Papers by Author: Javier R. Santisteban

Abstract: This work shows the effect of the initial residual stress state on the stress relaxation behavior of cold-drawn steel rods. The evolution of residual strains at several locations along the rod diameter was measured in-situ by neutron diffraction during a stress relaxation experiment. It was found that if residual stresses are significant, stress relaxation is not homogeneous in the cross-section of the rods. This also explains the higher stress losses found in the rods with high residual stresses.

Abstract: We report neutron strain scanning experiments on archaeological bronzes, with the aim of identifying the original manufacturing techniques used. The specimens studied were a Picenan necklace from VI BC, and an Etruscan bucket handle from IV BC, exhibited at the Marches Museum of Archaeology, Ancona, Italy. Time-of-flight neutron diffraction and transmission experiments were performed at the ENGIN-X instrument, ISIS, UK. For the necklace, characteristic bending strain profiles and a small degree of preferred orientation indicate that the specimen had been cold worked. For the handle, broad diffraction peaks and highly distorted Bragg edges -typical of a columnar grain microstructure- suggested that this specimen was cast and did not undergo significant thermal or mechanical treatment. The relation between the experimental diffracted and transmitted time-of-flight spectra, and the microstructure of specimens are discussed.

Abstract: We have studied the effect of a post-weld heat treatment on plasma arc welds on Zircaloy 4 plates. The samples consist of two 100 mm long, 50 mm wide, and 6.25 mm thick plates, welded along the rolling (longitudinal) direction. The heat-treatment consisted of a steady increase in temperature from room temperature to 450oC over a period of 4.5 hours; followed by cooling with an equivalent cooling rate. Residual strains and stresses along the longitudinal, transverse and normal directions on an as-welded and a heat-treated specimen were measured by neutron diffraction on the ENGIN-X beamline at the Isis Facility, Rutherford Laboratory, UK. Peak tensile stresses of (105±25) MPa were found in the as-welded specimen, which were reduced to (70±20) MPa after the heat-treatment. Thermal compressive stresses of (-80±20) MPa were found along the normal direction, which were not affected by the heat treatment. The use of a full-pattern Rietveld refinement for the determination of bulk strains in Zircaloy specimens is also discussed.

Abstract: In this study we present a direct comparison between residual strain measurements carried out on the same inertia friction weld using ENGIN-X at ISIS, UK and the new strain scanner SALSA at ILL, France. ENGIN-X is a time of flight (TOF) instrument, which receives neutrons from a neutron spallation source, while the SALSA Strain-Imager, a high resolution diffractometer, is based at a research reactor source with a continuous neutron flux and is operated with a constant wavelength. The purpose of this study was to demonstrate a confidence in crosscomparing future strain measurements to be performed at ENGIN-X and SALSA. Measurements were carried out on medium size inertia friction welded nickel superalloy test-piece, which show no significant crystallographic texture across the weld line. The results demonstrate that, even though residual stresses determined on SALSA only rely on a single peak analysis (in this case the (111) reflection), the results show excellent agreement with the measurements carried out on ENGIN-X, where strain is determined from multi-peak Rietveld analysis.