Investigation of Microstructure, Microhardness and Thermal Properties of Ag-In Intermetallic Alloys Prepared by Vacuum Arc Meltings

Ag-In intermetallic alloys were produced by using vacuum arc furnace. Differential Scanning Calorimetry(DSC) and Energy Dispersive X-Ray Spectrometry(EDX) were used to determine the thermal properties and chemical composition of the phases respectively. Microhardness values of Ag-In intermetallics were calculated with Vickers hardness measurement method. According to the experimental results, Ag-34 wt%In intermetallic system generated the best results of energy saving and storage compared to other intermetallic systems. Also from the microhardness results, it was observed that intermetallic alloys were harder than pure silver and Ag-26 wt%In system had the highest microhardness value with 143.45 kg/mm^(2).

Physical,mechanical and thermal properties of vacuum sintered HUST-1 lunar regolith simulant

Establishing a base on the Moon is one of the new goals of human lunar exploration in recent years.Sintered lunar regolith is one of the most potential building materials for lunar bases.The physical,mechanical and thermal properties of sintered lunar regolith are vital performance indices for the structural design of a lunar base and analysis of many critical mechanical and thermal issues.In this study,the HUST-1 lunar regolith simulant(HLRS)was sintered at 1030,1040,1050,1060,1070,and 1080℃.The effect of sintering temperature on the compressive strength was investigated,and the exact value of the optimum vacuum sintering temperature was determined between 1040 and 1060℃.Then,the microstructure and material composition of vacuum sintered HLRS at different temperatures were characterized.It was found that the sintering temperature has no significant effect on the mineral composition in the temperature range of 1030-1080℃.Besides,the heat capacity,thermal conductivity,and coefficient of thermal expansion(CTE)of vacuum sintered HLRS at different temperatures were investigated.Specific heat capacity of sintered samples increases with the increase of test temperature within the temperature range from-75 to 145℃.Besides,the thermal conductivity of the sintered sample is proportional to density.Finally,the two temperatures of 1040 and 1050℃were selected for a more detailed study of mechanical properties.The results showed that compressive strength of sintered sample is much higher than tensile strength.This study reveals the effects of sintering temperature on the physical,mechanical and thermal properties of vacuum sintered HLRS,and these material parameters will provide support for the construction of future lunar bases.

A review on the multi-scaled structures and mechanical/thermal properties of tool steels fabricated by laser powder bed fusion additive manufacturing

The laser powder bed fusion(LPBF) process can integrally form geometrically complex and high-performance metallic parts that have attracted much interest,especially in the molds industry.The appearance of the LPBF makes it possible to design and produce complex conformal cooling channel systems in molds.Thus,LPBF-processed tool steels have attracted more and more attention.The complex thermal history in the LPBF process makes the microstructural characteristics and properties different from those of conventional manufactured tool steels.This paper provides an overview of LPBF-processed tool steels by describing the physical phenomena,the microstructural characteristics,and the mechanical/thermal properties,including tensile properties,wear resistance,and thermal properties.The microstructural characteristics are presented through a multiscale perspective,ranging from densification,meso-structure,microstructure,substructure in grains,to nanoprecipitates.Finally,a summary of tool steels and their challenges and outlooks are introduced.

Effect of matrix thermal properties on laser-induced plasma

The matrix thermal properties have an important impact on laser-induced plasma,as the thermal effect dominates the interaction between ns-pulsed laser and matter,especially in metals.We used a series of pure metals and aluminum alloys to measure plasma temperature and electron density through laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy,in order to investigate the effect of matrix thermal properties on laser-induced plasma.In pure metals,a significant negative linear correlation was observed between the matrix thermal storage coefficient and plasma temperature,while a weak correlation was observed with electron density.The results indicate that metals with low thermal conductivity or specific heat capacity require less laser energy for thermal diffusion or melting and evaporation,resulting in higher ablation rates and higher plasma temperatures.However,considering ionization energy,thermal effects may be a secondary factor affecting electron density.The experiment of aluminum alloy further confirms the influence of thermal conductivity on plasma temperature and its mechanism explanation.

Effects of BN on the Mechanical and Thermal Properties of PP/BN Composites

In order to explore the thermal conductivity of polypropylene(PP)/hexagonal boron nitride(BN) composites,PP composites filled with different proportions of BN were prepared through extrution compounding,injection moulding and compression moulding.The composites were filled with BN particles of 5 and 20 μm respectively,and their mass fractions in composites were considered.Percentage of BN was varied from 0 to 25wt% in steps of 5wt%.The effects of BN filler on mechanical properties of the composites were evaluated.The thermal behaviors were studied using DSC and TGA,and the thermal conductivity was also investigated by Laser Flash Device and the Model of 3D Heat Conduction respectively.The experimental results show that impact strength of PP/BN can be enhanced with the addition of BN,but that composites exhibit lower breaking elongation & tensile strength when compared to unfilled ones.It is found that mass fraction of BN influenced the final thermal stability and degree of crystallization of PP matrix,the degree of crystallization of PP with 15wt% of 20 μm BN can be improved by 25% than neat PP.Meanwhile,crystallization temperatures of PP composites are elevated by about 10 ℃.The thermal conductivity results demonstrate that the maximum value of the thermal conductivity is achieved from PP/BN with 20wt% of 20 μm BN,higher than that of pure PP by 95.65%,close to the simulation one.

Robust Particle Swarm Optimization Algorithm for Modeling the Effectof Oxides Thermal Properties on AMIG 304L Stainless Steel Welds

There are several advantages to the MIG(Metal Inert Gas)process,which explains its increased use in variouswelding sectors,such as automotive,marine,and construction.A variant of the MIG process,where the sameequipment is employed except for the deposition of a thin layer of flux before the welding operation,is the AMIG(Activated Metal Inert Gas)technique.This study focuses on investigating the impact of physical properties ofindividual metallic oxide fluxes for 304L stainless steel welding joint morphology and to what extent it can helpdetermine a relationship among weld depth penetration,the aspect ratio,and the input physical properties ofthe oxides.Five types of oxides,TiO_(2),SiO_(2),Fe_(2)O_(3),Cr_(2)O_(3),and Mn_(2)O_(3),are tested on butt joint design withoutpreparation of the edges.A robust algorithm based on the particle swarm optimization(PSO)technique is appliedto optimally tune the models’parameters,such as the quadratic error between the actual outputs(depth and aspectratio),and the error estimated by the models’outputs is minimized.The results showed that the proposed PSOmodel is first and foremost robust against uncertainties in measurement devices and modeling errors,and second,that it is capable of accurately representing and quantifying the weld depth penetration and the weld aspect ratioto the oxides’thermal properties.

Composite Panels from the Combination of Rice Husk and Wood Chips with a Natural Resin Based on Tannins Reinforced with Sugar Cane Molasses Intended for Building Insulation: Physico-Mechanical and Thermal Properties

The objective of this work is to develop new biosourced insulating composites from rice husks and wood chips that can be used in the building sector. It appears from the properties of the precursors that rice chips and husks are materials which can have good thermal conductivity and therefore the combination of these precursors could make it possible to obtain panels with good insulating properties. With regard to environmental and climatic constraints, the composite panels formulated at various rates were tested and the physico-mechanical and thermal properties showed that it was essential to add a crosslinker in order to increase certain solicitation. an incorporation rate of 12% to 30% made it possible to obtain panels with low thermal conductivity, a low surface water absorption capacity and which gives the composite good thermal insulation and will find many applications in the construction and real estate sector. Finally, new solutions to improve the fire reaction of the insulation panels are tested which allows to identify suitable solutions for the developed composites. In view of the flame tests, the panels obtained are good and can effectively combat fire safety in public buildings.

Thermal Properties of Earth Bricks Stabilised with Cement and Sawdust Residue Using the Asymmetrical Hot-Plane Method

This paper presents an experimental study of the characterisation of local materials used in the construction and thermal insulation of buildings. These materials are compressed earth bricks stabilised with cement and sawdust. The thermal conductivity, diffusivity, effusivity, and specific heat of earth-based materials containing cement or sawdust have been determined. The results show that the blocks with earth + sawdust are better thermal insulators than the blocks with simple earth. We observe an improvement in thermal efficiency depending on the presence of sawdust or cement stabilisers. For cement stabilisation, the thermal conductivity increases (λ: 1.04 to 1.36 W·m-1·K-1), the diffusivity increases (from 4.32 × 10-7 to 9.82 × 10-7 m2·s-1), and the effusivity decreases (1404 - 1096 J·m-2·K-1·s-1/2). For sawdust stabilisation, the thermal conductivity decreases (λ: 1.04 to 0.64 W·m-1·K-1), the diffusivity increases (from 4.32 × 10-7 to 5.9 × 10-7 m2·s-1), and the effusivity decreases (1404 - 906 J·m-2·K-1·s-1/2). Improving the structural and thermal efficiency of BTC via stabilisation with derived binders or cement is beneficial for the load-bearing capacity and thermal performance of buildings.

Microstructure characterization and thermal properties of hypereutectic Si-Al alloy for electronic packaging applications

The rapid solidified process and hot press method were performed to produce three hypereutectic 55%Si-Al, 70%Si-Al and 90%Si-Al alloys for heat dissipation materials. The results show that the atomization is an effective rapid solidified method to produce the Si-Al alloy and the size of atomized Si-Al alloy powder is less than 50 μm. The rapid solidified Si-Al alloy powder were hot pressed at 550 ℃ with the pressure of 700 MPa to obtain the relative densities of 99.4%, 99.2% and 94.4% for 55%Si-Al, 70%Si-Al and 90%Si-Al alloys, respectively. The typical physical properties, such as the thermal conductivity, coefficient of thermal expansion （CTE） and electrical conductivity of rapid solidified Si-Al alloys are acceptable as a heat dissipation material for many semiconductor devices. The 55%Si-Al alloy changes greatly （CTE） with the increase of temperature but obtains a good thermal conductivity. The CTE of 90%Si-Al alloy matches with the silicon very well but its thermal conductivity value is less than 100 W/（m.K）. Therefore, the 70%Si-Al alloy possesses the best comprehensive properties of CTE and thermal conductivity for using as the heat sink materials.

Influence of bismuth on microstructure,thermal properties,mechanical performance,and interfacial behavior of SAC305−xBiCu solder joints

This research sought to improve the properties of SAC305 solder joints by the addition of 1 and 2 wt.%Bi.The effects of bismuth doping on the microstructure,thermal properties,and mechanical performance of the SAC305−xBiCu solder joints were investigated.Bi-doping modified the microstructure of the solder joints by refining the primaryβ-Sn and eutectic phases.Bi-doping below 2 wt.%dissolved in theβ-Sn matrix and formed a solid solution,whereas Bi additions equal to or greater than 2 wt.%formed Bi precipitates in theβ-Sn matrix.Solid solution strengthening and precipitation strengthening mechanisms in theβ-Sn matrix increased the ultimate tensile strength and microhardness of the alloy from 35.7 MPa and 12.6 HV to 55.3 MPa and 20.8 HV,respectively,but elongation decreased from 24.6%to 16.1%.The fracture surface of a solder joint containing 2 wt.%Bi was typical of a brittle failure rather than a ductile failure.The interfacial layer of all solder joints comprised two parallel IMC layers:a layer of Cu6Sn5 and a layer of Cu3Sn.The interfacial layer was thinner and the shear strength was greater in SAC305−xBiCu joints than in SAC305Cu solder joints.Therefore,small addition of Bi refined microstructure,reduced melting temperature and improved the mechanical performance of SAC305Cu solder joints.

Study on the Morphology,Particle Size and Thermal Properties of Vitamin A Microencapsulated by Starch Octenylsucciniate

The morphology,particle size distribution and thermal properties of microcapsules were evaluated by scanning electron microscopy（SEM）,laser diffraction particle size analyzer and differential scanning calorimetry（DSC）.Vitamin A was used as model core material,HI-CAP 100（starch octenylsucciniate,OSA-starch） was used as wall material and prepared by spray drying.When emulsions were prepared with 40%（w/v） solution of total solids concentration at the core/wall material ratios of 40%（w/w）,the microencapsulation efficiency（ME） was（96.38 ± 0.71）%.Microcapsules exhibited spherical shapes with characteristic dents as evidence by SEM.With the vibrating frequency of the centrifugal granulation from 40,35,30,25 to 20 Hz,the volume diameter（D4,3） was 66.58,71.44,85.61,94.08,and 153.45 μm,respectively.Differential scanning calorimetry（DSC） results revealed that the glass transition temperature（Tg） and melting temperature（Tm） were 56.355 and 208.300°C,respectively.Vitamin A microcapsules produced with HI-CAP 100 exhibited spherical shapes with characteristic dents,which was attributed to drying and cooling solidification involved during spray-drying.The vibrating frequency of the centrifugal granulation had effect on the particle size distribution of microcapsules（P 〈 0.05）.The storage and heating stability of microcapsules was well by thermal properties.

Fabrication and Thermal Properties of a New Heat Storage Concrete Material

A new type heat storage concrete material used in solar thermal power was fabricated by using aluminates cement to be the gelatinizer, and using high heat capacity materials, such as basalt and bauxite, as aggregate, and adding high heat conductivity graphite and high efficient water reducing agent. The experimental results show the addition of graphite can improve the thermal conductivity of the concrete, the value of thermal conductivity is about 2.34 W/mK which means the obtained concrete storage material has excellent thermal properties, and it is expected to be a good heat storage material used in solar power.

Thermal properties of pressureless melt infiltrated AlN-Si-Al composites

Thermal properties of AlN-Si-Al composites produced by pressureless melt infiltration of Al/Al alloys into porous a-Si3N4 preforms were investigated in a temperature range of 50-300 °C. SEM and TEM investigations revealed that the grain size of AlN particles was less than 1 μm. In spite of sub-micron grain size, composites showed relatively high thermal conductivity （TC）, 55-107 W/（m·K）. The thermal expansion coefficient （CTE） of the composite produced with commercial Al source, which has the highest TC of 107 W/（m·K）, was 6.5×10-6 K-1. Despite the high CTE of Al （23.6×10-6 K-1）, composites revealed significantly low CTE through the formation of Si and AlN phases during the infiltration process.

Microstructure,Mechanical,and Thermal Properties of B4C-TiB2-SiC Composites Prepared by Reactive Hot-pressing

B4C-TiB2-SiC composites with excellent properties were prepared by reactive hot-pressing using B4C,TiC,and Si powders as the raw materials.The phase transition process was investigated by heating the powder mixture to different temperatures and combined with XRD tests.TiB2 and SiC phases were synthesized through an in situ reaction,and the mechanical and thermal properties were improved simultaneously.Microstructure and mechanical properties were also studied,and the 60wt% B4C-21.6wt% TiB2-18.4wt% SiC composite showed a relative density of 99.1%,Vickers hardness of 34.6 GPa,flexural strength of 582 MPa,and fracture toughness of 5.08 MPa·m1/2.In addition,the values of thermal conductivity and thermal expansion coefficient were investigated,respectively.

Structural, Pasting, and Thermal Properties of Ultra-high Pressure-treated Lotus Seed Starch

Lotus seed starch （15%, w/w） was subjected to ultra-high pressure （UHP） at 500 MPa for 10～60 min. The effects of UHP on the structural, pasting, and thermal properties of starch were investigated using solid-state 13C CP/MAS NMR, differential scanning calorimetry （DSC）, HPSEC-MALLS-RI, and a rapid visco analyzer. The 13C CP/MAS NMR results revealed a reduction in the relative crystallinity and peak intensity of the crystalline state with increasing the UHP time. The molecular weight of native starch was 1.433 × 107 Da, which was higher than that of the UHP-treated starch. Viscograms of UHP-treated starch revealed an increase in paste viscosity, peak time, and pasting temperature and a reduction in breakdown and setback viscosity compared to the native starch. Furthermore, the DSC results showed a reduction in gelatinization temperature and gelatinization enthalpy with increasing the UHP time.

First-Principles Calculations of Electronic, Elastic and Thermal Properties of Magnesium Doped with Alloying Elements

First-principles calculations have been carried out to investigate the effects of alloying elements（Zn, Li, Y and Sc） on the electronic structure, elastic and thermal properties of Mg solid solution. The calculated cohesive energies show that Mg-Sc has the highest structural stability. The calculations of the densities of states（DOS） and electronic charge density difference indicate that Mg-Y（Sc） alloys have very strong covalent bonding due to a very strong Mg p-Y（Sc） d hybridization. The bulk modulus B, shear modulus G, Young＇s modulus E and Poisson ratio ν are derived using Voigt-Reuss-Hill（VRH） approximation. The results show that all the alloys can exhibit ductile properties at 2.77 at% R, and Mg-Zn（Li） alloys have the better ductility and plasticity. In the end, the Debye temperature and isochoric heat capacity are also calculated and discussed.

Thermal properties of glass-ceramic bonded thermal barrier coating system

The thermal properties of a thermal barrier coating （TBC） system comprised of BaO-MgO-SiO_2 based glass-ceramic bond coating, 8% （mass fraction） yttria stabilized zirconia （8YSZ） top coating and nimonic alloy substrate were evaluated. The thermal diffusivity and thermal conductivity of the TBC coated substrate were lower than those of bare substrate and glass-ceramic coated substrate under identical conditions. The specific heat capacity, thermal diffusivity and thermal conductivity of the TBC coated substrate increase with the increase of the temperature. Further, it is observed that the thermal conductivity of the TBC system decreases with the increase in the top coating thickness.

Density functional theory study of structural,electronic,and thermal properties of Pt,Pd,Rh,Ir,Os and PtPdX(X=Ir,Os,and Rh)alloys

The structural, electronic, mechanical, and thermal properties of Pt, Pd, Rh, Ir, Os metals and their alloys PtPdX （X = Ir, Os and Rh） are studied systematically using ab initio density functional theory. The groundstate properties such as lattice constant and bulk modulus are calculated to find the equilibrium atomic position for stable alloys. The electronic band structure and density of states are calculated to study the electronic behavior of metals on making their alloys. The electronic properties substantiate the metallic behavior for all studied materials. The firstprinciples density functional perturbation theory as implemented in quasi-harmonic approximation is used for the calculations of thermal properties. We have calculated the thermal properties such as the Debye temperature, vibrational energy, entropy and constant-volume specific heat. The calculated properties are compared with the previously reported experimental and theoretical data for metals and are found to be in good agreement. Calculated results for alloys could not be compared because there is no data available in the literature with such alloy composition.

Effect of nonuniform sintering on mechanical and thermal properties of silica-based ceramic cores

During sintering of the silica-based ceramic core of turbine blades,a phenomenon called"nonuniform sintering"occurs that negatively affects the thermal and mechanical properties of the core.Standard samples of silica-based core were prepared by an injection molding method and sintered with alumina backfilling powder with different sodium contents.The effect of sodium content on the nonuniform sintering of silica-based cores and the thermal and mechanical properties was evaluated.Results show that the sintering level and the content ofα-cristobalite in the surface layer are significantly higher than that of the sample interior.A considerable number of microcracks are found in the surface layer due to theβtoα-phase transition of cristobalite.As the sodium content in the alumina powder decreases,the level of the nonuniform sintering and the amount of crystallized cristobalite in the surface layer decrease,which is beneficial to the thermal expansion and flexural strength at ambient temperature.The flexural strength and thermal deformation at high temperature are improved by reducing the surface cracks,but deteriorated with the decrease of the cristobalite crystallization when the surface cracks are macroscopically invisible.

Microstructure and Thermal Properties Analysis of (1-x)As_ 2S_3-xCdBr_2 Glass System

The homogeneous glass sample for the (1-x)As 2S 3-xCdBr 2,where x=0.015,0.035, 0.05, was prepared by the conventional melt-quenched method.Amorphous (1-x)As 2S 3-xCdBr 2 alloys were determined by X-ray diffraction, thermal comprehensive analysis and Raman scattering. The glass transition temperature (T g) decreases a bit with the addition of CdBr 2. Based on the experimental data, the microstructure is considered to be the discrete molecule species of AsBr 3 and Cd-S atomic bonds or clusters are homogeneously dispersed in a disordered polymer network formed by AsS 3 pyramids interlinked by sulfur bridges.