Riccardo Donnini

Electron Beam Welding of IN792 DS: Effects of Pass Speed and PWHT on Microstructure and Hardness

Electron Beam (EB) welding has been used to realize seams on 2 mm-thick plates of directionally solidified (DS) IN792 superalloy. The first part of this work evidenced the importance of pre-heating the workpiece to avoid the formation of long cracks in the seam. The comparison of different pre-heating temperatures (PHT) and pass speeds (v) allowed the identification of optimal process parameters, namely PHT = 300 °C and v = 2.5 m/min. The microstructural features of the melted zone (MZ); the heat affected zone (HAZ), and base material (BM) were investigated by optical microscopy (OM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersion spectroscopy (EDS), electron back-scattered diffraction (EBSD), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and micro-hardness tests. In the as-welded condition; the structure of directionally oriented grains was completely lost in MZ. The γ’ phase in MZ consisted of small (20–40 nm) round shaped particles and its total amount depended on both PHT and welding pass speed, whereas in HAZ, it was the same BM. Even if the amount of γ’ phase in MZ was lower than that of the as-received material, the nanometric size of the particles induced an increase in hardness. EDS examinations did not show relevant composition changes in the γ’ and γ phases. Post-welding heat treatments (PWHT) at 700 and 750 °C for two hours were performed on the best samples. After PWHTs, the amount of the ordered phase increased, and the effect was more pronounced at 750 °C, while the size of γ’ particles in MZ remained almost the same. The hardness profiles measured across the joints showed an upward shift, but peak-valley height was a little lower, indicating more homogeneous features in the different zones.

Young's Modulus Profile in Kolsterized AISI 316L Steel

AISI 316L steel, subjected to a low temperature carburizing treatment (kolstering), has been examined by Mechanical Spectroscopy (MS) and nanoindentation to determine the Youngs modulus of the surface hardened layer (S phase). MS results showed that the average value of elastic modulus of S phase is 202 GPa, a little higher than that of the untreated material.Nanoindentation tests, carried out with loads of 5, 15 and 30 mN, evidence a modulus profile vs depth: E is ~ 400 GPa at a distance from the surface of ~ 110 nm, then decreases to reach the value of the steel substrate (190 GPa) at 33 μm.These results, together with X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) and Auger Electron Spectroscopy (AES) measurements of carbon concentration profile, can be explained by considering the presence of a very thin surface layer, different from S phase and consisting of a mixed structure of Diamond-like carbon (DLC) and tetrahedral carbon (taC).Furthermore, the same experiments have been carried out also after heat treatments at 450 °C to correlate the modulus change to the decomposition of the metastable S phase leading to the formation of (Cr,Mo)C and Cr23C6 carbides in a Cr-depleted austenitic matrix.

Comparison between roll diffusion bonding and hot isostatic pressing production processes of ti6al4v-sicf metal matrix composites

Titanium-metal-matrix composites (Ti-MMC) are materials with very large specific resistance and potential operative temperature up to 800° C. At present these composites are produced by Hot Isostatic Pressing (HIP), a reliable but expensive manufacturing method. To cut production costs, Centro Sviluppo Materiali SpA (CSM) has developed and patented an experimental plant for co-rolling at high temperature sheets of titanium alloy and silicon carbide monofilaments fabrics. The experimental Roll Diffusion Bonding (RDB) pilot plant permits a reduction of process costs of about 40% with respect to the HIP process. This work reports the results of microstructural and mechanical examinations carried out on composites realized by RDB and HIP. The comparison shows that the fibre-matrix interface is stable in both the composites while the mechanical properties of RDB composite are better due to its smaller grain size and high dislocation density.

Micro-Chemistry and Mechanical Behaviour of Ti6Al4V-SiCf Composite Produced by HIP for Aeronautical Applications

The paper reports the results of an extensive characterization of the Ti6Al4V-SiCf composite produced by hot isostatic pressing (HIP) to assess its capability to withstand the in-service conditions of turbine blades operating at middle temperatures in aeronautical engines. The microstructure of composite, in as-fabricated condition and after long-term heat treatments (up to 1,000 hours) in the temperature range 673-873 K, has been investigated by means of different techniques. Particular attention was paid to the micro-chemical evolution of fibre-matrix interface which is scarcely affected also by the most severe heat treatments examined here. This leads to stable mechanical properties as evidenced by hardness, tensile and FIMEC instrumented indentation tests. Therefore, the composite can operate at the maximum temperature (873 K) foreseen for its aeronautical applications without remarkable modifications of its microstructure and degradation of mechanical properties. The mechanical characterization has been completed by internal friction and dynamic modulus measurements carried out both at constant and increasing temperature, from 80 to 1173 K.

Long-Term Heat Treatments on Ti6Al4V-SiCf Composite. Part II - Mechanical Characterization

Ti6Al4V-SiCf composite, manufactured by Hot Isostatic Pressing (HIP) at Centro Sviluppo Materiali, has been submitted to long-term heat treatments (up to 1000 hours) at 400 and 600°C. The mechanical properties of the material, in as-fabricated condition and after heat treatments, have been investigated by instrumented indentation (FIMEC), dynamic modulus, tensile and fatigue tests. For comparison some experiments have been carried out also on the monolithic Ti6Al4V alloy. Results show that heat treatments, also the most severe examined here, do not produce remarkable variations of mechanical characteristics. In agreement with the microstructure examinations presented in part I, this behaviour, quite promising for future aeronautical applications, can be primarily ascribed to the stability of fibre-matrix interface.

Long-Term Heat Treatments on Ti6Al4V-SiCf Composite. Part I - Microstructural Characterization

The microstructure of Ti6Al4V-SiCf composite, in as-fabricated condition and after long-term heat treatments (up to 1,000 hours) in the temperature range 400 - 600 °C, has been investigated by means of high-temperature X-ray diffraction (HT-XRD), energy dispersion spectrometry (EDS), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Auger electron spectroscopy (AES). Particular attention was paid to the strains, arising during heating, and to the micro-chemical evolution of fibre-matrix interface. Micro-chemical examinations evidenced that a thin TiC layer has formed between the fibre carbon coating and the matrix during the fabrication process. TiC slows down further diffusion of carbon towards the matrix and guarantees the interface stability also for the most severe treatments examined here.

Effects of Heat Treatments on Tungsten for Armours in NFR

Tungsten is a promising armour material for plasma facing components of nuclear fusion reactors (NFR) because of its low sputtering rate and favourable thermo-mechanical properties (high melting point and good thermal conductivity). This paper reports some results of an experimental campaign carried out for investigating the microstructural characteristics and the mechanical properties of tungsten (99.97% purity; 5% porosity) for fusion applications. Tungsten has been heat treated at 500 °C and 800 °C with increasing soaking time. The samples in as-supplied condition and after each step of the heat treatments have been examined by optical microscopy and TEM observations, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and micro-hardness tests. The original material has a dislocation density of 1.5 x 1010 cm-2 and a mean grain size of 65 μm. Grain size is not affected by the heat treatment at 500 °C which induces only a weak decrease of dislocation density leading to a little smaller hardness. The microstructure can be considered substantially stable even if a weak recovery of dislocations takes place. On the contrary, grain growth is observed after heating at 800 °C: 10 hours of treatment nearly doubles the average grain size.

Microstructural Investigation on Tungsten for Applications in Future Nuclear Fusion Reactors

Tungsten is a promising armour material for plasma facing components of nuclear fusion reactors. Two materials with different density and purity have been examined by optical microscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), instrumented indentation tests (FIMEC) and mechanical spectroscopy. For both the materials yield stress and elastic modulus strictly depend on the residual porosity. Moreover, the material with higher porosity (≈ 9%) is not stable and remarkable modulus variations are observed during heating. The IF spectrum exhibits a relaxation Q-1 peak superimposed to an exponentially increasing background. The peak is a single Debye peak with activation energy H = 74.86 kJ mol-1 and pre-exponential factor τ0 = 1.76 x 10-9 s that has been ascribed to dislocation interaction with intrinsic point defects (autointerstitial and substitutional).

Anelastic Phenomena at the Fibre-Matrix Interface of the Ti6Al4V-SiCf Composite

The composite, consisting of Ti6Al4V matrix reinforced by unidirectional SiC fibres (SCS-6), has been investigated by mechanical spectroscopy at temperatures up to 1,173 K. For comparison, the same experiments have been performed on the corresponding monolithic alloy. The internal friction (IF) spectrum of the composite exhibits a new relaxation peak superimposed to an exponentially increasing background. This peak, which is not present in the monolithic alloy, has an activation energy H = 186 kJ mol-1 and a relaxation time 0 = 2.3 x 10-15 s. The phenomenon has been attributed to a reorientation of interstitial-substitutional pairs in the  phase of Ti6Al4V matrix around the fibres. This explanation is supported by the results of micro-chemical characterization carried out by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) combined with Ar ion sputtering.

HT-XRD analysis of W thick coatings for nuclear fusion technology

W is a promising material to use as protection for thermal shields in future nuclear fusion reactors, however the joining to other metals is really challenging. For realizing such joints plasma spraying (PS) has been used for its simplicity, the possibility to cover complex and extended surfaces and the relatively low cost. An appropriate interlayer must be optimized to increase the adhesion of W on the substrates and to provide a soft interface for better thermo-mechanical compatibility.The present work demonstrates that high-temperature X-ray diffraction (HT-XRD) permits to quickly assess the reliability and quality of the coating-interlayer-substrate system by measuring the strain of coating. This is very useful to orientate the work for optimizing the structure and composition of the interlayer and the parameters of deposition process.