Additive manufacturing (AM) processes may introduce large residual stresses in the as-built part, in particular the laser powder bed fusion process (L-PBF). The residual stress state is an inherent consequence of the heterogeneous heating and subsequent cooling during the process. L-PBF has become renowned for its “free complexity” and rapid prototyping capabilities. However, it is vital to ensure shape stability after the component is removed from the build plate, which can be problematic due to the residual stress inducing nature of this manufacturing process. Residual stresses can be analyzed via many different characterization routes (e.g. X-ray and neutron diffraction, hole drilling, etc.), both quantitatively and qualitatively. From an industrial perspective, most of these techniques are either prohibitively expensive, complex or too slow to be implementable during the early prototyping stages of AM manufacturing. In this work a deformation based method employing a specific geometry, a so called “keyhole”-geometry, has been investigated to qualitatively evaluate the effect of different stress relief annealing routes with respect to macroscopic part deformation, mechanical properties and microstructure. Previous published work has focused on structures with open geometry, commonly referred to as bridge-like structures where the deformation required for analysis occurs during removal from the build plate. The proposed keyhole-geometry can be removed from the build plate without releasing the residual stresses required for subsequent measurement, which enables bulk manufacturing on single build plates, prior to removal and stress relief annealing.  Two L-PBF manufactured austenitic stainless steel alloys were studied, 316L and 21-6-9. Tensile specimen blanks were manufactured and the subsequent heat treatments were carried out in pairs of keyhole and tensile blank. Both a contact (micrometer measurement), and a non-contact (optical profilometry) method were employed to measure the residual stress induced deformation in the keyholes. The annealing heat treatment matrix was iteratively expanded with input from the deformation analysis to find the lowest temperature at which approximately zero deformation remained after opening the structure via wire electrical discharge machining. The lowest allowable annealing temperature was sought after to minimize strength loss.  After stress relief annealing at 900 ℃ for 1 hour, the 316L keyhole-geometry was considered shape stable. The lateral micrometer measurement yielded a length change of 1 µm, and a radius of 140 m (over the 22 mm top surface) was assigned from curve fitting the top surface height profiles. The complementary microstructural characterization revealed that this temperature corresponded to where the last remains of the cellular sub-grain structures disappears. Tensile testing showed that the specimen subjected to the 900 ℃ heat treatment had a marked reduction in yield stress (YS) compared to that of the as-built: 540 MPa → 402 MPa, whereas ultimate tensile strength (UTS) only reduced slightly: 595 MPa → 570 MPa. The ductility (4D elongation) was found to be ~13 % higher for the specimen heat treated at 900 ℃ than that of the as-built specimen, 76% and 67% respectively.  For alloy 21-6-9 the residual stress induced deformation minimum (zero measurable deformation) was found after stress relief heat treatment at 850 ℃ for 1 hour. Slight changes in the microstructure were observable through light optical microscopy when comparing the different heat treatment temperatures. The characteristic sub-grain features associated with alloy 316L were not verified for alloy 21-6-9. Similar to the results for 316L, UTS was slightly lower for the tensile specimen subjected to the heat treatment temperature required for shape stability (850 ℃) compared to the as-built specimen: 810 MPa → 775 MPa. The measured ductility (4D elongation) was found to be approximately equal for the as-built (47%), and heat treated (48%) specimen. As-built material exhibited a YS of 640 MPa while the heat treated specimen had a YS of 540 MPa. For alloy 21-6-9, the lateral micrometer deformation measurements were compared with stress relaxation testing performed at 600 ℃, 700℃ and 800 ℃. Stress relaxation results were in good agreement with the results from the lateral deformation measurements.  The study showed that for both steel alloys, the keyhole method could be successfully employed to rapidly find a suitable stress relief heat treatment route when shape stability is vital.

Additive manufacturing (AM) techniques are being studied for their application in the aerospace industry. Numerous benefits come from the already in shape final piece, which needs reduced amount of prime material for its production and can have its shape numerically optimized for weight reduction. Austenitic stainless steels (AuSS) are widely used in aerospace and their manufacturing through AM is a popular research topic in order to accelerate their effective incorporation in air-crafts and spaceships. The special microstructures of AM has been observed with characterization techniques. The present work studies the high temperature stability of three AuSS (316L, MOD-316 and 21-6-9) considering two approaches; surface corrosion and microstructure evolution. First, for high temperature corrosion, thermogravimetric analysis has been performed from 850°C to 1150°C. From the results, kinetic analysis were performed and the activation energy was extracted from Arrhenius fits. Two mechanism were found for alloy 316L (first 435.41 kJ/mol and second 593.24 kJ/mol) and MOD-316 (first 740.01 kJ/mol and second 495.58 kJ/mol). Further SEM observations on the scales have shown Ni diffusion through the chromia scale in MOD-316 alloy, which could explain the higher oxidation rates at 1150°C. Alloy 21-6-9 has the best passivation behaviour with an activation energy of 190.47 kJ/mol. Secondly, long heat treatment (HT) at 725°C in air atmosphere has been performed, for 24 and 240h. Samples were initially as-built or annealed (900°C for 1h), to compare the effect of the HT on the microstructure evolution and precipitates formation. LOM observation showed preferable nucleation in grain boundaries (GB), an increment of the number of precipitates and a growth towards elongated shapes following GB with increased time. It was also observed a reduction in precipitates number with the annealing HT for all the alloys. XRD, SEM and EDS analysis has been carried out to identify the structure and composition of the precipitates. Various chromium, tungsten, copper, molybdenum and niobium carbides and oxides have been found in MOD-316. Higher porosity is observed in 21-6-9, that presented mainly chromium oxides, carbides and nitrides in GB and surrounding the AM defects. / SeSSA

Det här examensarbetet är baserat på en uppdragsbeskrivning från ventiltillverkaren ESBE. Företaget önskar utveckla livslängdsprovning av ventiler utifrån kemisk sammansättning hos tappvattnet och det finns ett intresse hos företaget kunna identifiera de faktorer som kan leda till haveri eller på annat vis inverka på ventilernas funktion. Syftet med arbetet har varit att sammanställa och utvärdera vilka kemiska komponenter och fysikaliska förhållanden som är relevanta för livslängdsprovning av blandningsventiler. Arbetet har annars främst grundat sig på litteraturstudier av vetenskapliga artiklar, relevant facklitteratur, diverse beräkningsmodeller samt en experimentell del. De två vanligaste problemen som kan uppstå i samband med att metall är i kontakt med vatten är: korrosion och bildning av oxider. I samband med accelererad korrosionsprovning har faktorer som temperatur, löst syre, pH, alkalinitet, hårdhet, klorid och sulfat visat sig vara de vattenparametrar som haft störst inverkan. Två olika förslag på testlösningar har tagits fram under arbetet. Båda optimerade för att vara effektiva för en accelererad provningsmetod. Den ena anpassad för att påskynda avzinkning, den andra för att påskynda oxidbildning. Det recept som har getts som förslag i detta arbete bör i ett nästa steg användas i nya enklare experiment och sedan utvärderas.

High chromium cast iron (HCCI) is considered as one of the most useful wear resistance materials and their usage are widely spread in industry. The wear resistance and mechanical properties of HCCI mainly depend on type, size, number, morphology of hard carbides and the matrix structure (γ or α). The Hypereutectic HCCI with large volume fractions of hard carbides is preferred to apply in wear applications. However, the coarser and larger primary M7C3 carbides will be precipitated during the solidification of the hypereutectic alloy and these will have a negative influence on the wear resistance. In this thesis, the Ti-added hypereutectic HCCI with a main composition of Fe-17mass%Cr-4mass%C is quantitatively studied based on the type, size distribution, composition and morphology of hard carbides and martensite units. A 11.2μm border size is suggested to classify the primary M7C3 carbides and eutectic M7C3 carbides. Thereafter, the change of the solidification structure and especially the refinement of carbides (M7C3 and TiC) size by changing the cooling rates and Ti addition is determined and discussed. Furthermore, the mechanical properties of hypereutectic HCCI related to the solidification structure are discussed. Mechanical properties of HCCI can normally be improved by a heat treatment process. The size distribution and the volume fraction of carbides (M7C3 and TiC) as well as the matrix structure (martensite) were examined by means of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and electron backscattered diffraction (EBSD). Especially for the matrix structure, EBSD is a useful tool to classify the fcc (γ) and bcc (α) phases. In conclusion, low holding temperatures close to the eutectic temperature and long holding times are the best heat treatment strategies in order to improve wear resistance and hardness of Ti-alloyed hypereutectic HCCI. / <p>QC 20121130</p>

An induction setup for levitation studies of molten metals was built. The setup was used to levitate and heat stainless steel samples of 2.00 g to 1600 °C and subject them to different atmospheres. Changes in shape and temperature were recorded by video and infrared thermocouple. Oxide films forming on the droplets during levitation were observed. It was possible to notice an immediate surface reaction when the reaction gas was introduced. This reaction is concluded to influence the surface and bulk composition, and therefore have an effect on the shape evolution of the droplet. A more oxidizing atmosphere resulted in a more conical droplet shape; this is thought to be an effect of lowered surface tension and the conically shaped volumetric force caused by the magnetic field. Changes in temperature after the sample is molten are thought to be an effect of changes in emissivity, caused by surface oxidization. Post mortem analysis show a difference in surface morphology for samples subjected to different gases, as well as a difference in amount of oxidization.

The military vehicle, Pansarterrängbil 203 (PATGB 203) demonstrates a fault. There are some components in a coolant circuit that fail due to corrosion while others are unaffected. One of the affected components that will be investigated in this report is the water heater. The subject of this technical investigation has been an issue for FMV, Swedish Defence Materiel Administration since a decade. While seeking out the cause of the coolant circuit failing, this investigation aim to analyzing the underlying problems considering material, factors of corrosion and organization. In order to establish the origin of material and appearance of corrosion, experiments were performed. The experiments showed that the original material is an Al-Si alloy. The micrographs indicated varying stratification of the corrosion throughout the unit. The corrosive deposits consisted mainly of oxygen, silicon, aluminum and sodium. Consequently, the protecting passive oxide layer is compromised, which results in a direct connection between the coolant and the underlying material. This direct connection gives rise to the development of corrosion in the material. Clear underlying causes of the corrosion were not found but the most probable suggest on galvanic corrosion accelerated by a stray current. Properly grounding the components decreases the stray current in the system and is essential to avoid corrosion. If grounding the components is not sufficient, additional checks of the coolant with attention to the pH-value and the function of corrosion inhibitors may indicate corrosion at an earlier stage.

In the constant pursuit of better-performing cemented carbides, recent studies suggest that a combination of better hardness and toughness can be obtained by changing its WC grain size distribution. As the area is still rather unexplored, this  thesis  aims  to  broaden  the  knowledge  and  answer  whether mechanical properties can be changed by changing the WC grain size distribution, in the context of mining drill bit inserts. This was performed by producing four dual grained material as well as four single grained reference materials, for which the carbon content and presence of alloying element were varied. The materials were characterised and compared with regard to magnetic saturation, magnetic coercivity,  hardness,  fracture  toughness,  wear resistance,  energy  needed  to cause  fracture,  as  well  as  detailed microstructural  analysis  obtained  through imaging and electron backscatter diffraction analysis The results showed that mining drill bit inserts with alternative WC grain size distribution  could  successfully  be  produced,  but  that  a  traditional  bimodal distribution  with  two  peaks  could  not  be  obtained.  The  distribution instead became significantly wider as well as skewed towards larger grains for the dual grained materials compared with their references. It was further also confirmed that the alternative dual grain size distribution could be used to improve the mechanical properties of fracture toughness and wear resistance, but only for material that was not alloyed, and the magnitude of the improvement may be considered  to  be  small.  For  the  alloyed  materials,  it  turned  out  to  be more difficult to influence the mechanical properties, as the improving effect of analloying element outweighed the effect of grain size distribution. / I en ständig jakt på hårdmetall med bättre prestanda, så föreslår ny forskning att en bättre kombination av hårdhet och seghet kan erhållas genom att ändra den mikrostrukturiella  WC-kornstorleksfördelning.  Då  det  ännu  är  ett relativt outforskat område, så har denna studie för avsikt att öka kunskapen genom att besvara frågan om de mekaniska egenskaperna kan förändras genom att ändra på materialets kornstorleksfördelning inom applikationsområdet hårdmetall för bergborrning. Detta gjordes genom att producera fyra material med WC pulver av två olika storlekar, samt fyra referensmaterial med en kornstorlek. För dessa varierades parametrarna kolhalt och närvaro av legeringselement. Materialen karakteriserades och jämfördes med avseende på magnetisk mättnad, magnetisk koercivitet, hårdhet,  brottseghet,  slitstyrka,  energi  som  behövs  för  att  orsaka brott, samt  en  detaljerad  mikrostrukturanalys  som  erhölls  genom  avbildning samt elektrondiffraktionsanalys. Resultaten visade att material med alternativ WC-kornstorleksfördelning kunde produceras, men att en fullt bimodal fördelning inte gick att skapa i denna studie. Fördelningen blev istället betydligt bredare samt förskjuten mot större korn för materialen som innhöll WC av två olika storlekar. Det bekräftades också att den alternativa     kornstorleksfördelningen     kunde     förbättra     de     mekaniska egenskaperna för brottseghet och slitstyrka, men endast för de material som inte var legerade och storleken på förbättringen får dessutom anses vara relativt liten. För de legerade materialen visade det sig vara svårare att påverka de mekaniska egenskaperna,  eftersom  den  förbättring  av egenskaper  som  legeringselement tillförde överträffade effekten av kornstorleksfördelning.

The gating system transfers the iron melt from the ladle to the void in the casting mould. The gating systems dimensions and designs are crucial for the success of a casting and a poor gating system is a leading cause of scraps. The main goal of this thesis is to improve the pouring basins and sprues at Norrlandsgjuteriet, an iron foundry located in northern Sweden. The step in the offset step basin and other variables that affect the gating system is explained, investigated and simulated in MAGMASOFT. Furthermore, put to practice at Norrlandsgjuteriet. Adding a step in the offset basin fills a very important function in the system, fending off air bubbles that might enter the mould and reduce the horizontal velocity of the melt. The basin’s height and the sprue’s cross-section control the casting time and simulations conducted in this thesis show that a step can create a beneficial rounding to the flow over the step, creating a laminar flow of the melt, down the sprue contributing to a lower casting time. A narrower sprue is better, in which the melt’s surface tension is maintained, creating an oxide pipe-layer that protects the flowing melt entering the mould and from entrainment defects. The results show that replacing the offset basins used today with offset step basins, which are 30% smaller in volume, together with a tighter sprue will not only reduce the annual material consumption by 1% or 13 000 kg but more importantly increase the quality of the casting. This due to lower melt velocity, a more homogenous temperature, better flow in the basin with less air entering the mould. / Ingjutsystemet   transporterar   det   smälta   järnet   från   skänken   till   gjutformens   hålrum. Ingjutsystemets dimensioner och utformning är avgörande för en lyckad gjutning och ett dåligt utformat ingjutsystem är den främsta orsaken till kassationer. Syftet med denna rapport är att förbättra  gjutskålarna  samt nedlopp  som  Norrlandsgjuteriet,  ett  järngjuteri  i  norra  Sverige, använder. Steget i den förskjutna gjutskålen och andra variabler som påverkar ingjutsystemet förklaras, undersöks och simuleras i MAGMASOFT. Utöver detta testas det även praktiskt hos Norrlandsgjuteriet.  Att  lägga  till  ett  steg  i gjutskålen  fyller  en  väldigt  viktig  funktion  i ingjutssystemet i och med att luftbubblor avvärjs från att följa med in i formen samt minskar även  smältans horisontella  hastighet.  Gjutskålens  höjd  och  nedloppets  tvärsnittsarea  avgör gjuttiden  och  simulationer  som  genomfördes  visade  också  att  stegets rundning  i  gjutskålen skapar ett fördelaktigt flöde över steget vilket skapar ett laminärt flöde ner i nedloppet vilket samtidigt bidrar till en minskad gjuttid. Ju smalare nedlopp desto bättre upprätthålls smältans ytspänning vilket skapar ett oxidskikt som skyddar den flytande smältan, som ska fylla formen, från inblandning  av  luft  och  oxider.  Resultaten  visar  att  genom  att  byta  ut  de förskjutna gjutskålarna som används idag med förskjutna steggjutskålar, som är 30% mindre i volym, tillsammans med en smalare nedlopp så kommer inte bara den årliga materialförbrukningen att minska med 1% eller 13 000 kg men ännu viktigare att höja kvaliteten på de gjutna detaljerna. Detta på grund av lägre smälthastighet, en mer homogen temperatur, bättre flöde i gjutskålen samt mindre luft som tränger in i formen.

Nitrogen-alloyed tool steel is made at Uddeholms AB by adding high-nitrogen ferroalloy after vacuum degassing where introduced impurities are hard to remove. In this thesis two types of high-nitrogen ferrochromium are compared, a solid version and a powder cored wire. They are examined in crossection and 16 samples from four charges are examined with Pulse Distribution Analysis as well as systematic microscopy of polished cross sections. The PDA results missed smaller spinel inclusions shown in previous research to be detrimental. The wire form shows promise but more charges need to be evaluated before a conclusion is drawn. / Kvävelegerat verktygsstål tillverkas hos Uddeholms AB genom tillsats av kväverika ferrolegeringar efter vakumavgasning, och orenheter som introduceras i detta steg är svåra att avskilja. I den har uppsatsen jämförs två typer av kväverikt ferrokrom varav en i form av stycken och en i form av tråd med pulverkärna. De undersöks i tvärsnitt och totalt 16 prov från fyra charger undersöks med PDA (pulsfördelningsanalys) och systematisk mikroskopering i tvärsnitt. Resultaten från PDA missade mindre inneslutningar av spinell vilka tidigare har visat sig problematiska. Trådformen verkar lovande men fler charger behöver undersökas för att kunna dra en definitiv slutsats.

Quantification of inclusions is important since it is correlated to the steel’s fatigue properties. One method that could be further developed for detection of inclusions in steel is ultrasonic testing (UST). The aim of this study is to investigate what type of inclusions, in terms of size, morphology and chemical composition, that can be detected with 25 MHz UST, and what type of inclusion that cannot be detected. This was done by firstly scanning 74 steel samples with 25 MHz UST, and then fatigue test the same samples until fracture. The inclusion that caused the fracture was then analysed with microscopy and compared with the results from the 25 MHz UST. It was found that Mn-Mg-sulphides, Ca-sulphides, oxy sulphides and complex oxides are difficult to detect with 25 MHz UST. Globular oxides can be detected with 25 MHz UST, at least down to an area of 8300 μm2 and if they are not too fragmented due to rolling. The results indicate that oxy sulphide stringers can be detected with 25 MHz UST if the inclusion have oxides in direct contact with the steel matrix, rather than oxides encapsulated by sulphides. / Kvantifiering av inneslutningar är viktigt då det korrelerar med stålets utmattningsegenskaper. En metod som kan utvecklas för detektering av inneslutningar i stål är ultraljudstestning (UT). Syftet med den här studien är att undersöka vilken typ av inneslutningar, med avseende på storlek, morfologi och kemisk sammansättning, som kan detekteras med 25 MHz UT, och vilken typ av inneslutningar som inte kan detekteras. Detta gjordes genom att först skanna 74 stålprover med 25 MHz UT och sedan utmattningstesta samma prover tills de gick till brott. Inneslutningen som orsakade brottet analyserades sedan med mikroskopi och jämfördes med resultaten från 25 MHz UT. Det visade sig att Mn-Mg-sulfider, Ca-sulfider, oxisulfider och komplexa oxider är svåra att upptäcka med 25 MHz UT. Globulära oxider kan upptäckas, åtminstone ner till en area på 8300 μm2 och om den inte har blivit för fragmenterad av valsning. Resultaten indikerar att oxisulfider kan detekteras om oxiderna är i direkt kontakt med stålmatrisen, i stället för att oxiderna är inkapslade av sulfider.