Engineering Commons^™

Zinc Plating From Alkaline Non-Cyanide Bath, Abdul J. Mohammed

Masters Theses

“Alkaline non-cyanide zinc plating baths are preferred when trying to avoid the toxicity of cyanide baths or corrosivity of acid baths. Without additives, alkaline zincate baths produce powdery non-adherent deposits which have no use in commercial plating. Additives must be added at optimum concentrations to produce adherent, bright and uniform zinc deposits. In this study electrochemical tests were used to determine effects of additives on cathodic polarization, throwing power and morphology of deposits. Current density distribution in a unique bath of 37.5 g L^-1 Zn and 210 g L^-1 NaOH was modelled using COMSOL and validated two plating …

Printing, Characterization, And Mechanical Testing Of Additively Manufactured Refractory Metal Alloys, Brianna M. Sexton

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

Refractory metal alloys in the tungsten molybdenum rhenium ternary system were additively manufactured using laser power bed fusion. Four ternary alloys with varying concentrations of tungsten, molybdenum, and rhenium were manufactured and manufactured again with an addition of 1 wt% hafnium carbide. Samples were heat treated to heal cracks, reduce porosity, and reduce inhomogeneity. Material microstructure was characterized before and after heat treatment using microscopy, energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy, and electron backscatter diffraction mapping. Mechanical testing was conducted on both three-point bend specimens and compression specimens, resulting in maximum bending strengths of 677.86 MPa, and maximum compression 0.2% yield strengths …

Influence Of Fill Percentage And Baking Parameters On The Feedability Of Metal-Cored Arc Welding Wires, Angelica Marie Black

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

Adequate feedability is essential for GMAW processes to ensure efficiency. The feedability of a wire refers to the wire’s ability to feed continuously through the contact tip. While there are several known causes of feedability difficulties when using cored welding wires, there are many variables that have yet to be explored thoroughly. Three factors are investigated in this research to determine their effects on feedability of cored wires: fill percentage, baking time, and baking temperature. A set of metal-cored arc welding wires were created with various fill percentages, baking times, and baking temperatures. Tension testing, microhardness testing, microstructural characterization, and …

Assessing Mechanical Performance Of Dissimilar Steel Systems Made Via Wire-Arc Additive Manufacturing, Obed Daniel Acevedo

Masters Theses

Hot stamping is part of a specific type of metalworking procedure widely used in the automotive industry. This research seeks to help make hot stamp tooling component production more cost-effective by using large-scale additive manufacturing. Additive manufacturing can produce dissimilar steel components that can be more cost-effective and time-efficient and allow for complex geometries to be made. A dissimilar steel system consisting of 410 martensitic stainless steel and AWS ER70S-6 mild steel is proposed to make hot stamps, making them more cost-efficient. However, the material interface's mechanical behavior in 410SS-mild steel additively manufactured material systems is not well understood. This …

Primary Processing Parameters And Their Influence On Porosity And Fatigue Life Of Additively Manufactured Alloy 718, Luke C. Sheridan

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

In many structural applications void-like defects cause significant performance debits which call for component redesign or post-processing to account for or remove the defects. For laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) processes, it has been shown that many of these features and their size and shape characteristics are controllable through LPBF process parameter manipulation. For design efforts, however, it is necessary to understand the direct influences of processing on the formation of porosity and the role that individual pores and porosity distributions have on the properties and performance of AM components. Additionally, design criteria must be established to facilitate implementation of …

Development Of Lightweight Materials By Meso- And Microstructure Control, Myranda Shea Spratt

Doctoral Dissertations

”In this work, two lightweight structures – lattice structures and metal matrix syntactic foams (MMSF) – were studied. Honeycomb lattices were manufactured by powder bed selective laser melting (SLM) from 304L stainless steel. The wall thicknesses of these structures ranged from 0.2 to 0.5 mm. Surface roughness was the primary cause of dimensional mismatch between the expected and as-built structures with an average wall thickness increase of 0.12 mm. The strength of the honeycombs increased with increasing wall thickness. A feature of the SLM microstructure, the melt pool boundary, was also studied as a part of this work. 3D models …

Metal Coupon Testing In An Axial Rotating Detonation Engine For Wear Characterization, Gary S. North

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

Rotating Detonation Engines (RDE) are being explored as a possible way to get better fuel efficiency for turbine engines than is otherwise possible. The walls of the RDE are subjected to cyclic thermal and mechanical shock loading at rates of approximately 3 KHz, with gas temperatures as high as 2976 K. This project performed testing with Inconel 625 and 304 stainless steel coupons in an RDE outer body to attempt to measure material ablation rates. Significant microstructural changes were observed to include grain growth in both alloys, carbide formation and grain boundary melting in Inconel, and formation of delta ferrite …

Stabilization Of Β-Cristobalite In The Sio2-Alpo4-Bpo4 System, Kathryn Doyle

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

Fused silica (silica glass) is transparent in the optical and near-infrared and has a low dielectric constant, making it suitable as a window material for radio frequency radiation. However, at high temperatures (>1100C), fused silica will easily creep and lose dimensional stability. Crystallized silica is much more creep resistant than fused silica. Silica crystallizes to many different structures including quartz, tridymite, and α- and β cristobalite. The only cubic polymorph, which is suitable for both optical and radio frequency transmission in polycrystalline form, is β -cristobalite. Unfortunately, this polymorph transforms to α-cristobalite at ~300C, and the volume change during …

Optimization Of The Practice Of Slow Cooling Steel Bars: A Redesign And Modernization Of Materials, Eryn Johnston

Mechanical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Throughout the process of steel making, certain grades of steel are a higher risk for defects caused by the inability to quickly diffuse hydrogen through the steel when cooled to room temperature at a normal rate based on the ambient air temperature. To reduce the hydrogen flaking defects that are caused due to hydrogen entrapment in the steel, the process of slow cooling is utilized. This process reduces the cooling rate of steel bars by keeping them at a higher temperature for extended periods and in turn gives the hydrogen a chance to fully dissipate from the steel. In many …

Evaluation Of Electrochemical And Laser Polishing Of Selectively Lasermelted 316l Stainless Steel, Julian R. Lohser

Master's Theses

Selective laser melting has shown incredible growth as a metallic additive manufacturing process in recent years. While it does provide many solutions and new ways to approach challenges, it does not come without issues of its own, namely, surface roughness. In the as-printed state, the surface roughness of selectively laser melted parts is unacceptable for use in engineering applications. Additionally, selective laser melting is used to produce complex geometries with hard to reach features, preventing conventional mechanical polishing from being successful. Therefore, it is necessary to evaluate non-mechanical polishing processes as treatments for surface roughness. In this study, electrochemical and …

Fabrication And Characterizations Of Lithium Aluminum Titanate Phosphate Solid Electrolytes For Li-Based Batteries, Anurag Yaddanapudi

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Demands for electric vehicles and flexible electronics have escalated research in developing high-performance lithium batteries based on solid-state chemistry. The present work is to develop highly-conductive and flexible solid electrolyte for such applications. Lithium aluminum titanate phosphate (LATP or Li1.3Al0.3Ti1.7(PO4)3), both in ceramic pellets and free-standing composite membranes, have been fabricated. The crystal structure, surface morphology, and ionic conductivity are systematically studied. LATP pellets are prepared using solid state reaction approach. The results indicate that calcine temperature has significant impacts on the phase impurity and sintering temperature and duration have more impacts on the grain size and porosity of LATP …

Microstructural Characterization Of LensTm Ti-6al-4v: Investigating The Effects Of Process Variables Across Multiple Deposit Geometries, Laura Christine Davidson

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Laser based additive manufacturing of Ti-6Al-4V components is under consideration for aerospace applications. The mechanical properties of the finished components depend on their microstructure. Process mapping compares process variables such as heat source power, heat source travel speed, material feed rate, part preheat temperature and feature geometry to process outcomes such as microstructure, melt pool geometry and residual stresses. In this work, the microstructure of two-dimensional pads, multilayer pads, thin walls, and structural components at the steady state location was observed. A method for measuring β grain widths that allows for the calculation of standard deviations, confidence intervals, and variances …

Preliminary Investigations Into Selective Laser Melting, David Takeo Otsu

Master's Theses

Selective laser melting is a promising metallic additive manufacturing process with many potential applications in a variety of industries. Through a gracious donation made by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, California Polytechnic State University received and installed an SLM 125 HL selective laser melting machine in February 2017. As part of the initial setup effort, a preliminary machine verification study was conducted to evaluate the general print quality of the machine with default parameter settings. Coincidentally, the as-printed microstructure of SLM components was evaluated through nil strength fracture surface examination, an alternative to conventional polish-and-etch metallography. A diverse set of components …

Process Development And Implementation For The Imaging Of Heat Treated A2 Steel For Consolidation Into An Atlas, Jessica Roberts

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

Material processes, properties, and microstructure are interconnected, often visualized as the points of a triangle. Changing the process a material goes through will in turn change the properties and microstructure of that material. In materials research and education (specifically with metals), comparison between research or experiment results and scholarly-accepted results is important. When reading textbooks addressing different properties of metals and the process of metal treatment, images are often shown of the various microstructures associated with each property or process stage. The difficulty comes in trying to compare the stages or properties to one another; often different materials and processes …

Effect Of Convection Associated With Cross-Section Change During Directional Solidification Of Binary Alloys On Dendritic Array Morphology And Macrosegregation, Masoud Ghods

ETD Archive

This dissertation explores the role of different types of convection on macrosegregation and on dendritic array morphology of two aluminum alloys directionally solidified through cylindrical graphite molds having both cross-section decrease and increase. Al- 19 wt. % Cu and Al-7 wt. % Si alloys were directionally solidified at two growth speed of 10 and 29.1 µm s-1 and examined for longitudinal and radial macrosegregation, and for primary dendrite spacing and dendrite trunk diameter.

Directional solidification of these alloys through constant cross-section showed clustering of primary dendrites and parabolic-shaped radial macrosegregation profile, indicative of “steepling convection” in the mushy-zone. The degree …

Forming A Metal Matrix Nanocomposite (Mmnc) With Fully Dispersed And Deagglomerated Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes (Mwcnts), Mahesh Kumar Pallikonda

ETD Archive

Carbon Nanotubes (CNTs) with their exceptional properties will facilitate the Metal matrix composites (MMC) to exhibit good mechanical properties, thermal and electrical conductivities, corrosion resistance, etc. The critical factor that holds the development of the Metal matrix Nanocomposites (MMNC) by using CNTs is the tendency of CNTs to form clusters (agglomerations) due to their high Van der Waals attractions. Due to this factor, low density and other properties of the CNTs, there has been a delay in harnessing their ultimate potential.
Existing literature in contemporary times from the works of few researches in Nanocomposites shows the prevalence of using surfactants …

The Influence Of Iron On Arctic Thule Migration Patterns, Alina T. Aquino

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Arctic scholars have yet to fully understand the reasons behind the migration of Thule culture from the western to the eastern Arctic. This rapid movement across such a vast area into environmentally diverse regions marks a critical period of cultural change that is usually summarized by two theoretical positions. Ecological theories postulated environmental changes placed selective pressures on traditional food sources that required Thule hunters to follow migrating prey. Theories that focused on material acquisition alternately proposed the Thule followed the trail of meteoric iron eastward into northwestern Greenland.

This research sought to examine the eastward Thule migration from another …

Phase Transformations And Microstructural Evolution In The U-10 Wt.% Mo Alloy With Various Zr Additions At 900c And 650c, Nicholas Eriksson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Reduced Enrichment for Research and Test Reactor (RERTR) now known as the Material Minimization and Management Reactor Control program (MMMRC) seeks to replace the use of highly enriched uranium (HEU) fuels used in research and test nuclear reactors around the world. The low enriched uranium (LEU) fuels must have fissionable uranium densities comparable to the HEU fuels. After extensive investigation by various researchers around the world, the U-Mo alloys were selected as a promising candidate. The Mo alloyed with U allows for the stabilization of the face-centered cubic ?-U phase, which demonstrated favorable irradiation behavior. However, deleterious diffusional interaction …

Metallurgical Optimization Of High Strength Cast Steels With Stage I Tempering, Terrell Owen Webb Jr.

Doctoral Dissertations

“Eglin steel was developed by the U.S. Air Force and Ellwood National Forge Company as a cost-effective, ultrahigh strength steel for use in armament, aerospace, and commercial applications. Eglin steel has been successfully substituted for high alloy steels, such as AF1410 and HP-9-4-20/30, to produce the casing for “bunker buster” bombs where penetration of concrete barriers and rock at high velocity ( > 1000 ft/sec) is desired. Unlike AF1410 and HP-9-4-20/30, Eglin steel is low nickel (nominal 1 wt.%) and contains no cobalt. Given the successful performance of Eglin steel in the casings applications, the Department of Defense has directed that …

Cold Roll Extrusion Machine Redesign Final Design Report, Foja Bains, Bryan Cyr, David Van Schooten

Mechanical Engineering

This report is a comprehensive review of a redesign of subsystems for a Cold Roll Extrusion Machine, a forging operation, for PCC Rollmet. Three subsystems were addressed in this project: A new Loading system, Feed system, and Lubrication system. The Loading system, and support system during developmental design stages, addressed the timely loading process of pipes onto the forging machine. After two quarters of design iteration, the group decided on a lever arm, hydraulic actuated, loading design. In the final quarter of the project, a quarter scale model of this lever arm was constructed to prove the concept of the …

An Intercritical Heat Treatment Study Of High Strength, Microalloyed Ferrous Open Die Forgings, Kelly Elizabeth Stewart

Materials Engineering

High strength, low alloy steel is most commonly utilized in plate or sheet form-with a thickness under 4 in, one unconventional application however, is open die forging where cross-sectional area can be as large as 9.5 in by 11.5 in. When forging to larger section size than one would thermo-mechanically roll sheet steel, a new set of complications, such as variation in microstructure and mechanical properties, arise. This study investigates the heat treatment and processing options needed to negate the inherent microstructural irregularity and Charpy V-Notch (CVN) toughness variation. Intercritical heat treatment—normalizing and then quench and tempering above the A …

Mechanical Properties And Microstructures Of Incoloy 909 Rolled Rings Subjected To A Modified Forging Cycle, Colin Lee Elliott Glaves

Materials Engineering

The microstructure of rolled rings of Incoloy 909 nickel-iron-cobalt superalloy subjected to a standard customer solution and aging treatment exhibited unacceptably large grains. Samples cut from a failed ring were mounted and polished for analysis. The samples were etched with a modified Kalling’s waterless reagent and metallographic analysis was done to identify characteristic large grain structures distributed among the desired smaller grain structures. The large grains were identified and noted for comparison to later samples. Two test rings were forged out of Incoloy 909 using revised forging procedures involving reduced soak temperatures before each forging step. Metallographic samples were cut …

Hybrid Position And Impedance Control Of A Forging Process, Derek Stake

ETD Archive

"Pick and place" robotic material handling has been a key to increase piece rates and reduced variability in forging processes. One of the drawbacks to current "pick and place" robotic material handling methods is the inability to locate the part after a forging operation and move it to the next position in a timely manner. If the billet changes position during the forging process, the manipulator will take longer to find the part and transfer it to the next station or the manipulator will be unable to move the part to the next position correctly which may cause scrap. Another …

Microstructure And Mechanical Properties Of Cold Drawn Steel Wires, Ning Liu

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Cold drawn eutectoid steel wires have been widely used for a variety of applications, such as suspension bridges, steel cords for automobile tires, and springs. Much research has been done to increase their mechanical strength. With advances in modern production technology, both the drawing speed and the quality of drawn steels have been enhanced. After a careful literature survey, it is obvious that some issues are still controversial. As Y.S. Yang, J.G. Bae and C.G. Park mentioned, the lamellar spacing, thickness and volume fraction of cementites have all reached the nanometer regime, and the conventional theory is not enough to …

Investigation Of The Ternary System Silver-Aluminum-Indium (Ag-Al-In), Elvin H. Beardslee

Bachelors Theses and Reports, 1928 - 1970

This thesis paper contains material pertaining to & preliminary investigation of the ternary system Ag-Al-In. Procedures in this preliminary investigation are discussed in detail.

Physico-Chemical Principles Of Sixteenth Century Metallurgy, Robert E. Johnson

Bachelors Theses and Reports, 1928 - 1970

Following a review of sixteenth century metallurgical literature and a discussion of Gibbs free energy, this thesis discusses thermodynamic considerations of galena (PbS) reduction by iron from a lead assay of this period. The importance of fluxes in this assay is emphasized. The discussion covers both equilibrium and non-equilibrium conditions at 1100 degrees Celsius. Possible substitutes for iron are also covered.

Information from twenty-one small controlled lead assays is correlated with the thermodynamic discussion to determine the purpose of each constituent in the assay.

The Effect Of Ph Upon Chelation Reactions In Montmorillonite Clays, Joseph Michael Keane

Bachelors Theses and Reports, 1928 - 1970

The purpose of this thesis is to investigate several chelation reactions and determine the effect of variable pH upon these reactions.

Microradiography Of Metals And Alloys Using A Medical X-Ray Unit, W. R. Byrne

Bachelors Theses and Reports, 1928 - 1970

There is no doubt that the microradiograph technique is of value to the metallurgist. A three-dimensional picture to supplement the photomicrographs should give a true picture of the microstructure. Microradiography can be used where etchants can not differentiate between the various components or where no etchant can be found suitable for a particular alloy.

Investigation Of Inclusions In Armco Ingot Iron, Edwin J. Duncan

Bachelors Theses and Reports, 1928 - 1970

Various chemical and electrolytic separation methods were investigated in an attempt to separate the in­clusions in Armco ingot iron. Residues obtained were X-rayed for identification purposes. The microstruc­tures of this iron were studied with the object of de­termining the relative sizes, locations, and possible compositions of the inclusions.

Polarographic Determination Of Germanium, Calvin Leo Stevenson

Bachelors Theses and Reports, 1928 - 1970

In the past germanium has been determined by either wet methods or by the spectograph; the spectograph being used for the determination of very small amounts of ger­manium and wet methods used when more than one hundredth of one percent germanium is present. Both of these analyti­cal schemes have weaknesses.