Carlos E. Schvezov

Semi-empirical modeling for columnar and equiaxed growth of alloys

The columnar and equiaxed growth of low-melting point binary alloys (Pb–Sn) was studied in a wide range of concentrations. From temperature measurements a number of important dynamic parameters were derived, such as cooling rates, profiles, grad ients andthe position andvelocity of liquid us andsolid us fronts. These parameters were correlatedwith the structure-like length of columnar grains andsize of equiaxedgrains. These correlations were usedto predict the solidification structure with the aid of a thermal model of solidification. An original feature of the thermal model is the way the latent heat is calculated and released. The nucleation and growth of equiaxed grains is assumed to follow the supercooling from the liquidus temperature. The main observation from the model is the high number of equiaxedgrains, which compete with the columnar growth in the transition. r 2002 Publishedby Elsevier Science B.V.

Characterization of TiO2 Nanofilms Obtained by Sol-gel and Anodic Oxidation

The influence of sol-gel dip-coating and anodic oxidation process parameters in producing thin TiO2 films is studied. As the size of the films is in the order of nanometres (20–140 nm), to obtain a precise measurement of their thickness and analyse their crystalline structures, glancing incidence angle X-ray techniques (X-ray reflectometry and X-ray diffraction) using synchrotron radiation are used. A relationship between the colour and thickness of the films was found. This enables the film thickness to be estimated by the film colour. Within the range of the parameters studied, both techniques produce thin films with smooth surfaces which at most reproduce the roughness of the polished substrate. Independently of the technique, thermally-treated films thicker than 30 nm presented different crystalline structures with anatase and rutile phases.

Toughening of Poly(lactic acid) and Thermoplastic Cassava Starch Reactive Blends Using Graphene Nanoplatelets

Poly(lactic acid) (PLA) was reactively blended with thermoplastic cassava starch (TPCS) and functionalized with commercial graphene (GRH) nanoplatelets in a twin-screw extruder, and films were produced by cast-film extrusion. Reactive compatibilization between PLA and TPCS phases was reached by introducing maleic anhydride and a peroxide radical during the reactive blending extrusion process. Films with improved elongation at break and toughness for neat PLA and PLA-g-TPCS reactive blends were obtained by an addition of GRH nanoplatelets. Toughness of the PLA-g-TPCS-GRH was improved by ~900% and ~500% when compared to neat PLA and PLA-g-TPCS, respectively. Crack bridging was established as the primary mechanism responsible for the improvement in the mechanical properties of PLA and PLA-g-TPCS in the presence of the nanofiller due to the high aspect ratio of GRH. Scanning electron microscopy images showed a non-uniform distribution of GRH nanoplatelets in the matrix. Transmittance of the reactive blend films decreased due to the TPCS phase. Values obtained for the reactive blends showed ~20% transmittance. PLA-GRH and PLA-g-TPCS-GRH showed a reduction of the oxygen permeability coefficient with respect to PLA of around 35% and 50%, respectively. Thermal properties, molecular structure, surface roughness, XRD pattern, electrical resistivity, and color of the films were also evaluated. Biobased and compostable reactive blend films of PLA-g-TPCS compounded with GRH nanoplatelets could be suitable for food packaging and agricultural applications.

Columnar-to-Equiaxed Transition in Metal-Matrix Composites Reinforced with Silicon Carbide Particles

The present work is focused on the study of the effect of directional heat extraction on the silicon-carbide (SiC) distribution in zinc-aluminum matrix composites (MMCs) and on the columnar-to-equiaxed (CET) position in directionally solidified samples. To this end, a ZA-27 alloy matrix was reinforced with ceramic particles of SiC and vertically directionally solidified. The cooling rates, temperature gradients, and interphase velocities were then measured, and their influence on the solidification microstructure of the MMCs was analyzed. The recalescence detected and measured during the equiaxed transition was of the order of 3.5°C to 1.1°C. The values of the temperature gradients reached a minimum during the CET and were even negative in most cases (between −3.89 K and 0.06 K). The interphase velocities varied between 0.07 mm/s and 0.44 mm/s at the transition. Also, the presence of ceramic particles in ZA-27 alloys affected the thermodynamic local conditions and the kinetics of nucleation, producing a finer microstructure.

Fabrication of TiO2 Crystalline Coatings by Combining Ti-6Al-4V Anodic Oxidation and Heat Treatments

The bio- and hemocompatibility of titanium alloys are due to the formation of a TiO2 layer. This natural oxide may have fissures which are detrimental to its properties. Anodic oxidation is used to obtain thicker films. By means of this technique, at low voltages oxidation, amorphous and low roughness coatings are obtained, while, above a certain voltage, crystalline and porous coatings are obtained. According to the literature, the crystalline phases of TiO2, anatase, and rutile would present greater biocompatibility than the amorphous phase. On the other hand, for hemocompatible applications, smooth and homogeneous surfaces are required. One way to obtain crystalline and homogeneous coatings is by heat treatments after anodic oxidation. The aim of this study is to evaluate the influence of heat treatments on the thickness, morphology, and crystalline structure of the TiO2 anodic coatings. The characterization was performed by optical and scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and X-ray reflectometry. Coatings with different colors of interference were obtained. There were no significant changes in the surface morphology and roughness after heat treatment of 500°C. Heat treated coatings have different proportions of the crystalline phases, depending on the voltage of anodic oxidation and the temperature of the heat treatment.

Modeling the interaction of convex solidifying interfaces with spherical particles

The phenomenon of pushing during solidification is modeled for the case of particles producing a convex interface. The thermal and fluid fields generated by the particle–melt–solid system are calculated in a decoupled way determining in the first place the shape of the interface and then, the two main forces acting during pushing; the drag and repulsion forces. The thermal and fluid flow fields were calculated using finite element methods. Both, the drag and repulsion forces are integrated at each step and compared until both are equal and the steady state of pushing is reached. The repulsion force is integrated using the Casimir–Lifshitz–Van der Waals interaction. The model predicts the equilibrium distance in a steady state of pushing for spherical particles and a convex solidifying interface. It is shown that the equilibrium separation distance for a convex interface results in a larger solidification velocity for trapping with respect to an ideal planar interface. The model results were in good agreement with experimental results for the critical velocity reported in the literature.

Wear Resistance of Anodic Titanium Dioxide Films Produced on Ti-6Al-4V Alloy

Ti-6Al-4V alloy with TiO2 coating is the most commonly selected material to construct an aortic heart valve. Wear resistance is the main mechanical property to be evaluated for this purpose. In this paper, the wear resistance of TiO2 thin films obtained by anodic oxidation of Ti-6Al-4V is evaluated. Anodic oxidation was performed at 20 V to 70 V with a H2SO4 1 M electrolyte. The samples were thermally treated at 500°C for 1 h, and crystalline phases of TiO2 were obtained. The wear was performed in a ball-on-flat reciprocating machine with a range of loads from 1 gf to 4 gf and times between 60 s and 1200 s, using a diamond sphere as counterface. The counterface oscillates at 0.5 Hz and 4 mm in amplitude. The wear is measured using a profilometer and is calculated as the worn volume. The wear resistance of the coated samples is larger than the substrate, and increases with thickness and with crystalline coating.

Corrosion Resistance of Zn-Sn Alloys Horizontally Directionally Solidified

The aim of this study is to evaluate the effects of the microstructural arrangement of Zn-Sn alloys horizontally directionally solidified on its resultant corrosion behavior. In this context, a water-cooled horizontal unidirectional solidification system was used to obtain alloy samples. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and potentiodynamic polarization curves were used to analyze the corrosion resistance in a 3% NaCl solution at 25 °C. Microscopic observation of the samples denote a higher susceptibility to pitting corrosion by the Sn, with lots of deep and localized pitting in the order of 10 microns. On the other hand, samples of Zn-Sn alloys and pure Zn showed a more generalized corrosion, with largest number of pinholes and with a depth of 4–5 microns approximately. Also, it was found that the presence of Sn in the analyzed samples affects the corrosion potential, becoming the alloys nobler respect to pure Zn.

Construction and calibration of a goniometer to measure contact angles and calculate the surface free energy in solids with uncertainty analysis

Abstract Here, we present the construction and calibration of a low-cost goniometer to measure contact angles by the sessile drop method. Besides, we propose a simple and fast method to calculate the uncertainty in the determination of the surface free energy (SFE) and its polar and dispersive components through the Owens-Wendt model and tested it by using two testing liquids. The goniometer performance and the SFE uncertainty were determined on two polymers: polytetrafluorethylene (PTFE) and polyoxymethylene (POM), by using water and methylene iodide. The values of contact angle measured were used to calculate the SFE and its components with their errors. The SFE values obtained for PTFE were 17.57–17.91 mJ/m2, with a relative error lower than 5.5%, whereas those for POM were 42.80–43.23 mJ/m2, with a relative error lower than 4.3%. Both the SFE values and the errors were in the range of those previously reported. Based on the mathematical analysis of the uncertainty propagation in the determination of SFE, we concluded that the uncertainty is minimized when the testing liquids are an apolar liquid and water.

Stability analysis of the solution of the one-dimensional Richards equation by the finite difference method

The solution by the Finite Difference Method of the Richards equation written as a function of the degree of saturation of the domain and the matrix potential is obtained and the convergence of the solutions is analyzed. The necessary time and spatial sizes for convergence are obtained and established.