Papers by Keyword: Atom Probe

Abstract: The microstructure of the common hot-work tool steel AISI H11 has been characterized by atom probe tomography with the focus on the carbon distribution after the hardening treatment and in the early stages of tempering. The carbon distribution shows significant differences within the probed volumes, regions differently affected by carbon segregation can be observed in some specimens. In all samples pronounced carbon segregation to dislocations and cluster formation is observed. Through all hardened samples no segregation of any substitutional elements has taken place. Heating to 500°C does not significantly change the elemental distribution. Carbon enriched interlath austenite films with peak carbon levels of 6 to 9 at% show a thickness increase with increasing λ. These films and the pre-existing carbon clusters have been found to be nucleation sites for carbide formation during heating to 610°C.

Abstract: The composition of  precipitates in aluminium alloy 8090 has been analysed using a 3 dimensional atom probe with fast data acquisition rates. The effects of experimental conditions for the quantitative atom probe analysis have been examined in detail. The results show that i) lithium is prone to preferential DC field evaporation at temperatures > 25K and with a pulse fraction < 20%; ii) the lithium concentration of  precipitates can vary from precipitate to precipitate, ranging from 19.1 to 25.3 at.%, and iii) the stoichiometric composition of the  phase can be obtained provided that the probing temperature is  25K and pulse fraction is  20%.

Abstract: It is often assumed that the precipitation sequence and phases in Al-Si-Mg foundry alloys, such as A356 with 7 wt%Si, are similar to those in wrought 6xxx Al-Mg-Si alloys, such as 6063. The foundry alloys have been less extensively studied due to added difficulties in sample preparation, resulting from the high volume fraction of coarse particles of spheroidised eutectic silicon. Recent work has been successful in studying the precipitation sequence in a foundry alloy containing 0.45 wt%Mg. The work highlights some differences and similarities between foundry and wrought alloy precipitation, which may have implications for alloy design and heat-treatment.

Abstract: The elemental partitioning characteristics of advanced single crystal Ni-base superalloys containing additions of both Pt and Ru have been investigated using atom probe tomography. Detailed microanalysis revealed Ru additions partitioned preferentially to the disordered matrix, whereas Pt additions tended to partition to the ordered intermetallic γ′ precipitates. The partitioning characteristics of three nominally similar alloys with systematic variations in the levels of Cr, Ru and Pt were investigated. For this particular set of experimental alloys, minor changes in the partitioning characteristics of the constituent elements could be attributed to additions of Cr and Ru. The preferential site occupancy of Pt within the L12 lattice was also statistically quantified with ALCHEMI (atomic site location by channelling enhanced microanalysis). In contrast to the atomic partitioning characteristics of Ru, Pt exhibited a tendency to occupy the Ni sublattice sites in the γ′ structure.

Abstract: During age-hardening of certain Al-Zn-Mg-Cu alloys, a 90% hardness increase can occur with 75 seconds. The clustering and precipitation of solute element species during this early rapid hardening (RH) period has been investigated through atom probe tomography, transmission electron microscopy, and Vickers hardness measurements. This study has focussed on the effect of copper by analysing three alloys; Al-2.0Zn-1.8Mg-0.7Cu, Al-2.0Zn-1.7Mg-0.2Cu and Al-1.9Zn-1.7Mg (at.%). The early RH reaction in these alloys accounts for up to 70% of the total hardening (peak hardness minus as-quenched hardness) and takes place during the first 60 seconds of ageing. We report preferred solute-solute interactions in the as-quenched materials. This quenched-in nanostructure acts as a template for subsequent solute clustering, the nature of which we have correlated with ageing.

Abstract: This is an initial report of a multi-technique study on the effect of Mg alloying on solute-vacancy interactions during the early stages of ageing of dilute 2xxx Al-Cu-Mg alloys so as to better understand the early rapid hardening (RH) that occurs in certain compositions of these alloys and the more general phenomena of secondary hardening (SH) at ambient temperatures. Therefore, RH at 150 °C and SH at room temperature from the as-quenched condition and after 60 sec ageing at 150 °C were studied in Al-1.1Cu and Al-1.1Cu-0.5Mg (at. %) variously by positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy (PALS), coincidence Doppler broadening (CDB) spectroscopy and atom probe tomography (APT) and monitored by Vickers hardness measurements. The present results indicate that Cu-Cu, Mg-Mg and Cu-Mg clusters are formed in the ternary alloy already in the asquenched state and that they persist during ageing at 150 °C. The fraction of the solutes Cu and Mg that were associated with vacancies after ageing was increased 10-fold and double, respectively and the strength of the Cu clustering is enhanced greatly after 60 sec at 150 °C.

Abstract: Atomic-scale interface segregation behaviour of Nb and Mo during different stages of recrystallisation of a-Fe has been investigated using a three-dimensional atom probe (3DAP). Experimental procedures to analyse a specific region of interest in the specimens and to determine an orientation relationship between analysed contiguous grains are briefly described, and then analytical artefacts which may affect the measured solute distribution are discussed. Atom probe analysis reveals that Gibbs free energy of segregation of Nb is larger than that of Mo in a-Fe, implying that a stronger solute Nb-interface interaction can be a reason for the larger retardation effect of recrystallisation by Nb addition. The comparison of measured solute profiles at migrating recrystallisation interfaces with calculated solute profiles show that Cahn’s solute drag model gives a reasonable fit to solute profiles for migrating interfaces.