Removing prior particle boundaries in a powder superalloy based on the interaction between pulsed electric current and chain-like structure

The chain-like prior particle boundaries(PPBs)as a kind of stubborn harmful precipitate will hinder atomic diffusion and particle connection.They can only be broken into nanoscale through thermal deformation(1160–1200℃).Here,treated by the pulsed electric current at 800℃,PPBs were dissolved quickly as a result of the interaction between the pulsed electric current and the chain-like structure.According to the electromigration theory and the calculation results,the high current density regions will be mainly produced at the gaps due to the conductivity difference between the precipitates and the matrix.The atomic diffusion flux caused by the pulsed electric current is proportional to the current density.Therefore,the existence of a large number of gaps in the chain-like PPBs will make the high current density regions play a more positive role in fast-dissolution.

Characterization of the prior particle boundaries in a powder metallurgy Ti2AlNb alloy

Ti2 AlNb-based alloy powder metallurgy(PM)compacts were prepared via hot isostatic pressing(HIP)under relatively low temperature(920 and 980℃)and at certain pressure(130 MPa).The microstructure,composition and orientation of B2,α2 and O phases in the compacts were characterized and analyzed with an aim to investigate the effect of unsuitable HIPping parameters on the appearance of prior particle boundary(PPB),which seriously affects the mechanical properties of the alloy.The results show that moreα2 phase is the characteristics of the PPB in Ti2AlNb-based alloy when HIPped at relatively low temperature.Increasing HIPping temperature to the upper part of the two-phase region can effectively inhibit the formation of PPB.Electron backscatter diffraction measurements show the specific orientation relationship between phases,which helps us understand the origin of a2 and O phase and the corresponding transformation path.The HIPping at a higher temperature can weaken the micro-texture intensity of theα2 and O phase due to the increase of misorientation in B2 phase.Theα2 phase at cell wall keeps the Burgers orientation relationship(BOR)with the grain on one side,and does not satisfy the BOR with the other.It is found that some O phase variants inside the cell HIPped at 980℃can only maintainα2-O OR withα2 owing to theα2→O phase transformation forming the O phase,while these O variants deviate from B2-O OR with B2 phase.

Reducing the anisotropy of a Brazilian disc generated in a bonded-particle model

The Brazilian test is a widely used method for determining the tensile strength of rocks and for calibrating parameters in bondedparticle models（BPMs）. In previous studies, the Brazilian disc has typically been trimmed from a compacted rectangular specimen. The present study shows that different tensile strength values are obtained depending on the compressive loading direction. Several measures are proposed to reduce the anisotropy of the disc. The results reveal that the anisotropy of the disc is significantly influenced by the compactibility of the specimen from which it is trimmed. A new method is proposed in which the Brazilian disc is directly generated with a particle boundary, effectively reducing the anisotropy. The stiffness（particle and bond） and strength（bond） of the boundary are set at less than and greater than those of the disc assembly, respectively,which significantly decreases the stress concentration at the boundary contacts and prevents breakage of the boundary particle bonds. This leads to a significant reduction in the anisotropy of the disc and the discreteness of the tensile strength. This method is more suitable for carrying out a realistic Brazilian test for homogeneous rock-like material in the BPM.

Effect of hot extrusion and heat treatment on microstructure of nickel-base superalloy

Effects of hot extrusion (HEX) and heat treatment on prior particle boundary (PPB), MC carbides,γ′precipitates and grain size of nickel-base FGH96 superalloy were studied. The results show that PPB consists of largeγ′, MC carbides enriched with Ti, Nb and a modicum of oxides. Thereafter, it can efficaciously tune γ′ precipitate size from micrometer down to nanometer region and simultaneously results in the annihilation of PPB by HEX process. The activation energy for grain growth of as-HEXed FGH96 superalloy was measured to be 402.6 kJ/mol, indicating that γ′ precipitate serves the critical role in inhibiting grain growth under sub-solvus heat treatment. Moreover, the results reveal that grain growth is primarily restrained by MC carbide in the case of super-solvus temperature.

Analysis of shock wave reflection from fixed and moving boundaries using a stabilized particle method

In the present paper, the efficiency of an enhanced formulation of the stabilized corrective smoothed particle method （CSPM） for simulation of shock wave propagation and reflection from fixed and moving solid boundaries in compressible fluids is investigated. The Lagrangian nature and its accuracy for imposing the boundary conditions are the two main reasons for adoption of CSPM. The governing equations are further modified for imposition of moving solid boundary conditions. In addition to the traditional artificial viscosity, which can remove numerically induced abnormal jumps in the field values, a velocity field smoothing technique is introduced as an efficient method for stabilizing the solution. The method has been implemented for one- and two-dimensional shock wave propagation and reflection from fixed and moving boundaries and the results have been compared with other available solutions. The method has also been adopted for simulation of shock wave propagation and reflection from infinite and finite solid boundaries.

Numerical simulation of polygonal particles moving in incompressible viscous fluids

A two-dimensional coupled lattice Boltzmann immersed boundary discrete element method is introduced for the simulation of polygonal particles moving in incompressible viscous fluids. A collision model of polygonal particles is used in the discrete element method. Instead of a collision model of circular particles, the collision model used in our method can deal with particles of more complex shape and efficiently simulate the effects of shape on particle–particle and particle–wall interactions. For two particles falling under gravity, because of the edges and corners, different collision patterns for circular and polygonal particles are found in our simulations. The complex vortexes generated near the corners of polygonal particles affect the flow field and lead to a difference in particle motions between circular and polygonal particles. For multiple particles falling under gravity, the polygonal particles easily become stuck owing to their corners and edges, while circular particles slip along contact areas. The present method provides an efficient approach for understanding the effects of particle shape on the dynamics of non-circular particles in fluids.

Modeling particle sedimentation in viscous fluids with a coupled immersed boundary method and discrete element method

Numerical techniques have increasingly been used to model fluid–particle two-phase flows. Coupling the immersed boundary method （IBM） and discrete element method （DEM） is one promising approach for modeling particulate flows. In this study, IBM was coupled with DEM to improve the reliability and accuracy of IBM for determining the positions of particles during the sedimentation process within viscous fluids. The required ratio of the particle diameter to the grid size （D/dx） was determined by comparing the simulation results with the analytical solution and experimental data. A dynamic mesh refinement model was utilised in the IBM model to refine the computational fluid dynamics grid near the particles. In addition, an optimum coupling interval between the IBM and DEM models was determined based on the experimental results of a single particle sedimentation within silicon oil at a Reynolds number of 1.5. The experimental results and the analytical solution were then utilised to validate the IBM–DEM model at Reynolds numbers of 4.1, 11.6, and 31.9. Finally, the validated model was utilised to investigate the sedimentation process for more than one particle by modeling the drafting-kissing-tumbling process and the Boycott phenomenon. Benchmark tests showed that the IBM–DEM technique preserves the advantages of DEM for tracking a group of particles, while the IBM provides a reliable and accurate approach for modeling the particle–fluid interaction.

PPB structure elimination,DRX nucleation mechanisms and grain growth behavior of the3rd-generation PM superalloy for manufacturing aviation components

Previous Particle Boundary(PPB),as the detrimental structure in Powder Metallurgy(PM)components,should be eliminated by subsequent hot process to improve the mechanical properties.The objective is to investigate the Dynamic Recrystallization(DRX)nucleation mechanisms and grain growth behavior of the 3rd-generation PM superalloy with PPB structure.Microstructure observation reveals that PPB decorated with(Ti,Ta,Nb)C carbides belongs to the discontinuous chain-like structure.The elimination of PPB networks can be achieved effectively via hot deformation due to the occurrence of DRX.Four different DRX nucleation mechanisms were proposed and discussed in detail according to the special microstructure characteristics of the PM superalloy.Firstly,local lattice rotations can be detected in the vicinity of(Ti,Ta,Nb)C carbides during hot deformation and thus PPB structure serves as the preferential nucleation sites for DRX grains via Particle-Stimulated Nucleation(PSN).Then,Discontinuous-DRX(DDRX)characterized by grain boundary bulging dominates the microstructure refinement and Continuous-DRX(CDRX)operated by subgrain rotation can be regarded as an important assistant mechanism.At last,the initial Σ3 boundaries would lose their twin characteristics owing to the crystal rotation and then transform into the general High Angle Grain Boundaries(HAGBs).The distorted twins provide additional DRX nucleation sites,viz.,twin-assisted nucleation.Particular attention was focused on the grain growth behavior of the PM superalloy in subsequent annealing process.The recrystallization temperature was determined to be about 1110.C and 1140.C can be considered as the critical temperature for grain growth.The findings would provide theoretical support for microstructure refinement of the 3rd-generation PM superalloy,which is of pivotal significance for improving the mechanical properties of aviation components.

A Truly Boundary-Only Meshfree Method Applied to Kirchhoff Plate Bending Problems

The boundary particle method(BPM)is a truly boundary-only collocation scheme,whose basis function is the high-order nonsingular general solution or singular fundamental solution,based on the recursive composite multiple reciprocity method(RC-MRM).The RC-MRM employs the high-order composite differential operator to solve a much wider variety of inhomogeneous problems with boundary-only collocation nodes while significantly reducing computational cost via a recursive algorithm.In this study,we simulate the Kirchhoff plate bending problems by the BPM based on the RC-MRM.Numerical results show that this approach produces accurate solutions of plates subjected to various loadings with boundary-only discretization.