• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.11 no.5
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• pp.345-353
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• 2001

The present study was carried out to investigate the effect of zirconium addition to $Al_3$Nb intermetallic on the crystal structural modification and microstructural characterization of $Al_3$Nb intermetallic. Elemental Al, Nb, Zr powders and arc melted $Al_3$Nb and $Al_3$Zr intermetallic mixed powders were used as starting materials. MA was carried out in an attritor rotated with 300 rpm for 20 hours. The behavior of MA between two starting materials was some-what different in which the value of internal strain of the elemental powders was higher than that of the intermetallic powder. The intermetallic powder was much more disintegrated during the MA processing. In the case of the elemental powders, AlNb$_2$ phase were transformed to Al(Nb.Zr)$_2$ as a result of ternary addition of Zr element. With the successive heat treatment at 873K for 2 hours, the Al(Nb.Zr)$_2$ phase was transformed to more stable $Al_3$(Nb.Zr) phase. This transformation was clearly confirmed by the identification of X-ray peak position shift. On the other hand, in the carte of the intermetallic powder, there was no evidence of phase transformation to other ternary intermetallic compounds or amorphous phases, even in the case of additional heat treatment. However, nano-sized intermetallic with $Al_3$Nb and $Al_3$Zr were just well distributed instead of phase transformation.

• Journal of IKEEE
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.599-605
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• 2019

Ferrite cores are used as a soft magnetic material in the fabrication of couplers for inductive powerline communication (PLC). However, it is difficult to adjust the size freely according to the power-line and power-grid environment. In this paper, we report that a nano-crystalline alloy with higher permeability than ferrite can be used as an inductive coupler for non-contact PLC. Since nano-crystalline are produced in the form of a thin ribbon, the size of the coupler can be freely controlled by the number of ribbons wound on the toroidal core. It was fabricated with induction type coupler and showed to be suitable for non-contact power line communication. Experimental results show that the communication bandwidth is 45 Mbps for 100 m and 8 Mbps for 200 m under the current fluctuation of less than 100 A, and the reception ratio is 100%.

• Korean Journal of Metals and Materials
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• v.49 no.1
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• pp.58-63
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• 2011

The grain size and growth direction of a directionally solidified turbine blade were evaluated by the initial nucleation condition at the start block of directional solidification. The initial nucleation condition was controlled by inserting a Ni foil on the directional solidification plate of the directional solidification furnace. Fine grains with good orientation were obtained in the faster cooling condition at the start block. The nucleus number was compared with the cooling rate of the start block by electron back scattered diffraction (EBSD). DSC (differential scanning calorimeter) analysis was performed to compare the melting point and undercooling for nucleation of the coarse nuclei and fine nuclei of the start block. The faster cooling condition at the start block showed more undercooling for nucleation and smaller size of nuclei which resulted in a fine grain with good orientation in the directional turbine blade.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.294-299
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• 2001

Effects of the surface fluorination on the electrochemical charge-discharge properties of $Mg_2$Ni electrode in Ni-MH batteries fabricated by mechanical alloying were investigated. After 20h ball milling, Mg and Ni powder formed nanocrystalline $Mg_2$Ni. Discharge capacity of this alloy increased greatly at first one cycle, but due to the formation of Mg(OH)$_2$ passive layer, it showed a rapid degradation in alkaline solution within 10cyc1es. In case of 6N KOH +xN KF electrolyte (x = 0.5, 1, 2), a continuous and stable fluorinated layer formed by adding excess F$^{[-10]}$ ion, increased durability of $Mg_2$Ni electrode greatly and high rate discharge capability(90-100mAh/g). 2N KF addition led to the highest durability of all tested here. The reason of the improvement is due to thin MgF$_2$, which can prevent the $Mg_2$Ni electrode from forming Mg(OH)$_2$layer that is the main cause of degradation.

• Journal of Powder Materials
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• v.26 no.5
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• pp.389-394
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• 2019

In the present study, we have investigated the effect of sintering process conditions on the stability of the austenite phase in the nanocrystalline Fe-5wt.%Mn-0.2wt.%C alloy. The stability and volume fraction of the austenite phase are the key factors that determine the mechanical properties of FeMnC alloys, because strain-induced austenite-martensite transformation occurs under the application of an external stress at room temperature. Nanocrystalline Fe-5wt.%Mn-0.2wt.%C samples are fabricated using the spark plasma sintering method. The stability of the austenite phase in the sintered samples is evaluated by X-ray diffraction analysis and hardness test. The volume fraction of austenite at room temperature increases as the sample is held for 10 min at the sintering temperature, because of carbon diffusion in austenite. Moreover, water quenching effectively prevents the formation of cementite during cooling, resulting in a higher volume fraction of austenite. Furthermore, it is found that the hardness is influenced by both the austenite carbon content and volume fraction.

• Journal of Powder Materials
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.336-341
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• 2021

In this study, a nanocrystalline FeNiCrMoMnSiC alloy was fabricated, and its austenite stability, microstructure, and mechanical properties were investigated. A sintered FeNiCrMoMnSiC alloy sample with nanosized crystal was obtained by high-energy ball milling and spark plasma sintering. The sintering behavior was investigated by measuring the displacement according to the temperature of the sintered body. Through microstructural analysis, it was confirmed that a compact sintered body with few pores was produced, and cementite was formed. The stability of the austenite phase in the sintered samples was evaluated by X-ray diffraction analysis and electron backscatter diffraction. Results revealed a measured value of 51.6% and that the alloy had seven times more austenite stability than AISI 4340 wrought steel. The hardness of the sintered alloy was 60.4 HRC, which was up to 2.4 times higher than that of wrought steel.

• Journal of Powder Materials
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.246-252
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• 2021

The effect of sintering conditions on the austenite stability and strain-induced martensitic transformation of nanocrystalline FeCrC alloy is investigated. Nanocrystalline FeCrC alloys are successfully fabricated by spark plasma sintering with an extremely short densification time to obtain the theoretical density value and prevent grain growth. The nanocrystallite size in the sintered alloys contributes to increased austenite stability. The phase fraction of the FeCrC sintered alloy before and after deformation according to the sintering holding time is measured using X-ray diffraction and electron backscatter diffraction analysis. During compressive deformation, the volume fraction of strain-induced martensite resulting from austenite decomposition is increased. The transformation kinetics of the strain-induced martensite is evaluated using an empirical equation considering the austenite stability factor. The hardness of the S0W and S10W samples increase to 62.4-67.5 and 58.9-63.4 HRC before and after deformation. The hardness results confirmed that the mechanical properties are improved owing to the effects of grain refinement and strain-induced martensitic transformation in the nanocrystalline FeCrC alloy.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.24 no.10
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• pp.515-519
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• 2014

The aim of this paper is to consider the effect of annealing on the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) of electroplated Invar Fe-Ni alloy. The CTE of the as-electroplated alloy is lower than those of alloys annealed at $400^{\circ}C$ and $800^{\circ}C$. XRD peaks become sharper as the as-electroplated alloy is annealed, which means the grain growth. The average grain sizes of as-electroplated and as-annealed alloys at $400^{\circ}C$ and $800^{\circ}C$ are 10 nm, 70 nm, and $2{\mu}m$, respectively, as determined by TEM and EBSD analyses. The CTE variation for the various grain sizes after annealing may come from the magnetostriction effect, which generates strain due to changes in the magnetization state of the alloys. The thermal expansion coefficient is considered to be affected by nano grain size in electroplated Fe-Ni Invar alloys. As grain size decreases, ferromagnetic forces might change to paramagnetic forces. The effect of lattice vibration damping of nano grain boundaries could lead to the decrease of CTE.

• Journal of Powder Materials
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• v.12 no.6 s.53
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• pp.433-440
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• 2005

The hydrogen sorption speed of $Zr_{57}V_{36}Fe_7$ nanocrystalline and amorphous alloys was evaluated at room temperature. Nanocrystalline alloys of $Zr_{57}V_{36}Fe_7$ were prepared by planetary ball milling. The hydrogen sorption speed of nanocrystalline alloys was higher than that of the amorphous alloy. The enhanced sorption speed of nanocrystalline alloys was explained in terms of surface oxygen stability which has been known to retard the activation of amorphous alloys. The retardation can be reduced by formation of nanocrystals, which results in the observed increase in sorption properties.

• Journal of Surface Science and Engineering
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.156-162
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• 2005

Nickel-iron nanocrystalline alloys with different compositions and grain sizes were fabricated by electro-plating for MEMS devices. The iron content of the deposits was changed by varying the nickel/iron ion ratio in the electrolyte. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis was applied for measuring the strength of the texture and grain size of the deposits. The nickel/iron atom ratio of the deposits was analyzed by EDS. The hardness of the alloys was evaluated by Vickers hardness indenter. The internal stress of the deposits was measured by Thin Film Stress Measurement using Stoney's formula. Surface morphology and roughness were investigated by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM). The results of this study revealed that at a grain size of approximately $17\~24$nm the hardness, internal stress and roughness depend strongly on the iron content. With increasing the iron content, the hardness and internal stress of the deposits increased. An excellent correlation between the increase in the internal stress and the loss of (200) texture was found.