Surface Modification of Titanium Foil Substrates in Experimental Solar Cells

A case study involving surface smoothing of titanium foil was obtained from a solar cell research company. It was believed that the rougher surface of metals was responsible for low solar cell efficiency when using titanium foil rather than glass as a substrate. A method was needed to reduce the surface asperity height of the titanium foil from the existing 1 μm to less than 0.1 μm. Several methods were investigated. The recommended method was the use of an excimer laser, a laser powered by excited noble gas-halide molecules as a lasing medium

High-Resolution Methods for Measuring the Thermal Expansion Coefficient of Aerospace Materials

Accurately predicting the coefficient of thermal expansion for many aerospace components is critical to ensure proper functionality on orbit where the temperature gradient across a spacecraft can vary from +300 degrees F to -450 degrees F. Under these conditions, the linear approximations generated by theoretical equations no longer hold true, and experimental methods are needed. Although several methods exist for measuring the coefficient of thermal expansion of materials, laser interferometry yields high-resolution results, and the technique is widely accepted in the scientific community

On the Effectiveness of Dry Film Lubricant Coatings in Reducing Automotive Valve Train Wear

The effect of three dry lubricants on automotive valve train wear resistance was studied experimentally. Scuffing wear occurs as the cam slides across the lifter face where the rotating motion of the camshaft is converted into the linear motion necessary to drive the cylinder head valves. This scuffing is caused by localized microscopic bonding between the skidding surfaces. It can be minimized by using dry film lubricant coatings to increase the boundary lubrication depth adjacent to the contact area. To compare valve train wear resistance in the laboratory, rotating cam lobes coated with dry lubricants--parkerization, spray-applied graphite coating, and brush-applied molybdenum disulfide coating-were pressed against valve lifters that were constrained in a fixture. The brush-applied molybdenum disulfide coating was the most effective of the three tested lubricants in reducing scuffing wear

On the Excessive Porosity in the Welds of AMS 4975 Titanium Air Compressor Rotor Duct

This case study deals with the existence of excessive porosity in the welds of an air compressor rotor duct. The duct does not meet the testing criteria because the diameters of the pores in the weld exceeded allowable specifications. As such, the duct failed inspection for excessive pore diameter and shrinkage due to welding. At this point, the part was beyond repair, and it was scrapped. The possible causes of failure were analyzed, and it was concluded that the source of the problem was the welding technique

On the Reuse of Bolts Which Have Been Torqued to Yield

Bolts are torqued to yield in automotive engines to fasten aluminum alloy cylinder heads to cast iron cylinder blocks. This tightening method provides a reliable, even, and controllable clamping force that prevents warping of the soft cylinder head and ensures a leak-tight joint. It has one drawback: Since the bolts yield during engine assembly, they work harden even as their ultimate strength decreases. Upon reuse, yield stress more closely approaches ultimate strength. Fastener geometry and mechanical properties, now changed, supply changed joint-clamping force. For reasons such as these. Ford Motor Company recommends that bolts torqued to yield be replaced each time an engine is rebuilt. Cost savings, however, could be realized if engine remanufacturers could reuse these fasteners even once. In this article, reuse of SAE 10-mm cylinder head fasteners is simulated in the laboratory for a Ford I.9-liter four-cylinder engine. Based on tensile test data of yielded bolts, recommendations are made discouraging their reuse

Design of Multistep Aging Treatments of 2099 (C458) Al-Li Alloy

Multistep artificial aging treatments coupled with various natural aging times for aluminum lithium 2099 alloy (previously called C458) are discussed to obtain mechanical tensile properties in the T6 condition that match those in the T861 condition, having a yield strength in the range of 414-490 MPa (60-71 ksi), an ultimate strength in the range of 496-538 MPa (72-78 ksi), and 10-13% elongation. Yield and ultimate tensile strengths from 90-100% of the strength of the as-received material (in the T861 condition) were obtained. The highest tensile strengths were consistently obtained with two-step, low-to-high temperature artificial aging treatments consisting of a first step at 120 degrees C (248 degrees F) for 12-24 h followed by a second step between 165 and 180 degrees C (329-356 degrees F) for 48-100 h. These T6-type heat treatments produced average yield and ultimate strengths in the longitudinal direction in the range of 428-472 MPa (62.1-68.5 ksi) and 487-523 MPa (70.6-75.9 ksi), respectively, as well as lower yield strength anisotropy when compared with the as-received material in the T861 condition

The Effect of Layer Orientation on the Mechanical Properties and Microstructure of a Polymer

Rapid Prototyping (RP) is a method used everywhere from the entertainment industry to healthcare. Layer orientation is an important aspect of the final product. The objective of this research was to evaluate the effect of layer orientation on the mechanical strength and toughness of a polymer. The polymer used was a combination of two materials, ZP 130 and ZB 58, fused together in the Z Corporation Spectrum Z510 Rapid Prototyping Machine. ZP 130 is a powder composed of vinyl polymer (2-20%), sulfate salt (0-5%), and plaster that contains \u3c 1% crystalline silica (50-95%). ZB 58 is a liquid composed of glycerol (1-10%), preservative (sorbic acid salt) (0-2%), surfactant (\u3c 1%), pigment (\u3c 1%), and water (85-95%). After removal from the machine the samples were sealed with Z bond 101 which is Beta-methoxyethyl cyanoacrylate (60-100%). The layer orientations studied were the crack arrestor, crack divider, and short transverse with various combinations of the three, for a total of seven orientations. The mechanical strength was evaluated using tensile testing and three-point bend testing. The toughness was evaluated by Izod impact testing. Five samples for tensile testing and three-point bend testing as well as 15 samples for the Izod impact test for each of the seven orientations were made. The total number of samples was 175. The crack arrestor orientation was the strongest main orientation for the tensile and three-point bend test. Weibull analysis was done on the Izod impact testing due to high variation in the results for the crack arrestor and short transverse directions. It was found that the layer orientation and surface roughness played a significant role in the penetration of the Z bond 101 coating and in the overall strength of the samples

Effects of Heat Treatments on Steels for Bearing Applications

AISI 52 100, 440C, REX20, and Crucible CRU80 steel samples were exposed to 16 different heat treatments to vary the levels of retained austenite. Rockwell C hardness measurements, optical microscopy, and compression testing were used to compare the properties of the different steels

The Effects of Retrogression and Reaging on Aluminum Alloy 2099 (C458)

The objective of this study was to investigate the feasibility of performing retrogression and reaging (RRA) heat treatments on 2099 aluminum-lithium alloy. The retrogression temperatures were 200-250 A degrees C and retrogression times were 5-60 min. Half of the samples were exposed to a salt fog environment. Interestingly, the samples exposed to salt spray had consistently higher mechanical tensile properties than those which were not exposed

The Effects of Retrogression and Reaging on Aluminum Alloy 2195

A retrogression and reaging (RRA) treatment was performed on 2195 Al-Li Alloy. The exposure times were from 5 to 60 min, and the temperatures were from 200 to 250 A degrees C. Samples that were exposed to a salt spray test had overall similar mechanical properties as compared to those that were not exposed. The percent elongation, however, was significantly deteriorated due to the salt spray exposure. The mechanical properties of the 2195 samples were compared to those of 2099 samples exposed to similar treatments in an earlier study