Wenning N. Liu

Applicability of Micromechanics Model Based on Actual Microstructure for Failure Prediction of DP Steels

In this paper, various micromechanics models based on actual microstructures of DP steels are examined in order to determine the reasonable range of martensite volume fraction where the methodology described in this study can be applied. For this purpose, various micromechanics-based finite element models are first created based on the actual microstructures of DP steels with different martensite volume fractions. These models are, then, used to investigate the influence of ductility of the constituent ferrite and martensite phases and also the influence of voids in the ferrite phase on the overall ductility of DP steels. The computational results indicate that there is a range of martensite volume fraction where the phase inhomogeneity between the ferrite and martensite phases has dominant effect on the overall ductility of DP steels, defeating the influence of the ductility of each phase and the voids in the ferrite phase, and that this phase inhomogeneity dominant region includes the range of marteniste volume fraction between 15% and 40%. Therefore, the methodology, adopted in this study, may be applied to DP steels within the phase inhomogeneity dominant region in tailoring the DP steel design for its intended purpose and desired properties.

Behavior of Aging, Micro-Void, and Self-Healing of Glass/Ceramic Materials and Its Effect on Mechanical Properties

Among the high-efficiency energy conversion devices that are environmentally friendly with little or no toxic emissions, the solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) continues to show great promise as a future power source. It has potential applications in stationary power generation and as auxiliary power units. Among various SOFC designs under development, anode-supported planar cells have shown great potential in delivering high performance at reasonable costs (Teagan et al., 2000; Chung et al. 2005). Planar SOFCs offer a significant advantage of a compact design along with higher power densities. In the meantime, they require that hermetic gas seals be incorporated for efficient and effective channeling of fuel and oxygen. Seals are the most critical components in commercializing the planar SOFC technology (Nielsen et al., 2007; Choi & Bansal, 2005; Smeacetto et al., 2008). They must adequately prevent air and fuel from leaking, effectively isolate the fuel from the oxidant, and insulate the cell from short circuit. Essentially, there are two standard methods for sealing: compressive sealing and rigid bonding (Singh, 2007; Fergus, 2005; Chou et al., 2003). In compressive sealing, a compliant, high-temperature material is captured between the two sealing surfaces and compressed with a load frame external to the stack to deliver hermetic sealing. The sealing surfaces can slide with respect to one another without disrupting the hermeticity of the seal. This technology, however, remains incomplete due to the lack of a reliable, high-temperature, sealing material (Simner & Stevenson, 2001) and the difficulty of designing the appropriate load frame under high-operating temperatures. Rigid seals rely on effective bonding of the seal material to the sealing surfaces. They offer significant advantages over compressive seals that suffer from problems of oxide scaling and chemical stability under highly reactive environments in addition to the disadvantages of incorporating an externally applied load (Singh, 2007). As a rigid seal, glass joining provides a cost-effective and relatively simple method for bonding ceramic and metal parts. However, the softening point of the glass component typically limits the maximum operating temperature to which the joint may be exposed. As discussed by Weil et al. (2004), there are a number of other key materials and processing variables that can influence the performance of glass seals, including the composition of the metal substrate against which the seal is made, the operating parameters, such as the

Effects of Forming Induced Phase Transformation on Crushing Behavior of TRIP Steel

In this paper, results of finite element crash simulation are presented for a TRIP steel side rail with and without considering the phase transformation during forming operations. A homogeneous phase transformation model is adapted to model the mechanical behavior of the austenite-to-martensite phase. The forming process of TRIP steels is simulated with the implementation of the material model. The distribution and volume fraction of the martensite in TRIP steels may be greatly influenced by various factors during forming process and subsequently contribute to the behavior of the formed TRIP steels during the crushing process. The results indicate that, with the forming induced phase transformation, higher energy absorption of the side rail can be achieved. The phase transformation enhances the strength of the side rail

Predicting Ductility and Failure Modes of TRIP Steels under Different Loading Conditions

We study the ultimate ductility and failure modes of a TRIP (TRansformation-Induced Plasticity) 800 steel under different loading conditions with an advanced micromechanics-based finite element analysis. The representative volume element (RVE) for the TRIP800 under examination is developed based on an actual microstructure obtained from scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The evolution of retained austenite during deformation process and the mechanical properties of the constituent phases of the TRIP800 steel are obtained from the synchrotron-based in-situ high-energy X-ray diffraction (HEXRD) experiments and a self-consistent (SC) model. The ductile failure of the TRIP800 under different loading conditions is predicted in the form of plastic strain localization without any prescribed failure criteria for the individual phases. Comparisons of the computational results with experimental measurements suggest that the microstructure-based finite element analysis can well capture the overall macroscopic behavior of the TRIP800 steel under different loading conditions. The methodology described in this study may be extended for studying the ultimate ductile failure mechanisms of TRIP steels as well as the effects of the various processing parameters on the macroscopic behaviors of TRIP steels.

Characterization of the Fracture Toughness of TRIP 800 Sheet Steels Using Microstructure-Based Finite Element Analysis

Recently, several studies conducted by automotive industry revealed the tremendous advantages of Advanced High Strength Steels (AHSS). TRansformation Induced Plasticity (TRIP) steel is one of the typical representative of AHSS. This kind of materials exhibits high strength as well as high formability. Analyzing the crack behaviour in TRIP steels is a challenging task due to the microstructure level inhomogeneities between the different phases (Ferrite, Bainite, Austenite, Martensite) that constitute these materials. This paper aims at investigating the fracture resistance of TRIP steels. For this purpose, a micromechanical finite element model is developed based on the actual microstructure of a TRIP 800 steel. Uniaxial tensile tests on TRIP 800 sheet notched specimens were also conducted and tensile properties and R-curves (Resistance curves) were determined. The comparison between simulation and experimental results leads us to the conclusion that the method using microstructure-based representative volume element (RVE) captures well enough the complex behavior of TRIP steels. The effect of phase transformation, which occurs during the deformation process, on the toughness is observed and discussed.

Global Failure Criteria for SOFC Positive/Electrolyte/Negative (PEN) Structure

Due to the mismatch of thermal expansion coefficients (TEC) of the various layer materials in SOFC, the internal stresses are unavoidable under temperature differential. In order to create the reliable cell and stack of solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC), it is necessary to develop a failure criterion for SOFC PEN structures for the initial failures occurred during cell/stack assembly. In this paper, a global failure criterion is developed for the initial design against mechanical failure of the PEN structure in high temperature SOFCs. The relationship of the critical energy release rate and critical curvature and maximum displacement of the warpage of the cells caused by the temperature differential is established so that the failure reliability of SOFC PEN structures may be determined by the measurement of the curvature and displacement of the warpaged cells.