As-machined Samples Research Articles

Surface treatment impact on fatigue life at 550 °C of the as-built Inconel 718 manufactured by laser-powder bed fusion

This article compares the impact of surface modification on fatigue life at 550 °C of the Inconel 718 manufactured by laser-powder bed fusion. The surface conditions are as-built, as-machined, shot-peened, oxidized, and combinaisons of those. Surface roughness, microhardness, and residual stress measurements, as well as fractographic analyses are performed to interpret the fatigue results. Fatigue tests show that as-built samples have higher fatigue lifetime than as-machined samples. Moreover, shot peening increases fatigue lifetime. Finally, an oxidation treatment at 550 °C during 41.6 days does not affect fatigue life.

Evaluation of corrosion resistance, mechanical integrity loss and biocompatibility of PCL/HA/TiO2 hybrid coated biodegradable ZM21 Mg alloy

A novel PCL/HA/TiO 2 hybrid coating on ZM21 Mg alloy substrate has been investigated for corrosion resistance, biocompatibility and mechanical integrity loss in terms of bending, compressive and tensile strength in physiological media. The prepared hybrid coating was dip coated over ZM21 from HA/TiO 2 and PCL solutions followed by creating a microporous PCL layer by utilizing Non-solvent Induced Phase Separation (NIPS) technique. The electrochemical measurement and in-vitro degradation study in SBF after 28 days showed that the PCL/HA/TiO 2 hybrid coating reduced H2 evolution rate, weight loss, and corrosion rate by 64, 116 and 118 times respectively, as compared to uncoated ZM21 samples. The surface studies carried out using SEM-EDX, FTIR and XRD revealed formation of highly stable 3d flower-like HA crystals with Ca/P ratio of 1.60 in the PCL micropores. This dense apatite growth effectively protected the PCL/HA/TiO 2 hybrid coated samples to maintain the good mechanical integrity even after 28 days of immersion as compared to HA/TiO 2 composite coated, As-polished (A/P) and As-machined (A/M) samples. The failure analysis of samples under mechanical loading were performed using SEM-BSE-EBSD. The in-vitro cellular viability of L929 fibroblast cells on PCL/HA/TiO 2 hybrid coating was found 50.47% higher with respect to control group, whereas bacterial viability was supressed by 57.15 and 62.35% against gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus and gram-negative Escherichia coli bacterial models. The comprehensive assessment indicates PCL/HA/TiO 2 hybrid coating as a suitable candidate to delay early degradation and mechanical integrity loss of Mg-based alloys for devising biodegradable orthopaedic implant.

Effect of Surface Mechanical Attrition Treatment on Torsional Fatigue Properties of a 7075 Aluminum Alloy

The effect of Surface Mechanical Attrition Treatment (SMAT) on torsional fatigue properties of a 7075 aluminum alloy was investigated. A number of fatigue samples were heat treated to increase the sensitivity of the material to SMAT. Compared with the as-machined (AM) samples, the fatigue lives of their SMATed counterparts (AM-SMAT) tested under torsional loading increased under high stress amplitudes, but decreased under low amplitudes. However, the fatigue lives of heated and SMATed samples (HT-SMAT) increased under all the investigated stress amplitudes, compared with those that were heat treated (HT). It was also revealed that the cracking mechanisms are different for the samples in different states, and they are dependent on the imposed stress levels. The results show that SMAT could have both beneficial and detrimental effects on the fatigue lives depending on the testing conditions. The roles played by various factors, including residual stresses, grain refinement, and surface roughness, were analyzed and discussed to interpret the results.

The effect of surface modification of TiMg composite on the in-vitro degradation response, cell survival, adhesion, and proliferation

This study is aimed to evaluate the influence of mechanical surface treatment on the degradation response, cell survival, adhesion, and proliferation of a TiMg composite material. Two sets of the TiMg samples with different surface characteristics were studied: i) as-machined samples (TiMg-T) and ii) samples with a mechanically modified surface (TiMg-P). Surface roughness was determined using a confocal microscope. Degradation rates (DR) were evaluated in artificial Plasma, HBSS, and NaCl 0.9%. The cell viability was evaluated using an MTT assay. The initial cell adhesion and spreading were investigated using the direct contact assay. An xCELLigence system was employed to provide real-time cell proliferation. The focal adhesion and cell morphological changes were also examined. The DR of TiMg-P decreased by ⁓5 times compared with that of TiMg-T. Surface of the TiMg-P specimens after 72 h exposure to either HBSS or Plasma was passivated by a layer enriched with bioactive Ca/P species. The cell viability of L929 and Saos-2 after 72 h incubation for TiMg-P was 94.6% and 94.8% compared with 73.8% and 74.3% obtained for TiMg-T, respectively. The direct contact assay showed that the initial adhesion and spreading of the L929 cells incubated with TiMg-P was more pronounced compared with that of TiMg-T. The proliferation rate of Saos-2 cells incubated with TiMg-P was higher when compared with that of TiMg-T, and was almost comparable to that of the DMEM-blank between the 24 and 72 h interval. TiMg-P had a pronounced difference in the number and area of Focal Adhesions (FA) compared with that of TiMg-T. The morphology of cells incubated with TiMg-P was not altered. The results confirmed that the smooth and less strained surface of the TiMg-P samples effectively improved the in-vitro degradation response, cell survival, adhesion, and proliferation.

Surface wettability and pool boiling Critical Heat Flux of Accident Tolerant Fuel cladding-FeCrAl alloys

Abstract Surface wettability analysis, including measurements of static (θ) advance (θ A ), and receding (θ r ) contact angles, and surface roughness, Ra, are effective parameters used in the literature to predict changes in the pool boiling Critical Heat Flux (CHF). The CHF is an important aspect of the thermal hydraulic performance that needs to be investigated for new Accident Tolerant Fuel (ATF) cladding materials, such as iron-chromium-aluminum alloys (FeCrAl). Surface wettability of FeCrAl samples oxidized under different simulated Light Water Reactor (LWR) water chemistry conditions was measured. These measurements were compared to as-machined and oxidized Zircaloy-4 (Zirc-4), the reference cladding material in LWRs, under the same conditions. Theoretical models were used to predict the pool boiling CHF using surface wettability measurements. Pool boiling experiments were conducted using the same samples to measure the CHF. The measured and predicted CHF data were compared for model validation. The obtained results showed no significant difference in the measured static contact angle and hence the predicted CHF between the as-machined samples of FeCrAl, 310 SS, and Zirc-4. The contact angles (static, advance, and receding angles) for corroded FeCrAl samples under different LWR water chemistry conditions are lower, and the measured surface roughness values are higher than Zirc-4 corroded under the same conditions. Existing models in the literature predicted higher pool boiling CHF of corroded FeCrAl compared to 310 stainless steel (SS), and Zirc-4. The measured pool boiling CHF for oxidized FeCrAl samples was higher than Zirc-4 samples. The measured and predicted CHF values are in good agreement. The CHF and the Departure from Nucleate Boiling Ratio (DNBR) were calculated using the Consortium for Advanced Simulation of Light Water Reactors (CASL) subchannel code COBRA-TF (CTF) for a one-eighth model of a 17 × 17 Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR) fuel assembly. The inlet conditions are consistent with typical PWR values except for the power, which was set 50% higher than is typical to represent possible accident conditions more accurately. The calculated distributions for the CHF and DNBR for oxidized FeCrAl showed significantly higher values throughout the fuel assembly octant compared to as machined Zirc-4 and as machined FeCrAl. These preliminary results show that oxidized FeCrAl may be able to withstand the proposed accident conditions without leading to a boiling crisis.

Influence of as-built surface and heat treatment on the fatigue resistance of Additively Layer Manufacturing (ALM) AlSi10Mg alloy.

This work concerns the fatigue resistance of a AlSi10Mg material produced by additive manufacturing, and more precisely the competition between as built manufacturing surface and as-machined surface on the fatigue resistance. Samples were built by a powder-bed process with an EOS-M280 machine using standard in two configurations (0° and 90°) in order to evaluate the impact of building direction on fatigue life. The impact of as-built surface on fatigue behavior is quantified for each specimen configuration. A T6 heat treatment is performed on samples in order to evaluate the impact of microstructure on fatigue behavior. For each configurations, the S-N curves is determined in as-built and T6 materials with a load ratio R= -1. The fracture surfaces are carefully analyzed in order to determine the critical defect size for each sample. A Kitagawa type diagram representing the fatigue limit as a function of the defect size is derived from these measurements. All the results were compared to those obtained in asmachined samples.

The footprint of surface modification treatments on the corrosion-fatigue of AA7075-T651

Different manufacturing and surface modification treatments distinctively affect the surface characteristics and microstructure of the workpiece, having a different impact on their effective life-span. The corrosion-fatigue behavior of as-machined (wire-EDM), blasted and anodized aluminum alloy 7075-T651 was investigated using 3.5wt% NaCl aqueous solution and distilled water as corrosive media. An in-situ corrosion-fatigue device capable of producing cyclic loads in a corrosive solution was employed, coupled with FEM analysis. Blasting process offered a prolongation of the corrosion-fatigue life-span in both corrosive media, when compared to the as-machined samples under identical conditions. Anodizing had a deleterious effect in all the examined cases.

Surface recrystallization and its effect on oxidation of superalloy C263

Ni-base superalloy C263 has been oxidized from 700°C to 1100°C in artificial dry air. A continuous Cr rich (Cr, Ti)2O3 layer is formed during oxidation, while the oxidation kinetics deviated from the parabolic kinetics. The oxidation microstructures were different in as-machined and polished samples. Recrystallization below the oxide layer occurred in as-machined samples together with severe internal degradation (internal oxidation and nitridation). Grain boundaries provide paths for fast diffusion of O and N into the substrate and outward diffusion of Ti and Cr. Surface deformation and recrystallization exhibit detrimental effects on the oxidation behavior of C263.

Cooling and Annealing Effect on Indentation Response of Lead-Free Solder

With the development of lead-free solders in the electronic packing industry, Sn–Ag–Cu solders are one of the most promising lead-free alloys to be applied due to their outstanding mechanical property and wettability. By performing indentation experiments, the effect of cooling rate on the mechanical properties of Sn–3.0Ag–0.5Cu (SAC305) solder is investigated in typical cooling conditions (i.e., furnace cooled and water quenched) and compared with the as-machined samples of bulk solder bars from the industry. Based on continuous stiffness measurement technique, Young’s modulus and hardness are reduced by 2.3–3.9[Formula: see text]GPa and 0.053–0.085[Formula: see text]GPa, respectively, after annealing treatment for the indentation depth between 1000[Formula: see text]nm and 1100[Formula: see text]nm in samples after cooling, however, the value of hardness is independent of cooling condition. By defining the contact stiffness to represent residual stress in solder samples after cooling and annealing process, an exponential-based Oliver–Pharr model is employed to fit the unloading responses of indentation. It is found that the smaller cooling rate induces less contact stiffness and thus less residual stress. Despite different cooling conditions, the contact stiffness of unannealed and annealed solder samples are 711.8–842.5[Formula: see text][Formula: see text]N/nm and 655.2–673.4[Formula: see text][Formula: see text]N/nm, respectively. Thus, annealing treatment of 210[Formula: see text]C for 6[Formula: see text]h can effectively alleviate residual stress to a similar level for SAC305 solder samples with different cooling conditions. This conclusion is supported by the alleviation of pile-up deformation in the residual indentation after annealing treatment.

X-ray diffraction study of microstructural changes during fatigue damage initiation in pipe steels: Role of the initial dislocation structure

The present work is the second part of an ongoing study of microstructural changes during fatigue damage initiation in pipe steels [B. Pinheiro et al., Mat. Sci. Eng., A 532 (2012) 158–166]. Microdeformations and residual stresses (macrostresses) are evaluated by X-ray diffraction during alternating bending fatigue tests on samples taken from an API 5L X60 grade steel pipe. Microdeformations are evaluated from the full width at half maximum (FWHM) of the diffraction peak and residual stresses are estimated from the peak shift. Here, to understand the role of the initial dislocation structure, annealed samples are considered. As previously found for as-machined samples, the evolution of microdeformations shows three regular successive stages, but now with an increase during the first stage. The amplitude of each stage is accentuated with increasing stress amplitude, while its duration is reduced. Residual stresses show a similar trend, with stages of the same durations than those observed for FWHM, respectively. Additionally, changes in density and distribution of dislocations are observed by transmission electron microscopy combined with the technique of focused ion beam. The results are very encouraging for the development of a future indicator of fatigue damage initiation for pipe steels based on microstructural changes measured by X-ray diffraction.

Influence of De-icers on the Corrosion and Fatigue Behavior of 4140 Steel

The purpose of this test was to evaluate the effects of calcium magnesium acetate (CMA) and sodium chloride (NaCl)—two common substances used to de-ice roadways—on the corrosion and fatigue behavior of annealed AISI 4140 steel. When CMA-corroded, NaCl-corroded, and as-machined samples were tested using R = 0.1, and f = 20 Hz, it was found that, within the scope of this study, samples corroded in both 3.5% CMA solution and 3.5% NaCl solution exhibited a lower fatigue strength than samples tested in the as-machined, uncorroded condition. For the short lives tested in this study, the difference in the effects of CMA and NaCl is minimal. However, at longer lives it is suspected, based on the trends, that the CMA solution would be less detrimental to the fatigue life.

Impact of shape-memory programming on mechanically-driven recovery in polymers

Shape-memory polymers (SMPs) are a class of mechanically functional “smart” materials defined by their ability to change shape upon exposure to an environmental stimulus. The shape-memory effect has traditionally been activated by thermal mechanisms via heating the polymer above a transition temperature to increase chain mobility and initiate shape recovery. This study proposes a unique approach to mechanically drive recovery in SMP networks using external forces to facilitate shape change in a material with stored strain. SMP networks were synthesized from tert-butyl acrylate and poly(ethylene glycol) dimethacrylate in three network compositions. Networks were tailored to maintain a constant glass transition temperature (∼52 °C) with increasing crosslinking density, shown by rubbery modulus values of 1.2, 3.1, and 8.2 MPa. Hollow SMP cylinders were axially elongated (programmed) to stored strain levels of approximately 25%. A second set of samples was machined to match the programmed dimensions of the SMP sample set. Compression testing revealed that the compressive strength and energy required for deformation for the programmed SMP samples were on average 62% and 52% of the as-machined samples’ values, respectively. The ratios between programmed and as-machined samples’ compressive properties were independent of both crosslinking density and temperature up to the onset of glass transition. Lastly, an interference-fit test model was used to demonstrate that mechanically-driven SMPs could immediately create and maintain a stronger fixation force compared to as-machined samples and thermally-driven SMP samples. This study introduces an approach to drive shape change that mitigates the time-temperature dependence and discusses the potential of this mechanism for biomedical devices.

Fracture behavior of silicon nitride ceramics under combined compression–torsion stresses analyzed by multiaxial fracture statistics

Combined compression–torsion tests were performed on the thermal-treated and as-machined silicon nitride ceramics to investigate their fracture behavior under multiaxial stress states. The thermal-treated samples showed considerable high strength and low anisotropy to the grinding direction in flexure tests compared to the as-machined samples. Under combined compression and torsion stress states, the thermal-treated samples showed considerably higher tensile strength than that of as-machined samples at low compressive stress states and weakening with increasing compression stress. The as-machined samples showed little decrease in tensile strength with increasing compression stress and comparable tensile strength with the thermal-treated samples under a highly compressive stress state. The behavior of thermal-treated samples were well described by the statistical theory of multiaxial fracture for volume-distributed flaws combined with a mixed-mode fracture criterion with the shear sensitivity constant of 1.75 and 1.65 for Shetty’s criterion and the ellipsoidal criterion, respectively.

The effects of laser peening and shot peening on fretting fatigue in Ti–6Al–4V coupons

This paper describes testing of Ti–6Al–4V coupons in fretting fatigue and compares the effects of mechanical surface treatments on performance. Fretting fatigue tests were performed using a proving ring for fretting load, bridge-type fretting pads, and applied tension–tension cyclic fatigue stress. As-machined (AM), shot peened (SP), and laser peened (LP) coupons were evaluated, and data generated to compare residual stress, surface condition, lifetime, and fractographic detail encountered for each. Near-surface residual stress in SP and LP coupons was similar. The layer of compressive residual stress was far deeper in LP coupons than in SP coupons and, consequently, subsurface tensile residual stress was significantly greater in LP coupons than in SP coupons. SP coupons exhibited a rough surface and had the greatest volume of fretting-induced wear. LP coupons exhibited a wavy surface and had a small volume of wear localized at wave peaks. SP coupons had the greatest fretting fatigue lifetime, with significant improvement over AM coupons. Lifetimes of LP coupons were similar to those for SP coupons at high fatigue stress, but fell between AM and SP coupons at lower fatigue stress. Fractographic evaluation showed that fractures of AM samples were preceded by initiation of fretting-induced cracks, transition of a lead fretting crack to mode-I fatigue crack growth, and crack growth to failure. SP and LP samples exhibited behavior similar to AM samples at high fatigue stress, but in coupons tested at low stress the lead crack initiated subsurface, near the measured depth of maximum tensile residual stress, despite the presence of fretting-induced cracks. The level of fatigue stress above which lead cracks were initiated by fretting was higher for LP than for SP, and was predicted with good accuracy using an analysis based on linear elastic fracture mechanics, the fatigue crack growth threshold stress intensity factor range, and superposition of measured residual stress and applied fatigue stress.

Residual stresses in particle-reinforced ceramic composites using synchrotron radiation

Residual stresses were determined in particle-reinforced ceramic composites using synchrotron based x-ray diffraction. The baseline Si3N4 and the Si3N4-TiN composites were processed by turbomilling, pressure casting, and isopressing. They were then continuously sintered to full density, under a pressureless, flowing nitrogen atmosphere. The flexural strength, fracture toughness, and residual stress were measured for as-machined samples and following quenching in water from 1000°C, 1100°C, and 1200°C. The residual stresses for both the baseline Si3N4 and the Si3N4-TiN composites were determined from the (441) and (531) reflections, by applying the 2Θ-sin2ψ method. The measured residual stresses were compared with the flexural strength and fracture toughness results to determine the effects of residual stress and thermal shocking on the mechanical properties of each material. In both the baseline Si3N4 and Si3N4-TiN composites, after thermal shocking, the compressive residual stresses were developed in directions both parallel and perpendicular to the sample surface. The residual compressive stresses for the Si3N4-TiN composites were much higher than the baseline Si3N4. As a result, both fracture toughness and flexural strength of the Si3N4-TiN composites were improved. In addition, the addition of the TiN appears to improve both the strength and toughness of the baseline Si3N4.