Papers by Author: Ji Soon Kim

Abstract: Ti-Cu-Ni-Sn quaternary amorphous alloys of Ti50Cu32Ni15Sn3, Ti50Cu25Ni20Sn5, and Ti50Cu23Ni20Sn7 composition were prepared by mechanical alloying in a planetary high-energy ballmill (AGO-2). The amorphization of all three alloys was found to set in after milling at 300rpm speed for 2h. A complete amorphization was observed for Ti50Cu32Ni15Sn3 and Ti50Cu25Ni20Sn5 after 30h and 20h of milling, respectively. Differential scanning calorimetry analyses revealed that the thermal stability increased in the order of Ti50Cu32Ni15Sn3, Ti50Cu25Ni20Sn5, and Ti50Cu23Ni20Sn7.

Abstract: The microstructure and properties of Cu-TiB2 composites produced by high-energy ball-milling of TiB2 powders and spark-plasma sintering (SPS) were investigated. TiB2 powders were mechanically milled at a rotation speed of 1000rpm for short time in Ar atmosphere, using a planetary ball mill. To produce Cu-xTiB2 composites( x = 2.5, 5, 7.5 and 10wt.% ), the raw and milled TiB2 powders were mixed with Cu powders by means of a turbular mixer, respectively. Sintering of mixed powders was carried out in a SPS facility under vacuum. High-energy ball-milling resulted in refinement of TiB2 particles. XRD patterns of milled TiB2 powders indicated broader TiB2 peaks with decreased intensities. After sintering at 950
for 5min using the raw and milled TiB2 mixture powders, the sintered density decreased with increasing TiB2 content regardless of milling of TiB2. In the case of raw TiB2, hardness rapidly increased from 4 to 44 HRB with increasing TiB2 content. The electrical conductivity changed from 95.5 to 80.7 %IACS. For mixtures of Cu powders with milled TiB2 powders, hardness increased from 38 to 67 HRB as TiB2 content increased, while the electrical conductivity varied from 88% to 51 % IACS. When compared to compacts sintered with raw and milled TiB2 powders, the electrical conductivity of specimens with raw TiB2 powder was higher than that of specimens with milled TiB2 powder, while hardness was slightly lower.

Abstract: This work reports on the production of Cu-Hf-Ti bulk glassy composites through a powder metallurgical route, i.e. by mechanical alloying and subsequent spark-plasma sintering. Powders of Cu60Hf30Cu10 and Cu60Hf25Ti15 composition were prepared using a high-energy planetary ball-mill. Both alloys nearly showed a fully amorphous structure with only a small fraction of residual HCP Hf grains left after 50 h of milling. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analyses of the milled glassy powder revealed a two-stage crystallization process for both compositions. However, the released crystallization enthalpy was substantially larger for the Cu60Hf25Ti15 alloy than for the Cu60Hf30Ti10 alloy, suggesting that the former comprises a higher fraction of the amorphous phase than the latter. Both powders showed distinct glass-transition with a large super-cooled liquid region. Consolidation of Cu60Hf25Ti15 powder was carried out by means of spark-plasma sintering at applied pressures of 200 and 500 MPa, choosing a sintering temperature within the super-cooled liquid region (T = 753 K). The sintered compacts exhibited some pores and interparticle boundaries.

Abstract: The particle size effect on the peritectic melting of FeSn2 particles in FeSn-FeSn2 nanocomposites was studied using differential scanning calorimetry and X-ray diffraction. FeSn-10 wt.% FeSn2 compounds, mechanically milled for 30 min and slowly heated in a differential scanning calorimeter, showed incongruent melting at 680 K. Although FeSn2 grains grew from 10 to 40 nm upon heating before peritectic melting set in, the melting temperature was more than 100 K lower than the equilibrium value. A small latent heat during peritectic melting and a large amount of interfacial energy of FeSn-FeSn2 nanocomposites are held responsible for this large particle size effect. Grain growth is hardly possible in the case of rapid local heating during mechanical milling. Therefore, a decrease in the peritectic melting temperature is even expected to be substantially larger.

Abstract: Nanocomposite formation of metal-metal oxide systems by mechanical alloying (MA) has been investigated at room temperature. The systems we chose are the Fe3O4-M (M=Al, Ti), where pure metals are used as a reducing agent. It is found that nanocomposite powders in which Al2O3 and TiO2 are dispersed in a α-Fe matrix with nano-sized grains are obtained by MA of Fe3O4 with Al and Ti for 25 and 75 hours, respectively. It is suggested that the shorter MA time for the nanocomposite formation in Fe3O4-Al is due to a large negative heat associated with the chemical reduction of magnetite by aluminum. X-ray diffraction results show that the average grain size of α-Fe in Fe-TiO2 nanocomposite powders is in the range of 30 nm. From magnetic measurement, we can also obtain indirect information about the details of the solid-state reduction process during MA.

Abstract: Mechanically induced crystallization of an amorphous Fe90Zr10 alloy was studied by means of X-ray diffraction (XRD) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Under high-energy ball-milling in an AGO-2 mill, melt-spun Fe90Zr10 ribbons undergo crystallization into BCC α- Fe(Zr). Zr atoms are found to be solved in the Fe(Zr) grains up to a maximum supersaturation of about 3.5 at.% Zr, where it can be presumed that the remaining Zr atoms are segregated in the grainboundaries. The decomposition degree of the amorphous phase increases with increasing milling time and intensity. It is proposed that the observed crystallization is deformation-induced and rather not attribute to local temperature rises during ball-collisions.

Abstract: Cu-TiB2 nanocomposite powders were in situ synthesized by combining high-energy ball milling of Cu-Ti-B elemental powder mixtures as precursors and subsequent self-propagating high temperature synthesis (SHS). Cu-40wt.% TiB2 was produced after SHS reaction and then diluted by copper to obtain desired homogeneous composites with 2.5, 5 and 10wt.%TiB2. Spark plasma sintering (SPS) was used to inhibit grain growth and thereby obtain fully Cu-TiB2 sintered bodies with nanocomposite structure. After SHS reaction, only Cu and TiB2 phases were detected in the SHS-product. Spheroidal TiB2 particles smaller than 250nm were formed in the copper matrix after SHS-reaction. Mechanical and electrical properties were investigated after SPS at 650°C for 30min under 50MPa. The electrical conductivity decreased from 75 to 54% IACS with increasing of TiB2 contents from 2.5 to 10wt.%. However, hardness increased from 56 to 97HRB. In addition, the tensile strength increased with increasing the TiB2 content.

Abstract: Nanosize nickel powders were successfully produced by electrical explosion of wire (EEW). In EEW, the nickel wire was discharged in a chamber filled with nitrogen or argon gas, and the produced powders were subsequently stabilized by air-passivation at room temperature for 2 h. X-ray diffraction only showed the nickel phase of FCC crystal structure, whereas TEM and XPS analyses showed the formation of a very thin oxide layer of NiO on the surface of particles. Particles were spherical in shape, and the mean particle size calculated by specific surface area was about 100 nm. The particle size decreased with increasing charging voltage and with increasing ambient gas pressure. Argon gas was more effective in producing finer particles than nitrogen gas.

Abstract: Al-La-Ni-Fe alloys of three different compositions (Al82La10Ni4Fe4, Al85La9Ni3Fe3 and Al88La6Ni3Fe3) were prepared high-energy milling in a planetary ball-mill (AGO-2). Complete amorphization was observed for the Al82La10Ni4Fe4 alloy after milling for 350 h at a rotational speed of 300 rpm. In contrast, the Al85La9Ni3Fe3 and Al88La6Ni3Fe3 powders contained the FCC Al phase even for prolonged milling. The amorphization tendency was found to increase in the order of Al88La6Ni3Fe3 < Al85La9Ni3Fe3 < Al82La10Ni4Fe4, which may well be ascribed to the increasing atomic size mismatch of the constituent elements on La addition. DSC analyses of amorphous samples revealed two-stage crystallization processes for all three alloys, however, with strong variations in the thermal stability upon compositional changes. As observed by SEM, amorphous powders consisted of particles with nearly spherical shape and diameters ranging from 5 to 20 µm.