Papers by Author: Patrick Wollants

Abstract: The interfacial reactions between a solidified Fe shell and Ti were investigated within the framework of steel alloying. Ti cylinders were immersed into liquid Fe for various durations and subsequently water-quenched. An Fe shell solidifies around the Ti. At the interface between Fe and Ti a reaction zone is formed. Initially it consists of a liquid eutectic layer, though in later stages all stable phases at elevated temperature can be found in the quenched microstructure. The larger part of this reaction zone is fluid at high temperature and both Ti and Fe dissolve into it. Moreover, intermetallic compound formation and mixing of Fe and Ti generate extra heat, shortening the time required for shell melt-back. The reaction zone reaches thicknesses up to 40 % of the initial sample’s radius and when the shell has completely remolten, a discontinuity in the thickness-time profile is expected. The exact morphology of the reaction zone at high temperature remains to be determined: presence of a solid layer of Fe2Ti may impede mixing in the initial stages.

Abstract: TiB2 coatings were plasma sprayed in air and were studied by XPS. There are five elements in the top surface of the studied coatings, namely, B, C, N, O and Ti. Oxygen pick-up in the coatings results in formation of oxides of boron and titanium. Nitrogen was shown to exist in N-Ti and O-N-Ti in the coating. Depending on the spraying parameters, mono-boride as well as di-boride was also detected in the studied coatings. With careful peak fitting it was shown that oxygen may exist in the coating as dissolved atomic O in addition to as lattice oxygen in the oxide of boron and titanium.

Abstract: A phase field model for simulating grain growth and thermal grooving in thin films is presented. Orientation dependence of the surface free energy and misorientation dependence of the grain boundary free energy are included in the model. Moreover, the model can treat different mechanisms for groove formation, namely through volume diffusion, surface diffusion, evaporation-condensation, or a combination of these mechanisms. The evolution of a groove between two grains has been simulated for different surface and grain boundary energies and different groove formation mechanisms.