Joanna Zdunek

Effect of plasma electrolytic oxidation in the solutions containing Ca, P, Si, Na on the properties of titanium†

The surface layers were formed on titanium by plasma electrolytic oxidation (PEO) in the solutions which contain various amounts of Na(2)SiO(3)x5H(2)O, Na(3)PO(4) x12H(2)O and Ca(CH(3)COO)(2) xH(2)O. The layers were characterized using a scanning electron microscope (SEM) coupled with an energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS) and an X-ray diffractometer (XRD). The titanium/oxide surface layer interface was analyzed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The adhesive strength of the oxide layers was evaluated by the scratch-test. The bioactivity of the surface was determined by soaking in a simulated body fluid (SBF) for 7 and 30 days. The corrosion resistance was determined by electrochemical methods after 13, 181, and 733 h exposure in SBF at a temperature of 37°C. The oxide layers obtained were rough and porous and enriched with Ca, P, Si, and Na and their properties depended on the concentration of the components of the electrolyte. The results of the electrochemical examinations, after a 13 h exposure in SBF, show that the surface modification by PEO improves the corrosion resistance of titanium and it is not degraded after a long-term exposure in SBF. The electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) results indicate that the surface layers have a complex structure.

Microstructure and strain-stress analysis of the dynamic strain aging in inconel 625 at high temperature

Serrated flow is a result of unstable plastic flow, which occurs during tensile and compression tests on some dilute alloys. This phenomenon is referred as the Portevin Le-Chatelier effect (PLC effect). The aim of this research was to investigate and analyze this phenomenon in Inconel 625 solution strengthened superalloy. The tested material was subjected to tensile tests carried out within the temperature range 200-700 °C, with three different strain rates: 0.002 1/s, 0.01/s, and 0.05 1/s and additional compression tests with high deformation speeds of 0.1, 1, and 10 1/s. The tensile strain curves were analyzed in terms of intensity and the observed patterns of serrations Using a modified stress drop method proposed by the authors, the activation energy was calculated with the assumption that the stress drops’ distribution is a direct representation of an average solute atom’s interaction with dislocations. Subsequently, two models, the standard vacancy diffusion Bilby-Cottrell model and the realistic cross-core diffusion mechanism proposed by Zhang and Curtin, were compared. The results obtained show that the second one agrees with the experimental data. Additional microstructure analysis was performed to identify microstructure elements that may be responsible for the PLC effect. Based on the results, the relationship between the intensity of the phenomenon and the conditions of the tests were determined.

Influence of Severe Plastic Deformation on the PLC Effect and Mechanical Properties in Al 5XXX Alloy

In this work, Al-Mg-Mn-Si alloy (5483) in the as-received and severe plastically deformed states was used. Plastic deformation was carried out by hydrostatic extrusion, and three different true strain values were applied 1.4, 2.8 and 3.8. All specimens were subjected to tensile tests and microhardness measurements. The investigated material revealed an instability during plastic deformation in the form of serration on the stress-strain curves, the so called Portevin-Le Chatelier effect It was shown that grain size reduction effected the character of the instability.

The Influence of Selective Laser Melting (SLM) Process Parameters on In-Vitro Cell Response

The use of laser 3D printers is very perspective in the fabrication of solid and porous implants made of various polymers, metals, and its alloys. The Selective Laser Melting (SLM) process, in which consolidated powders are fully melted on each layer, gives the possibility of fabrication personalized implants based on the Computer Aid Design (CAD) model. During SLM fabrication on a 3D printer, depending on the system applied, there is a possibility for setting the amount of energy density (J/mm3) transferred to the consolidated powders, thus controlling its porosity, contact angle and roughness. In this study, we have controlled energy density in a range 8–45 J/mm3 delivered to titanium powder by setting various levels of laser power (25–45 W), exposure time (20–80 µs) and distance between exposure points (20–60 µm). The growing energy density within studied range increased from 63 to 90% and decreased from 31 to 13 µm samples density and Ra parameter, respectively. The surface energy 55–466 mN/m was achieved with contact angles in range 72–128° and 53–105° for water and formamide, respectively. The human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) adhesion after 4 h decreased with increasing energy density delivered during processing within each parameter group. The differences in cells proliferation were clearly seen after a 7-day incubation. We have observed that proliferation was decreasing with increasing density of energy delivered to the samples. This phenomenon was explained by chemical composition of oxide layers affecting surface energy and internal stresses. We have noticed that TiO2, which is the main oxide of raw titanium powder, disintegrated during selective laser melting process and oxygen was transferred into metallic titanium. The typical for 3D printed parts post-processing methods such as chemical polishing in hydrofluoric (HF) or hydrofluoric/nitric (HF/HNO3) acid solutions and thermal treatments were used to restore surface chemistry of raw powders and improve surface.

Investigation of the Degradation Mechanism of Platinum-Rhodium Catalytic Wires during Oxidation of Ammonia Process

In our investigation we focused on effects of the degradation of Pt-Rh gauzes from three different industrial catalytic systems. The aim of the study was to compare the degree and the mechanism of degradation under different conditions (pressure, temperature, gas flow direction). The investigation was performed on about 80μm diameter wires after long (6 months) exposition to chemically aggressive environment. Microscope observations and microtomography analysis showed that all wires surfaces were strongly developed by etching and deposition processes occurring under extreme conditions. Each wire differed in rate of degradation and morphology of the characteristic cauliflower-shape growths. Also differences in elements distribution on both, surface and cross sections, were observed. Obtained results can be basis of further investigation on improvement of endurance of PtRh alloys in high temperature chemical application.

Influence of hydrostatic extrusion process on the microstructure and texture of polycrystalline nickel

ABSTRACT The evolution of the microstructure and texture of polycrystalline nickel, from its initial state to that after a hydrostatic extrusion process to total true strains of 0.5, 1.18, 1.62 and 2.2, were examined. Investigation of the microstructure revealed that the grain size was reduced from ∼32 µm to ∼200 nm. The local texture transformation and major boundary misorientation angles were discussed based on electron backscattered diffraction results, while XRD was used to give a qualitative and quantitative description of the global texture. Microhardness measurements were performed to investigate the changes in the mechanical properties of the deformed material.