong CP-Ti powders. Since the powder consolidation is governed by specific pressure-dependent constitutive equations, solution algorithms were developed for the ABAQUS user material subroutine, UMAT, for computing the plastic strain increments based on an implicit integration of the nonlinear yield function, flow rule, and hardening equations. Sintering was simulated using a model based on diffusional creep using the user subroutine CREEP. The initial mesh, stress, and density for the simulation of sintering were obtained from the results of the cold pressing simulation, minimizing the errorsmore » from decoupling the cold pressing and sintering simulations. Numerical simulation results are presented for the cold compaction followed by a sintering step of the Ti powders. The numerical simulation results for the relative density were compared to those measured from experiments before and after sintering, showing that the relative density can be accurately predicted. Notice: This manuscript has been authored by UT-Battelle, LLC, under Contract No. DE-AC05-00OR22725 with the U.S. Department of Energy. The United States Government retains and the publisher, by accepting the article for publication, acknowledges that the United States Government retains a non-exclusive, paid-up, irrevocable, world-wide license to publish or reproduce the published form of this manuscript, or allow others to do so, for United States Government purposes. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This research was sponsored by the U.S. DOE, and carried out at ORNL, under Contract DE-AC05-00OR22725 with UT-Battelle, LLC. This research was sponsored by the U.S. DOE, EERE Industrial Technology Program Office under CPS Agreement # 17881.« less

A new in vivo screening model for posterior spinal bone formation: comparison of ten calcium phosphate ceramic material treatments.

PubMed

Wilson, Clayton E; Kruyt, Moyo C; de Bruijn, Joost D; van Blitterswijk, Clemens A; Oner, F Cumhur; Verbout, Abraham J; Dhert, Wouter J A

2006-01-01

This study presents a new screening model for evaluating the influence of multiple conditions on the initial process of bone formation in the posterior lumbar spine of a large animal. This model uses cages designed for placement on the decorticated transverse process of the goat lumbar spine. Five conduction channels per cage, each be defined by a different material treatment, are open to both the underlying bone and overlying soft tissue. The model was validated in ten adult Dutch milk goats, with each animal implanted with two cages containing a total of ten calcium phosphate material treatments according to a randomized complete block design. The ten calcium phosphate ceramic materials were created through a combination of material chemistry (BCP, TCP, HA), sintering temperature (low, medium, high), calcination and surface roughness treatments. To monitor the bone formation over time, fluorochrome markers were administered at 3, 5 and 7 weeks and the animals were sacrificed at 9 weeks after implantation. Bone formation in the conduction channels was investigated by histology and histomorphometry of non-decalcified sections using traditional light and epifluorescent microscopy. According to both observed and measured bone formation parameters, materials were ranked in order of increasing magnitude as follows: low sintering temperature BCP (rough and smooth) approximately medium sintering temperature BCP approximately = TCP > calcined low sintering temperature HA > non-calcined low sintering temperature HA > high sintering temperature BCP (rough and smooth) > high sintering temperature HA (calcined and non-calcined). These results agree closely with those obtained in previous studies of osteoconduction and bioactivity of ceramics thereby validating the screening model presented in this study.

Fabrication of β-tricalcium phosphate composite ceramic sphere-based scaffolds with hierarchical pore structure for bone regeneration.

PubMed

He, Fupo; Qian, Guowen; Ren, Weiwei; Li, Jiyan; Fan, Peirong; Shi, Haishan; Shi, Xuetao; Deng, Xin; Wu, Shanghua; Ye, Jiandong

2017-04-24

Polymer sphere-based scaffolds, which are prepared by bonding the adjacent spheres via sintering the randomly packed spheres, feature uniform pore structure, full three-dimensional (3D) interconnection, and considerable mechanical strength. However, bioceramic sphere-based scaffolds fabricated by this method have never been reported. Due to high melting temperature of bioceramic, only limited diffusion rate can be achieved when sintering the bioceramic spheres, which is far from enough to form robust bonding between spheres. In the present study, for the first time we fabricated 3D interconnected β-tricalcium phosphate ceramic sphere-based (PG/TCP) scaffolds by introducing phosphate-based glass (PG) as sintering additive and placing uniaxial pressure during the sintering process. The sintering mechanism of PG/TCP scaffolds was unveiled. The PG/TCP scaffolds had hierarchical pore structure, which was composed by interconnected macropores (>200 μm) among spheres, pores (20–120 μm) in the interior of spheres, and micropores (1–3 μm) among the grains. During the sintering process, partial PG reacted with β-TCP, forming β-Ca2P2O7; metal ions from PG substituted to Ca2+ sites of β-TCP. The mechanical properties (compressive strength 2.8–10.6 MPa; compressive modulus 190–620 MPa) and porosity (30%–50%) of scaffolds could be tailored by manipulating the sintering temperatures. The introduction of PG accelerated in vitro degradation of scaffolds, and the PG/TCP scaffolds showed good cytocompatibility. This work may offer a new strategy to prepare bioceramic scaffolds with satisfactory physicochemical properties for application in bone regeneration.

Field assisted sintering of refractory carbide ceramics and fiber reinforced ceramic matrix composites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gephart, Sean

The sintering behaviors of silicon carbide (SiC) and boron carbide (B4C) based materials were investigated using an emerging sintering technology known as field assisted sintering technology (FAST), also known as spark plasma sintering (SPS) and pulse electric current sintering (PECS). Sintering by FAST utilizes high density electric current, uniaxial pressure, and relatively high heating rate compared to conventional sintering techniques. This effort investigated issues of scaling from laboratory FAST system (25 ton capacity) to industrial FAST system (250 ton capacity), as well as exploring the difference in sintering behavior of single phase B4C and SiC using FAST and conventional sintering techniques including hot-pressing (HP) and pressure-less sintering (PL). Materials were analyzed for mechanical and bulk properties, including characterization of density, hardness, fracture toughness, fracture (bend) strength, elastic modulus and microstructure. A parallel investigation was conducted in the development of ceramic matrix composites (CMC) using SiC powder impregnation of fiber compacts followed by FAST sintering. The FAST technique was used to sinter several B4C and SiC materials to near theoretical density. Preliminary efforts established optimized sintering temperatures using the smaller 25 ton laboratory unit, targeting a sample size of 40 mm diameter and 8 mm thickness. Then the same B4C and SiC materials were sintered by the larger 250 ton industrial FAST system, a HP system, and PL sintering system with a targeted dense material geometry of 4 x 4 x 0.315 inches3 (101.6 x 101.6 x 8 mm3). The resulting samples were studied to determine if the sintering dynamics and/or the resulting material properties were influenced by the sintering technique employed. This study determined that FAST sintered ceramic materials resulted in consistently higher averaged values for mechanical properties as well as smaller grain size when compared to conventionally sintered materials. While FAST sintered materials showed higher average values, in general they also showed consistently larger variation in the scattered data and consequently larger standard deviation for the resulting material properties. In addition, dynamic impact testing (V50 test) was conducted on the resulting materials and it was determined that there was no discernable correlation between observed mechanical properties of the ceramic materials and the resulting dynamic testing. Another study was conducted on the sintering of SiC and carbon fiber reinforced SiC ceramic matrix composites (CMC) using FAST. There has been much interest recently in fabricating high strength, low porosity SiC CMC.s for high temperature structural applications, but the current methods of production, namely chemical vapor infiltration (CVI), melt infiltration (MI), and polymer infiltration and pyrolysis (PIP), are considered time consuming and involve material related shortcomings associated with their respective methodologies. In this study, SiC CMC.s were produced using the 25 ton laboratory unit with a target sample size of 40 mm diameter and 3 mm thickness, as well as on the larger 250 ton industrial FAST system targeting a sample size of 101.6 x 101.6 x 3 mm3 to investigate issues associated with scaling. Several sintering conditions were explored including: pressure of 35-65 MPa, temperature of 1700-1900°C, and heating rates between 50-400°C/min. The SiC fibers used in this study were coated using chemical vapor deposition (CVD) with boron nitride (BN) and pyrolytic carbon to act as a barrier layer and preserve the integrity of the fibers during sintering. Then the barrier coating was coated by an outer layer of SiC to enhance the bonding between the fibers and the SiC matrix. Microstructures of the sintered samples were examined by FE-SEM. Mechanical properties including flexural strength-deflection and stress-strain were characterized using 4-point bend testing. Tensile testing was performed on the larger 101.6 x 101.6 x 3 mm samples. The microstructures of samples sintered using the 25 ton laboratory FAST system showed a reduction in porosity and good adhesion between the fiber-fiber and fiber-matrix interface. The microstructures of samples sintered on the 250 ton industrial FAST system showed a reduction in porosity, but there was visible reaction of the fiber and fiber coatings with the surrounding matrix. Additionally, there was significant radial cracking of the fibers visible in the microstructures. There is gap in the understanding of sintering behavior between laboratory and industrial scale FAST systems. The vast majority of publications on FAST sintering have been primarily focused on small sample geometries (20 mm diameter, less than 3 mm thick). A study was coordinated to investigate the thermal properties during heating and cooling using a 250 ton industrial FAST system at 900°C using B4C and SiC materials inside the graphite die assembly. The thermal properties were then compared to the resulting material properties of the identically sintered B4C and SiC to approximately 94% relative density, at a temperature of 1950°C, pressure of 45 MPa, 10 minute hold, and heated at a rate of 100°C/min. The study determined that at 900°C there were significant thermal gradients within the system for the examined materials, and that these gradients correlated well with the material property difference of the samples sintered at higher temperatures where the gradients are presumably larger due to an increase in radiative heat loss. The observed temperatures throughout the graphite were significantly different between B4C and SiC. These temperatures also correlated well with the material properties of the sintered products which showed more substantial variation for B4C when compared to SiC which was overall less affected by thermal gradients. This was attributed to the intrinsic thermal conductivity difference between the two subject materials which was manifested as thermal gradients throughout the material and graphite die assembly. Additionally, both the observed temperature gradients throughout the graphite die assembly and the difference in temperature reading between the optical pyrometer and thermocouples were significantly larger for the 250 ton FAST system than previous publications have demonstrated experimentally or via modeling of smaller laboratory scale systems. The findings from this work showed that relative to conventional sintering methods, the FAST process demonstrated comparable or improved material and mechanical properties with a significantly shorter processing cycle. However, the results demonstrated on the 25 ton laboratory scale unit were significantly different compared to results for the same materials sintered using the 250 ton industrial scale unit. The temperature gradients observed on the 250 ton FAST unit were significantly larger than previous reports on smaller FAST units. This result showed future efforts to scale up the FAST sintering process while maintaining similar results will require careful attention to minimizing temperature gradients. This could potentially be achieved by reducing radiative heat loss during processing and/or optimizing the graphite die design and implementing heat spreaders in specific locations dependent on the host material.s thermal and electrical properties as well as the sample geometry.

Effect of processing conditions on microstructural features in Mn–Si sintered steels

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Oro, Raquel, E-mail: raqueld@chalmers.se; Hryha, Eduard, E-mail: hryha@chalmers.se; Campos, Mónica, E-mail: campos@ing.uc3m.es

2014-09-15

Sintering of steels containing oxidation sensitive elements is possible if such elements are alloyed with others which present lower affinity for oxygen. In this work, a master alloy powder containing Fe–Mn–Si–C, specifically designed to create a liquid phase during sintering, has been used for such purpose. The effect of processing conditions such as sintering temperature and atmosphere was studied with the aim of describing the microstructural evolution as well as the morphology and distribution of oxides in the sintered material, evaluating the potential detrimental effect of such oxides on mechanical properties. Chemical analyses, metallography and fractography studies combined with X-raymore » photoelectron spectroscopy analyses on the fracture surfaces were used to reveal the main mechanism of fracture and their correlation with the chemical composition of the different fracture surfaces. The results indicate that the main mechanism of failure in these steels is brittle fracture in the surrounding of the original master alloy particles due to degradation of grain boundaries by the presence of oxide inclusions. Mn–Si oxide inclusions were observed on intergranular decohesive facets. The use of reducing atmospheres and high sintering temperatures reduces the amount and size of such oxide inclusions. Besides, high heating and cooling rates reduce significantly the final oxygen content in the sintered material. A model for microstructure development and oxide evolution during different stages of sintering is proposed, considering the fact that when the master alloy melts, the liquid formed can dissolve some of the oxides as well as the surface of the surrounding iron base particles. - Highlights: • Oxide distribution in steels containing oxidation-sensitive elements • Mn, Si introduced in a master alloy powder, mixed with a base iron powder • Selective oxidation of Mn and Si on iron grain boundaries • Decohesive fracture caused by degradation of grain boundaries by oxide inclusions • Reducing agents efficient at low temperatures critical for avoiding oxide inclusions.« less

Heat treatment of Na2O-CaO-P2O5-SiO2 bioactive glasses: densification processes and postsintering bioactivity.

PubMed

Sola, A; Bellucci, D; Raucci, M G; Zeppetelli, S; Ambrosio, L; Cannillo, V

2012-02-01

Because of their excellent bioactivity, bioactive glasses are increasingly diffused to produce biomedical devices for bone prostheses, to face the dysfunctions that may be caused by traumatic events, diseases, or even natural aging. However, several processing routes, such as the production of scaffolds or the deposition of coatings, include a thermal treatment to apply or sinter the glass. The exposure to high temperature may induce a devetrification phenomenon, altering the properties and, in particular, the bioactivity of the glass. The present contribution offers an overview of the thermal behavior and properties of two glasses belonging to the Na2O-CaO-P2O5-SiO2 system, to be compared to the standard 45S5 Bioglass(®). The basic goal is to understand the effect of both the original composition and the thermal treatment on the performance of the sintered glasses. The new glasses, the one (BG_Na) with a high content of Na2O, the other (BG_Ca) with a high content of CaO, were fully characterized and sintering tests were performed to define the most interesting firing cycles. The sintered samples, treated at 880°C and 800°C respectively, were investigated from a microstructural point of view and their mechanical properties were compared to those of the bulk (not sintered) glass counterparts. The effect of sintering was especially striking on the BG_Ca material, whose Vickers hardness increased from 598.9 ± 46.7 HV to 1053.4 ± 35.0 HV. The in vitro tests confirmed the ability of the glasses, both in bulk and sintered form, of generating a hydroxyapatite surface layer when immersed in a simulated body fluid. More accurate biological tests performed on the sintered glasses proved the high bioactivity of the CaO-rich composition even after a heat treatment. Copyright © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Tailoring the thermal conductivity of the powder bed in Electron Beam Melting (EBM) Additive Manufacturing.

PubMed

Smith, C J; Tammas-Williams, S; Hernandez-Nava, E; Todd, I

2017-09-05

Metallic powder bed additive manufacturing is capable of producing complex, functional parts by repeatedly depositing thin layers of powder particles atop of each other whilst selectively melting the corresponding part cross-section into each layer. A weakness with this approach arises when melting overhanging features, which have no prior melted material directly beneath them. This is due to the lower thermal conductivity of the powder relative to solid material, which as a result leads to an accumulation of heat and thus distortion. The Electron Beam Melting (EBM) process alleviates this to some extent as the powder must first be sintered (by the beam itself) before it is melted, which results in the added benefit of increasing the thermal conductivity. This study thus sought to investigate to what extent the thermal conductivity of local regions in a titanium Ti-6Al-4V powder bed could be varied by imparting more energy from the beam. Thermal diffusivity and density measurements were taken of the resulting sintered samples, which ranged from being loosely to very well consolidated. It was found that the calculated thermal conductivity at two temperatures, 40 and 730 °C, was more than doubled over the range of input energies explored.

40 CFR 63.1542 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... materials are introduced into a sinter machine, blast furnace, or dross furnace. Dross furnace means any... which material is prepared for charging to a sinter machine or smelting furnace or other lead processing operation. Operating time means the period of time in hours that an affected source is in operation...

40 CFR 63.1542 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... materials are introduced into a sinter machine, blast furnace, or dross furnace. Dross furnace means any... which material is prepared for charging to a sinter machine or smelting furnace or other lead processing operation. Operating time means the period of time in hours that an affected source is in operation...

40 CFR 63.1542 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... materials are introduced into a sinter machine, blast furnace, or dross furnace. Dross furnace means any... which material is prepared for charging to a sinter machine or smelting furnace or other lead processing operation. Operating time means the period of time in hours that an affected source is in operation...

Influence of metallic additives on manganese ferrites sintering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shevelev, S. A.; Luchnikov, P. A.; Yarullina, A. R.

2018-01-01

Influence of cuprum nanopowder additive received by electric explosion on the process of manganese ferrites MgFe2O4 consolidating at thermal sintering was researched by dilatometry method. Cuprum nanopowder at a rate of 5 mass % was added into the original commercial-grade powder of manganese ferrite MgFe2O4. Powder mixture was numerously blended with screening for better blending before pressing. Powder compacts were formed by cold one-axle static pressing. It was proved that introduction of cuprum additive caused shrinkage increase at final heating stage. There was abnormal compact enlarging at sintering in the air at isothermal stage; the specified process was not observed in vacuum. This difference can be explained by changes in conditions of gaseous discharge from volume of pores.

Development of TiN particulates reinforced SS316 based metal matrix composite by direct metal laser sintering technique and its characterization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hussain, Manowar; Mandal, Vijay; Kumar, Vikas; Das, A. K.; Ghosh, S. K.

2017-12-01

The present study describes the fabrication of TiN particulates reinforced SS316 based Metal Matrix Composites (MMCs) in nitrogen and argon atmosphere. The influence of sintering process parameters on microstructure, density, porosity, wear rate and microhardness of the fabricated samples has been analyzed. The input variable process parameters, such as, laser power density (range: 4.13-5.57 W/cm2 (× 104)), scanning speed (range: 3500-4500 mm/min) and the constant parameters, such as, laser beam diameter (0.4 mm), hatching distance (0.2 mm) and layer thickness (0.4 mm) have been considered in the process. It has been observed from Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM) analysis that TiN and SS316 powder mixture can be sintered in which chromium acts as a binder. Fine gaps are not found at the interface between TiN and SS316 when the mixture is sintered in nitrogen atmosphere. With an increase in the percentage of TiN, the density and wear rate decreases. However, when the reinforcement is taken beyond 18% by weight, the wear rate starts increasing. The microhardness also increases with an increase in the percentage of TiN. The microstructure, elemental compositions and phase characterization of the developed sintered MMCs have been examined by FESEM, EDX (Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy) and XRD (X-ray diffractometer) analysis, respectively. The results have demonstrated the suitability of the TiN reinforced SS316 MMCs for industrial applications.

High Thermoelectric Performance in Copper Telluride

DOE PAGES

He, Ying; Zhang, Tiansong; Shi, Xun; ...

2015-06-21

Recently, Cu 2-δ S and Cu 2-δ Se were reported to have an ultralow thermal conductivity and high thermoelectric figure of merit zT. Thus, as a member of the copper chalcogenide group, Cu 2-δ Te is expected to possess superior zTs because Te is less ionic and heavy. However, the zT value is low in the Cu 2Te sintered using spark plasma sintering, which is typically used to fabricate high-density bulk samples. In addition, the extra sintering processes may change the samples’ compositions as well as their physical properties, especially for Cu 2Te, which has many stable andmore » meta-stable phases as well as weaker ionic bonding between Cu and Te as compared with Cu 2S and Cu 2Se. In this study, high-density Cu 2Te samples were obtained using direct annealing without a sintering process. In the absence of sintering processes, the samples’ compositions could be well controlled, leading to substantially reduced carrier concentrations that are close to the optimal value. The electrical transports were optimized, and the thermal conductivity was considerably reduced. The zT values were significantly improved—to 1.1 at 1000 K—which is nearly 100% improvement. Furthermore, this method saves substantial time and cost during the sample’s growth. The study demonstrates that Cu 2-δ X (X=S, Se and Te) is the only existing system to show high zTs in the series of compounds composed of three sequential primary group elements.« less

Influence of sintering temperature on the characteristics of shale brick containing oil well-derived drilling waste.

PubMed

Li, Xiang-Guo; Lv, Yang; Ma, Bao-Guo; Jian, Shou-Wei; Tan, Hong-Bo

2011-11-01

The influence of sintering temperature on the physico-mechanical characteristics (such as water absorption, apparent porosity, bulk density, weight loss on ignition, firing shrinkage, and compressive strength), leachability, and microstructure of shale brick containing oil well-derived drilling waste (DW) was investigated. The experiments were conducted at a temperature ranging from 950°C to 1,050°C with 30% DW addition. The results indicate that increasing the sintering temperature decreases the water absorption and apparent porosity and increases the shrinkage, density, and compressive strength of sintered specimens. Moreover, the physico-mechanical properties of samples sintered at 1,050°C meet the requirements of the MU20 according to GB/T 5101-2003 (in China). The heavy metal concentrations of the leachate are much lower than the current regulatory limits according to GB16889-2008. The results from XRD and SEM show that increasing sintering temperature results in an increase of the high temperature liquid phase, which may have a significant effect on the densification process of the samples.

The investigation of die-pressing and sintering behavior of ITP CP-Ti and Ti-6Al-4V powders

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chen, Wei; Yamamoto, Yukinori; Peter, William H

This paper investigated the die-pressing and sintering behavior of the low-cost CP-Ti and Ti-6Al- 4V powders made by the Armstrong Process . The Armstrong powders have an irregular coral like, dendritic morphology, with a dendrite size of approximately 2-5 m. As-received as well as milled powders were uniaxially pressed at designated pressures up to 690 MPa to form disk samples with different aspect ratios. In the studied pressure range, an empirical powder compaction equation was applied to linearize the green density pressure relationship, and powder compaction parameters were obtained. The Armstrong Ti-64 powder exhibited a significantly higher sinterability than themore » CP-Ti powder. This was explained to be due to the higher diffusivity of V at the sintering temperature. The Ti-64 samples with a green density of 71.0% increased to 99.6% after sintering at 1300oC for 1 hour. An ex-situ technique was used to track the powder morphology change before and after sintering.« less

Flexural and compressive mechanical behaviors of the porous titanium materials with entangled wire structure at different sintering conditions for load-bearing biomedical applications.

PubMed

He, Guo; Liu, Ping; Tan, Qingbiao; Jiang, Guofeng

2013-12-01

The entangled titanium materials with various porosities have been investigated in terms of the flexural and compressive mechanical properties and the deformation and failure modes. The effect of the sintering parameters on the mechanical properties and the porosity reduction has been comprehensively studied. The results indicate that both the flexural and compressive mechanical properties increase significantly as the porosity decreases. In the porosity range investigated the flexural elastic modulus is in the range of 0.05-6.33GPa, the flexural strength is in the range of 9.8-324.9MPa, the compressive elastic modulus is in the range of 0.03-2.25GPa, and the compressive plateau stress is in the range of 2.3-147.8MPa. The mechanical properties of the entangled titanium materials can be significantly improved by sintering, which increase remarkably as the sintering temperature and/or the sintering time increases. But on other hand, the sintering process can induce the porosity reduction due to the oxidation on the titanium wire surface. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The investigation of order–disorder transition process of ZSM-5 induced by spark plasma sintering

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wang, Liang; Wang, Lianjun, E-mail: wanglj@dhu.edu.cn; Jiang, Wan

2014-04-01

Based on the amorphization of zeolites, an order–disorder transition method was used to prepare silica glass via Spark Plasma Sintering (SPS). In order to get a better understanding about the mechanism of amorphization induced by SPS, the intermediate products in this process were prepared and characterized by different characterization techniques. X-ray diffraction and High-energy synchrotron X-ray scattering show a gradual transformation from ordered crystal to glass. Local structural changes in glass network including Si–O bond length, O–Si–O bond angle, size of rings, coordination were detected by Infrared spectroscopy and {sup 29}Si magic-angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. Topologically ordered,more » amorphous material with a different intermediate-range structure can be obtained by precise control of intermediate process which can be expected to optimize and design material. - Graphical abstract: Low-density, ordered zeolites collapse to the rigid amorphous glass through spark plasma sintering. The intermediate-range structure formed in the process of order–disorder transition may give rise to specific property. - Highlights: • Order–disorder transition process of ZSM-5 induced by spark plasma sintering was investigated using several methods including XRD, High-energy synchrotron X-ray scattering, SAXS, IR, NMR, ect. • Order–disorder transition induced by SPS was compared with TIA and PIA. • Three stages has been divided during the whole process. • The collapse temperature range which may give rise to intermediate-range structure has been located.« less

X-ray tomography of powder injection moulded micro parts using synchrotron radiation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Heldele, R.; Rath, S.; Merz, L.; Butzbach, R.; Hagelstein, M.; Haußelt, J.

2006-05-01

Powder injection moulding is one of the most promising replication methods for the mass production of metal and ceramic micro parts. The material for injection moulding, a so-called feedstock, consists of thermoplastic binder components and inorganic filler with approximately equal volume fractions. Injection moulding of the feedstock leads to a green part that can be processed to a dense metal or ceramic micro part by debinding and sintering. During the injection moulding process extremely high shear rates are applied. This promotes the separation of powder and binder leading to a particle density variation in the green part causing anisotropic shrinkage during post-processing. The knowledge of introducing density gradients and defects would consequently allow the optimization of the feedstock, the moulding parameters and the validation of a simulation tool based on the Dissipative Particle Dynamics which is currently under development, as well. To determine the particle density and defect distribution in micro parts synchrotron radiation tomography in absorption mode was used. Due to its parallel and monochromatic character a quantitative reconstruction, free of beam hardening artifacts, is possible. For the measurement, bending bars consisting of dispersed fused silica particles in a polymeric matrix were used. The presented results using this set-up show that crucial defects and density variations can be detected.

TOPICAL REVIEW: Sintering and microstructure of ice: a review

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Blackford, Jane R.

2007-11-01

Sintering of ice is driven by the thermodynamic requirement to decrease surface energy. The structural morphology of ice in nature has many forms—from snowflakes to glaciers. These forms and their evolution depend critically on the balance between the thermodynamic and kinetic factors involved. Ice is a crystalline material so scientific understanding and approaches from more conventional materials can be applied to ice. The early models of solid state ice sintering are based on power law models originally developed in metallurgy. For pressure sintering of ice, these are based on work on hot isostatic pressing of metals and ceramics. Recent advances in recognizing the grain boundary groove geometry between sintering ice particles require models that use new approaches in materials science. The newer models of sintering in materials science are beginning to incorporate more realistic processing conditions and microstructural complexity, and so there is much to be gained from applying these to ice in the future. The vapour pressure of ice is high, which causes it to sublime readily. The main mechanism for isothermal sintering of ice particles is by vapour diffusion; however other transport mechanisms certainly contribute. Plastic deformation with power law creep combined with recrystallization become important mechanisms in sintering with external pressure. Modern experimental techniques, low temperature scanning electron microscopy and x-ray tomography, are providing new insights into the evolution of microstructures in ice. Sintering in the presence of a small volume fraction of the liquid phase causes much higher bond growth rates. This may be important in natural snow which contains impurities that form a liquid phase. Knowledge of ice microstructure and sintering is beneficial in understanding mechanical behaviour in ice friction and the stability of snow slopes prone to avalanches.

[Study on friction and wear properties of dental zirconia ceramics processed by microwave and conventional sintering methods].

PubMed

Guoxin, Hu; Ying, Yang; Yuemei, Jiang; Wenjing, Xia

2017-04-01

This study evaluated the wear of an antagonist and friction and wear properties of dental zirconia ceramic that was subjected to microwave and conventional sintering methods. Ten specimens were fabricated from Lava brand zirconia and randomly assigned to microwave and conventional sintering groups. A profile tester for surface roughness was used to measure roughness of the specimens. Wear test was performed, and steatite ceramic was used as antagonist. Friction coefficient curves were recorded, and wear volume were calculated. Finally, optical microscope was used to observe the surface morphology of zirconia and steatite ceramics. Field emission scanning electron microscopy was used to observe the microstructure of zirconia. Wear volumes of microwave and conventionally sintered zirconia were (6.940±1.382)×10⁻², (7.952±1.815) ×10⁻² mm³, respectively. Moreover, wear volumes of antagonist after sintering by the considered methods were (14.189±4.745)×10⁻², (15.813±3.481)×10⁻² mm³, correspondingly. Statistically significant difference was not observed in the wear resistance of zirconia and wear volume of steatite ceramic upon exposure to two kinds of sintering methods. Optical microscopy showed that ploughed surfaces were apparent in zirconia. The wear surface of steatite ceramic against had craze, accompanied by plough. Scanning electron microscopy showed that zirconia was sintered compactly when subjected to both conventional sintering and microwave methods, whereas grains of zirconia sintered by microwave alone were smaller and more uniform. Two kinds of sintering methods are successfully used to produce dental zirconia ceramics with similar friction and wear properties.
.

Spark plasma sintering of pure and doped tungsten as plasma facing material

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Autissier, E.; Richou, M.; Minier, L.; Naimi, F.; Pintsuk, G.; Bernard, F.

2014-04-01

In the current water cooled divertor concept, tungsten is an armour material and CuCrZr is a structural material. In this work, a fabrication route via a powder metallurgy process such as spark plasma sintering is proposed to fully control the microstructure of W and W composites. The effect of chemical composition (additives) and the powder grain size was investigated. To reduce the sintering temperature, W powders doped with a nano-oxide dispersion of Y2O3 are used. Consequently, the sintering temperature for W-oxide dispersed strengthened (1800 °C) is lower than for pure W powder. Edge localized mode tests were performed on pure W and compared to other preparation techniques and showed promising results.

Non-destructive, ultra-low resistance, thermally stable contacts for use on shallow junction InP solar cells

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Weizer, V. G.; Fatemi, N. S.; Korenyi-Both, A. L.

1993-01-01

Contact formation to InP is plagued by violent metal-semiconductor intermixing that takes place during the contact sintering process. Because of this the InP solar cell cannot be sintered after contact deposition. This results in cell contact resistances that are orders of magnitude higher than those that could be achieved if sintering could be performed in a non-destructive manner. We report here on a truly unique contact system involving Au and Ge, which is easily fabricated, which exhibits extremely low values of contact resistivity, and in which there is virtually no metal-semiconductor interdiffusion, even after extended sintering. We present a description of this contact system and suggest possible mechanisms to explain the observed behavior.

Examination of the sintering process-dependent properties of TiO2 on glass and textile substrates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Junger, Irén Juhász; Homburg, Sarah Vanessa; Grethe, Thomas; Herrmann, Andreas; Fiedler, Johannes; Schwarz-Pfeiffer, Anne; Blachowicz, Tomasz; Ehrmann, Andrea

2017-01-01

In recent years, the development of smart textiles has attracted great attention. Such textiles can contain small electrical devices, which need a power supply. Dye-sensitized solar cells, which can be produced from nontoxic, cheap, low-purity materials, could fill this purpose. However, to reach reasonable cell properties, sintering the TiO2 layer on the substrate is necessary. Unfortunately, only a few textile materials can withstand a sintering process at high temperatures. Therefore, it is important to find an optimal temperature leading to a reasonable improvement of the cell characteristics without damaging the textile substrate. The influence of the sintering temperature on different properties is investigated. For this, the surface properties of the TiO2 coating, such as adhesion to the substrate, dye adsorption characteristic, and film stability, are investigated on different substrates, i.e., a glass plate, a stainless steel nonwoven fabric, and a carbon woven fabric. Two commercially available TiO2 sources are used: a TiO2 dispersion obtained from Man Solar and a water-based solution of TiO2 particles purchased from Kronos. The influence of the sintering temperature on short-circuit current and open-circuit voltage of solar cells on the aforementioned substrates is also examined.

Cold sintering and electrical characterization of lead zirconate titanate piezoelectric ceramics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Dixiong; Guo, Hanzheng; Morandi, Carl S.; Randall, Clive A.; Trolier-McKinstry, Susan

2018-01-01

This paper describes a cold sintering process for Pb(Zr,Ti)O3 ceramics and the associated processing-property relations. Pb(Zr,Ti)O3 has a very small, incongruent solubility that is a challenge during cold sintering. To circumvent this, a Pb(NO3)2 solution was used as the transient liquid phase. A bimodal lead zirconate titanate powder was densified to a relative density of 89% by cold sintering at 300 °C and 500 MPa. After the cold sintering step, the permittivity was 200, and the dielectric loss was 2.0%. A second heat-treatment involving a 3 h anneal at 900 °C increased the relative density to 99%; the resulting relative dielectric permittivity was 1300 at room temperature and 100 kHz. The samples showed well-defined ferroelectric hysteresis loops, having a remanent polarization of 28 μC/cm2. On poling, the piezoelectric coefficient d33 was ˜200 pC/N. With a 700 °C 3 h post-annealing, samples show a lower room temperature relative permittivity (950 at 100 kHz), but a 24 h hold time at 700 °C produces ceramics where there is an improved relative dielectric constant (1050 at 100 kHz).

Ni-base superalloy powder-processed porous layer for gas cooling in extreme environments

DOE PAGES

White, Emma M. H.; Heidloff, Andrew J.; Byrd, David J.; ...

2016-05-26

Extreme high temperature conditions demand novel solutions for hot gas filters and coolant access architectures, i.e., porous layers on exposed components. These high temperatures, for example in current turbine engines, are at or exceeding current material limits for high temperature oxidation/corrosion, creep resistance, and, even, melting temperature. Thus novel blade designs allowing greater heat removal are required to maintain airfoil temperatures below melting and/ or rapid creep deformation limits. Gas atomized Ni-base superalloy powders were partially sintered into porous layers to allow full-surface, transpirational cooling of the surface of airfoils. Furthermore, these powder-processed porous layers were fully characterized for surface,more » morphology, cross-sectional microstructure, and mechanical strength characteristics. A sintering model based on pure Ni surface diffusion correlated well with the experimental results and allowed reasonable control over the partial sintering process to obtain a specified level of porosity within the porous layer.« less

Ni-base superalloy powder-processed porous layer for gas cooling in extreme environments

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

White, Emma M. H.; Heidloff, Andrew J.; Byrd, David J.

Extreme high temperature conditions demand novel solutions for hot gas filters and coolant access architectures, i.e., porous layers on exposed components. These high temperatures, for example in current turbine engines, are at or exceeding current material limits for high temperature oxidation/corrosion, creep resistance, and, even, melting temperature. Thus novel blade designs allowing greater heat removal are required to maintain airfoil temperatures below melting and/ or rapid creep deformation limits. Gas atomized Ni-base superalloy powders were partially sintered into porous layers to allow full-surface, transpirational cooling of the surface of airfoils. Furthermore, these powder-processed porous layers were fully characterized for surface,more » morphology, cross-sectional microstructure, and mechanical strength characteristics. A sintering model based on pure Ni surface diffusion correlated well with the experimental results and allowed reasonable control over the partial sintering process to obtain a specified level of porosity within the porous layer.« less

LTCC magnetic components for high density power converter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lebourgeois, Richard; Labouré, Eric; Lembeye, Yves; Ferrieux, Jean-Paul

2018-04-01

This paper deals with multilayer magnetic components for power electronics application and specifically for high frequency switching. New formulations based on nickel-zinc-copper spinel ferrites were developed for high power and high frequency applications. These ferrites can be sintered at low temperature (around 900°C) which makes them compatible with the LTCC (Low Temperature Co-fired Ceramics) technology. Metallic parts of silver or gold can be fully integrated inside the ferrite while guaranteeing the integrity of both the ferrite and the metal. To make inductors or transformers with the required properties, it is mandatory to have nonmagnetic parts between the turns of the winding. Then it is essential to find a dielectric material, which can be co-sintered both with the ferrite and the metal. We will present the solution we found to this problem and we will describe the results we obtained for a multilayer co-sintered transformer. We will see that these new components have good performance compared with the state of the art and are very promising for developing high density switching mode power supplies.

40 CFR 98.177 - Records that must be retained.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

...) Production capacity (in metric tons per year) for the production of taconite pellets, coke, sinter, iron, and...-recovery coke oven battery, sinter process, electric arc furnace, decarburization vessel, and direct... of coal charged to the coke ovens (e.g., weigh belts, a combination of measuring volume and bulk...

40 CFR 98.177 - Records that must be retained.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

...) Production capacity (in metric tons per year) for the production of taconite pellets, coke, sinter, iron, and...-recovery coke oven battery, sinter process, electric arc furnace, decarburization vessel, and direct... of coal charged to the coke ovens (e.g., weigh belts, a combination of measuring volume and bulk...

40 CFR 98.177 - Records that must be retained.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

...) Production capacity (in metric tons per year) for the production of taconite pellets, coke, sinter, iron, and...-recovery coke oven battery, sinter process, electric arc furnace, decarburization vessel, and direct... of coal charged to the coke ovens (e.g., weigh belts, a combination of measuring volume and bulk...

40 CFR 98.177 - Records that must be retained.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

...) Production capacity (in metric tons per year) for the production of taconite pellets, coke, sinter, iron, and...-recovery coke oven battery, sinter process, electric arc furnace, decarburization vessel, and direct... of coal charged to the coke ovens (e.g., weigh belts, a combination of measuring volume and bulk...

40 CFR 420.23 - Effluent limitations guidelines representing the degree of effluent reduction attainable by the...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... wet air pollution control system. The following table presents BAT limitations for sintering operations with wet air pollution control systems: Subpart B—Effluent Limitations (BAT) Regulated parameter... water is co-treated with ironmaking wastewater. 3 Applicable only when sintering process wastewater is...

40 CFR 420.23 - Effluent limitations guidelines representing the degree of effluent reduction attainable by the...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... wet air pollution control system. The following table presents BAT limitations for sintering operations with wet air pollution control systems: Subpart B—Effluent Limitations (BAT) Regulated parameter... water is co-treated with ironmaking wastewater. 3 Applicable only when sintering process wastewater is...

Development of Processing Parameters for Organic Binders Using Selective Laser Sintering

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mobasher, Amir A.

2003-01-01

This document describes rapid prototyping, its relation to Computer Aided Design (CAD), and the application of these techniques to choosing parameters for Selective Laser Sintering (SLS). The document reviews the parameters selected by its author for his project, the SLS machine used, and its software.

Effect of Powder Size and Shape on the SLS Processability and Mechanical Properties of a TPU Elastomer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dadbakhsh, Sasan; Verbelen, Leander; Vandeputte, Tom; Strobbe, Dieter; Van Puyvelde, Peter; Kruth, Jean-Pierre

This work investigates the influence of powder size/shape on selective laser sintering (SLS) of a thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) elastomer. It examines a TPU powder which had been cryogenically milled in two different sizes; coarse powder (D50∼200μm) with rough surfaces in comparison with a fine powder (D50∼63μm) with extremely fine flow additives. It is found that the coarse powder coalesces at lower temperatures and excessively smokes during the SLS processing. In comparison, the fine powder with flow additives is better processable at significantly higher powder bed temperatures, allowing a lower optimum laser energy input which minimizes smoking and degradation of the polymer. In terms of mechanical properties, good coalescence of both powders lead to parts with acceptable shear-punch strengths compared to injection molded parts. However, porosity and degradation from the optimum SLS parameters of the coarse powder drastically reduce the tensile properties to about one-third of the parts made from the fine powders as well as those made by injection molding (IM).

Process for microwave sintering boron carbide

DOEpatents

Holcombe, C.E.; Morrow, M.S.

1993-10-12

A method of microwave sintering boron carbide comprises leaching boron carbide powder with an aqueous solution of nitric acid to form a leached boron carbide powder. The leached boron carbide powder is coated with a glassy carbon precursor to form a coated boron carbide powder. The coated boron carbide powder is consolidated in an enclosure of boron nitride particles coated with a layer of glassy carbon within a container for microwave heating to form an enclosed coated boron carbide powder. The enclosed coated boron carbide powder is sintered within the container for microwave heating with microwave energy.

Process for microwave sintering boron carbide

DOEpatents

Holcombe, Cressie E.; Morrow, Marvin S.

1993-01-01

A method of microwave sintering boron carbide comprises leaching boron carbide powder with an aqueous solution of nitric acid to form a leached boron carbide powder. The leached boron carbide powder is coated with a glassy carbon precursor to form a coated boron carbide powder. The coated boron carbide powder is consolidated in an enclosure of boron nitride particles coated with a layer of glassy carbon within a container for microwave heating to form an enclosed coated boron carbide powder. The enclosed coated boron carbide powder is sintered within the container for microwave heating with microwave energy.

Application of spark plasma sintering for fabricating Nd-Fe-B composite

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sivkov, A. A.; Ivashutenko, A. S.; Lomakina, A. A.

2015-10-01

Constant magnets are applied in such fields as electric equipment and electric generators with fixed rotor. Rare earth metal neodymium is well known as promising material. Production of magnets by sintering three elements (neodymium, iron and boron) is one the most promising methods. But there are difficulties in choosing the right temperature for sintering and further processing. Structure and properties of the product, consisted of rare earth metals, was analyzed. X-ray analysis of the resulting product and the finished constant magnet was performed. Vickers microhardness was obtained.

Sintering Process and Mechanical Property of MWCNTs/HDPE Bulk Composite.

PubMed

Ming-Wen, Wang; Tze-Chi, Hsu; Jie-Ren, Zheng

2009-08-01

Studies have proved that increasing polymer matrices by carbon nanotubes to form structural reinforcement and electrical conductivity have significantly improved mechanical and electrical properties at very low carbon nanotubes loading. In other words, increasing polymer matrices by carbon nanotubes to form structural reinforcement can reduce friction coefficient and enhance anti-wear property. However, producing traditional MWCNTs in polymeric materix is an extremely complicated process. Using melt-mixing process or in situ polymerization leads to better dispersion effect on composite materials. In this study, therefore, to simplify MWCNTs /HDPE composite process and increase dispersion, powder was used directly to replace pellet to mix and sinter with MWCNTs. The composite bulks with 0, 0.5, 1, 2 and 4% nanotube content by weight was analyzed under SEM to observe nanotubes dispersion. At this rate, a MWCNTs/HDPE composite bulk with uniformly dispersed MWCNTs was achieved, and through the wear bench (Pin-on-Disk), the wear experiment has accomplished. Accordingly, the result suggests the sintered MWCNTs/HDPE composites amplify the hardness and wear-resist property.

Processing and fabrication of mixed uranium/refractory metal carbide fuels with liquid-phase sintering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Knight, Travis W.; Anghaie, Samim

2002-11-01

Optimization of powder processing techniques were sought for the fabrication of single-phase, solid-solution mixed uranium/refractory metal carbide nuclear fuels - namely (U, Zr, Nb)C. These advanced, ultra-high temperature nuclear fuels have great potential for improved performance over graphite matrix, dispersed fuels tested in the Rover/NERVA program of the 1960s and early 1970s. Hypostoichiometric fuel samples with carbon-to-metal ratios of 0.98, uranium metal mole fractions of 5% and 10%, and porosities less than 5% were fabricated. These qualities should provide for the longest life and highest performance capability for these fuels. Study and optimization of processing methods were necessary to provide the quality assurance of samples for meaningful testing and assessment of performance for nuclear thermal propulsion applications. The processing parameters and benefits of enhanced sintering by uranium carbide liquid-phase sintering were established for the rapid and effective consolidation and formation of a solid-solution mixed carbide nuclear fuel.

Copper sludge from printed circuit board production/recycling for ceramic materials: a quantitative analysis of copper transformation and immobilization.

PubMed

Tang, Yuanyuan; Lee, Po-Heng; Shih, Kaimin

2013-08-06

The fast development of electronic industries and stringent requirement of recycling waste electronics have produced a large amount of metal-containing waste sludge. This study developed a waste-to-resource strategy to beneficially use such metal-containing sludge from the production and recycling processes of printed circuit board (PCBs). To observe the metal incorporation mechanisms and phase transformation processes, mixtures of copper industrial waste sludge and kaolinite-based materials (kaolinite and mullite) were fired between 650 and 1250 °C for 3 h. The different copper-hosting phases were identified by powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) in the sintered products, and CuAl2O4 was found to be the predominant hosting phase throughout the reactions, regardless of the strong reduction potential of copper expected at high temperatures. The experimental results indicated that CuAl2O4 was generated more easily and in larger quantities at low-temperature processing when using the kaolinite precursor. Maximum copper transformations reached 86% and 97% for kaolinite and mullite systems, respectively, when sintering at 1000 °C. To monitor the stabilization effect after thermal process, prolonged leaching tests were carried out using acetic acid with an initial pH value of 2.9 to leach the sintered products for 20 days. The results demonstrated the decrease of copper leachability with the formation of CuAl2O4, despite different sintering behavior in kaolinite and mullite systems. This study clearly indicates spinel formation as the most crucial metal stabilization mechanism when sintering copper sludge with aluminosilicate materials, and suggests a promising and reliable technique for reusing metal-containing sludge as ceramic materials.

Improved silicon carbide for advanced heat engines

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Whalen, T. J.; Winterbottom, W. L.

1986-01-01

Work performed to develop silicon carbide materials of high strength and to form components of complex shape and high reliability is described. A beta-SiC powder and binder system was adapted to the injection molding process and procedures and process parameters developed capable of providing a sintered silicon carbide material with improved properties. The initial effort has been to characterize the baseline precursor materials (beta silicon carbide powder and boron and carbon sintering aids), develop mixing and injection molding procedures for fabricating test bars, and characterize the properties of the sintered materials. Parallel studies of various mixing, dewaxing, and sintering procedures have been carried out in order to distinguish process routes for improving material properties. A total of 276 MOR bars of the baseline material have been molded, and 122 bars have been fully processed to a sinter density of approximately 95 percent. The material has a mean MOR room temperature strength of 43.31 ksi (299 MPa), a Weibull characteristic strength of 45.8 ksi (315 MPa), and a Weibull modulus of 8.0. Mean values of the MOR strengths at 1000, 1200, and 14000 C are 41.4, 43.2, and 47.2 ksi, respectively. Strength controlling flaws in this material were found to consist of regions of high porosity and were attributed to agglomerates originating in the initial mixing procedures. The mean stress rupture lift at 1400 C of five samples tested at 172 MPa (25 ksi) stress was 62 hours and at 207 MPa (30 ksi) stress was 14 hours. New fluid mixing techniques have been developed which significantly reduce flaw size and improve the strength of the material. Initial MOR tests indicate the strength of the fluid-mixed material exceeds the baseline property by more than 33 percent.

Improvement of the electrochromic response of a low-temperature sintered dye-modified porous electrode using low-resistivity indium tin oxide nanoparticles

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Watanabe, Yuichi, E-mail: yuichi.watanabe@aist.go.jp; Suemori, Kouji; Hoshino, Satoshi

2016-06-15

An indium tin oxide (ITO) nanoparticle-based porous electrode sintered at low temperatures was investigated as a transparent electrode for electrochromic displays (ECDs). The electrochromic (EC) response of the dye-modified ITO porous electrode sintered at 150 °C, which exhibited a generally low resistivity, was markedly superior to that of a conventional dye-modified TiO{sub 2} porous electrode sintered at the same temperature. Moreover, the EC characteristics of the dye-modified ITO porous electrode sintered at 150 °C were better than those of the high-temperature (450 °C) sintered conventional dye-modified TiO{sub 2} porous electrode. These improvements in the EC characteristics of the dye-modified ITO porous electrode aremore » attributed to its lower resistivity than that of the TiO{sub 2} porous electrodes. In addition to its sufficiently low resistivity attained under the sintering conditions required for flexible ECD applications, the ITO porous film had superior visible-light transparency and dye adsorption capabilities. We conclude that the process temperature, resistivity, optical transmittance, and dye adsorption capability of the ITO porous electrode make it a promising transparent porous electrode for flexible ECD applications.« less

Sol-gel synthesis of lithium metatitanate as tritium breeding material under different sintering conditions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lu, Wei; Wang, Jing; Pu, Wenjing; Li, Kaiping; Ma, Shubing; Wang, Weihua

2018-04-01

Lithium metatitanate (Li2TiO3) is a promising tritium breeding material candidate for solid blanket of D-T fusion reactors, due to its high mechanical strength, chemical stability, and tritium release rate. In this paper, Li2TiO3 powder with homogeneous crystal structure is synthesized by sol-gel method. The chemical reactions in gel thermal cracking and sintering process are studied by thermo gravimetric/differential scanning calorimetry (TG-DSC). The relationship between the sintering condition and the particle/grain size is characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Results show that below 673 K the gel precursor is completely decomposed and Li2TiO3 phase initially forms. The LiTiO2 by-product formed under the reductive atmosphere in muffle furnace, could be oxidized continually to Li2TiO3 at higher sintering temperature (≥1273 K) for longer sintering time (≥10 h). Both grain and particle sizes rely on a linear growth with the increase of sintering time at 1273 K. Over 1473 K, significant agglomerations exist among particles. The optimal sintering condition is selected as 1273 K for 10 h, for the purer Li2TiO3 phase (>99%), smaller grain and particle size.

Recent Trends in Newly Developed Plasma-Sprayed and Sintered Coatings for Implant Applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bsat, Suzan; Speirs, Andrew; Huang, Xiao

2016-08-01

The current paper aims to review recent trends (2011 to 2015) in newly developed plasma-sprayed and sintered coatings for implant applications. Recent developments in plasma-sprayed and sintered coatings have focused on improving biological performance, bacterial growth resistance, and mechanical properties, predominantly of HA and glass ceramics. The majority of these improvements are attributed to the addition of dopants. To improve biological performance, trace elements, such as Zn and Mg, both of which are found in bone, were added to replicate the functions they provide for the skeletal system. Though bacterial growth resistance is traditionally improved by Ag dopant, the addition of new dopants such as CeO2 and Zn were explored as well. Great effort has also been made to improve coating adherence and reduce stresses by minimizing coefficient of thermal expansion mismatch between the coating and substrate through the addition of elements such as Zn and Mg or the inclusion of a buffer layer. For sintering process in particular, there was an emphasis on reducing sintering temperature through modification of 45S5 Bioglass. New plasma spray and sintering technologies aimed at reducing high-temperature exposure are briefly introduced as well. These include microplasma spray and spark plasma sintering.

Sinter-vein correlations at Buckskin Mountain, National district, Humboldt County, Nevada

USGS Publications Warehouse

Vikre, P.G.

2007-01-01

At Buckskin Mountain (elev 2,650 m, 8,743 ft), Humboldt County, Nevada, a hydrothermal system, imposed on a middle Miocene volcanic sequence with contrasting permeabilities and tensile strengths, produced alteration assemblages controlled by elevation, from Hg-mineralized sinter to subjacent precious metal veins over a vertical distance exceeding 790 m. Sinter and epiclastic deposits, interpreted to be remnant paleosurface basinal strata enclosed by 16.6 to 16.1 Ma rhyolites, overlie older volcaniclastic basinal deposits and were part of a regional fluvial-lacustrine system developed among ca. 16 to 12 Ma basalt-rhyolite eruptive centers throughout the northern Great Basin. Because of contrasting erosional resistance among altered and unaltered rocks, Buckskin Mountain represents inverse topography with sinter and silicified epiclastic deposits at the summit. Sinter and veins, correlated by common elements, similar mineralogy, age constraints, textures, S isotope compositions, and fluid inclusion microthermometry, were deposited by sinter-vein fluid, the first of two sequential hydrothermal fluid regimes that evolved in response to magmatism, tectonism, hydrology, and topography. Thermal quenching of distally derived sinter-vein fluid in planar conduits caused deposition of banded quartz-silicate-selenide-sulfide veins ???270 to > 440 m below sinter at 16.1 Ma; vei??ns were initially enveloped by zoned selvages of proximal K-feldspar + K-mica + quartz + pyrite and distal illite + chlorite + calcite + pyrite. Mixing of sinter-vein fluid with local meteoric water in saturated basinal deposits caused deposition of silica, Hg-Se-S-Cl minerals, and precious metals in sinter and epiclastic deposits. Elevated ???Se/???S in sinter-vein fluid, and the relatively large stability fields of reduced aqueous selenide species in the temperature range of 250?? to <100??C, enabled (but was not the cause of) codeposition of selenide-sulfide minerals and common element associations in veins and sinter. Acid-sulfate fluid of the second fluid regime was derived from oxidation of H2S and other volatiles exsolved from sinter-vein fluid. Acid-sulfate fluid produced (1) a subhorizontal zone of partially leached basinal deposits and rhyolite from the paleosurface to a depth of ???60 m, and (2) laterally pervasive zones, ???100 to 200 m thick, of quartz + alunite ?? hematite and quartz + kaolinite + pyrite in volcaniclastic deposits immediately beneath partially leached rocks, but this fluid did not decompose selenide-sulfide-precious metal phases in sinter. Paragenetically late vein and wall-rock assemblages, including marcasite + pyrite, calcite, and kaolinite-replaced K minerals, record deeper transition of sinter-vein fluid into acid-sulfate fluid in vein conduits. This transition occurred as regional subsidence, manifested by the Goosey Lake depression immediately east of Buckskin Mountain, lowered the pieziometric surface at Buckskin Mountain, terminated sinter deposition, and caused boiling and/or degassing of sinter-vein fluid. The timing of subsidence is recorded by a decrease in alunite ages, from ca. 15.8 to 15.6 Ma, with depth below sinter. Lateral replacement of sinter and partially leached epiclastic deposits and rhyolite by opal-A marks the termination of the two hydrothermal regimes that lasted ???0.5 m.y. and followed rhyolitic volcanism of similar duration. Veins and sinter display textures that attest to plastic deformation, spalling, and gravitational settling, and indicate fluid-flow direction, velocity, and density stratification which, with conduit topology, may have influenced precious metal tenor in the veins. Components of sinter and veins were transported as colloids, formed in supersaturated sinter-vein fluid, that aggregated or coagulated as incompetent gelatinous layers in shallow pools and in underlying, near-vertical conduits in rhyolite and initially crystallized as opal and chalcedony. The low thermal conductivity of ho

Oxide-dispersion strengthening of porous powder metalurgy parts

DOEpatents

Judkins, Roddie R.

2002-01-01

Oxide dispersion strengthening of porous metal articles includes the incorporation of dispersoids of metallic oxides in elemental metal powder particles. Porous metal articles, such as filters, are fabricated using conventional techniques (extrusion, casting, isostatic pressing, etc.) of forming followed by sintering and heat treatments that induce recrystallization and grain growth within powder grains and across the sintered grain contact points. The result is so-called "oxide dispersion strengthening" which imparts, especially, large increases in creep (deformation under constant load) strength to the metal articles.

Development of Metal Plate with Internal Structure Utilizing the Metal Injection Molding (MIM) Process.

PubMed

Shin, Kwangho; Heo, Youngmoo; Park, Hyungpil; Chang, Sungho; Rhee, Byungohk

2013-12-12

In this study, we focus on making a double-sided metal plate with an internal structure, such as honeycomb. The stainless steel powder was used in the metal injection molding (MIM) process. The preliminary studies were carried out for the measurement of the viscosity of the stainless steel feedstock and for the prediction of the filling behavior through Computer Aided Engineering (CAE) simulation. PE (high density polyethylene (HDPE) and low density polyethylene (LDPE)) and polypropylene (PP) resins were used to make the sacrificed insert with a honeycomb structure using a plastic injection molding process. Additionally, these sacrificed insert parts were inserted in the metal injection mold, and the metal injection molding process was carried out to build a green part with rectangular shape. Subsequently, debinding and sintering processes were adopted to remove the sacrificed polymer insert. The insert had a suitable rigidity that was able to endure the filling pressure. The core shift analysis was conducted to predict the deformation of the insert part. The 17-4PH feedstock with a low melting temperature was applied. The glass transition temperature of the sacrificed polymer insert would be of a high grade, and this insert should be maintained during the MIM process. Through these processes, a square metal plate with a honeycomb structure was made.

Development of Metal Plate with Internal Structure Utilizing the Metal Injection Molding (MIM) Process

PubMed Central

Shin, Kwangho; Heo, Youngmoo; Park, Hyungpil; Chang, Sungho; Rhee, Byungohk

2013-01-01

In this study, we focus on making a double-sided metal plate with an internal structure, such as honeycomb. The stainless steel powder was used in the metal injection molding (MIM) process. The preliminary studies were carried out for the measurement of the viscosity of the stainless steel feedstock and for the prediction of the filling behavior through Computer Aided Engineering (CAE) simulation. PE (high density polyethylene (HDPE) and low density polyethylene (LDPE)) and polypropylene (PP) resins were used to make the sacrificed insert with a honeycomb structure using a plastic injection molding process. Additionally, these sacrificed insert parts were inserted in the metal injection mold, and the metal injection molding process was carried out to build a green part with rectangular shape. Subsequently, debinding and sintering processes were adopted to remove the sacrificed polymer insert. The insert had a suitable rigidity that was able to endure the filling pressure. The core shift analysis was conducted to predict the deformation of the insert part. The 17-4PH feedstock with a low melting temperature was applied. The glass transition temperature of the sacrificed polymer insert would be of a high grade, and this insert should be maintained during the MIM process. Through these processes, a square metal plate with a honeycomb structure was made. PMID:28788427

Ceramic electrolyte coating and methods

DOEpatents

Seabaugh, Matthew M [Columbus, OH; Swartz, Scott L [Columbus, OH; Dawson, William J [Dublin, OH; McCormick, Buddy E [Dublin, OH

2007-08-28

Aqueous coating slurries useful in depositing a dense coating of a ceramic electrolyte material (e.g., yttrium-stabilized zirconia) onto a porous substrate of a ceramic electrode material (e.g., lanthanum strontium manganite or nickel/zirconia) and processes for preparing an aqueous suspension of a ceramic electrolyte material and an aqueous spray coating slurry including a ceramic electrolyte material. The invention also includes processes for depositing an aqueous spray coating slurry including a ceramic electrolyte material onto pre-sintered, partially sintered, and unsintered ceramic substrates and products made by this process.

Surprising synthesis of nanodiamond from single-walled carbon nanotubes by the spark plasma sintering process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mirzaei, Ali; Ham, Heon; Na, Han Gil; Kwon, Yong Jung; Kang, Sung Yong; Choi, Myung Sik; Bang, Jae Hoon; Park, No-Hyung; Kang, Inpil; Kim, Hyoun Woo

2016-10-01

Nanodiamond (ND) was successfully synthesized using single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) as a pure solid carbon source by means of a spark plasma sintering process. Raman spectra and X-ray diffraction patterns revealed the generation of the cubic diamond phase by means of the SPS process. Lattice-resolved TEM images confirmed that diamond nanoparticles with a diameter of about ˜10 nm existed in the products. The NDs were generated mainly through the gas-phase nucleation of carbon atoms evaporated from the SWCNTs. [Figure not available: see fulltext.

Study of process variables associated with manufacturing hermetically-sealed nickel-cadmium cells

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Miller, L.

1974-01-01

A two year study of the major process variables associated with the manufacturing process for sealed, nickel-cadmium, areospace cells is summarized. Effort was directed toward identifying the major process variables associated with a manufacturing process, experimentally assessing each variable's effect, and imposing the necessary changes (optimization) and controls for the critical process variables to improve results and uniformity. A critical process variable associated with the sintered nickel plaque manufacturing process was identified as the manual forming operation. Critical process variables identified with the positive electrode impregnation/polarization process were impregnation solution temperature, free acid content, vacuum impregnation, and sintered plaque strength. Positive and negative electrodes were identified as a major source of carbonate contamination in sealed cells.

Process Development of Porcelain Ceramic Material with Binder Jetting Process for Dental Applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miyanaji, Hadi; Zhang, Shanshan; Lassell, Austin; Zandinejad, Amirali; Yang, Li

2016-03-01

Custom ceramic structures possess significant potentials in many applications such as dentistry and aerospace where extreme environments are present. Specifically, highly customized geometries with adequate performance are needed for various dental prostheses applications. This paper demonstrates the development of process and post-process parameters for a dental porcelain ceramic material using binder jetting additive manufacturing (AM). Various process parameters such as binder amount, drying power level, drying time and powder spread speed were studied experimentally for their effect on geometrical and mechanical characteristics of green parts. In addition, the effects of sintering and printing parameters on the qualities of the densified ceramic structures were also investigated experimentally. The results provide insights into the process-property relationships for the binder jetting AM process, and some of the challenges of the process that need to be further characterized for the successful adoption of the binder jetting technology in high quality ceramic fabrications are discussed.

Environmentally benign processing of YAG transparent wafers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Yan; Wu, Yiquan

2015-12-01

Transparent yttrium aluminum garnet (YAG) wafers were successfully produced via aqueous tape casting and vacuum sintering techniques using a new environmentally friendly binder, a copolymer of isobutylene and maleic anhydride with the commercial name ISOBAM (noted as ISOBAM). Aqueous YAG slurries were mixed by ball-milling, which was followed by de-gassing and tape casting of wafers. The final YAG green tapes were homogenous and flexible, and could be bent freely without cracking. After the drying and sintering processes, transparent YAG wafers were achieved. The microstructures of both the green tape and vacuum-sintered YAG ceramic were observed by scanning electronic microscopy (SEM). Phase compositions were examined by X-ray diffraction (XRD). Optical transmittance was measured in UV-VIS regions with the result that the transmittance is 82.6% at a wavelength of 800 nm.

Matrix Structure Evolution and Nanoreinforcement Distribution in Mechanically Milled and Spark Plasma Sintered Al-SiC Nanocomposites.

PubMed

Saheb, Nouari; Aliyu, Ismaila Kayode; Hassan, Syed Fida; Al-Aqeeli, Nasser

2014-09-19

Development of homogenous metal matrix nanocomposites with uniform distribution of nanoreinforcement, preserved matrix nanostructure features, and improved properties, was possible by means of innovative processing techniques. In this work, Al-SiC nanocomposites were synthesized by mechanical milling and consolidated through spark plasma sintering. Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope (FE-SEM) with Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDS) facility was used for the characterization of the extent of SiC particles' distribution in the mechanically milled powders and spark plasma sintered samples. The change of the matrix crystallite size and lattice strain during milling and sintering was followed through X-ray diffraction (XRD). The density and hardness of the developed materials were evaluated as function of SiC content at fixed sintering conditions using a densimeter and a digital microhardness tester, respectively. It was found that milling for 24 h led to uniform distribution of SiC nanoreinforcement, reduced particle size and crystallite size of the aluminum matrix, and increased lattice strain. The presence and amount of SiC reinforcement enhanced the milling effect. The uniform distribution of SiC achieved by mechanical milling was maintained in sintered samples. Sintering led to the increase in the crystallite size of the aluminum matrix; however, it remained less than 100 nm in the composite containing 10 wt.% SiC. Density and hardness of sintered nanocomposites were reported and compared with those published in the literature.

Phase identification and morphology study of hematite (Fe2O3) with sintering time varitions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yazirin, Cepi; Puspitasari, Poppy; Sasongko, Muhammad Ilman Nur; Tsamroh, Dewi Izzatus; Risdanareni, Puput

2017-09-01

Iron oxide has been the interest of many studies due to its applications in various scientific and industrial fields including in environment, corrosion, soil science, and exhaust emissions. Iron oxide (Fe2O3) has potential applications in catalytic reactions in electronic devices such as semiconductors, paint formulations, and lithium rechargeable batteries. Fe2O3 can be synthesized through the process of stirring, decomposition of organic iron, sol-gel, combustion, and evaporating solvents. Most of the methods used involve several steps and take a long time. The aim of this research was to investigate the phase and morphology characterization of iron oxide (Fe2O3) powder with solvent ethylene glycol after being sintered for 1 hour, 2 hours and 3 hours. The characterization tools utilized were XRD, SEM-EDX, and FTIR. The results of XRD analysis showed that the Fe2O3 sintered for 1 hour had the smallest crystallite size with a diameter of 21.05 nm. In the XRD test, the beam of X-ray was shot directly at the grain being tested. The results of SEM analysis showed thatthe Fe2O3 sintered for 1 hour produced the best result due to its crystallite size of 12.36 nm and hada shape of homogeneous nanosphere; the duration of sintering indeed had a great influence on the grain size of iron oxide (Fe2O3). In addition, the results of the elemental composition analysis indicate that the longer the sintering process, the higher the concentration of O but the lower the Fe.

Defense Technical Information Center Thesaurus

DTIC Science & Technology

2000-10-01

acquisition radar 4 + Indicates existence of further generic levels of the term DTIC Thesaurus Actuators Acridines Actinide series (cont.) Activated sintering...BT Heterocyclic compounds+ Uranium+ BT Sintering Acrilan Actinide series compounds Activated sludge process use Acrylonitrile polymers RT Actinide...Waste treatment+ Protactinium compounds Acronyms Thorium compounds+ Activation use Abbreviations Transuranium compounds+ UF Energizing Uranium compounds

Mixed uranium dicarbide and uranium dioxide microspheres and process of making same

DOEpatents

Stinton, David P.

1983-01-01

Nuclear fuel microspheres are made by sintering microspheres containing uranium dioxide and uncombined carbon in a 1 mole percent carbon monoxide/99 mole percent argon atmosphere at 1550.degree. C. and then sintering the microspheres in a 3 mole percent carbon monoxide/97 mole percent argon atmosphere at the same temperature.

Optimization of consolidation parameters of 18Cr-ODS ferritic steel through microstructural and microtexture characterization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dash, Manmath Kumar; Mythili, R.; Dasgupta, Arup; Saroja, S.

2018-04-01

This paper reports the optimization of consolidation process based on the evolution of microstructure, microtexture and densification in 18%-Cr Oxide Dispersion Strengthened steel. The steel powder of composition Fe-18Cr-0.01C-2W-0.25Ti-0.35Y2O3 has been consolidated by cold isostatic pressing (CIP) for green compaction after mechanical milling. Sintering (1000-1250 °C) and hot isostatic pressing (HIP) at 1150 °C has been employed to achieve good densification on compacted CIP specimen. The effect of sintering temperatures on densification behavior was evaluated and sintering at 1150°C was identified to be optimum for achieving good compaction (92% density) and homogeneous polygonal microstructure with a uniform distribution of fine pores. In addition, HIP of CIP product at 1150°C was found to yield a more homogeneous microstructure as compared to sintered product with 97% density. A static/dynamic recrystallization associated with (1 1 1) texture is observed during consolidation process. A statistical comparison has been made based on frequency of grain boundary distribution and associated texture with its theoretical attributes.

Development of porous titanium for biomedical applications: A comparison between loose sintering and space-holder techniques.

PubMed

Torres, Yadir; Lascano, Sheila; Bris, Jorge; Pavón, Juan; Rodriguez, José A

2014-04-01

One of the most important concerns in long-term prostheses is bone resorption as a result of the stress shielding due to stiffness mismatch between bone and implant. The aim of this study was to obtain porous titanium with stiffness values similar to that exhibited by cortical bone. Porous samples of commercial pure titanium grade-4 were obtained by following both loose-sintering processing and space-holder technique with NaCl between 40 and 70% in volume fraction. Both mechanical properties and porosity morphology were assessed. Young's modulus was measured using uniaxial compression testing, as well as ultrasound methodology. Complete characterization and mechanical testing results allowed us to determine some important findings: (i) optimal parameters for both processing routes; (ii) better mechanical response was obtained by using space-holder technique; (iii) pore geometry of loose sintering samples becomes more regular with increasing sintering temperature; in the case of the space-holder technique that trend was observed for decreasing volume fraction; (iv) most reliable Young's modulus measurements were achieved by ultrasound technique. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Investigation of the dielectric function of solution-processed InGaZnO films using ellipsometry.

PubMed

Kim, Tae Jung; Yoon, Jae Jin; Hwang, Soo Min; Choi, Jun Hyuk; Hwang, Soon Yong; Ghong, Tae Ho; Barange, Nilesh; Kim, Jun Young; Kim, Young Dong; Joo, Jinho

2012-07-01

The optical properties of InGaZnO (IGZO) films grown through the sol-gel process as a function of sintering time were investigated with spectroscopic ellipsometry (SE). The IGZO precursor sol was prepared by mixing In nitrate, Ga nitrate, and Zn acetate at a molar ratio of In:Ga:Zn = 3:1:1. The solution was deposited on a SiO2/Si substrate via spin coating. Sintering was performed at 400 degrees C for 1-15 h in an ambient atmosphere. The optical properties were measured over the range 1.12-6.52 eV via variable angle SE, at room temperature. The angle of incidence was varied from 50 to 70 degrees in 5 degree steps. To extract the pure optical properties of IGZO, multilayer-structure calculation with Tauc-Lorentz dispersion relation for IGZO was performed. The changes in the dielectric function of the IGZO films with varying sintering time were observed. The resultant optical properties can be related to the concentration of oxygen vacancies in the material, which can be controlled by the sintering time.

Development of dense glass-ceramic from recycled soda-lime-silicate glass and fly ash for tiling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mustaffar, Mohd Idham; Mahmud, Mohamad Haniza; Hassan, Mahadi Abu

2017-12-01

Dense glass-ceramics were prepared by sinter-crystallization process from a combination of soda-lime-silicate glass waste and fly ash. Bentonite clay that acted as a binder was also added in a prepared formulation. The powder mixture of soda-lime glass, fly ash and bentonite clay were compacted by using uniaxial hydraulic press machine and sintered at six (6) various temperatures namely 750, 800, 850, 900, 950 and 1000 °C. The heating rate and sintering time were set at 5 °C/min and 30 minutes respectively. The results revealed that modulus of rupture (MOR), density and linear shrinkage increase first from 750 to 800 °C but decrease later after 800 to 1000 °C. In the meantime, water absorption was showing completely an opposite trend. The glass-ceramic sintered at 800 °C was found to have the best combination of physical-mechanical properties and has the potential to be applied in the construction industry particularly as floor and wall tiles because of the simple manufacturing process at low temperature.

Extrinsic contributions to the dielectric response in sintered BaTiO3 nanostructures in paraelectric and ferroelectric regimes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jaffari, G. Hassnain; Rehman, Atiq ur; Iqbal, Asad M.; Awan, M. S.; Saleemi, Mohsin

2017-11-01

Post sintering studies of BaTiO3 (BTO) nanoparticles are presented in detail. Bulk nanostructures were prepared via three different compaction processes, namely, uniaxial cold pressing (UCP), Cold Isostatic Pressing (CIP) and Spark Plasma Sintering (SPS). Effect of compaction technique on microstructures have been investigated and correlated with electrical response for each sample. In addition to the transport properties, temperature and frequency dependent dielectric response of variously sintered samples and bulk counterpart was recorded. Several aspects have been identified that are essential to be taken into account in order to completely understand physical processes. Drastically distinct features were observed in paraelectric (PE) regime well above ferroelectric (FE)-PE transition temperature. These features include intra grain conduction with a reduction in the magnitude of PE to FE peak dielectric constant magnitude. Role of strain, grain boundary conduction associated with observation of Maxwell Wagner relaxation and hopping conduction in dielectric and ferroelectric response have been observed and discussed. Densification with presence of oxygen vacancies, significantly enhances conductivity associated with the hopping of the carriers, in turn deteriorated ferroelectric response.

Enhanced thermal diffusivity of copperbased composites using copper-RGO sheets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Sangwoo; Kwon, Hyouk-Chon; Lee, Dohyung; Lee, Hyo-Soo

2017-11-01

The synthesis of copper-reduced graphene oxide (RGO) sheets was investigated in order to control the agglutination of interfaces and develop a manufacturing process for copper-based composite materials based on spark plasma sintering. To this end, copper-GO (graphene oxide) composites were synthesized using a hydrothermal method, while the copper-reduced graphene oxide composites were made by hydrogen reduction. Graphene oxide-copper oxide was hydrothermally synthesized at 80 °C for 5 h, and then annealed at 800 °C for 5 h in argon and hydrazine rate 9:1 to obtain copper-RGO flakes. The morphology and structure of these copper-RGO sheets were characterized using scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy. After vibratory mixing of the synthesized copper-RGO composites (0-2 wt%) with copper powder, they were sintered at 600 °C for 5 min under100 MPa of pressure by spark plasma sintering process. The thermal diffusivity of the resulting sintered composite was characterized by the laser flash method at 150 °C.

The effect of lanthanum on the fabrication of ZrB{sub 2}-ZrC composites by spark plasma sintering

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kim, Kyoung Hun; Shim, Kwang Bo

2003-01-15

The effect of the addition of the rare earth element, lanthanum, on the sintering characteristics of ZrB{sub 2}-ZrC composites has been analyzed during a spark plasma sintering (SPS) process. Microscopic observation confirmed that lanthanum accelerated mass transport by the formation of the liquid phase between the particles induced by the spark plasma in the initial stage of the SPS process, and then these were recrystallized to form a lanthanum-containing secondary phase at the grain boundaries and at the grain boundary triple junctions. In spite of the strong covalent bonding characteristics of the ZrB{sub 2}-ZrC composite there are many well-developed dislocationmore » structures observed. The fracture toughness of the lanthanum-containing ZrB{sub 2}-ZrC is about 2.56 MPa m{sup 1/2}, which is comparable to that of the pure composite. Therefore, it is concluded that lanthanum is very effective as a sintering aid for the ZrB{sub 2}-ZrC composite without any degradation of the mechanical properties.« less

Thermoelectric Coolers with Sintered Silver Interconnects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kähler, Julian; Stranz, Andrej; Waag, Andreas; Peiner, Erwin

2014-06-01

The fabrication and performance of a sintered Peltier cooler (SPC) based on bismuth telluride with sintered silver interconnects are described. Miniature SPC modules with a footprint of 20 mm2 were assembled using pick-and-place pressure-assisted silver sintering at low pressure (5.5 N/mm2) and moderate temperature (250°C to 270°C). A modified flip-chip bonder combined with screen/stencil printing for paste transfer was used for the pick-and-place process, enabling high positioning accuracy, easy handling of the tiny bismuth telluride pellets, and immediate visual process control. A specific contact resistance of (1.4 ± 0.1) × 10-5 Ω cm2 was found, which is in the range of values reported for high-temperature solder interconnects of bismuth telluride pellets. The realized SPCs were evaluated from room temperature to 300°C, considerably outperforming the operating temperature range of standard commercial Peltier coolers. Temperature cycling capability was investigated from 100°C to 235°C over more than 200 h, i.e., 850 cycles, during which no degradation of module resistance or cooling performance occurred.

Rapid Cellulose-Mediated Microwave Sintering for High-Conductivity Ag Patterns on Paper.

PubMed

Jung, Sunshin; Chun, Su Jin; Shon, Chae-Hwa

2016-08-10

Cellulose-based paper is essential in everyday life, but it also has further potentials for use in low-cost, printable, disposable, and eco-friendly electronics. Here, a method is developed for the cellulose-mediated microwave sintering of Ag patterns on conventional paper, in which the paper plays a significant role both as a flexible insulating substrate for the conductive Ag pattern and as a lossy dielectric media for rapid microwave heating. The anisotropic dielectric properties of the cellulose fibers mean that a microwave electric field applied parallel to the paper substrate provides sufficient heating to produce Ag patterns with a conductivity 29-38% that of bulk Ag in a short period of time (∼1 s) at 250-300 °C. Significantly, there is little thermal degradation of the substrate during this process. The microwave-sintered Ag patterns exhibit good mechanical stability against 10 000 bending cycles and can be easily soldered with lead-free solder. Therefore, cellulose-mediated microwave sintering presents a promising means of achieving short processing times and high electrical performance in flexible paper electronics.

Effect of Aging Temperature on Corrosion Behavior of Sintered 17-4 PH Stainless Steel in Dilute Sulfuric Acid Solution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Szewczyk-Nykiel, Aneta; Kazior, Jan

2017-07-01

The general corrosion behavior of sintered 17-4 PH stainless steel processed under different processing conditions in dilute sulfuric acid solution at 25 °C was studied by open-circuit potential measurement and potentiodynamic polarization technique. The corrosion resistance was evaluated based on electrochemical parameters, such as polarization resistance, corrosion potential, corrosion current density as well as corrosion rate. The results showed that the precipitation-hardening treatment could significantly improve the corrosion resistance of the sintered 17-4 PH stainless steel in studied environment. As far as the influence of aging temperature on corrosion behavior of the sintered 17-4 PH stainless steel is concerned, polarization resistance and corrosion rate are reduced with increasing aging temperature from 480 up to 500 °C regardless of the temperature of solution treatment. It can be concluded that the highest corrosion resistance in 0.5 M H2SO4 solution exhibits 17-4 PH after solution treatment at 1040 °C followed by aging at 480 °C.

Fabrication of Ce3+ doped Gd3Ga3Al2O12 ceramics by reactive sintering method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ye, Yong; Liu, Peng; Yan, Dongyue; Xu, Xiaodong; Zhang, Jian

2017-09-01

Ce3+ doped Gd3Ga3Al2O12 (Ce:GGAG) ceramics were fabricated by solid state reactive sintering method in this study. The ceramics were pre-sintered in normal muffle furnace in air at various temperature range from 1410 °C to 1550 °C for 10 h and post-treated by hot isostatic press at 1400 °C/2 h in 200 MPa Ar. The phase and microstructure evolution of Ce: GGAG samples during the densification process were investigated by X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscope. Pure GGAG phase appeared with the temperature increased to 1200 °C. The fully dense and translucent GGAG ceramics were fabricated by pre-sintering at 1450 °C and followed by HIP treatment.

Peridynamic Theory as a New Paradigm for Multiscale Modeling of Sintering

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Silling, Stewart A.; Abdeljawad, Fadi; Ford, Kurtis Ross

2017-09-01

Sintering is a component fabrication process in which powder is compacted by pressing or some other means and then held at elevated temperature for a period of hours. The powder grains bond with each other, leading to the formation of a solid component with much lower porosity, and therefore higher density and higher strength, than the original powder compact. In this project, we investigated a new way of computationally modeling sintering at the length scale of grains. The model uses a high-fidelity, three-dimensional representation with a few hundred nodes per grain. The numerical model solves the peridynamic equations, in whichmore » nonlocal forces allow representation of the attraction, adhesion, and mass diffusion between grains. The deformation of the grains is represented through a viscoelastic material model. The project successfully demonstrated the use of this method to reproduce experimentally observed features of material behavior in sintering, including densification, the evolution of microstructure, and the occurrence of random defects in the sintered solid.« less

Liquid phase sintered ceramic bone scaffolds by combined laser and furnace.

PubMed

Feng, Pei; Deng, Youwen; Duan, Songlin; Gao, Chengde; Shuai, Cijun; Peng, Shuping

2014-08-21

Fabrication of mechanically competent bioactive scaffolds is a great challenge in bone tissue engineering. In this paper, β-tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP) scaffolds were successfully fabricated by selective laser sintering combined with furnace sintering. Bioglass 45S5 was introduced in the process as liquid phase in order to improve the mechanical and biological properties. The results showed that sintering of β-TCP with the bioglass revealed some features of liquid phase sintering. The optimum amount of 45S5 was 5 wt %. At this point, the scaffolds were densified without defects. The fracture toughness, compressive strength and stiffness were 1.67 MPam1/2, 21.32 MPa and 264.32 MPa, respectively. Bone like apatite layer was formed and the stimulation for apatite formation was increased with increase in 45S5 content after soaking in simulated body fluid, which indicated that 45S5 could improve the bioactivity. Furthermore, MG-63 cells adhered and spread well, and proliferated with increase in the culture time.

Lower sintering temperature of nanostructured dense ceramics compacted from dry nanopowders using powerful ultrasonic action

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khasanov, O.; Reichel, U.; Dvilis, E.; Khasanov, A.

2011-10-01

Nanostructured high dense zirconia ceramics have been sintered from dry nanopowders compacted by uniaxial pressing with simultaneous powerful ultrasonic action (PUA). Powerful ultrasound with frequency of 21 kHz was supplied from ultrasonic generator to the mold, which was the ultrasonic wave-guide. Previously the mold was filled by non-agglomerated zirconia nanopowder having average particle size of 40 nm. Any binders or plasticizers were excluded at nanopowder processing. Compaction pressure was 240 MPa, power of ultrasonic generator at PUA was 1 kW and 3 kW. The fully dense zirconia ceramics has been sintered at 1345°C and high-dense ceramics with a density of 99.1%, the most grains of which had the sizes Dgr <= 200 nm, has been sintered at low sintering temperature (1325°C). Applied approach prevents essential grain growth owing to uniform packing of nanoparticles under vibrating PU-action at pressing, which provides the friction forces control during dry nanopowder compaction without contaminating binders or plasticizers.

Titanium dental copings prepared by a powder metallurgy method: a preliminary report.

PubMed

Eriksson, Mikael; Andersson, Matts; Carlström, Elis

2004-01-01

The purpose of this study was to determine if the Procera pressed-powder method can be used to fabricate titanium copings. Commercially pure titanium powder was used to prepare the copings. The powder was pressed onto an enlarged tooth preparation die of aluminum using cold isostatic pressing. The outer shape of the coping was formed using a Procera milling machine, and the copings were vacuum sintered. Titanium copings could be prepared using this method. The density of the sintered copings reached 97% to 99%+ of theoretic density, and the copings showed ductile behavior after sintering. Enlarging the tooth preparation die to compensate for the sintering shrinkage could optimize the final size of the copings. Ductile and dense titanium dental copings can be produced with powder-metal processing using cold isostatic pressing, followed by milling and sintering to final shape. The forming technique has, if properly optimized, a potential of becoming a more cost-efficient production method than spark erosion.

Sintering of polydisperse viscous droplets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wadsworth, Fabian B.; Vasseur, Jérémie; Llewellin, Edward W.; Dingwell, Donald B.

2017-03-01

Sintering—or coalescence—of compacts of viscous droplets is driven by the interfacial tension between the droplets and the interstitial gas phase. The process, which occurs in a range of industrial and natural settings, such as the manufacture of ceramics and the welding of volcanic ash, causes the compact to densify, to become stronger, and to become less permeable. We investigate the role of droplet polydispersivity in sintering dynamics by conducting experiments in which populations of glass spheres with different size distributions are heated to temperatures above the glass transition interval. We quantify the progress of sintering by tracking changes in porosity with time. The sintering dynamics is modeled by treating the system as a random distribution of interstitial gas bubbles shrinking under the action of interfacial tension only. We identify the scaling between the polydispersivity of the initial droplets and the dynamics of bulk densification. The framework that we develop allows the sintering dynamics of arbitrary polydisperse populations of droplets to be predicted if the initial droplet (or particle) size distribution is known.

Phase Transformations and Formation of Ultra-Fine Microstructure During Hydrogen Sintering and Phase Transformation (HSPT) Processing of Ti-6Al-4V

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, Pei; Fang, Zhigang Zak; Koopman, Mark; Xia, Yang; Paramore, James; Ravi Chandran, K. S.; Ren, Yang; Lu, Jun

2015-12-01

The hydrogen sintering and phase transformation (HSPT) process is a novel powder metallurgy method for producing Ti alloys, particularly the Ti-6Al-4V alloy, with ultra-fine microstructure in the as-sintered state. The ultra-fine microstructure is obtained as a direct result of the use of H2 gas during sintering. The refinement of the microstructure during HSPT is similar to that of thermal hydrogen processing (THP) of bulk Ti alloys. For both THP and HSPT of Ti-6Al-4V alloy, the mechanisms of the grain refinement depend on the phase equilibria and phase transformations in the presence of hydrogen, which are surprisingly still not well established to date and are still subjected to research and debate. In recent work by the present authors, a pseudo-binary phase diagram of (Ti-6Al-4V)-H has been determined by using in situ synchrotron XRD and TGA/DSC techniques. Aided by this phase diagram, the current paper focuses on the series of phase transformations during sintering and cooling of Ti-6Al-4V in a hydrogen atmosphere and the mechanisms for the formation of the ultra-fine microstructures obtained. Using experimental techniques, including in situ synchrotron XRD, SEM, EBSD, and TEM, the microstructural refinement was found to be the result of (1) the precipitation of ultra-fine α/α2 within coarse β grains during an isothermal hold at intermediate temperatures, and (2) the eutectoid transformation of β → α + δ at approximately 473 K (200 °C).

Electrical and optical properties of NdAlO{sub 3} synthesized by an optimized combustion process

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Harilal, Midhun; Faculty of Industrial Sciences and Technology, Universiti Malaysia Pahang, 26300 Kuantan, Pahang; Nair, V. Manikantan

2014-04-01

Nanocrystals of neodymium aluminate (NdAlO{sub 3}) are synthesized using an optimized single step auto-ignition citrate complex combustion process. The combustion product was characterized by X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy and Ultraviolet–visible reflection spectroscopy. The combustion product is single phase and composed of aggregates of nanocrystals of sizes in the range 20–40 nm. The NdAlO{sub 3} crystallized in rhombohedral perovskite structure with lattice parameters a = 5.3223 Å and c = 12.9292 Å. The absorption spectrum of the NdAlO{sub 3} nanocrystals shows characteristic absorption bands of the Nd atom. The polycrystalline fluffy combustion product ismore » sintered to high density (∼ 97%) at ∼ 1450 °C for 4 h and the microstructure was characterized by scanning electron microscopy. The electrical properties of the sintered product were studied using dielectric measurements. The sintered NdAlO{sub 3} has a dielectric constant (ε{sub r}) and a dielectric loss (tan δ) of 21.9 and ∼ 10{sup −3} at 5 MHz, respectively. - Highlights: • NdAlO{sub 3} nanocrystals were synthesized through a citrate combustion process. • The nanocrystals were sintered to ∼ 97% of theoretical density. • The materials were characterized using a number of analytical techniques. • Nanostructured NdAlO{sub 3} showed crystal field splitting of Nd ions. • Dielectric properties of the sintered NdAlO{sub 3} ceramics were studied.« less

Development of high T(sub c) (greater than 110 K) Bi, Tl, and Y-based materials as superconducting circuit elements

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Haertling, Gene H.; Grabert, Gregory; Gilmour, Phillip

1992-01-01

Experimental work has continued on the development and characterization of bulk and hot pressed powders and tapecast materials in the Bi-Sr-Ca-Cu-O and Tl-Ba-Ca-Cu-O systems. A process for producing warp-free, sintered, superconducting tapes of Bi composition Bi2Sr2Ca2Cu3O(x) with a mixed oxide process was established. This procedure required a triple calcination at 830 C for 24 hours and sintering at 845 C from 20 to 200 hours. Hot pressing the triple calcined powder at 845 C for 6 hours at 5000 psi yielded a dense material which on further heat treatment at 845 C for 24 hours exhibited a Tc of 108.2 K. A further improvement in the processing of the bismuth materials was achieved via a chemical coprecipitation process wherein the starting nitrate materials were coprecipitated with oxalic acid, thus yielding a more chemically homogeneous, more reactive powder. With the coprecipitated powders, only one calcine at 830 C for 12 hours and a final sinter at 845 C for 30 hours was sufficient to produce a bulk superconducting material with a Tc of 108.4 K. SAFIRE-type grounding links were successfully fabricated from sintered, tapecast, coprecipitated BSCCO 2223 powders. Compositional and processing investigations were continued on the Tl-based superconductors. Manganese and lithium additions and sintering temperature and time were examined to determine their influence on superconducting properties. It was found that lithium substitutions for copper enhance the transition temperatures while manganese additions produced deleterious effects on the superconducting properties. A suitable procedure for producing reproducible bulk and tapecast material of Tl composition Tl2Ba2Ca2Cu3O(x) was developed and used in fabricating uniform superconducting tapes. The highest transition temperature for Tl-based tapes was measured at 110.2 K. Thallium superconducting SAFIRE-type grounding links were fabricated from the tapes.

Long-Term Cr Poisoning Effect on LSCF-GDC Composite Cathodes Sintered at Different Temperatures

DOE PAGES

Xiong, Chunyan; Taillon, Joshua A.; Pellegrinelli, Christopher; ...

2016-07-19

Here, the impact of sintering temperature on Cr-poisoning of solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) cathodes was systematically studied. La 0.6Sr 0.4Fe 0.8Co 0.2O 3-δ - Ce 0.9Gd 0.1O 2-δ symmetric cells were aged at 750°C in synthetic air with the presence of Crofer 22 APU, a common high temperature interconnect, over 200 hours and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) was used to determine the degradation process. Both the ohmic resistance (R Ω) and polarization resistance (R P) of LSCF-GDC cells, extracted from EIS spectra, for different sintering temperatures increase as a function of aging time. Furthermore, the Cr-related degradation rate increasesmore » with decreased cathode sintering temperature. The polarization resistance of cathode sintered at lower temperature (950°C) increases dramatically while aging with the presence of Cr and also significantly decreases the oxygen partial pressure dependence after aging. The degradation rate shows a positive correlation to the concentration of Cr. The results indicate that decreased sintering temperature increases the total surface area, leading to more available sites for Sr-Cr-O nucleation and thus greater Cr degradation.« less

Preparation and flash sintering of MgTiO3 nanopowders obtained by the polyacrylamide gel method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Su, Xinghua; Bai, Ge; Zhang, Jing; Zhou, Jie; Jia, Yongjie

2018-06-01

Using a polyacrylamide gel method, phase pure and well-dispersed MgTiO3 nanopowders were prepared at 800 °C for 2 h. It was found that a high mole ratio of monomers to precursors resulted in low formation temperature of MgTiO3, due to the highly mixing homogeneity and smaller particle sizes of precursors. Sintering behaviors of MgTiO3 nanopowders under DC electric field from 500 to 800 V/cm were investigated. Nearly full dense MgTiO3 ceramics can be prepared in 30 s. An abrupt and simultaneous increase in current density and power dissipation were observed in sintering process, which are characteristics of flash sintering. The power dissipation for the flash sintering was found to be 82 mW/mm3. The densities and average grain sizes of samples increase with the increase of the electrical field strength. It was suggested that Joule heating was the main mechanism of flash sintering of MgTiO3 ceramics. Our work provides a useful route for the fabrication of dense MgTiO3 ceramics at low temperature in short time.

Mesoscale Thermodynamically motivated Statistical Mechanics based Kinetic Model for Sintering monoliths

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mohan, Nisha

Modeling the evolution of microstructure during sintering is a persistent challenge in ceramics science, although needed as the microstructure impacts properties of an engineered material. Bridging the gap between microscopic and continuum models, kinetic Monte Carlo (kMC) methods provide a stochastic approach towards sintering and microstructure evolution. These kMC models work at the mesoscale, with length and time-scales between those of atomistic and continuum approaches. We develop a sintering/compacting model for the two-phase sintering of boron nitride ceramics and allotropes alike. Our formulation includes mechanisms for phase transformation between h-BN and c-BN and takes into account thermodynamics of pressure and temperature on interaction energies and mechanism rates. In addition to replicating the micro-structure evolution observed in experiments, it also captures the phase diagram of Boron Nitride materials. Results have been analyzed in terms of phase diagrams and crystal growth. It also serves with insights to guide the choice of additives and conditions for the sintering process.While detailed time and spatial resolutions are lost in any MC, the progression of stochastic events still captures plausible local energy minima and long-time temporal developments. DARPA.

Mechanical behaviour of pressed and sintered CP Ti and Ti-6Al-7Nb alloy obtained from master alloy addition powder.

PubMed

Bolzoni, L; Weissgaerber, T; Kieback, B; Ruiz-Navas, E M; Gordo, E

2013-04-01

The Ti-6Al-7Nb alloy was obtained using the blending elemental approach with a master alloy and elemental titanium powders. Both the elemental titanium and the Ti-6Al-7Nb powders were characterised using X-ray diffraction, differential thermal analysis and dilatometry. The powders were processed using the conventional powder metallurgy route that includes uniaxial pressing and sintering. The trend of the relative density with the sintering temperature and the microstructural evolution of the materials sintered at different temperatures were analysed using scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction. A minimum sintering temperature of 1200°C has to be used to ensure the homogenisation of the alloying elements and to obtain a pore structure composed of spherical pores. The sintered samples achieve relative density values that are typical for powder metallurgy titanium and no intermetallic phases were detected. Mechanical properties comparable to those specified for wrought Ti-6Al-7Nb medical devices are normally obtained. Therefore, the produced materials are promising candidates for load bearing applications as implant materials. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Influence of processing parameters on microstructure and biocompatibility of surface laser sintered hydroxyapatite-SiO2 composites.

PubMed

Kivitz, E; Görke, R; Schilling, A F; Zhang, J; Heinrich, J G

2013-05-01

Silica-doped hydroxyapatite (HA) is a promising material concerning biocompatibility to natural bone, bioactivity and osteoconductive characteristics. HA exhibits phase transformations during sintering which are attendant to the change in volume and thermal strain. To avoid cracks during sintering, the exact knowledge of the phase transition temperatures is necessary. The sintering behavior of HA can be improved by adding amorphous silica with a low coefficient of thermal expansion. Therefore, the phase transformations in the system HA-SiO2 were analyzed by using differential scanning calorimetry followed by quantitative phase analysis by X-ray diffraction with the Riedveld method. The maximum sintering temperature without reversible phase transformation was defined as 1265°C. In laser surface sintered (LSS) samples, amorphous SiO2 , HA, and Si-α-TCP (or α-TCP) were detected. By comparison, only crystalline phases, such as cristobalite, HA, β-TCP, and Si-α-TCP (or α-TCP), were determined after furnace sintering. Scanning electron microscopy micrographs of furnace sintered and LSS samples show the differences in the resulting microstructures. Biocompatibility was determined by measuring cell activity of osteoblasts cultivated on four laser-sintered materials in the HA-SiO2 system in comparison to normal cell culture plastic. Cell proliferation was similar on all surfaces. The level of the cell activity on day 8 varied depending on the composition of the material and increased linearly as the amorphous SiO2 content rose. Taken together a laser-based method to develop novel biocompatible HA-SiO2 ceramics with adjustable properties and possible applications as orthopedic bioceramics are discussed. Copyright © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Hydrothermal Cold Sintering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kang, Xiaoyu

Solid state sintering transforms particle compact to a physically robust and dense polycrystalline monolith driven by reduction of surface energy and curvature. Since bulk diffusion is required for neck formation and pore elimination, sintering temperature about 2/3 of melting point is needed. It thus places limitations for materials synthesis and integration, and contributes to significant energy consumption in ceramic processing. Furthermore, since surface transport requires lower temperature than bulk processes, grain growth is often rapid and can be undesired for physical properties. For these reasons, several techniques have been developed including Liquid Phase Sintering (LPS), Hot Pressing (HP) and Field Assisted Sintering Technique (FAST), which introduce either viscous melt, external pressure or electric field to speed up densification rates at lower temperature. However, because of their inherent reliability on bulk diffusion, temperatures required are often too high for integrating polymers and non-noble metals. Reduction of sintering temperature below 400 °C would require a different densification mechanism that is based on surface transport with external forces to drive volume shrinkage. Densification method combining uniaxial pressure and solution under hydrothermal condition was first demonstrated by Kanahara's group at Kochi University in 1986 and was brought to our attention by the work of Kahari, etc, from University of Oulu on densification of Li2MoO 4 in 2015. This relatively new process showed promising ultra-low densification temperature below 300 °C, however little was known about its fundamental mechanism and scope of applications, which became the main focus of this dissertation. In this work, a uniaxial hydraulic press, a standard stainless steel 1/2 inch diameter die with heating band were utilized in densifying metal oxides. Applied pressure and sintering temperature were between 100 MPa and 700 MPa and from room temperature to 300 °C, respectively. Process variables were defined and effects of individual parameters were studied systematically through control variable method with Li2MoO4-water system. Crystalline structure, fractured surface morphology and chemical bonding information of the cold sintered pellets were studied with X-ray diffraction (XRD), field effect scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) and Raman spectroscopy, etc. Densification mechanism studies were conducted on ZnO. Through comparison experiments, it was found that the Zn2+ concentration in the solution is critical for densification, while dissolution of grains only serves as a means to the former. Through pressure dependent studies, a critical value was found, which correlated well with the hydrostatic pressure keeping liquid water from thermal expansion. These results confirmed establishment of hydrothermal condition that would be important for mass transport in densification. Densification rate variations with process time was estimated and similar time dependence to Kingery's model was found. The densification process was proposed to be consist of three consecutive stages, which are quick initial compaction, grain rearrangement and dissolution-reprecipitation events. Binary metal oxides with different acidities were subjected to cold sintering with various aqueous solutions in establishing a criteria for material selection. It was found that in general materials with high solubility at around neutral pH, high dissolution kinetics and similar free energy to their hydroxides or hydrates at ambient would be more likely for full densification with high phase purity. The anions in solution should also be wisely selected to avoid stable compound or complex formation. To extend the applicable material list for full densification, non-aqueous solvent of dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) based solution was studied for cold sintering. Both improvement of pellet density and suppression of hydroxide formation were achieved for MnO by using DMSO-HOAc solution. With this strategy, densification of other metal oxides with strong hydroxide formation may also be improved, for example oxides of alkaline earth and many transition metals. Finally, the author's previous work on Zn1-xMg xO thin films is included in Chapter 7.

Experimental Studies of the Effects of Anode Composition and Process Parameters on Anode Slime Adhesion and Cathode Copper Purity by Performing Copper Electrorefining in a Pilot-Scale Cell

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zeng, Weizhi; Wang, Shijie; Free, Michael L.

2016-10-01

Copper electrorefining tests were conducted in a pilot-scale cell under commercial tankhouse environment to study the effects of anode compositions, current density, cathode blank width, and flow rate on anode slime behavior and cathode copper purity. Three different types of anodes (high, mid, and low impurity levels) were used in the tests and were analyzed under SEM/EDS. The harvested copper cathodes were weighed and analyzed for impurities concentrations using DC Arc. The adhered slimes and released slimes were collected, weighed, and analyzed for compositions using ICP. It was shown that the lead-to-arsenic ratio in the anodes affects the sintering and coalescence of slime particles. High current density condition can improve anode slime adhesion and cathode purity by intensifying slime particles' coalescence and dissolving part of the particles. Wide cathode blanks can raise the anodic current densities significantly and result in massive release of large slime particle aggregates, which are not likely to contaminate the cathode copper. Low flow rate can cause anode passivation and increase local temperatures in front of the anode, which leads to very intense sintering and coalescence of slime particles. The results and analyses of the tests present potential solutions for industrial copper electrorefining process.

Effects of Hot-Hydrostatic Canned Extrusion on the Stock Utilization, Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of TiBw/TC4 Composites with Quasi-Continuous Network

PubMed Central

Feng, Yangju; Li, Bing; Cui, Guorong; Zhang, Wencong

2017-01-01

In-situ TiB whisker-reinforced Ti–6Al–4V (TC4) titanium matrix composites (TiBw/TC4) with quasi-continuous networks were successfully fabricated by vacuum hot-pressing sintering. The effects of the hot-hydrostatic canned extrusion on stock utilization, microstructure and mechanical properties of the TiBw/TC4 composites were investigated. It was satisfactory that the utilization of composites could be obviously improved by canned extrusion compared to that extruded without canned extrusion. The microstructure results showed that after canned extrusion the grain was refined and the TiB whiskers were distributed from a random array state to a state in which the whiskers were distributed along the extrusion direction. The properties testing results revealed that the tensile strength, the hardness and the ductility of the composites all significantly improved after extrusion due to the grain refinement and orientation of the TiB whisker caused by extrusion. Tensile fracture results showed that when the TiB whiskers were randomly distributed only part of them played a role in strengthening the matrix during the deformation process (as-sintered composites), while when the TiB whiskers were oriented all whiskers could strengthen the matrix during the tensile testing process (as-extruded composites). PMID:29068416

Effects of Hot-Hydrostatic Canned Extrusion on the Stock Utilization, Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of TiBw/TC4 Composites with Quasi-Continuous Network.

PubMed

Feng, Yangju; Li, Bing; Cui, Guorong; Zhang, Wencong

2017-10-25

In-situ TiB whisker-reinforced Ti-6Al-4V (TC4) titanium matrix composites (TiBw/TC4) with quasi-continuous networks were successfully fabricated by vacuum hot-pressing sintering. The effects of the hot-hydrostatic canned extrusion on stock utilization, microstructure and mechanical properties of the TiBw/TC4 composites were investigated. It was satisfactory that the utilization of composites could be obviously improved by canned extrusion compared to that extruded without canned extrusion. The microstructure results showed that after canned extrusion the grain was refined and the TiB whiskers were distributed from a random array state to a state in which the whiskers were distributed along the extrusion direction. The properties testing results revealed that the tensile strength, the hardness and the ductility of the composites all significantly improved after extrusion due to the grain refinement and orientation of the TiB whisker caused by extrusion. Tensile fracture results showed that when the TiB whiskers were randomly distributed only part of them played a role in strengthening the matrix during the deformation process (as-sintered composites), while when the TiB whiskers were oriented all whiskers could strengthen the matrix during the tensile testing process (as-extruded composites).

Effects of chromium addition on the metallurgy and P/M processing response of Alumix 431D

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mosher, Michael Patrick

The ever growing industry of Powder Metallurgy (P/M) is developing to include new alloys and improve those currently available. This project relates to the optimization of a commercially available Al-Zn-Mg-Cu based alloy (Alumix 431D). This alloy is the P/M equivalent of the wrought 7075 alloy, and yields some of the top performance found in any available aluminum alloy. Optimization of the alloy has been conducted with a focus on sintering conditions; in particular the effect of sintering temperature and post-sintering cooling. Five sintering temperatures were investigated and the optimal temperature was found to be 605°C. Cr was added in trace amounts as per literature recommendations in an attempt to improve corrosion resistance. Both the Cr-free and Cr-containing alloys were then assessed for post-sinter cooling effects. The Alumix 431D w/Cr compacted and sintered to a higher density which further resulted in improved hardness over the Cr-free counterpart. The cooling profile was modified to include an increasingly larger post-sinter furnace-cooling section, before gas quenching. Seven quenching temperatures were chosen to investigate ranging from the sintering temperature (605°C) down to 480°C. This furnace cooling allowed the alloy-rich liquid phase to dwell for an extended time at elevated temperature and thereby diffuse into the matrix grains increasing the alloy content. This was confirmed through EPMA and correlated with an increase in mechanical properties. For both alloys peak hardness was produced by specimens cooled to 520°C before quenching. Tensile strength also increased by as much as 12% when furnace cooled to 540°C. The heat treatment parameters were determined to yield an optimal T6 temper. Specimens of both alloys processed under all conditions were then subjected to this heat treatment and further characterized. Many of the improvements offered by furnace cooling that were obvious in the T1 'as-sintered' product, became less pronounced after heat treatment. Corrosion resistance was also studied and compared to the wrought 7075 equivalent. For 'as-sintered' P/M components the Tafel extrapolation was less effective in accurately determining corrosion rate due to the effect of porosity on surface area. To remedy this, samples were hot worked to near full density (>99.5% theoretical), heat treated and tested. The hot worked P/M samples performed up to 2x better than the wrought 7075 with respect to corrosion current densities.

[Influence on mechanical properties and microstructure of nano-zirconia toughened alumina ceramics with nano-zirconia content].

PubMed

Wang, Guang-Kui; Kang, Hong; Bao, Guang-Jie; Lv, Jin-Jun; Gao, Fei

2006-10-01

To investigate the mechanical properties and microstructure of nano -zirconia toughened alumina ceramics with variety of nano-zirconia content in centrifugal infiltrate casting processing of dental all-ceramic. Composite powder with different ethanol-water ratio, obtained serosity from ball milling and centrifugal infiltrate cast processing of green, then sintered at 1 450 degrees C for 8 h. The physical and mechanical properties of the sintered sample after milling and polishing were tested. Microstructures of the surface and fracture of the sintered sample were investigated by SEM. The experimental results showed that there had statistical significience (P < 0.01) on static three-point flexure strength and Vickers Hardness in three kinds of different nano-zirconia content sintered sample. Fracture toughness of 20% group was different from other two groups, while 10% group had not difference from 30% group (P < 0.05). The mechanical properties of this ceramic with 20% nano-zirconia was the best of the three, the static three-point flexure strength was (433 +/- 19) MPa and fracture toughness was (7.50 +/- 0.56) MPa x min 1/2. The intra/inter structure, fracture of intragranular and intergranular on the surface and fracture of sintered sample in microstrucre was also found. Intra/inter structure has strengthen toughness in ceramics. It has better toughness with 20% nano-zirconia, is suitable dental all-ceramic restoratives.

Valorization of lignite combustion residues and ferroalumina in the production of aggregates.

PubMed

Anagnostopoulos, I M; Stivanakis, V E; Angelopoulos, G N; Papamantellos, D C

2010-02-15

The present research study investigates the synergy of industrial solid by-products from lignite combustion (fly ash and bottom ash) and aluminum production (ferroalumina) in the production of lightweight aggregates (LWA). The process consists of two stages, pelletization and sintering. Bottom ash (BA) is used as the principal raw material in mixtures while ferroalumina (FAL) is added in lower percentages (5-30 wt%). BA carbon content is used as the fuel of sintering process in high temperatures, around 1250 degrees C, and gas generation is responsible for porous structure formation. Physical properties such as porosity, water absorption and bulk density, of sintering products are measured. Increase of FAL percentage in sintering mixtures results in decrease of porosity from 61% to 35% and of water absorption from 61% to 21% and in increase of bulk density from 1.02 g/cm(3) to 1.80 g/cm(3) of the produced aggregates. Aggregates produced by FAL addition up to 20 wt% are characterized as LWA. Aggregates formed are used in the production of concrete specimens. Compressive strength of concrete increases by increasing FAL addition in aggregates from 5 wt% to 15 wt% (highest strength value), while decrease by increasing FAL addition from 20 wt% to 30 wt%. FAL addition in lignite ashes sintering mixtures (up to 15 wt%) is considered as an important parameter for enhancing aggregates strength.

Constrained Sintering in Fabrication of Solid Oxide Fuel Cells

PubMed Central

Lee, Hae-Weon; Park, Mansoo; Hong, Jongsup; Kim, Hyoungchul; Yoon, Kyung Joong; Son, Ji-Won; Lee, Jong-Ho; Kim, Byung-Kook

2016-01-01

Solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) are inevitably affected by the tensile stress field imposed by the rigid substrate during constrained sintering, which strongly affects microstructural evolution and flaw generation in the fabrication process and subsequent operation. In the case of sintering a composite cathode, one component acts as a continuous matrix phase while the other acts as a dispersed phase depending upon the initial composition and packing structure. The clustering of dispersed particles in the matrix has significant effects on the final microstructure, and strong rigidity of the clusters covering the entire cathode volume is desirable to obtain stable pore structure. The local constraints developed around the dispersed particles and their clusters effectively suppress generation of major process flaws, and microstructural features such as triple phase boundary and porosity could be readily controlled by adjusting the content and size of the dispersed particles. However, in the fabrication of the dense electrolyte layer via the chemical solution deposition route using slow-sintering nanoparticles dispersed in a sol matrix, the rigidity of the cluster should be minimized for the fine matrix to continuously densify, and special care should be taken in selecting the size of the dispersed particles to optimize the thermodynamic stability criteria of the grain size and film thickness. The principles of constrained sintering presented in this paper could be used as basic guidelines for realizing the ideal microstructure of SOFCs. PMID:28773795