Numerical and physical simulation of rapid microstructural evolution of gas atomised Ni superalloy powders

The rapid microstructural evolution of gas atomised Ni superalloy powder compacts over timescales of a few seconds was studied using a Gleeble 3500 thermomechanical simulator, finite element based numerical model and electron microscopy. The study found that the microstructural changes were governed by the characteristic temperatures of the alloy. At a temperature below the γ' solvus, the powders maintained dendritic structures. Above the γ' solvus temperature but in the solid-state, rapid grain spheroidisation and coarsening occurred, although the fine-scale microstructures were largely retained. Once the incipient melting temperature of the alloy was exceeded, microstructural change was rapid, and when the temperature was increased into the solid + liquid state, the powder compact partially melted and then re-solidified with no trace of the original structures, despite the fast timescales. The study reveals the relationship between short, severe thermal excursions and microstructural evolution in powder processed components, and gives guidance on the upper limit of temperature and time for powder-based processes if desirable fine-scale features of powders are to be preserved

Determination of the creep properties of Pb-free solders for harsh environments using meso-scale testing

Solder joints in electronic packages are prone to failure due to the evolution of thermal expansion mismatch strains during thermal cycling. The comparatively wide operating temperature range and long lifetimes of aerospace electronics require high reliability solder joints. Since 2006, high reliability industries (aerospace and military amongst others) that are exempt from lead-free RoHS regulation on account of concerns over the reliability of Pb-free solders have found it increasingly difficult and expensive to continue using traditional Sn-Pb-based solders. Hence there is a pressing need to find a suitable alternative that can match the manufacturing and reliability performance of Sn-Pb. There remains a dearth of data for the constitutive behaviour of Pb-free solders under harsh environment scenarios. Unfortunately, conventional test approaches, particularly in the case of creep behaviour which is critical to solder lifetimes, are expensive and time-consuming. High temperature nanoindentation has been recently developed as a quick method for the determination of creep properties of solder alloys. This paper compares and contrasts nanoindentation creep results for bulk Pb-Sn and lead-free solders. However, there are limits to nanoindentation creep, in particular the load-dependence of the technique. A new meso-scale test approach that lies between nanoindentation and bulk creep testing has been developed. Real ball grid arrays using Pb-free solders have been creep tested in the temperature and stress ranges of operating solder joints. High temperature creep constitutive data has been obtained. The technique offers promising time and materials savings in obtaining important mechanical property data for subsequent use in life-prediction models

An electrochemical microactuator based on highly textured LiCoO2

In this paper we demonstrate a novel electrochemical actuator based on an array of micro-pillars of intercalation compound LiCoO2 with induced crystallographic texture (Lotgering factor f = 0.96) to enhance actuation strain. The highly textured LiCoO2 posts were fabricated by hot-press sintering and subsequent dicing, and the contrived texture facilitated both electrochemical lithiation and resulting actuation strain in the longitudinal direction. Compared with traditional actuator materials, such as piezoceramics, the micro-pillar array of LiCoO2 showed an almost one order higher actuation strain (1.2%) at a low applied voltage (<5 V). The conceptual demonstration outlined in this paper provides a foundation for the design and application of intercalation compounds as novel smart materials

Solvent-free NMC electrodes for Li-ion batteries: unravelling the microstructure and formation of the PTFE nano-fibril network

The microstructure and electrochemical performance of solvent-free processed and slurry cast Li(Ni0.6Co0.2Mn0.2)O2 (NMC622) based electrodes for Li-ion batteries has been investigated. In contrast to a moss-like PVDF-based carbon binder domain in slurry cast electrodes, the PTFE binder in solvent-free electrodes had a hierarchical morphology composed of primary fibrils of a few µm in diameter and 100’s µm in length that branched into secondary and then ever finer fibrils, down to diameters of 10s nm or below. A mechanism for the formation of the branch-like morphology observed in PTFE-based solvent-free electrodes is also presented. Even the finest fibrils were confirmed to survive typical cathode cycling conditions. The solvent-free electrodes showed progressive improvement in capacity with increasing charge-discharge rate (up to 150% at 2C) compared with slurry cast equivalents. The capacity of solvent-free electrodes faded 40% slower over 200 cycles at C/3. Impedance analysis showed the solvent-free microstructure enabled reduced charge transfer resistance and ionic resistance, arising from minimal obscuration of the active material surface and no pore blockage

Micro-scale graded electrodes for improved dynamic and cycling performance of Li-ion batteries

Li-ion battery cathodes based on LiFePO4 are fabricated by a layer-by-layer spray printing method with a continuous through thickness gradient of active material, conductive carbon, and binder. Compared with cathodes with the more usual homogeneous distribution, but with the same average composition, both C-rate and capacity degradation performance of the graded electrodes are significantly improved. For example at 2C, graded cathodes with an optimized material distribution have 15% and 31% higher discharge capacities than sprayed uniform or conventional slurry cast uniform cathodes, and capacity degradation rates are 40–50% slower than uniform cathodes at 2C. The improved performance of graded electrodes is shown to derive from a lower charge transfer resistance and reduced polarization at high C-rates, which suggests a more spatially homogeneous distribution of over-potential that leads to a thinner solid electrolyte interphase formation during cycling and sustains improved C-rate and long-term cycling performance

Fabrication and electrical properties of bulk textured LiCoO2

Fabrication and electrical properties of bulk textured LiCoO

Heavily loaded ferrite-polymer composites to produce high refractive index materials at centimetre wavelengths

A cold-pressing technique has been developed for fabricating composites composed of a polytetrafluoroethylene-polymer matrix and a wide range of volume-fractions of MnZn-ferrite filler (0%–80%). The electromagnetic properties at centimetre wavelengths of all prepared composites exhibited good reproducibility, with the most heavily loaded composites possessing simultaneously high permittivity (180 ± 10) and permeability (23±2). The natural logarithm of both the relative complex permittivity and permeability shows an approximately linear dependence with the volume fraction of ferrite. Thus, this simple method allows for the manufacture of bespoke materials required in the design and construction of devices based on the principles of transformation optics

Tracking the evolution of hot tears in aluminium alloys using high-speed X-ray imaging

Hot tears are detrimental defects forming during the final stage of solidification when the remaining liquid loses the capacity to compensate for liquid to solid volume shrinkage. Although a mature semi-quantitative description of hot tearing has been developed, little is known about the dynamic evolution of hot tears as experimental studies have been conducted mostly post-solidification or in semi-static in-situ conditions. Here, we present a methodology to investigate the evolution of hot tears with high spatial and temporal resolution using synchrotron-based X-ray radiography. We develop a novel hot tear detection and tracking algorithm for quantification of hot tear density, area fraction and merging from the analysis of radiographic sequences of the solidification of thin metal samples. The methodology is demonstrated for an Al-5wt%Cu alloy and examples of the results and new insights that can be achieved are described

MODIS airborne simulator visible and near-infrared calibration, 1991 FIRE-Cirrus field experiment. Calibration version: FIRE King 1.1

Calibration of the visible and near-infrared channels of the MODIS Airborne Simulator (MAS) is derived from observations of a calibrated light source. For the 1991 FIRE-Cirrus field experiment, the calibrated light source was the NASA Goddard 48-inch integrating hemisphere. Laboratory tests during the FIRE Cirrus field experiment were conducted to calibrate the hemisphere and from the hemisphere to the MAS. The purpose of this report is to summarize the FIRE-Cirrus hemisphere calibration, and then describe how the MAS was calibrated from observations of the hemisphere data. All MAS calibration measurements are presented, and determination of the MAS calibration coefficients (raw counts to radiance conversion) is discussed. Thermal sensitivity of the MAS visible and near-infrared calibration is also discussed. Typically, the MAS in-flight is 30 to 60 degrees C colder than the room temperature laboratory calibration. Results from in-flight temperature measurements and tests of the MAS in a cold chamber are given, and from these, equations are derived to adjust the MAS in-flight data to what the value would be at laboratory conditions. For FIRE-Cirrus data, only channels 3 through 6 were found to be temperature sensitive. The final section of this report describes comparisons to an independent MAS (room temperature) calibration by Ames personnel using their 30-inch integrating sphere

Nature-inspired trapped air cushion surfaces for environmentally sustainable antibiofouling

Feathers of seabirds and waterfowl (for example the mallard duck (Anas platyrhynchos)) consist of hierarchical fibrillar structures encapsulated with hydrophobic preen oil. These characteristics afford waterproofing through the entrapment of air pockets, enabling swimming and diving for such bird species. This liquid repellency mechanism for bird feathers is mimicked by surface hydrophobisation of fibrous nonwoven polypropylene textiles to create large volumes of trapped air at the solid–liquid interface (plastron). Higher static water contact angle values correlate to a greater resistance towards water ingress (akin to the behaviour of mallard feathers). In order to extend the trapped gas layer lifetimes, the transportation of air from the water surface to a submerged air bubble by the diving bell spider (Argyroneta aquatica) for respiration is mimicked via short duration (< 1 s) solar-powered air bubble bursts once every 2 h. This combination of ornithological and arachnological inspired approaches yields stable trapped gas layers at the solid–liquid interface which are shown to inhibit biofouling in real-world outdoor wet environments