Szymon Nosewicz

The influence of hot pressing conditions on mechanical properties of nickel aluminide/alumina composite

The influence of hot pressing conditions on mechanical properties of nickel aluminide/alumina composite has been investigated in the present paper. In particular, effect of the process parameters, viz. compacting pressure, sintering temperature and sintering time on the evolution of density, elastic constants and tensile strength properties of the intermetallic-ceramic composite has been studied. Elastic constants, the Youngs modulus and Poissons ratio, have been evaluated using an ultrasonic testing method, and the tensile strength has been determined by a Brazilian-type splitting test. Microscopic observations of microstructure evolution complemented the experimental procedure. Experimental results have been confronted with theoretical models showing a good agreement between the data compared.

SIMULATION OF POWDER SINTERING USING A DISCRETE ELEMENT MODEL

Abstract This paper presents numerical simulation of powder sintering. The numerical model introduced in this work employs the discrete element method which assumes that material can be modelled by a large assembly of discrete elements (particles) of spherical shape interacting among one another. Modelling of sintering requires introduction of the cohesive interaction among particles representing interparticle sintering forces. Numerical studies of sintering have been combined with experimental studies which provided data for calibration and validation of the model. In the laboratory tests evolution of microstructure and density during sintering have been studied. Comparison of numerical and experimental results shows a good performance of the numerical model developed

Microstructure and thermal properties of Cu-SiC composite materials depending on the sintering technique

The presented paper investigates the relationship between the microstructure and thermal properties of copper-silicon carbide composites obtained through hot pressing (HP) and spark plasma sintering (SPS) techniques. The microstructural analysis showed a better densification in the case of composites sintered in the SPS process. TEM investigations revealed the presence of silicon in the area of metallic matrix in the region close to metal-ceramic boundary. It is the product of silicon dissolving process in copper occurring at an elevated temperature. The Cu-SiC interface is significantly defected in composites obtained through the hot pressing method, which has a major influence on the thermal conductivity of materials.

A study of densification and microstructure evolution during hot pressing of NiAl/Al2O3 composite

Evolution of the density and the microstructure during hot pressing of NiAl/Al2O3 composite has been investigated in the present paper. In particular, the effect of the process parameters, viz. compacting pressure, sintering temperature and sintering time, on the evolution of the density of the intermetallic–ceramic composite has been studied. Evolution of the density has been related to microstructure changing. Porosity, pore structures and grains rearrangement have been analysed in microscopic observations.

Molecular dynamics study of self-diffusion in stoichiometric B2-NiAl crystals

ABSTRACT Self-diffusion parameters in stoichiometric B2-NiAl solid state crystals were estimated by molecular statics/dynamics simulations with the study of required simulation time to stabilise diffusivity results. An extrapolation procedure to improve the diffusion simulation results was proposed. Calculations of volume diffusivity for the B2 type NiAl in the 1224–1699 K temperature range were performed using the embedded-atom-model potential. The results obtained here are in much better agreement with the experimental results than the theoretical estimates obtained with other methods.

High resolution SEM characterization of nano-precipitates in ODS steels

The performance of the present‐day scanning electron microscopy (SEM) extends far beyond delivering electronic images of the surface topography. Oxide dispersion strengthened (ODS) steel is on of the most promising materials for the future nuclear fusion reactor because of its good radiation resistance, and higher operation temperature up to 750°C. The microstructure of ODS should not exceed tens of nm, therefore there is a strong need in a fast and reliable technique for their characterization. In this work, the results of low‐kV SEM characterization of nanoprecipitates formed in the ODS matrix are presented. Application of highly sensitive photo‐diode BSE detector in SEM imaging allowed for the registration of single nm‐sized precipitates in the vicinity of the ODS alloys. The composition of the precipitates has been confirmed by TEM‐EDS.

A constitutive model and numerical simulation of sintering processes at macroscopic level

This paper presents modelling of both single and double-phase powder sintering processes at the macroscopic level. In particular, its constitutive formulation, numerical implementation and numerical tests are described. The macroscopic constitutive model is based on the assumption that the sintered material is a continuous medium. The parameters of the constitutive model for material under sintering are determined by simulation of sintering at the microscopic level using a micro-scale model. Numerical tests were carried out for a cylindrical specimen under hydrostatic and uniaxial pressure. Results of macroscopic analysis are compared against the microscopic model results. Moreover, numerical simulations are validated by comparison with experimental results. The simulations and preparation of the model are carried out by Abaqus FEA - a software for finite element analysis and computer-aided engineering. A mechanical model is defined by the user procedure “Vumat” which is developed by the first author in Fortran programming language. Modelling presented in the paper can be used to optimize and to better understand the process.This paper presents modelling of both single and double-phase powder sintering processes at the macroscopic level. In particular, its constitutive formulation, numerical implementation and numerical tests are described. The macroscopic constitutive model is based on the assumption that the sintered material is a continuous medium. The parameters of the constitutive model for material under sintering are determined by simulation of sintering at the microscopic level using a micro-scale model. Numerical tests were carried out for a cylindrical specimen under hydrostatic and uniaxial pressure. Results of macroscopic analysis are compared against the microscopic model results. Moreover, numerical simulations are validated by comparison with experimental results. The simulations and preparation of the model are carried out by Abaqus FEA - a software for finite element analysis and computer-aided engineering. A mechanical model is defined by the user procedure “Vumat” which is developed by the first author in F...

New formulation of the discrete element method

A new original formulation of the discrete element method based on the soft contact approach is presented in this work. The standard DEM has heen enhanced by the introduction of the additional (global) deformation mode caused by the stresses in the particles induced by the contact forces. Uniform stresses and strains are assumed for each particle. The stresses are calculated from the contact forces. The strains are obtained using an inverse constitutive relationship. The strains allow us to obtain deformed particle shapes. The deformed shapes (ellipses) are taken into account in contact detection and evaluation of the contact forces. A simple example of a uniaxial compression of a rectangular specimen, discreti.zed with equal sized particles is simulated to verify the DDEM algorithm. The numerical example shows that a particle deformation changes the particle interaction and the distribution of forces in the discrete element assembly. A quantitative study of micro-macro elastic properties proves the enhanced capabilities of the DDEM as compared to standard DEM.A new original formulation of the discrete element method based on the soft contact approach is presented in this work. The standard DEM has heen enhanced by the introduction of the additional (global) deformation mode caused by the stresses in the particles induced by the contact forces. Uniform stresses and strains are assumed for each particle. The stresses are calculated from the contact forces. The strains are obtained using an inverse constitutive relationship. The strains allow us to obtain deformed particle shapes. The deformed shapes (ellipses) are taken into account in contact detection and evaluation of the contact forces. A simple example of a uniaxial compression of a rectangular specimen, discreti.zed with equal sized particles is simulated to verify the DDEM algorithm. The numerical example shows that a particle deformation changes the particle interaction and the distribution of forces in the discrete element assembly. A quantitative study of micro-macro elastic properties proves the enhan...