• Journal of Powder Materials
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• v.30 no.6
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• pp.470-477
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• 2023

The effects of annealing on the microstructure and mechanical properties of Al-Zn-Mg-Cu-Si alloys fabricated by high-energy ball milling (HEBM) and spark plasma sintering (SPS) were investigated. The HEBM-free sintered alloy primarily contained Mg₂Si, Q-AlCuMgSi, and Si phases. Meanwhile, the HEBM-sintered alloy contains Mg-free Si and θ-Al₂Cu phases due to the formation of MgO, which causes Mg depletion in the Al matrix. Annealing without and with HEBM at 500℃ causes partial dissolution and coarsening of the Q-AlCuMgSi and Mg₂Si phases in the alloy and dissolution of the θ-Al₂Cu phase in the alloy, respectively. In both alloys, a thermally stable α-AlFeSi phase was formed after long-term heat treatment. The grain size of the sintered alloys with and without HEBM increased from 0.5 to 1.0 ㎛ and from 2.9 to 6.3 ㎛, respectively. The hardness of the sintered alloy increases after annealing for 1 h but decreases significantly after 24 h of annealing. Extending the annealing time to 168 h improved the hardness of the alloy without HEBM but had little effect on the alloy with HEBM. The relationship between the microstructural factors and the hardness of the sintered and annealed alloys is discussed.

• Transactions of Materials Processing
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• v.32 no.6
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• pp.344-351
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• 2023

The use of Zn-Al-Mg alloy coatings for enhancing the corrosion resistance of steel sheets is gaining prominence over traditional Zn coatings. There is a growing demand for the development of thermal spray wires made from Zn-Al-Mg alloys, as a replacement for the existing wires produced using Al and Zn. This is particularly crucial to secure corrosion resistance and durability in the damaged areas of coated steel sheets caused by deformation and welding. This study focuses on the casting and extrusion processes of Zn-2Al-1Mg alloy for the fabrication of such spray wires and analyzes the changes in microstructure during the extrusion process. The Zn-2Al-1Mg alloy, cast in molds, was subjected to a heat treatment at 250 ℃ for 3 hours prior to extrusion. The extrusion process was carried out by heating both the material and the mold up to 300 ℃. Microstructural analysis was conducted using FE-SEM and EDS to differentiate each phase. The mechanical properties of the cast specimen were evaluated through compression tests at temperatures ranging from 200 to 300 ℃, with strain rates of 0.1 to 5 sec^-1. Vickers hardness testing was utilized to assess the inhomogeneity of mechanical properties in the radial direction of the extruded material. Finite Element Analysis (FEA) was employed to understand the inhomogeneity in stress and strain distribution during extrusion, which aids in understanding the impact of heterogeneous deformation on the microstructure during the process.

• Corrosion Science and Technology
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• v.22 no.5
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• pp.359-367
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• 2023

The localized corrosion resistance of the Ni-based Inconel 718 alloy after solution heat treatment was evaluated using electrochemical techniques in a solution of 25 wt% NaCl and 0.5 wt% acetic acid. Solution heat treatment at 1050 ℃ for 2.5 hours resulted in an increased average grain diameter. Both Ti carbides (10 ㎛ diameter) and Nb-Mo carbides (1 - 9 ㎛ diameter) were distributed throughout the material. Despite heat treatment, the shape and composition of these carbides remained consistent. An increase in solution temperature led to a decrease in pitting potential value. However, the pitting potential value of solution heat-treated Inconel 718 was consistently higher than that of as-received Inconel 718 at all tested temperatures. Localized corrosion initiation occurred at 0.4 V_SSE in a temperature environment of 80 ℃ for both as-received and solution heat-treated Inconel 718 alloys. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopic analysis indicated that the composition of the passive film formed on specimen surfaces remained largely unchanged after solution heat treatment, with O1s, Cr2p_3/2, Fe2p_3/2, and Ni2p_3/2 present. The difference in localized corrosion resistance between as-received and solution heat-treated Inconel 718 alloys was attributable to microstructural changes induced by the heat treatment process.

• Journal of Powder Materials
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• v.30 no.5
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• pp.431-435
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• 2023

An irradiation hardening of Inconel 718 produced by selective laser melting (SLM) was studied based on the microstructural observation and mechanical behavior. Ion irradiation for emulating neutron irradiation has been proposed owing to advantages such as low radiation emission and short experimental periods. To prevent softening caused by the dissolution of γ' and γ" precipitates due to irradiation, only solution annealing (SA) was performed. SLM SA Inconel 718 specimen was ion irradiated to demonstrate the difference in microstructure and mechanical properties between the irradiated and non-irradiated specimens. After exposing specimens to Fe³⁺ ions irradiation up to 100 dpa (displacement per atom) at an ambient temperature, the hardness of irradiated specimens was measured by nano-indentation as a function of depth. The depth distribution profile of Fe³⁺ and dpa were calculated by the Monte Carlo SRIM (Stopping and Range of Ions in Matter)-2013 code under the assumption of the displacement threshold energy of 40 eV. A transmission electron microscope was utilized to observe the formation of irradiation defects such as dislocation loops. This study reveals that the Frank partial dislocation loops induce irradiation hardening of SLM SA Inconel 718 specimens.

• Journal of Korea Foundry Society
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• v.43 no.6
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• pp.286-293
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• 2023

In this study, we investigated the microstructural evolution of Al-Mg-Zn aluminum alloy billet during homogenization treatment using OM, SEM, EDS and DSC. There were numerous phases found, such as; AlMgZn, AlMgFe, and AlMgZnSi phases, in the grain of the cast billet. After 6 hours homogenization treatment, Zn was mostly dissolved, whereas, Mg and Si were only partly dissolved. Accordingly, only AlMgFe and AlMgSi remained. After 18 hours, all of the leftover Mg and Si were dissolved, leaving only AlMgFe, which was also found after 24 hours. The results of the alloy design program, JMatPro showed that Mg dissloved more rapidly than Zn. According to the homogenization kinetic equation, Mg and Zn are completely dissolved within 1.9 and 3.5 hours, respectively.

• Advances in concrete construction
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• v.16 no.6
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• pp.303-316
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• 2023

Using industrial wastes and construction and demolition (C&D) wastes is potentially advantageous for concrete production in terms of sustainability improvement. In this paper, a sustainable Self-Compacting Concrete (SCC) made with industrial wastes and C&D wastes was proposed by considerably replacing natural counterparts with recycled coarse aggregates (RCAs) and supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) (i.e., Fly ash (FA), ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBS) and silica fume (SF)). A total of 12 SCC mixes with various RCAs and different combination SCMs were prepared, which comprise binary, ternary and quaternary mixes. The mechanical properties in terms of compressive strength and static elasticity modulus of recycled aggregates (RA-SCC) mixes were determined and analyzed. Microstructural study was implemented to analyze the reason of improvement on mechanical properties. By means of life cycle assessment (LCA) method, the environmental impacts of RA-SCC with various RCAs and SCMs were quantified, analyzed and compared in the system boundary of "cradle-to-gate". In addition, the comparison of LCA results with respect to mechanical properties was conducted. The results demonstrate that the addition of proposed combination SCMs leads to significant improvement in mechanical properties of quaternary RA-SCC mixes with FA, GGBS and SF. Furthermore, quaternary RA-SCC mixes emit lowest environmental burdens without compromising mechanical properties. Thus, using the combination of FA, GGBS and SF as cement substitution to manufacture RA-SCC significantly improves the sustainability of SCC by minimizing the depletion of cement and non-renewable natural resources.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.44 no.1
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• pp.33-39
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• 2024

This study explores the utilization of common marine wastes, specifically seashells, such as oysters and cockles, as alternative fine aggregates in construction materials. The considered seashells were cleaned and pre-processed for use as a substitute for aggregate in mortar. Cement mortar specimens were prepared under different conditions, such as substitution ratios and the cleaning status of the seashells. The compressive strength of the mortars specimens was evaluated, and the solid and porous structures of each specimen were analyzed using microstructure analysis methods such as XRD, SEM, and micro-CT. The results confirmed that oyster and cockle seashells are composed of different calcium carbonate polymorphs, and their microstructural characteristics influence the mechanical properties of the cement mortar specimens.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.399-407
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• 2024

This study nondestructively examined the evolution of crack density in ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC) upon cyclic loading. Uniaxial compression was repeatedly applied to the cylindrical specimens at levels corresponding to 32% and 53% of the maximum load-bearing capacity, each at a steady strain rate. At each stage, both P-wave and S-wave velocities were measured in the absence of the applied load. In particular, the continuous monitoring of P-wave velocity from the first loading prior to the second loading allowed real-time observation of the strengthening effect during loading and the recovery effect afterwards. Increasing the number of cycles resulted in the reduction of both elastic wave velocities and Young's modulus, along with a slight rise in Poisson's ratio in both tested cases. The computed crack density showed a monotonically increasing trend with repeated loading, more significant at 53% than at 32% loading. Furthermore, the spatial distribution of the crack density along the height was achieved, validating the directional dependency of microcracking development. This study demonstrated the capability of the crack density to capture the evolution of microcracks in UHPC under cyclic loading condition, as an early-stage damage indicator.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.170-174
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• 2024

In this study, we report the microstructural evolution and shear strength of an Sn-Sb alloy, used for die attach process as a solder layer of backside metal (BSM). The Sb content in the binary system was less than 1 at%. A chip with the Sn-Sb BSM was attached to a Ag plated Cu lead frame. The microstructure evolution was investigated after die bonding at 330 ℃, die bonding and isothermal heat treatment at 330 ℃ for 5 min and wire bonding at 260 ℃, respectively. At the interface between the chip and lead frame, Ni₃Sn₄ and Ag₃Sn intermetallic compounds (IMCs) layers and pure Sn regions were confirmed after die bonding. When the isothermal heat treatment is conducted, pure Sn regions disappear at the interface because the Sn is consumed to form Ni₃Sn₄ and Ag₃Sn IMCs. After the wire bonding process, the interface is composed of Ni₃Sn₄, Ag₃Sn and (Ag,Cu)₃Sn IMCs. The Sn-Sb BSM had a high maximum shear strength of 78.2 MPa, which is higher than the required specification of 6.2 MPa. In addition, it showed good wetting flow.

• Advances in nano research
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.289-301
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• 2024

In this work, an analytical model employing a new higher-order shear deformation beam theory is utilized to investigate the bending behavior of axially randomly oriented functionally graded carbon nanotubes reinforced composite nanobeams. A modified continuum nonlocal strain gradient theory is employed to incorporate both microstructural effects and geometric nano-scale length scales. The extended rule of mixture, along with molecular dynamics simulations, is used to assess the equivalent mechanical properties of functionally graded carbon nanotubes reinforced composite (FG-CNTRC) beams. Carbon nanotube reinforcements are randomly distributed axially along the length of the beam. The equilibrium equations, accompanied by nonclassical boundary conditions, are formulated, and Navier's procedure is used to solve the resulting differential equation, yielding the response of the nanobeam under various mechanical loadings, including uniform, linear, and sinusoidal loads. Numerical analysis is conducted to examine the influence of inhomogeneity parameters, geometric parameters, types of loading, as well as nonlocal and length scale parameters on the deflections and stresses of axially functionally graded carbon nanotubes reinforced composite (AFG CNTRC) nanobeams. The results indicate that, in contrast to the nonlocal parameter, the beam stiffness is increased by both the CNTs volume fraction and the length-scale parameter. The presented model is applicable for designing and analyzing microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) and nanoelectromechanical systems (NEMS) constructed from carbon nanotubes reinforced composite nanobeams.