Papers by Keyword: TEM

Abstract: Normally, deformation twinning is a process that occurs at rates approaching the speed of sound in bulk metals once a critical stress has been reached. However, recently it has been shown that twins grow at speeds many orders of magnitude lower than the speed of sound during room temperature creep of titanium alloys. The net result is that this twinning process can contribute to the low-temperature (less than 0.25*Tm) creep behavior of α, α−β, and β−titanium alloys. For example, α-Ti alloys with small grain size do not extensively deform by twinning and hence show little overall creep strain. These recent developments are reviewed in this paper. This work is funded by the National Science Foundation under Grant Number DMR-0517351.

Abstract: The precipitation of copper during aging at 650oC within ferrite in high-purity Fe-1.03wt%Cu steel was examined by transmission electron microscopy, and the influence of precipitation particles on property of experimental steel was investigated. The microstructure and the corresponding diffraction patterns of different zone axis were analyzed. Nano-scale copper-rich clusters with B2-like structure and high density dislocation around precipitate was observed during either solution treatment or aging. Nano-scale metastable precipitates and high density around them were found to play the most important role for increasing steel strength.

Abstract: The microstructure of oxide scale formed in the early stage of oxidation of cold-rolled sheets of 17%Cr-Mn-Ni austenitic stainless steel was examined using SEM and TEM. Samples were oxidized at 973 to1373K for 1 to 15min. Nodules were observed on the surfaces of specimens oxidized at 1173K. The nodules were composed of two layers, which comprised Fe oxides and Cr-rich Fe-Cr-Mn oxides, respectively. The other scale was composed of two layers of Fe-Cr-Mn oxides with different compositions. Nodules were not observed on the surfaces of the specimens oxidized at 973 and 1373K. After oxidation at 1373K for 1min, the scale was composed of three layers. The first layer consisted of Fe-Mn oxides with a spinel structure, the second consisted mainly of Cr oxides, and the third consisted of Cr-Mn oxides containing a small amount of Fe.

Abstract: Microstructures developed by warm extrusion for Mg97Zn1Y2 alloy including long-period stacking order (LPSO) phase have been investigated using SEM and TEM. The extruded magnesium alloy with LPSO phase exhibits high strength and sufficient ductility. Such superior mechanical properties appear by warm extrusion around the temperature of 623K. The microstructure of the extruded alloy consists of matrix of fine-grained hcp phase and elongated grains with fine-lamellae including LPSO phase. The grain size of hcp matrix was about 1μm, indicating that remarkable grain refinement was occurred by extrusion since the grain size of as-cast alloy was about 500μm. Special attention has been paid on the enrichment of solutes at stacking faults and grain boundaries in the fine-grained matrix, which would contribute not only to the strengthening but also to the stability of fine-grained structure because of its role of an inhibiter against grain coarsening.

Abstract: The microstructures of high-temperature oxide scales on the Si-terminated surface and C-terminated surface of 6H-SiC were investigated by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). We found that mechanical polishing caused surface strains, about 100 nm in depth, on both sides of specimens. Mechanically polished specimens were oxidized at 1473 K for 20 h in air. Oxide scales of about 250 nm in thickness were formed on the Si-terminated surface and of about 400 nm on the C-terminated surface. Since the strain regions caused by mechanical polishing were oxidized, strains were no longer observed. As a result, this oxidation condition effectively removed the strains. The oxide scales were identified as amorphous silica on the Si-terminated face, while crystalline oxides and amorphous silica were observed on the C-terminated face.

Abstract: The contribution of nano-scale particles observed using Atom Probe Tomography in an increase of yield strength of conventional and advanced HSLA steels was studied. The advanced HSLA steel showed higher yield strength than conventional HSLA steel. There were two types of carbides, which primarily contribute to an increase in yield strength of conventional HSLA steel: (i) coarse TiC with average size of 25±5nm and (ii) fine TiC with average radius of 3±1.2nm. The presence of two types of carbides was found in the microstructure of advanced HSLA steel: (i) nano-scale Ti0.98Mo0.02C0.6 carbides with average radius of 2.2±0.5nm, and (ii) C19Cr7Mo24 particles with an average radius of 1.5±0.3nm. The contribution of precipitation hardening in the yield strength of advanced HSLA steel due to the nano-scale particles was 174MPa, while this value in the conventional HSLA steel was 128MPa.

Abstract: Microstructure evolutions and hardness variation during aging in metastable β titanium alloy TIMETAL®LCB have been examined. In as-quenched specimen after solution treatment, athermal ω phase formed. Isothermal ω phase formed during aging at 623 K, and α phase formed after precipitation of isothermal ω phase during aging at 673 and 773 K. Alpha phase nucleated at isothermal ω phase, and had the orientation relationship with β and ω, (111)β//(0001)ω//(1120 )α and [10 1 ]β//[1120 ]ω//[0001]α . During aging at 873 K, α phase formed without isothermal ω phase. Hardness increased with increasing aging time and decreasing aging temperature, partly because number density of isothermal ω or α precipitates increased with increasing aging time and decreasing aging temperature.

Abstract: Structures and morphologies of Ge precipitates in an Al-Ge alloy were characterized by a combination of transmission electron microscopy and three-dimensional electron tomography. Faceting of the precipitates was clearly seen using transmission electron microscopy and varieties of precipitate morphologies were identified by three-dimensional electron tomography.

Abstract: To investigate doping-free zirconia, pulsed laser ablation technique was applied to synthesize pure zirconia nanoparticles. Various experimental parameters were investigated by means of microscopic, spectroscopic and diffractmetric techniques to reveal morphology and production yield. It is successful to form cubic and monoclinic phases at nanometer-scale fine particles. The cubic phase has relatively small lattice parameters than the stabilized zirconia.