Improving Densification and Mechanical Properties of FeAl/TiC Composites by Addition of Ni

FeAl/TiC composites were fabricated by hot pressing blended elemental powders. The effects of Ni-doping on thedensification and mechanical properties of the composites were studied. Results show that the density of the composites decreases with the content of TiC increasing, and the addition of Ni significantly improves the densificationprocess by enhancing mass transfer in the bonding phase. The mechanical properties of the composites are closelyrelated with their porosity. Besides increasing the density of the composites, the addition of Ni improves the mechanical properties by other three effects: solution-strengthening the bonding phase, strengthening the FeAI-TiC interfaceand increasing ductile fracture in FeAl phase.

Evolution of Phase Composition and Microstructure of Al_2O_3-Si-Al Composite at High Temperatures in Reducing Atmosphere

Al2 O3-Si-Al composite specimens with the size of 25 mm × 25 mm × 125 mm were prepared using fused alumina （as aggregates and fines）,ultra-fine α-Al2O3,Si and Al powders as starting materials,liquid phenol formaldehyde resin as the binder,pressing and heating at 800-1 500 ℃ for 3 h under carbon embedded condition.Evolution of phase composition and microstructure of Al2 O3-Si-Al composite during heating from 800 to 1 500 ℃ under carbon embedded condition were studied.The results show that：（1） Al4 C3,AlN and SiC are initially formed at 800-900 ℃ due to reactions of Al and Si with C or CO and N2 ; （2） at 1 000-1 300 ℃,the amounts of Al4C3,AlN and SiC increase with temperature rising and their crystals grow; （3） at 1 400-1 500 ℃,Al4 C3 and AlN disappear,and minor SiAlON crystals are observed; the nonoxide crystals develop well and they are interlaced in the corundum skeleton structure,which creates strengthening and toughening

Microstructural characteristics and mechanical properties of bronze/steel bimetallic laminated composite prepared by protective atmosphere casting process

The bonding quality of bronze/steel bimetallic laminated composite is the key factor to whether it can be used in poor working conditions.In this study,bimetallic billets were prepared by the protective atmosphere casting process.The microstructural characteristics,mechanical properties and interface bonding mechanism of the bronze/steel bimetallic composites were analyzed comprehensively through a series of microstructure analysis(inicluding OM,SEM,and EDS)and mechanical properties tests.The experimental results demonstrate that the vaporization of lead(Pb)element in the bronze is only 0.4%in weight,and alloy elements are diffused into both sides at the interface.Moreover,the hardness in the bronze region exceeds 100.0 HV which indicates excellent wear resistance.Tensile and shear tests indicate that the fractures mainly occur on the bronze side with the interaction of the brittle fracture of Pb particles and the ductile fracture of Cu-Sn solid solution.The maximum tensile strength and shear strength reach 204.0 MPa and 211.0 MPa,respectively.These results demonstrate that the protective atmosphere casting process is applicable for the preparation of bronze/steel bimetallic laminated composite with high quality.

A Numerical Study of Densification Behavior of Silicon Carbide Matrix Composites in Isothermal Chemical Vapor Infiltration

We studied the characteristics of two-scale pore structure of preform in the deposition process and the mass transfer of reactant gas in dual-scale pores, and observed the physiochemical phenomenon associated with the reaction. Thereby, we established mathematical models on two scales, respectively, preform and reactor. These models were used for the numerical simulation of the process of ceramic matrix composites densified by isothermal chemical vapor infiltration(ICVI). The models were used to carry out a systematic study on the influence of process conditions and the preform structure on the densification behaviors. The most important findings of our study are that the processing time could be reduced by about 50% without compromising the quality of the material, if the processing temperature is 950-1 000 ℃ for the first 70 hours and then raised to 1 100 ℃.

Spark Effect on the Densification of SiCp/Al Composites by SPS

SiCp/ Al composites containing high volume fraction of SiC particles were fabricated by spark plasma sintering （SPS）. and their thermophysical properties, such as thermal conductivity （TC） and co.lent of thermal expansion （CTE）, were characterized. The electric field in the vacuum column was calculated and the generation condition of the spark was analyzed. Spark can be generated by a low current if the cavity in the green body is large enough. A high relative density of the composites was successfully achieved through the optimization of sintering parameters. The measured TCs of the SiCp/ Al composites fabricated by SPS are higher than 195 W/m ·K.

Effects of carrier gas on densification of porous carbon-carbon composites during chemical vapor infiltration

The densification rate of C/C composites fabricated by directional flow thermal gradient chemical vapor infiltration process from C 3H 6, C 3H 6 N 2 and C 3H 6 H 2 was investigated respectively. The mechanism on the role of carrier gas in chemical vapor infiltration was also discussed. The results shows that whether or not adding N 2 as carrier gas has little influences on the densification behavior of C/C composites with the controlled temperature, the partial pressure of hydrocarbon and the effective residence time of the gas phase remain constant. When the controlled temperature is not less than 1 173 K,using N 2 or H 2 as carrier gas makes pronounced differences in densifying of C/C composites. The average bulk density of C/C composites from C 3H 6 H 2 is eight to ten percent higher than that from C 3H 6 N 2. However, when the controlled temperature is not higher than 1 123 K,the densification rate of C/C composites from C 3H 6 H 2 is much lower than that from C 3H 6 N 2, which implies that effects of carrier gas on densification of C/C composites are closely related to the type of carrier gas and infiltration temperature. At higher temperature, using H 2 as carrier gas is favorable to the densification of C/C composites, while at lower temperature, hydrogen, acting as reactive gas, can inhibit the formation of pyrolytic carbon.

Effects of Pressure during Preform Densification on SiC/SiC Composites

The nano-infiltration and transient eutectic-phase (NITE) method is one of the most attractive methods for fabrication of SiC and SiC/SiC composites. In the NITE method, preform densification is essential option for damage less near-net shaping technique. However, optimization of preform densification is insufficient yet. The objective of this study is to evaluate the effects of pressure during preform densification on SiC/SiC composites. The preform before preform densification has many pores in the inter-prepreg sheets. These pores were disappeared by preform densification. As the effects of pressure on preform, densification in the intra-fiber-bundle was improved due to increasing pressure. Flexural strength of the preforms with 1 MPa and 17 MPa indicated almost same value. The result suggested that increasing of pressure did not cause any change in fiber properties. In the effects of pressure on the composites, the composites with 17 MPa was exhibited improvement in bulk density and mechanical property, compared with that with 1 MPa.

Densification and Microstructure of β-sialon/Nano-size SiC Composites

β-sialon/nano-size SiC composite ceramic with DyAG(Dy3Al5O12) as grain boundary phase was fabricated through hot-pressing. The effect of nano-size SiC on densification, phase composition, microstructure and mechanical properties of the materials was studied

Densification and Sintering Kinetics of Rare Earth(α′+β′)-Sialon Composites

The sintering processes of Re-(α' + β')-sialon composites (Re=Sm, Dy, Yb) have been investigated by using a specially designed high temperature dilatometer. The initial densification of various samples starts at about 1200℃, and the maximum shrinkage rate of these sialon composites occurs at about 1500℃. The light rare earth sialon has a noticeably tower densification temperature and a higher final shrinkage. The sirtering kinetics of Re-(α' +β')-sialonare much more complex. The Kingery's liquid phase sintering model appears to be applicable,but the mechanism of mass transport in stage two appears to be changeable. The controlling factor shiffs from solution-precipitation to diffusion when densification process proceeds from the earlier part to the later part of this stage.

Densification process of 10%B_4C-AA2024 matrix composite strips by semi-solid powder rolling

Semi-solid powder rolling（SSPR） is a novel strip manufacturing process,which includes the features of semi-solid rolling and powder rolling.In this work,densification process and deformation mechanisms of B4 C and AA2024 mixed powders in the presence of liquid phase were investigated.The relationships between relative densities and rolling forces were analyzed as well.The results show that liquid fraction plays an important role in the densification process which can be divided into three stages.Rolling deformation is the main densification mechanism in deformation area when the liquid fraction is lower than 20%.When the liquid fraction is equal to or higher than 20%,the flowing and filling of liquid phase are the densification mechanisms in deformation area.The relative densities increase with increasing rolling forces.The relative density–rolling force curves are similar at 550 °C and 585 °C.The characteristics of the curve shapes are apparently different at 605 °C and 625 °C.

Densification mechanism of chemical vapor infiltration technology for carbon/carbon composites

Carbon/carbon composites were fabricated using pressure-gradient chemical vapor infiltration(CVI) technology with propane (C3H6) as the carbon precursor gas and nitrogen (N2) as the carrier gas. The chemical process of deposition of pyrolytic carbon was deduced by analyzing the component of molecules in gas phase and observing the microstructure of deposition carbon. The results show that the process of deposition starts from the breakdown of C—C single bond of propene (C3H6), and forms two kinds of active groups in the heterogeneous gas phase reaction. Afterwards, these active groups form many stable bigger molecules and deposit on carbon fiber surface. At the same time, hydrogen atoms of the bigger molecules absorbed on carbon fiber surface are eliminated and the solid pyrolytic carbon matrix is formed in the heterogeneous reaction process.

EFFECTS OF BRAZING ATMOSPHERES ON INTERFACIAL MICROSTRUCTURE BETWEEN DIAMOND GRITS AND BRAZING ALLOY

The samples of brazed diamond grits with NiCr brazing alloy are prepared in vacuum and argon gas. The microstructures are analyzed with scanning electron microscope （SEM）, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy （EDS） and X-ray diffraction（XRD）. The effects of brazing atmospheres on the as-brazed NiCr brazing alloy composite structures and interracial microstructure are studied between diamond grits and brazing alloy. Results show that： （1） There are different composite structures of as-brazed NiCr brazing alloy under different oxygen partial pressures in vacuum and argon gas. B203 exists on the surface of the brazed samples under argon gas furnace brazing. It indicates that oxygen plays an important role in the resultants of as-brazed NiCr brazing alloy during the brazing process. （2） There are different interfacial microstructures in different brazing atmospheres, but the main reaction product is chromium carbides. The chromium carbides in argon gas furnace brazing grow in a disordered form, but those in vacuum furnace brazing grow radiated. And the scale of grains in argon gas is smaller than those in vacuum.

Effects of environment on dry sliding wear behavior of silver-copper based composites containing tungsten disulfide

Silver based composites containing different amounts of WS2were prepared by hot-pressing method and their tribologicalbehaviors were investigated against coin silver under humid air,dry nitrogen and vacuum on a ball-on-disk tester with normal load of5N.The components of composites,microstructure of debris and worn surface were characterized using XRD SEM,EDS and XPS.It is demonstrated that environmental conditions significantly affect the tribological behavior of silver based composites.The frictioncoefficient is the highest in humid air,and the lowest in dry nitrogen.It is found that the friction and wear behavior of the compositesare strongly depended on the characteristics of the lubrication film forming in different operating environments,such as thicknessand composition.In addition,it is indicated that the dominant wear mechanisms of silver based composites are abrasive wear anddelamination under different conditions.

Preparation of tungsten-particle-reinforced Zr-based bulk metallic glass composites by two-step spark plasma sintering:microstructure evolution,densification mechanism and mechanical properties

A new two-step spark plasma sintering(TSS)process with low-temperature pre-sintering and high-temperature final sintering has been successfully applied to prepare the tungsten-particle(Wp)-reinforced bulk metallic glass composites(Wp/BMGCs).Compared to normal spark plasma sintering(NS),the densification rate and relative density of Wp/BMGCs can be improved by selecting TSS with appropriate sintering pressure in the low temperature pre-sintering stage.However,the compressive strength and plastic strain of 30%Wp/BMGCs prepared by TSS are both higher than those of the samples prepared by NS.The TSS process can significantly enhance the compressive strength of 30%Wp/BMGCs by 12%and remarkably increase the plastic strain by 50%,while the trend is completely opposite for 50%Wp/BMGCs.Quasi-in situ experiments and finite element simulations reveal that uneven temperature distribution among particles during low-temperature pre-sintering causes local overheating at contact points between particles,accelerating formation of sintering neck between particles and plastic deformation of Wp.When the volume fraction of Wp is low,TSS can improve the interface bonding between particles by increasing the number of sintering necks.This makes the fracture mode of Wp/BMGCs being predominantly transgranular fracture.However,as the volume fraction of Wp increases,the adverse effects of Wp plastic deformation are becoming more and more prominent.The aggregated Wp tends to form a solid"cage structure"that hinders the bonding between particles at the interface;correspondingly,the fracture behavior of Wp/BMGCs is mainly dominated by intergranular fracture.Additionally,reducing the sintering pressure during the low-temperature pre-sintering stage of TSS has been shown to effectively decrease plastic deformation in Wp,resulting in a higher degree of densification and better mechanical properties.

In situ reaction mechanism of MgAlON in Al–Al2O3–MgO composites at 1700°C under flowing N2

The Al–AlO–MgO composites with added aluminum contents of approximately 0wt%, 5wt%, and 10wt%, named as M, M, and M, respectively, were prepared at 1700°C for 5 h under a flowing Natmosphere using the reaction sintering method. After sintering, the Al–AlO–MgO composites were characterized and analyzed by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. The results show that specimen Mwas composed of MgO and MgAlO. Compared with specimen M, specimens Mand Mpossessed MgAlON, and its production increased with increasing aluminum addition. Under an Natmosphere, MgO, AlO, and Al in the matrix of specimens Mand Mreacted to form MgAlON and AlN-polytypoids, which combined the particles and the matrix together and imparted the Al–AlO–MgO composites with a dense structure. The mechanism of MgAlON synthesis is described as follows. Under an Natmosphere, the partial pressure of oxygen is quite low; thus, when the Al–AlO–MgO composites were soaked at 580°C for an extended period, aluminum metal was transformed into AlN. With increasing temperature, AlOdiffused into AlN crystal lattices and formed AlN-polytypoids; however, MgO reacted with AlOto form MgAlO. When the temperature was greater than(1640 ± 10)°C, AlN diffused into AlOand formed spinel-structured AlON. In situ MgAlON was acquired through a solid-solution reaction between AlON and Mg AlOat high temperatures because of their similar spinel structures.

Fabrication method and microstructural characteristics of coal-tar-pitchbased 2D carbon/carbon composites

The lignin-cellulosic texture of wood was used to produce two-dimensional （2D） carbon/carbon （C/C） composites using coal tar pitch. Ash content tests were conducted to select two samples among the different kinds of woods present in lran, including walnut, white poplar, cherry, willow, buttonwood, apricots, berry, and blue wood. Walnut and white poplar with ash contents of 1.994wt% and 0.35 lwt%, respectively, were selected. The behavior of these woods during pyrolysis was investigated by differential thermal analysis （DTA） and thermo gravimetric （TG） analysis. The bulk density and open porosity were measured after carbonization and densification. The mierostruc- tural characteristics of samples were investigated by scanning electron microscopy （SEM）, X-ray diffraction （XRD）, and Fourier-transform infrared （FT-IR） spectroscopy. The results indicate that the density of both the walnut and white poplar is increased, and the open porosity is decreased with the increasing number of carbonization cycles. The XRD patterns of the wood charcoal change gradually with increasing py- rolysis temperature, possibly as a result of the ultra-structural changes in the charcoal or the presence of carbonized coal tar pitch in the composite＇s body.

The Application of Flux-Form Semi-Lagrangian Transport Scheme in a Spectral Atmosphere Model

A flux-form semi-Lagrangian transport scheme （FFSL） was implemented in a spectral atmospheric GCM developed and used at IAP/LASG. Idealized numerical experiments show that the scheme is good at shape preserving with less dissipation and dispersion, in comparison with other conventional schemes, hnportantly, FFSL can automatically maintain the positive definition of the transported tracers, which was an underlying problem in the previous spectral composite method （SCM）. To comprehensively investigate the impact of FFSL on GCM results, we conducted sensitive experiments. Three main improvements resulted： first, rainfall simulation in both distribution and intensity was notably improved, which led to an improvement in precipitation frequency. Second, the dry bias in the lower troposphere was significantly reduced compared with SCM simulations. Third, according to the Taylor diagram, the FFSL scheme yields simulations that are superior to those using the SCM： a higher correlation between model output and observation data was achieved with the FFSL scheme, especially for humidity in lower troposphere. However, the moist bias in the middle and upper troposphere was more pronounced with the FFSL scheme. This bias led to an over-simulation of precipitable water in comparison with reanalysis data. Possible explanations, as well as solutions, are discussed herein.

Effect of MoSi_2 content on dielectric and mechanical properties of MoSi_2/Al_2O_3 composite coatings

Molybdenum disilicide （MoSi2） sheath and aluminum oxide （Al2O3） core blended powders were fabricated by spray drying. A derived coating material was produced for the application as microwave absorbers using the as prepared powders by atmospheric plasma spray （APS） technology. The effects of MoSi2/Al2O3 mass ratio on the dielectric and physical mechanical properties of the composite coatings were investigated. When the MoSi2 content of the composites increases from 0 to 45%, the flexure strength and fracture toughness improve from 198 to 324 MPa and 3.05 to 4.82 MPa-m1/2 then decline to 310 MPa and 4.67 MPa-m1/2, respectively. The dielectric loss tangent increases with increasing MoSi2 content, and the real part of permittivity decreases conversely over the frequency range of 8.2-12.4 GHz. These effects are due to the agglomeration of early molten MoSi2 particles and the increase of the electrical conductivity with increasing MoSi2 content.

Advances in the Researches of the Middle and Upper Atmosphere in China in 2012–2014

In this report we summarize the research results by Chinese scientists in 2012–2014. The focuses are placed on the researches of the middle and upper atmosphere, specifically the researches related to ground-based observation capability development, dynamical processes, the property of circulation and chemistry-climate coupling of the middle atmospheric layers.

Reduction of CeO2 in composites with transition metal complex oxides under hydrogen containing atmosphere and its correlation with catalytic activity

Reduction behavior of pure and doped CeO2, the multi-phase La0.6Sr0.4CoO3.xCeO2, La0.sSr0.2MnO3 . xCeO2, and La0.95Ni0.6Fe0.4O3.xCeO2 composites, was studied under hydrogen containing atmosphere to address issues related to the improvement of electrochemical and catalytic performance of electrodes in fuel cells. The enhanced reduction of cerium oxide was observed initially at 800~C in all composites in spite of the presence of highly reducible transition metal cations that could lead to the increase in surface concentration of oxygen vacancies and generation of the electron enriched surface. Due to continuous reduction of cerium oxide in La0.6Sr0.4CoO3 ＂x- CeO2 and La0.sSr0.zMnO3 ＂xCeO2 （up to 10 h） composites the redox activity of the Ce4＋/Ce3＋ pair could be suppressed and additional measures are required for reversible spontaneous regeneration of Ce4＋. After 3 h exposure to H2-Ar at 800~C the reduction of cerium oxides and perovskite phases in La0.95Ni0.6Fe0.403 ＂xCeO2 com- posites was diminished. The extent of cerium oxide involvement in the reduction process varies with time, and depends on its initial deviation from oxygen stoichiometry （that results in the larger lattice parameter and the longer pathway for O2 transport through the fluorite lattice）, chemical origin of transition metal cations in the perovskite, and phase diversity in multi-phase composites.