Papers by Author: Olga I. Bylya

Abstract: Much work has been carried out in understanding the mechanics of superplasticity (SP). Some of the present challenges in SP forming revolve around the use of lower forming temperatures and faster strain rates, which may involve pushing the process boundaries to incorporate “superplastic-like” forming – perhaps also in materials with non-optimized microstructures. For process optimization there is a requirement to be able to model both within the SP and superplastic-like processing window in an integrated way. From a mechanics point of view the presence of high rate sensitivity is often seen as the key factor in controlling SP response. However, changes in phase distribution and grain morphology, or the accumulation of damage (cavitation) may compromise this assumption. The paper will examine the range of validity of some SP constitutive models and how they may be adapted to take into account processing routes that may incorporate superplastic-like and more conventional SP deformation modes.

Abstract: The autonomous ability of the system, which enables it to park itself without any human interference, finds its application mostly in automobile industry. Though the basic algorithm of autonomous parking is relatively simple, the question of reliability and accuracy of parking can be quite complicated. The mathematical models developed theoretically and simulated numerically not always can in the same accurate way perform in a real vehicle. One of the main reasons for it is the interplay between the controlling system and mechanical structure of the vehicle. To investigate this problem the car-type robot simulating the specific features of the mechanical structure of the real car was developed. It was used for verification of few parking approaches proposed in the literature. A parking algorithm was proposed and programmed for a developed car-type robot. The experimental comparison between theoretically calculated and actually observed values of main parking parameters was done and analysed. The approach of optimization of parking strategy from the view point of minimization of positioning errors was proposed and tested.

Abstract: Deformation of Titanium alloys close to optimal superplastic condition i.e. near superplastic regime of deformation leads to significant change in microstructures.VT-9 titanium alloy was used in order to find out those parameters of microstructure which are varying significantly during near superplastic regime of deformation. Tensile tests were carried out at 930°C up to fracture with a constant strain rate of 5*10^-4 s^-1 and a jump wise varying strain rate of 1*10^-4 s^-1 & 5*10^-4 s^-1 .The microstructural parameters of both air-cooled and water quenched portion i.e. size of alpha phase, percentages of alpha phase and parameter of non-uniaxiality of alpha phase were found to change significantly during near superplastic regime of deformation. It has been found that in the near superplastic regime of deformation percentage of α-phase decreased from 90% to 13%. As the β-transus temperature of this alloy is 970°C, this significant change in percentage of α-phase is attributed to deformation induced phase transformation. Optical microscopes, micro Vickers hardness test, XRD, FESEM have been used to characterize the microstructure of the material.

Abstract: When deformations are carried out with fine grained microstructure and within a narrow range of strain rates and temperature, metals and ceramics have been shown to exhibit superplastic behavior. Under these conditions the material demonstrates unusually high elongation with a relatively stable microstructure. But when the above mentioned parameters lie beyond a limit, near superplastic behavior is observed. The microstructure changes actively during the process of deformation and the response of the material becomes dependant on the history of loading. A model to describe the dependence on loading history by taking into account the change in microstructure is proposed. The model predicts the general trends observed and also provides possible explanation to some of the effects observed in the experimental data.