• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제54권6호
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• pp.2329-2333
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• 2022

Base metal corrosion forms a significant issue during the chemical decontamination of the primary coolant loop in nuclear power plants as it is directly related to the economic and safety viability of decommissioning. In this technical note, potentiodynamic evaluations of several base metals (304 stainless steel, SA106 Grade B carbon steel, and alloy 600) were performed to determine their corrosion behavior during the hydrazine (N₂H₄)-based reductive ion decontamination (HyBRID) process. The results suggested that N₂H₄ protected the surface of the base metals in the HyBRID solution, which is primarily composed of H₂SO₄. The corrosion resistance of the carbon steel was further improved through the addition of CuSO₄ to the solution. The corrosion rate of carbon steel in the H₂SO₄-N₂H₄-CuSO₄ solution was lower than that exhibited in an oxalic acid solution, a commonly used reaction medium during commercial decontamination processes. These results indicate the superiority of the HyBRID process with respect to the base metal stability.

• Journal of Electrochemical Science and Technology
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• 제12권2호
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• pp.188-203
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• 2021

The specific benefits of the modified films formed on preliminary anodized aluminum, including the versatility of their potential applications impose the need for evaluation of the exploitation reliability of these films. In this aspect, the durability of Cu and Ni modified anodized aluminum oxide (AAO) films on the low-doped AA1050 alloy was assessed through extended exposure to a 3.5% NaCl model corrosive medium. The electrochemical measurements by means of electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and potentiodynamic scanning (PDS) after 24 and 720 hours of exposure have revealed that the obtained films do not change their obvious barrier properties. In addition, supplemental analyses of the coatings were performed, in order to elucidate the impact of the AC-deposition of Cu and Ni inside the pores. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images have shown that the surface topology is not affected and resembles the typical surface of an etched metal. The subsequent energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) tests have revealed a predominance of Cu in the combined AAO-Cu/Ni layers, whereas additional X-ray photoelectron (XPS) analyses showed that both metals form oxides with different oxidation states due to alterations in the deposition conditions, promoted by the application of AC-polarization of the samples.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• 제30권2호
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• pp.183-193
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• 2022

Structural health monitoring and structural vibration control are multidisciplinary and frontier research directions of civil engineering. As intelligent materials that integrate sensing and actuation capabilities, shape memory alloys (SMAs) exhibit multiple excellent characteristics, such as shape memory effect, superelasticity, corrosion resistance, fatigue resistance, and high energy density. Moreover, SMAs possess excellent resistance sensing properties and large deformation ability. Superfine NiTi SMA wires have potential applications in structural health monitoring and micro-drive system. In this study, the mechanical properties and electrical resistance sensing characteristics of superfine NiTi SMA wires were experimentally investigated. The mechanical parameters such as residual strain, hysteretic energy, secant stiffness, and equivalent damping ratio were analyzed at different training strain amplitudes and numbers of loading-unloading cycles. The results demonstrate that the detwinning process shortened with increasing training amplitude, while austenitic mechanical properties were not affected. In addition, superfine SMA wires showed good strain-resistance linear correlation, and the loading rate had little effect on their mechanical properties and electrical resistance sensing characteristics. This study aims to provide an experimental basis for the application of superfine SMA wires in engineering.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제55권2호
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• pp.555-565
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• 2023

Despite many advantages as structural materials, austenitic stainless steels (SSs) have been avoided in many next generation nuclear systems due to poor void swelling resistance. In this paper, we report the results of heavy ion irradiation to the recently developed advanced radiation resistant austenitic SS (ARES-6P) with nanosized NbC precipitates. Heavy ion irradiation was performed at high temperatures (500 ℃ and 575 ℃) to the damage level of ~200 displacement per atom (dpa). The measured void swelling of ARES-6P was 2-3%, which was considerably less compared to commercial 316 SS and comparable to ferritic martensitic steels. In addition, increment of hardness measured by nano-indentation was much smaller for ARES-6P compared to 316 SS. Though some nanosized NbC precipitates were dissociated under relatively high dose rate (~5.0 × 10^-4 dpa/s), sufficient number of NbC precipitates remained to act as sink sites for the point defects, resulting in such superior radiation resistance.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• 제22권3호
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• pp.231-243
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• 2022

Beam-column joints (BCJs) are recognized among the most crucial zones in reinforced concrete structures, as they are the critical elements subjected to a complex state of forces during a severe earthquake. Under such conditions, BCJs exhibit behaviors with impacts that extend to the whole structure and significantly influence its ductility and capability of dissipating energy. The focus of this paper is to investigate the effect of undamaged transverse beam (secondary beams) on the ductility of concrete BCJs reinforced with conventional steel and shape memory alloys bars using pushover analysis at tip of beam under different axial load levels at the column using a nonlinear finite element model in ABAQUS environment. A numerical model of a BCJ was constructed and the analysis outcomes were verified by comparing them to those obtained from previous experiments found in the literature. The comparison evidenced the capability of the calibrated model to predict the load capacity response of the joint. Results proved the ability of undamaged secondary beams to provide a noticeable improvement to the ductility of reinforced concrete joints, with a very negligible loss in load capacity. However, the effect of secondary beams can become less significant if the beams are damaged due to seismic effects. In addition, the axial load was found to significantly enhance the performance of BCJs, where the increase in axial load magnified the capacity of the joint. However, higher values of axial load resulted in greater initial stiffness of the BCJ.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• 제86권4호
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• pp.519-533
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• 2023

This work focuses on the dynamic analysis of thermal barrier coated straight and curved turbine blades modelled as functionally graded sandwich panel under thermal environment. The pre- twisted straight/curved blade model is considered to be fixed to the hub and, the complete assembly of the hub and blade are assumed to be rotating. The functionally graded sandwich composite blade is comprised of functionally graded face-sheet material and metal alloy core. The constituents' material properties are assumed to be temperature-dependent, however, the overall properties are evaluated using Voigt's micromechanical scheme in conjunction with the modified power-law functions. The blade model kinematics is based on the equivalent single-layer shear deformation theory. The equations of motion are derived using the extended Hamilton's principle by including the effect of centrifugal forces, and further solved via 2D- isoparametric finite element approximations. The mesh refinement and validation tests are performed to illustrate the stability and accurateness of the present model. In addition, frequency characteristics of the pre-twisted rotating sandwich blades are computed under thermal environment at various sets of parametric conditions such as twist angles, thickness ratios, aspect ratios, layer thickness ratios, volume fractions, rotational velocity and blade curvatures which can be further useful for designing the blade type structures under turbine operating conditions.

• Corrosion Science and Technology
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• 제22권5호
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• pp.322-329
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• 2023

There are a variety of heat exchangers used in automobiles, such as shell and tube heat exchangers, double tube heat exchangers, and plate heat exchangers. Most of them are water-cooled to prevent engine overheating. There have been reports of corrosion damage to these heat exchangers due to continuous wetting caused by external temperature differences, road pollutants, and snow removal. In addition, galvanic corrosion, which occurs when two dissimilar materials come into contact, has been identified as a major cause. In this study, corrosion characteristics and galvanic corrosion behavior of Al alloy (AA3003, AA4045 and AA7072) used in automobile heat exchangers were analyzed. Effective clad materials for heat exchanger tubes and fins were also evaluated. It was found that AA7072 should be applied as the cladding material for fin AA3003 and that AA4045 was suitable as a cladding material for tube AA3003 because this clad materials application was the most effective clad design to delay the occurrence of pinhole in the tube. Main factors influencing galvanic corrosion dissolution were found to be galvanic corrosion potential difference and galvanic corrosion current density.

• Corrosion Science and Technology
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• 제23권1호
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• pp.54-63
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• 2024

This work investigated the influence of concentration and applied potential on the characteristics of zinc powder (purity, apparent density, morphology, particle size distribution, and particle zeta potential) produced by the electrochemical process from waste brass. High-purity zinc powder is obtained using selective leaching of industrial brass waste in acidic, neutral, and alkaline solutions. The free immersion method with and without voltage using linear polarization technique is used. In the electrochemical process, hydrochloric acid HCl in three different concentrations (0.1, 0.2, and 0.3) M is used. The time and the distance between the electrodes are set to be 30 min and 3 cm, respectively. It has been found that the percentage purity is 98%, 96%, and 94% for the acidic, neutral, and alkaline solutions, respectively. In addition, the morphology of zinc powder analyzed by SEM was dendritic and mossy. It has been recorded that the purity of zinc increases with the increase of the concentration and applied potential. The highest value of purity for zinc powder was %98.58 in 1000 mV and 0.3M concentration for graphite cathode.

• Archives of Metallurgy and Materials
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• 제66권4호
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• pp.941-946
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• 2021

A356 Al composites reinforced by short carbon fiber were prepared through the 2-step process: fabrication of a composite precursor and ultrasonication of the precursor melt. The short carbon fibers were coated with 0.15~1.5 ㎛ thick SiC layer by a carbothermal reaction, and an amount of the carbon fiber reinforcement was determined to be 1.5 vol.% and 4.0 vol.%, respectively. The addition of the carbon fiber increased the hardness of A356 alloy. However, tensile strength did not increase in the as-cast composites regardless of the SiC coating and volume fraction of the carbon fiber, due to the debonding which reduced load transfer efficiency from matrix to fiber at the interface. After T6-treatment of the composites, a significant increase in strength occurred only in the composite reinforced by the SiC-coated short carbon fiber, which was considered to result from the formation of a precipitate improving the Al/SiC interfacial strength.

• Archives of Metallurgy and Materials
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• 제66권3호
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• pp.729-733
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• 2021

Ferrotitanium can be produced as a method of recycling Ti scraps. The eutectic composition of ferrotitanium, Fe_29.5Ti_70.5, can be obtained as a nanocrystalline phase due to relatively low melting point. Fe_29.5Ti_70.5 in which FeTi and β-Ti form a lamellar structure have high strength but low strain. To improve this, impurities were removed through hydrogen plasma arc melting (HPAM) and annealed. HPAM can remove substitutional/interstitial solid solutions. As a result, from 6733 ppm to 4573 ppm of initial impurities were removed by HPAM process. In addition, the strain was improved by spheroidizing and coarsening the lamellar structure through annealing. The effect of impurities removed through HPAM on the Young's modulus, yield strength, and strain was observed.