• Composites Research
• /
• v.20 no.2
• /
• pp.10-16
• /
• 2007

The 2-step manufacturing method consisting of preforming and stamping processes was developed to manufacture composite bipolar plates for PEMFCS. The preform was composed of expanded graphite, graphite flake and phenol resin. Procuring conditions were optimized by checking the electrical conductivity, flexural strength and microstructure. Procuring temperature $(100^{\circ}C)$ slightly above the melting point of phenol powders $(90^{\circ}C)$ induced moderate curing, but also prevented excessive curing. Preforms utilizing the tangled structure of expanded graphite were easily fabricated at low pressure of 0.07-0.28MPa. The proper procuring time, 5min, was determined to fabricate the preform stably because insufficient and excessive procuring deteriorated the flexural strength of composite bipolar plates.

• Advances in concrete construction
• /
• v.15 no.3
• /
• pp.161-170
• /
• 2023

Ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC) is produced using high amount of cementitious materials, very low water/cementitious materials ratio, fine-sized fillers, and steel fibers. Due to the dense microstructure of UHPC, it possesses very high strength, elasticity, and durability. Besides that, the UHPC exhibits high ductility and fracture toughness due to presence of fibers in its matrix. While the high ductility of UHPC allows it to undergo high strain/deflection before failure, the high fracture toughness of UHPC greatly enhances its capacity to absorb impact energy without allowing the formation of severe cracking or penetration by the impactor. These advantages with UHPC make it a suitable material for construction of the structural members subjected to special loading conditions. In this research work, the UHPC mixtures having three different dosages of steel fibers (2%, 4% and 6% by weight corresponding to 0.67%, 1.33% and 2% by volume) were characterized in terms of their mechanical properties including facture toughness, before using these concrete mixtures for casting the slab specimens, which were tested under high-energy impact loading with the help of a drop-weight impact test setup. The effect of fiber content on the impact energy absorption capacity and central deflection of the slab specimens were investigated and the equations correlating fiber content with the energy absorption capacity and central deflection were obtained with high degrees of fit. Finite element modeling (FEM) was performed to simulate the behavior of the slabs under impact loading. The FEM results were found to be in good agreement with their corresponding experimentally generated results.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
• /
• v.32 no.3
• /
• pp.168-179
• /
• 2022

Microbiologically Influenced Corrosion (MIC) occurring in underground buried pipes of API 5L X65 steel was investigated. MIC is a corrosion phenomenon caused by microorganisms in soil; it affects steel materials in wet atmosphere. The microstructure and mechanical properties resulting from MIC were analyzed by OM, SEM/EDS, and mapping. Corrosion of pipe cross section was composed of ① surface film, ② iron oxide, and ③ surface/internal microbial corrosive by-product similar to surface corrosion pattern. The surface film is an area where concentrations of C/O components are on average 65 %/16 %; the main components of Fe Oxide were measured and found to be 48Fe-42O. The MIC area is divided into surface and inner areas, where high concentrations of N of 6 %/5 % are detected, respectively, in addition to the C/O component. The high concentration of C/O components observed on pipe surfaces and cross sections is considered to be MIC due to the various bacteria present. It is assumed that this is related to the heat-shrinkable sheet, which is a corrosion-resistant coating layer that becomes the MIC by-product component. The MIC generated on the pipe surface and cross section is inferred to have a high concentration of N components. High concentrations of N components occur frequently on surface and inner regions; these regions were investigated and Na/Mg/Ca basic substances were found to have accumulated as well. Therefore, it is presumed that the corrosion of buried pipes is due to the MIC of the NRB (nitrate reducing bacteria) reaction in the soil.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Heat Treatment
• /
• v.35 no.2
• /
• pp.74-81
• /
• 2022

This study aims to mitigate the microstructural heterogeneity arising from the manufacture of magnesium alloy plates using the twin roll casting (TRC) process. Homogenization was introduced through hot rolling and heat treatment, followed by confirmation of observed changes in the microstructure. Following the TRC process, the hot rolled 2mm plate exhibited a dendritic cast structure tilted in the roll rotation direction, while central segregation were developed. This nonuniform structure and central segregation disappeared upon heat treatment, followed by recrystallization to form uniform and fine grains. Abnormal grain growth (AGG) was observed over the course of heat treatment; grains exhibiting AGG occupied up to 75% of the total area after having held the sample at 400℃ for 64 h. The formation of coarse grains was also observed during heat treatment at 340℃ over a relatively long duration, though the maximum grain size was significantly smaller than that corresponding to the heat treatment at 400℃. AGG in the 400℃ heat treatment occurred because of movement of the grain boundary, which had been fixed prior as a result of the grain boundary fixing effect of the precipitation phase. The re-dissolution of the Ca₂Mg₅Zn₅ precipitated phase over the long duration of the high-temperature annealing process caused the surrounding grains to disappear and regrow.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
• /
• v.32 no.3
• /
• pp.132-138
• /
• 2022

Zintl phase Mg₃Sb₂ is a promising thermoelectric material in medium to high temperature range due to its low band gap energy and characteristic electron-crystal phonon-glass behavior. P-type Mg₃Sb₂ has conventionally exhibited lower thermoelectric properties compared to its n-type counterparts, which have poor electrical conductivity. To address these problems, a small amount of Sn doping was considered in this alloy system. P-type Mg₃Sb₂ was synthesized by controlled melting, pulverizing, and subsequent vacuum hot pressing (VHP) method. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were used to investigate phases and microstructure development during the process. Single phase Mg₃Sb₂ was successfully formed when 16 at.% of Mg was excessively added to the system. Nominal compositions of Mg_3.8Sb_2-xSn_x (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.008) were considered in this study. Thermoelectric properties were evaluated in terms of Seebeck coefficient, electrical conductivity, and thermal conductivity. A peak ZT value ≈ 0.32 was found for the specimen Mg_3.8Sb_1.994Sn_0.006 at 873 K, showing an improved ZT value compared to intrinsic one. Transport properties were also evaluated and discussed.

• Transactions of Materials Processing
• /
• v.31 no.3
• /
• pp.160-166
• /
• 2022

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of combined addition of Ca and Y on the precipitation and age-hardening behavior of an extruded AZ91 alloy by conducting the aging treatment at 200 ℃ for hot-extruded AZ91 and AZ91-0.3Ca-0.2Y alloys. In the AZ91 alloy, many Mg₁₇Al₁₂ discontinuous precipitate (DP) bands formed during air cooling immediately after extrusion are present, whereas in the AZ91-0.3Ca-0.2Y alloy, a few DP bands and numerous Al₂Y, Al₈Mn₄Y, and Al₂Ca phase particles are distributed along the extrusion direction. The peak-aging time of the AZ91-0.3Ca-0.2Y alloy is 16 hours, twice that of the AZ91 alloy. Although both alloys have similar hardness before aging treatment, the hardness after peak-aging treatment (i.e., peak hardness) of the AZ91-0.3Ca-0.2Y alloy is higher than that of the AZ91 alloy, as 93.1 and 88.7 Hv, respectively. The microstructures of both peak-aged alloys comprise DPs and continuous precipitates (CPs). However, the peak-aged AZ91-0.3Ca-0.2Y alloy has a smaller amount of DPs and a larger amount of CPs than the peak-aged AZ91 alloy. Additionally, the inter-particle spacings of DPs and CPs in the former are significantly narrower than those in the latter. These results demonstrate that the addition of small amounts of Ca and Y to a commercial AZ91 alloy considerably affects the formation rate, size, and amount of CPs and DPs during aging and resultant age-hardening behavior.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
• /
• v.33 no.5
• /
• pp.214-221
• /
• 2023

As a filler metal for lowering the melting point of Ag, many alloy metal candidates have emerged, such as cadmium, with zinc, manganese, nickel, and titanium as active metals. However, since cadmium is known to be harmful to the human body, Cd-free filler metals are now mainly used. Still, no study has been conducted comparing the characteristics of joints prepared with and without cadmium. In addition, studies have yet to be conducted comparing the typical characteristics of brazing filler metals with special structures, and the joint characteristics of brazing filler metals with available frames. In this study, the characteristics of junctions of silver-based intercalation metals were compared based on the type of filler metal additives, using a special structure, a filler metal sandwich structure, to protect the internal base metal. The general filler metal was compared using the structure, and the thickness of the filler metal according to the thickness was reached. A comparison of the characteristics of the junction was conducted to identify the characteristics of an intersection of silver-based brazing filler metal and the effect on joint strength. Each filler metal's collective tensile strength was measured, and the relationship between joint characteristics and tensile joint strength was explored. The junction was estimated through micro strength measurement, contact angle measurement with the base metal when the filler metal was melted, XRD image observation, composition analysis for each phase through SEM-EDS, and microstructure phase acquisition.

• Journal of Ceramic Processing Research
• /
• v.13 no.spc2
• /
• pp.341-345
• /
• 2012

[Li0.055(K0.5Na0.5)0.945](Nb1-xTax)O3 (0.05 ≤ x ≤ 0.25) ceramics were prepared by the partial sol-gel (PSG) method to improve the microstructure homogeneity of Ta5+ ion and were compared to those prepared by the conventional mixed oxide (CMO) method. For the PSG method, Ta(OC2H5)5 was directly reacted with calcined [Li0.055(K0.5Na0.5)0.945]NbO3 powders and the specimens sintered at 1100 ℃ for 5 hrs showed a single phase with a perovskite structure. Compared to the specimens prepared by conventional mixed oxide powders, the relative ratio of tetragonal phase to orthorhombic phase of the sintered specimens prepared by Ta(OC2H5)5 was larger than that of the sintered specimens prepared by Ta2O5. The electromechanical coupling factor (kp), piezoelectric constant (d33) and dielectric constant (εr) of the sintered specimens were increased with Ta5+ content. These results could be attributed to the decrease of the orthorhombic-tetragonal polymorphic phase transition temperature (To-t), which could be evaluated by oxygen octahedral distortion. Strain of the sintered specimens prepared by the PSG method was higher than that of specimens prepared by the CMO method due to the increase of relative density. The effects of crystal structure on the strain characteristics of the specimens were also discussed.

• Journal of the Korea Institute of Building Construction
• /
• v.23 no.4
• /
• pp.381-392
• /
• 2023

This research scrutinizes the mechanical characteristics of ultra-high strength concrete using oxide graphene nanoplatelet(GO) and hollow glass powder(HGP). The investigation covered various mechanical attributes, including workability, compression strength, tensile strength, water resistance, and the internal microstructure of standard concrete. Our findings reveal that workability experiences a significant improvement with the incorporation of a minimal amount of HGP, and an increase was also observed in tensile strength and water resistance. It was confirmed that cGO(C company GO) and HGP demonstrated commendable dispersion and the pore volume exhibited a reduction of more than 20%. The potential of cGO and HGP to substitute silica fume(SF) was also explored. Consequently, it was found that both workability and mechanical properties were enhanced in the absence of SF when cGO and HGP were used. This finding implies that the utilization of these novel materials could potentially modify conventional methods of concrete manufacturing.

• Transactions of Materials Processing
• /
• v.32 no.4
• /
• pp.173-179
• /
• 2023

In this study, the age-hardening behavior and tensile properties of a cast AZ91-0.3Ca-0.2Y (SEN9) alloy are investigated and compared with those of a commercial AZ91 alloy. Even after homogenization heat treatment, the SEN9 alloy contains numerous undissolved secondary phases, Al₈Mn₄Y, Al₂Y, and Al₂Ca, which results in a higher hardness value than the homogenized AZ91 alloy. Under aging condition at 200 ℃, both the AZ91 and SEN9 alloys exhibit the same peak-aging time of 8 h, but the peak hardness of the latter (86.8 Hv) is higher than that of the former (83.9 Hv). The precipitation behavior of Mg₁₇Al₁₂ phase during aging significantly differs in the two alloys. In the AZ91 alloy, the area fraction of Mg₁₇Al₁₂ discontinuous precipitates (DPs) increases up to ~50% as the aging time increases. In contrast, in the SEN9 alloy, the formation and growth of DPs during aging are substantially suppressed by the Ca- or Y-containing particles, which leads to the formation of only a small amount of DPs with an area fraction of ~4% after peak aging. Moreover, the size and interparticle spacing of Mg₁₇Al₁₂ precipitates of the peak-aged SEN9 alloy are smaller than those of the peak-aged AZ91 alloy. The homogenized AZ91 alloy exhibits a higher tensile strength than the homogenized SEN9 alloy due to the finer grains of the former. However, the peak-aged SEN9 alloy has a higher tensile elongation than the peak-aged AZ91 alloy due to the smaller amount of brittle DPs in the former.