Metallurgy Commons^™

Synthesis And Stabilization Of Gold Nanoparticles From Chloride And Cyanide Systems, Kathryn Ariela Bozer

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

Generating gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) from gold chloride solution by precipitating with compounds can be difficult due to the potentially required high temperatures. Tin chloride can be used to overcome this dilemma. The process that is known to make Purple of Cassius is a method where gold chloride and tin chloride solutions are mixed to form AuNPs and tin oxide precipitate. However, it is modified by adding hydrazine to resolubilize the tin oxide and provide a more stable solution for the AuNPs. A three-factor central composite experimentally designed model was created using Design Expert incorporating pH, temperature, and gold concentration as …

A Novel Method For Making Titanium Dioxide For Photocatalytic Applications, Gary Wilson

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

Titanium dioxide possesses near-ideal properties for large-scale application as a photocatalyst. It is cheap and abundant, nontoxic, and environmentally safe. However, it still suffers from logistical problems preventing its application in industry: namely, rapid electron-hole recombination and inability to utilize visible light. For nearly five decades researchers in this booming field have made numerous attempts to address these problems, doping and combining titanium dioxide with a wide range of materials. A novel ambient-temperature approach to synthesis and doping/modification of anatase-form titanium dioxide was attempted using both oxygen-rich and oxygen deprived synthetic routes. Reactants were exposed to various wavelengths of ultraviolet …

Effect Of Frother Strength And Solids On Gas Dispersion In A Cavitation Sparger Measured By Electrical Resistance Tomography, Philip Holdsworth

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

Gas dispersion in column flotation is critical for optimizing particle-bubble interaction and maximizing recovery. The effect of various flotation frothers on axial gas dispersion rates in a column flotation cell were measured using electrical resistance tomography (ERT). Tests included two-phase (gas-liquid) and three-phase (gas-liquid-solid) to determine the effect of mechanical parameters and the presence of solids on gas dispersion. Gas holdup can be measured using ERT and utilized in the determination of axial gas dispersion rate in the column. The ERT is constructed with two sensor planes making it possible to simultaneously capture gas holdup values at one cm and …

Investigation Of Surface Treatment And Density Separation For Selective Recycling Of Plastics, Adilbek Baigabelov

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

Froth flotation has been a useful method for flotation separation of plastics. Teeter bed concentration may also be potentially employed to accomplish gravity-based separation of plastics from a mixture. This work investigates selective separation of six different types of plastics using a novel method by combining advanced gravity concentration and froth flotation techniques. Surface active reagents were used during flotation studies for modification of surface properties of certain plastics in order to enhance selectivity. Elutriation technology in a teeter bed separator was successfully employed to achieve gravity-based concentration of certain plastics. The novel flowsheet was shown to recover plastics of …

Surface Chemistry And Modelling Of Salicyl Hydroxamic Acid Adsorption At The Surface Of Rare Earth Oxides, Carbonates And Phosphates, Marc F. Sime

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

The adsorption mechanism of salicyl hydroxamic acid (SHA, C7H7O3N) on rare earth minerals was investigated using two complementary methods: precipitation studies and modelling. Precipitation studies showed that SHA adsorption occurs through a displacement of the hydroxide ion at the surface in an ion exchange mechanism, leading to surface precipitation and/or chemisorption. Surface precipitation predominates in the light rare earth oxides (LREOs), while chemisorption predominates in the heavier REOs. Modelling revealed that adsorption of SHA on the REM surface is dependent upon the orientation of SHA on the surface as well as the distance between rare earth elements sites on the …

Comparison Of Salicyl Hydroxamate Adsorption On Rare Earth Phosphates To Oxides And Carbonates, Stephanie Trant

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

Adsorption behavior of the anionic collector salicyl hydroxamic acid (SHA) on a group of selected rare earth phosphates (REPs) was studied by means of experimental methods and modeling software. These REPs were then compared to rare earth carbonates (RECs) and rare earth oxides (REOs) to develop a trend. A suite of rare earth elements (REE) were studied that included light (LREE) and middle (MREE). Results for heavy (HREE) were inferred. Synthetic phosphate, oxide and carbonate powders of the rare earth elements Lanthanum (La), Cerium (Ce), Europium (Eu) and Dysprosium (Dy) were tested for these studies. Dysprosium phosphate was the only …

Material Properties Of Laser Powder Bed Fusion Processed 316l Stainless Steel, Steven Keckler

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

Laser powder bed fusion additive manufactured 316L stainless steel specimens were evaluated to establish a baseline for future research in determining an optimized energy density and build orientation. Test specimens were printed at various energy densities. At each energy density, tensile and fatigue specimens were printed at 0o (longitudinal), 45o, and 90o (transverse) orientation to the build plate. Tensile and high cycle fatigue tests were performed then representative fracture surfaces were analyzed. The apparent melt track and dendrite size were evaluated using grain analysis software. Static loading of the tensile specimens showed a marginal difference in UTS for specimens with …

Evaluation Of Metallurgical And Mechanical Properties Of Alsi10mg Produced By Selective Laser Melting, Luke J. Suttey

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

Selective laser melting (SLM) additive manufacturing (AM) of metal powders has long been a focus in the study of AM due to the possibility of weight reduction, complex shape formation, and production cost savings. Although applicable to a variety of metals SLM AM of the AlSi10Mg alloy was studied in an attempt to characterize the effect of processing parameter and build angle variation on the final microstructural, fractographic, and mechanical properties of parts produced without any thermal post-processing techniques. Research was conducted on five build angles (0°, 30°, 45°, 60°, and 90°), and three Global Energy Densities (GED) (37.15, 45.39, …

Characterization Of Process Induced Defects In Laser Powder Bed Fusion Processed Alsi10mg Alloy, Edward Stugelmayer

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

Additive manufacturing using laser powder bed fusion (AM-LPBF) methods have recently experienced rapid growth and development, having the potential to replace manufacturing by plastic deformation, precision machining, or casting. AM offers advantages such as the freedom to design highly complex geometries, time and cost savings through material usage efficiency and shortened production cycles, and the potential for improved mechanical properties. Process induced defects, however, result in degradation and scattering of mechanical properties and hinder the widespread adoption of AM-LPBF in industry. This investigation focuses on the effects of varying energy density and build orientation on the evolution of process induced …

Investigations Of Solid-State Sintering Behavior Of Binary Refractory Metal Oxide Systems, Maureen Chorney

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

Refractory metals are commonly alloyed for improved corrosion resistance, thermal stability, and strength. In service, these alloys form highly stable oxides under mildly oxidizing conditions at relatively low temperatures. In order to recycle these materials, high temperature electrochemical processing is required to reduce the refractory metal oxides. To abet experimental evaluation of the electrochemical reduction process under development at the Idaho National Laboratory, binary mixtures of selected refractory metal oxide powders were sintered to produce cathode pellets, which could be suspended in the molten salt electrolyte during reduction experiments. Preparatory literature review revealed a paucity of published information relative to …

Adsorption Of Salicylhydroxamic Acid On Selected Rare Earth Oxides And Carbonates, Greer Galt

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

Adsorption behavior of the anionic collector salicylhydroxamic acid (SHA) on a selected group of rare earth oxides (REOs) and carbonates (RECs) was studied via experimental methods and modelling software. Synthetic oxide and carbonate powders of the rare earth elements cerium (Ce), praseodymium (Pr), europium (Eu), and terbium (Tb) were tested for this research. Studies were conducted at different pH levels to analyze the kinetics of collector adsorption onto the oxide and carbonate surfaces in attempts to optimize recovery parameters for commercial flotation processes using SHA. In addition, thermodynamic software StabCal was implemented to compare theoretical adsorption behavior of collectors SHA …

Slm Processing-Microstructure-Mechanical Property Correlation In An Aluminum Alloy Produced By Additive Manufacturing, Bryce Abstetar

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

Additive manufacturing has become a highly researched topic in recent years all over the world. The current research evaluates the merits of additive manufacturing based on the mechanical, microstructural, and fracture properties of additive manufactured AlSi10Mg test specimens. The additive manufactured build plates consisted of tensile and fatigue test specimens. They were printed in the 0°, 30°, 60°, and 90° orientations relative to the build platform. Tensile and dynamic fatigue tests were conducted followed by microstructural characterization and fracture analysis. A wrought 6061 T6 aluminum alloy was also tested for comparison. Tensile tests revealed similar ultimate tensile strengths for all …

Vacuum Brazing Of Diamond To Tungsten Carbide, Zhiyong Yin

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

Diamond tools are increasingly gaining importance as cutting and drilling materials for a wide variety of industrial applications. Polycrystalline diamond (PCD) is the main ultrahard material commercially used in the oil and gas drilling industry. In this study, a reactive brazing process was developed to join polycrystalline diamond (PCD) to WC-13 wt% Co, to form the cutter for fixed-cutter drill bit applications.

Most nonmetals including polycrystalline diamond are not wet by and cannot easily be joined with conventional brazing alloys due to their chemical stability. The experimental approach was first to analyze the effect of adding an active metal (Ti, …

Electrochemical Characterization Of Xanthate Chemisorption On Copper And Enargite, Tyler Broden

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

The electrochemical reactions of copper and enargite (Cu₃AsS₄) were studied in the absence and presence of xanthate by cyclic voltammetry (C.V.) using electrodes fashioned from pure copper wire obtained from the Metallurgical and Materials Engineering Department, and an enargite mineral sample obtained from the Orphan Girl mine in Butte, MT. Voltammograms were produced in buffer solutions of pH values ranging from 7-12. Electrochemical reactions were discerned by comparing E_H-pH diagrams calculated from thermodynamics using StabCal, a computer program developed by Dr. Huang at Montana Tech. The chemisorption of xanthate on the surface of copper …

Chlorination And Selective Vaporization Of Rare Earth Elements, Daniel Gaede

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

No abstract provided.

Thermodynamic Considerations In Molten Salt Electrolysis For Rare Earth Metals, Arwin Gunawan

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

Many applications utilize rare earths as a part of their essential composition, such as: Ni-MH batteries, glass screen, magnets, fluorescent lightning, etc. These reactive elements are normally found as an oxide compound due to their affinity with oxygen. Their oxide formation exhibits a high standard free energy, which make them really stable. Consequently, extracting rare earths cannot be easily done with a simple acid-base reaction.

It has been known that there are two reduction ways to extract rare earth, metallothermic reduction and molten salt electrolysis process. Metallothermic method is determined by standard free energy formation, melting point, boiling point, vapor …

Voltammetric Investigation Of Xanthate Chemisorption On A Chalcopyrite Surface, Jesse Lynn Bowden

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

Cyclic Voltammetry experiments have been conducted on copper, iron, and chalcopyrite (CuFeS2) and compared to mass-balanced EH-pH Diagrams. Potassium ethyl xanthate (KEX) was added to solution and additional voltammetry experiments were performed to determine the surface chemistry reactions of flotation collector in solution with these minerals. The ultimate goal of this research was to investigate the possibility of xanthate chemisorption onto the chalcopyrite mineral surface. Results of the copper mineral testing confirm previous literature studies and corroborate published isotherm data. Results of the iron mineral testing showed changes in surface reactions with the addition of potassium ethyl xanthate to solution, …

Thermal Processing And Mechanical Properties Of Beta Phase Titanium Alloys For Biomedical Applications, Ethan Wood

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

The past few decades have seen an increase in the use of beta titanium alloys as structural biomaterials. Their combination of excellent mechanical properties, corrosion resistance and biocompatibility, along with a lower Young’s modulus than stainless steel, cobalt-chromium and commercially pure titanium make the beta titanium alloys ideal biomaterials. This work evaluates the use of three beta titanium alloys for biomedical applications. Three beta titanium alloys, Ti 15-3-3-3, Ti SP-700 and Ti Beta-C, underwent thermal processing to optimize mechanical properties. The alloys were subjected to tensile testing, hardness testing, fatigue testing, optical microscopy and SEM fracture analysis in order to …

Optimization Of Rare Earth Leaching From Ores And Concentrates, Grant Wallace

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

The use of applied chemistry in the production and optimization of leach solutions from Rare Earth Element (REE) ores and concentrates was investigated. Ore and concentrate samples were characterized using scanning electron microscopy/mineral liberation analysis (SEM/MLA), X-ray Diffraction (XRD), and Inductively-coupled Plasma Atomic Emission Spectroscopy (ICP-AES). Multiple leach tests were performed to analyze the effects of temperature, residence time, and reagent concentration on the leaching of REEs. Analysis of leach solutions was carried out using ICP-AES. Modeling and statistical analysis of extraction behavior was carried out using DesignExpert 9. Modeling data for multiple REEs indicate that extraction is strongly influenced …

Estimation And Thermodynamic Modeling Of Solid Iron Species In The Berkeley Pit Water, Rajesh Srivastava

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

Since the cessation of open-pit mining activities from the Berkeley Pit located in Butte, MT in 1982, the pit had gradually filled with metal-laden acidic mine water. The purpose of this investigation was to estimate and apply thermodynamic theory to a group of iron-sulfate solids that might equilibrate with the Berkeley Pit water. Thermodynamic data was incomplete for acid mine affected water, and the effects of Cu cementation on the formation of iron oxide and sulfate solids had not been analyzed. Ferric iron compounds such as Ferrihydrite, Goethite, Schwertmannite, Potassium Jarosite and Potassium Hydronium Jarosite were modelled in Stabcal using …