NDT Controlled Production in Steel Industry

In this paper we present Nondestructive Testing (NDT) systems and instruments used in steel industry for the quality control of production processes. We real-time multi-channel ultrasonic inspection systems with advanced array transducers for the inspection of bars and other semi-finished parts. The equipment is designed for fast inspection in the production flow. For the control of heavy parts we discuss mobile high energy Betatron radio-graphy that can be upgraded to tomography. The control of special processes like surface hardening can also be performed nondestructively based on the evaluation of ultrasonic backscattering. Thermoelectric phenomena are applied for sorting of mixed-up metal parts

Microstructure, phase composition and hardness of Ti–Au cladding deposited on Ti–6Al–4V substrate by electron beam powder bed fusion method

In this study, a Ti-Au cladding was deposited on a substrate from the Ti-6Al-4V alloy by the electron beam powder bed fusion method in a vacuum. The main goal was to assess the possibility of using titanium powders and gold foils as a feedstock for additive manufacturing of such dental products. The microstructure, chemical element distributions, phase composition and hardness of the formed Ti-Au alloy were studied using optical microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray analysis, as well as X-ray diffraction and nanoindentation tests. Goldcontaining intermetallic compounds were observed through the entire cladding thickness. The alpha-Ti, alpha-Au, AuTi and AuTi3 phases were found, in addition to the Ti3Au one, which provided hardness values greater than those of conventional titanium alloys. It was shown by results of the crystal-geometric and X-ray phase analysis that the AuTi3 phase possessed the most densely packed A15 structure. This fact correlated with the obtained data on the deviation of the atomic volume per ion from Zen's law and the high hardness levels. Metallurgical patterns of the microstructure formation that affected the functional properties of such claddings were discussed and a further research direction was proposed

Development of a mobile independent solar power plant based on solid-state heterojunction photocells for agricultural purposes

Mathematical simulation of temperature distribution on double-sided solar cells has been carried out. Differences in the configuration of photoelectric converters prove to solely amount to the fact that a double-sided solar cell has a more efficient heat sink at the rear side. Furthermore double-sided solar cells exhibit higher power conversion performance. Calculations confirm the correctness of giving preference to double-sided solar cells which is of great importance for the photoelectric converter design developed by us. Analysis of market-available photovoltaic technologies of solar energy to electric power conversion has led to the development of a photovoltaic converter on the basis of double-sided silicon heterojunction solar cells. The configuration developed is a moving platform having a photovoltaic cell array mounted on it and a light flux collector. A double-axis tracking system has been developed for the general case of planar attachment of solar cell modules. A 350 mm stroke drive provides for movement in the north-south direction and a 450 mm stroke drive, in the east-west direction. The task has been outlined to find the required arm for providing symmetrical positioning at the maximum rotation angle about the axis. As a result, technical solutions have been developed for the north-south and the east-west directions. Furthermore a schematic wiring diagram has been designed to implement the preset solar tracking system algorithm. The system is also fitted with a GPS/GLONASS module for system precision positioning and time synchronization