Papers by Author: Wheung Whoe Kim

Abstract: A change of the mechanical property and microstructure of an Fe ion irradiated polycrystalline Fe-9wt%Cr model alloy to 1 dpa was examined using a nano-indentation and transmission electron microscopy. We anticipated that irradiated damage would be formed up to about 2.5μm and a displacement damage peak would be located at around 1.7μm from a surface through a TRIM code calculation. A thick dark band was formed at about 1.5μm from a surface with an actual TEM observation, which is consistent with a displacement damage peak in the TRIM code calculation. TEM observations showed that small defects with a Burgers vector a0<100> and 1/2a0<110> are formed in irradiated Fe-9wt%Cr alloy. In the nano indentation test, the hardness increase due to irradiation induced defects was up to 0.6GPa which can be converted to a yield stress increase of 200MPa.

Abstract: A nucleation of intragranular ferrite grains by B1-type non-metallic inclusions was investigated using electron microscopes. Intragranular ferrite grains surrounding a TiN particle is observed in Ti-containing steel. On the other hand, no intragranular ferrite nucleated on NbN and ZrN. It is deduced that the NbN and the ZrN particle can not promote a nucleation of an intragranular ferrite for their high interfacial energy with ferrite. The TiN particle which has the BN relationship with the intragranular ferrite is an inclusion that effectively promotes an intragranular ferrite nucleation. The acicular ferrite grains formed in the austenite grains were trigged by the intragranular ferrite grain(s) formed around TiN.

Abstract: Transition metal doped TiO2 (Ni, Fe, Cu) and nanocomposite TiO2 powders with rutile phase were synthesized by mechanical alloying and heat treatment, and were characterized by XRD, TEM, UV-DRS, and PL (Photoluminescence). Photocatalytic activity was also investigated with the degradation rate of 4-chlorophenol and measured by total organic carbon analyzer. TEMEDP and XRD patterns showed that the transition metal doped powders (only alloyed powder) were in the form of rutile phase with the particle size of 20-30 nm. The average grain size of transition metal doped powders was in the range of less than 10 nm. However, after heat treatment, the alloyed powder formed composite of the titanate and rutile phase. The UV-DRS and PL investigation showed that Ni doped 8 wt% nanocomposite TiO2 had the higher wavelength range (600-660 nm) (2.0-1.9 eV) than that of the commercial P-25 powder(380-400 nm) by Degussa Co. indicating that the Ni 8 wt% doped nanocomposite TiO2 shifted the absorption into the visible light region and thus, enhanced the photocatalytic activity. Further, these results agreed well with TOC investigation. Formation of titanate in transition metal doped TiO2 due to heat treatment was found to control the grain growth of nano-sized TiO2 and to enhance its thermal stability at high temperature.

Abstract: Fatigue simulations are performed by using the new parallel discrete dislocation dynamics code. The effects of particles (shearable or non-shearable) on the fatigue properties, e.g. the cyclic mechanical response and the surface markings, are presented. The simulated results are found to represent the features observed in the experiments well. Fatigue of materials containing both shearable and non-shearable particles (bimodal case) is also simulated. The Orowan loops accumulated around the non-shearable particles promote a dispersion of the slips by a local cross slip, and the fatigue features of the bimodal case are in between those of the shearable and the non-shearable particle case.

Abstract: By means of magnetic pulsed compaction and sintering of weakly aggregated alumina based nanopowders the jet forming nozzle samples for hydroabrasive cutting were fabricated. The ceramics were obtained from pure alumina, as well as from alumina, doped by TiO2, MgO and AlMg. The ceramic properties of the channel surface and the nozzle volume were investigated. It was shown that the samples sintered from AlMg doped Al2O3 powder had the best desired mechanical properties and structural characteristics: relative density ~0.97, channel microhardness – 18-20 GPa, channel surface roughness ~0.7 /m, average crystallite size ~1 /m.

Abstract: The effect of MPC pressure on the density, microstructure, mechanical properties, and electrical property of MPCed and sintered bulk was investigated. A detail characterization of the MPCed and sintered bulk has been performed using XRD, SEM, TEM, Vickers hardness tester, and breakdown voltage tester. The alumina powder used in this research has a size of 50-200 nm, a smooth surface and elliptical shape. The obtained density of MPCed and sintered bulk is increased with increasing MPC pressure from 0.5 to 1.25 GPa. The highest density of 92% in this research is obtained in the MPCed at 1.25 GPa and sintered bulk, while it is 90 % in the MPCed at 0.5 GPa. The different Vickers hardness with MPC pressure is associated with the different density and grain size of bulks. The maximum breakdown voltage of 47 kV/cm is achieved in the bulk MPCed at 1.25 GPa due to the higher density than that of others. In addition, the fracture mechanism of MPCed and sintered bulk is discussed.

Abstract: In this study the fatigue properties due to cavitation damage of flame-quenched 8.8Al-bronze (8.8Al-4.5Ni-4.5Fe-Cu) as well as current nuclear pump materials (8.8Al-bronze, SUS316 and SR50A) have been investigated by using an ultrasonic vibratory cavitation test. For this the impact loads of cavitation bubbles generated by ultrasonic vibratory device quantitatively evaluated and simultaneously the cavitation erosion experiments have been carried out. The fatigue analysis on the cavitation damage of the materials has been made from the determined impact load distribution (e.g. impact load, bubble count) and erosion parameters (e.g. incubation period, MDPR). According to Miner’s law, the exponents b of the F-N relation (Fb
N = Constant) at the incubation stage (N: the number of fracture cycle) were 5.62, 4.16, 6.25 and 8.1 for the 8.8Al-bronze, flame-quenched sample, SUS316 and SR50A alloys, respectively. At steady-state, the exponents b of the F-N curve (N: the number of cycles required for a 1μm increment of MDP) were determined as 6.32, 5, 7.14 and 7.76 for the 8.8Al-bronze, flame-quenched sample, SUS316 and SR50A alloys, respectively.

Abstract: This paper reports on the formation of tensile stress induced cracks by the application of a flame hardening to 12Cr steels and the monitoring of the flame hardening process at the desirable residual stress state. During the flame hardening of the steels elastic residual tensile stresses were typically generated due to a phase transformation of austenite into martensite and they became greater by increasing both the process temperature and cooling rate. Eventually the cracks were nucleated and propagated across the prior austenite grain boundaries by a generation of large tensile stress, which was accompanied by a drastic decrease in the tensile stress due to a stress relaxation.

Abstract: In this study, the movable flame hardening process of 12Cr steel for a uniform hardness and desirable residual stress have been investigated. For this, the temperature cycles have been controlled accurately as a function of the three processing variables, the flame intensity If, the scanning velocity Vs and the initial flame holding time th, where the standard surface temperature Ts,max was maintained at 960oC. The optimized conditions were Vs=0.68mm/s and th=67sec for the C3H8:O2=5:20
l/min, Vs=0.80mm/s and th=56sec for the C3H8:O2=6:24
l/min, Vs=1.01 mm/s and th=48sec for the C3H8:O2=7:28
l/min, and Vs=1.15 mm/s and th=39sec for the C3H8:O2=8:32
l/min. The optimally flame-hardened surface exhibited uniform distributions of the hardness and residual compressive stress over the treated area with moderate levels of 470~490HV0.2 in hardness and -300~-450MPa in residual stress, which were acceptable on the basis of the acceptance criteria of Siemens AG-KWU and GE Power Generation Engineering.

Abstract: In this study, the water drop impact erosion properties of 12Cr steel surface-hardened by the flame hardening process have been studied. For this, both the maximum erosion depth de,max and volume loss Ve with the number of cumulative impacts n have been investigated for the flame-hardened 12Cr steels with different hardnesses. Typically all the samples showed an erosion-time characteristic involving an incubation period initially followed by a steady state period. Compared to those for the as-received 12Cr steel, the flame-hardened ones showed an excellent erosion resistance to water drop impacts, showing a 2.2~2.8 times higher incubation time ti and 5~8 times lower erosion rate α. In the incubation period the as-received 12Cr steel was deformed by a ductile depression and ploughing, while the flame-hardened one by fatigue cracks and a brittle platelet deformation. In the steady state period the damage was progressed by a cleavage fracture for both the stages.