Surface Repair of Tool Made of 12 Ni Maraging Steel by Laser Cladding of NiCoMo Powder

Surface repair experiments with Nd:YAG coaxial laser cladding of NiCoMo maraging powder were made on specimens from maraging steel (EN 10027-2, mat. no. 1.2799). The influences of different modes of laser-beam guidance with various powder mass flows and with different degrees of overlapping of individual traces on the dilution and the repair area were determined. The micro and macroscopic analyses of microsections of fusion zone (FZ), heat affected zone (HAZ) and through-depth microhardness were analysed after cladding and after subsequent solution and precipitation annealing. The microchemical (EDS) analysis was performed at various depths. The residual stresses in the clad face and in the clad toe were determined and compared, using the hole-drilling method

Tribological Properties of Solid Solution Strengthened Laser Cladded NiCrBSi/WC-12Co Metal Matrix Composite Coatings

NiCrBSi, WC-12Co and NiCrBSi with 30, 40 and 50 wt.% WC-12Co coatings were produced on low carbon steel by laser cladding with an Nd:YAG laser with a multi-jet coaxial cladding-nozzle. The microstructure properties after WC-12Co alloying were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) and Vickers hardness tests. The resulting microstructures consisted of a γ-Ni and Ni3B matrix, strengthened with Co and W, Ni3Si, CrB, Cr7C3, Cr23C6, WC/W2C phases. In coatings with 30, 40 and 50 wt.% WC-12Co, a solid solution, strengthened multi-matrix NiCrWCo phase formed, which yielded a higher matrix hardness. Wear tests that monitored the friction coefficients were performed with a tribometer that contained a ball-on-disc configuration, Al2O3 counter-body and reciprocal sliding mode at room temperature. The major wear mode on the NiCrBSi coatings without the WC-12Co was adhesive with a high wear rate and visible material loss by flaking, delamination and micro-ploughing. The addition of WC-12Co to the NiCrBSi coating significantly increased the wear resistance and changed the major wear mechanism from adhesion to three-body abrasion and fatigue wear

Effects of laser shock processing on high cycle fatigue crack growth rate and fracture toughness of aluminium alloy 6082-T651

The effects of laser shock processing without protective coating on high-cycle fatigue crack growth and fracture toughness were investigated. Laser shock peening treatment was performed on compact tension specimens from both sides perpendicular to the crack growth direction, followed by subsequent grinding. Fatigue crack growth tests were performed at frequencies between 116 and 146 Hz, at R = 0.1 and a constant stress intensity range during the fatigue crack initiation phase and K-decreasing test. A lower number of cycles was required to initiate a fatigue precrack, and faster fatigue crack growth was found in tensile residual stress field of LSP-treated specimens. The crack growth threshold decreased by 60% after LSP treatment. The fracture toughness decreased by 28-33% after LSP treatment. The fatigue-to-ductile transition boundary on fractographic surfaces show linear fatigue crack fronts in non-treated specimens and curves after LSP treatment

POROSITY EVALUATION OF FLAME-SPRAYED AND HEAT-TREATED NICKEL-BASED COATINGS USING IMAGE ANALYSIS

Flame sprayed coatings are susceptible to the formation of inter-connected elongated porosity due to the lack of fusion between sprayed particles or the expansion of gases generated during the spraying process. The partial remelting of self-fluxing Ni-Cr-B-Si coating after spraying is an efficient method to reduce porosity and to improve coating microstructural and mechanical properties. The paper describes the image preprocessing procedure for noise removal which separates the pores from the background and the noise. The optimal temperature and time of a furnace heat treatment of Ni-Cr-B-Si coated specimens was determined by using a three-level factorial experiment. The purpose was to obtain the lowest possible porosity. Equivalent diameter, elongation, and major axis angle were analyzed and compared using probability density functions. The experiment shows zero-percent porosity cannot be obtained with a partial remelting of flame-sprayed Ni-Cr-B-Si coatings; however, porosity can be greatly reduced. This method of coating post-processing not only favours pore size and shape but also eliminates the undesired network of interconnected elongated pores

Tension and shear behaviour of basalt fiber bio-composites with digital image correlation and acoustic emission monitoring

This research investigates the mechanical behavior and damage evolution in cross-ply basalt fiber composites subjected to different loading modes. A modified Arcan rig for simultaneous acoustic emission (AE) monitoring was designed and manufactured to apply quasi-isotropic shear, combined tensile and shear loading, and pure tensile loading on specimens with a central notch. Digital image correlation (DIC) was applied for high-resolution strain measurements. The measured failure strengths of the bio-composite specimens under different loading angles are presented. The different competing failure mechanisms that contribute to the local reduction in stress concentration are described. Different damage mechanisms trigger elastic waves in the composite, with distinct AE signatures that closely follow the sequence of fracture mechanisms. AE monitoring is employed to capture signals associated with structural damage initiation and progression. The characteristic parameters of AE signals are correlated with crack modes and damage mechanisms. The evolution of AE parameters during the peak load transition is presented, which enables the timely AE detection of the maximum load transition. The combination of DIC and AE monitoring improves understanding of the mechanical response and failure mechanisms in cross-ply basalt fiber composites, offering valuable insights for possible performance monitoring and structural reliability in diverse engineering applications

Investigation of the durability and performance of autoclave-cured, woven carbon fiber-reinforced polymer composite gears in mesh with a steel pinion

Wear mechanisms and failure modes were investigated for autoclave-cured, woven carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) composite gears in a mesh with a surface-hardened, 42CrMo4 steel pinion. The reference gears (m = 1 mm, b = 2 mm, z = 20) were tested at torque levels ranging from 0.4 Nm to 0.8 Nm. The temperature was monitored with a thermographic camera, while the gear damage and wear volume were analyzed and measured every 2 million cycles. The relationship between wear volume against the number of cycles was obtained. Scanning electron microscopy revealed two- and three-body abrasive, oxidative, and fatigue wear, and progressive de-laminations during the sliding and rolling of the gears. The CFRP composite gears exhibited higher wear resistance than the polymer ones

Fatigue and Wear Performance of Autoclave-Processed and Vacuum-Infused Carbon Fibre Reinforced Polymer Gears

This study focuses on investigating the fatigue and wear behaviour of carbon fibre reinforced polymer (CFRP) gears, which have shown promising potential as lightweight and high-performance alternatives to conventional gears. The gears were fabricated via an autoclave process using an 8-layer composite made of T300 plain weave carbon fabric and ET445 resin and were tested in pair with a 42CrMo4 steel pinion and under nominal tooth bending stress ranging from 60 to 150 MPa. In-situ temperature monitoring was performed, using an infrared camera, and wear rates were regularly assessed. The result of the wear test indicates adhesive wear and three-body abrasion wear mechanisms between the CFRP gears and the steel counterpart. A finite element analysis was performed to examine the in-mesh contact and root stress behaviour of both new and worn gears at various loads and a specified running time. The results point to a substantial divergence from ideal meshing and stress conditions as the wear level is increased. The fatigue results indicated that the CFRP gears exhibited superior performance compared to conventional plastic and composite short-fibrous polymer gears. The described composite gear material was additionally compared with two other composite configurations, including an autoclave-cured T700S plain weave prepreg with DT120 toughened resin and a vacuum-impregnated T300 spread plain weave carbon fabric with LG 900 UV resin. The study found that the use of the T700S-DT120 resulted in additional improvements

High cycle fatigue behaviour of autoclave-cured woven carbon fibre-reinforced polymer composite gears

The high cycle fatigue behaviour of autoclave-cured carbon fibre-reinforced polymer (CFRP) composite gears is investigated. The CFRP gears were milled from a composite plate and tested in mesh with a steel drive gear under five torque loads ranging between 0.4 and 0.8 Nm in unlubricated conditions. A detailed gear damage analysis is conducted by employing scanning electron microscopy and high-resolution optical microscopy. Epoxy matrix microcracking is found to be the damage mechanism that leads to the final delamination failure. CFRP gears exhibited a significantly improved performance and a longer fatigue lifespan in comparison with the polymer and polymer composite gears

Experimental and numerical analysis of laminated carbon fibre-reinforced polymer gears with implicit model for coefficient-of-friction evaluation

Laminated composites have so far received little attention as a potential material for gear drive applications. In the presented study, the thermomechanical performance of a newly developed type of epoxy impregnated, autoclave-cured carbon fibre-reinforced polymer gear-running in pair with a steel pinion-was analysed, using a combination of experimental and numerical approaches. The employed methods enabled the identification of the composite’s mechanical, thermal, and tribological characteristics, as related to the studied gear pair application. A newly proposed, finite-element-analysis-based iterative procedure enabled an implicit evaluation of the analysed material pair’s coefficient of friction (COF), which is a key parameter in determining the gear pair’s thermomechanical characteristics. For the considered material pair, a value of 0.34 was identified for the coefficient in the quasi-steady region. As the coefficient is strongly correlated with frictional heat generation and significantly affects the surface shear stress, it can consequently have a meaningful influence on the composite’s wear rate. The developed COF identification procedure was validated using a reciprocating cylinder-on-flat tribological test method. The composite gear’s service life was additionally tested at various running loads, resulting in pitch contact pressures ranging between 400 and 540 MPa. Lifetime gear test results showed a markedly superior performance compared to the high-temperature thermoplastic polyether ether ketone, which is typically employed in the most demanding polymer gear applications. Several methods are additionally proposed that could further improve the developed composite gears’ performance