Steel Particles Research Articles

Experimental investigation of heat generation during the mixing of granular materials using an overhead stirrer

AbstractBladed mixers are commonly used for processing granular materials, requiring significant mechanical energy for optimal blending. During this process, heat is generated due to dissipated mechanical energy within the granular medium. However, our understanding of heat generation mechanisms without external thermal loads is limited. This article investigates heat generation by monitoring temperature changes in granular beds mixed using an overhead stirrer. First‐order kinetic equations are employed to extrapolate experimental data to a thermal equilibrium where heat generation and loss rates are balanced. Lead, steel, and glass particles are utilized under different operating conditions. Notably, metallic particles exhibit faster heating due to their lower heat capacity. Increasing rotation speed, fill ratio, and particle size result in greater temperature rises. Additionally, flat blades generate more heat compared to tilted blades. Through dimensional analysis, the experimental data are collapsed into linear curves that correlate system power consumption and granular bed temperature with operating conditions.

Enhancing molten tin methane pyrolysis performance for hydrogen and carbon production in a hybrid solar/electric bubbling reactor

Methane pyrolysis in liquid metals is a worth-developing process for CO2-free hydrogen production. This study investigates methane pyrolysis in molten tin and highlights the impact of several parameters on methane conversion (XCH4) in a novel hybrid solar/electric bubbling reactor. Temperature (1200–1300 °C), total inlet gas flow rate (Q0 = 0.25–0.5 NL/min), melt height (Him = 60-120-235 mm) and hybridization are addressed. Increasing the temperature from 1200 °C to 1300 °C (Q0 = 0.25 NL/min and Him = 120 mm) improves XCH4 (32% vs. 69%). Increasing Q0 from 0.25 to 0.5 NL/min (T = 1200 °C and Him = 120 mm) reduces XCH4 (19% vs. 9%). Doubling the melt height (Him from 60 to 120 mm) increases the residence time of bubbles, which increases XCH4 (7% vs. 19%). A customized sparger is also tested and shows little effect, probably because the holes are relatively large (1 mm diameter). An immersed bed of steel particles (0.2–0.4 mm diameter) instead shows improved results (XCH4 = 32%) at a relatively low temperature (1100 °C). Continuous reactor operation at 1300 °C without clogging is also confirmed. Analysis of carbon accumulated at melt surface during molten media methane pyrolysis reveals a tin-containing sheet-like structure.

Modification of grain boundary microstructure by controlling dissolution behavior of θ particles in Cr-containing hypereutectoid steel

To overcome the brittleness of high‑carbon steels, it is necessary to develop the strategy to remove the carbides on the grain boundaries and strengthen grain boundaries. In this paper, we achieved them by simply controlling the heat treatment conditions and the microstructure before heat treatment. It was found the dissolution behavior of the θ-cementite particles is changed greatly with and without Cr in the high‑carbon steels. In the Cr-free hypereutectoid steel, dissolution of θ particles at high temperatures is remarkably fast, but the dissolution behavior is greatly affected by the microstructure in the Cr-containing hypereutectoid steel. In the Cr-containing hypereutectoid steel, the dissolution of θ particles into the γ-austenite phase was rapid in steel with smaller θ particles in fine α grains, but slow in steel with larger θ particles in coarse α grains. The θ particles on the grain boundaries preferentially dissolved and rapidly disappeared in the initial stage of the dissolution treatment owing to the contribution of grain boundary diffusion, since the grain boundary diffusion of Cr is fast as comparable to C. However, the θ particles inside the grains slowly dissolved and then remained until the later stage, owing to slow dissolution via the partition local equilibrium (PLE) mode controlled by the lattice diffusion of Cr. Owing to the preferential dissolution of θ particles on the grain boundaries in the initial stage, large amounts of Cr atoms dissociated from the θ particles diffused along the grain boundaries with grain boundary diffusion, forming Cr-enriched grain boundaries. Such grain boundary microstructure control is expected to lead to the suppression of intergranular fracture, resulting in the improvement of fracture toughness.

Gaining insight into genotoxicity with the comet assay in inhomogenoeous exposure scenarios: The effects of tritiated steel and cement particles on human lung cells in an inhalation perspective

The comet assay was recently applied for the first time to test the genotoxicity of micrometric stainless steel and cement particles, representative of those produced in the dismantling of nuclear power plants. A large dataset was obtained from in vitro exposure of BEAS-2B lung cells to different concentrations of hydrogenated (non-radiative control) and tritiated particles, to assess the impact of accidental inhalation. Starting from the distributions of the number of nuclei scored at different extent of DNA damage (% tail DNA values), we propose a new comet data treatment designed to consider the inhomogeneity of the action of such particles. Indeed, due to particle behavior in biological media and concentration, a large fraction of cells remains undamaged, and standard averaging of genotoxicity indicators leads to a misinterpretation of experimental results. The analysis we propose reaches the following goals: genotoxicity in human lung cells is assessed for stainless steel and cement microparticles; the role of radiative damage due to tritium is disentangled from particulate stress; the fraction of damaged cells and their average level of DNA damage are assessed separately, which is essential for carcinogenesis implications and sets the basis for a better-informed risk management for human exposure to radioactive particles.

Evaluation of dissimilar 7075 aluminum/AISI 304 stainless steel joints using friction stir welding

Friction stir welding of dissimilar 7075 aluminum/AISI 304 stainless steel joints was done using different tool rotational speed values. The weld was mainly formed in the aluminum part due to the offset value, and stainless steel particles were surrounded with the stirred fine-grained Al matrix. Intermetallic compounds consisting of FeAl3, Fe3Si, FeAl, Fe4Al13 and Fe3Al2Si4 were found in the weld bead. The thickness of the intermetallic compound layers was increased up to 6 µm by increasing the tool rotational speed. Moreover, the stir zone was mainly characterized by a composite-like structure. The weld strength was increased significantly by decreasing the tool’s rotational speed. The maximum strength of joints was about 72% of 7075 aluminum strength. The formation of extensive intermetallic compound layers could be the reason for the reduced joint strength. In specimens with higher tool rotational speeds, fracture occurred within the stir zone.

Solitary wave-based site-specific bone quality assessment: A numerical study of the proximal femur

We examine numerically the feasibility of using a relatively new solitary wave-based non-destructive test (NDT) method for site-specific bone quality assessment. Towards this end, we present numerical predictions of the effective elastic modulus of trabecular bone in the proximal femur using highly nonlinear solitary waves (HNSWs) propagating in a one-dimensional chain of spherical steel particles. A computational bone reconstruction technique, enabled through topology optimization, is developed to generate high-resolution finite-element models representing the complex architecture of the trabecular network in the femoral neck region of the proximal femur. The reconstructed bone microstructure models are then used as the inspection medium in a virtual NDT setup in the form of a hybrid discrete-element/finite-element (DE/FE) model, capable of simulating the propagation of HNSWs in the granular chain and their interaction with the bone microstructures. By inserting a face sheet between the granular chain and the porous trabecular bone model, our calculations evince that dynamic loading by the incident solitary wave results in nearly uniaxial deformation of the bone microstructure (rather than localized contact indentations), and this is shown to enhance the accuracy and reliability of the solitary wave-based prediction of the bone’s effective elastic modulus. Using the delay of the primary reflected solitary wave in the estimation of the elastic modulus of bone, we are able to estimate the effective elastic moduli of the porous bone models with adequate accuracy. Based on these numerical findings, we believe that solitary wave-based non-destructive evaluation of computationally reconstructed artificial bone models could form the baseline for advanced bone quality assessment tools.

Investigation of carbon steel particle collisions in dry and wet environments

Investigation of carbon steel particle collisions in dry and wet environments

Forms and Roles of Bismuth in Steel: A Review

In article number 2200625, Jian-bo Xie reviews the forms and roles of Bismuth in steel. Bismuth is used in free-cutting steels; however, the morphology of sulfide in steel has an effect on steel machinability. The morphologies of sulfides in as-cast steel were in clustering, spherical, ellipsoidal, and spindle shapes, while just the clustering sulfide has a bad effect on machinability. Most bismuth particles in steel are in isolated form, and others adhere to sulfides.

Strength and nuclear shielding performance of heavyweight concrete experimental and theoretical analysis using WinXCom program

This study presents experimental work and theoretical analysis to evaluate the performance of heavyweight concrete for nuclear shielding applications. Heavyweight concrete mixes were prepared using different coarse aggregates including crushed dolomite, magnetite and steel. Also, magnetite and steel filings were used to replace 50% and 100% by volume of the sand. The workability of fresh concrete and the compressive strength at 7 and 28 days were evaluated. The attenuation coefficient for concrete samples was determined using gamma-ray spectrometry and WinXCom software in gamma-energy lines of 0.662–1.332 MeV. The experimental results indicated that the concrete mixes containing steel particles as a coarse and fine aggregates achieved the most desirable performance in terms of density and gamma-attenuation. Concrete densities up to 5.8 ton/m3 were obtained using steel as coarse aggregates. For the examined photon energy lines, the average attenuation coefficient of the concrete mixes incorporating steel was two times that of the control mix. On the other hand, the concrete mixes incorporating magnetite achieved the highest compressive strength value of 68 MPa. The attenuation coefficient could be estimated theoretically using WinXCom with errors in the range of 12% to −15%.

Effect of addition of alumina and rare-earth oxide particles on the corrosion resistance and mechanism of low carbon low alloy steel

The corrosion mechanism of the low carbon low alloy steel with Al2O3 particles and rare Earth (RE) oxide particles was compared in a simulated marine environment. It is shown that when the Al2O3-containing particles are introduced, the number density of nonmetallic particles of the steel increases twice, and the average particle size decreases from approximately 2.4 μm to 1.4 μm. With the introduction of Al2O3-containing particles, the amount of pitting corrosion increases. Furthermore, pitting corrosion occurs more uniformly owing to the fineness of the Al2O3 particles, thereby leading to smaller, shallower pits after the Al2O3 particles are shed. Hence, the corrosion performance of the steel with Al2O3 particles is significantly improved than that of the steel without Al2O3 particles. By adding RE oxide particles into steel, the nonmetallic particles in steel are refined but not as effectively as that achieved by adding the Al2O3-containing particles. Different from Al2O3 particles, Cu is obviously enriched in the location of RE oxide particles at the initial corrosion stage, which makes the steel exhibit the best corrosion resistance. Cu enrichment is attributed to the mobile Cu present in the rust layer and to the micro acid region formed around the RE oxide particles.

Laser powder bed fusion of Alumina/Fe–Ni ceramic matrix particulate composites impregnated with a polymeric resin

Additive Manufacturing (AM) plays a key role in meeting the vital demands of Industry. The AM industry needs the range of applicable materials to be expanded by conducting research on novel ones. In the present investigation, alumina/Fe–Ni (steel) ceramic matrix particulate composite was fabricated employing laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) additive manufacturing (AM) technology. The quality of the printed samples was associated with the LPBF process parameters, which were optimized for this process. In general, the fabricated samples showed a microstructure of alumina matrix with uniform distribution of steel (Fe–Ni) particles. The as-printed samples exhibited pores. Thus, they were subjected to a sintering heat treatment cycle under an inert atmosphere. Although the sintering cycle considerably increased the average Vickers hardness, pores were not eliminated entirely. Therefore, polymer impregnation of the as-sintered samples was carried out to reduce porosities and microcracks. The mercury porosimeter showed that the porosity decreased sequentially after sintering and polymer impregnation. In addition, mechanical investigations revealed that the polymer impregnation improved the compressive strength of the sintered samples (from 56 to 120 MPa). Alumina-based materials find wide applications in various fields, including the manufacturing of electronic components, cutting tools, biomedical implants, and catalyst converters, owing to their low density, high hardness, wear and corrosion resistance, and biocompatibility. This study presents a viable approach for the fabrication of these materials, with developed samples exhibiting promising properties. The study emphasizes the potential of additive manufacturing as an approach for the fabrication of ceramic matrix composites reinforced with metallic particulates in future research.

Surface layer characterization of 2205 duplex stainless steel subjected to abrasive water jet descaling

Abrasive water jet (AWJ) is an environmentally friendly and acid-free descaling technology, that has the added benefit of strengthening the material surface. However, the effects of AWJ descaling on the surface layer of heterostructured (HS) materials and the application of deformable abrasives involving high cycle times for AWJ descaling have not been extensively reported. In this study, martensitic stainless steel particles with high cycle times were subjected to AWJ descaling to investigate the effect of AWJ on the surface layer characterization of 2205 duplex stainless steel (DSS). The properties of the 2205 DSS surface layer were characterized by the surface morphology, surface roughness, microstructure, and microhardness. When exposed to an AWJ intensity of 0.245 mmA, the surface of 2205 DSS exhibited the formation of extrusion craters and flat debris. Additionally, the surface roughness Ra was measured at 3.778 µm. The gradient hardening layer was formed on the surface of the AWJ specimen, and the depth of the hardening layer was 550 µm. The maximum microhardness was 395 HV, which is approximately 30% higher than that of the original specimen. Within the AWJ specimens, dislocation networks were observed in the ferrite, while the austenite exhibited dislocation cells, deformation twins, and strain-induced martensite. Furthermore, the experimental results indicate that plastic deformation was unevenly distributed between the two phases, with the majority of deformation occurring within the austenite phase. Owing to the requirement of deformation compatibility, several of geometrically necessary dislocations (GNDs) accumulated near the austenitic phase boundary to regulate the plastic strain gradient, and the hetero-deformation induced (HDI) stress generated by these dislocations strengthens the austenite. The AWJ refines the surface material structure; increases the density of dislocations, phase boundaries, and stacking faults; forms strain-induced martensite; and introduces a residual compressive stress field, which improves the material surface hardness.

Rheological characterisation of water atomised tool steel powders developed for laser powder bed fusion by supervised and unsupervised machine learning

ABSTRACT Metal powders developed for additive manufacturing processes need to achieve specific flow characteristics to be considered suitable. However, for the relationship between powder flow and the morphological characteristics of individual particles can be difficult to establish. In this context, artificial intelligence appears to be the perfect tool to clarify the imprecision surrounding this type of interaction. The work summarised in this manuscript first uses a neural network architecture (Mask R-CNN) allowing the segmentation of individual water-atomised tool steel particles in micrographs acquired in scanning electron microscopy. The micrographs of individual particles or their shape descriptors are then processed using and comparing two different strategies, namely linear regression or unsupervised machine learning (ML), to corelate the information collected on individual particles with the rheological properties of powder specimens. The approach developed aims to acquire new knowledge regarding specific particle characteristics that are required to optimise powder flowability for laser powder-bed fusion.

Collision regimes and dynamic behaviors of a viscous droplet impacting on a spherical particle at high temperatures

Understanding droplet–particle collision behaviors is essential for the pyrohydrolysis process of pickling liquor, where the pickling liquor is sprayed and dried into particles. This study systematically investigated the collision characteristics between a viscous droplet and a heated stainless steel particle whose temperature ranged from 100 to 700 °C. The results indicate that the vapor thrust promotes droplet rebound in smaller spreading diameters but induces disintegration in larger spreading diameters under the film boiling regime. The collision regime map is summarized, and the transition thresholds of collision patterns are significantly increased with increasing liquid viscosity. The spreading factor and contact line velocity are strongly affected by the particle temperature at high liquid viscosities. In addition, the hydrophobic nature of particle surface in film boiling regime is favorable for droplet spreading. The dynamic contact angle significantly depends on the particle temperature and droplet properties. The dimensionless contact time shows a power law dependency on the Weber number in the rebound pattern, but it is almost a constant in the disintegration pattern.

Research on longitudinal vibration suppression of underwater vehicle shafting based on particle damping

A particle damper is applied to suppress the longitudinal vibration of underwater vehicle shafting in order to reduce vibration level and improve silence and stealth of underwater vehicles. The model of rubber-coated steel particle damper was established with discrete element method and PFC3D simulation software, the damping energy consumption law of collision and friction between particle and damper and between particle and particle investigated, the effects of particle radius, mass filling ratio, cavity length, excitation frequency, excitation amplitude, rotating speed and both stacking and motion states of particles on the system vibration suppression were discussed, and the bench test was carried out to verify the law. It revealed the mechanism of longitudinal vibration suppression of particle damping, established the intrinsic relationship between of total energy consumption of particle and vibration of system, and put forward the evaluating method of longitudinal vibration suppression effect by total energy consumption of particle and vibration reduction ratio. The research results show that the mechanical model of particle damper is reasonable and the simulation data is reliable; the rotating speed, mass filling ratio and cavity length have significant effects on the total energy consumption of particle and vibration reduction ratio.

Taguchi Method Optimization of Water Absorption Behavior by Wheat Straw-Basalt Hybrid Brake Pad Composite

The application of biomass-derived composite material is in high demand worldwide in various commercial sectors, including automotive, due to its durable, cost-effective, and environment-friendly characteristics. However, one of the limiting factors of biomass-based composites is its higher water absorption capacity compared to commercial synthetic composites. Therefore, this study aimed to optimize the water absorption capacity of biomass-based, wheat straw fiber-basalt hybrid composite brake pad using the Taguchi method by considering the particle size and volume % of the composite compositions. The composite synthesized in this study carried two variations of particle sizes of basalt, wheat straw, steel, river sand, and graphite, as well as two-volume percentages of epoxy resin for optimization. All composites were molded using a compression molding process at compressive pressure of 6 MPa for 2 h curing in a forced convection oven at 100 °C. Water absorption capacity has been determined according to ASTM D570. The wheat straw fiber has been chemically treated with 5 wt.% of sodium hydroxide (NaOH) to remove the impurities, lignin, and hemicellulose and increase the surface area of the fiber, resulting in a larger area of contact between the fiber and the matrix. Elemental analysis, crystallinity, morphology, and mechanical strength of wheat straw fiber-based composites have been determined by XRD, SEM, and compression tests, respectively. The statistical method, analysis of variance (ANOVA), was implemented for Taguchi optimization of the composite compositions. The maximum compressive strength and minimum and maximum water absorption capacity of composites were obtained as 77 MPa, 3.55%, and 26.86%, respectively. From the optimum setting of the confirmation experiment, the optimal water absorption value of 5.718% has been obtained. The optimum particle size of the composite compositions was 1 mm basalt particle, 0.5 mm wheat straw fiber, 1 mm steel particle, 1 mm river sand, 0.5 mm graphite dust particle, and 30 vol% epoxy resin by Taguchi method. The parameter impact of Taguchi ranking on water absorption capacity presented the maximum improvement of water absorption, 10.47%, with river sand particle size.

Microstructure, Process Optimization, and Strength Response Modelling of Green-Aluminium-6061 Composite as Automobile Material

The use of ashes derived from various waste sources as supplements to synthesized ceramic reinforcement in metal matrices has been established. However, studies involving a combination of particulates from three different sources are rare. In a bid to further knowledge in this aspect of research and develop a green aluminium composite for automobile applications, the present investigation studied the implication of adding palm kernel shell ash (PKA), rice husk ash (RHA), and waste steel particles (STP) to the morphology and strength behaviour of Al-6061-T6 alloy. The experimental design was undertaken via the Box–Behnken design (BBD) of the response surface method. A 4% STP at a constant dose was mixed with PKA and RHA at varying proportions and stirring temperatures according to the BBD. The experimental outcome revealed that the responses were greatly influenced by microstructural evolution. From the surface plots, 2–4% RHA and PKA enhanced tensile and flexural strengths, while 4–6% led to a decline in strength. Meanwhile, 2–6% of the particles are favourable to the enhancement of tensile and compressive strengths and moduli. Temperatures between 700 and 800 °C favored response improvement, whereas temperatures between 800 and 900 °C were detrimental to responses. Developed regression models for the responses were validated to be good representations of the experimental outcomes. The optimum mix was obtained at 4.81% PKA, 5.41% RHA, and a stirring temperature of 803 °C. The validation experiment conducted portrayed reliable responses with <5% deviation from the predicted values, thereby certifying the models to be statistically fit for future predictions.

MECHANICAL PERFORMANCE OF INJECTED STEEL‐REINFORCED RESIN CONNECTORS UNDER DIFFERENT CONFINED CONDITIONS FOR REUSABLE COMPOSITE STRUCTURES

AbstractA novel injection material for the development of demountable injected bolted connections in oversized holes has been recently developed by the Steel and Composite Structure research group at Delft University of Technology [1]. This injection material is a steel‐reinforced resin (SRR) which consists of spherical steel particles embedded in a resin. The SRR proved to have several benefits such as the increase of the stiffness and strength of the connection and the decrease of its creep deformation when compared to injected connections with conventional epoxy resin. Research on the performance of the injected steel‐reinforced resin (iSRR) has been focused on steel‐to‐steel, steel‐to‐concrete, and steel‐to‐FRP connections. This paper presents an overview of the recent experimental and numerical research on the mechanical properties of demountable iSRR connections and provides a comparison between different confined conditions of the injected volume.

Measurement of powder bed oxygen content by image analysis in laser powder bed fusion

Costs and resource efficiency of laser powder bed fusion (L-PBF) are highly dependent on the ability to produce high quality parts with recycled powders. There is a need to control the quality of the material, which has a direct influence on the performance of the printed parts. Particles oxidation is known to increase with repeated powder recycling and can be a good indicator of powder degradation. The characterization of powders oxygen content is time-consuming, expensive, and usually carried out ex-situ on non-reusable quantities that are not necessarily representative of the entire feedstock. In this work, a new methodology was developed to measure the oxygen content of powders by in-line scanning of powder bed layers. The method takes advantage of stainless steel particles coloration related to their oxidation level in order to assess their oxygen concentration as a function of Red, Green and Blue channel values of image scans. The calibration procedure once carried out, several recycled powder samples were scanned and analyzed, and the determined powder beds oxygen contents were demonstrated to be in accordance with ex-situ measurements. The results highlight a new opportunity to monitor and evaluate powder degradation in-situ on powder bed layers by image analysis.

Designing minimally segregating granular mixtures for gravity‐driven surface flows

AbstractIn dense flowing bidisperse particle mixtures varying in size or density alone, smaller particles sink (percolation‐driven) and lighter particles rise (buoyancy‐driven). But when particle species differ from each other in both size and density, percolation and buoyancy can either enhance (large/light and small/heavy) or oppose (large/heavy and small/light) each other. In the latter case, a local equilibrium can exist in which the two mechanisms balance and particles remain mixed: this allows the design of minimally segregating mixtures by specifying particle size ratio, density ratio, and mixture concentration. Using DEM simulations, we show that mixtures specified by the design methodology remain relatively well‐mixed in heap and tumbler flows. Furthermore, minimally segregating mixtures prepared in a fully segregated state in a tumbler mix over time and eventually reach a nearly uniform concentration. Tumbler experiments with large steel and small glass particles validate the DEM simulations and the potential for designing minimally segregating mixtures.