Maurício de Jesus Monteiro

Characterization of the fretting corrosion behavior, surface and debris from head-taper interface of two different modular hip prostheses.

Modular hip prostheses are flexible to match anatomical variations and to optimize mechanical and tribological properties of each part by using different materials. However, micromotions associated with the modular components can lead to fretting corrosion and, consequently, to release of debris which can cause adverse local tissue reactions in human body. In the present study, the surface damage and residues released during in vitro fretting corrosion tests were characterized by stereomicroscope, SEM and EDS. Two models of modular hip prosthesis were studied: Model SS/Ti Cementless whose stem was made of ASTM F136 Ti-6Al-4V alloy and whose metallic head was made of ASTM F138 austenitic stainless steel, and Model SS/SS Cemented with both components made of ASTM F138 stainless steel. The fretting corrosion tests were evaluated according to the criteria of ASTM F1875 standard. Micromotions during the test caused mechanical wear and material loss in the head-taper interface, resulting in fretting-corrosion. Model SS/SS showed higher grade of corrosion. Different morphologies of debris predominated in each model studied. Small and agglomerated particles were observed in the Model SS/Ti and irregular particles in the Model SS/SS. After 10 million cycles, the Model SS/Ti was more resistant to fretting corrosion than the Model SS/SS.

Estudo comparativo de eletrodos comerciais para soldagem subaquática molhada

With the objective to supply subsidies to select ferritic electrodes for underwater wet welding, some weld metal characteristics of commercial electrodes were determined. The welding trials were carried out at 0.5m fresh water depth in an aquarium, using a gravity device for welding. The study aimed also to obtain data to help to elect the consumables of best performance to be tested in higher depths. The following characterizations were performed: microstructural analysis, quantification of inclusions, weld metal and inclusions chemical composition, mechanical properties, diffusible hydrogen and weldability evaluation. The obtained results helped to classify the tested consumables in two groups with quite different characteristics. The first group is composed of one oxidizing type electrode and the second one is composed of four rutile type electrodes. Regarding to hydrogen in the weld metal, the obtained results show that the oxidizing electrode is able to produce welds with considerable low diffusible hydrogen content. As a consequence, smaller potential risk of cold cracking is expected when using this electrode. Meantime, regarding to the arc stability and other operational indicators, the oxidizing electrode presented inferior performance. Considering mechanical properties, the rutile electrodes presented the best results. The properties differences among the electrodes tested are shown and discussed in the present work.

Arc Stability Indexes Evaluation on Underwater Wet Welding

Underwater wet welding (UWW) with shielded metal arc welding (SMAW) is employed basically in repairs of offshore structures, including platforms, ships and others. The main problems of this type of welds are related, of course, with water presence in the electric arc that causes higher cooling rates, Oxygen and Hydrogen availability in the arc atmosphere and arc instability. Many of research and test welding programs in laboratory are undertaken in shallow water performed by automatic devices using hyperbaric chambers to simulate depths. Also, welding arc signals are acquired using data acquisition systems and the arc stability is estimated through indexes calculated from values acquired and analyzed. It is very well known the reduced stability of the wet welding process at shallow depths — less than approximately five meters. So this effect would be considerable significant since it can be used to make correlations between the arc stability indexes and the welds quality results. The main objective of this work was to evaluate the efficiency of the most used arc stability indexes reported in the literature in detect the arc instability effect of shallow water wet welding. Bead-on-plate welds had been made using a gravity feeding system device inside a hyperbaric chamber, applying straight polarity (DCEN) in ASTM A36 steel plates, using the same weld parameters in two different depths, 0.5 and 20.0 meters. Rutile, basic and oxidizing commercial electrodes types prepared for UWW with 3.25mm rod diameter were used. Visual analysis, bead morphology and arc stability were the criteria used to evaluate the weld quality. The voltage and current arc signals were acquired at 10 KHz rate. The arc stability indexes measured were average voltage and current and its standard deviation, S (Imax/Imin) parameter, voltage and current square mean, arc “re-ignition” voltage and current, metal transfer time and its deviation, metal transfer frequency and its deviation, short circuit time and its deviation and the voltage versus current graph area. The results shown that none of the stability indexes tested has been shown to indicate, alone, a good relationship to the surface appearance obtained for the three electrodes studied. The rutile type electrode was the only one that clearly produced better weld appearance at 20 meters than in shallow water depth. The rutile and oxidizing electrodes showed better surface appearance with the increased number of short circuits. For the rutile electrode, the globular transfer mode with high voltage were directly related with poor weld bead surface appearance.Copyright

Influência do molibdênio em propriedades do metal de solda na soldagem molhada com eletrodos óxi-rutílicos

A tecnica de soldagem subaquatica molhada com eletrodos revestidos apresenta um crescente potencial de aplicacao para reparos submarinos em elementos estruturais de unidades flutuantes de producao de petroleo (profundidade ate 20 m). Porem, ela apresenta problemas tais como o maior risco de fissuracao a frio e de formacao acentuada de porosidade. O presente trabalho tem como objetivo melhorar a resistencia mecânica do metal de solda de um eletrodo experimental do tipo oxi-rutilico. Foram estudadas as influencias de adicoes de Mo (ate 0,4% no metal de solda) na microestrutura e em propriedades mecânicas. As soldas foram realizadas em simulador de soldagem subaquatica em profundidade equivalente de 10m utilizando um sistema de soldagem por gravidade. As analises das micrografias mostrou que o aumento do teor de Mo no metal de solda diminui significantemente o tamanho medio de grao da regiao reaquecida de graos finos. O aumento do teor de Mo no metal de solda resultou, ainda, em aumento do limite de resistencia a tracao sem perdas de tenacidade e ductilidade ate aproximadamente 0,25%Mo.

Corrosion resistance of a steel under an oxidizing atmosphere in a fluid catalytic cracking regenerator

In the present work, the corrosion resistance of an ASTM A 387 G11 steel was evaluated under two conditions: an oxidizing atmosphere in a fluid catalytic cracking regenerator of a petroleum processing unit and a simulated atmosphere in the laboratory, at temperatures of 650 °C and 700 °C. The characterization of the phases present in the oxidized layer was carried out by X-ray diffraction (XRD), optical microscopy (OM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with X-ray energy dispersive analysis (EDS). Severe corrosion was observed after exposure to both the real and simulated conditions, with formation of several iron oxides (Fe2O3, Fe3O4 and FeO) in the product scale layer, as well as a slight inner oxidation and sulfidation of chromium in the substrate. Internal nitridation of the silicon and the manganese was observed only in the real condition, probably related to the long-term exposure inside the regenerator.

Evaluation of the corrosion resistance of thermal-spray coatings under oxidant atmosphere in a fluid catalytic-cracking unit

The effectiveness of several thermal-spray coatings for improving the corrosion resistance of a low-alloy steel was evaluated at 650°C under two conditions: an oxidizing atmosphere in a fluid catalytic-cracking regenerator of a petrochemical unit and a simulated laboratory atmosphere. The high porosity present in all coatings studied in the present work, inherent to the thermal-spray technique, allowed the penetration of gaseous species from the atmosphere into the substrate, leading to the formation of nonprotective oxides and sulfides, as well as internal oxidation, sulfidation, and nitridation. A protective alumina and/or chromia layer did not form, probably due to the relatively low temperature used in both the real and simulated conditions. Characterization of the phases present in the oxidized layer was carried out by X-ray diffraction (XRD), optical microscopy (OM), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with X-ray energy-dispersive analysis (EDS).

Fretting corrosion tests on orthopedic plates and screws made of ASTM F138 stainless steel

Introduction Although there has been significant progress in the design of implants for osteosynthesis, the occurrence of failures in these medical devices are still frequent. These implants are prone to suffer from fretting corrosion due to micromotion that takes place between the screw heads and plate holes. Consequently, fretting corrosion has been the subject of research in order to understand its influence on the structural integrity of osteosynthesis implants. The aim of this paper is to correlate the surface finish characteristics of bone plate-screw systems with fretting corrosion. Methods The surface finish (machined and polished) of five specimens taken from three commercial dynamic compression plates (DCP) were evaluated. For testing, the specimens were fixed with bone screws, immersed in a solution of 0.90% NaCl and subjected to a rocking motion with an amplitude of 1.70 mm and frequency of 1.0 Hz for 1.0 × 106 cycles, according to the ASTM F897 standard. Both, plate and screws were manufactured in Brazil with ASTM F138 stainless steel. Results Flaws on the hole countersink area and on the screw thread of some specimens were identified stereoscopically. At the end of the test all the specimens showed evidence of fretting corrosion with an average metal loss of 4.80 mg/million cycles. Conclusion An inadequate surface finish in some areas of the plates and screws may have favored the incidence of damage to the passive film, accelerating the fretting corrosion at the interfaces between the plate hole countersink and the screw head. Keywords Osteosynthesis, DCP, Bone plate, Screw, Fretting corrosion, Stainless steel.

Characterization of Pores and Cracks in Underwater Welds by μCT and Digital Optical Microscopy

Underwater shielded metal arc wet welding with coated electrodes is a common procedure for in situ repair of structural parts of offshore oil production units. However, there are serious difficulties in obtaining sound welds similar to the ones achieved under atmospheric conditions. The water environment surrounding the weld pool is usually responsible for very high cooling rates and high hydrogen content in the weld metal. These factors may lead to the formation of porosity and cracks in the weld metal which are not precisely analyzed by the conventional 2D techniques. The 3D visualization and measurement of these defects can contribute significantly to a better characterization and prediction of weld metal properties. In the present work wet welded steel samples were analyzed by µCT, with the aim of analyzing the presence of pores and cracks, their concentration, spatial distribution, and orientation.

Evaluation and Development of Electrodes for Wet Welding of Structural Ship Steels

To better understand the behavior of some commercial wet welding electrodes down to 20 m equivalent water depth as well as to develop a new electrode, a research program was initiated in 2007. This depth is considered the maximum expected in the in situ repair of structural parts of floating production units. The weld metal evaluation was done by microstructural characterization, Vickers hardness, Charpy and tensile tests, chemical analysis, and diffusible hydrogen measurement. The influences of pressure on the mechanical properties of the weld metal are presented and discussed on the basis of chemical composition, microstructure and porosity. The electrode under development showed promising results concerning the possibility to broaden the range of qualified welding procedures. This expectation is based on the good results of diffusible hydrogen, porosity, impact toughness and ductility down to 20 m equivalent water depth. The susceptibility of hydrogen cracking in weld metal and in heat affected zone was estimated comparatively. The presence of hydrogen cracks is discussed as an important limiting factor for the qualification of welding procedures in the class A of the AWS D3.6M:1999 specification.© 2010 ASME

Influence of g -phase on the high- temperature oxidation of NiAl-Fe alloys

The oxidation of NiAl, NiAl-20at.%Fe and NiAl-30at.%Fe at 1000-1100 °C in air has been studied. Pure NiAl shows excellent oxidation resistance due to the formation of an Al2O3 layer. NiAl-20Fe also shows good oxidation resistance due to the formation of an Al2O3 scale on a b-phase substrate. Moreover, some nodules consisting of mixed oxides of Fe and Ni grow over the ductile g-phase surface incorporated to the b-phase substrate. NiAl-30Fe alloy undergoes a much faster oxidation due to the formation of a non-protective Fe and Ni-rich scale, which is extremely susceptible to spallation. The addition of Fe to NiAl is detrimental to its oxidation resistance.