Preparation and Microstructure Analysis of High Strength Cementitious Materials Containing Metakaolin

The preparation and microstructure analysis of high strength cementitious materials containing metakaolin (MK) was studied in this paper. The MK was prepared firstly,and then was mixed with fly ash,ground blast furnace slag,quartz powder and cement with different percentage to produce high strength cementitious materials. After cured under different environment,the compressive strength of such materials was tested. Techniques of X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were further employed to identify the composition and microstructure. The results obtained reveal that the compressive strength of such materials mainly effected by component of raw materials,the water binder ratio (W/B) and the curing regime. When the three factors above are optimized,the compressive strength of such materials can get to 156 MPa in maximum. The X-ray diffraction analysis and the scanning electron microscopic images indicated that under optimal curing condition,more raw materials can take chemical reaction and the microstructure is dense to yield good mechanical properties.

Co-deposition of Co-Ni alloys and their microstructure analysis by PoSAP

PULSED-co-electrodeposition （PCD） is a new and promising technique for producing alloymaterials of nanometer grain size. In this letter, Co-Ni alloys were produced by PCD, and theeffect of CO+2 ion concentration in the depositing baths on the Co content and the microstruc-ture in the corresponding deposit was studied by the position sensitive atom probe （PoSAP）,TEM and X-ray diffraction. The Co-Ni phase diagram shows that, at room temperature,there are two phases in Co-Ni alloys, one is εCo with hcp lattice, the other is αCo of fcc lat-tice. A Co-Ni alloy with a Ni content below 27% consists of single εCo, beyond 36% consistsof single αCo, in between consists of εCo + αCo. The examination results of TEM, SEM andX-ray diffraction indicated that the Co-Ni deposits with average grain size of 70 nm and thick-

Analysis of χ Phase Precipitation in Aged 2205 Duplex Stainless Steel

Analysis ofZ phase precipitation in 2205 duplex stainless steel aged at 700 and 750 ~C has been investigated systematically. The experimental results showed that X phase forms prior to the precipitation of δ phase and disappears once tr phase starts to precipitate. This phenomenon indicates that a phase nucleated and consumed the Z phase. The δ phase nucleated mairdy at ferrite/austenite interface and grew inwards into the ferrite phase. The morphology of a phase reveals a coral-like structure at the temperature of 700 ℃ for 120 min followed by quenching in water. The decomposition of ferrite occurs via the following eutectoid reaction： F---＊o＇＋y2. The selected area diffraction pattern of zone axes is[3 1 3-][3 1 3], indicating a characteristic orientation relationship between X phase and δ-ferrite.

Long-Term Performance and Microstructural Characterization of Dam Concrete in the Three Gorges Project

This study investigates the long-term performance of laboratory dam concrete in different curing environments over ten years and the microstructure of 17-year-old laboratory concrete and actual concrete cores drilled from the Three Gorges Dam.The mechanical properties of the laboratory dam concrete,whether cured in natural or standard environments,continued to improve over time.Furthermore,the laboratory dam concrete exhibited good resistance to diffusion and a refined microstructure after 17 years.However,curing and long-term exposure to the local natural environment reduced the frost resistance.Microstructural analyses of the laboratory concrete samples demonstrated that moderate-heat cement and fine fly ash(FA)particles were almost fully hydrated to form compact micro structures consisting of large quantities of homogeneous calcium(alumino)silicate hydrate(C-(A)-S-H)gels and a few crystals.No obvious interfacial transition zones were observed in the microstructure owing to the longterm pozzolanic reaction.This dense and homogenous microstructure was the crucial reason for the excellent long-term performance of the dam concrete.A high FA volume also played a significant role in the microstructural densification and performance growth of dam concrete at a later age.The concrete drilled from the dam surface exhibited a loose microstructure with higher microporosity,indicating that concrete directly exposed to the actual service environment suffered degradation caused by water and wind attacks.In this study,both macro-performance and microstructural analyses revealed that the application of moderate-heat cement and FA resulted in a dense and homogenous microstructure,which ensured the excellent long-term performance of concrete from the Three Gorges Dam after 17 years.Long-term exposure to an actual service environment may lead to microstructural degradation of the concrete surface.Therefore,the retained long-term dam concrete samples need to be further researched to better understand its microstructural evolution and development of its properties.

Role of heat balance on the microstructure evolution of cold spray coated AZ31B with AA7075

A promising solid-state coating mechanism based on the cold spray technique provides highly advantageous conditions on thermal-sensitive magnesium alloys.To study the effect of heat balance in cold spray coating on microstructure,experiments were designed to successfully coat AA7075 on AZ31B with two different heat balance conditions to yield a coated sample with tensile residual stress and a sample with compressive residual stress in both coating and substrate.The effects of coating temperature on the microstructure of magnesium alloy and the interfaces of coated samples were then analyzed by SEM,EBSD,TEM in high-and low-heat input coating conditions.The interface of the AA7075 coating and magnesium alloy substrate under both conditions consists of a narrow-band layer with very fine grains,followed by columnar grains of magnesium that have grown perpendicular to the interface.At higher temperatures,this layer became wider.No intermetallic phase was detected at the interface under either condition.It is shown that the microstructure of the substrate was affected by coating temperature,leading to stress relief,dynamic recrystallization and even dynamic grain growth of magnesium under high temperature.Reducing the heat input and increasing the heat transfer decreased microstructural changes in the substrate.

Application of Nanotechnology in Soil Stabilization

Nano-technology is expanding its horizon in various science and technology fields.In civil engineering,soil is a complex material and used for various functions and applications.Meanwhile,sometimes an effective soil stabilization technique is needed to fulfil the site criteria and can be achieved by adopting various methods e.g.,physical,chemical,thermal or reinforcement using geotextiles and fabrics.The mechanism of soil stabilization using nanomaterials is still unexplored and open to prospective researchers.The present article attempts to touch and explore the possibilities of nano-technology in soil improvement and its applications in various civil engineering works.Microstructural analysis of the nanomaterials treated soils using the latest equipment has also been discussed.The study interprets that the use of nano materials is still limited,due to their high cost and sophisticated handling procedures.Though the use of nanoparticles in soil stabilization results in extraordinary improvements in various soil properties,the improved soil properties could be utilized for various geotechnical projects.The present study bridges the past findings to the present scenario of nanomaterials in soil improvement.

Laboratory-scale model of carbon dioxide deposition for soilstabilisation

Olivine sand is a natural mineral,which,when added to soil,can improve the soil’s mechanical properties while also sequester carbon dioxide(CO2)from the surrounding environment.The originality of this paper stems from the novel two-stage approach.In the first stage,natural carbonation of olivine and carbonation of olivine treated soil under different CO2pressures and times were investigated.In this stage,the unconfined compression test was used as a tool to evaluate the strength performance.In the second stage,details of the installation and performance of carbonated olivine columns using a laboratory-scale model were investigated.In this respect,olivine was mixed with the natural soil using the auger and the columns were then carbonated with gaseous CO2.The unconfined compressive strengths of soil in the first stage increased by up to 120% compared to those of the natural untreated soil.The strength development was found to be proportional to the CO2pressure and carbonation period.Microstructural analyses indicated the presence of magnesite on the surface of carbonated olivinetreated soil,demonstrating that modified physical properties provided a stronger and stiffer matrix.The performance of the carbonated olivine-soil columns,in terms of ultimate bearing capacity,showed that the carbonation procedure occurred rapidly and yielded a bearing capacity value of 120 k Pa.Results of this study are of significance to the construction industry as the feasibility of carbonated olivine for strengthening and stabilizing soil is validated.Its applicability lies in a range of different geotechnical applications whilst also mitigates the global warming through the sequestration of CO2.

MICROCOMPUTER PICTURE PROCESSING SYSTEM OF CAST-IRON METALLOGRAPHIC STRUCTURE

The development of computer picture processing technique in metallography analysis is dealed with and a picture processing procedure fit to metallography analysis is developed. The image processing of nodular cast iron is carried out with this system

Effects of Carbonation on Micro Structures of Hardened Cement Paste

In order to investigate the effects of carbonation on the microstructure of cement concrete,the carbonation depth and microstructure of cement paste with 0.3,0.4 and 0.5 water/cement ratio after 7,14,21 and 28 d accelerated carbonation were studied respectively.The results showed that with the increase of waterto-cement ratio and carbonation age,the carbonation depth was deepened with faster early carbonation speed and slower later carbonation rate.Carbonation densified the structure of hardened cement stone with refinement of pore structure and reduced porosity.Then,during the carbonation process from the surface to the inside of carbonation area,it was prone to form micro-cracks extending to the interior specimen,resulting in cement paste carbonation depth uneven.It is further illustrated that the color reaction method using phenolphthalein solution combined with X-CT and X-ray diffraction analysis is much more reasonable to evaluate the cement concrete carbonation degree.Moreover,during carbonation process sulfur element in cement paste migrated to the area un-carbonated and the concentrated shape of sulfur element is consistent with the coloring region in carbonation interface.Finally it was identified that carbonation not only reduced the p H value in cement concrete but also made prone to crack in carbonation zone,which increased the probability of reinforcement corrosion.

Influence of a non-rotating shoulder on heat generation,microstructure and mechanical properties of dissimilar AA2024/AA7050 FSW joints

Friction stir welding （FSW） and stationary shoulder friction stir welding （SSFSW） were carried out for the butt joining of dissimilar AA2024-T3 and AA7050-T7651 aluminium alloys with thicknesses of 2 mm. A comparison between the two processes was performed by varying the welding speed while keeping the rotational speed constant, Through the analysis of the force and torque produced during welding and a simple analytical model, it was possible to show that in SSFSW there is more effective coupling with the tool and the heat produced is more efficiently distributed. This process decreases both the welding area and the diffusion at the interface of the two alloys compared with FSW. The minimum microhardness occurred at the advancing side （AS） at the interface between the thermo-mechanically affected zone （TMAZ） and the stir zone （SZ） in both processes, although the decrease was more gradual in SSFSW. This interface is also where all specimens failed for both welding technologies. An increase in tensile strength was measured in SSFSW compared with standard FSW. Furthermore, it was possible to establish the mechanical performance of the material in the fracture zone using digital image correlation.

Structural,optical,electrical,and dielectric relaxation properties of rare earth containing sodium bismuth titanate Na_(0.5)Bi_(0.5)TiO_(3) perovskite:Effect of ionic radius

The main focus of this work is to study the effect of the ionic radius of different rare earth dopant cations RE^(3+)(RE=La,Sm,Dy,and Ho) on structural and various physical properties of sodium bismuth titanate(Na_(0.5)B_(0.5)TiO_(3),NBT) based perovskite nanomaterials.The X-ray diffraction data indicate the successful formation of the rhombohedral phase(space group R3c) of NBT nano perovskite incorporated with various rare earth ions in Bi-site.The lattice parameters were found to increase linearly with the ionic radius of the dopant cation.The ionic radii and atomic mass of rare earth dopants appear to be essential factors in the grain growth of the prepared compositions.The grain growth results in better crystallinity of the sample by reducing the microstrain with the increase of dopant ionic radius.Field emission scanning electron microscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray spectra confirm the prepared compositions' phase purity and stoichiometry.The UV-Vis spectra reveal that La-doped NBT composition exhibits the lowest optical band gap,which unfolds the application of NBT-based perovskite as photoactive material.The ac conductivity and complex impedance spectra unveil that the composition with the largest ionic radius,i.e.,La-doped NBT compound,exhibits the highest dc and bulk conductivity with the lowest activation energy.The frequency-dependent dielectric data follows Havriliak-Negami(HN) formalism and non-Debye type relaxation phenomena.Results also indicate that La-doped NBT composition exhibits the highest dielectric strength value.Thus,this study first elaborates that the increasing ionic radius of the rare earth dopant cation in the Bi-site of NBT perovskite improves its microstructural,optical,and electrical properties.

Microstructure and Fracture Behavior of 316L Austenitic Stainless Steel Produced by Selective Laser Melting

Selective laser melting is an additive manufacturing method based on local melting of a metal powder bed by a high power laser beam. Fast laser scans are responsible for severe thermal gradients and high cooling rates which produce complex hydrodynamic fluid flow. These phenomena affect crystal growth and orientation and are believed to be the cause of material spattering and microstructural defects, e.g. pores and incompletely melted particles. In this work, the microstructure and texture of 316L bars built along two different orientations and the effect of different distribution of defects on their mechanical response and failure mechanisms were investigated. Partially molten powder particles are believed to be responsible for the scattering in elongation to failure, reduced strength, and premature failure of vertical samples.

Quantitative Study on Nonmetallic Inclusion Particles in Steels by Automatic Image Analysis With Extreme Values Method

The presence of nonmetallic inclusion particles which appear during steelmaking process is harmful to the properties of steels, which is mainly as a function of some aspects such as size, volume fraction, shape, and distribution of these particles. The automatic image analysis technique is one of the most important tools for the quantitative determination of these parameters. The classical Student approach and the Extreme Values Method （EVM） were used for the inclusion size and shape determination and the evaluation of distance between the inclusion particles. The results thus obtained indicated that there were significant differences in the characteristics of the inclusion particles in the analyzed products. Both methods achieved results with some differences, indicating that EVM could be used as a faster and more reliable statistical methodology.

Solidification Studies of 3003 Aluminium Alloys with Cu and Zr Additions

The effects of Cu and Zr additions, on the microstructure formation, precipitation and ingot cracking, in commercial 3003 Al alloys have been studied. The investigation was carried out by characterizing the grain structure in DC-cast rolling ingots, and studying the solidification microstructure of Bridgman directionally solidified samples. To better understand the influence of the different Cu and Zr contents on the phase precipitations, differential thermal analysis （DTA） experiments were performed. Results from the ingot microstructure analysis show that in commercial alloys with relatively high contents of Cu and Zr, no significant differences in measured grain sizes compared to conventional 3003 Al alloys could be found. However, only Zr containing alloys exhibited significantly larger grain sizes. Increased grain refiner and/or titanium additions could compensate for the negative effects on nucleation normally following Zr alloying. Different types of precipitates were observed. Based on DTA experiments, increased Cu and Zr contents resulted in the formation of Al2Cu phase, and increased solidification range. It was also found that increased Mn content favors an early precipitation of Al6（Mn,Fe） giving relatively coarse precipitates. It was concluded that the Cu alloying has a detrimental effect on hot tearing.

Cracking Susceptibility After Post-Weld Heat Treatment in Haynes 282 Nickel Based Superalloy

This paper presents a study of the standard post-weld heat treatment （PWHT） behaviour of autogenous laser welded γ＇ age-hardenable precipitation strengthened nickel based superalloy Haynes 282 （HY 282）. The study involves a careful and detailed microstructural characterisation as well as an analysis of the weld cracking susceptibility during welding and Gleeble thermo-mechanical physical simulation. Various factors that could influence post-weld cracking in superalloys weld were experimentally examined. Our microstructural exami- nation of the as-solution heat treated （SHTed） material and the thermo-mechanically refined grain material shows that intergranular heat affected zone （HAZ） cracking is observable in only the as-welded SHTed material. There was no indication of post-weld heat treatment cracking in all welded materials. Our conclusion, in this study, is that the chemistry of superalloy HY 282 which aids the preclusion/formation of deleterious so- lidification microconstituents during welding as well as its relatively slow aging kinetics enhances its resistance to PWHT cracking.

Preserving apple(Malus domestica var.Anna)fruit bioactive substances using olive wastes extract-chitosan film coating

Apple fruits have components of therapeutic nature.Such components,to a great extent,decline or decompose during post-harvest that negatively affect fruit shelf-life.Chitosan fruit-filming has proved useful in maintaining these compounds.This study aims,therefore,at enhancing Chitosan coating-film performance by mixing with some olive wastes extracts of leaf and pomace extracts.Apple fruits were sprayed with six different coating formulas including chitosan-water wax coating,in addition to the uncoated fruits.Then,the total phenolic,flavonoids,antioxidants,pigments,weight loss,decay area,and microstructure were assayed.The bioactive substances drastically changed in uncoated rather than coated fruits.Conversely,weight loss and decay area significantly increased in uncoated fruits.Amazingly,the addition of olive leaf extract to chitosan coating films meaningfully reduced the gradual decline in total phenolic,flavonoids and antioxidants.Olive pomace extract recorded the lowest influencing on anthocyanins during storage at 4±1
C for 35 d.Also,both olive leaf and pomace extracts enhanced the coating distribution,due to no pores were observed in the fruits’surfaces.Decidedly,incorporation of olive leaf extracts with 2%into chitosan coating solution was the best formula comparable with the others.Thus,olive wastes extracts,incorporated into chitosan fruit coatings;relatively improve the nutritional quality of apple fruits during post-harvest.

Interplay between microstructural evolution and tribo-chemistry during dry sliding of metals

Understanding the microstructural and tribo-chemical processes during tribological loading is of utmost importance to further improve the tribological behavior of metals. In this study, the friction, wear and tribo-chemical behavior of Ni with different initial microstructures(nanocrystalline, bi-modal, coarse-grained) is investigated under dry sliding conditions. In particular, the interplay be-tween frictional response, microstructural evolution and tribo-oxidation is considered. Friction tests are carried out using ball-on-disk experiments with alumina balls as counter-bodies, varying the load between 1 and 5 N. The microstructural evolution as well as the chemical reactions beneath the samples’ surface is investigated by means of cross-sections. The samples with finer microstructures show a faster run-in and lower maximum values of the coefficient of friction(COF) which can be attributed to higher oxidation kinetics and a higher hardness. It is observed that with increasing sliding cycles, a stable oxide layer is formed. Furthermore, initially coarse-grained samples show grain refinement, whereas initially finer microstructures undergo grain coarsening converging towards the same superficial grain size after 2,000 sliding cycles. Consequently, the experimental evidence supports that, irrespective of the initial microstructure, after a certain deformation almost identical steady-state COF values for all samples are achieved.

Effect of Thermal Cycles on the Thermal Expansion Behavior of T700 Carbon Fiber Bundles

The relationships between the coefficient of thermal expansion（CTE） of T700 carbon fiber bundles（CFBs） and the thermal cycles were investigated. The microstructure of T700 CFBs was analyzed with Raman spectra and XRD before and after the thermomechanical test. The results indicated that the T700 CFBs exhibited negative expansion in the direction of parallel fibers in the temperature range of-150-150 ℃ The thermal strain that occurred during the heating and the cooling thermal cycle had an unclosed curve that served as the loop. When the experimental load was the same, the position of strain loop tended to move upward, and the length of the specimen increased continuously with the thermal cycles increasing. The microstructural analysis suggested that the degree of structural order and the degree of orientation along the fiber axis were improved with the increase of thermal cycles. The change of microstructure parameters could be the primary cause of the negative CTE＇s variation within the T700 CFBs.

Hybrid fuzzy-grey-Taguchi based multi weld quality optimization of Al/Cu dissimilar friction stir welded joints

Nowadays aluminum alloys substitute copper in various applications for weight reduction and cost savings. This paper presents fuzzy-grey Taguchi technique for optimization of friction stir welding condition with seven weld quality attributes of dissimilar A1/Cu joints with the minimum number of experiments for effective productivity and product quality. Taguchi＇s L16 orthogonal array was used to conduct the experiments. Fuzzy inference system was adapted to convert the multi quality characteristics into an equivalent single quality parameter which was opti- mized by Taguchi approach. Four parameters namely, rotational speed of the tool, welding speed, plunging depth and tool pin offset were varied in four levels for investi- gating the effects on the process output like tensile strength, compressive strength, percentage of elongation, bending angle, weld bead thickness and average hardness at the nugget zone. The hardness profile is consistent with the variation of the structure within the nugget zone （NZ）. Confirmation experiment was conducted using predicted optimum parameter setting and it showed that the proposed approach could efficiently optimize weld quality parame- ters. The microstructural analyses were also performed for all the zones of the joints at both Al and Cu sides. It revealed the finer grain size at the NZ compared to the base material due to dynamic recrystallization.

Dynamic Recrystallization Behavior of Bimodal Size SiCpReinforced Mg Matrix Composite during Hot Deformation

The（submicron＋micron） bimodal size Si Cp-reinforced Mg matrix composite was compressed at the temperature of 270–420 °C and strain rate of 0.001–1 s^-1. Then, dynamic recrystallization（DRX） behavior of the composite was investigated by thermodynamic method and verified by microstructure analysis. Results illustrated that the composite possess the lower critical strain and higher DRX ratio as compared to monolithic Mg alloys during hot deformation process. The predicted DRX ratio increased with the proceeding of compression, which was well consistent with the experimental value. Results from thermodynamic calculation suggested that the occurrence of DRX could be promoted by Si Cp, which would be further proved by microstructure analysis. Formation of particle deformation zone around micron Si Cp played a significant role in promoting DRX nucleation. Nevertheless, the distribution of submicron Si Cp was increasingly uniform with the proceeding of compression, which could fully restrain grain growth. Therefore, the corporate effects of micron and submicron Si Cp on DRX contributed to the improvement of DRXed ratio and the refinement of grain size for the composite during compression process.