Die wear is always an important issue in hot forming processes, such as in forging and extrusion. Die life affects the economics of process to product and in order to optimise die life, the mechanism of wear should be approached scientifically. The aim of this work is to provide a systematic method for predicting and quantifying wear occurring in the extrusion of INCONEL 718 (IN718), nickel superalloy. To characterise wear, the process prediction which contributes to it must be identified and quantified. First, material characterisation was carried out using the Gleeble physical materials simulator. Then a set of unified viscoplastic constitutive equations was developed suitable for modelling microstructural evolution of IN718, i.e. evolution of average grain size, dislocation density and recrystallisation under hot forming conditions, which enabled resulting flow stress to be calculated and the microstructure of formed parts to be predicted. Second, heat transfer and friction during the forming process were investigated, by upsetting cylinders and performing ring tests on IN718. The heat transfer experimental work centres rounded the development of a reliable method for the measurement of the sub-surface temperatures in the bottom die during upsetting. The experimental values of sub-surface temperatures under various lubrication and forging conditions were analysed. A theoretical approach was proposed for the determination of the values of effective heat transfer coefficient and effective friction factor, and comparisons of experimental results and those from FE simulations were made and satisfactory matchings were obtained. Finally, integration of the material model and derived boundary conditions using subroutines for FEA are presented. Qualitative studies of abrasive die wear carrying out in a FE package, DEFORM, on the effect of various hot forming cases are shown. The numerical results are compared with the observations from mechanical measurements and metallurgical examinations for the studied die. Good correlations are found for most cases, which prove the presented methods can be used effectively in the prediction of die wear. Also, further work is suggested to enhance the modelling capabilities.

Small-angle scattering technique uses the scattering of radiation (e.g. neutrons or X-rays) at small angles to probe large-scale structures withjn matter, up to thousands of Angstroms. It is proven a valuable tool for investigating precipitation in reactor pressure vessel (RPV) steels and Fe-Ga alloys offering a statistical average over a large volume of samples. RPV steels, being of crucial importance for the longevity of a nuclear reactor, have been a long-standing theme for investigations. The main topics of such investigations are the effects of irradiation upon the steels and the consequent implications on their macroscopic properties. In this thesis, small-angle neutron scattering is employed to investigate irradiation induced precipitates in low- and high-Cu RPV steels. After irradiations with protons to low damage levels, precipitates could be clearly observed only in the high-Cu RPV steels. Stable preirradiation formed features are attributed to precipitation of carbides. Fe-Ga binary alloys have attracted much attention due to the still unexplained high magnetostriction they exhibit. To investigate the composition of nanoheterogeneities in a Fe-Ga sample, anomalous small-angle X-ray scattering is employed exploiting the energy dependence of the Fe and Ga atoms near their respective absorption edges. The nanoprecipitates are found to have a Fe3Ga stoichiometry.

We study the low temperature magnetic ordering of rare-earth pyrochlores. The dominant magnetic interaction: nearest neighbour antiferromagnetic Heisenberg exchange, is frustrated with a macroscopic ground-state degeneracy. This degeneracy is lifted by weaker interactions, stabilising long-range order. First we study the dipolar governed gadolinium stannate with an external magnetic field. Factorising the Hamiltonian in terms of ten quadratics provides exact solutions to the over-constrained model with fields orientated along highly symmetrical directions. Next we study the isostructural gadolinium titanate: the much more complex magnetism is indexed by a different propagation-vector to gadolinium stannate due to further neighbour exchange interactions. This material is controversial: elastic neutron scattering and Mössbauer experiments have been using contradictory interpretations. We propose a new state which appears to resolve this inconsistency. Finally we model erbium titanate, which is approached differently due to the dominant crystal-field. Existing elastic neutron scattering data is reexamined and found inconsistent with the state currently discussed in the literature so we suggest an unusual multiple-q state. The spins are not orientated along the expected crystal-field direction: a consequence of frustration. Energetics are studied phenomenologically. We suggest that experimentally observed gapless spin-waves control transfer of spin density between different q-points of the proposed state.

This thesis presents the work done to characterise two superconducting materials. We study BiPd, a non-centrosymmetric superconductor which is theoretically expected to show signs of spin singlet and triplet mixing due to the strong spin-orbit scattering of its composing elements. We map the field-temperature superconducting phase diagram along two crystal directions using Small Angle Neutron Scattering (SANS), magnetisation and \(µ\)SR measurements and determine the microscopic parameters defining the superconducting state. We also uncover a rare behaviour displayed in low-\(k\) superconductors, the Intermediate Mixed State, which causes domains of vortex lattice with constant spacing to coexist with Meissner domains at low applied fields. Finally we show evidence that, unlike what was expected, the superconductivity in BiPd behaves conventionally. The second material studied is Nb3Sn, widely used to produce large magnetic fields in various devices such as MRI machines. We investigate the superconducting state of several polycrystalline samples with different tin concentrations, as recent evidence point towards a lack of change of the upper critical field with varying Sn doping, in contradiction with older measurements that see a drop in H\({c2}\) associated with the apparition of a structural (martensitic) crystalline transition. Using SANS, we show that these recent results were likely not measuring the bulk state of Nb3Sn and that we find large variation of H\({c2}\) with Sn concentration. We also present indications that the vortex lattice is influenced by non-local effects at large fields by measuring the change in the vortex lattice structure with field. Lastly, our measurements are consistent with a full single gap behaviour in Nb3Sn.

The grain growth behaviour during reheating between 950 ºC and 1300 ºC of as-cast Al-Nb steel (containing 0.019 wt% Nb and 0.057 wt% Al) and rolled Nb-containing steel (containing 0.028 wt% Nb and 0.031 wt% Al) have been investigated. In particular the role of microalloying element segregation during casting and, hence the spatial distribution of microalloying precipitates, on grain boundary pinning during reheating has been considered. The Al-Nb containing steel has been examined in separate initial conditions, including as-cast (segregated structure), homogenised and forged (reduced separation of segregated bands) samples. It was found that microalloy segregation occurred between the dendritic and interdendritic regions, where the secondary dendrite arm spacing (SDAS) was 150 ± 50 μm. Nb showed strong segregation into the interdendritic regions resulting in a higher number density of Nb(C,N) precipitates (2.64 × 104 /mm2) compared to the dendritic region (0.73 × 104 /mm2). However, Al did not show strong segregation resulting in relatively well-distributed AlN precipitates in the matrix (1.29× 104 /mm2 in the interdendritic region and 1.89× 104 /mm2 in the dendritic region). After forging, the separation between the segregated bands was reduced to 65 ± 10 μm from the previous 150 ± 50 μm in the as-cast sample. The increased Nb content in the rolled Nb-containing steel compared to the Al-Nb steel gave a greater extent of segregation in the solute-enriched regions resulting in a larger number density of Nb(C,N) present (5.9× 104 /mm2), whilst the separation between in the segregated bands in the as-rolled Nb-containing steel was 35 ± 10 μm.

Electronic structure calculation methods, coupled with unbiased global optimization schemes are developed and employed, for the exploration of the energy landscape of subnanometre scale metallic clusters of noble metals. Structure prediction, along with statistical analysis of the potential energy surfaces for ultrasmall metallic and bimetallic particles of the coinage metals (Cu, Ag, Au) and platinum group metals (Pd, Pt) is undertaken, to determine favourable cluster geometries. Prediction of energetic and electronic properties, including charge distributions, electronic and configurational densities of states, binding, adsorption and mixing energies are made, in order to support the predictions of novel experimental work on a potential catalytic and optoelectronic systems. The environment of the particle is a focus, with surface-bound, ligated and gas phase clusters all considered, in addition to modelling of the adsorption of small molecules. Subnanoscale metal systems show promise in a range of reactive and electronic roles, and by producing accurate theoretical predictions of optical, binding and electronic properties, we contribute to the rational design of such new materials.

Shot peened steel tubing made from 304HCu-grade austenitic stainless steel was exposed to temperatures of 600-750°C in three atmospheres: vacuum, deoxygenated atmospheric pressure steam and deoxygenated 70bar steam. The microstructural changes and oxide morphologies of the shot peened material were observed with SEM, TEM, microhardness testing and TKD mapping. An estimate of the lifetime of the shot peened microstructure in service conditions was made based on service temperature. MnCr2O4 spinel was observed on oxidized samples and the consequences of this are discussed.

Focus of this thesis are the magnetic shielding aspects of a mobile atom interferometer, developed under the Gravity Gradient Technologies and Opportunities Programme (GGtop). This system has been used as a test bed for new compact technologies with the aim to perform outdoor gravity gradient measurements. A finite element analysis model was used for optimising magnetic shielding design, aiming to reach a field attenuation factor of the order of 103, by mu-metal. The research was extended to alternative shielding techniques with the intention to push current technology towards next generation portable atomic sensors. Initially, Metglas foil was used to create lightweight cylindrical shielding housings. The performance goal was approached by a total of 37 foil wrappings around two coaxial cylinders. However, material inhomogeneities affected the magnetic field uniformity. The second approach exploits additive manufacturing of permalloy-80 for 3D-printing compact shielding structures. Process optimisation was undertaken by fabricating approximately 70 small bulk samples under different printing parameters, while 6 cylindrical shield prototypes were produced for preliminary shielding tests. Application of post heat treatments enhanced shielding effectiveness by a factor of up to ~ 15, indicating that a performance closer to mu-metal could potentially be reached by further process optimisation.

The oxidation behaviour of RR1000 with different surface modifications has been well studied using detailed metallographic and mass gain measurements. The oxide comprises of an external chromia scale with isolated grains of TiO\(_2\) on the outer surface. Sub-surface internal alumina is present, beneath which the presence of TiN occurs (at higher temperatures >800\(^o\)C), all contained within a ɣ' denuded zone. The chromia external scale growth rate is significantly greater than pure chromia on chromium and the enhancement is attributed to the increased ionic transport caused by doping of the chromia layer with Ti. This effect is still seen regardless of surface condition prior to oxidation. Oxides, especially internal intergranular oxides have been shown to crack under room temperature fatigue conditions, causing a significant fatigue life deficit at a maximum applied stress of 800 MPa and 1000 MPa. At 825 MPa, it is suggested that plastic yielding of the ɣ' denuded zone initiated leading to a substantial increase in fatigue life, through either blunting the crack by deforming to accommodate the stress concentration at the crack tip or by preventing cracking of the oxides.

Topology, a mathematical concept associated with global perspectives, was found to represent geometric aspects of physics. To date, various topological phases have been proposed and classified. Among them, topological gapless phases focusing on the degeneracies of energy bands serving as the singularities in the momentum space, attract much attention. Especially in the three-dimension, various topological semimetals have been proposed. With unit topological charge ±1, Weyl degeneracies have laid the foundation. Also, they show loads of exotic properties, such as Fermi arcs and chiral anomalies. Being relied on the band topology theory, topological gapless phases have also been transferred into classic systems, such as photonics, acoustics and mechanics. Here, we experimentally investigated photonic Weyl systems in the photonic continuum media, where electromagnetic intrinsic degrees of freedom play key roles in constructing the state space. Firstly, we researched chiral hyperbolic metamaterials, a type-II Weyl metamaterials, from which we directly observed topological surface-state arcs. Then, we report the discovery of ideal photonic Weyl systems, where helicoid structure of nontrivial surface states has been demonstrated. Finally, we construct photonic Dirac points, through analysing eigen reflection field, we found the correlation of topological charges in momentum and real spaces.