Engineering Commons^™

Characterization And Modeling Of The Martensite Transformation In Advanced High-Strength Steels, Stephen Roy Cluff

Theses and Dissertations

Multiple studies on the microstructures of advanced high-strength steels are presented here that seek to add to the already substantial body of knowledge on martensite in steel. These studies seek to gain additional insight into the role that the martensite transformation has on the observed mechanical properties of modern steels. Crystallographic Reconstruction of Parent Austenite Twin Boundaries in a Lath Martensitic Steel The study of post-transformation microstructures and their properties can be greatly enhanced by studying their dependence on the grain boundary content of parent microstructures. Recent work has extended the crystallographic reconstruction of parent austenite in steels to include …

Microstructural Evaluation Of Hydrogen Embrittlement And Successive Recovery In Advanced High Strength Steel, Quentin Scott Allen

Theses and Dissertations

Advanced high strength steels (AHSS) have high susceptibility to hydrogen embrittlement, and are often exposed to hydrogen environments in processing. In order to study the embrittlement and recovery of steel, tensile tests were conducted on two different types of AHSS over time after hydrogen charging. Concentration measurements and hydrogen microprinting were carried out at the same time steps to visualize the hydrogen behavior during recovery. The diffusible hydrogen concentration was found to decay exponentially, and equations were found for the two types of steel. Hydrogen concentration decay rates were calculated to be -0.355 /hr in TBF steel, and -0.225 /hr …

Microstructure Correlation With Formability For Biaxial Stretching Of Magnesium Alloy Az31b At Mildly Elevated Temperatures, David T. Fullwood, Isaac Chelladurai, Michael P. Miles, John E. Carsley, Raj K. Mishra, Irene J. Beyerlein, Marko Knezevic

Faculty Publications

Magnesium AZ31B sheets of 2 mm thickness were stretch formed using a 101.6 mm diameter punch at temperatures from 25°C - 150°C, in 25°C increments. Surface strains were measured using a digital image correlation (DIC) method. The punch height vs load curve was found to be the same for temperatures of 25°C and for 50°C, while at 75°C and above the load for a given punch height started to decrease, indicating a potential change in deformation mechanism. Electron Backscatter Diffraction (EBSD) was used to quantify features of the microstructure in the tested specimens. In particular, the gradual decrease in twinning …

The Effect Of Microstructure On Transport Properties Of Porous Electrodes, Serena Wen Peterson

Theses and Dissertations

The goal of this work is to further understand the relationships between porous electrode microstructure and mass transport properties. This understanding allows us to predict and improve cell performance from fundamental principles. The investigated battery systems are the widely used rechargeable Li-ion battery and the non-rechargeable alkaline battery. This work includes three main contributions in the battery field listed below.

Direct Measurement of Effective Electronic Transport in Porous Li-ion Electrodes. An accurate assessment of the electronic conductivity of electrodes is necessary for understanding and optimizing battery performance. The bulk electronic conductivity of porous LiCoO2-based cathodes was measured as a …

An Investigation Into The Mechanisms Of Formation Of The Hard Zone In Fsw X65, Jacob D. Allred

Theses and Dissertations

Friction stir welding (FSW) of HSLA steel commonly produces a hard zone (HZ) on the advancing side (AS) of the weld. Despite its detrimental effects on weld toughness, the mechanisms of its formation have not been thoroughly investigated and are not well understood. This paper investigates the various mechanisms in FSW believed to affect the weld HZ, namely: strain, strain-rate, peak temperature and cooling rate. Gleeble tests indicate that strain and strain rate have negligible effects on weld HZ with cooling rate and peak temperature as dominant effects. Jominy tests resulted in cooling rate having 270% greater influence than peak …

The Effect Of Cooling Rate Of Friction Stir Welded High Strength Low Alloy Steel, Scott Anthony Rose

Theses and Dissertations

The friction stir welding of steel has produced a hard zone in several different alloys. Despite its detrimental effects on weld toughness, the reasons behind neither its formation nor a method of reducing its size or effects have been explored. Recent advances in process control allow for direct heat input control, which combined with the use of backing plates of different thermal conductivity allows for an expansion of the process window. These control methods also affect the HAZ cooling rate by providing greater range (a 60% increase compared to a fixed backing plate) and control (five welds within 16 °C/s). …

A Hybrid Bishop-Hill Model For Microstructure Sensitive Design, Ribeka Takahashi

Theses and Dissertations

A method is presented for adapting the classical Bishop-Hill model to the requirements of elastic/yield-limited design in metals of arbitrary crystallographic texture. The proposed Hybrid Bishop-Hill (HBH) model, which will be applied to ductile FCC metals, retains the `stress corners' of the polyhedral Bishop-Hill yield surface. However, it replaces the `maximum work criterion' with a criterion that minimizes the Euclidean distance between the applicable local corner stress state and the macroscopic stress state. This compromise leads to a model that is much more accessible to yield-limited design problems. Demonstration of performance for the HBH model is presented for an extensive …

Study On The Fracture Toughness Of Friction Stir Welded Api X80, Allan M. Tribe

Theses and Dissertations

High strength low alloy (HSLA) steels have been developed to simultaneously have high yield strength and high fracture toughness. However, in practical applications steel must be welded. Traditional arc welding has proven detrimental to the fracture toughness of HSLA steels. Friction stir welding has recently shown mixed results in welding HSLA steels. The range of welding parameters used in these recent studies however has been very limited. With only a few welding parameters tested, the effect of spindle speed, travel speed, and heat input on the fracture toughness of friction stir welded HSLA steel remains unknown. To understand how the …

A New Eulerian-Based Double Continuity Model For Predicting The Evolution Of Pair Correlation Statistics Under Large Plastic Deformations, Sadegh Ahmadi

Theses and Dissertations

A new model using a double-continuity relation for predicting the evolution of pair-correlation functions (PCFs) is presented. The proposed model was developed using statistical continuum theory and is employed to predict the viscoplastic behavior of polycrystalline materials. This model was built based upon the continuity relations and a double divergence law that guarantees the conservation of both orientation and mass; and also satisfies the field equations (equilibrium, constitutive, and compatibility) at every point of the polycrystalline material throughout the deformation process. In the presented model, motion of particles in the real space and rotation of crystallographic orientations in the Euler …

Investigation Of Heterogeneity Of Fsw Inconel 718 Coupled With Welding Thermal Cycle, Dong Fang Huang

Theses and Dissertations

In order to develop a better understanding of the property, microstructure evolution and thermal history of FSW Inconel 718's, the strain, strain rate and thermal cycles need to be determined. In order to estimate the strain field of a deformed body, a displacement function needs to be determined. A 3D deformation model was developed to determine the displacement coefficients. A rectangular box created in this model deforms following a linear displacement function. Three orthogonal planes cut this deformed box, which leads to three deformed planes. The shape parameters (L, H, θ¹ and θ²) on the three orthogonal planes can be …

Object Oriented Cae Software For The Exploration And Design Of Microstructures, Stephen D. Sintay

Theses and Dissertations

Through the use of generalized spherical harmonic basis functions a spectral representation is used to model the microstructure of cubic materials. This model is then used to predict the macroscopic elastic and plastic properties of materials with cubic crystal symmetry and various sample symmetry including triclinic and axial—symmetric. Building on the work of citeN{Barnett-FractureMechanics} the influence that anisotropy has on the fatigue response of the material is also modeled. This is accomplished through using the effective elastic stiffness tensor in the computation of crack extension force G. The resulting material model and macroscopic property calculations are the foundation for …

Recovery Of The Grain Boundary Character Distribution Through Oblique Double-Sectioning, Brent L. Adams, David T. Fullwood, E. R. Homer

Faculty Publications

This work was supported primarily by the MRSEC program of the National Science Foundation under DMR-0079996. A method for the retrieval of the complete grain boundary character distribution by oblique double-sectioning is proposed. The method, which is similar to the recovery of the orientation distribution from sets of incomplete pole-figures, is efficient and provides many advantages as compared to calibrated serial sectioning. As compared to standard stereological approaches, the new methodology retains the advantage of direct measurement of the grain boundary inclination parameters. Solutions to the fundamental equation of oblique double-sectioning are provided in the Fourier space, and some specifics …

An Analysis Of Microstructure And Corrosion Resistance In Underwater Friction Stir Welded 304l Stainless Steel, Tad Dee Clark

Theses and Dissertations

An effective procedure and parameter window was developed for underwater friction stir welding (UWFSW) 304L stainless steel with a PCBN tool. UWFSW produced statistically significant: increases in yield strengths, decreases in percent elongation. The ultimate tensile strength was found to be significantly higher at certain parameters. Although sigma was identified in the UWFSWs, a significant reduction of sigma was found in UWFSWs compared to ambient FSWs. The degree of sensitization in UWFSWs was evaluated using double loop EPR testing and oxalic acid electro-etched metallography. Results were compared to base metal, ambient FSW, and arc welds. Upper and lower sensitization localization …

Two-Dimensional Grain Boundary Percolation In Alloy 304 Stainless Steel, Brent L. Adams, John A. Basinger, David T. Fullwood, E. R. Homer

Faculty Publications

This work was supported by the MRSEC program of the National Science Foundation under Award Number DMR-0079996. An experimentally-obtained percolation threshold for high-angle random grain boundary networks in alloy 304 stainless steel is compared to thresholds predicted by percolation theory. A discrepancy occurs in the two values (0.46 experimental and 0.65 theoretical). Possible reasons for the discrepancy are explored. The grain boundary network appears to be composed of two distinct sub-networks, with the 'outer' network acting as the dominant contributor to the percolating paths.

New Stereology For The Recovery Of Grain-Boundary Plane Distributions In The Crystal Frame, Brent L. Adams, Ryan J. Larsen

Faculty Publications

One of the authors (RJL) is grateful to the Office of Naval Research for fellowship support. BLA acknowledges the support of the NSF through the Materials Research Science and Engineering Center, Carnegie Mellon University (Grant No. DMR-0079996). A new experimental method is given for recovering the probability-distribution function Sv(ns/g). The function Sv(na/g) is the grain-boundary area per unit volume as a function of grain-boundary plane orientation (na), given a lattice misorientation (g) between the adjoining grains. The grain-boundary normal (na) is expressed in the crystal frame in which the misorientation g originates. The proposed method recovers the three-dimensional Sv(na/g) function …

Effects Of Friction Stir Processing On The Microstructure And Mechanical Properties Of Fusion Welded 304l Stainless Steel, Colin J. Sterling

Theses and Dissertations

Friction stir processing (FSP) has been utilized to locally process regions of arc weldments in 304L stainless steel to improve the microstructure and mechanical performance. The cast microstructure and coarse delta-ferrite has been replaced with a fine-grained wrought microstructure. Furthermore, twins were introduced throughout the friction stir processed region. Although sub-surface sigma and carbides were introduced during FSP, their presence is not expected to adversely affect the resulting mechanical or corrosion properties of friction stir processed 304L arc welds. The resulting mechanical properties of FS processed weldments were also an improvement over as-welded arc welds. FSP resulted in an increase …

Effects Of Friction Stir Welding On Polymer Microstructure, Seth R. Strand

Theses and Dissertations

This work establishes the relationships between several key Friction Stir Welding process parameters and the resulting microstructural and flexural properties of the welded joint. A series of four single parameter experiments were run. The parameters investigated were pin diameter, feedrate, shoe temperature, and pressure time. Butt welds were made in 6 mm thick stress-relieved extruded polypropylene sheet. Three-point bend tests were used to determine the ultimate flexural strength and coincident strain. The maximum bend angle before failure was used to label the welds as "good or bad." An optical microscope capable of cross polarization was used to examine and photograph …

Microstructures By Design: Linear Problems In Elastic-Plastic Design, Brent L. Adams, B. Henrie, M. Lyon

Faculty Publications

Materials microstructure is considered to be a design variable in the methodology called microstructure sensitive design (MSD). Based upon existing homogenization relations, relating the first-order representation of microstructure (the local state distribution function) to elastic and yield properties, the paper describes the construction of properties closures. These establish the theoretically-possible combinations of properties achievable by the set of all possible microstructures, which is called the microstructure hull. Exemplary homogenization relations are shown to be, typically, hypersurfaces (often hyperplanes) in the Fourier space in which the microstructure hull resides. All points lying on (or to one side of) the hypersurface, that …

Microstructure Design Of A Two Phase Composite Using Two-Point Correlation Functions, Brent L. Adams, H. Garmestani, G. Saheli

Faculty Publications

This work has been funded under the AFOSR Grant no. F49620-03-1-0011 and Army Research Lab contract no. DAAD17-02-P-0398 and DAAD 19-01-1-0742. Two-point distribution functions are used here as to introduce "Microstructure Sensitive Design" in two-phase composites. Statistical distribution functions are commonly used for the representation of microstructures and also for homogenization of materials properties. The use of two-point statistics allows the composite designer to include the morphology and distribution in addition to the properties of the individual phases and components. Statistical continuum mechanics is used to make a direct link between the microstructure and properties (elastic and plastic) in terms …

A Texture Evolution Model In Cubic-Orthotropic Polycrystalline System, Brent L. Adams, H. Garmestani, D. S. Li

Faculty Publications

This work has been funded under the AFOSR Grant # F49620-03-1-0011 and Army Research Lab Contract # DAAD17-02-P-0398 and DAAD 19-01-1-0742. B.L. Adams acknowledges support of Army Research Office, Proposal No. 42566-MS. The authors express their sincere gratitude to Professor Surya Kalidindi, for helpful suggestions and correspondence for the derivation of the processing path functions. A new methodology based on a conservation principle in the orientation space is developed to simulate the texture evolution in a cubic-orthotropic polycrystalline system. A least squares error method was used to improve the accuracy of the simulation results obtained from the texture evolution function. …

Incorporating Functionally Graded Materials And Precipitation Hardening Into Microstructure Sensitive Design, Mark Edward Lyon

Theses and Dissertations

The methods of MSD are applied to the design of functionally graded materials. Analysis models are presented to allow the design of compliant derailleur for a case study and constraints are placed on the design. Several methods are presented for relating elements of the microstructure to the properties of the material, including Taylor yield theory, Hill elastic bounds, and precipitation hardening.

Applying n-point statistics to the MSD framework is also discussed. Some results are presented for the information content of the 2-point correlation statistics that follow from the methods used to integrate functionally graded materials into MSD.

For the compliant …

Spectral Integration Of Microstructure And Design, Brent L. Adams, B. Henrie, M. Lyon, H. Garmestani, Surya R. Kalidindi

Faculty Publications

Support of the Army Research Office is greatly appreciated. Mechanical design can be conducted in a framework where consideration of microstructure as a continuous design variable is facilitated by the use of a Fourier space. Selection of the mechanical framework for the problem (e.g., mechanical constitutive model and homogenization relations) dictates the dimensionality of the pertinent microstructure representation. Microstructure is comprised of basic elements that belong to the local state space. Local state includes crystallographic phase and orientation, and other parameters such as composition. The local state space is transformed into an isomorphic set in Fourier space. The universe of …

Extracting The Relative Grain Boundary Free Energy And Mobility Functions From The Geometry Of Microstructures, Brent L. Adams, D. Kinderlehrer, W. W. Mullins, Anthony D. Rollett, Shlomo Ta'asan

Faculty Publications

This work was supported primarily by the MRSEC Program of the National Science Foundation under Award Number DMR-9632556. This paper describes a method for extracting, from measurements of a polycrystal, the relative excess free energy and the relative mobility of the grain boundaries as functions of the crystallographic type (five degrees of freedom) and relevant thermodynamic variables. The method requires the simultaneous measurement of both the geometry and the crystallography of a large number of grain boundary intersections; the crystallographic information may be obtained from orientation imaging microscopy (OIM). For simplicity, the intersections will be assumed to be triple junctions …