Solid fraction evolution characteristics of semi-solid A356 alloy and in-situ A356–TiB_2 composites investigated by differential thermal analysis

The key factor in semi-solid metal processing is the solid fraction at the forming temperature because it affects the microstructure and mechanical properties of the thixoformed components. Though an enormous amount of data exists on the solid fraction-temperature re- lationship in A356 alloy, information regarding the solid fraction evolution characteristics of A356-TiB2 composites is scarce. The present article establishes the temperature-solid fraction correlation in A356 alloy and A356-xTiB2 （x = 2.5wt% and 5wt%） composites using dif- ferential thermal analysis （DTA）. The DTA results indicate that the solidification characteristics of the composites exhibited a variation of 2℃ and 3℃ in liquidus temperatures and a variation of 3℃ and 5℃ in solidus temperatures with respect to the base alloy. Moreover, the eutectic growth temperature and the solid fraction（fs） vs. temperature characteristics of the composites were found to be higher than those of the base alloy. The investigation revealed that in-situ formed TiB2 particles in the molten metal introduced more nucleation sites and reduced undercooling.

Pyrolysis Characteristics and Thermal Kinetics of Degradable Films

Developing degradable films is an important means for resolving the problem of film pollution; however, in recent years, there have been only few studies related to the thermal analysis of degradable plastic films. This research detailed the composition and pyrolysis of one kind of ordinary and three kinds of degradable plastic films using the differential thermal analysis （DTA） technique. The results showed that degradable films and ordinary film had similar DTA curves, which reflected their similar compositions; however, small differences were measured, which were due to the added constituents of the degradable films. The pyrolysis reaction orders of each film were about 0.93. The pyrolysis activation energies and pre-exponential factors followed the order of ordinary film 〉 photodegradable film 〉 photodegradable calcium carbonate film 〉 biodegradable film. The results of this research laid the foundation for new theories for harnessing soil pollution caused by plastic films.

Thermal Dehydration Kinetics of Gypsum and Borogypsum under Non-isothermal Conditions

Thermal dehydration of gypsum and borogypsum was investigated under nonisothermal conditions in air by using simultaneous thermogravimetric-differential thermal analyzer. Nonisothermal experiments were carried out at various linear heating rates. Kinetics of dehydration in the temperature range of 373-503 K were evaluated from the DTA (differential thermal analysis)-TGA (thermogravimetric analysis) data by means of Coats-Redfern,Kissinger and Doyle Equations. Values of the activation energy and the pre-exponential factor of the dehydration were calculated. The results of thermal experiments and kinetic parameters indicated that borogypsum is similar to gypsum from dehydration mechanism point of view although it consists of boron and small amount of alkali metal oxides.

Thermo-analysis of Preparation Processfor Electron Trapping Materials

The heated process of raw materials for electron trapping materials (ETM) is investigated by thermo-analysis method. The temperature ranges of raw materials experienced some physical and chemical change processes, such as dehydration, organic solvent removal, crystal sulphur burning, oxidation of alkaline earth sulfides and solid phase reaction (rare earth doped) and so on, are obtained. The experimental results also show that the presence of trace oxygen in shielded gas is very harmful to prepare the ETM.The raw material thermo-analysis results provide very important experimental reference for optimizing the ETM preparation techniques.

Thermal testing methods in determination ofcharacterization of charcoals

Thermal analysis testing methods were used in determination of the characterization of charcoals. Thermogravimetry (TG) method was adopted to determine the composition of charcoals, which include moisture, volatiles, fixed carbon and ash contents. The result showed that this method could detect the subtle change of charcoal composition, even the variation of different parts of material. Differential Thermal analysis (DTA) and related methods were also used to investigate reactivity of charcoals. The ignition temperature decrease with increasing carbon content was detected by these methods.

Thermal Decomposition of Leightonite, K_2Ca_2Cu(SO_4)_4·2H_2O

The thermal decomposition of Leightonite, K2Ca2Cu（SO4）4·2H2O, was studied by thermal gravimetric analysis（TGA）, differential thermal analysis（DTA）, X-ray diffraction（XRD）, etc. The results show that the Leightonite is dehydrated around 170 ℃ to 390 ℃ and transformed to be new intermediate （K-Cu-SO4） sulphate salt with bright-green color. Moreover, the chemical structure changes during the thernal decomposition process was describled in detail. And the as-resulting phases are demonstrated to be K2Ca2（SO4）3, K2SO4, CaSO4 ,and Cu2O.

Recension of boron nitride phase diagram based on high-pressure and high-temperature experiments

Cubic boron nitride and hexagonal boron nitride are the two predominant crystalline structures of boron nitride.They can interconvert under varying pressure and temperature conditions.However,this transformation requires overcoming significant potential barriers in dynamics,which poses great difficulty in determining the c-BN/h-BN phase boundary.This study used high-pressure in situ differential thermal measurements to ascertain the temperature of h-BN/c-BN conversion within the commonly used pressure range(3-6 GPa)for the industrial synthesis of c-BN to constrain the P-T phase boundary of h-BN/c-BN in the pressure-temperature range as much as possible.Based on the analysis of the experimental data,it is determined that the relationship between pressure and temperature conforms to the following equation:P=a+1/bT.Here,P denotes the pressure(GPa)and T is the temperature(K).The coefficients are a=-3.8±0.8 GPa and b=229.8±17.1 GPa/K.These findings call into question existing high-pressure and high-temperature phase diagrams of boron nitride,which seem to overstate the phase boundary temperature between c-BN and h-BN.The BN phase diagram obtained from this study can provide critical temperature and pressure condition guidance for the industrial synthesis of c-BN,thus optimizing synthesis efficiency and product performance.

Effect of partition coefficient on microsegregation during solidification of aluminium alloys

In the modeling of microsegregation, the partition coefficient is usually calculated using data from the equilibrium phase diagrams. The aim of this study was to experimentally and theoretically analyze the partition coefficient in binary aluminum--copper alloys. The sam- ples were analyzed by differential thermal analysis （DTA）, which were melted and quenched from different temperatures during solidifica- tion. The mass fraction and composition of phases were measured by image processing and scanning electron microscopy （SEM） equipped with an energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy （EDS） unit. These data were used to calculate as the experimental partition coefficients with four different methods. The experimental and equilibrium partition coefficients were used to model the concentration profile in the primary phase. The modeling results show that the profiles calculated by the experimental partition coefficients are more consistent with the experi- mental profiles, compared to those calculated using the equilibrium partition coefficients.

Effect of Fe_2O_3 on the crystallization behavior of glass-ceramics produced from naturally cooled yellow phosphorus furnace slag

CaO–Al2O3–SiO2(CAS) glass-ceramics were prepared via a melting method using naturally cooled yellow phosphorus furnace slag as the main raw material. The effects of the addition of Fe2O3on the crystallization behavior and properties of the prepared glass-ceramics were studied by differential thermal analysis, X-ray diffraction, and scanning electron microscopy. The crystallization activation energy was calculated using the modified Johnson–Mehl–Avrami equation. The results show that the intrinsic nucleating agent in the yellow phosphorus furnace slag could effectively promote the crystallization of CAS. The crystallization activation energy first increased and then decreased with increasing amount of added Fe2O3. At 4wt% of added Fe2O3, the crystallization activation energy reached a maximum of 676.374 kJ·mol−1. The type of the main crystalline phase did not change with the amount of added Fe2O3. The primary and secondary crystalline phases were identified as wollastonite (CaSiO3) and hedenbergite (CaFe(Si2O6)), respectively. © 2017, University of Science and Technology Beijing and Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.

Effect of heat treatment on structure and magnetic properties of Fe65.5Cr4Mo4Ga4P12C5B5.5 bulk amorphous alloy

Abstract： This study deals with the Fe65.5Cr4Mo4Ga4P12C5B5.5 ferromagnetic bulk amorphous alloy. XRD analysis showed an amorphous structure of the as-cast sample. The same method revealed that, after annealing at 973 K for v=10 min, the sample displayed a crystalline structure with crystalline phases formed. The crystallization process of the alloy was examined by DTA analysis. It was shown that crystallization took place in the temperature range between 810 K and 860 K with the exo-maximum peak temperature at 846 K with a heating rate of 20 K.min-1. The method also showed that, at temperatures ranging from 753 K to 810 K, the alloy exhibited the properties of supercooled liquids. A correlation between heat-induced structural changes and magnetic properties of the alloy was determined by thermomagnetic measurements. Maximum magnetization M=3.7 Am2.kg-1 of the alloy was reached after its annealing at 733 K for τ=10 min. Upon annealing, the alloy exhibited a relaxed amorphous structure. Annealing the alloy above the crystallization temperature led to a decrease in bulk magnetization. After annealing at 973 K for r=10 min, the bulk magnetization of the alloy was M＇=0.45 Am2.kg-1. Accordingly, after crystallization and formation of new compounds, the magnetization of the alloy was decreased by a factor of about 7.7. The strength of the magnetic field applied during the measurements was H=10 kA.m-1. The samples were tested for changes in the microstructure and hardness of both the amorphous phase and the resulting crystalline phase.

Effect of Melt Superheating on the Morphology of MC Carbide in a Cast Ni-base Superalloy M963

The effect of the melt superheating temperature on the as cast microstructure of a cast nickel base superalloy M963 has been investigated. The results show that the as cast microstructure of the alloy consists of γ solid solution matrix,γ′ precipitate in cubic shape, (γ+γ′) eutectic and MC carbide, and the morphology of MC carbide in the microstructure can be varied from coarse scriptlike, fine scriptlike to fine cubelike or discontinuous particles by increasing the melt superheating temperature. The mechanism of melt superheating is discussed by means of differential thermal analysis (DTA) technique.

Effect of strontium on primary dendrite and eutectic temperature of A357 aluminum alloy

Solidification process of A357 alloy with Sr addition was investigated in this paper.In particular,the effects of strontium and cooling rate on α-Al dendrite and Al-Si eutectic characteristic temperature were characterized by differential thermal analysis(DTA).Sr addition not only modifies the Al-Si eutectic,but also affects the morphology and structure of primary α-Al dendrite.Sr decreases the growth temperature of α-Al dendrite and Al-Si eutectic,and it also affects the dendrite growth mechanism.It has been found that such effect becomes more significant with higher cooling rate.

Rate of pozzolanic reaction of two kinds of activated coal gangue

Two kinds of activated ways are used to prepare activated coal gangue fine powder, one is calcining coal gangue at 800℃ （gangue A）, and the other is calcining coal gangue with a certain calcite at 800℃ （gangue B）. The experiment shows that strengths of blended cement mortar with coal gangue B are higher than that of blended cement with coal gangue A. Hydration of cements with the two kinds of activated coal gangue is investigated through a differential thermal analysis. The weight loss due to Ca（OH）2 decomposition of hydration products by differential thermal analysis/thermo gravimetric （DTA/TG） can be used to quantify the pozzolanic reaction. A new method based on the composition of hydration cement is proposed to determine the degree of pozzolanic reaction. The results obtained suggest that the degree of pozzolanic reaction of gangue B is faster than that of gangue A.

Characterization of a Rarely Encountered Sericite with Earthy Luster

A rarely encountered sericite was investigated using X-ray diffraction,differential thermal analysis,and scanning electron microscopy.XRD analysis shows that the pattern of the sericite in the sample is similar to that of illite.DTA (TG) analyses show that only a weak heat absorption reaction takes place at 566℃,which is contributed to the polymorphic transformation of quartz,and no change in mass was detected in the range from ambient temperature to 800℃.These reveal that no water escapes from the crystal structure of the clay mineral during heating and therefore indicated that the clay mineral is obviously sericite in species instead of illite.SEM observations show that the sericite particles are significantly small in size and growth steps and irregular structures develop on the crystal surfaces as well as the colored mineral inclusions,which might suggest some loss of optical properties of the sample and thus lead to the variance,with earthy luster of the aggregate,from typical sericite in optical characters.

Phase diagram of the CsBr-CaBr_2 system

The phase diagram of the CsBr-CaBr2 system was re-determined by using differential thermal analysis and high ternperature and room ternperature X-ray diffraction analysis. It is concluded that there are three intermediate compounds in this system： a.congruently melting compound, CsCaBr3, with a melting point of 823℃ and two incongruently melting compounds, Cs2CaBr4 and Cs3Ca2Br7, whose peritectic points being 597℃ and 635℃, respectively. X-ray diffraction analysis indicated that compound CsCaBr3 is of slightly distorted perovskite structure.

Study on Potassium Fluoaluminate Eutectic Flux

In this study, Nocolok eutectic flux,used widely in the process of the brazing of aluminum and its alloy, was prepared by the reaction between Al(OH) 3/KOH resolution and HF. A series of KF-AlF 3 eutectic productions at various reaction temperatures were prepared. The melting points of the products were measured by differential thermal analysis (DTA), and the composites were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD). The results suggest that the temperature control is important to produce an ideal flux consisting of K 2AlF 5, H 2O and KAlF 4, with a low melting point of 560 ℃,which is suitable for the brazing of aluminum and its alloy as the aluminum fluxes.

PREPARATION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF SCHIFF BASE POLYMERS DERIVED FROM 4,4'-METHYLENEBIS(CINNAMALDEHYDE)

New Schiff base polymers poly[4,4＇-methylenebis（cinnamaldehyde）ethylenediimine] （PMBCen）, poly[4,4＇- methylenebis（cinnamaldehyde）1,2-propylenediimine] （PMBCPn）, poly[4,4＇-methylenebis（cinnamaldehyde）1,3-propylenediimine] （PMBCPR）, poly[4,4＇-methylenebis（cinnamaldehyde） 1,2-phenylenediimine] （PMBCPh）, poly[4,4＇-methylenebis（cinnamaldehyde）meso-stilbenediimine] （PMBCS）, poly[4,4＇-methylenebis（cinnamaldehyde）urea] （PMBCUR）, poly[4,4＇- methylenebis（cinnamaldehyde）semicarbazone] （PMBCSc）, poly[4,4＇-methylenebis（cinnamaldehyde）thiosemicarbazone] （PMBCTSc） and poly[4,4＇-methylenebis（cinnamaldehyde）hydrazone] （PMBCH） were formed by polycondensation of 4,4＇- methylenebis（cinnamaldehyde） with ethylenediamine, 1,2-propylenediamine, 1,3-propylenediamine, 1,2-phenylenediamine, meso-stilbenediamine, urea, semicarbazide, thiosemicarbazide and hydrazine, respectively. The dialdehyde and polymers have been characterized through elemental micro-analysis, IR, UV-Vis and ^1H-NMR spectroscopic techniques. Thermoanalytical studies and viscous flow of dilute solutions of dialdehyde and its polymers have been examined and compared.

Complexes of Rare Earth Picrates with 1,10-Phenanthroline-N-Oxide

Rare earth picrate complexes with the ligand PhenNO, RE(PhenNO)2(pic)3(RE = La, Pr, Nd, Sm to approximately Tb, Er, Y), have been prepared in non-aqueous medium. The complexes were characterized by elementary analysis, molar conductance, IR, Raman, electronic, fluorescence and 1H NMR spectra and TG-DTA techniques.

Studies on Rare Earth Complexes with Ethylene-1,2-Dioxydiacetic Acid

Some new complexes RE2(EDODA)3&middot3H2O, where RE = La, Nd, Eu, Gd, Tb, Er, Yb, Lu and Y, EDODA = ethylene-1,2-dioxydiacetate, have been synthesized and characterized by elemental analysis, molar conductance, IR spectra, UV spectra, TG-DTA, 1H NMR and 13C NMR spectra. Various analyses indicate that the complexes are of nine-coordinated binuclear structure. The carboxylates are bidentate ligands and the ether oxygen atoms also coordinate to rare earth ions. Three water molecules are crystalline water. In addition, the influence of concentration on the chemical shift has been studied through the 1H NMR spectra of the complex Lu2(EDODA)3&middot3H2O in different concentrations.

Calcium Hydroxytitanate in Bayer Digestion Process

Calcium hydroxytitanate formed in the Bayer digestion process of Chinese diasporic bauxite was studied. Interplanar spacings of calcium hydroxytitanate crystal were determined by XRD analysis. Only one endothermic peak occurs at 550-560°C on the DTA curve. IR spectrometry has revealed that hydroxyl exists in calcium hydroxytitanate instead of crystal water. Observation under SEM has indicated that the crystal grains are in the shape of regular hexagonal plates 2-8 μm in edge length and less than 1 μm in thickness. The influences of various digestion conditions on the formation and transformation of calcium hydroxytitanate and other Ca-Ti-containing compounds such as lime addition, content and distribution state of TiO2 in bauxite, digestion temperature and retention time were studied.