Jon James

ENGIN-X: A third-generation neutron strain scanner

ENGIN-X, a new time-of-flight (TOF) neutron diffractometer optimized to measure elastic strains at precise locations in bulky specimens recently commissioned at the ISIS Facility in the Rutherford Laboratory, UK, is described. Fast counting times, together with a flexible and accurate definition of the instrumental gauge volume are the main requirements of neutron strain scanning and have been addressed on ENGIN-X through the design of a novel TOF diffractometer with a tuneable resolution and interchangeable radial collimators. Further, the routine operation of the instrument has been optimized by creating a virtual instrument, i.e. a three-dimensional computer representation of the diffractometer and samples, which assists in the planning and execution of experiments. On comparing ENGIN-X with its predecessor ENGIN, a 25× gain in performance is found, which has allowed the determination of stresses up to 60 mm deep in steel specimens. For comparison with constant-wavelength diffractometers, special attention has been paid to the absolute number of counts recorded during the experiments. A simple expression is presented for the estimation of counting times in TOF neutron strain scanning experiments.

Validation of Bragg edge experiments by Monte Carlo simulations for quantitative texture analysis

The ability to resolve the wavelength in neutron transmission experiments has opened up a wide range of applications investigating crystallographic structures and properties. The investigations presented in this paper apply the Bragg edge transmission technique to the study of texture in a cylindrical aluminium specimen. The feasibility of this method is the main focus of this work; hence, conventional pole-figure measurements have been conducted with neutron diffraction to provide reference data for the evaluation of the transmission results. Furthermore, a Monte Carlo simulation has been developed to emulate the experimental conditions and allow investigations of instrument effects. The results have been compared and are discussed with respect to quantitative texture analysis.

Modelling of an imaging beamline at the ISIS pulsed neutron source

A combined neutron imaging and neutron diffraction facility, IMAT, is currently being built at the pulsed neutron spallation source ISIS in the U.K. A supermirror neutron guide is required to combine imaging and diffraction modes at the sample position in order to obtain suitable time of flight resolutions for energy selective imaging and diffraction experiments. IMAT will make use of a straight neutron guide and we consider here the optimization of the supermirror guide dimensions and characterisation of the resulting beam characteristics, including the homogeneity of the flux distribution in space and energy and the average and peak neutron fluxes. These investigations take into account some main design criteria: to maximise the neutron flux, to minimise geometrical artefacts in the open beam image at the sample position and to obtain a good energy resolution whilst retaining a large neutron bandwidth. All of these are desirable beam characteristics for the proposed imaging and diffraction analysis modes of IMAT.

Residual stress measurements revealing weld bead start and stop effects in single and multi-pass weld-runs

This paper describes transverse residual stress and strain measurements aimed at quantifying end effects in single and multi-pass weld-runs. Two test specimens are examined: a 60 mm long weld bead deposited on the surface of a 180 mm × 120 mm × 17 mm thick stainless steel plate, and a 62° arc-length multi-pass repair weld in a 432 mm outer diameter, 19.6 mm thick stainless steel pipe girth weld. The residual stress measurements were made by employing the relatively new Contour method and by neutron diffraction using ENGIN-X, the engineering spectrometer at the ISIS facility of the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory (UK). The measured underlying transverse residual stress levels are observed to be essentially uniform directly beneath the weld bead in the plate specimen and in the heat affected zone beneath the capping passes moving from mid-length towards the stop-end of the pipe repair. However, results from both test components demonstrate the existence of short-range concentrations of transverse residual stress along the welding direction owing to individual weld capping bead start and stop effects. Such short length-scale stress variations must be allowed for when interpreting residual stress measurements from line-scans. The experimental work also demonstrates the importance of knowing the expected stress or strain distribution prior to choosing measurement lines for detailed study. The Contour measurement method and neutron strain scanning are powerful tools for mapping residual stress and strain fields. Copyright

Determination and mitigation of the uncertainty of neutron diffraction measurements of residual strain in large-grained polycrystalline material

For large-grained samples it is advantageous to perform pairs of neutron diffraction measurements at the same spatial location but rotated 180° around the geometric centre of the gauge volume as a means of minimizing the scatter coming from the random positioning of grains within the gauge volume.

Residual stress distribution in a Ti-6Al-4V T-joint weld measured using synchrotron X-ray diffraction

To improve the manufacturing quality of welded structures, to prevent failures at weld joints and to predict their lifetime, measurements of the residual stresses generated by welding in the structures are extremely useful. The residual stresses may reduce the component life due to phenomena that occur at low applied stresses such as brittle fracture, fatigue and stress corrosion cracking. Welded thin Ti–6Al–4V panel components are commonly found in aero-engine assemblies and the weld integrity and reliability are critical. In this work, the residual stress distributions in a welded thin Ti–6Al–4V T-joint were measured by the newly developed SScanSS program with synchrotron X-ray diffraction technique. The measurement performed in this study, which included a large number of measurement points, has mapped a complete stress field in a thin sheet T-joint weld. It has not only provided improved understanding of residual stress in such a joint but also filled the missing link between the residual stress obtained by numerical modelling and their validation. The results have shown that the longitudinal stresses play the most important role in the residual stress distribution over the flange and high tensile stresses appear in the region near the weld zone. The measured results were compared with the numerically predicted results and these showed good agreement.

Non-destructive determination of the 3D residual stress in a AA7050 upper wing skin-stringer panel using neutron diffraction

Neutron diffraction has been used to determine the full three dimensional residual stress in a demonstrator variable polarity plasma arc (VPPA) welded Al-7150 skin-stringer fatigue sample. Uniquely, the design of this demonstrator panel took into account the residual stress distribution likely to present due to the presence of the weld by using residual stress data measured on smaller laboratory-sized butt welded plates. The stress-free lattice parameter was obtained by measuring a comb sample and point-to-point strain corrections for the three principal directions were performed to determine strains and hence calculate stresses. A significant amount of stress redistribution was observed in the demonstrator sample when compared to the laboratory size plate specimen.

Residual Stress Measurement Within a Single Pass Groove Weld Specimen Utilising Neutron Diffraction and the Contour Method

This paper describes the measurement of longitudinal residual stresses within a specially designed 200×180×25 mm single groove weld specimen. The purpose of these measurements was to quantify the residual stress field arising from a single stringer weld bead laid down within the constraint of a groove in order to validate finite element simulations of the welding process. Measurements were made over the cross section at the mid-bead length, utilising the relatively new Contour method and neutron diffraction. Non destructive neutron diffraction measurements were made using ENGIN-X, the engineering spectrometer at the ISIS facility of the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory (UK). The Contour method measurement was applied destructively at the Open University (UK), producing a detailed full-field residual stress map. Results from these measurements indicate a peak tensile longitudinal residual stress of ~300 MPa within the parent material adjacent to the weld bead. Good agreement is found between both techniques.