Matching Items (6)
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- All Subjects: Microstructure
- All Subjects: Fatigue
- Creators: Solanki, Kiran
- Status: Published
Description
Aluminum alloys and their composites are attractive materials for applications requiring high strength-to-weight ratios and reasonable cost. Many of these applications, such as those in the aerospace industry, undergo fatigue loading. An understanding of the microstructural damage that occurs in these materials is critical in assessing their fatigue resistance. Two distinct experimental studies were performed to further the understanding of fatigue damage mechanisms in aluminum alloys and their composites, specifically fracture and plasticity. Fatigue resistance of metal matrix composites (MMCs) depends on many aspects of composite microstructure. Fatigue crack growth behavior is particularly dependent on the reinforcement characteristics and matrix microstructure. The goal of this work was to obtain a fundamental understanding of fatigue crack growth behavior in SiC particle-reinforced 2080 Al alloy composites. In situ X-ray synchrotron tomography was performed on two samples at low (R=0.1) and at high (R=0.6) R-ratios. The resulting reconstructed images were used to obtain three-dimensional (3D) rendering of the particles and fatigue crack. Behaviors of the particles and crack, as well as their interaction, were analyzed and quantified. Four-dimensional (4D) visual representations were constructed to aid in the overall understanding of damage evolution. During fatigue crack growth in ductile materials, a plastic zone is created in the region surrounding the crack tip. Knowledge of the plastic zone is important for the understanding of fatigue crack formation as well as subsequent growth behavior. The goal of this work was to quantify the 3D size and shape of the plastic zone in 7075 Al alloys. X-ray synchrotron tomography and Laue microdiffraction were used to non-destructively characterize the volume surrounding a fatigue crack tip. The precise 3D crack profile was segmented from the reconstructed tomography data. Depth-resolved Laue patterns were obtained using differential-aperture X-ray structural microscopy (DAXM), from which peak-broadening characteristics were quantified. Plasticity, as determined by the broadening of diffracted peaks, was mapped in 3D. Two-dimensional (2D) maps of plasticity were directly compared to the corresponding tomography slices. A 3D representation of the plastic zone surrounding the fatigue crack was generated by superimposing the mapped plasticity on the 3D crack profile.
ContributorsHruby, Peter (Author) / Chawla, Nikhilesh (Thesis advisor) / Solanki, Kiran (Committee member) / Liu, Yongming (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2014
Description
Fission products in nuclear fuel pellets can affect fuel performance as they change the fuel chemistry and structure. The behavior of the fission products and their release mechanisms are important to the operation of a power reactor. Research has shown that fission product release can occur through grain boundary (GB) at low burnups. Early fission gas release models, which assumed spherical grains with no effect of GB diffusion, did not capture the early stage of the release behavior well. In order to understand the phenomenon at low burnup and how it leads to the later release mechanism, a microstructurally explicit model is needed. This dissertation conducted finite element simulations of the transport behavior using 3-D microstructurally explicit models. It looks into the effects of GB character, with emphases on conditions that can lead to enhanced effective diffusion. Moreover, the relationship between temperature and fission product transport is coupled to reflect the high temperature environment.
The modeling work began with 3-D microstructure reconstruction for three uranium oxide samples with different oxygen stoichiometry: UO2.00 UO2.06 and UO2.14. The 3-D models were created based on the real microstructure of depleted UO2 samples characterized by Electron Backscattering Diffraction (EBSD) combined with serial sectioning. Mathematical equations on fission gas diffusion and heat conduction were studied and derived to simulate the fission gas transport under GB effect. Verification models showed that 2-D elements can be used to model GBs to reduce the number of elements. The effect of each variable, including fuel stoichiometry, temperature, GB diffusion, triple junction diffusion and GB thermal resistance, is verified, and they are coupled in multi-physics simulations to study the transport of fission gas at different radial location of a fuel pellet. It was demonstrated that the microstructural model can be used to incorporate the effect of different physics to study fission gas transport. The results suggested that the GB effect is the most significant at the edge of fuel pellet where the temperature is the lowest. In the high temperature region, the increase in bulk diffusivity due to excess oxygen diminished the effect of GB diffusion.
The modeling work began with 3-D microstructure reconstruction for three uranium oxide samples with different oxygen stoichiometry: UO2.00 UO2.06 and UO2.14. The 3-D models were created based on the real microstructure of depleted UO2 samples characterized by Electron Backscattering Diffraction (EBSD) combined with serial sectioning. Mathematical equations on fission gas diffusion and heat conduction were studied and derived to simulate the fission gas transport under GB effect. Verification models showed that 2-D elements can be used to model GBs to reduce the number of elements. The effect of each variable, including fuel stoichiometry, temperature, GB diffusion, triple junction diffusion and GB thermal resistance, is verified, and they are coupled in multi-physics simulations to study the transport of fission gas at different radial location of a fuel pellet. It was demonstrated that the microstructural model can be used to incorporate the effect of different physics to study fission gas transport. The results suggested that the GB effect is the most significant at the edge of fuel pellet where the temperature is the lowest. In the high temperature region, the increase in bulk diffusivity due to excess oxygen diminished the effect of GB diffusion.
ContributorsLim, Harn Chyi (Author) / Peralta, Pedro (Thesis advisor) / Jiang, Hanqing (Committee member) / Solanki, Kiran (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2014
Description
Uranium Dioxide (UO2) is a significant nuclear fission fuel, which is widely used
in nuclear reactors. Understanding the influence of microstructure on thermo-mechanical behavior of UO2 is extremely important to predict its performance. In particular, evaluating mechanical properties, such as elasticity, plasticity and creep at sub-grain length scales is key to developing this understanding as well as building multi-scale models of fuel behavior with predicting capabilities. In this work, modeling techniques were developed to study effects of microstructure on Young’s modulus, which was selected as a key representative property that affects overall mechanical behavior, using experimental data obtained from micro-cantilever bending testing as benchmarks. Beam theory was firstly introduced to calculate Young's modulus of UO2 from the experimental data and then three-dimensional finite element models of the micro-cantilever beams were constructed to simulate bending tests in UO2 at room temperature. The influence of the pore distribution was studied to explain the discrepancy between predicted values and experimental results. Results indicate that results of tests are significantly affected by porosity given that both pore size and spacing in the samples are of the order of the micro-beam dimensions. Microstructure reconstruction was conducted with images collected from three-dimensional serial sectioning using focused ion beam (FIB) and electron backscattering diffraction (EBSD) and pore clusters were placed at different locations along the length of the beam. Results indicate that the presence of pore clusters close to the substrate, i.e., the clamp of the micro-cantilever beam, has the strongest effect on load-deflection behavior, leading to a reduction of stiffness that is the largest for any location of the pore cluster. Furthermore, it was also found from both numerical and i
analytical models that pore clusters located towards the middle of the span and close to the end of the beam only have a very small effect on the load-deflection behavior, and it is concluded that better estimates of Young's modulus can be obtained from micro- cantilever experiments by using microstructurally explicit models that account for porosity in about one half of the beam length close to the clamp. This, in turn, provides an avenue to simplify micro-scale experiments and their analysis.
in nuclear reactors. Understanding the influence of microstructure on thermo-mechanical behavior of UO2 is extremely important to predict its performance. In particular, evaluating mechanical properties, such as elasticity, plasticity and creep at sub-grain length scales is key to developing this understanding as well as building multi-scale models of fuel behavior with predicting capabilities. In this work, modeling techniques were developed to study effects of microstructure on Young’s modulus, which was selected as a key representative property that affects overall mechanical behavior, using experimental data obtained from micro-cantilever bending testing as benchmarks. Beam theory was firstly introduced to calculate Young's modulus of UO2 from the experimental data and then three-dimensional finite element models of the micro-cantilever beams were constructed to simulate bending tests in UO2 at room temperature. The influence of the pore distribution was studied to explain the discrepancy between predicted values and experimental results. Results indicate that results of tests are significantly affected by porosity given that both pore size and spacing in the samples are of the order of the micro-beam dimensions. Microstructure reconstruction was conducted with images collected from three-dimensional serial sectioning using focused ion beam (FIB) and electron backscattering diffraction (EBSD) and pore clusters were placed at different locations along the length of the beam. Results indicate that the presence of pore clusters close to the substrate, i.e., the clamp of the micro-cantilever beam, has the strongest effect on load-deflection behavior, leading to a reduction of stiffness that is the largest for any location of the pore cluster. Furthermore, it was also found from both numerical and i
analytical models that pore clusters located towards the middle of the span and close to the end of the beam only have a very small effect on the load-deflection behavior, and it is concluded that better estimates of Young's modulus can be obtained from micro- cantilever experiments by using microstructurally explicit models that account for porosity in about one half of the beam length close to the clamp. This, in turn, provides an avenue to simplify micro-scale experiments and their analysis.
ContributorsGong, Bowen (Author) / Peralta, Pedro (Thesis advisor) / Rajagopalan, Jagannathan (Committee member) / Solanki, Kiran (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2015
Description
Al 7075 alloys are used in a variety of structural applications, such as aircraft wings, automotive components, fuselage, spacecraft, missiles, etc. The mechanical and corrosion behavior of these alloys are dependent on their microstructure and the environment. Therefore, a comprehensive study on microstructural characterization and stress-environment interaction is necessary. Traditionally, 2D techniques have been used to characterize microstructure, which are inaccurate and inadequate since the research has shown that the results obtained in the bulk are different from those obtained on the surface. There now exist several techniques in 3D, which can be used to characterize the microstructure. Al 7075 alloys contain second phase particles which can be classified as Fe-bearing inclusions, Si-bearing inclusions and precipitates. The variation in mechanical and corrosion properties of aluminum alloys has been attributed to the size, shape, distribution, corrosion properties and mechanical behavior of these precipitates and constituent particles. Therefore, in order to understand the performance of Al 7075 alloys, it is critical to investigate the size and distribution of inclusions and precipitates in the alloys along with their mechanical properties, such as Young's modulus, hardness and stress-strain behavior. X-ray tomography and FIB tomography were used to visualize and quantify the microstructure of constituent particles (inclusions) and precipitates, respectively. Microscale mechanical characterization techniques, such as nanoindentation and micropillar compression, were used to obtain mechanical properties of inclusions. Over the years, studies have used surface measurements to understand corrosion behavior of materials. More recently, in situ mechanical testing has become more attractive and advantageous, as it enables visualization and quantification of microstructural changes as a function of time (4D). In this study, in situ X-ray synchrotron tomography was used to study the SCC behavior of Al 7075 alloys in moisture and deionized water. Furthermore, experiments were performed in EXCO solution to study the effect of applied stress on exfoliation behavior in 3D. Contrary to 2D measurements made at the surface which suggest non-uniform crack growth rates, three dimensional measurements of the crack length led to a much more accurate measurement of crack growth rates.
ContributorsSingh, Sudhanshu Shekhar (Author) / Chawla, Nikhilesh (Thesis advisor) / Alford, Terry (Committee member) / Solanki, Kiran (Committee member) / Oswald, Jay (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2015
Description
The use of solar energy to produce power has increased substantially in the past few decades. In an attempt to provide uninterrupted solar power, production plants may find themselves having to operate the systems at temperatures higher than the operational capacity of the materials used in many of their components, which affects the microstructural and mechanical properties of those materials. Failures in components that have been exposed to these excessive temperatures have been observed during operations in the turbine used by AORA Solar Ltd. A particular component of interest was made of a material similar to the Ni-based superalloy Inconel 718 (IN 718), which was observed to have damage that is believed to have been initiated by Foreign Object Damage (FOD) and worsened by the high temperatures in the turbine. The potential links among the observed failure, FOD and the high temperatures of operation are investigated in this study.
IN718 is a precipitation hardened nickel superalloy with resistance to oxidation and ability to withstand high stresses over a wide range of temperatures. Several studies have been conducted to understand IN 718 tensile and fatigue properties at elevated temperatures (600- 950°C). However, this study focuses on understanding the behavior of IN718 with FOD induced by a stream of 50 μm Alumina particles at a velocity of 200 m/s. under high cycle fatigue at an elevated temperature of 1050 °C. Tensile tests were conducted for both as-received and heat treated (1050 °C in air for 8hrs) samples at room and high temperature. Fatigue tests were performed at heat treated samples at 1050 °C for samples with and without ablation. The test conditions were as similar as possible to the conditions in the AORA turbine. The results of the study provide an insight into tensile properties, fatigue properties and FOD. The results indicated a reduction in fatigue life for the samples with ablation damage, where crack nucleation occurred either at the edge or inside the ablation region and multisite cracking was observed under far field stresses that were the same than for pristine samples, which showed single cracks. Fracture surfaces indicate intergranular fracture, with the presence of secondary cracks and a lack of typical fatigue features, e.g., beach marks which was attributed to environmental effects and creep.
IN718 is a precipitation hardened nickel superalloy with resistance to oxidation and ability to withstand high stresses over a wide range of temperatures. Several studies have been conducted to understand IN 718 tensile and fatigue properties at elevated temperatures (600- 950°C). However, this study focuses on understanding the behavior of IN718 with FOD induced by a stream of 50 μm Alumina particles at a velocity of 200 m/s. under high cycle fatigue at an elevated temperature of 1050 °C. Tensile tests were conducted for both as-received and heat treated (1050 °C in air for 8hrs) samples at room and high temperature. Fatigue tests were performed at heat treated samples at 1050 °C for samples with and without ablation. The test conditions were as similar as possible to the conditions in the AORA turbine. The results of the study provide an insight into tensile properties, fatigue properties and FOD. The results indicated a reduction in fatigue life for the samples with ablation damage, where crack nucleation occurred either at the edge or inside the ablation region and multisite cracking was observed under far field stresses that were the same than for pristine samples, which showed single cracks. Fracture surfaces indicate intergranular fracture, with the presence of secondary cracks and a lack of typical fatigue features, e.g., beach marks which was attributed to environmental effects and creep.
ContributorsShenoy, Sneha (Author) / Peralta, Pedro (Thesis advisor) / Solanki, Kiran (Committee member) / Sieradzki, Karl (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2017
Description
In real world applications, materials undergo a simultaneous combination of tension, compression, and torsion as a result of high velocity impact. The split Hopkinson pressure bar (SHPB) is an effective tool for analyzing stress-strain response of materials at high strain rates but currently little can be done to produce a synchronized combination of these varying impacts. This research focuses on fabricating a flange which will be mounted on the incident bar of a SHPB and struck perpendicularly by a pneumatically driven striker thus allowing for torsion without interfering with the simultaneous compression or tension. Analytical calculations are done to determine size specifications of the flange to protect against yielding or failure. Based on these results and other design considerations, the flange and a complementary incident bar are created. Timing can then be established such that the waves impact the specimen at the same time causing simultaneous loading of a specimen. This thesis allows research at Arizona State University to individually incorporate all uniaxial deformation modes (tension, compression, and torsion) at high strain rates as well as combining either of the first two modes with torsion. Introduction of torsion will expand the testing capabilities of the SHPB at ASU and allow for more in depth analysis of the mechanical behavior of materials under impact loading. Combining torsion with tension or compression will promote analysis of a material's adherence to the Von Mises failure criterion. This greater understanding of material behavior can be implemented into models and simulations thereby improving the accuracy with which engineers can design new structures.
ContributorsVotroubek, Edward Daniel (Author) / Solanki, Kiran (Thesis director) / Oswald, Jay (Committee member) / Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Program (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-05