Showing papers by "Jens Gibmeier published in 2013"

Numerical study of internal load transfer in metal/ceramic composites based on freeze-cast ceramic preforms and experimental validation

Abstract: The elastic–plastic deformation and internal load transfer in metal/ceramic composites are studied in this work both numerically and experimentally. The composite was fabricated by squeeze-casting AlSi12 melt in an open porous preform made by freeze-casting and drying of alumina suspension. Such composites exhibit a complex microstructure composed of lamellar domains. Single-domain samples were extracted from bulk material. Uniaxial compression tests were carried out parallel to the direction of the alternating metallic alloy and ceramic lamellae in the plane normal to the direction of freeze-casting. This loading mode is selected as highest load transfer occurs when loaded along the ceramic lamellae. Numerical modeling was done using the finite element method using quasi-3D microstructure based on metallographic 2D section and a modified Voigt homogenization technique assuming plastic behavior of the metallic alloy, absence of any damage and ideal interface between the phases. Internal load transfer mechanism was predicted for composites with different ceramic volume fractions. Results show that at any applied stress, as the ceramic content increases, the phase stress in alumina along the loading direction continuously decreases. Experimental validation of the numerical results is carried out by in-situ compression test along with energy dispersive synchrotron X-ray diffraction in one sample with 41 vol% ceramic. Results show that both the numerical techniques yield similar results, which match well with the experimental measurements. The ratio of the phase stress to the applied stress in alumina reaches a highest value between 2 and 2.5 up to a compressive stress of about 300 MPa. At higher applied stresses both the experimentally determined lattice microstrain and the phase stress along the loading direction in alumina decrease due to the initiation of possible damage. This study shows that the applied economic and more flexible homogenization technique is a viable tool for modeling of this composite structure.

Residual Stress in Steel Fusion Welds Joined Using Low Transformation Temperature (LTT) Filler Material

Abstract: Welding residual stress is of major concern for structural integrity assessment in industrial components. Shear and volume strains resulting from the austenite-martensite-transformation affect the development of residual stress during welding. Controlling the phase transformation allows adjustment of the welding residual stress. Low transformation temperature (LTT) weld filler materials exhibiting reduced MS-temperatures allow postponing the phase transformation. The associated strain arising from the delayed transformation compensates for the thermal contraction strains and as such may reduce tensile or even introduce compressive residual stress. In this article we discuss the tri-axial residual stress distribution in 15 mm S690Q steel plates joined with LTT filler materials with 10 wt% Cr and a Ni-content that varies from 8 to 12 wt%. Using complementary synchrotron X-ray and neutron diffraction stress analysis the macroscopic residual stress was derived from the phase specific lattice strain and phase fraction of martensite and retained austenite, respectively. The local phase specific unstrained lattice parameters were determined using stress relieved combs. The investigation revealed increasing phase fraction of retained austenite with increasing Ni-content. Further, independent of the Ni-content in each weld in the fusion zone, significant compressive residual stresses were found in the longitudinal direction, which are balanced by tensile residual stresses in the heat affected zone (HAZ). In the weld transverse and normal direction the stress distribution is qualitatively similar but less in magnitude. The increased amount of retained austenite reduces the compressive stress arising from shear and volume strains during the delayed phase transformation and therefore no significant increase in compression was observed for decreasing MS-temperatures.

Residual Stress Analysis on Thick Film Systems by the Incremental Hole-Drilling Method – Simulation and Experimental Results

Abstract: The residual stress state in thick film systems, as for example thermal spray coatings, is crucial for many of the component’s properties and for the evaluation of the integrity of the coating under thermal and/or mechanical loading. Therefore it is necessary to be able to determine the local residual stress distribution in the coating, at the interface and in the substrate. The incremental hole-drilling method is a widely used method for measuring residual stress depth profiles, which was already applied for thermally sprayed coatings. But so far no reliable hole-drilling evaluation method exists for layered materials having a stress gradient in depth. The objective was to investigate, how far existing evaluation methods of the incremental hole-drilling method that are only valid for residual stress analysis of homogenous material states can be applied to thick film systems with coating thicknesses between 50 μm and 1000 μm and to point out the application limits for these already existing methods. A systematic Finite Element (FE) study was carried out for coating systems with an axisymmetric residual stress state σ1 = σ2. It is shown that conventional evaluation methods developed for homogeneous, non-layered material states can be successfully applied for a stress evaluation in the substrate and the coating for small and for sufficiently large coating thicknesses, respectively, regardless of the type of evaluation algorithm used i.e. the differential or the integral method. The same accounts for material combinations that have a Young’s modulus ratio close to one, between 0.8 and 1.2. The studies indicated that outside the given ranges case specific calibration must be applied to calculate reliable results. Further, calibration data were determined case specifically for a selected model coating system. The accuracy of a residual stress determination using these case specific calibration data was examined and the sensitivity of the evaluation with respect to an accurate knowledge of the boundary conditions of the coating system i.e. the coating thickness and the Young modulus was studied systematically. Finally, the calibration data were applied on a thermally sprayed aluminium coating on a steel substrate analysis and the results for using the incremental hole drilling method were compared to results from X-ray stress analysis.

Laser Surface Hardening of Steel: Effect of Process Atmosphere on the Microstructure and Residual Stresses

Abstract: The effect of processing atmosphere on the microstructure and residual stresses are studied for laser surface hardening on steel samples of grade AISI 4140. Samples were hardened in air, vacuum and inert gas atmosphere (Helium) by means of a stationary laser beam. A high-power diode laser (HPDL) system was used in combination with a custom-designed process chamber. Residual stress distributions in lateral and in depth direction were analysed after laser processing by means of X-ray diffraction according to the well known sin² - method. X-ray residual stress analyses were supplemented by microscopic investigations of the local microstructure. The results indicate a widening of the compressive stressed region in lateral as well as in depth direction by surface hardening in inert gas atmosphere compared to laser surface hardening in air or vacuum atmosphere. This is due to the local heating flux distribution during the laser assisted heat treatment which is strongly affected by the processing atmosphere an leads to an extension of the hardening zone when using helium as inert gas.

Influence of the Interfacial Roughness on Residual Stress Analysis of Thick Film Systems by Incremental Hole Drilling

Abstract: Thick film systems with coating thicknesses between 50 and 1000 µm are often fabricated by thermal spray processes. During the deposition and due to the substrate pre-treatment residual stresses, which influence the coating properties, develop. Due to the substrate preconditioning thermal spray coatings exhibit a large interfacial roughness. This study investigates the application of the incremental hole-drilling method on thermal spray coatings. The focus is on the influence of the interfacial roughness on the residual stress evaluation. A systematic FE-study was carried out in order to minimize the final error for the residual stress evaluation. The simulation results are transferred to experimental hole-drilling results of a thermally sprayed model thick film system. Finally, the hole-drilling results are compared to the residual stress depth profile that was determined by X-ray diffraction in combination with successive electrochemical layer removal. The results clearly show that the effect of the interfacial roughness can be neglected for residual stress calculation if the mean coating thickness is properly considered for calculation of the calibration function / parameters.

Metal-ceramic-composite casting of complex micro components

Abstract: Metal-ceramic-composite casting has a huge potential as a new manufacturing method for the production of complex-shaped micro sized parts or microsystems consisting of different metals and ceramics. The fundamental advantage of this method is the capability of multi-component part fabrication in one step avoiding first time consuming joining or assembling techniques; second the used material combinations can fulfill complex functionalities and enhanced mechanical properties. One of the most challenging factors in micro composite casting is a stable mechanical bonding between the used individual materials. But under consideration of the different physical properties like thermal expansion coefficient as well as of the wettability of the ceramic inserts and of the applied metal casting material it is possible to manufacture form and force fitting microsystems. Within the framework of this feasibility study complex metal-ceramic micro composites have been realized successfully using the lost-wax casting process. Casting experiments were performed at different muffle preheating temperatures with Al-bronze of the type CuAl10Ni5Fe4 as casting material. The ceramic parts, respectively inserts cast around by metal are micro gear wheels (2.5 mm diameter) consisting of ZrO2 and Al2O3.

Neutron Residual Strain Surface Scans - Experimental Results and Monte Carlo Simulations

Abstract: Precise determination of diffraction peak positions is of particular importance for the evaluation of residual strains. Neutrons are commonly used to probe residual strains from material volumes in depths of several millimetres under the sample surface. However, neutron strain analyses are critical for the near surface region. When scanning close to a sample surface, aberration peak shifts arise, which can be of the same order as the peak shifts related to residual strains [1]. Series of Monte Carlo (M.C.) simulations using the software package RESTRAX/SIMRES [2] were carried out to simulate the peak shift as a function of gauge volume depth, monochromator curvature and other instrumental parameters, which can be used to quickly optimise the experimental setup for direct measuring residual strains near the sample surface at an arbitrary surface orientation. The M.C. simulations were compared and agree very well with the experimental data, not only for a stress free steel sample but as well for a deep rolled steel sample, measured at the STRESS-SPEC diffractometer at the research reactor FRM II, Garching (Germany).

Load Partitioning Study in a 3D Interpenetrating AlSi12/Al2O3 Metal/Ceramic Composite

Abstract: Internal load transfer in an interpenetrating metal/ceramic composite has been studied in this work using energy dispersive synchrotron X-ray diffraction. One of the samples was loaded in tension and the other one in compression. In each case, the sample was first loaded into the elastic-plastic regime, unloaded to zero stress, and reloaded beyond the prior maximum stress. Results show that at stress amounts greater than 100 MPa aluminum deforms plastically and the load is transferred to alumina and silicon. Unloading and reloading typically show reverse plastic deformation, Bauschinger effect and strain hardening in aluminum.

Fatigue strengthening of an orthopedic Ti6Al4V alloy: what is the potential of a final shot peening process?

Abstract: Mechanical surface treatments locally deform a metal substrate, introducing high compressive stresses at their surface. This has been shown to positively influence the fatigue endurance strength of cyclically loaded parts, e.g. in the aerospace industry. Hour-glass shaped specimens made of an orthopedic standard titanium alloy (Ti6Al4V) were shot peened and subjected to a simusoidal bending load condition up to a total of 107 cycles or until fracture occurred. Residual stress profiles were determined with high compressive stresses of over 800 MPa and a maximum penetration depth of 130 μm. Surface roughness was increased by 840% compared to the untreated condition. In conclusion, shot peening shows the potential to increase fatigue strength by 12.3% and represents a great option for Ti6Al4V parts that are susceptible to high stresses, e.g. modular total joint replacements or implants for trauma surgery.