Corrosive wear behaviour of various stainless steel alloys and a Stellite 6 weld cladding

This study has comprised an investigation the corrosive wear behaviour of UNS S31600, a low hardness (280Hv) UNS S42000, a high hardness (480Hv) UNS S42000 and a single layer Stellite 6 (UNS R30006) weld cladding on a low alloy carbon steel (UNS G43400). Erosion-corrosion testing was conducted using a submerged jet of 3.5% NaCl aqueous solution with spherical silica sand particles. The sand concentration was 2.4g/l, the velocity of the jet was 18m/s and the testing temperature range was 16°C-27°C. Both normal incidence (90°) and low angle (20°) tests were performed. Mass losses, wear scar depths and a volumetric analysis technique were used to assess the damage in the direct impinged zone (DIZ) and the outer area (OA) of the specimens. For all materials, it was found that mass loss was higher at 20° tests than that of 90°. However, when comparing wear scar depths the opposite trend was found. The results are discussed in terms of comparative material behaviour, the influence of material hardness and the corrosive wear mechanisms in different regions formed during slurry jet impingement

The effects of recent landuse on a fynbos site

Bibliographical references.Landuse from 1920 to 1981 on the Fynbos Biome Research site at Pella, approximately 40 kilometres north of Cape Town, South Africa, and its immediate environs was studied to investigate possible causal relationships between Landuse and management practices and the resultant ecosystem. Fire has constituted the major perturbation in recent history. Prior to 1960 the Fynbos Site was intentionally fired on a 3 to 4 year rotation, possibly effecting net nutrient losses to the system. After 1960, unintentional burning occurred on average every 7 years. The Fynbos Site has been lightly browsed by livestock from 1920 to 1976 and bushcut between 1965 and 1970, with minimal long-term effects. Gravel quarry pits were dug in 1971 and subsequently abandoned, constituting disturbed soils prone to colonisation by invasive acacias. The increase in cultivated land surrounding the site after 1962 served to isolate the fynbos stand from nearby fynbos communities and exacerbate erosion of soils and their subsequent deposition on the Fynbos Site. Extraneous transformation of land has served to facilitate the progressive encroachment of pest plants, principally Acacia Saligna and A. cyclops, on the Fynbos Site. The uncontrolled spread of these plants poses severe threat to the persistence of this fynbos stand. The need to incorporate possible extraneous influences on potential conservation areas into management considerations is discussed, as is the importance of size and shape of a conservation-worthy area and the need to plan viable networks of reserves in the coastal lowlands of the Western Cape

Global Transcriptomic Profiling of Bovine Endometrial Immune Response In Vitro. II. Effect of Bovine Viral Diarrhea Virus on the Endometrial Response to Lipopolysaccharide

Infection with noncytopathic bovine viral diarrhea virus (ncpBVDV) is associated with uterine disease and infertility. This study investigated the influence of ncpBVDV on immune functions of the bovine endometrium by testing the response to bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Primary cultures of mixed epithelial and stromal cells were divided into four treatment groups (control [CONT], BVDV, CONT+LPS, and BVDV+LPS) and infected with ncpBVDV for 4 days followed by treatment with LPS for 6 h. Whole-transcriptomic gene expression was measured followed by Ingenuity Pathway Analysis. Differential expression of 184 genes was found between CONT and BVDV treatments, showing interplay between induction and inhibition of responses. Up-regulation of TLR3, complement, and chemotactic and TRIM factors by ncpBVDV all suggested an ongoing immune response to viral infection. Down-regulation of inflammatory cytokines, chemokines, CXCR4, and serine proteinase inhibitors suggested mechanisms by which ncpBVDV may simultaneously counter the host response. Comparison between BVDV+LPS and CONT+LPS treatments showed 218 differentially expressed genes. Canonical pathway analysis identified the key importance of interferon signaling. Top down-regulated genes were RSAD2, ISG15, BST2, MX2, OAS1, USP18, IFIT3, IFI27, SAMD9, IFIT1, and DDX58, whereas TRIM56, C3, and OLFML1 were most up-regulated. Many of these genes are also regulated by IFNT during maternal recognition of pregnancy. Many innate immune genes that typically respond to LPS were inhibited by ncpBVDV, including those involved in pathogen recognition, inflammation, interferon response, chemokines, tissue remodeling, cell migration, and cell death/survival. Infection with ncpBVDV can thus compromise immune function and pregnancy recognition, thereby potentially predisposing infected cows to postpartum bacterial endometritis and reduced fertility

Mars oxygen production system design

The design and construction phase is summarized of the Mars oxygen demonstration project. The basic hardware required to produce oxygen from simulated Mars atmosphere was assembled and tested. Some design problems still remain with the sample collection and storage system. In addition, design and development of computer compatible data acquisition and control instrumentation is ongoing

Influence of metallic matrix on erosion-corrosion behaviour of high chromium cast irons under slurry impingement conditions

Chromium cast irons (CCI) comprise versatile materials that encompass a range of compositions and microstructures often chosen to promote good wear resistance. There are, however, issues that arise when the cast iron is required to operate in conditions where corrosion, as well as, wear is a factor. This scenario usually results in adapting the composition of the CCI in order to achieve higher chromium content in the metallic matrix and, thereby, to attain the corrosion resistance exhibited by high-Cr stainless steels. This paper comprises a comparison of the corrosive wear behaviour of an austenitic-based hypoeutectic cast iron and a martensitic-based, near-eutectic cast iron with the associated stainless steels, in a saline water under solid-liquid submerged jet conditions. A comprehensive experimental methodology has been adopted including evaluation of the behaviour of the materials in free erosion-corrosion conditions and with the application of cathodic protection. This approach has extended the understanding of the fundamental deterioration mechanisms in different hydrodynamic conditions and has highlighted the complexities of the mechanical/electrochemical interactions occurring during erosion-corrosion. An important feature is the influence of micro-galvanic interactions at phase boundaries. The impact of the findings has been discussed in terms of CCI alloy selection and corrosion control strategies

A study on the erosion-corrosion behaviour of engineering materials used in the geothermal industry

Erosion-corrosion can be a significant issue for engineering components used in the geothermal industry. This study assesses the erosion-corrosion behaviour of a wide range of engineering alloys which are used in various parts of geothermal power plants. The evaluated materials comprised a carbon steel, low-alloy steel, three grades of stainless steel together with Ni–Cr alloy (Inconel 625) and Ti–6Al–4V. Tests were conducted by utilising a submerged 90° impinging slurry jet consisting of silica sand particles suspended in an acidic (pH 4) aqueous solution consisting of 3.5% NaCl. Gravimetric mass losses, in-situ potentiodynamic polarisation scans and an enhanced volumetric analysis technique were used to assess the influence of hydrodynamic conditions on the erosion-corrosion behaviour of the test materials. The effect of applied cathodic protection was also examined. Post-test metallurgical examination was also conducted via SEM. The results showed the distinct differences between low alloy steels and "corrosion resistant" alloys – with the former demonstrating substantial material loss in the low-angle corrosive wear region due to large amounts of corrosion-related damage. Both superaustenitic stainless steel (UNS S31254) and Inconel 625 (UNS N06625) exhibited the greatest erosion-corrosion resistance of the test materials – with Inconel 625 demonstrating the greatest resistance to high angle corrosive wear. The relevance of the findings to materials selection and other methods of protection against surface degradation in geothermal power plants is discussed

Erosion-Corrosion Mechanisms of Engineering Steels in Different NaCl Concentrations

This study utilises a recently developed, enhanced approach to assess detailed aspects of the corrosive wear behaviour of different steel grades in aqueous slurries containing three NaCl concentrations (0.05%NaCl, 3.5%NaCl and 10%NaCl). Erosion-corrosion testing was conducted using a slurry impingement test rig and damage was quantified using volume loss, potentiodynamic polarisation scans and surface topography. Single- and segmented specimens were adopted to yield the contribution of the degradation mechanisms in the two hydrodynamic zones (directly impinged and surrounding area). The overall material losses from the two zones of the stainless steels were observed to increase with increasing salinity. However, the overall material loss for the low-alloy steel was found to increase from 0.05%NaCl to 3.5%NaCl, before reducing when the salinity was further increased to 10%NaCl. Changes in salinity were observed to have the most effect on the corrosion-enhanced mechanical damage mechanism. The in-house developed technique demonstrated good linkage between single samples and the outer area damage region. However, it also showed that the use of single samples can be less successful when assessing highly turbulent (directly impinged) damage regions

Effect of nitriding on the corrosive wear performance of a single and double layer Stellite 6 weld cladding

This study investigates the corrosive wear behaviour of single and double layer Stellite 6 (UNS R30006) weld claddings and the effectiveness of nitriding on their erosion-corrosion resistance. Tests were conducted by utilising an impinging slurry jet. The slurry consisted of 3.5% NaCl aqueous solution which contained 500 µm spherical silica sand with a concentration of 2.4 g/l. The velocity of the jet was 18 m/s and the testing temperature ranged from 16–27°C. The erosion-corrosion tests were conducted at low angle (20°) and at normal incidence (90°). Mass losses, wear scar depths and a volumetric analysis technique were used to assess the damage in the Direct Impinged Zone (DIZ) and the Outer Area (OA) of the specimens. Electrochemical monitoring was also utilised to assess the inherent corrosion resistance of the materials. Although nitriding was found to reduce the pure corrosion resistance of the Stellite 6 weld claddings and did not appear to affect the 90° direct impingement damage, nitriding did yield benefits in terms of low angle sliding abrasion resistance

Experimental investigation of engineering materials under repetitive impact with slurry conditions

In some industrial situations, components are subject to repetitive impact in the presence of a slurry. A novel repetitive impact-with-slurry test rig was developed to evaluate the behaviour of a wide range of engineering materials in such conditions. The test materials could be categorised into five main groups – heat treated steels, stainless steels, chromium cast irons, hardfacing coatings and superalloys. Three-dimensional surface topography was used to quantify the depths and volumes of the produced wear scars. Post-test metallurgical examination was also conducted to further evaluate the wear processes. The wear mechanisms could be split into two main groups of materials; ductile materials were observed to plastically deform and hard/brittle materials demonstrated cracking/spalling mechanisms. Hardened martensitic-type materials exhibited the greatest resistance to repetitive impact wear