Reversible melting and equilibrium phase formation of (Bi,Pb)2Sr2Ca2Cu3O10+d

The decomposition and the reformation of the (Bi,Pb)2Sr2Ca2Cu3O10+d (?Bi,Pb(2223)?) phase have been investigated in-situ by means of High-Temperature Neutron Diffraction, both in sintered bulk samples and in Ag-sheathed monofilamentary tapes. Several decomposition experiments were performed at various temperatures and under various annealing atmospheres, under flowing gas as well as in sealed tubes, in order to study the appropriate conditions for Bi,Pb(2223) formation from the melt. The Bi,Pb(2223) phase was found to melt incongruently into (Ca,Sr)2CuO3, (Sr,Ca)14Cu24O41 and a Pb,Bi-rich liquid phase. Phase reformation after melting was successfully obtained both in bulk samples and Ag-sheathed tapes. The possibility of crystallising the Bi,Pb(2223) phase from the melt was found to be extremely sensitive to the temperature and strongly dependent on the Pb losses. The study of the mass losses due to Pb evaporation was complemented by thermogravimetric analysis which proved that Pb losses are responsible for moving away from equilibrium and therefore hinder the reformation of the Bi,Pb(2223) phase from the melt. Thanks to the full pattern profile refinement, a quantitative phase analysis was carried out as a function of time and temperature and the role of the secondary phases was investigated. Lattice distortions and/or transitions were found to occur at high temperature in Bi,Pb(2223), Bi,Pb(2212), (Ca,Sr)2CuO3 and (Sr,Ca)14Cu24O41, due to cation diffusion and stoichiometry changes. The results indicate that it is possible to form the Bi,Pb(2223) phase from a liquid close to equilibrium conditions, like Bi(2212) and Bi(2201), and open new unexplored perspectives for high-quality Ag-sheathed Bi,Pb(2223) tape processing.Comment: 45 pages (including references,figures and captions), 13 figures Submitted to Supercond. Sci. Techno

A new methodology for modelling erosion–corrosion regimes on real surfaces : Gliding down the galvanic series for a range of metal-corrosion systems

Erosion-corrosion of materials in aqueous environments is a complex phenomenon involving a very large number of variables. In such cases, characteristics of the target, particle and the environment affect the degradation mechanism. Predicting material behaviour may sometimes be a "black art" due to the parameter size which is involved in such processes. In studies of erosion-corrosion, there have been significant advances in the modelling of such processes in recent years. Various methodologies employed include quasi-static modelling, using CFD modelling and erosion-corrosion mapping. In such cases, the output of the various models can differ significantly. In this work, a methodology combining CFD modelling and erosion-corrosion mapping has been developed to model erosion-corrosion behaviour of pure metals, which variously passivate and dissolve under a range of simulated conditions. This provides a means of mapping the component undergoing erosion-corrosion and thus is a step change on previous modelling work in this area as it enables superimposition of the erosion-corrosion map on real surfaces. The relative advantages and limitations of this approach are discussed in this paper

The XDEM Multi-physics and Multi-scale Simulation Technology: Review on DEM-CFD Coupling, Methodology and Engineering Applications

The XDEM multi-physics and multi-scale simulation platform roots in the Ex- tended Discrete Element Method (XDEM) and is being developed at the In- stitute of Computational Engineering at the University of Luxembourg. The platform is an advanced multi- physics simulation technology that combines flexibility and versatility to establish the next generation of multi-physics and multi-scale simulation tools. For this purpose the simulation framework relies on coupling various predictive tools based on both an Eulerian and Lagrangian approach. Eulerian approaches represent the wide field of continuum models while the Lagrange approach is perfectly suited to characterise discrete phases. Thus, continuum models include classical simulation tools such as Computa- tional Fluid Dynamics (CFD) or Finite Element Analysis (FEA) while an ex- tended configuration of the classical Discrete Element Method (DEM) addresses the discrete e.g. particulate phase. Apart from predicting the trajectories of individual particles, XDEM extends the application to estimating the thermo- dynamic state of each particle by advanced and optimised algorithms. The thermodynamic state may include temperature and species distributions due to chemical reaction and external heat sources. Hence, coupling these extended features with either CFD or FEA opens up a wide range of applications as diverse as pharmaceutical industry e.g. drug production, agriculture food and processing industry, mining, construction and agricultural machinery, metals manufacturing, energy production and systems biology

Effects of laser surface melting on erosion-corrosion of X65 steel in liquid-solid jet impingement conditions

Laser surface melting (LSM) has the potential to increase the resistance of steels to erosion-corrosion. In this study a submerged jet impingement system containing a brine under saturated CO2 conditions with sand has been used to assess the effect of LSM on the erosion-corrosion resistance of X65 steel. Erosion-corrosion rates under different experimental conditions were deduced based on CFD-simulated results and surface profile measurements. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to observe the morphology of erosion-corrosion damage. The results show that the erosion-corrosion rates at various impact angles can be decreased by LSM. Changes in microstructure, corrosion behavior and hardness of X65 steel induced by laser treatment were analyzed by using optical microscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis together with electrochemical polarization and hardness distribution measurements, in order to clarify how laser treatment imparts the effects on the steel

M5Si3 (M=Ti, Nb, Mo) based transition-metal silicides for high temperature applications

Transition metal silicides are being considered for future engine turbine components at temperatures up to 1600ºC. Although significant improvement in high temperature strength, room temperature fracture toughness has been realized in the past decade, further improvement in oxidation resistance is needed.;Oxidation mechanism of Ti5Si3-based alloys was investigated. Oxidation behavior of Ti5Si3-based alloy strongly depends on the atmosphere. Presence of Nitrogen alters the oxidation behavior of Ti5Si3 by nucleation and growth of nitride subscale. Ti5Si3.2 and Ti5Si3C0.5 alloys exhibited an excellent oxidation resistance in nitrogen bearing atmosphere due to limited dissolution of nitrogen and increased Si/Ti activity ratio.;MoSi2 coating developed by pack cementation to protect Mo-based Mo-Si-B composites was found to be effective up to 1500ºC. Shifting coating composition to T1+T2+Mo3Si region showed the possibility to extend the coating lifetime above 1500ºC by more than ten times via formation of slow growing Mo3Si or T2 interlayer without sacrificing the oxidation resistance of the coating.;The phase equilibria in the Nb-rich portion of Nb-B system has been evaluated experimentally using metallographic analysis and differential thermal analyzer (DTA). It was shown that Nbss (solid solution) and NbB are the only two primary phases in the 0-40 at.% B composition range, and the eutectic reaction L ↔ Nbss + NbB was determined to occur at 2104+/-5°C by DTA

Materials processing in space: Future technology trends

NASA's materials processing in space- (MPS) program involves both ground and space-based research and looks to frequent and cost effective access to the space environment for necessary progress. The first generation payloads for research are under active design and development. They will be hosted by the Space Shuttle/Spacelab on Earth orbital flights in the early 1980's. hese missions will focus on the acquisition of materials behavior research data, the potential enhancement of Earth based technology, and the implementation of space based processing for specialized, high value materials. Some materials to be studied in these payloads may provide future breakthroughs for stronger alloys, ultrapure glasses, superior electronic components, and new or better chemicals. An operational 25 kW power system is expected to be operational to support sustained, systematic space processing activity beyond shuttle capability for second generation payload systems for SPACELAB and free flyer missions to study solidification and crystal growth and to process metal/alloys, glasses/ceramics, and chemicals and biologicals