Hipólito Carvajal Fals

Assessment of Abrasive Wear of Nanostructured WC-Co and Fe-Based Coatings Applied by HP-HVOF, Flame, and Wire Arc Spray

Thermal spray processes have been widely used to minimize losses caused by wear mechanisms. Sprayed deposits using conventional wire and powder materials have been long solving tribological problems in engineering equipment. More recently, the option for new different technologies and consumables like nanostructured powder materials and nanocomposite cored wires have expanded the possibilities for technical solutions. Cored wire technology allows the use of compositions that cannot be drawn into wire form like carbides in metallic matrix and high-temperature materials, thus, intensifying the use of spraying processes with low operating cost to demanding wear and corrosion applications. The objective of this work was to study the mechanical characteristics and wear performance of coatings obtained by Flame, Wire Arc, and HVOF spraying using selected nanostructured WC10Co4Cr, WC12Co, and Fe-based 140 MXC powder and wire materials. Abrasive wear performance of the coatings was determinate following the ASTM G-65 standard. Based on the results, a higher abrasive wear resistance was found for the HVOF-sprayed WC10Co4Cr nanostructured coating.

Artificial neural networks and acoustic emission applied to stability analysis in gas metal arc welding

Abstract The present paper describes the application of neural networks to obtain a model for estimating the stability of gas metal arc welding (GMAW) process. A neural network has been developed to obtain and model the relationships between the acoustic emission (AE) signal parameters and the stability of GMAW process. Statistical and temporal parameters of AE signals have been used as input of the neural networks; a multilayer feedforward neural network has been used, trained with back propagation method, and using Levenberg Marquardts algorithm for different network architectures. Different welding conditions have been studied to analyse the incidence of the parameters of the process in acoustic signals. The AE signals have been processed by using the wavelet transform, and have been characterised statistically. Experimental results are provided to illustrate the proposed approach. Finally a statistical analysis for the validation of the experimental results obtained is presented. As a main result of the study, the effectiveness of the application of the artificial neural networks for modelling stability analysis in welding processes has been demonstrated. The regression analysis demonstrates the validity of neural networks to predict the stability of welding process using the statistical characterisation of the signal parameters of AE that have been calculated.

Influence of polarity on mechanical properties of dissimilar resistance spot welds of DP 600/AISI 304 steels

The influence of polarity during resistance spot weld (RSW) of dissimilar lap joints on mechanical properties and failure mode is assessed in this work. A dissimilar lap joint was set using DP 600 dual phase steel with AISI 304 stainless steel. The experiments were performed on a medium-frequency direct current spot welding machine with proper data acquisition of voltage and welding current. Temperature evolution was also acquired by using IR camera. The mechanical properties of spot welds were evaluated by using a coach peel testing. The effect of welding current and welding time on mechanical properties was also evaluated. Correlations between polarity with the welding nugget size, failure mode, tensile strength, temperature evolution and dynamic resistance were analysed. The analysis confirmed that the polarity on dissimilar lap joints affects the behaviour of dissimilar RSWs.The influence of polarity during resistance spot weld (RSW) of dissimilar lap joints on mechanical properties and failure mode is assessed in this work. A dissimilar lap joint was set using DP 600 dual phase steel with AISI 304 stainless steel. The experiments were performed on a medium-frequency direct current spot welding machine with proper data acquisition of voltage and welding current. Temperature evolution was also acquired by using IR camera. The mechanical properties of spot welds were evaluated by using a coach peel testing. The effect of welding current and welding time on mechanical properties was also evaluated. Correlations between polarity with the welding nugget size, failure mode, tensile strength, temperature evolution and dynamic resistance were analysed. The analysis confirmed that the polarity on dissimilar lap joints affects the behaviour of dissimilar RSWs.

Optimisation of friction-stir welding process using vibro-acoustic signal analysis

Abstract This paper presents a mathematical model to predict the tensile strength (TS) of friction-stir welded (FSW) AA1050 aluminium alloy joint. This model has been obtained from the optimisation of the parameters of models developed from vibro-acoustic signals produced during the process. The multiple response method was used to obtain the optimisation model. During experimental development, the process parameters selected to be assessed were rotation speed (RS), travel speed, and tool profile (TP). The TS of the welded joint and the root mean square (RMS) value of the vibro-acoustic signal in the frequency range of 3·2–6·4 kHz were analysed as response variables. In order to validate the model, the optimal values of the factors and responses are presented, showing their agreement with the experimental values obtained. This model can be used to develop and optimise the parameters of the automatic control of the FSW process, based on the vibro-acoustic signal generated.

Stability analysis of the gas metal arc welding process based on acoustic emission technique

A new criterion for stability analysis of the gas metal arc welding (GMAW) process is proposed and presented in this work, based on acoustic emission generated by the arc during short-circuiting metal transfer. For the experimental development an AWS ER70S-6 wire with a diameter of 0.8 mm and a DEP 401 rectifier were used. The weld bead was carried out on a 4-mm-thick AISI 1020 steel plate. Several welding conditions were studied with variation of the process parameters during the deposition of the beads. The acoustic emission signals were acquired using a measurement system composed of a MV-201 microphone, with a sensitivity of 10 ± 3 mV Pa− 1 and frequency bandwidth of 20 Hz to 170 dB to 100 kHz, and a data acquisition card coupled to a PC. A stability index was proposed. Eventually, a statistical analysis for validation of the obtained experimental results was carried out. The outputs allowed obtained a relationship between the acoustic signals and the arc voltage signals. The feasibility of the proposed index, and the effectiveness of the method as a novel means of analysing the stability of arc welding, was demonstrated based on acoustic emission for analyses of GMAW process stability.

Fracture modes and acoustic emission characteristics of hydrogen-assisted cracking in high-strength low-alloy steel weldment

The aim of the present paper is to study the relationship between the fracture modes in hydrogen-assisted cracking (HAC) in microalloied steel and the emission of acoustic signals during the fracturing process. For this reason, a flux-cored arc weld (FCAW) was used in a high-strength low-alloy steel. The consumable used were the commercially available AWS E120T5-K4 and had a diameter of 1.6 mm. Two different shielding gases were used (CO2 and CO2+5% H2) to obtain complete phenomenon characterization. The implant test was applied with three levels of restriction stresses. An acoustic emission measurement system (AEMS) was coupled to the implant test apparatus. The output signal from the acoustic emission sensor was passed through an electronic amplifier and processed by a root mean square (RMS) voltage converter. Fracture surfaces were examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and image analysis. Fracture modes were related with the intensity, the energy and the number of the peaks of the acoustic emission signal. The shielding gas CO2+5% H2 proved to be very useful in the experiments. Basically, three different fracture modes were identified in terms of fracture appearance: microvoid coalescence (MVC), intergranular (IG) and quasi-cleavage (QC). The results show that each mode of fracture presents a characteristic acoustic signal.

Characterisation of friction stir spot welding process based on envelope analysis of vibro-acoustical signals

Abstract The evaluation of the relationship between the vibro-acoustical signals generated by friction stir spot welding (FSSW) process with its parameters and stages such as torque, dwell time, and tool rotation speed, is developed in this work. A dissimilar lap-joint was conducted using pure copper and AA1050 H24 aluminium alloy. The vibro-acoustical signals in Z and Y directions, and torque applied by the tool during the process have been acquired by the instrument NI USB-9234. The characterisation in the time and frequency domains of the vibro-acoustical signals has been performed in order to correlate them with the stages of processing and tool torque. The analysis has confirmed that the vibro-acoustical signals were significantly affected by changes in process forces and can thus be used as a non-destructive method for process monitoring, optimisation tasks, and control of FSSW process.

Microstructure of Thixoformable Hypoeutectic Cast Iron

The use of a specially designed hypoeutectic cast iron as a potential raw material for the thixoforming process is described in this paper. Thixoforming technology normally uses aluminum-silicon alloys such A356 and A357 as raw materials. Iron-based alloys are less common, despite the lower cost of the raw material. The paper describes the semi-solid behavior and corresponding final microstructure of a hypoeutectic gray cast iron after thixoforming tests. The Fe-2.6wt%C-1.5wt%Si alloy was prepared via conventional casting in sand molds. Samples were heated to the semi-solid state at 1160 and 1180oC and held at these temperatures for 0, 30, 90 and 120s, and then subjected to compression tests. Two-platen compression tests were carried out in an instrumented eccentric press in order to determine the semi-solid behavior. The holding time in the semi-solid range simulates the industrial heating process that is time-controlled rather than temperature-controlled. The semi-solid behavior indicated that the semi-solid cast iron behaves like aluminum-silicon alloys, presenting a stress of up to 24MPa under 80% strain and a corresponding apparent viscosity of up to 1.5*105 Pa.s at 1180oC. The final microstructure after compression testing was essential in determining the material’s morphological evolution. Tests revealed that heating up to the semi-solid range followed by thixoforming changes the material’s graphite morphology from type A to B (or E), but does not significantly affect the interdendritic arm spacing between graphite lamellae. The resulting structure is composed of fine graphite and pearlite.

Evaluating the oxidation resistance of bond coats on thermal barrier coatings

Abstract Coatings are being increasingly used as an engineering alternative for advanced projects. Various techniques and processes are available for applying coatings, depending on the specific situation they are intended for. Thermal barrier coatings, known as TBCs, form part of a particular series of metal-ceramic coatings that are traditionally used in the aeronautical industry and are being increasingly applied in the automotive industries and for industrial turbines. One of the main issues with TBCs is degradation owing to the oxidation of the bond coat in high temperatures, resulting in the failure of the coating due to peel off. This study investigates and compares the behaviour of the oxidation of the TBC bond coat when the material used is NiAl alloy; this alloy is commonly used because of its characteristics at high temperatures and to ensure strong adhesion on various substrates. The bond coat was applied on an AISI 1020 Steel substrate using the flame spraying process. In order to carry out isothermal oxidation tests, the furnace used was regulated at a temperature of 1000 °C in static air. The samples were exposed for 24, 48 and 96 h and cooling was carried out in atmospheric air at ambient temperature. The analysis of the thermally grown oxide for each sample was carried out based on the exposure times and the oxide rates were evaluated by measuring the mass gained by the samples with oxidized coatings and using Scanning Electron Microscopy and Optical Microscopy.

Characterization of Thermally Regenerated Activated Carbons Used in Rum Production by Acoustic Emission Analysis, N2 and Ar Gas Adsorption

Acoustic emission analysis applied for the characterization of granular activated carbons (GAC) has been barely explored. The porosity of regenerated GAC used in rum production has been assessed using the acoustic emission method based on the signal envelope analysis by band-pass filtering at 1.3 kHz of the sound produced by water flooding the activated carbon. Acoustic measurements have been correlated with porosity and surface area analysis applying argon at 87K and N2 at 77K. The found relationship proves not only the almost equivalency but also the partly complementarity of both techniques and the possibility to determine the regeneration degree of GAC using the acoustic emission method.