Composition-controlled synthesis of platinum and palladium nanoalloys as highly active electrocatalysts for methanol oxidation

Platinum and palladium(PtPd)alloy nanoparticles(NPs)are excellent catalysts for direct methanol fuel cells.In this study,we developed PtPd alloy NPs through the co‐reduction of K2PtCl4and Na2PdCl4in a polyol synthesis environment.During the reaction,the feed molar ratio of the two precursors was carried over to the final products,which have a narrow size distribution with a mean size of approximately4nm.The catalytic activity for methanol oxidation reactions possible depends closely on the composition of as‐prepared PtPd alloy NPs,and the NPs with a Pt atomic percentage of approximately75%result in higher activity and stability with a mass specific activity that is7times greater than that of commercial Pt/C catalysts.The results indicate that through composition control,PtPd alloy NPs can improve the effectiveness of catalytic performance.

A computer control system for automatic TIG welding of aluminium alloy sheets

Aimed at the welding ttechnological requirements of foe missile shell,a computer control system for automatic TIG welding of aluminium alloy sheets has been developed in this paper.The hardware of the system is composed of the four sub-systems,i.e.weldingpower source,arc length controller,welding wire feeder and welding head traveller.The software of the system comprises the on-line executing program and the off-line serving program.The operating principle,specifications and control of the system are introduced.The experiments indicate that the system possesses rational hardware structure and practical software function,and has solved the problem of high frequency interference to the computer control system. Therefore,the control system can satisfy the requirements of automatic TIG welding of the missile shell.

Nonlinear dynamic characteristics and optimal control of a giant magnetostrictive film-shaped memory alloy composite plate subjected to in-plane stochastic excitation

The nonlinear dynamic characteristics and optimal control of a giant magnetostrictive film （GMF）-shaped memory alloy （SMA） composite plate subjected to in-plane stochastic excitation are studied. GMF is prepared based on an SMA plate, and combined into a GMF-SMA composite plate. The Van der Pol item is improved to explain the hysteretic phenomena of GMF and SMA, and the nonlinear dynamics model of a GMF-SMA composite cantilever plate subjected to in-plane stochastic excitation is developed. The stochastic stability of the system is analyzed, and the steady-state probability density function of the dynamic response of the system is obtained. The condition of stochastic Hopf bifurcation is discussed, the reliability function of the system is provided, and then the probability density of the first-passage time is given. Finally, the stochastic optimal control strategy is proposed by the stochastic dynamic programming method. Numerical simulation shows that the stability of the trivial solution varies with bifurcation parameters, and stochastic Hopf bifurcation appears in the process; the system＇s reliability is improved through stochastic optimal control, and the first- passage time is delayed. A GMF-SMA composite plate combines the advantages of GMF and SMA, and can reduce vibration through passive control and active control effectively. The results are helpful for the engineering applications of GMF-SMA composite plates.

Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of as Cast Aluminium Alloy 7075/Basalt Dispersed Metal Matrix Composites

This paper aims to study the effects of short basalt fiber reinforcement on the mechanical properties of cast aluminium alloy 7075 composites containing short basalt fiber of content ranging from 2.5 to 10 percent by weight in steps of 2.5 percent and fabricated using compo-casting technique. The objective is to investigate the process feasibility and resulting material properties such as young’s modulus, ductility, hardness & compression strength. The properties obtained are compared with those of as-cast that were manufactured under the same fabrication conditions. The results of this study revealed that, as the short basalt fiber content was increased, there were significant increases in the ultimate tensile strength, hardness, compressive strength and Young’s modulus, accompanied by a reduction in its ductility. Furthermore, the microstructure & facture studies were carried out using Optical Microscopy (OM) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) in order to establish relationships between the quality of the fiber/aluminium interface bond and hence to link with mechanical properties of the composites.

Ballistic behavior of boron carbide reinforced AA7075 aluminium alloy using friction stir processing-An experimental study and analytical approach

High strength-to-weight ratio of non-ferrous alloys, such as aluminium, magnesium and titanium alloys, are considered to be possible replacement of widely accepted steels in transportation and automobile sectors. Among these alloys, magnesium is self explosive and titanium is costlier, and aluminium is most likely to replace steels. Application of aluminium or its alloys is also thought of as an appropriate replacement in defence field, especially to enhance the easiness in mobility of combat vehicles while maintaining the same standard as that of conventional armour grade steels. Hence most of the investigations have been confined to aluminium or its alloys as base material and open an era of developing the newer composite materials to address the major limitation, i.e. tribological properties. The surface composites can be fabricated by incorporating the ceramic carbides like silicon carbide, carbides of transition metals and oxides of aluminium using surface modification techniques, such as high energy laser melt treatment, high energy electron beam irradiation and thermal spray process which are based on fusion route. These techniques yield the fusion related problems, such as interfacial reaction, pin holes, shrinkage cavities or voids and other casting related defects, and pave the way to need of an efficient technique which must be based on solid state. Recently developed friction stir processing technique was used in the present investigation for surface modification of AA7075 aluminum alloy, which is an alternative to steels. In the present investigation, 160 μm sized boron carbide powder was procured and was reduced to 60 μm and 30 μm using high energy ball mill. Subsequently these powders were used to fabricate the surface composites using friction stir processing.Ballistic performance testing as per the military standard(JIS.0108.01) was carried out. In the present work, an analytical method of predicting the ballistic behavior of surface composites was developed. This method was based on energy balance, i.e., the initial energy of impact is same as that of energy absorbed by multi layers. An attempt also has been made to validate the analytical results with the experimental findings. Variation between the analytical and experimental results may be accounted due to the assumptions considering such as isotropic behavior of target and shearing area of contact as cylindrical instead of conical interface As the analytical model yields the ballistic performance in the closer proximity of experimentally obtained, it can be considered to be an approximation to evaluate the ballistic performance of targets.

Friction stir surfacing of cast A356 aluminiumesilicon alloy with boron carbide and molybdenum disulphide powders

Good castability and high strength properties of Ale Si alloys are useful in defence applications like torpedoes,manufacture of Missile bodies,and parts of automobile such as engine cylinders and pistons.Poor wear resistance of the alloys is major limitation for their use.Friction stir processing(FSP) is a recognized surfacing technique as it overcomes the problems of fusion route surface modification methods.Keeping in view of the requirement of improving wear resistance of cast aluminiumesilicon alloy,friction stir processing was attempted for surface modification with boron carbide(B4C) and molybdenum disulfide(Mo S2) powders.Metallography,micro compositional analysis,hardness and pin-on-disc wear testing were used for characterizing the surface composite coating.Microscopic study revealed breaking of coarse silicon needles and uniformly distributed carbides in the A356 alloy matrix after FSP.Improvement and uniformity in hardness was obtained in surface composite layer.Higher wear resistance was achieved in friction stir processed coating with carbide powders.Addition of solid lubricant Mo S2 powder was found to improve wear resistance of the base metal significantly.

Application of a Novel Multilayer Spray Forming Technology in the Preparation of Large Dimension Aluminium Alloy Blanks

Principle of multilayer spray forming and preparation technique of tubes and billets by it were presented and described in the article. The marked characteristic of multilayer spray forming technology is the to and fro movement of spray system, so the preform is deposited layer by layer with the surface of the deposit retaining relatively low temperature during the spray forming process. The two outstanding advantages of multilayer spray forming are as follows: suitable for manufacturing large dimension blanks, higher solidification cooling rate. Now Al Fe V Si alloy (8009) and SiC particle reinforced aluminium alloy metal matrix composite billets of 300 600 mm in diameter and tubular blanks of size up to 650 mm in outer diameter, 360 mm in inner diameter and 1 200 mm in length have been made with the technology. After extrusion, the material has good properties.

THE MICROSTRUCTURE AND PROPERTIES OF ALUMINA FIBER-REINFORCED ALUMINIUM ALLOY MATRIX COMPOSITE

The morphology of the microstructure of Al-alloy composite with variousfiber contents was examined under optical microscope.The fracture of tension specimenwas studied under scanning electron microscope(SEM).The mechanical properties,wearresistance and coefficient of thermal linear expansion of the composite were measured.Theexperiment shows that the composite studied is suitable for engine pistons due to its goodwear resistance,higher elevated temperature mechanical properties and lower coefficient ofthermal linear expansion.

Dry Sliding Wear Behaviour of SiC Particles Reinforced Zinc-Aluminium (ZA43) Alloy Metal Matrix Composites

The present paper reveals the wear behaviour of Zinc - Aluminium alloy reinforced with SiC particulate metal matrix composite. The composite is prepared using liquid metallurgy technique. The unlubricated pin-on disc wear test is conducted to find the wear behaviour of the ZA43 alloy based composite. The sliding wear test is conducted for different load, speed and time. The result reveals that wear rates of composite is reduced as reinforcement increases. For the same working conditions wear rate increases with increasing load and with increasing speed. The tested samples are examined by taking micro structure photos and analyzed for the type of wear. Dominating wear types observed are delamination and abrasion.

Shape-controlled synthesis of novel precursor for fibrous Ni-Co alloy powders

A novel precursor of nickel-cobalt alloy powders with an appropriate Ni to Co molar ratio was prepared under selectively synthetic conditions. The composition and morphology of the precursor were characterized by X-ray diffractometry （XRD）, scanning electron microscopy （SEM）, Fourier transform infrared spectrometry （FT-IR） and energy dispersive spectrometry （EDS）. The effects of pH value, reaction temperature, metal ion concentrations and surfactant on the morphology and the dispersion of precursor were investigated. The results show that the morphology of precursor depends on ammonia content in the precursor. A fibriform precursor is a complicated ammonia-containing nickel-cobalt oxalate. The uniform shape-controlled fibrous precursor is obtained under the following optimum conditions： ammonia as complex agent as well as pH adjustor, oxalate as coprecipitator, 50-65 °C of reaction temperature, 0.5-0.8 mol/L of total concentration of Ni2＋ and Co2＋, PVP as dispersant, and pH 8.0-8.4.

Advances in friction of aluminium alloy deep drawing

Broad use of lightweight aluminium alloy parts in automobile manufacturing,aerospace,electronic communication,and rail transit is mainly formed through deep drawing process.Deep drawing friction is a key boundary condition for controlling the forming quality of aluminium alloy parts.However,due to the oxidation and adhesion tendency of aluminium alloys,the tribological situations of aluminium alloy deep drawing(AADD)system is more complicated than those of traditional deep drawing of steel sheets.Therefore,the study of AADD friction is essential for manufacturing high-performance aluminium alloy parts.Herein,aiming to provide a valuable reference for researchers in related fields,a comprehensive review of AADD friction is provided,including friction mechanism,influencing factors,friction measurement,friction model,friction simulation,and lubrication-free friction control.Finally,a brief conclusion and several current challenges were discussed.

Deformation Characteristics and Mechanical Properties of Ti/Al Bimetallic Composite Materials Fabricated by Wire Plus Arc Additive Manufacturing

We focused on Ti/Al composite materials fabricated by wire and arc addictive manufacturing,and the microstructure and interface characteristics of them before and after hot compression deformation were compared.After compression deformation,allαstructures of titanium were compacted with the emergence of Widmanstatten structures.Coarsened coloniesαof titanium were elongated and waved along the original growth direction,resulting in anisotropy of grains.Pores and Ti/Al intermetallic compounds of aluminum are significantly decreased after hot compression.Meanwhile,a good bonding interface between titanium and aluminum is obtained after hot compression,and the element diffusion is more intense.In addition,the mechanical properties and fracture behaviors of Ti/Al composite material with different clad ratio that is defined as the ratio of the thickness of titanium to that of the Ti/Al composite material are investigated by uniaxial tensile test.The experimental results show that the ultimate tensile strength of Ti/Al composite material is between that of single deposited titanium and aluminum,while the elongation of Ti/Al composite material with low clad ratio is lower than that of single aluminum due to the metallurgical reaction.As the clad ratio increases,the two component layers are harder to separate during deformation,which is resulted from the decrease of the inward contraction stress of three-dimensional stress caused by necking of aluminum.This work may promote the engineering application of Ti/Al bimetallic structures.

Internal friction peak and damping mechanism in high damping aluminium alloy laminate

A new aluminium alloy laminate characterized by high damping, corrosion resistance and weldablity was developed. The laminate designed for required aforesaid functions was actually a composite material, which was made of two anti corrosive layers (Al), two damping layers (ZnAl alloy) and one reinforcing layer (AlMg alloy) by hot rolling. The damping characteristics were studied and it was found that there was an internal friction peak at about 50 ℃ on internal fraction vs temperature curve for the laminate. For this reason, the activation energy of the peak was calculated. The origin and damping mechanism for this peak was researched by means of SEM, TEM, X ray and DSC. It is considered that the peak is caused by the interaction between dislocations and point defects in damping layers (AlZn alloy). i.e. by the movement of dislocations dragging point defects under the action of thermal activation. The laminate is remained at room temperature for a long time, it will weaken or even disappear with the restoration of the crystal microstructure and the reduction of the dislocation density in the ZnAl alloy layers. The mechanism of the peak is in conformity with that of the dislocation induced damping. [

Effects of reinforcement on wear resistance of aluminum matrix composites

The effect of reinforcement on the wear mechanism of metal matrix composites （MMCs） was investigated by considering different parameters, such as sliding distance （6 km）, pressure （0.14-1.1 MPa） and sliding speed （230-1480 r/min）. The wear mechanisms of an MMC and the corresponding matrix material under similar experimental conditions were compared on a pin-on-disc wear machine. The pins were made of 6061 aluminum matrix alloy and 6061 aluminum matrix composite reinforced with 10% Al2O3 （volume fraciton） particles （6-18μm）. The disc was made of steel. The major findings are as follows： the MMC shows much higher wear resistance than the corresponding matrix material; unlike that of matrix material, the wear of MMC is very much linear and possible to predict easily; the wear mechanism is similar for both materials other than the three-body abrasion in the case of MMC; the reinforced particles resist the abrasion and restrict the deformation of MMCs which causes high resistance to wear. These results reveal the roles of the reinforcement particles on the wear resistance of MMCs and provide a useful guide for a better control of their wear.

Tuning the reactivity of Al-Ni by fine coating of halogen-containing energetic composites

In this paper,various core-shell structured Al—Ni@ECs composites have been prepared by a spray-drying technique.The involved ECs refer to the energetic composites(ECs)of ammonium perchlorate/nitrocellulose(AP/NC,NA)and polyvinylidene fluoride/hexanitrohexaazaisowurtzitane(PVDF/CL-20,PC).Two Al—Ni mixtures were prepared at atomic ratios of 1:1 and 1:3 and named as Al/Ni and Al/3Ni,respectively.The thermal reactivity and combustion behaviors of Al—Ni@ECs composites have been comprehensively investigated.Results showed that the reactivity and combustion performance of Al—Ni could be enhanced by introducing both NA and PC energetic composites.Among which the Al/Ni@NA composite exhibited higher reactivity and improved combustion performance.The measured flame propagation rate(v=20.6 mm/s),average combustion wave temperature(T_(max)=1567.0°C)and maximum temperature rise rate(γ_(t)=1633.6°C/s)of Al/Ni@NA are higher than that of the Al/Ni(v=15.8 mm/s,T_(max)=858.0°C,andγ_(t)=143.5°C/s).The enhancement in combustion properties could be due to presence of the acidic gaseous products from ECs,which could etch the Al_(2)O_(3)shell on the surface of Al particles,and make the inner active Al to be easier transported,so that an intimate and faster intermetallic reaction between Al and Ni would be realized.Furthermore,the morphologies and chemical compositions of the condensed combustion products(CCPs)of Al—Ni@ECs composites were found to be different depending on the types of ECs.The compositions of CCPs are dominated with the Al—Ni intermetallics,combining with a trace amount of Al_(5)O_(6)N and Al_(2)O_(3).

Cavitation-erosion mechanism of laser cladded SiC particle reinforced metal matrix composite

With 2 kW continuous wave Nd-YAG laser, SiC ceramic powder was laser-cladded on the AA6061 aluminium alloy surface. Within the range of process parameters investigated, the parameters were optimized to produce the SiC_p reinforced metal matrix composites(MMC) modified layer on AA6061 alloy surface. After being treated, the modified layer is crack-free, porosity-free, and has good metallurgical bond with the substrate. The microstructure and chemical composition of the modified layer were analyzed by such detection devices as scanning electronic microscope(SEM-EDX) and X-ray diffractometer(XRD). The performance of electrochemical corrosion and cavitation erosion and their mechanism were estimated by the microhardness tester, potentiostat and (ultrasonic-)(induced) cavitation device.

STUDY OF K_2O·6TiO_2 WHISKER REINFORCED AI COMPOSITES FOR THEIR MECHANICAL PROPERTIES AND INTERFACIAL STRUCTURES

A newly developed whisker K_(2)O 6TiO_(2) reinforced 6061 Al composite was prepared by squeeze casting process. The flexural strength of the composite is 518MPa, and decreases to 490 M Pa after T6 treatment.The hardness of the composite also shows the similar change while T6 treating. The results of HRTEMobservation may explaine this property change. It was considered that there is a continuous TiO layer at the whisker-matrix interface, which is easily to react with the segregated Mg and to form MgTi_(2)O_(4), MgAl_(2)O_(4). The thickening of TiO layer after T6 treatment is the main reason resulting in strength degradation of composite.

INORGANIC NONMETALLIC COMPOSITE STRUCTURE OF SELF－ADAPTIVE AND SELF－DIAGNOSTIC STRENGTH

The smart composite structure is introduced, which consists of inorganic and nonmetallic comPOsite and in which resistance strain wire sensor arrays are embedded and shape memory alloys (SMAs) are mounted on the surface during the manufacturing process. A two dimensional resistance strain wire sensor array can be used to detect changes in the mechanical strain distribution caused by subsequent damage to the structure. Self-adaptive and selfaliagnostic functions are achieved on a microcomputer using high speed parallel processors and neural network software. Results of the modeling and simulation predict a highly robust system with accurate determination of the damage location.

STABILITY OF WHISKERS AND INTERFACIAL MICROSTRUCTURE IN ALUMINUM MATRIX COMPOSITES REINFORCED BY K_2O·8TiO_2 WHISKERS

The stability of K_2O·8TiO_2 whiskers and the microstructures of the interfaces in K_2O·8TiO_2 whisker reinforced ZL109 aluminum composites under different heat treatment conditions were investigated by means of transmission electron microscopy(TEM) , mostly by high resolution TEM( HRTEM). It was found that K_2O·8TiO_2 whiskers were not very stable.The edge of the whiskers decomposed and a TiO interfacial layer formed during the process of fabricating K_2O·8TiO_2/ ZL109Al composite,and so the interior with increasing temperature and time of heatreatment. Two kinds of interfacial microstructures between the whiskers and the matrix were characterized; one was the TiO layer and the other was a nano scale amorphous transition layer. A few MgAl_2O_4 particles were also observed at the whisker/ matrix interfaces.

Microstructure and properties of in situ A356/TiB_2 composite

In situ A356/TiB2 composites were successfully fabricated via in-melt reaction among aluminium alloy, K2TiF6 and KBF4 compounds. The composite was examined by using XRD, SEM and EDX techniques. The experimental results reveal that TiB2 are dispersed homogeneously into the aluminium alloy matrix. The mechanical properties of the composites increase significantly with the addition of reinforcement, and the tensile fractography of the composite exhibits to be ductile though the elongation of the composites decreases compared with the unreinforced matrix alloy.