Phase composition and transformations in magnetron-sputtered (Al,V)2O3 coatings

Coatings of (Al1-xVx)2O3, with x ranging from 0 to 1, were deposited by pulsed DC reactive sputter deposition on Si(100) at a temperature of 550 {\deg}C. XRD showed three different crystal structures depending on V-metal fraction in the coating: {\alpha}-V2O3 rhombohedral structure for 100 at.% V, a defect spinel structure for the intermediate region, 63 - 42 at.% V. At lower V-content, 18 and 7 at.%, a gamma-alumina-like solid solution was observed, shifted to larger d-spacing compared to pure {\gamma}-Al2O3. The microstructure changes from large columnar faceted grains for {\alpha}-V2O3 to smaller equiaxed grains when lowering the vanadium content toward pure {\gamma}-Al2O3. Annealing in air resulted in formation of V2O5 crystals on the surface of the coating after annealing to 500 {\deg}C for 42 at.% V and 700 {\deg}C for 18 at.% V metal fraction respectively. The highest thermal stability was shown for pure {\gamma}-Al2O3-coating, which transformed to {\alpha}-Al2O3 after annealing to 1100{\deg} C. Highest hardness was observed for the Al-rich oxides, ~24 GPa. The latter decreased with increasing V-content, larger than 7 at.% V metal fraction. The measured hardness after annealing in air decreased in conjunction with the onset of further oxidation of the coatings

Variations in adolescents’ motivational characteristics across gender and physical activity patterns: A latent class analysis approach

Abstract Background Neglecting to take account of the underlying context or type of physical activity (PA) that underpins overall involvement has resulted in a limited understanding of adolescents’ PA participation. The purpose of the present research was to identify male and female adolescents’ leisure time PA patterns and examine whether psychological processes derived from self-determination theory differ as a function of the pattern of PA undertaken. Methods Nine hundred ninety-five students (61.2% females, 38.8% males; M age = 13.72 years, SD = 1.25) from eight secondary schools in Dublin, Ireland completed a physical activity recall 7 day diary and measures of intrinsic motivation, competence, relatedness, autonomy and autonomy support. Based on the diary five binary indicators of physical activity were derived reflecting recommended levels of MVPA on a minimum of 3 days, at least three sessions of non-organized physical activity (e.g. jog), team sport, individual sport, and organized non-sport physical activity (e.g. dance). Latent class analysis was used to identify subgroups of adolescents that engaged in similar patterns of physical activity. Profiles of physical activity participation were subsequently compared on motivational characteristics using Kruskal-Wallis tests. Results Latent class analysis revealed six distinct classes for girls (Organized Run/Swim & Dance/Gym; Organized Dance; Leisure Active Team Sport; Active Individual Sport; Walk/Run/Outdoor games; Non-Participation) and five for boys (Leisure Active Gym; Leisure Active Individual Sport; Active Team Sport; Active Mixed Type; Non-Participation). Significant differences were found between the classes. Girls characterized by participation in team or individual sport, and boys represented by team sport participation demonstrated significantly higher self-determined motivational characteristics relative to other profiles of physical activity. Conclusion This research offers a nuanced insight into the underlying type of activities that constitute overall patterns of PA among adolescent boys and girls and further reveals that psychological processes vary dependent on the profile of physical activity undertaken. The findings may be useful for informing interventions aimed at promoting physical activity among young people

Enhanced thermal stability and fracture toughness of TiAlN coatings by Cr, Nb and V-alloying

The effect of metal alloying on mechanical properties including hardness and fracture toughness were investigated in three alloys, Ti 0.33Al0.50(Me) 0.17N (Me = Cr, Nb and V), and compared to Ti0.50Al0.50N, in the as-deposited state and after annealing. All studied alloys display similar as-deposited hardness while the hardness evolution during annealing is found to be connected to phase transformations, related to the alloy’s thermal stability. The most pronounced hardening was observed in Ti0.50Al0.50N, while all the coatings with additional metal elements sustain their hardness better and they are harder than Ti0.50Al0.50N after annealing at 1100 °C. Fracture toughness properties were extracted from scratch tests. In all tested conditions, as-deposited and annealed at 900 and 1100 °C, Ti0.33Al0.50Nb0.17N show the least surface and sub-surface damage when scratched despite the differences in decomposition behavior and h-AlN formation. Theoretically estimated ductility of phases existing in the coatings correlates well with their crack resistance. In summary, Ti0.33Al0.50Nb0.17N is the toughest alloy in both as-deposited and post-annealed states

Decomposition routes and strain evolution in arc deposited TiZrAlN coatings

Phase, microstructure, and strain evolution during annealing of arc deposited TiZrAlN coatings are studied using in situ x-ray scattering and ex situ transmission electron microscopy. We find that the decomposition route changes from nucleation and growth of wurtzite AlN to spinodal decomposition when the Zr-content is decreased and the Al-content increases. Decomposition of Ti$_{0.31}$Zr$_{0.24}$Al$_{0.45}$N results in homogeneously distributed wurtzite AlN grains in a cubic, dislocation-dense matrix of TiZrN consisting of domains of different chemical composition. The combination of high dislocation density, variation of chemical composition within the cubic grains, and evenly distributed wurtzite AlN grains results in high compressive strains, −1.1%, which are retained after 3 h at 1100 °C. In coatings with higher Zr-content, the strains relax during annealing above 900 °C due to grain growth and defect annihilation

A custom built lathe designed for in operando high-energy x-ray studies at industrially relevant cutting parameters

We present a custom built lathe designed for in operando high-energy x-ray scattering studies of thetool-chip and tool-workpiece contact zones during operation. The lathe operates at industriallyrelevant cutting parameters, i.e. at cutting speeds ≤ 400 m/min and feeds ≤ 0.3 mm/rev. By turningtests in carbon steel, performed at the high-energy material science beamline P07 at Petra III, DESY,Hamburg, we observe compressive strains in TiNbAlN and Al2O3/Ti(C,N) coatings on the tool flank faceduring machining. It is demonstrated that by the right choice of substrate and coating materials,diffraction patterns can be recorded and evaluated in operando, both from the tool-workpiece andtool-chip contacts, i.e. from the contact zones between the tool and the workpiece material on thetool flank- and rake faces, respectively. We also observe that a worn tool results in higher temperaturein the tool-chip contact zone compared to a new tool.Thi

Enhanced thermal stability and mechanical properties of nitrogen deficient titanium aluminum nitride (Ti0.54Al0.46Ny) thin films by tuning the applied negative bias voltage

Aspects on the phase stability and mechanical properties of nitrogen deficient (Ti0.54Al0.46)N-y alloys were investigated. Solid solution alloys of (Ti,Al)N were grown by cathodic arc deposition. The kinetic energy of the impinging ions was altered by varying the substrate bias voltage from -30V to -80 V. Films deposited with a high bias value of -80V showed larger lattice parameter, finer columnar structure, and higher compressive residual stress resulting in higher hardness than films biased at -30V when comparing their as-deposited states. At elevated temperatures, the presence of nitrogen vacancies and point defects (anti-sites and self-interstitials generated by the ion-bombardment during coating deposition) in (Ti0.54Al0.46)N-0.87 influence the driving force for phase separation. Highly biased nitrogen deficient films have point defects with higher stability during annealing, which cause a delay of the release of the stored lattice strain energy and then accelerates the decomposition tendencies to thermodynamically stable c-TiN and w-AlN. Low biased nitrogen deficient films have retarded phase transformation to w-AlN, which results in the prolongment of age hardening effect up to 1100 degrees C, i.e., the highest reported temperature for Ti-Al-N material system. Our study points out the role of vacancies and point defects in engineering thin films with enhanced thermal stability and mechanical properties for high temperature hard coating applications. Published by AIP Publishing.Funding Agencies|European Unions Erasmus Mundus doctoral program in Materials Science and Engineering (DocMASE); Swedish Research Council [621-2012-4401]; Swedish government strategic research area grant AFM - SFO MatLiU [2009-00971]; VINNOVA [2013-02355]; DFG; federal state government of Saarland [INST 256/298-1 FUGG]; European Regional Development Fund [AME-Lab C/4-EFRE-13/2009/Br]</p