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.

Impact Analysis of Microscopic Defect Types on the Macroscopic Crack Propagation in Sintered Silver Nanoparticles

Sintered silver nanoparticles(AgNPs)arewidely used in high-power electronics due to their exceptional properties.However,the material reliability is significantly affected by various microscopic defects.In this work,the three primary micro-defect types at potential stress concentrations in sintered AgNPs are identified,categorized,and quantified.Molecular dynamics(MD)simulations are employed to observe the failure evolution of different microscopic defects.The dominant mechanisms responsible for this evolution are dislocation nucleation and dislocation motion.At the same time,this paper clarifies the quantitative relationship between the tensile strain amount and the failure mechanism transitions of the three defect types by defining key strain points.The impact of defect types on the failure process is also discussed.Furthermore,traction-separation curves extracted from microscopic defect evolutions serve as a bridge to connect the macro-scale model.The validity of the crack propagation model is confirmed through tensile tests.Finally,we thoroughly analyze how micro-defect types influence macro-crack propagation and attempt to find supporting evidence from the MD model.Our findings provide a multi-perspective reference for the reliability analysis of sintered AgNPs.

Mechanical and corrosion properties of full liquid phase sintered WE43 magnesium alloy specimens fabricated via binder jetting additive manufacturing

This study investigates full liquid phase sintering as a process of fabrication parts from WE43(Mg-4wt.%Y-3wt.%RE-0.7wt.%Zr)alloy using binder jetting additive manufacturing(BJAM).This fabrication process is being developed for use in producing structural or biomedical devices.Specifically,this study focused on achieving a near-dense microstructure with WE43 Mg alloy while substantially reducing the duration of sintering post-processing after BJAM part rendering.The optimal process resulted in microstructure with 2.5%porosity and significantly reduced sintering time.The improved sintering can be explained by the presence of Y_(2)O_(3)and Nd_(2)O_(3)oxide layers,which form spontaneously on the surface of WE43 powder used in BJAM.These layers appear to be crucial in preventing shape distortion of the resulting samples and in enabling the development of sintering necks,particularly under sintering conditions exceeding the liquidus temperature of WE43 alloy.Sintered WE43 specimens rendered by BJAM achieved significant improvement in both corrosion resistance and mechanical properties through reduced porosity levels related to the sintering time.

Prediction and optimization of flue pressure in sintering process based on SHAP

Sinter is the core raw material for blast furnaces.Flue pressure,which is an important state parameter,affects sinter quality.In this paper,flue pressure prediction and optimization were studied based on the shapley additive explanation(SHAP)to predict the flue pressure and take targeted adjustment measures.First,the sintering process data were collected and processed.A flue pressure prediction model was then constructed after comparing different feature selection methods and model algorithms using SHAP+extremely random-ized trees(ET).The prediction accuracy of the model within the error range of±0.25 kPa was 92.63%.SHAP analysis was employed to improve the interpretability of the prediction model.The effects of various sintering operation parameters on flue pressure,the relation-ship between the numerical range of key operation parameters and flue pressure,the effect of operation parameter combinations on flue pressure,and the prediction process of the flue pressure prediction model on a single sample were analyzed.A flue pressure optimization module was also constructed and analyzed when the prediction satisfied the judgment conditions.The operating parameter combination was then pushed.The flue pressure was increased by 5.87%during the verification process,achieving a good optimization effect.

Design and fabrication of sintered wick for miniature cylindrical heat pipe

Miniature cylindrical metal powder sintered wick heat pipe （sintered heat pipe） is an ideal component with super-high thermal efficiency for high heat flux electronics cooling. The sintering process for sintered wick is important for its quality. The sintering process was optimally designed based on the equation of the heat transfer limit of sintered heat pipe. Four-step sintering process was proposed to fabricate sintered wick. The sintering parameters including sintering temperature, sintering time, sintering atmosphere and sintering position were discussed. The experimental results showed that the proper sintering temperature was 950 ℃ for Cu powder of 159μm and 900 ℃ for Cu powders of 81 and 38 μm, respectively, while the wick thickness was 0.45 mm and sintering time was 3 h. The optimized sintering time was 3 h for 0.45 and 0.6 mm wick thickness and 1 h for 0.75 mm wick thickness, respectively, when copper powder diameter was 159μm and sintering temperature was 950 ℃. Redox reduction reaction between H2 and CuO during sintering could produce segmentation cracks in Cu powders as a second structure. Sintering at vertical position can effectively avoid the generation of gap between wick and the inner wall of pipe.

Low temperature solid-phase sintering of sintered metal fibrous media with high specific surface area

A procedure of low temperature solid-phase sintering（LTSS） was carried out to fabricate sintered metal fibrous media（SMFM） with high specific surface area.Stainless steel fibers which were produced by cutting process were first plated with a coarse copper coating layer by electroless plating process.A low-temperature sintering process was then completed at about 800 °C for 1 h under the protection of hydrogen atmosphere.The results show that a novel SMFM with complex surface morphology and high specific surface area（0.2 m2/g） can be obtained in this way.The effect of sintering temperature on the surface morphology and specific surface area of SMFM was studied by means of scanning electron microscopy and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller.The damage of micro-structure during the sintering process mainly contributed to the loss of specific surface area of SMFM and the optimal sintering temperature was 800 °C.

Decarburization and improvement of ultra fine straight WC-8Co sintered via microwave sintering

Cemented tungsten carbide with ultra fine grains was prepared via microwave sintering.η phase（W3Co3C） was formed on the surface of the samples during the preparation process.Extra carbon black was premixed and the influence of carbon content on mechanical properties was studied.The results show that the maximum value of hardness and transverse rupture strength are HRA 93.2 and 3396 MPa respectively when the carbon black content is 0.45%.The microstructure investigated by SEM show that the WC grains growth mainly occurs during the early stage of microwave sintering by the coalescence of grains.

GROWTH OF MnS IN Fe-CU-C-MnS SINTERED STEELS WITH ADMIXED MnS

MnS growth in sintered steels with admixed Fe, Cu, C and MnS has been investigated by SEM and X-ray diffraction, MnS in Fe-Cu-C-MnS sintered steels in which MnS has been admixed is not stable and MnS growth may be ascribed to sintering between MnS particles or reaction between MnS and Fe, Cu, C elements.

Manufacture, characterization and application of porous metal-fiber sintered felt used as mass-transfer-controlling medium for direct methanol fuel cells

Fabrication, characterization and performance of a porous metal-fiber sintered felt （PMFSF） based on multi-tooth cutting and solid-phase sintering were studied. The PMFSF was used as the anodic methanol barrier in a passive air-breathing direct methanol fuel cell to mitigate the effects of methanol crossover. Compared with the commercial SUS316L felt made of bundle-drawn fibers, this self-made PMFSF has larger pore diameter, polarized pore distribution, irregular fiber shape, rougher surface, lower mass flow resistance and evident hydrophobicity. The results reveal that the use of a PMFSF significantly enhances the cell performance since it helps to maintain a balance between the reactant and product management while depressing methanol crossover. The PMFSF with a porosity of 70% yields the highest cell performance at a methanol concentration of 4 mol/L.

Microstructure and mechanical properties of Ti-45Al-5.5(Cr,Nb,B,Ta) alloy sintered at different SPS temperatures

TiAl alloy bulk samples with the composition of Ti-45Al-5.5(Cr,Nb,B,Ta) (mole fraction, %) were prepared by high energy mechanical milling and spark plasma sintering (SPS) and then heat treatment. The microstructure and mechanical properties after heat treatment of TiAl alloy prepared by SPS at different temperatures were studied. The results showed that the morphology of high energy mechanically milled powder was irregular and the average grain size was about decades micrometers. X-ray diffraction analysis showed that the mechanically milled powder was composed of two phases of TiAl and Ti3Al. The main phase of TiAl and few phases of Ti3Al and TiB2 were observed in the SPS bulk samples of Ti-45Al-5.5(Cr,Nb,B,Ta) alloy. For samples sintered at 900 °C and 1000 °C, the microstructure was duplex structure with some fine equiaxed gamma grains and thin needly TiB2 phases. With the SPS temperature increasing from 900 °C to 1000 °C, the micro-hardness was changed little, the compression strength increased from 1812 MPa to 2275 MPa and the compression ratio increased from 22.66% to 25.59%. The fractography results showed that the compression fracture transform of the SPS Ti-45Al-5.5(Cr,Nb,B,Ta) alloy was rgranular rupture.

Multilayer ceramic coating for impeding corrosion of sintered NdFeB magnets

Sintered NdFeB magnets have complex microstructure that makes them susceptible to corrosion in active environments.The current paper evaluated the anticorrosion characteristics of multilayer titanium nitride ceramic coating applied through cathodic arc physical vapour deposition(CAPVD) for protection of sintered NdFeB permanent magnets.The performance of ceramic coating was compared to the electrodeposited nickel coating having a copper interlayer.Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy(EIS) and cyclic polar...

Preparation Technology and Performances of Zn-Cr Coating on Sintered NdFeB Permanent Magnet

Zn-Cr coating was prepared on the surface of sintered NdFeB permanent magnet samples and preparation parameters were established. The anticorrosive property of Zn-Cr coating on NdFeB was studied by whole-immersion test in NaCl solution and compared with that of zinc plating and nickel plating on NdFeB. Open-circuit potential and self-corrosion current of NdFeB samples with and without Zn-Cr coating were measured. The micro-morphology and composition of Zn-Cr coming were analyzed through SEM, XPS, EDS and XRD. The effect of Zn-Cr coating on magnetic property of NdFeB magnet was also investigated. It is exposed that Zn-Cr coating is anodic type coating for NdFeB magnet, and provided substrate electrochemical protection, barrier protection and passivation protection. The anticorrosion property of NdFeB magnet is obviously enhanced by Zn-Cr coating while the magnet property of NdFeB magnet changed little.

Electrochemical Corrosion Behavior of Nd-Fe-B Sintered Magnets in Different Acid Solutions

Electrochemical corrosion behavior of Nd-Fe-B sintered magnets in nitric acid, hydrochloric acid, sulfuric acid, phosphate acid and in oxalic acid was studied. Potentiodynamic polarization curves and immersion time dependence of corrosion rates of Nd-Fe-B sintered magnets in different acid solutions were tested. Microstructures of corroded Nd-Fe-B sintered magnets were investigated by means of SEM and AFM. The results indicate that in strong acid solutions of similar hydrogen ion concentration, the corrosion current increases in the order of HCl 〉 H3SO4 〉 HNO3 solution and Nd-Fe-B sintered magnets are passivated in phosphate acid and oxalic acid. Within 25 min, the corrosion rates of Nd-Fe-B sintered magnets in H2SO4 and H3PO4 solutions show a declining trend with immersion time, while in HNO3 and HCl solutions the corrosion rates are rising. And in H2C2O4 solution, weight of the magnets increases. The brim of Nd-Fe-B sintered magnets is corroded rather seriously and the size of the magnets changed greatly in nitric acid. The surfaces of the corroded magnets in the above mentioned acid solutions are all coarse.

Study on the In-situ Synthesis of Aluminum Titanate Sintered by Waste Aluminum Slag

Aluminum titanate was in-situ synthesized by using industrial waste-residue in the aluminum factory and TiO2 as the main raw materials and the influence of different reaction temperatures on the purity and microstructures of synthesized products were mainly discussed. The obtained Al2TiO5 was characterized by X-ray diffraction （XRD）, scanning electron microscopy （SEM） and relevant analytical software. The results show that elevating the sintering temperature can increase the content of aluminum titanate; and at 1420 ℃, it reaches the highest in the synthesized ceramic. When the sintering temperature continues to increase, the produced aluminum titanate will decompose resulting in the drop of its content. Therefore, the optimum sintering temperature of in-situ synthesis of aluminum titanate is determined as 1420 ℃, at which the grains of aluminum titanate grow completely, the purity of aluminum titanate is 89.3wt%., the highest density is 2.75 g/cm^3, and the porosity is 9%.

Grain Growth Behavior in Sintered Nd-Fe-B Magnets

The Nd2Fe14B grain growth behavior in sintered Nd-Fe-B magnets was quantitatively described.The effects of sintering temperature and time,and alloy powder size and its distribution on grain growth process were analyzed.Hence,possible grain growth mechanisms in these magnets were qualitatively discussed.The Nd2Fe14B grain growth proceeded at quite a high rate in the initial 0~1 h of sintering and from then onwards the grain growth rate decreased.A large average particle size or a wide particle size distribution of initial alloy powders was found to remarkably accelerate the grain growth process and even result in the occurrence of abnormal grain growth.On the basis of experimental results,two grain growth mechanisms were considered to operate during sintering of Nd-Fe-B magnets,that is,dissolution and re-precipitation of Nd2Fe14B particles,and Nd2Fe14B particle growth by coalescence.It was believed that Nd2Fe14B particle growth by coalescence not only produced a large average grain size and a wide grain size distribution,but also was the fundamental reason for the formation of abnormally large grains in the microstructure of sintered Nd-Fe-B magnets.

Microstructure and Temperature Distribution in ZnAl_2O_4 Sintered Body by Pulse Electric Current

Microstructure of reaction sintering of ZnAl2O4 at 1500℃ by hot-pressing(HP) and pulse electric current was investigated. The results indicated that the existed cracks in sintered body were caused by structure mismatch. It is the evidence that periodical temperature field existed during pulse electric current sintering of nonconductive materials. The distance between high temperature areas was related to die diameter.

Sawing Performance Comparison of Brazed and Sintered Diamond Wires

Great attention has been paid on fabricating diamond wire by using the brazing diamond because of its strong chemical bonding strength and controllability of grits distribution. Although several serving performances of brazed diamond wire have been reported, seldom do these studies refer to its process characteristics. Sawing performances of a brazed diamond wire are investigated and compared with those of a sintered diamond wire on a wire saw machine. The surface topographies of beads selected from the two wires are micro observed before sawing. The sawing tests are carried out in constant feed rate feeding（CFF） and constant normal force feeding（CNFF）. In CFF test, sawing force, power, and the cut depths of positions on contact curve are measured. Then, coupled with the observations of beads topographies, sawing force and its ratio, relations of power against material removal rate, and contact curve linearity are compared and discussed. In CNFF test, the sawing rates of the two wires are investigated. The results indicate that the brazed wire performs with lower sawing force（less 16% of tangential force and 28% of normal force）, more energy efficiency（nearly one-fifth of sawing power is saved）, at a higher sawing rate （the rate is doubled） and with better contact curve linearity as compared with the sintered wire. This proposed research experimentally evaluates the sawing performances of brazed diamond wire from the aspect of process parameters, which can provide a basis for popularizing the brazed diamond wire.

Recent advances of high-pressure generation in a multianvil apparatus using sintered diamond anvils

The tried and tested multianvil apparatus has been widely used for high-pressure and hightemperature experimental studies in Earth science. As a result, many important results have been obtained for a better understanding of the components, structure and evolution of the Earth. Due to the strength limi- tation of materials, the attainable multianvil pressure is generally limited to about 30 GPa （corresponding to about 900 km of the depth in the Earth） when tungsten carbide cubes are adopted as second-stage anvils. Compared with tungsten carbide, the sintered diamond is a much harder material. The sintered diamond cubes were introduced as second-stage anvils in a 6--8 type multianvil apparatus in the 1980s, which largely enhanced the capacity of pressure generation in a large volume press. With the development of material synthesis and processing techniques, a large sintered diamond cube （14 ram） is now available. Recently, maximum attainable pressures reaching higher than 90 GPa （corresponding to about 2700 km of the depth in the Earth） have been generated at room temperature by adopting 14-mm sintered diamond anvils. Using this technique, a few researches have been carried out by the quenched method or combined with synchrotron radiation in situ observation. In this paper we review the properties of sintered diamond and the evolu- tion of pressure generation using sintered diamond anvils. As-yet unsolved problems and perspectives for uses in Earth Science are also discussed.

Influence of Solidiflcation Rate on Microstructures of Cast Strips and Corresponding Sintered NdFeB Magnets

The influences of solidification rate on the microstructures of cast strips and corresponding sintered NdFeB magnets were investigated. The experimental results show that the volume fraction and size of columnar grains vary with the wheel speed V, and the fraction is highest to more than 90% with 3.5μm in average width at V = 2m·s-1. The reasons for the improved magnetic performance were discussed based on the micromagnetic theory and microstructure analyses of the strips and sintered magnets. The magnetic properties of sintered NdFeB magnets made from the (Nd,Dy)13.0(Fe,Ga, Al)80.5B6.5 cast strip which was obtained at V = 2 m·s-1 are as follows: Br = 1.15 T( 11.25 kG), iHc = 2799 kA·m-1 (35.2 kOe) and (BH)max = 242 kJ·m-3(30.35 MGOe).

Microstructure and corrosion behavior of NiTi shape memory alloys sintered in the SPS process

NiTi shape memory alloys(SMAs) was developed using the spark-plasma sintering(SPS) process with different average particle size(45 μm and 10 μm) under various temperature. The influence of particle size and temperature on the density, microstructure, and corrosion behavior of the NiTi in simulated body fluid was examined. The porosity decreased with increasing sintering temperature and decreasing particle size, which resulted in an increase in density of the alloy. Increasing the sintering temperature led to the formation of Ni-and Ti-rich intermetallic such as Ni3Ti and NiTi2. The formation of these secondary phases influenced the corrosion behavior of NiTi by changing its chemical composition. The planar structure of NiTi was transformed into a dendritic structure at 900℃, which resulted in the formation of uniform oxide and phosphate layers on the entire surface. A high corrosion potential and low corrosion current density were achieved with NiTi prepared with 10 μm particles at 900℃, which exhibited superior corrosion resistance.