Composite materials/structures are advancing in product efficiency, cost-effectiveness and the development of superior specific properties. There are increasing demands in their applications to ...load-carrying structures in aerospace, wind turbines, transportation, medical equipment and so on. Thus, robust and reliable non-destructive testing of composites is essential to reduce safety concerns and maintenance costs. There have been various non-destructive testing methods built upon different principles for quality assurance during the whole lifecycle of a composite product. This article reviews the most established non-destructive testing techniques for detection and evaluation of defects/damage evolution in composites. These include acoustic emission, ultrasonic testing, infrared thermography, terahertz testing, shearography, digital image correlation, as well as X-ray and neutron imaging. For each non-destructive testing technique, we cover a brief historical background, principles, standard practices, equipment and facilities used for composite research. We also compare and discuss their benefits and limitations and further summarise their capabilities and applications to composite structures. Each non-destructive testing technique has its own potential and rarely achieves a full-scale diagnosis of structural integrity. Future development of non-destructive testing techniques for composites will be directed towards intelligent and automated inspection systems with high accuracy and efficient data processing capabilities.
Ultrasound processing of metal alloys is an environmental friendly and promising green technology for liquid metal degassing and microstructural refinement. However many fundamental issues in this ...field are still not fully understood, because of the difficulties in direct observation of the dynamic behaviours caused by ultrasound inside liquid metal and semisolid metals during the solidification processes. In this paper, we report a systematic study using the ultrafast synchrotron X-ray imaging (up to 271,554 frame per second) technique available at the Advanced Photon Source, USA and Diamond Light Source, UK to investigate the dynamic interactions between the ultrasonic bubbles/acoustic flow and the solidifying phases in a Bi-8%Zn alloy. The experimental results were complimented by numerical modelling. The chaotic bubble implosion and dynamic bubble oscillations were revealed in-situ for the first time in liquid metal and semisolid metal. The fragmentation of the solidifying Zn phases and breaking up of the liquid-solid interface by ultrasonic bubbles and enhanced acoustic flow were clearly demonstrated and agreed very well with the theoretical calculations. The research provides unambiguous experimental evidence and robust theoretical interpretation in elucidating the dominant mechanisms of microstructure fragmentation and refinement in solidification under ultrasound.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZRSKP
Smart materials and structures are capable of active or passive changes in terms of shapes (geometries), properties, and mechanical or electromagnetic responses, in reaction to an external stimulus, ...such as light, temperature, stress, moisture, and electric or magnetic fields ...
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IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UL, UM, UPUK
Cold spray (CS) is a solid-state additive material deposition technique, which has gained attention in the aerospace industry as a potentially viable technology for structural repair of high-value ...parts made of high-strength alloys such as Ti-6Al-4V (Ti-64). Residual stresses build up in the substrate and deposited materials resulting from the CS process can influence the integrity of a coating or repair. However, the nature, magnitude and distribution of residual stresses in Ti-64/Ti-64 CS repairs are currently unknown. This study aims to evaluate the effects of geometrical variables (i.e. the number of CS layers, CS layer thickness, and substrate thickness) and track pattern on the magnitude and distribution of residual stresses in CS deposit-substrate assemblies. Through-thickness stress distributions were measured experimentally by neutron diffraction and contour method. Furthermore, a comparison among different residual stress build-up mechanisms induced by CS processes has been discussed for different combinations of substrate and deposit assemblies. An analytical model based on the force and moment equilibrium requirements was used to interpret the experimental stress profiles and to predict the residual stress distribution. It was found that residual stresses are highly tensile near the free surface of the Ti-64 deposits as well as towards the bottom of the substrate, and compressive near the interface region. Although all the specimens showed similar stress distribution, the magnitudes were found to be higher in one or more of the following cases: specimens with a higher number of CS layers, lower substrate thickness, higher layer thickness (i.e. at lower scanning speed), and deposited with a horizontal track pattern.
•Residual stresses induced by cold spraying of Ti-6Al-4 V were evaluated using neutron diffraction and contour method.•A parametric study was performed on the influence of geometrical and process variables on residual stresses.•An analytical method was used to interpret the experimental results and to compare different stress build-up mechanisms.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZRSKP
A bistable composite tape-spring (CTS) is stable in both the extended and coiled configurations, with fibres oriented at ±45°. It is light weight and multifunctional, and has attracted growing ...interest in shape-adaptive and energy harvesting systems in defence-, civil- and, especially aerospace engineering. The factors governing its bistability have been well-understood, but there is limited research concerning the mechanics of structural failure: here, we investigate the shear failure mechanisms in particular. We perform in-situ neutron diffraction on composite specimens using the ENGIN-X neutron diffractometer at Rutherford Appleton Laboratory (STFC, UK), and shear failure is characterised at both macroscopic and microscopic scales. Elastic and viscoelastic strain evolutions at different strain levels reveal the fundamentals of micromechanical shear failure, and their temperature dependency. Multiscale shear failure mechanisms are then proposed, which will benefit the optimisation of structural design to maintain structural integrity of CTS in aerospace applications.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
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•Effect of VIM remelt vacuum drop near actual production condition of Ni-base superalloy was evaluated.•The ppm level oxide species were investigated by combining EB button and ...synchrotron XRD.•Vacuum drop to 100 Pa for 10 min has minor effect on oxygen total amount and strength of alloy.•VIM remelt vacuum drop boosts the amount of oxide inclusions and decrease the ductility.•Trace amount of oxide inclusions should be considered apart from the typical measurement of gas content only.
The effects of vacuum induction melting (VIM) vacuum (<1 Pa–100 Pa) on gas content, oxide inclusions and mechanical properties of Ni-based superalloy K4648 has been investigated by electron beam (EB) button experiment under high vacuum (10-3 Pa) and high resolution synchrotron X-ray powder diffraction (SXPD). The results indicated that VIM remelting vacuum drop has obvious effect on the existing form of trace oxygen. The total amount of oxygen did not increase significantly but a dramatic increase in the amount of oxide inclusions by 1–2 orders of magnitude was found. The inclusions are mainly oxides including Al2O3, Cr2O3, NiAl2O4 and complex oxides or sulfides. Remelting under 100–110 Pa has no significant effect on mechanical properties such as stress rupture life and tensile strength but decreased ductility obviously. In comparison to the normal vacuum counterpart, the tensile elongation and impact ductility of the alloy remelted under lower vacuum level decreased by 67% and 39%, respectively. This study reveals the relationship between the vacuum level and mechanical properties of superalloys and highlights the trace amount of oxide inclusions which should be considered as one of the key issues for the cleanliness of virgin or revert superalloys apart from the typical measurement of the gas content only.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
Considerable progress has been made in studying the mechanism and effectiveness of using ultrasound waves to manipulate the solidification microstructures of metallic alloys. However, uncertainties ...remain in both the underlying physics of how microstructures evolve under ultrasonic waves, and the best technological approach to control the final microstructures and properties. We used the ultrafast synchrotron X-ray phase contrast imaging facility housed at the Advanced Photon Source, Argonne National Laboratory, US to study
in situ
the highly transient and dynamic interactions between the liquid metal and ultrasonic waves/bubbles. The dynamics of ultrasonic bubbles in liquid metal and their interactions with the solidifying phases in a transparent alloy were captured
in situ
. The experiments were complemented by the simulations of the acoustic pressure field, the pulsing of the bubbles, and the associated forces acting onto the solidifying dendrites. The study provides more quantitative understanding on how ultrasonic waves/bubbles influence the growth of dendritic grains and promote the grain multiplication effect for grain refinement.
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EMUNI, FIS, FZAB, GEOZS, GIS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, MFDPS, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, SBMB, SBNM, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK, VKSCE, ZAGLJ
We successfully prepared an Fe22Co20Ni19Cr20Mn12Al7 alloy consisting of a face-center cubic (fcc) phase and body-center cubic (bcc) phase that exhibits an outstanding combination of true strength of ...1430 MPa and ductility of 19.9% at room temperature (RT). The micromechanical behavior at RT and 77 K for the studied alloy during tensile deformation was investigated using in situ time-of-flight (TOF) neutron diffraction in combination with synchrotron-based high-energy X-ray diffraction (HE-XRD). Here, the striking finding of a large elastic strain of 7.0% and 5.6% is reported for the {200} bcc crystal plane, which was achieved at RT and 77 K, respectively. Such a large lattice distortion observed in the bcc phase was attributed to a new type of stress-induced confined martensitic transformation. We attributed the physical origin of this specific martensitic transformation to the intrinsic microstructural feature of a nano-scale continuous distribution of an ordered-to-disordered crystal structure within the bcc phase, i.e., the disordered A2-structure was distributed continuously in the ordered B2-structure matrix. The stress-induced martensitic transformation from the metastable nano-sized disordered A2-phase was confined by the stable B2-ordered matrix. The new findings in this study provide additional understanding of the deformation mechanisms of high-entropy alloys and insights into alloy design for further enhancement of the mechanical properties of high-performance structural materials used at cryogenic temperatures.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
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Eutectic high entropy alloys are gaining increasing attention due to their excellent castability and combination of strength and ductility in the as-cast state. However, the detailed ...behavior of the nano-scale lamellar microstructure during deformation, and in particular the interaction between the phases, is not well understood. Here we use in-situ neutron diffraction during tensile testing over a wide temperature range (77–673 K) to obtain new insights into the temperature dependent mechanical interactions between and within phases during initial plastic deformation of an AlCoCrFeNi2.1 eutectic high entropy alloy. The load was transferred from the L12 to the B2 phase during the yielding process, and the changing load distribution within the L12 phase with increasing temperature strongly suggests that {001} cube slip is activated at room temperature and above. This points towards alloying design for delayed octahedral-to-cube slip transition as a possible strategy for increasing the high temperature strength of material.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
eMAP is a new proposed high flux medium-resolution time-of-flight engineering diffractometer that will be built at ISIS Target Station 2. Monte Carlo simulations were performed to optimise the ...neutron guide to maximise brilliance transfer. eMAP features great flexibility in tuning for flux or resolution. The diffractometer achieves a figure of merit that surpasses the ENGIN-X diffractometer at ISIS by more than a factor 10. The new instrument will bring additional capacity and advanced stress measurement capabilities to the engineering diffraction user programme at the ISIS Neutron and Muon Source.
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IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UL, UM, UPUK
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