Kk K. Chow

Bio: Kk K. Chow is an academic researcher from Hong Kong Polytechnic University. The author has contributed to research in topics: Strain rate & Superplasticity. The author has an hindex of 1, co-authored 1 publications receiving 8 citations.

On Practical Forming Limits in Superplastic Forming of Aluminum Sheet

Abstract: In this paper, the superplastic forming (SPF) potential of two fine-grained 5083 aluminum alloys were studied under various stress states with the use of both high temperature tensile testing and pneumatic bulge testing. Experiments with the pneumatic bulge test were performed at temperatures ranging from 475 to 525 °C under three different strain paths ranging from equi-biaxial to approaching plane strain. The effects of temperature on total elongation, m-value, final thickness distribution, dome height, and cavitation were investigated for the case of uniaxial and equi-biaxial stretching. Increased temperature in bulge forming was found to improve the thickness distribution in the formed parts, but did not have a significant effect on dome height. The shape of the forming limit diagram (FLD) was found to be significantly different than that of FLDs commonly used in room temperature stamping. Results indicate that determination of forming limits in SPF cannot be represented with a simple FLD and additional metrics such as external thinning and internal cavitation need to be considered to determine a material’s SPF potential.

Friction stir processing of aluminum alloys

Abstract: OF THESIS FRICTION STIR PROCESSING OF ALUMINUM ALLOYS Friction stir processing (FSP) is one of the new and promising thermomechanical processing techniques that alters the microstructural and mechanical properties of the material in single pass to achieve maximum performance with low production cost in less time using a simple and inexpensive tool. Preliminary studies of different FS processed alloys report the processed zone to contain fine grained, homogeneous and equiaxed microstructure. Several studies have been conducted to optimize the process and relate various process parameters like rotational and translational speeds to resulting microstructure. But there is only a little data reported on the effect of the process parameters on the forces generated during processing, and the resulting microstructure of aluminum alloys especially AA5052 which is a potential superplastic alloy. In the present work, sheets of aluminum alloys were friction stir processed under various combinations of rotational and translational speeds. The processing forces were measured during the process and the resulting microstructure was analyzed using TEM. The results indicate that the processing forces and the microstructure evolved during FSP are sensitive to the rotational and translational speed. It is observed that the forces generated increase with the increasing rotational speed. The grain refinement was observed to vary directly with rotational speed and inversely with the translational speed. Also these forces generated were proportional to the grain refinement i.e., greater refinement of grains occurred at lower forces. Thus the choice of process parameters especially the rotational speed has a significant effect on the control and optimization of the process.

Effect of temperature on fatigue crack growth in P92 steel

Abstract: Fracture at high temperature has become a critical problem for such high temperature components as those used in power plants or oil refinery plants, because both high operating temperature and pressure are required for better thermal efficiency. Therefore, it is very important to approach such problems from the viewpoint of high temperature material properties. Since fatigue and creep are closely related to such components failures, the fracture behavior in high temperature components must be evaluated through fatigue and creep crack growth tests, and based on these results, better operating conditions can be determined. In this study, recently developed P92 (9Cr-2W) alloy steel, which is a high strength material for high temperature use, is investigated and its fatigue crack growth has been characterized by Paris law. A series of high temperature fatigue tests were carried out at 400, 500, 550, 600, 625, 650, and 700°C to verify the temperature effect. The results indicated that the Paris exponent remained at approximately the same value up to a certain temperature. From 600 to 700°C, creep rupture tests were conducted in order to investigate the creep behavior with temperature. Further analysis has also been carried out to investigate the effect of temperature on fracture mode shift, dimple formation, and its role in crack growth rate and deformability at high temperature.