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The objective of this work is to investigate the influence of hot rolling process on the mechanical properties of AA 5052 aluminum alloy. Hot-rolled band fabricated by tandem mill (hot-band A) will be compared with that fabricated by reverse mill hot-band C). Optical microscopic observations revealed that hot-band A has a uniform microstructure throughout the thickness, while hot-band C exhibits non-uniform microstructure, fine grains near the surface and coarser grains in the center. Both hot-bands were subjected to cold-rolling and annealing to O-temper. Two annealing processes were used: (a) annealing in 500oC salt bath, which may simulate the high heating rate of continuous annealing line (CAL), and (b) annealing in 320oC conventional air furnace with heating rate of 30oC/h, which may simulate the slow heating rate of batch-type annealing. In general, both materials annealed in 320oC air furnace exhibit higher yield strength than those annealed in 500oC salt bath do, however, both materials exhibit better tensile ductility after annealed in 500oC salt bath as compared with those annealed in 320oC air furnace.TEM examinations indicated that the cold-rolled sheet after annealing in 320oC air furnace contains larger number of precipitates comparing with its 500oC salt bath annealed counterpart. This observation may account for the higher yield strength of cold-rolled sheet annealed in 320oC air furnace. After cold-rolling and annealing in 320oC air furnace, the material C shows higher yield strength than the material A does. However, after annealing in 500oC salt bath, both materials have similar yield strength. XRD pole-figure analysis indicated that hot-band A exhibited stronger texture than hot-band C did. The texture intensity for both materials decreased considerably after cold-rolling and annealing. Orientation image mapping (OIM) obtained by EBSD (electron backscattered diffraction) analysis indicated that the grain boundaries in both materials after cold-rolling and annealing were mainly high angle boundaries, and the 500oC salt bath annealed specimens have more equiaxed grain shape as compared with the 320oC air furnace annealed specimens.

An experimental study was carried out to determine the effect of compaction on arching of wheat flour in storage. A model bin 475 mm in height and 600 mm × 375 mm in cross-section was used to conduct tests and wheat flour at moisture contents (MC) of 8.6% and 14.2% was tested. Direct shear tests were performed to determine the angle of internal friction and cohesion of wheat flour subjected to various compaction pressures. It was observed that the internal friction angles were about the same for the wheat flour at two moisture contents (37.1 vs. 37.5), but cohesion for 14.2% MC was 32% higher than that for 8.6% MC. The flowability of wheat flour decreased with increasing compaction pressure sharply at the initial stage of compaction. Compaction led to a 64% increase in required hopper opening for arching-free flow for flour at 8.6% MC, and 49% at 14.2% MC. However, compaction pressure had little effect on arch formation after it reached above 5 kPa.

An experimental study was carried out to determine the effect of compaction on arching of wheat flour in storage. A model bin 475 mm in height and 600 mm × 375 mm in cross-section was used to conduct tests and wheat flour at moisture contents (MC) of 8.6% and 14.2% was tested. Direct shear tests were performed to determine the angle of internal friction and cohesion of wheat flour subjected to various compaction pressures. It was observed that the internal friction angles were about the same for the wheat flour at two moisture contents (37.1 vs. 37.5), but cohesion for 14.2% MC was 32% higher than that for 8.6% MC. The flowability of wheat flour decreased with increasing compaction pressure sharply at the initial stage of compaction. Compaction led to a 64% increase in required hopper opening for arching-free flow for flour at 8.6% MC, and 49% at 14.2% MC. However, compaction pressure had little effect on arch formation after it reached above 5 kPa.

Radiation-induced changes in microstructures often lead to significant changes in mechanical properties of alloys used in the construction of nuclear reactors. It is desirable to test small specimens to make efficient use of the small volumes available in test and commercial reactor cores and also because small specimens are less affected by the sometimes steep flux gradients experienced in reactor cores and the sometimes large temperature gradients developed in the specimens from gamma heating. (Continues...).

Several metal honeycombs, termed Linear Cellular Alloys (LCAs), were fabricated via a paste extrusion process and thermal treatment. Two Fe-Ni based alloy compositions were evaluated. Maraging steel and Super Invar were chosen for their compatibility with the process and the wide range of properties they afforded. Cell wall material was characterized and compared to wrought alloy specifications. The bulk alloy was found to compare well with the more conventionally produced wrought product when porosity was taken into account. The presence of extrusion defects and raw material impurities were shown to degrade properties with respect to wrought alloys. The performance of LCAs was investigated for several alloys and cell morphologies. The results showed that out-of-plane properties exceeded model predictions and in-plane properties fell short due to missing cell walls and similar defects. Strength was shown to outperform several existing cellular metals by as much as an order of magnitude in some instances. Energy absorption of these materials was shown to exceed 150 J/cc at strains of 50% for high strength alloys. Finally, the suitability of LCAs as an energetic capsule was investigated. The investigation found that the LCAs added significant static strength and as much as three to five times improvement in the dynamic strength of the system. More importantly, it was shown that the pressures achieved with the LCA capsule were significantly higher than the energetic material could achieve alone. High pressures, approaching 3 GPa, coupled with the fragmentation of the capsule during impact increased the likelihood of initiation and propagation of the energetic reaction. This multi-functional aspect of the LCA makes it a suitable capsule material.

Nowadays, high demands are made on filling materials in modern dentistry: Durability, Reliability &Aesthetic Requirements Thus, a group of physicists and an independent practicing dentist investigated 11 different teeth fillings (composite materials) as used in modern dental practices according to their stability and ability to withstand contact loadings.

abstract: The United States Department of Energy (DOE) has always held the safety and reliability of the nation's nuclear reactor fleet as a top priority. Continual improvements and advancements in nuclear fuels have been instrumental in maximizing energy generation from nuclear power plants and minimizing waste. One aspect of the DOE Fuel Cycle Research and Development Advanced Fuels Campaign is to improve the mechanical properties of uranium dioxide (UO2) for nuclear fuel applications. In an effort to improve the performance of UO2, by increasing the fracture toughness and ductility, small quantities of oxide materials have been added to samples to act as dopants. The different dopants used in this study are: titanium dioxide, yttrium oxide, aluminum oxide, silicon dioxide, and chromium oxide. The effects of the individual dopants and some dopant combinations on the microstructure and mechanical properties are determined using indentation fracture experiments in tandem with scanning electron microscopy. Indentation fracture experiments are carried out at room temperature and at temperatures between 450 °C and 1160 °C. The results of this work find that doping with aluminosilicate produces the largest favorable change in the mechanical properties of UO2. This sample exhibits an increase in fracture toughness at room temperature without showing a change in yield strength at elevated temperatures. The results also show that doping with Al2O3 and TiO2 produce stronger samples and it is hypothesized that this is a result of the sample containing dopant-rich secondary phase particles. / Dissertation/Thesis / Masters Thesis Materials Science and Engineering 2014

The main objective of the thesis was to gain better understanding of key parameters associated with Cold Work (CW) and their possible effects on Stress Corrosion Cracking (SCC) susceptibility of Austenitic Stainless Steels (ASS) cold rolled to different degrees. The microstructural characterisation of the cold rolled ASS was carried out using optical microscopy to determine and correlate the average grain size with the level of CW. The assessment of martensite development during the CW was carried out using the neutron diffraction technique. The effects of CW levels and strain paths on the lattice strain evolution during the in-situ loading and on the mechanical failure of cold worked ASS were studied. The electrochemical behaviour of cold rolled ASS was also studied. Finally, The SCC susceptibility of ASS was investigated using the Slow Strain Rate Testing (SSRT) techniques. The post-mortem analyses of the failed samples were carried using the optical and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). The study showed that the average grain size decreases with CW and reaches minimum at 20%CW. The smallest and the largest grain size occurred consistently on the Longitudinal (L) and Short-transverse (S) plane respectively. Evidence of martensite development was only found during the plastic deformation at cryogenic temperature and none was observed at ambient temperature. The study showed that the strength of material increases with the level of CW. The Bauschinger effect occurred when the strain path is reversed and its magnitude is independent on whether the tensile or compressive prestraining comes first or last but rather dependent on the amount of CW. The correlation between the CW levels and the lattice strain evolution during the in-situ loading showed that, the lattice strain increases with prestrain and reaches saturation in the material prestrained to 20%CW.The result of the mechanical failure test showed that, 20% cold rolled material loaded along the L and Transverse (T) directions showed a gradual failure, whilst the material loaded along the S direction exhibited a rapid failure. The SEM micrographs suggest that materials loaded along the L and T direction failed with the characteristic features of pure ductile failure while the specimen loaded along S direction showed mixed features of the ductile and brittle failure. The electrochemical properties of the cold rolled materials are more affected by sample orientation than the levels of CW. The short-transverse plane was observed to be most noble whilst the longitudinal plane was the least noble. The results of the SSRT in the chloride environment showed that the plastic elongation, the ultimate tensile strength and the time to failure decrease as the applied potential increases. The post-mortem analysis of the failed samples with the SEM showed that, the fracture surface contained region of ductile failure characterised by dimples, and region of SCC with secondary cracks along the loading axis. Whilst the cross sectional analysis, showed evidence of predominant transgranular stress corrosion cracks. The study found that SCC susceptibility of the ASS is directly linked to strain heterogeneity and directional anisotropy caused by cold working.

Thinner walled (about 6 mm thickness) line pipe steels for smaller diameter pipelines tend to have a relatively high ratio of yield strength to ultimate tensile strength (YS/UTS) of 0.93 or higher. This study focused on the effect of the microstructures, prior deformation in the austenite, cooling rate, coiling simulation and the additions of some micro-alloying elements on the YS/UTS ratio of a currently produced Nb-Ti and some experimental Nb-Ti-Mo line pipe steels. The experimental research included the design of the chemical compositions for five experimental alloys, simulation of the controlled hot rolling process, the determination of the strain-free as well as the strain affected continuous cooling transformation (CCT) diagrams, phase identification and quantitative assessment of the microstructures by optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), the latter especially on shadowed carbon extraction replicas and, tensile tests etc. This study indicated that the transformed microstructures of the alloys were a mixture of acicular ferrite plus polygonal ferrite and the volume fraction of acicular ferrite varied from 46.3 to 55.4%. Molybdenum additions did not markedly affect the formation of acicular ferrite after hot rolling and rapid cooling. The microstructural details of the acicular ferrite were successfully revealed by TEM on shadowed extraction replicas. This technique was useful to distinguish the acicular ferrite from the polygonal ferrite through a more smooth surface relief after etching in 2% Nital of the little etched polygonal ferrite whereas the deeper etched acicular ferrite showed parallel sets of internal striations. This made it possible to measure the volume fraction of acicular ferrite in the mixed microstructures of acicular ferrite and polygonal ferrite. The continuous cooling transformation behaviors of two alloys with no molybdenum and with 0.22% Mo were constructed with no prior deformation as well as with prior deformation of the austenite. Molybdenum additions shifted the strain-free CCT diagram towards longer times and expanded the region in which acicular ferrite formed from a cooling rate range of 0.3 to 5 ºCs-1 (Mo-free) to 0.1 to 15 ºCs-1 (with 0.22% Mo). However, its effect was significantly overshadowed by prior deformation in the austenite. The strain affected CCT diagrams for both alloys appear to be similar. The prior deformation had a stronger effect on the CCT diagram than molybdenum additions and promoted acicular ferrite formation, whereas it suppressed the formation of bainite. The prior deformation had two effects in acicular ferrite formation: it promoted nucleation and suppressed its growth and, therefore, resulted in a finer overall grain size. The effect on the YS/UTS ratio at various cooling rates ranging from 1 to 34, 51, 54 or 60 ºCs-1 was investigated in three cases: (i) without prior deformation and coiling simulation, (ii) with no prior deformation but with coiling simulation at 575 and 600 ºC and, (iii) with prior deformation of 33% reduction in the austenite below the Tnr followed by coiling simulation at 575 ºC for 1 hour. It was determined that the YS/UTS ratio was a function of the microstructure and cooling rate in the case treatment (i)) without any coiling simulation and prior deformation. The coarse bainite or acicular ferrite, which was formed at high cooling rates, raised the YS/UTS ratio under conditions of no deformation prior to the transformation. The yield strength and ultimate tensile strength also increased with an increase in cooling rate. With coiling conditions (treatment (ii)), the ratio was not sensitive to the cooling rate or the microstructure for the reference Mo-free alloy #6 because the coiling allows recovery of dislocations, thereby decreasing the difference in dislocation density that had arisen between a low and a high cooling rate. The YS/UTS ratio ranged from 0.75 to 0.8 after a simulated coiling at 575 ºC and from 0.76 to 0.78 after a coiling simulation at 600 ºC. Prior deformation (treatment (iii)) in the austenite raised the ratio from 0.81 to 0.86. However, the YS/UTS ratio was not sensitive to cooling rate after coiling at 575 ºC for 1 hour in the cases with and without prior deformation in the austenite. Deformation with a 33% reduction below the Tnr prior to the transformation increased the yield strength more than the ultimate tensile strength, leading to a high YS/UTS ratio that ranged from 0.81 to 0.86. The prior deformation, therefore, had a stronger effect on the YS/UTS ratio than the microstructure. Towards cache optimization in finite automata / Thesis (PhD (Metallurgical Engineering))--University of Pretoria, 2007. / Materials Science and Metallurgical Engineering / PhD / unrestricted