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.

Mechanical properties and interfacial characteristics of 6061 Al alloy plates fabricated by hot-roll bonding

This work aims to investigate the mechanical properties and interfacial characteristics of 6061 Al alloy plates fabricated by hotroll bonding(HRB)based on friction stir welding.The results showed that ultimate tensile strength and total elongation of the hot-rolled and aged joints increased with the packaging vacuum,and the tensile specimens fractured at the matrix after exceeding 1 Pa.Non-equilibrium grain boundaries were formed at the hot-rolled interface,and a large amount of Mg_(2)Si particles were linearly precipitated along the interfacial grain boundaries(IGBs).During subsequent heat treatment,Mg_(2)Si particles dissolved back into the matrix,and Al_(2)O_(3) film remaining at the interface eventually evolved into MgO.In addition,the local IGBs underwent staged elimination during HRB,which facilitated the interface healing due to the fusion of grains at the interface.This process was achieved by the dissociation,emission,and annihilation of dislocations on the IGBs.

Microstructure characteristics and thermodynamic properties of A357-SiCp/A357 layered composites prepared by semi-solid vacuum stirring suction casting

A357-SiCp/A357 layered composites were prepared using a semi-solid vacuum stirring suction casting method.The microstructures,mechanical properties,and thermal conductivities of the composites fabricated under different suction casting processes were compared.Additionally,the microstructural evolution characteristics and performance enhancement mechanism of the A357-SiCp/A357 layered composites were discussed.The results demonstrate that suction casting at 610°C with a low solid phase ratio can significantly enhance the material density and reduce the agglomeration of SiCp.The A357-SiC_(p)/A357 interface is clear and straight with good bonding.With an increase in the suction casting temperature,the bending resistance and thermal conductivity of the A357-SiC_(p)/A357 layered composites exhibit a trend of significantly increase at first and then slowly decrease owing to casting defects,interface bonding,and SiCp distribution.Compared with SiCp/A357 composites,the bending strength,deflection,and thermal conductivity of the A357-SiCp/A357 layered composites increase from 257 MPa,1.07 mm,and 155.72 W·(m·K)^(-1) to 298 MPa,2.1 mm,and 169.86 W·(m·K)^(-1),respectively.This study provides a reference for improving the rheological casting of aluminum matrix layered composites.

Optical and electrical properties of BaSnO_(3) and In_2O_(3) mixed transparent conductive films deposited by filtered cathodic vacuum arc technique at room temperature

For the crystalline temperature of BaSnO_(3)(BTO)was above 650℃,the transparent conductive BTO-based films were always deposited above this temperature on epitaxy substrates by pulsed laser deposition or molecular beam epitaxy till now which limited there application in low temperature device process.In the article,the microstructure,optical and electrical of BTO and In_(2)O_(3) mixed transparent conductive BaInSnO_(x)(BITO)film deposited by filtered cathodic vacuum arc technique(FCVA)on glass substrate at room temperature were firstly reported.The BITO film with thickness of 300 nm had mainly In_(2)O_(3) polycrystalline phase,and minor polycrystalline BTO phase with(001),(011),(111),(002),(222)crystal faces which were first deposited at room temperature on amorphous glass.The transmittance was 70%–80%in the visible light region with linear refractive index of 1.94 and extinction coefficient of 0.004 at 550-nm wavelength.The basic optical properties included the real and imaginary parts,high frequency dielectric constants,the absorption coefficient,the Urbach energy,the indirect and direct band gaps,the oscillator and dispersion energies,the static refractive index and dielectric constant,the average oscillator wavelength,oscillator length strength,the linear and the third-order nonlinear optical susceptibilities,and the nonlinear refractive index were all calculated.The film was the n-type conductor with sheet resistance of 704.7Ω/□,resistivity of 0.02Ω⋅cm,mobility of 18.9 cm2/V⋅s,and carrier electron concentration of 1.6×10^(19) cm^(−3) at room temperature.The results suggested that the BITO film deposited by FCVA had potential application in transparent conductive films-based low temperature device process.

Effect of vacuum annealing on microstructure and mechanical properties of TA15 titanium alloy sheets

The mechanical properties, microstructures, and fractographs of TA15 sheets vacuum-annealed under different patterns were investigated. The results indicate that vacuum annealing significantly improves the mechanical properties of the sheets in comparison with those after ambient annealing. With increasing the annealing temperature, the phase boundaries and secondary a-phase increase, whereas the volume fraction of primary a-phase decreases, resulting in increased strength and decreased elongation A relatively fine secondary a-phase is obtained after double annealing. The desirable mechanical properties （i.e., ultimate tensile strength, yield strength, and elongation are 1070 MPa, 958 MPa, and 15%, respectively） are obtained through double annealing （（950 ℃/2 h, AC）＋（600 ℃/2 h, AC））. The fractographs obtained after tensile tests show that the deepest and largest dimples are formed in the specimen annealed at 850 ℃, which indicates that the best plasticity is obtained at this annealing temperature.

Microstructure and mechanical properties of Mg-6Gd-3Y-0.5Zr alloy processed by high-vacuum die-casting

GW63K （Mg-6Gd-3Y-0.5Zr） magnesium alloys were prepared successfully by high-vacuum die-casting. Effects of fast shot speed and vacuum level on the grain size and mechanical properties of this alloy were studied. Microstructure of the alloys was analyzed by SEM, EDX and optical microscope （OM）. The effect of heat treatment on high vacuum die-casting （HVDC） GW63K alloy was also studied. The results indicate that with the increase of fast velocity, the tensile yield strength hardly changes, but the elongation first increases, then decreases. The optimum heat treatment process is solution treatment at 748 K for 2 h and aging at 473 K for 80 h. Under this condition, GW63K magnesium alloy exhibits a maximum tensile strength and elongation of 308 MPa and 9.45%. There is significant correlation between ductility and the presence of external solidified cells （ESCs）. The as-cast GW63K alloy consists ofα-Mg and Mg24（Gd,Y）5 particles. After heat treatment, Gd and Y atoms dissolve intoα-Mg matrix.

Microstructures and mechanical properties of 2024Al/Gr/SiC hybrid composites fabricated by vacuum hot pressing

The 2024Al/Gr/SiC hybrid composite plates with 5%-10% SiC particles （volume fraction） and 3%-6% flaky graphite （Gr） （volume fraction） were fabricated by vacuum hot pressing and hot extrusion processing. The effects of SiC and Gr on the microstructures and mechanical properties of the composites aged at 160, 175 and 190℃ were studied by optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy （SEM）, and hardness and tensile tests. The results indicate that the SiC particles have a more obvious effect on accelerating the aging response as compared with the Gr. Both the tensile strength and elongation are reduced by the Gr and SiC particles added into the matrix, while the Gr has a more negative influence on the elongation than the SiC particles. The tensile strength （ab）, yield stress （as） and elongation （δ） of the 2024Al/3Gr/10SiC composite aged at 165℃ for 8 h are 387 MPa, 280.3 MPa and 5.7%, respectively. The hybrid composites are characterized by ductile fracture, which is associated with the ductile fracture of the matrix and the tearing of the interface between the matrix and the particles.

Microstructure and properties of vacuum counter-pressure cast aluminum alloy

The microstructure and properties of vacuum counter-pressure cast aluminum alloy were studied. Results indicated that under the condition of vacuum counter-pressure, liquid melts fill mould cavity under the vacuum and crystallize under high pressure which have very good effect on nucleation and solidification feeding. Compared with gravity casting, the microstructure of vacuum counter-pressure cast aluminum alloy is much finer and more uniformly distributed. Mechanical properties of vacuum counter-pressure cast aluminum alloy are improved significantly.

Effect of synergistic action of ultrasonic vibration and solidification pressure on tensile properties of vacuum counter-pressure casting aluminum alloy

The effect of synergistic action of ultrasonic vibration and solidification pressure on tensile properties of vacuum counter-pressure casting ZL114 A alloys was studied systemically through testing and analyzing the tensile strength and elongation subjected to different ultrasonic powers and solidification pressures. The results indicate that the synergistic action of ultrasonic vibration and solidification pressure can result in the refinement of grains and improvement of tensile properties. Both the highest tensile strength and elongation of aluminum alloy were obtained under synergistic action of 600 W ultrasonic power and 350 kPa solidification pressure. Moreover, the tensile fracture morphology shows obvious ductile fracture characteristics. When the solidification pressure is lower than 300 kPa, the effect of ultrasonic power on tensile strength and elongation is more obvious, but when the solidification pressure is higher than 300 kPa, the effect of solidification pressure on tensile strength and elongation is greater. Meanwhile, the size and morphology of the eutectic silicon were improved significantly by the ultrasonic vibration and pressurized solidification. The strip and massive eutectic silicon phase are completely converted into small short rod-like and evenly distributed Si phases at the grain boundary of primary α-Al.

Microstructure and mechanical properties of B_4C-TiB_2-Al composites fabricated by vacuum infiltration

B4C-TiB2-Al composites were fabricated by infiltrating aluminum into porous B4C-TiB2 preforms in vacuum. The microstucture and mechanical properties of the B4C-TiB2-Al composites were investigated. The hardness decreased, the flexural strength increased, and the fracture toughness first increased and then decreased slightly with an increase in TiB2 content. The BaC-TiB2-Al composite with 40wt.% TiB2 showed the optimized properties. The infiltrated aluminum addition was the leading reason for the fracture toughness improvement of the composites. The tear ridges and dimples on the fracture surface of the composites increased gradually with the increase of infdtrated alu- minum content showing inter/transgranular fracture mode. The relationships between the microstructures and the mechanical properties of the composites were discussed.

Effect of vacuum on porosity and mechanical properties of high-pressure die-cast pure copper

Pure copper tensile bars were produced by conventional die casting(HPDC) and vacuum-assist die casting(VADC) processes. Porosity and mechanical properties were investigated by using optical microscopy(OM), scanning electron microscopy(SEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy(EDS), X-ray computed tomography(XCT) and tensile tester. Results show that porosities including gas porosity and shrinkage porosity could be observed in copper castings. Since the application of vacuum could reduce filling related gas entrapment and facilitate solidification due to the increased heat transfer between metal and die, both number and size of the entrapped gases, as well as shrinkage porosities were significantly reduced in vacuum-assist die castings of pure copper. The porosity fraction decreased from 2.243% to 0.875% compared with that of the conventional die casting. Besides, mechanical properties were improved significantly, i.e., by 15% for ultimate tensile strength and three times for elongation.

The Wigner function and phase properties of superposition of two coherent states with the vacuum state

This paper discusses some statistical properties of the superposition of two coherent states with a vacuum state, such as sub-Poissonian photon statistics and negativity of the Wigner function. Phase probability distribution and phase variance are calculated. Special cases of the constructed superposition states are presented. The results show that depending on the vacuum state coefficient γ and the coherent state coefficient a, it can generate a variety of nonclassical states.

Effect of vacuum degree in VIM furnace on mechanical properties of Ni-Fe-Cr based alloy

In order to investigate the effect of the vacuum degree in vacuum induction melting （VIM） furnace on the mechanical properties of Ni-Fe-Cr based alloy, four samples were prepared under different conditions. The chemical analysis results show that under the argon atmosphere, there is more dissipation in Al and Ti, whereas it is reduced by establishing the vacuum atmosphere. The gas analysis results show that the oxygen and nitrogen contents of the samples decrease with increasing vacuum degree. However, there is no dissipation in the gas content of the samples in higher degree of vacuum. In addition, the thermodynamic calculations show that the probability of TiO2 and Al2O3 formation is high due to the small value of the equilibrium oxygen. Higher vacuum degree reduces the tensile and yield strength of the alloys, while it enhances the elongation and reduction of area values due to the lower amount of the inclusions and evaporation of Al and Ti under higher vacuum. On the other hand, increasing vacuum degree changes the fracture mode from brittle to ductile.

Microstructure and properties of the joints of Cu/Cu and metallized Cu / kovar brazed with a low-silver vacuum brazing filler metal

In an attempt to develop low-silver brazing filler metals used for hermetic sealing materials in the vacuum interrupter industry,the ternary Ag-50Cu-5Ga low-silver vacuum brazing filler metal was investigated.The melting temperature was measured by differential scanning calorimetry(DSC),and the brazability of Ag-50Cu-5Ga alloy on copper and metallized copper/kovar were ascertained at 850℃under 1×10-4 Pa in this article.The microstructures of the filler metal and the joints have been analyzed by using scanning electron microscopy(SEM),equipped with an energy dispersive spectroscopy.The results show that vacuum brazing was success to join with copper or metallized copper/kovar using Ag-50Cu-5Ga filler and reliable joints were obtained.There were Ag-rich phase,Cu-rich phase and a fine eutectic structure of Ag-based solid solution and Cu-based solid solution in the copper joints and the width of brazing seam is about 60μm.The joints of kovar alloy to copper after surface nickel plating was composed of AgCu eutectic phase,Ag,Cu,Cu2Ga and CuNi2 phase.The tensile strength was 167 MPa and 150 MPa,respectively.The tensile results of joints show that the joint strengths were equivalent to the traditional brazing filler metals.

Improving the Properties of Fast-Growing Chinese Fir by Vacuum Hot Pressing Treatment

Chinese fir was compressed by vacuum hot pressing and conventional hot pressing at different temperatures(180℃,200℃ and 220℃),respectively.The color parameters of the heat-compressed sample were measured,the relative mechanical properties of the material were tested and changes in the chemistry of fir were investigated using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy(FTIR)and Xray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS).The results indicated that the color difference between compressed and untreated wood increased gradually with the increase of temperature.Compared with the conventional hot pressing treatment,the color difference(ΔE*)of the Chinese fir treated by vacuum hot pressing decreased by 43.73%,69.91%,and 77.17%,respectively.The mechanical properties(bending elastic modulus and bending strength)of Chinese fir treated by vacuum hot pressing were significantly improved.The 24-hour water absorption thickness expansion rate of fir treated by vacuum hot pressing is smaller than that of conventional hot pressing.It is implied that vacuum hot pressing treatment is an effective method to produce compressed wood,which can improve the mechanical properties and dimensional stability of wood,and reduce the influence of carbonization on wood color.

Synergistic effects of composition and heat treatment on microstructure and properties of vacuum die cast Al-Si-Mg-Mn alloys

The purpose of this study was to prepare high-quality Al-Si-Mg-Mn alloy with a good combination of strength and ductility employing the vacuum-assisted high-pressure die cast process. An orthogonal study of heat treatments was conducted to design an optimized T6 heat treatment process for both Al-10%Si-0.3%Mg-Mn and Al-11%Si-0.6%Mg-Mn alloys. The results demonstrate that no obvious blisters and warpage were observed in these two alloys with solid solution treatment. After the optimal T6 heat treatment of 530°C×3 h + 165°C×6 h, Al-11%Si-0.6%Mg-Mn alloy has better mechanical properties, of which tensile strength, yield strength and elongation reached 377.3 MPa, 307.8 MPa and 9%, respectively. The improvement of mechanical properties can be attributed to the high density of needle-like β″(Mg_5Si_6) precipitation after aging treatment and the fine and spherical eutectic Si particles uniformly distributed in the α-Al matrix.

Construction of Laguerre polynomial's photon-added squeezing vacuum state and its quantum properties

Laguerre polynomial’s photon-added squeezing vacuum state is constructed by operation of Laguerre polynomial’s photon-added operator on squeezing vacuum state. By making use of the technique of integration within an ordered product of operators, we derive the normalization coefficient and the calculation expression of ■. Its statistical properties, such as squeezing, the anti-bunching effect, the sub-Poissonian distribution property, the negativity of Wigner function, etc., are investigated. The influences of the squeezing parameter on quantum properties are discussed. Numerical results show that,firstly, the squeezing effect of the 1-order Laguerre polynomial’s photon-added operator exciting squeezing vacuum state is strengthened, but its anti-bunching effect and sub-Poissonian statistical property are weakened with increasing squeezing parameter; secondly, its squeezing effect is similar to that of squeezing vacuum state, but its anti-bunching effect and subPoissonian distribution property are stronger than that of squeezing vacuum state. These results show that the operation of Laguerre polynomial’s photon-added operator on squeezing vacuum state can enhance its non-classical properties.

Effects of TiB2 Content on the Microstructures and Mechanical Properties of Low-Cobalt Ti（C,N）-TiB2 Cermets Fabricated by Vacuum Hot Pressing

Ti(C,N)-TiB2 cermets were fabricated from Ti(C,N), TiB2, Co and WC powder mixtures via a vacuum hot pressing process. The influence of TiB2 content on their microstructures and mechanical properties was investigated. As a result of the elevated TiB2 contents, two types of corerim microstructures were present in the Ti(C,N)-TiB2 cermets, and remarkably improved mechanical properties were achieved. With the increase of TiB2 content, the flexural strength, fracture toughness and hardness of the Ti(C,N)-TiB2 cermets first increased, and then decreased, while their relative density consistently decreased. Attributed to an integration of the intergranular and intrangranular fracture behaviors, the Ti(C,N)-TiB2 cermets with 20 wt% TiB2 content exhibited the best overall properties with the relative density, hardness, fracture toughness and flexural strength at 99.3%, 1 995 HV, 7.92 MPa·m1/2 and 1 114 MPa, respectively. The underlying mechanism for their enhanced properties was studied in detail.

Effect of microwave-vacuum drying(MVD)method on quality properties of agro-products

Microwave-vacuum drying is an accepted drying method for agro-products, which is nonetheless still relatively unknown to some. This paper attempted to give an overview of the most important aspects of microwaves-vacuum drying （MVD） and their relevance to agro-products processing. Some advantages on microwave-vacuum drying properties were discussed to provide a better insight into the reasons for the use of microwaves. Also the effects of the MVD on the quality of several agro-products and reasonable processing parameters were given, which develop the guidance to the application of MVD on the agro-products dehydration. As a potential drying technology, MVD will be broadly utilized for the other agro-products processing

Properties of intermediate-frequency vacuum arc in sinusoidal curved contact and butt contact

In this report,two new contact structures of a vacuum interrupter with a sinusoidal curved surface are proposed to improve the capability by increasing the surface area.The experimental investigation of vacuum arc at intermediate frequency(360-800 Hz)was conducted and the results were compared with a butt contact with the same contact diameter(41 mm)and the same material.By analyzing the arc behavior,arc voltage characteristics,arc energy,current interrupting capacity,ablation of the anode contact and condensation of the arc products at a 3 mm gap,the differences in their vacuum arc characteristics were determined.The correlations of their arc energy with the amplitude and the frequency of the current were also achieved.Analysis suggests that the ruled curved contact has strong application potentiality because of its low arc energy,low arc voltage noise and arc voltage peak,light ablation on the surface of the anode contact and high interrupting capacity.