Orientadores: Amauri Garcia, Jose Eduardo Spinelli / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Engenharia Mecanica / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-12T23:27:26Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Silva_MariaAdrinaPaixaodeSouzada_M.pdf: 3527327 bytes, checksum: 88f3012a000dcdb2956852ed7fa40402 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2008 / Resumo: Ligas de alumínio dispersas com bismuto apresentam aplicações promissoras em componentes automotivos resistentes ao desgaste. Essas dispersões de elementos de baixa temperatura de fusão diminuem a dureza e escoam facilmente em condições de deslizamento, resultando em um comportamento tribológico favorável. Muitos estudos têm sido realizados a fim de melhor compreender as distintas morfologias obtidas pela reação monotética. Algumas pesquisas assumem que a evolução do espaçamento interfásico na liga monotética Al-Bi obedece à clássica relação utilizada para eutéticos: ?2v = C, onde v é a velocidade de solidificação e C é uma constante. Não há nenhum consenso a respeito dos valores de C encontrados. Além disso, tais estudos utilizaram fornos de aquecimento à resistência do tipo Bridgman para produzir a solidificação direcional de ligas monotéticas. Existe uma falta de estudos consistentes no desenvolvimento microestrutural de ligas monotéticas durante condições de fluxo de calor transitório, que são de importância primordial, uma vez que esse tipo de fluxo de calor engloba a maioria dos processos industriais de solidificação. No presente estudo, foram feitos experimentos de solidificação unidirecional em regime não-estacionário com as ligas hipomonotética Al-2,0%Bi e monotética Al-3,2%Bi. Os parâmetros térmicos como velocidades de crescimento, taxas de resfriamento e gradientes térmicos foram determinados experimentalmente por curvas de resfriamento adquiridas ao longo do comprimento do lingote. Os crescimentos celular e monotético foram caracterizados por técnicas metalográficas, e os espaçamentos celulares e interfásicos correlacionados com os parâmetros térmicos de solidificação. Verificou-se que a lei de crescimento ?2v = C pode ser expressa por um valor de C de 1,70 x10-12, que é em torno de duas ordens de magnitude maior do que aqueles reportados para o regime estacionário. Embora o fluxo convectivo induzido não tenha sido suficiente para mudanças consideráveis na magnitude dos espaçamentos interfásicos, as partículas ricas em bismuto foram afetadas pela direção do crescimento, diminuindo o diâmetro em condições de solidificação vertical descendente, quando comparadas com aquelas obtidas no modo vertical ascendente / Abstract: Aluminium alloys dispersed with bismuth show promising applications in wear-resistant automotive components. Such dispersions of low melting temperature elements decrease hardness and flow easily under sliding conditions, resulting in favorable tribological behavior. Much research has been devoted in order to better comprehend the distinct morphologies obtained by monotectic reaction. Some researches assume that the phase spacing evolution in the monotectic Al-Bi alloy follows the classical relationship used for eutectics: ?2v = C, where v is the solidification velocity and C a constant value. There is no consensus concerning the found C values. Other than, such studies have used Bridgman-type resistance heated furnaces to produce the directionally solidified monotectic samples. There is a lack of consistent studies on the microstructural development of monotectic Al-Bi alloy during transient heat flow conditions, which are of prime importance since this class of heat flow encompasses the majority of solidification industrial processes. In the present study, directional unsteady-state solidification experiments were carried out with hypomonotectic Al-2.0wt%Bi and monotectic Al-3.2wt%Bi alloys. The thermal parameters such as growth rates, cooling rates and thermal gradients were experimentally determined by cooling curves recorded along the casting length. The cellular and monotectic growths were characterized by metallography, being both the cell and the interphase spacing correlated with the thermal parameters. It is shown that the ?2v = C growth law can be expressed by a C value of 1,7x10-12, which is about two orders of magnitude higher than those reported for the steady-state regime. Although the induced convective flow was not enough to considerably change the interphase spacing's magnitude, the Bi-rich particle diameters have been affected by the direction of growth, decreasing in conditions of downward vertical solidification when compared with those grown vertically upwards / Mestrado / Materiais e Processos de Fabricação / Mestre em Engenharia Mecânica

Orientador: Amauri Garcia / Tese (doutorado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Engenharia Mecanica / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-09T07:59:55Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Rosa_DanielMonteiro_D.pdf: 8184541 bytes, checksum: 0b8d932ad9a1091a507ea6b10e4185f8 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2007 / Resumo: As morfologias das estruturas de solidificação, caracterizadas principalmente por arranjos celulares e dendríticos, e suas grandezas representadas por espaçamentos celulares e dendríticos primários, secundários e terciários, controlam os perfis de segregação e a formação de segundas fases dentro das regiões intercelulares ou interdendríticas, que determinam as propriedades finais das estruturas fundidas. O presente trabalho pretende contribuir para o entendimento do desenvolvimento microestrutural de ligas binárias através da análise de dois sistemas binários que possuem elevada importância para a indústria na fabricação de peças fundidas automotivas e grades de baterias: Al-Si e Pb-Sb, respectivamente. Os experimentos realizados utilizaram dois diferentes dispositivos em que o calor é extraído somente pelo sistema de resfriamento a água, localizado no fundo (solidificação ascendente) e no topo (solidificação descendente) da lingoteira. As variáveis térmicas de solidificação foram determinadas pela leitura de temperaturas a partir de termopares posicionados dentro da lingoteira em diferentes posições em relação à superfície refrigerada. Estas variáveis térmicas foram confrontadas com as previsões teóricas de um modelo numérico de solidificação. Os aspectos macroestruturais e microestruturais foram caracterizados ao longo dos lingotes através de microscopia óptica. Para as ligas Al-Si foi realizada uma análise complementar do efeito da convecção térmica e constitucional nos espaçamentos dendríticos terciários na solidificação unidirecional transitória descendente. Ligas hipoeutéticas Pb-Sb foram utilizadas para analisar as influências das variáveis térmicas de solidificação e da concentração de soluto nas estruturas celulares, na transição celular/dendrítica e nas estruturas dendríticas. Os espaçamentos celulares e dendríticos foram comparados com as previsões teóricas fornecidas pelos principais modelos de crescimento estacionário e transitório da literatura. Foram também examinados os efeitos da taxa de resfriamento no crescimento celular da liga Pb 0,85%Sb e a influência do tamanho celular e do perfil de macrossegregação correspondente na resistência à corrosão / Abstract: The morphologies of as-cast microstructures, characterized mainly by cellular and dendritic patterns, and their scales represented by primary, secondary and tertiary arm spacings, control the segregation profiles and the formation of secondary phases within intercellular and interdendritic regions, which determine the final properties of castings. The present work aims to contribute to the understanding of microstructural development of binary alloys by analyzing two binary systems, which possess high industrial importance in the manufacture of as-cast automotive components and battery grids: Al-Si and Pb-Sb, respectively. Experiments have been carried out by using two castings assemblies, which were designed in such way that heat was extracted only through the water-cooled system, located at the bottom (upward solidification) and at the top (downward solidification) of the casting. The solidification thermal variables have been determined from thermal readings acquired by thermocouples located inside of the casting in different positions from the cooled surface. Such experimental thermal variables have been compared with theoretical predictions of a numerical model of solidification. Macrostructural and microstructural aspects along the casting were characterized by optical microscopy. For Al-Si alloys a complementary analysis of the influence of thermosolutal convection on the tertiary dendrite arm spacing during the downward unsteady-state directional solidification has been carried out. Hypoeutectic Pb-Sb alloys have been used to analyze the influences of solute concentrations and solidification thermal variables in the development of cellular structures, the cellular/dendritic transition and dendritic structures. Experimental cellular and dendritic spacings have been compared with the theoretical predictions furnished by the main steady-state and unsteady-state growth models from the literature. The effect of cooling rate on the cellular growth of a Pb 0.85wt%Sb alloy and the influences of cell size and of the corresponding macrosegregation profile on the resultant corrosion behavior have also been examined. / Doutorado / Materiais e Processos de Fabricação / Doutor em Engenharia Mecânica

Orientador: Amauri Garcia / Tese (doutorado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Engenharia Mecanica / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-11T19:19:04Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Cruz_KleberAugustinSabatda_D.pdf: 13994845 bytes, checksum: c0766efdbf4acbaf7d07b0db50f1fe52 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2008 / Resumo: A procura por relações funcionais correlacionando parâmetros microestruturais e o comportamento mecânico de ligas metálicas é fundamental para a pré-programação do produto final. O presente estudo pretende contribuir para o entendimento sobre a influência dos parâmetros microestruturais na resistência ao desgaste e nas propriedades mecânicas de ligas de dois sistemas binários: AI-Sn e AI-Si. Tais ligas são bastante usadas em aplicações de engenharia, tais como mancais e camisas de cilindro de motores de combustão, respectivamente. Apesar do grande uso das ligas do sistema AI-Sn como material tribológico, são escassos os estudos sobre o desenvolvimento microestrutural destas ligas na literatura. Neste estudo, quatro ligas hipoeutéticas do sistema AI-Sn e três ligas hipoeutéticas do sistema AI-Si foram submetidas a solidificação unidirecional, na direção vertical e sentido ascendente, sob condições transitórias de fluxo de calor. Os espaçamentos dendríticos primários (À1) e secundários (À2) foram medidos nas direçõe.s transversal e longitudinal dos lingotes, respectivamente, e correlacionados com as variáveis térmicas que atuaram durante a solidificação. Uma abordagem teórico-experimental foi desenvolvida para determinar quantitativamente_as variáveis térmicas, tais como: coeficiente de transferência de calor na interface metal/molde, velocidade de deslocamento da isoterma liquidus, gradientes térmicos, taxa de resfriamento e tempo local de solidificação. Este estudo também aborda a influência do teor de soluto nos espaçamentos dendríticos das ligas estudadas. Os dados experimentais obtidos, concementes à solidificação das ligas AI-Sn, são comparados com modelos de crescimento dendrítico existentes na literatura. O comportamento mecânico das ligas AI-Sn e AI-Si foi analisado por meio de ensaios de tração e de desgaste. O ensaio de desgaste utilizado foi o ensaio de micro-abrasão por esfera rotativa fixa, sob condições a seco (sem óleo lubrificante ou solução abrasiva). As amostras submetidas aos ensaios de desgaste foram retiradas na direção transversal dos lingotes. A condição a seco foi adotada para impedir a interferência de elementos interfaciais na resposta da microestrutura com relação ao desgaste mecânico. O volume de desgaste é o parâmetro quantificador da resistência ao desgaste e, são obtidas equações que correlacionam o volume de desgaste com espaçamentos dendríticos, levando em consideração o tempo de ensaio, que está relacionado com a distância de deslizamento. / Abstract: The search for relationships between microstructural parameters and mechanical behavior of alloys is fundamental for the pre-programming of final properties of as-cast components. The present study aims to contribute to the understanding about the influence of microstructural parameters on the wear resistance and mechanical properties of alloys of two binary systems: Al-Sn and AI-Si. Such alloys are widely used in engineering applications, especially as bearing components such as journal bearings and cylinder liners, respectively. Despite the wide use of Al-Sn alloys as bearing materiaIs studies on the microstructural development of such alloys are rare.. In the present study, four Al-Sn and three AI-Si hypoeutectic alloys were directionally solidified under upward unsteady state heat flow conditions. The primary (1,,1) and secondary (Â.2) dendrite arm spacings were measured along the castings length and correlated with transient solidification thermal variables. A combined theoretical and experimental approach has been used to quantitatively determine such thermal variables, i.e., transient metaVmold heat transfer coefficients, tip growth rates, thermal gradients, tip cooling rates and local solidifÍcation time. This study also focuses on the dependence of dendrite arm spacings on the alloy solute content. Furthermore, the experimental data conceming the solidification of AI -Sn alloys are compared with the main predictive dendritic models from the literature. The mechanical behaviors ofthe AI-Sn and AlSi alloys were analyzed by wear and tensile tests. Micro-abrasive wear tests under dry sliding conditions and by using a fixed rotating sphere were applied to transversal samples collected along the casting. The dry condition is adopted to prevent effects of interfacial elements such as abrasive slurry or lubricant oil on the microstructural response during the tests. The wear volume was used to evaluate the wear resistance. Afterwards, equations correlating the wear volume and the dendritic arm spacing have been proposed taking into account the influence of time (sliding distance). / Doutorado / Materiais e Processos de Fabricação / Doutor em Engenharia Mecânica

Materiais com fases intermetálicas têm sido avaliados para aplicações estruturais em altas temperaturas devido à baixa massa específica e interessantes propriedades de resistência mecânica e resistência à oxidação de vários compostos. As ligas de Ti são reconhecidas pela sua excelente combinação de alta-resistência, baixa massa específica e alta resistência à corrosão. Tendo em vista a importância de estudos em temperaturas na faixa de 700 a 1000 oC para futuras aplicações, avaliou-se neste trabalho as relações de fases do sistema Ti-Si-B na região rica em Ti nesta faixa de temperatura. Sabendo-se que a utilização de técnicas de solidificação rápida permite a obtenção de ligas com maior homogeneidade química e microestruturas finas, utilizou-se a técnica \"splat-cooling\" de solidificação rápida para produção das amostras, no sentido de obter microestruturas de equilíbrio em tempos e temperaturas menores nos tratamentos térmicos. As técnicas de microscopia, difração de raios X, análise térmica e dureza foram utilizadas para caracterização dos materiais. O processo de solidificação rápida (\"splat cooling\") promoveu refinamento de microestrutura e formação de fase amorfa em diversas composições de liga com temperaturas de início de cristalização (Tx) na faixa de 524 a 641oC. Foram confirmadas a estabilidade das fases αTi, Ti6Si2B e Ti3Si a 700oC e 1000oC. Os valores de dureza dos discos solidificados rapidamente ficaram na faixa de 434 HV a 1207 HV. / Materials with intermetallic phases have been evaluated for structural applications at high temperatures due to low specific mass and attractive mechanical properties as high-strength and oxidation resistance of various compounds. Ti alloys are recognized for their excellent combination of high-strength, low specific mass and high oxidation resistance. About future applications, studies at temperatures ranging from 700 to 1000 oC are important, we evaluated in this work the phase relationships of the system Ti-Si-B in the Ti-rich region in this temperature range. Knowing that the use of rapid solidification techniques results in alloys with higher chemical homogeneity and fine microstructure, the \"splat-cooling\" technique was used to produce the samples, in order to obtain stable microstructures in lower times and temperatures at the heat treatment. Microscopy, X-ray diffraction, thermal analysis and hardness measurement techniques were used for the materials characterization. The rapid solidification - splat cooling promoted the refinement of microstructure and even the formation of amorphous phase in the microstructure of materials with initial temperatures of crystallization (Tx) in the range from 524 to 641oC. We confirmed the stability of the phases αTi, Ti6Si2B and Ti3Si at 700oC and 1000oC. The hardness of the rapidly solidified discs were in the range of 434 HV to 1207 HV.

Orientador : Amauri Garcia / Tese (doutorado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Engenharia Mecanica / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-04T03:13:50Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Spinelli_JoseEduardo_D.pdf: 12716637 bytes, checksum: 79131dc23b1f9de6e4d77299eeff6973 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2005 / Resumo: Poucos estudos têm analisado os efeitos da convecção no líquido interdendrítico, bem como a influência da direção de crescimento em relação à gravidade nas variáveis térmicas e estruturais durante a solidificação. Neste trabalho, foi utilizado um dispositivo de solidificação unidirecional vertical descendente, constituído por uma lingoteira de aço inoxidável com diâmetro interno de 60 mm, 157 mm de comprimento e 9 mm de espessura. Na parte superior, foi posicionada uma câmara de refrigeração a água do mesmo material do molde e com espessura útil de 3,0 mm. Após a obtenção dos lingotes e registrados os respectivos perfis térmicos experimentais, foram determinadas as variáveis térmicas de solidificação: coeficiente de transferência de calor metal/molde, velocidades de deslocamento da isoterma liquidus, gradientes térmicos e taxas de resfriamento para a solidificação unidirecional descendente de ligas hipoeutéticas do sistema Sn-Pb (Sn5%Pb, Sn15%Pb e Sn20%Pb). Estas variáveis térmicas são confrontadas com as previsões teóricas de um modelo numérico de solidificação e, em seguida, correlacionadas com os parâmetros estruturais: espaçamentos dendríticos primários, secundários e transição colunar/equiaxial (TCE). Dessa forma, são determinadas equações experimentais de crescimento para a solidificação descendente e verificado um critério de previsão da TCE. Realiza-se também uma análise comparativa dos presentes resultados com aqueles obtidos para solidificação vertical ascendente de ligas de mesma composição. Os resultados comparativos mostram que o efeito convectivo estimula a ocorrência da TCE e ainda é responsável por uma sensível redução dos espaçamentos dendríticos primários. As previsões teóricas de modelos de crescimento dendrítico representativos da literatura são confrontadas com os resultados experimentais / Abstract: Only a few studies have reported influences of interdendritic convection and growth direction on dendrite arm spacings. A downward directional solidification apparatus was used having a stainless steel split mold with an internal diameter of 60 mm, height 157 mm and a 9 mm wall thickness. The upper part of the split mold was closed with a water-cooling chamber made of stainless steel, with a wall thiclmess of 3 mm. A combined theoretical and experimental approach is developed to quantitatively determine the solidification thermal parameters: transient heat transfer coefficients, tip growth rates, thermal gradients and cooling rates during downward unsteady state solidification ofhypoeutectic Sn-Pb alloys. The resulting thermosolutal convection can start in the melt both within the interdendritic region and ahead of the dendrite array. The experimental results have shown that melt convection may be causing pileup of fractioned dendritic arms, which must stimulate the CET occurrence. The results have supported a criterion recently proposed based on a critical tip cooling rate. For upward unidirectional condition this critical value was found to be about 0.014 K/s for hypoeutectic Sn-Pb alloys. In the present study, in conditions of downward solidification, melt convection seems to favor the structural transition, which is anticipated and occurs for a critical cooling rate of about 0.03 K/s, for any of three hypoeutectic alloys experimentally examined. Primary dendritic arm spacings have been affected by the direction of growth, decreasing in conditions of downward vertical solidification when compared with those grown vertically upwards. The main predictive theoretical models for dendritic spacings are compared with the experimental observations / Doutorado / Materiais e Processos de Fabricação / Doutor em Engenharia Mecânica

Copper based alloys play important role in high heat flux applications, particularly in rocket technology, the liner of the combustion chamber, and also in other heat transfer vessels. In these applications, one needs excellent high-temperature strength without sacrificing the thermal conductivity significantly. However, it is a challenging and difficult task to significantly improve the balance between strength and conductivities (electrical and thermal) of Cu-based alloys. In general, microstructural attributes, responsible for increasing mechanical strength of the alloy, also affect the transport properties by creating scattering centers. Hence, delicate optimization is needed for developing balanced alloy system for better performance. A substantial amount of research efforts has therefore been focused on devising methodologies to synthesize copper based alloys with a good combination of strength and conductivity. The present thesis deals with the development of a newer class of high strength high conductivity copper base alloy through tuning of phase transformation and careful additions of ternary and quaternary alloying elements and ultimately by microstructural engineering. In this thesis, we report the development of novel high strength high conductivity Cu-based alloy series in the Cu-Fe-Si system through rapid solidification process using suction casting apparatus. We have also optimized the alloys by altering and fine tuning the alloy compositions in order to achieve balanced and optimum properties. The strength of copper can be increased by various strengthening mechanisms. In general, precipitation hardening, dispersion strengthening and solid solution strengthening are the three most effective mechanisms for improving the strength of copper. Among these, solid solution strengthening has the most detrimental effect on the transport properties due to the presence of solute atoms which act as prominent scattering centres. Precipitation hardened copper alloys are often unable to retain strength at high temperatures, due to the coarsening of the precipitates. Currently, efforts are being made to develop newer dispersion strengthened copper alloys. These alloys contain a fine dispersion of nanometer sized oxides or other intermetallic compounds in the copper matrix. Dispersion strengthened copper alloys show impressive mechanical strength as well as thermal stability. In this thesis, we have explored the possibility of obtaining structurally ordered intermetallic dispersions through exploiting immiscibility of solutes in copper based alloys. The immiscibility promotes precipitation and decrease the solid solubility of solute elements in the matrix which in turn minimizes the scattering process and thus offers the possibility of improved transport properties. These ordered and coherent dispersion of intermetallic particles in the continuous copper matrix, dispersed during solidification, are believed to be the main contributor to the improvement of mechanical strength of the alloy. Crystallographically ordered structure and the coherency strain associated with the intermetallic particles in the copper matrix, together contribute to the mechanical strength through the mechanism of order hardening and coherency strengthening. These also, promote a low interfacial energy between precipitates and matrix in the alloy. This low interfacial energy reduces the driving force for coarsening process and thus helps in retaining the mechanical strength at elevated temperatures. Releasing of coherency strain at the precipitate-matrix interface with increasing temperature also yields a dramatic effect on the enhancement of thermal conductivity at high service temperatures. In the current study, we have selected three alloy compositions in the Cu-Fe-Si system at the higher end of copper. These are Cu-20Fe-5Si (at%), Cu-2.5Fe-2.5Si (at%) and Cu-1.0Fe-1.0Si (at%) respectively. We have systematically increased the concentration of copper, and altered the ratio of Fe and Si in order to achieve the better combination of properties (mechanical and transport) through fine tuning the microstructure. The present sets of alloys have been chill cast by the suction casting technique. This rapid solidification process, associated with moderate undercooling, is capable of accessing the submerged metastable miscibility gap of the Cu-Fe binary system. The higher quenching rate moves the system far away from equilibrium and hence, the solidification process occurs at the non-equilibrium regime. Rapid solidification of a copper rich Fe-Cu melt promotes the precipitation of the γFe from copper solid solution due to the immiscibility of Fe and Cu. In this scenario, the addition of a small quantity of silicon as a ternary element leads to its partition to both copper and iron rich phases. However, the larger chemical affinity between Fe and Si, leads to the formation of an ordered structure. However, the FCC crystal field of the copper matrix tends to promote an FCC based novel L12 ordered structure of the Fe3Si intermetallic particles instead of the ordered DO3 structure of Fe3Si composition normally observed in the bulk alloy. This nano meter sized L12 ordered particles maintain a cube-on-cube orientation relationship with the surrounding copper matrix and are associated with large coherency strain. A good lattice matching between these L12 ordered particles and copper matrix will promote a low interfacial energy and thus, a low driving force for particle coarsening. The present thesis is divided into eight chapters. The first chapter introduces the present work and the organization of the thesis. In the second chapter, current status in the development of the copper alloys and the general principle of alloy developments has been described. This includes both experimental and theoretical developments that can be used for developing high strength Cu based alloys. Chapter three, titled as „experimental procedure‟, describes the detailed description of materials and experimental techniques, adopted for the current studies. There are three chapters that deal with the main results of the thesis. Chapter eight, describes the suggestion for future work. The fourth chapter, titled as „Chill cast Cu75Fe20Si5 alloy: Microstructural Evolution and Properties‟, explores the detailed microstructural evolution of the Cu75Fe20Si5 alloy. This chapter also discusses the microstructure-property correlations. The microstructure of the alloy exhibits a multi-scale hierarchical structure during rapid solidification. The solidified microstructure contains Fe-rich globules with DO3 ordered structure, embedded in the continuous Cu-rich matrix. The continuous copper matrix also contains nanometer sized (average diameter 12 nm) coherent particles that exhibit Ashby-Brown strain contrast. Characterization of these phases has been carried out by a combination of X-ray diffraction, electron probe microanalysis and transmission electron microscopy coupled with energy dispersive spectroscopy. This multi-scale complex copper alloy (Cu75Fe20Si5 ) has achieved a remarkable yield and ultimate tensile strength at both room temperature and elevated temperatures in comparison to other copper based alloys. The yield strength and ultimate tensile strength at room temperature are 516±17 MPa and 635±14 MPa respectively whereas yield strength and ultimate tensile strength at 6000C turn out to be 95±11 MPa and 105±12 MPa respectively. In spite of achieving good mechanical strength, this alloy suffers from deterioration of electrical and thermal conductivity due to the presence of high volume fraction of the second phase and alloying elements. The room temperature electrical resistivity of this alloy shows that it is 10 times higher than that of pure copper (alloy resistivity = 1.70E-05 Ohm-cm at 250C and pure Copper- 1.68 × 10-6 Ohm-cm at 200C ). The thermal conductivity of this alloy turns out to be 88 W/m.K at 500C and 161 W/m.K at 6000C respectively which is much smaller in comparison to pure copper ( pure copper ≈ 401 W/m.K at 50 to 6000C). Attempts have been made to overcome the lowering of the transport properties by careful alteration of alloy compositions and fine tuning the microstructure. A new alloy with composition Cu-2.5Fe-2.5Si (at %) has been synthesized in order to achieve better transport properties without significantly sacrificing the mechanical strength. In this new alloy, we have reduced the volume fraction of the second phase (Fe-rich DO3 ordered globules) by lowering the addition of the alloying elements. We have also tried to alter the Fe to Si ratio in such a way that we can retain nanometer sized coherent particles in the matrix that provides strengthening. We arrived at a Fe and Si atom ratio of 1:1. The study of this alloy is presented in chapter five titled as „Chill cast Cu95Fe2.5Si2.5 alloy: Microstructural Evolution and Properties‟. Microstructural characterization indicates that the alloy contains only the nano meter sized coherent L12 ordered particles in the copper matrix. These particles show the Ashby-Brown strain contrast and are rich in iron and silicon. The absence of the high volume fraction of DO3 ordered Fe-rich globular phase and the smaller addition of the alloying elements ensure an improvement in the transport properties. The average resistivity value of this alloy at 250C is 3.5053 × 10-6 (Ohm-cm). This value represents a dramatic improvement in electrical properties in comparison to the Cu75Fe20Si5 alloy (Cu75Fe20Si5 alloy: 1.70E-05 Ohm-cm at 250C). The result is even better when we consider the temperature dependent thermal conductivity of the Cu95Fe2.5Si2.5 alloy. The thermal conductivity of this alloy turns out to be 236 W/m.K at 500C and 313 W/m.K at 6000C respectively. Though the thermal conductivity at room temperature is lower than pure copper, the gap reduces with increasing temperature (pure copper ≈ 401 W/m.K at 50 to 6000C and Cu75Fe20Si5 alloy: 88 W/m.K at 500C and 161 W/m.K at 6000C). This trend of temperature dependent thermal conductivity has made this alloy as one of the potential candidates for high-temperature applications. In situ heating experiment using transmission electron microscope (up to 4500C) and the heat treatment analysis at 6000C confirm that these L12 ordered particles are structurally stable at high temperatures and believed to be the main contributor to high mechanical strength in the alloy through the mechanism of order hardening and coherency strengthening. Coherent nature of the interface between the ordered particles and copper matrix also promotes low interfacial energy in the alloy and thus offers resistance to coarsening at elevated temperatures. Along with the attractive transport properties, this alloy also exhibits its success of retaining mechanical strength at both ambient and high temperatures as compared to the earlier alloy. The room temperature yield strength and ultimate tensile strength of this alloy are recorded as 580±18 MPa and 690±16 MPa respectively whereas the yield strength and ultimate tensile strength at 6000C of this alloy obtained as 128±8 MPa and 150±10 MPa respectively. Thus newly modified alloy exhibits an excellent balance between mechanical strength and conductivity (electrical and thermal) and can be regarded as a promising alloy for high strength high heat flux applications. The possibilities of the Cu95Fe2.5Si2.5 alloy as a potential candidate for high strength high conductivity application has provided the motivation for further optimization of the composition of this class of alloy. Mechanical strength and transport properties of a precipitation strengthened alloy always depends on the structure, shape, volume fractions and the number densities of the precipitate particles. Electrical and thermal conductivity are also sensitive to the presence of third elements and the number densities of the precipitates in the alloy. Thus, optimization of the volume fraction and the number density of the precipitates can yield a better alloy. With this objective, we have further increased the concentration of copper while keeping the Fe and Si atom ratio fixed at 1:1. Chapter six, titled as „Chill cast Cu98Fe1.0Si1.0 alloy: Microstructural Evolution and Properties‟ describes the microstructural evolution and microstructure-property correlation of this new alloy. Characterization analysis (X-ray diffraction, electron probe microanalysis and transmission electron microscopy) confirms that the microstructure of this alloy contains similar kind of nanometer sized L12 ordered particles with lower number density as compared to Cu95Fe2.5Si2.5 alloy (Relative planar number density of the particles: Cu98Fe1.0Si1.0 = 0.13 and Cu95Fe2.5Si2.5 = 0.20). This nano sized coherently ordered particles show the similar Ashby-Brown strain contrast and are rich in iron and silicon similar to the Cu95Fe2.5Si2.5 alloy. This dilute alloy exhibits slight improvement in transport properties in comparison to the earlier Cu95Fe2.5Si2.5 alloy. The electrical resistivity of this alloy at 250C is 3.438E-6 Ohm-cm (Cu95Fe2.5Si2.5 = 3.5053 × 10-6 Ohm-cm at 250C). The thermal conductivity values of this alloy are 243 W/m.K and 338 W/m.K at 500C and 6000C respectively (Cu95Fe2.5Si2.5 = 236 W/m.K at 500C and 313 W/m.K at 6000C). This increase in transport properties is associated with further compositional dilution and the presence of lower number density of the ordered particles in the copper matrix. The mechanism of strengthening is similar to the earlier alloys. The only difference lies in the fact that this present alloy contains lower number density of the L12 ordered particles in the copper matrix. This lower number density is responsible for the loss in mechanical strength of this alloy. The room temperature yield strength and the ultimate tensile strength of this present alloy are 467±16 MPa and 558±12 MPa whereas yield strength and ultimate tensile strength at 6000C are recorded as 102±13 MPa and 110±12 MPa respectively. Though the alloy exhibits some loss in mechanical strength, the values are still attractive in comparison to other commercially available copper based alloys. Both the alloy Cu98Fe1.0Si1.0 and Cu95Fe2.5Si2.5 demonstrate an excellent balance of mechanical strength and transport properties and have the potential to become a high strength and high conductivity materials for high temperature applications. Chapter seven is entitled as „Comparison between the alloy systems‟. In this chapter, we have presented a comparison of our new alloys with other commercially available Cu-base alloys. The thesis ends with a chapter titled as “Suggestions for future work”. We have included a descriptive note for possible future extension of our current work in this chapter.

L’interface noyau-graine (ICB) est instable et une zone dendritique se forme sous des conditions très particulières, c’est à dire que la cristallisation est très lente par rapport à la convection très vigoureuse du noyau liquide. Afin de reproduire expérimentalement des conditions semblables, nous avons étudié une zone dendritique sous hyper gravite, dans une centrifugeuse. La hauteur de cette zone diminue quand la gravite augmente alors que la fraction solide augmente fortement : similairement, les études sismologiques suggèrent que la fraction solide dans la graine est proche de l’unité a l’ICB. De plus, la sismologie montre une graine très hétérogène en termes d’anisotropie élastique, d’atténuation ou de vitesse des ondes et met en lumière une forte dichotomie Est-Ouest. Celle-ci pourrait être engendrée par une translation de la graine qui provoquerait de la cristallisation sur une face et de la fusion sur l’autre. Cette hypothèse est testée en conduisant des expériences de cristallisation et de fusion d’une zone dendritique. Nous avons utilisé des ultrasons comme analogues aux ondes sismiques pour quantifier les changements de structure dans la zone dendritique à partir des mesures de l’atténuation et la diffraction. Extrapoles a la graine, nos résultats montrent que l’ICB pourrait fondre sur l’hémisphère Ouest et cristalliser sur l’hémisphère Est. D’autre part, avec du gaz xénon en hyper-gravite, nous avons observé un gradient adiabatique, pour la première fois dans un dispositif expérimental. Cette thèse montre la faisabilité de ces expériences et la possibilité de vérifier expérimentalement les approximations utilisées pour la convection compressible. / The inner core boundary (ICB) is unstable, and a mushy layer forms under very particular conditions in which the crystallization is very slow compared to the very vigorous convection of the liquid core. To mimic these conditions, we have investigated a mushy layer under hyper-gravity in a centrifuge. The thickness of a mushy layer decreases with gravity and the solid fraction increases. This is coherent with seismological studies suggesting that the solid fraction at the ICB is close to unity. Moreover, seismology shows that the inner core is very heterogeneous in terms of elastic anisotropy, attenuation or wave velocity and that there exists a strong East-West dichotomy on the ICB. One hypothesis is that the latter is due to a translation of the inner core that would cause crystallization on one hemisphere and melting on the other one. We have tested that hypothesis with experiments of solidification and melting of a mush. We have used ultrasounds as an analogue to the seismic waves to quantify structural changes in the mush from measurements of attenuation and scattering. From our observations, it is plausible that the ICB on the Western hemisphere s melting while it is solidifying on the Eastern hemisphere. In other experiments, using xenon gas under hyper-gravity, we have observed an adiabatic gradient for the first time. This thesis shows the feasibility of these experiments and the possibility to check experimentally the approximations used for compressible convection.

Solar cells convert sunlight into electrical energy using the photo effect. With a mar-ket share of 60%, multicrystalline silicon (mc-Si) is the most frequently used absorber material. Standard mc-Si ingots are directionally solidified in a fused silica (SiO2) crucible, which exhibits a silicon nitride (Si3N4) inner coating. After the entire raw material has been melted, the nucleation takes place on the Si3N4 inner coating at the bottom of the crucible. This results in an inhomogeneous initial grain structure and an increased fraction of dislocation clusters in the upper part of the ingot, which decrease the quality of standard mc-Si. Therefore, the global goal is the development of a cost-effective technology that reduces the formation of clusters and enhances the quality of mc-Si ingots. One way of achieving that goal is to produce the so-called \"high performance multi crystalline silicon\" (HPM-Si). During the directional solidification silicon raw material remains unmelted at the bottom of the SiO2 crucible, whereby crystallization does start on the silicon feedstock a few millimeters above the crucible bottom. Compared to standard mc-Si, a finer grained structure with many small grains is formed, which are separated by so-called random grain boundaries. Since the movement of dislocations across this grain boundary type has rarely been observed, the risk of formation of dislocation clusters, which have a negative impact on the efficiency of solar cells, is greatly reduced for HPM-Si. However, the disadvantage of the HPM-Si compared to the mc-Si is the yield loss resulting from the unmelted raw material at the crucible bottom. Hence, the aim of the present work is to produce mc-Si with a fine-grained structure in combination with a high fraction of random grain boundaries without the disad-vantage of yield loss. In order to investigate the grain structure in dependence of the nucleation conditions G1 ingots having a mass of 14.5 kg and dimensions of 220x220x130 mm³ were directional solidified in a furnace. The analysis of the grain structure with respect to the grain size, grain orientation and the random grain boundary length fraction and the comparison with the HPM-Si reference crystal took place on horizontal wafers with a thickness of 3mm. One possibility to influence the grain structure of mc-Si could be the variation of the cooling conditions before the start of crystallization at the crucible bottom. In a first series of experiments, a gas-flowed cooling plate, positioned below the crucible, was used. An increased gas flow increases the axial heat flow downwards and the cooling rate below the crucible bottom in the same direction. The detected cooling rate, measured by a thermocouple in the silicon melt 5 mm above the crucible bottom, varied in a range between 0.06-1.5 K/min. An increased cooling rate increases the supercooling, with a maximum of 2K. The analysis of the grain structure shows that a reduction in the cooling rate in combination with the lowest supercooling minimizes the average grain size and increases the fraction of random grain boundaries. However, an HPM-Si like grain structure (grain size and fraction of random grain boundaries comparable to HPM-Si) could not completely produced. Furthermore, due to the extended process time, the wafer yield is reduced, whereby the reduction of the cooling rate is not a preferable method for the industrial process. In a second experimental series, which took place under constant cooling rates, the influence of an additional nucleation layer on the initial grain structure was investigated. For this purpose, the additional nucleation layer was applied on the already existing Si3N4 inner coating on the crucible bottom. In order to adjust a HPM-Si like grain structure, the contact angle of the silicon melt on the additional nucleation layer should be lower than on the Si3N4 inner coating. The theoretical basis for this hypothesis is the relationship between the contact angle and the nucleation energy, which states that a reduced contact angle lowers the nucleation energy and can ultimately lead to more nuclei. Furthermore, in order to avoid melting, the additional nucleation layer must have a higher melting point than silicon. Suitable materials for the application as a foreign seed sample are SiC, SiO2 and Al2O3, which are used in the form of particles with different sizes. The production of the additional nucleation layer was carried out by a spraying as well as by an embedding procedure. These layers exhibit different thermal conductivity as well as surface roughness. Embedded nucleation layers generate higher roughness values than sprayed nucleation layers. The analysis of the grain structure identified the surface roughness as the main influencing factor on the initial grain size. While an increased surface roughness (Rq>100μm) results in a fine-grained structure (average grain size: <2mm²) comparable to HPM-Si, the average grain size increases (>2 mm²) with a reduced surface roughness (Rq<100μm). However, the analysis of the grain boundary relationship shows that the fraction of random grain boundaries does not correlate with the average grain size. Only a ma-terial dependency was detected. All SiO2 nucleation layers generate an increased fraction of random grain boundaries, comparable to the HPM-Si material. In contrast, the fraction of random grain boundaries was reduced for all SiC nucleation layers. This result is probably established with the different thermal conductivities of the used materials. The increased thermal conductivity of the sample with the SiC nucleation layers increases the cooling rate, promoting dendritic growth. In contrast the lower thermal conductivity of the SiO2 nucleation layers reduces the cooling rate and dendritic growth is suppressed. Since dendrites exhibit a Σ3 grain boundary relationship in the center, the fraction of this grain boundary type increases for SiC nucleation layers and the fraction of random grain boundaries decreases. In this thesis, various possibilities for influencing the grain structure have been pre-sented. A SiO2 nucleation layer with a roughness value Rq> 200μm represents an industrially relevant solution for the production of mc-Si with comparable properties to the HPM-Si without the disadvantages of yield loss. Hence, it was possible to in-crease the yield with comparable material quality, whereby the production costs could be reduced. Some first crucible manufacturers have already transferred the use of the SiO2 nucleation layers on top of the already existing Si3N4 inner coating at the crucible bottom to production.

Automotive industry products portfolio includes a wide variety of complex‐shaped cast iron products, such as truck engine components, that need to withstand a constant trend of higher demands, especially urged by stricter environmental regulations on emissions. Combined with this continued demand on properties improvement, cast iron industry faces a process problem related to the lack of understanding of solidification and mechanisms behind defect formation. Casting products are highly affected by the product design and the manufacturing method itself, which governs the final microstructure and hence the final mechanical properties. Wall thickness of the moulding material strongly influences the solidification time, varying the microstructural coarseness, resulting in a component with different properties depending on the local shape of the casting. The main objective of this work is the characterization of the primary austenite microstructure and its coarsening process, which has been poorly documented in cast iron literature, to allow the prediction and control of these microstructural features present in the casting. The microstructural evolution of the primary austenite in hypoeutectic lamellar graphite iron (LGI) is studied under isothermal coarsening conditions. The dendritic microstructure suffered major morphological changes that included dendrite fragmentation, globularization, and coalescence. Empirical relations based on morphological parameters are introduced to predict the microstructural evolution of primary austenite. A novel technique for colour‐etching and semi‐automatic image analysis for the characterization of quenched dendritic microstructures in cast iron is presented. A new experimental technique for production of graphitic iron with varying nodularity is presented as a solution to control the production of compacted (CGI) and spheroidal graphite iron (SGI) under laboratory conditions. The nodularity evolution is controlled as a function of the holding time and the residual Mg, allowing the study of the primary solidification and primary microstructures of hypoeutectic CGI and SGI in future investigations.

Heat transfer during metal pouring and its solidification in the vacuum furnace have been investigated by experiments using model set of castings of different diameters and insulations. The pouring metal was Inconel 713LC alloy based on nickel. The found data have been used for optimization of the numerical simulation of the thermal regime during the both pouring and solidification phases of the process in vacuum. Numerical simulation of the alloy structure in individual castings has been made by the CAFE module of the ProCast software and obtained results compared with the real structure. The optimized boundary conditions can be used for simulation of real castings.