Sociocultural considerations in aging men's health: implications and recommendations for the clinician

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jomh.2009.07.00

Retained austenite: transformation-induced plasticity

The deformation-induced phase transformation of metastable austenite to martensite is accompanied by macroscopic plastic strain and results in significant work hardening and the delayed onset of necking. Steels that exhibit such transformation-induced plasticity (TRIP) effect possess high strength-ductility ratios and improved toughness. Since the stability of the retained austenite (RA) phase is the rate controlling mechanism for the TRIP effect, the factors affecting the chemical and mechanical stability of RA in CMnSi TRIP steels are discussed. It was suggested that chemical stability plays a more important role at low strains, whereas other factors become responsible for RA behavior at higher strains. The importance of optimizing the processing parameters to achieve the desirable level of austenite stability is highlighted. Finally, the influence of mechanical testing conditions and the interaction between the phases during tensile testing are also detailed

The formation of complex microstructures after different deformation modes in advanced high-strength steels

The microstructure of transformation induced plasticity (TRIP) and dual phase (DP) multiphase steels after stamping of an industrial component at different strain levels was investigated using transmission electron microscopy. The TRIP steel microstructure showed a more complex dislocation substructure of ferrite at different strain levels than DP steel. The deformation microstructure of the stamped parts was compared to the deformation microstructure in these complex steels for different "equivalent" tensile strains. It was found that the microstructures are similar only at high levels of strain (>10 pct) for both steels. © 2014 The Minerals, Metals & Materials Society and ASM International

Preparation of Aluminum Metal Matrix Composite with Novel In situ Ceramic Composite Particulates, Developed from Waste Colliery Shale Material

A novel method is adapted to prepare an in situ ceramic composite from waste colliery shale (CS) material. Heat treatment of the shale material, in a plasma reactor and/or in a high temperature furnace at 1673 K (1400 °C) under high vacuum (10−6 Torr), has enabled in situ conversion of SiO2 to SiC in the vicinity of carbon and Al2O3 present in the shale material. The composite has the chemical constituents, SiC-Al2O3-C, as established by XRD/EDX analysis. Particle sizes of the composite range between 50 nm and 200 μm. The shape of the particles vary, presumably rod to spherical shape, distributed preferably in the region of grain boundaries. The CS composite so produced is added to aluminum melt to produce Al-CS composite (12 vol. pct). For comparison of properties, the aluminum metal matrix composite (AMCs) is made with Al2O3 particulates (15 vol. pct) with size <200 μm. The heat-treated Al-CS composite has shown better mechanical properties compared to the Al-Al2O3 composite. The ductility and toughness of the Al-CS composite are greater than that of the Al-Al2O3 composite. Fractographs revealed fine sheared dimples in the Al-CS composite, whereas the same of the Al-Al2O3 composite showed an appearance of cleavage-type facets. Abrasion and frictional behavior of both the composites have been compared. The findings lead to the conclusion that the in situ composite developed from the colliery shale waste material has a good future for its use in AMCs