Increasing environmental awareness over the past decade as well as stringent environmental laws forced all factories to invest in water treatment processes for effluent treatment before discharge or re-use. Most of these effluent treatment processes utilize membranes as the physical. barrier for separation. The membranes used in water applications are expensive and alternative materials and production techniques will increase the viability of membrane separation processes. Experiments conducted on irradiated polyethylene showed that some of its properties were enhanced while others deteriorated. However, the enhanced properties make the polyethylene, in particular ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene, an ideal membrane material. The manufactured membranes were tested in extraction experiments, and satisfactory results were obtained. Permeation studies on the membranes compared favourably with similar studies done on commercially available membranes. An extraction rate of 1.08 g/(m2h) nickel was achieved. A preliminary cost evaluation showed that these membranes can be manufactured at a low cost (R13.45/m2). and can be applied as supported liquid membranes. Future research should focus on methods to decrease the brittleness and stiffness of the membranes. / Thesis (MIng)--PU for CHE, 1999

Increasing environmental awareness over the past decade as well as stringent environmental laws forced all factories to invest in water treatment processes for effluent treatment before discharge or re-use. Most of these effluent treatment processes utilize membranes as the physical. barrier for separation. The membranes used in water applications are expensive and alternative materials and production techniques will increase the viability of membrane separation processes. Experiments conducted on irradiated polyethylene showed that some of its properties were enhanced while others deteriorated. However, the enhanced properties make the polyethylene, in particular ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene, an ideal membrane material. The manufactured membranes were tested in extraction experiments, and satisfactory results were obtained. Permeation studies on the membranes compared favourably with similar studies done on commercially available membranes. An extraction rate of 1.08 g/(m2h) nickel was achieved. A preliminary cost evaluation showed that these membranes can be manufactured at a low cost (R13.45/m2). and can be applied as supported liquid membranes. Future research should focus on methods to decrease the brittleness and stiffness of the membranes. / Thesis (MIng)--PU for CHE, 1999

The Material Point Method (MPM) is a modern finite element method that is classified as a point based method or meshless method, while it takes the advantage of two kinds of spatial discretisation that are based on an arbitrary Eulerian-Lagrangian description of motion. The referenced continuum is represented by the material points, and the motions are tracked through a computational background mesh, that is an arbitrary constant mesh which does not move the material. Hence, in the MPM mesh distortion especially in the large deformation analysis is naturally avoided. However, MPM has been employed to simulate difficult problems in the literature, many are still unsatisfactory due to the lack of rigorous validation. Therefore, this thesis firstly provides a series of simple case studies which any numerical method must pass to test the validity of the MPM, and secondly demonstrate the capability of the MPM in simulating difficult problems such as degradation of highly swellable polymers during large swelling that is currently difficult to handle by the standard finite element method. Flory’s theory is incorporated into the material point method to study large swelling of polymers, and degradation of highly swellable polymers is modelled by the MPM as a random phenomenon based on the normal distribution of the volumetric strain. These numerical developments represent adaptability of the MPM and enabling the method to be used in more complicated simulations. Furthermore, the advantages of this powerful numerical tool are studied in the modelling of an additive manufacturing technology called Selective Laser Melting (SLM). It is shown the MPM is an ideal numerical method to study SLM manufacturing technique. The focus of this thesis is to validate the MPM and exhibit the simplicity, strength, and accuracy of this numerical tool compared with standard finite element method for very complex problems which requires a complicated topological system.

abstract: The microstructure development of Inconel alloy 718 (IN718) during conventional processing has been extensively studied and much has been discovered as to the mechanisms behind the exceptional creep resistance that the alloy exhibits. More recently with the development of large scale 3D printing of alloys such as IN718 a new dimension of complexity has emerged in the understanding of alloy microstructure development, hence, potential alloy development opportunity for IN718. This study is a broad stroke at discovering possible alternate microstructures developing in Direct-Metal-Laser-Sintering (DMLS) processed IN718 compared to those in conventional wrought IN718. The main inspiration for this study came from creep test results from several DMLS IN718 samples at Honeywell that showed a significant improvement in creep capabilities for DMLS718 compared to cast and wrought IN718 (Honeywell). From this data the steady-state creep rates were evaluated and fitted to current creep models in order to identify active creep mechanisms in conventional and DMLS IN718 and illuminate the potential factors responsible for the improved creep behavior in DMSL processed IN718. Because rapid heating and cooling can introduce high internal stress and impact microstructural development, such as gamma double prime formations (Oblak et al.), leading to differences in material behavior, DMLS and conventional IN718 materials are studied using SEM and TEM characterization to investigate sub-micron and/or nano-scale microstructural differences developed in the DMLS samples as a result of their complex thermal history and internal stress. The preliminary analysis presented in this body of work is an attempt to better understand the effect of DMLS processing in quest for development of optimization techniques for DMLS as a whole. A historical sketch of nickel alloys and the development of IN718 is given. A literature review detailing the microstructure of IN718 is presented. Creep data analysis and identification of active creep mechanisms are evaluated. High-resolution microstructural characterization of DMLS and wrought IN718 are discussed in detail throughout various chapters of this thesis. Finally, an initial effort in developing a processing model that would allow for parameter optimization is presented. / Dissertation/Thesis / Masters Thesis Engineering 2017

La fabrication directe et additive regroupe un ensemble de technologies de mise en forme des matériaux en rupture avec les procédés conventionnels. L'industrie aéronautique et aérospatiale s'intéresse fortement à ces nouveaux procédés, dont la fusion sélective par laser de lits de poudre métallique (SLM). Cette thèse présentera les enjeux de la fabrication additive ainsi que certains procédés. Une étude bibliographique a été menée sur deux alliages aéronautiques utilisés dans ces travaux : l'alliage de titane TA6V et le superalliage base nickel Nimonic 263. Les travaux présentés dans ce rapport comprennent l'étude de la poudre métallique brute d'atomisation (morphologie, granulométrie, composition chimique). D'autre part, l'étude de la recyclabilité de la poudre utilisée en SLM est présentée pour le TA6V, tant en ce qui concerne l'évolution de la poudre elle-même que celle des propriétés mécaniques des pièces qui en sont issues. Par ailleurs ce travail traite d'un modèle de consolidation du lit de poudre permettant également d'évaluer la productivité du procédé. Enfin, une étude paramétrique et thermique menée sur le Nimonic 263 en vue de l'établissement d'une solution de contrôle procédé est présentée. / Direct and additive manufacturing regroups several new technologies that are very different from conventional manufacturing processes such as casting. Aeronautic and space industries are really interested in those new processes such as the selective laser melting of metallic powder beds know as the SLM process. This PhD thesis report will show the issues of additive manufacturing and will describe some processes. A bibliography study has been done on two aeronautical alloys used in this work: titanium alloy TA6V and nickel-based superalloy Nimonic 263. This work also presents powder characterization (granulometry, morphology chemical composition) for the gas atomized powder. Besides, study has been done on the recyclability of the TA6V powder for the SLM process, for the powder itself and the mechanical properties of parts built from recycled powder. Moreover, this works deals with a powder bed consolidation model to estimate the productivity of the process. Then, a parametric and thermal study has been done on the Nimonic 263. The coaxial system for thermal visualization is described such as the image processing algorithm used. Finally, this reports deals with the study of thermal signature of typical SLM defects.

Polaritons are lightweight bosonic quasiparticles that result from the strong coupling of light with an exciton transition inside a microcavity. A sufficiently dense cloud of polaritons condenses into a polariton condensate, a state of matter showing macroscopic coherence and superfluid properties, whose dynamics are influenced by the cycle of constant pumping and decay of polaritons. This thesis begins with an introduction on the particle and wave properties of the polariton condensate, followed by a theoretical description of two-dimensional Bose-Einstein condensation (BEC) and a section on simulation of polariton condensates. The optical setup and the microcavity sample are presented thereafter, including holographic laser shaping with a spatial light modulator (SLM), which allows exciting the microcavity with arbitrarily shaped pump geometries. Experimental results comprise optical control of polariton condensates, and dipolaritons. First, optical blueshift trapping and energy synchronisation (phase locking) of condensates are introduced. The transition from phase-locked condensates to an optically trapped condensate is investigated for a configuration of N pump spots arranged on a circle of varying diameter. Differences between these two condensate types are highlighted in the discussion section. Next, two parallel pump laser lines with small separation are investigated, which create a one-dimensional waveguide with strong uniform gain. Optically guided polaritons are investigated in this configuration with respect to coherence, flow speed, temperature and chemical potential. Observations hint that coherence arises below the condensation threshold simply from the chosen geometry of the system. The final chapter is dedicated to dipolaritons (polaritons with a static dipole moment) which form when polaritons strongly couple to indirect excitons in coupled quantum wells. In this system quantum tunnelling of electrons can be controlled with bias voltage. This allows tuning the dipolariton properties optically and electrically, with exciting prospects for future experiments. A conclusion and outlook section rounds off this work.

The aim of this master thesis is selection of heat treatment for additive manufactured multimaterial components composed of 1.4404 and 1.4542 stainless steels regarding their magnetic and mechanical properties. Individual materials were studied after fabrication and also after the same heat treatments. The chosen process consists of solution annealing and subsequent precipitation hardening. A significantly higher value of maximum relative permeability and lower of coercive field of 1.4542 steel were achieved. At the same time, the relative permeability of 1.4404 was not considerably influenced. A decrease in Rp0,2 of 1.4404, but an increase in Rm and Rp0,2 values of 1.4542 steel were observed. Elongation at break A increased in the case of both alloys. The experiments proved that multimaterial components composed of these stainless steels can be successfully manufactured by SLM technology. It is therefore possible to design and manufacture stainless steel components of magnetic circuits and adjust their magnetic and mechanical properties by heat treatment.

Diploma thesis deals with the influence of recycling of powder steel 1.2709 on porosity of parts processed by SLM technology. Theoretical part of this thesis gives an overview of the influence of selected process parameters of this additive technology on the porosity of manufactured parts. The presence of pores in the material is the main cause of worse mechanical properties compared to conventionally manufactured materials. Since the advantage of this technology is the possibility of wasteless production, one of the possible causes of pore formation and degradation of properties of the powder material is due to standard recycling by means of sieving to remove the contaminants generated during the construction. This paper compares the porosity of parts produced by two different machines, analyzes the possible consequences of sieving on powder properties, establishes recommendations for setting the recycling process, and compares the degree of influence of process parameters on porosity.

Method selective laser melting can produce metal parts by using 3D printing. This diploma thesis deals with the influence of process parameters on the workability of AlSi9Cu3 high-strength aluminum alloy using selective laser melting. The theoretical part deals with relations between process parameters and identifies phenomena occurring during the processing of metals by this technology. It also deals with conventionally manufactured aluminum alloy AlSi9Cu3. In the work, material research is performed from single tracks tests, porosity tests with different process parameters and mechanical testing. Here are showing the trends of porosity change at scanning speed, laser power, individual laser stop distance, bulk energy, and powder quality. The workability of the material can be judged by the degree of relative density achieved. Simultaneously the values of the achieved mechanical properties of the selected process parameters are presented. The data obtained are analyzed and compared with literature.

Master's thesis deals with evaluating applicability of correlation relationships between material characteristics determined by Small Punch Test and standard tensile test for material AlSi7Mg0,6 manufactured by casting and technology SLM. Results of Small Punch Tests are correlated with yield strength, tensile strength, elongation, and Young's modulus of elasticity. For each material characteristic various correlation methods are compared, while for each method corresponding coefficients are determined. Consequently, the applicability of individual methods is evaluated by substituting coefficients determined by various studies. Primarily analyzed are correlation methods for which future normalization is expected. The results of master's thesis show that structural inhomogeneity caused by SLM process does not result in high inaccuracies in determining material characteristics. Larger impact on material characteristics has high porosity, which was identified in cast material and led to significant deviations in evaluating tensile strength and elongation.