Karl Maier

Hydrogen embrittlement of metals

Abstract Aluminium single crystals oriented for single slip have been studied by transverse-field muon-spin relaxation measurements after deformation in compression tests and after thermal annealing. The results show that positive muons can be used to investigate the interaction of hydrogen with dislocations in metals, which plays an important role in the process of embrittlement.

Acoustic radiation force contrast in MRI: detection of calcifications in tissue-mimicking phantoms.

PURPOSE Mammography is a widely used tool for the screening of breast cancer, and calcifications are a common finding in most mammograms. The location, size, number, morphology, and distribution of calcifications are an important information to differentiate a benign lesion from probably malignant pathologies. Calcifications are not detectable with a standard dynamic contrast enhanced breast MRI. The authors present a novel method for the detection and imaging of calcifications in breast tissue without ionizing radiation or contrast agents. METHODS Measurements of localized tissue displacement in phantoms due to applied acoustic radiation force were performed. This displacement was imaged with a displacement sensitive spin-echo MRI sequence. Pieces of eggshell that represent calcifications were embedded in tissue-mimicking agarose phantoms. The sizes of the calcifications were 0.8 x 0.8 x 0.4, 1.5 x 1.5 x 0.4, and 2 x 3 x 0.4 mm3. The calcifications were scanned with ultrasound (U.S.) at 2.5 MHz and intensities up to I(spta) =7.18 W/cm2. The U.S. beam was moved inside the phantom by a computer-controlled three-dimensional hydraulic positioning system. The U.S. beam was scanned over the two smaller calcifications with the displacement sensitivity of the MRI sequence parallel to the U.S. beam path. Grayscale coded maps of the displacement scans are presented. For the 0.8 x 0.8 x 0.4 mm3 calcification, the U.S. intensities were varied. Finite element simulations were performed to verify if the experiments complied with theory. RESULTS The authors found that the displacement caused by the U.S. is increased at the position of the calcification. The area of increased displacement is at least twice as large as the calcification itself. The simulations show this increase in displacement and area at the position of the calcification. When changing the displacement sensitivity direction to perpendicular to the U.S. beam, a crossed black and white four-leaf clover is visible at the position of the calcification. CONCLUSIONS The U.S. is scattered and reflected by the calcifications. This leads to the increased displacement which is transmitted to the surrounding material because of the elastic coupling between the calcification and the agarose material. Due to the high differences in acoustic impedance and elastic properties between the surrounding tissue and the calcification, even the detection of pieces smaller than the resolution of the MRI scanner is possible. The acoustic radiation force contrast in MR phase-difference images offers a positive signal for calcifications from a smooth background in phantoms. This method offers a possibility of differentiating qualitatively and quantitatively hard calcifications from stiffer inclusions such as tumors.

Domain reversal properties and refractive index changes of magnesium doped lithium niobate upon ion exposure

Irradiation of optical damage resistant, magnesium doped lithium niobate crystals with fast, high-energy He2+3 ions changes important material properties. In the interaction region, where the ions transmit through the material, the ferroelectric coercive field EC is diminished from 6.0kVmm−1 down to 5.0–5.4kVmm−1 after transmission of 41MeV He2+3 particles. This enables easier domain reversal in irradiated crystals compared to untreated material. Besides, large changes of the refractive index of the crystals on the order of 6×10−3 are induced by the treatment. Moderate annealing treatments do not diminish Δn, but refresh the coercive field.

Positron annihilation spectroscopy: a non-destructive method for lifetime prediction in the field of dynamical material testing

The fatigue behavior of iron-based materials has been investigated by rotating bending testing, employing positron annihilation spectroscopy to probe defects on the atomic level. Positron annihilation spectra have been recorded at various stages of material fatigue. The defect density has been determined by analysing the line shape of the Doppler broadening of the annihilation radiation in the photo peak. The line shape parameter (S parameter), a measure of the defect density, showed a linear relation to the logarithm of the number of loadings, thus from only a small number of loadings it is possible to determine the remaining useful life of the sample. Furthermore, along the longitudinal sample axis spatially resolved line-scans are taken using the Bonn Positron Microprobe. Due to the special sample geometry, the stress gradient allows to obtain the S parameter for different values of the applied load using the very same sample. This leads to a way to determine a complete Wohler diagram using a non-destructive method for just one sample.

Refractive index changes in lithium niobate crystals by high-energy particle radiation

Irradiation of lithium niobate crystals with 41 MeV 3He ions causes strong changes of the ordinary and extraordinary refractive indexes. We present a detailed study of this effect. Small fluence of irradiation already yields refractive index changes about 5×10−4; the highest values reach 3×10−3. These index modulations are stable up to 100°C and can be erased thermally, for which temperatures up to 500°C are required. A direct correlation between the refractive index changes and the produced lattice vacancies is found.

Atomic structure of pre-Guinier-Preston and Guinier-Preston-Bagaryatsky zones in Al-alloys

We present results on the structure of nano-sized particles (Guinier-Preston (GP) and Guinier-Preston-Bagaryatsky (GPB) zones) in Aluminum alloys. Precipitates of alloying elements like Cu, Mg, or Si hinder the motion of dislocations and, thus, are responsible for the strength of AlCuMg- and AlMgSi-alloys - used e.g. as AA2024 (old aircrafts) and AA6013 for the fuselage of the new Airbus A380, respectively. We will discuss the role of quenched-in vacancies for diffusive motion at room temperature (RT) enabling the growth of the precipitates. Using positron annihilation spectroscopy (PAS) – both lifetime and Doppler broadening – gives information on the local atomic environment in the vicinity of vacancies. On the other hand X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) spectroscopy is capable of characterizing the local atomic environment around selected elements (Cu, Mg). We will interpret the measured data by comparing them to numerical calculations of PAS and XAFS spectra. However, reliable numerical calculations of spectroscopic quantities are only possible provided that relaxed atomic positions are used as an input. We calculate those employing the ab-initio code SIESTA. Thus, considering decomposition of Al-alloys, we obtain extremely valuable information on the earliest stages, forming immediately after solution heat treatment and quenching, i.e. during the first few minutes of storage at RT.

Acoustic Radiation Contrast in MR Images for Breast Cancer Diagnostics - Initial Phantom Study

Acoustic radiation contrast in magnetic resonance images is an approach to visualize the changes in ultrasonic loss and viscoelastic changes of the sample with the resolution of a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system. By irradiating ultrasound (US) into a tissue-mimicking sample, a displacement along the US beam path caused by the acoustic radiation force is obtained. This displacement varies with the US intensity, the duration of irradiation, the US attenuation and the viscoelastic properties of the sample. US pulses of 2.5 MHz with a duration of 20 ms and an intensity of <17 W/cm(2) are used. An MRI sequence was programmed to produce images in which the magnitude of the displacement is visualized by gray value changes. In addition, a finite element simulation of the measurements was performed to demonstrate the feasibility of the method. Through examination of the measurements and the simulations, information about viscoelastic changes was achieved. In this work, measurements on different breast phantoms are presented.

Electrical conductivity and asymmetric material changes upon irradiation of Mg-doped lithium niobate crystals with low-mass, high-energy ions

Radiation damage in magnesium-doped lithium niobate crystals, created by low-mass, high-energy ions which have transmitted the entire crystal thickness, leads to an enhanced electrical dark conductivity as well as an enhanced photoconductivity. Experimental results on the electrical properties after ion exposure are given, and an asymmetric dependence of the conductivity as well as refractive index changes on the irradiation geometry with respect to the ferroelectric axis is revealed.

Combining rheology and MRI: Imaging healthy and tumorous brains based on mechanical properties

It is well known that pathological changes in tissue alter its mechanical properties. This holds also true for brain tissue. In case of the brain, however, obtaining information about these properties is hard due to the surrounding cranial bone. In this paper a novel technique to create an imaging contrast based on the aforementioned properties is presented.

Predicting the Lifetime of Steel

Even today, lifetime predictions of construction parts are still based on the Wohler method, which is almost 150 years old. To construct a reliable Wohler diagram, it is necessary to perform alternating load fatigue experiments on a huge number of equivalent samples for up to 108 or 109 load cycles. The lifetime under a specific applied load is then deduced from this diagram using statistical techniques.