The National Football League (NFL), Under Armour, General Electric , and the U.S. Department of Commerce's National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), recently announced the five winners of Head Health Challenge III, an open innovation competition to support the discovery, design, and development of advanced materials that better absorb or dissipate impact. The new materials have the potential to improve the performance of protective gear, playing surfaces, and equipment for athletes, members of the military, and others.
Each of the winners will receive $250,000 to advance their work in developing state-of-the-art materials. A panel of leading experts in the field of materials science selected these five winners from 125 entries because they met the challenge's technical criteria to maximize energy absorption and minimize momentum transfer. One overall Head Health Challenge III winner will be selected from the five awardees to receive a $500,000 grand prize.
The Challenge III award winners are:
Alba Technic LLC (Winthrop, Maine) has developed a patented, shock-absorbent honeycomb material with an outer layer that diverts the energy from a fall or hit. The material is normally soft and compliant, but upon impact, the outer layer changes into a hard shell to spread the energy and protect the user from injury.
Charles Owen Inc. (Lincolnton, Ga.) made cellular structures that use a stacked, origami-like design to optimize energy absorption. The essential building block of this winning material is a double corrugated sheet of the material, whose ability to fold efficiently was originally developed for applications in areas such as solar array packing in the space industry.
Corsair Innovations (Plymouth, Mass.) has developed a textile that uses tiny, spring-like fibers to repel rotational and linear impacts, thereby reducing potential damage. Unlike foam materials, this textile is washable, breathable, wicks sweat and can be easily engineered to meet impact performance requirements.
Dynamic Research Inc. (Torrance, Calif.) and 6D Helmets LLC are collaborating to evolve 6D's single-impact suspension technology for use in repeated impact conditions. The suspension technology consists of a multi-layer, suspended internal liner system that allows the outer layer to move independently of the inner layer in order to reduce the effect of both angular and linear impact forces.
University of Michigan (Ann Arbor, Mich.) researchers designed a lightweight, multi-layered composite that includes a viscoelastic material. This material can be uniquely utilized to help limit the force of multiple and repeated impact events.
The finalists will work with the HHC III partners to optimize their materials over the coming year.
The Challenge III judges were:
Jeff Crandall, professor in Engineering and Applied Sciences at the University of Virginia. Crandall's research focuses on mechanisms of injury under impact loading.
Sharon Glotzer, Ph.D., professor of Chemical Engineering at the University of Michigan. Glotzer's research focuses on the ability to manipulate matter at the molecular, nanoparticle, and colloidal level to create "designer" structures.
Heinrich Jaeger, Ph.D., professor of Physics at the University of Chicago. Jaeger's team at the University of Chicago is involved in projects ranging from the assembly of next-generation nanostructures to investigations of the complex nonlinear behavior of granular materials, including grain, gravel, pharmaceutical pills and ultrafine powders.
Michael Maher, program manager for the Defense Sciences Offices at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). Maher's current interests include development of new technologies to reduce the manufacturing cycle time and novel lightweight multifunctional material systems.
Tresa Pollock, Ph.D., chair of the Materials Department at the University of California – Santa Barbara. Pollock's current interests include the mechanical and environmental performance of materials in extreme environments, unique high temperature materials processing paths, ultrafast laser-material interactions, alloy design and 3-D materials characterization.
Alton D. Romig, Ph.D., former vice president and general manager of Advanced Development Programs Engineering and Advanced Systems, known as Skunk Works, for Lockheed Martin Aeronautics. In this role, Romig focused on generating breakthrough technologies and designs for aircrafts and is known as the leader in aerospace innovation. Romig now serves as executive officer of the National Academy of Engineering.
Alan Taub, Ph.D., professor of Materials Science and Engineering at the University of Michigan. Taub is pursuing research in advanced materials and processing and leading an initiative to establish a new center within the U-M College of Engineering that will focus on advanced manufacturing of lightweight material structures for automotive and aerospace applications.
Head Health Challenge III, part of the larger Head Health Initiative, a four-year, $60 million collaboration between GE and the NFL, is one of three open innovation challenges to invest up to $20 million in research and technology development to better understand, identify and protect against brain injury. Challenge I focused on discovering imaging and methods for diagnosis and prognosis of mild traumatic brain injuries, and in July 2015, six grand prize winners were awarded $500,000 to further their revolutionary research. Challenge II focused on new technologies to monitor, identify and protect against mild traumatic brain injury, and in December 2015, three grand prize winners were announced. The winners could receive up to $1 million over the next year to continue to advance their innovations.
The Head Health Challenge III collaboration helps implement a pledge by NIST and the Department of Commerce to invest resources to accelerate the development of materials that can protect against concussions, made at the White House's Healthy Kids and Safe Sports Concussion Summit in May 2014.
The National Football League (NFL), Under Armour, General Electric , and the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), recently announced the five winners of Head Health Challenge III, an open innovation competition to support the discovery, design, and development of advanced materials that better absorb or dissipate impact.
Metal powders are potential replacement for fossil fuels
December 17, 2015
Source:
Can you imagine a future where your car is fueled by iron powder instead of gasoline? Metal powders, produced using clean primary energy sources, could provide a more viable long-term replacement for fossil fuels than other widely discussed alternatives, such as hydrogen, biofuels or batteries, according to a study researchers at McGill University, Canada.
"Technologies to generate clean electricity—primarily solar and wind power—are being developed rapidly; but we can't use that electricity for many of the things that oil and gas are used for today, such as transportation and global energy trade," says Professor Jeffrey Bergthorson.
"Biofuels can be part of the solution, but won't be able to satisfy all the demand; hydrogen requires big, heavy fuel tanks and is explosive, and batteries are too bulky and don't store enough energy for many applications," says Bergthorson. "Using metal powders as recyclable fuels that store clean primary energy for later use is a very promising alternative solution."
Novel concept
The research includes other McGill researchers and a European Space Agency scientist in the Netherlands, lays out a novel concept for using tiny metal particles—similar in size to fine flour or icing sugar—to power external-combustion engines.
Unlike the internal-combustion engines used in gasoline-powered cars, external-combustion engines use heat from an outside source to drive an engine. External-combustion engines, modern versions of the coal-fired steam locomotives that drove the industrial era, are widely used to generate power from nuclear, coal or biomass fuels in power stations.
The idea of burning metal powders is nothing new – they've been used for centuries in fireworks, for instance. Since the mid-20th century, they've also been used in rocket propellants, such as the space shuttle's solid-fuel booster rockets. But relatively little research has been done in recent decades on the properties of metal flames, and the potential for metal powders to be used as a recyclable fuel in a wide range of applications has been largely overlooked by scientists.
Recyclable after combustion
The idea put forward by the McGill team takes advantage of an important property of metal powders: when burned, they react with air to form stable, nontoxic solid-oxide products that can be collected relatively easily for recycling – unlike the CO2 emissions from burning fossil fuels that escape into the atmosphere.
Using a custom-built burner, the team demonstrated that a flame can be stabilized in a flow of tiny metal particles suspended in air. Flames from metal powders "appear quite similar" to those produced by burning hydrocarbon fuels, according to researchers. "The energy and power densities of the proposed metal-fueled heat engines are predicted to be close to current fossil-fueled internal combustion engines, making them an attractive technology for a future low-carbon society."
Iron could be the primary candidate for this purpose. Millions of tons of iron powders are already produced annually for the metallurgy, chemical and electronic industries. And iron is readily recyclable with well-established technologies, and some novel techniques can avoid the carbon dioxide emissions associated with traditional iron production using coal.
Next step: building a prototype
While laboratory work at McGill and elsewhere has shown that the use of metal fuels with heat engines is technically feasible, no one has yet demonstrated the idea in practice. The next step toward turning the lab findings into usable technology, therefore, will be "to build a prototype burner and couple it to a heat engine," Bergthorson says. "Developing metal recycling processes that don't involve CO2 emissions is also critical."
David Jarvis, head of strategic and emerging technologies at the European Space Agency, adds: "We are very interested in this technology because it opens the door to new propulsion systems that can be used in space and on earth. The shift away from fossil fuels for vehicle propulsion is a clear trend for the future. While not perfected and commercialized today, the use of low-cost metallic fuels, like iron powder, is a worthy alternative to petrol and diesel fuels. If we can demonstrate, for the first time, an iron-fueled engine with almost zero CO2 emissions, we believe this would then trigger even more innovation and cost reduction in the near future."
The International Symposium for Testing & Failure Analysis (ISTFA) 2015 took Portland, Ore., by storm last week with record attendance and fun new events. This year's event attracted over 775 attendees and 101 exhibits worldwide. It included 18 tutorials, 14 technical sessions including 65 platform and poster presentations, four user groups, a new panel discussion, a fascinating plenary talk, and three pre-conference education short courses.
The technical program had a robust line up of talks including 93 oral and poster presentations as well as a panel discussion and four user groups. Kicking off the event, attendees heard this year's keynote speaker, Dr. Albert Yu-Min Lin, talk about his search to find the tomb of Genghis Khan using non-invasive techniques.
The sold out, sought-after "Tools of the Trade" tour was held on November 2 for an intimate group of pre-qualified ISTFA attendees. As part of the tour, attendees received special demonstrations from 10 exhibitors and their equipment followed by a networking reception.
The social event at the Punch Bowl Social was a fun evening of old-school video games, karaoke, and more. Commenting on the social event, Rick Livengood of Intel Platform Engineering Group says, "This was truly a memorable event, one of the best I can remember. It's no small thing, either—social events are where the real networking takes place." With 74 exhibitors in over 100 exhibits and dedicated hours over two days, most exhibitors found that ISTFA was a great opportunity to meet face-to-face with existing customers and potential new leads.
ISTFA 2015 Contest Winners
The photo contest was open to all members of the failure analysis community and sponsored by the Membership Committee of the Electronic Device Failure Analysis Society (EDFAS). See the 2015 Photo winners now.
A video contest was held based on a 3-minute (or less) video about an exciting result or a scintillating artifact. The winner was determined by the failure analysis community as a celebration of their filmmaking skills and failure analysis prowess. The winning video was submitted by Kevin Sanchez of the Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales (CNES) in France.
The Best Poster winner is Valentina Korchnoy from Intel Israel Ltd.
ISTFA 2016 will be held November 4-8 in Fort Worth, Texas. Interested authors should visit the ISTFA event website for more information about abstract submissions due April 17, 2015. 

2016 exhibit floor space is filling up fast and the Tools of the Trade tour spaces are almost sold out for a third year! Interested companies who want to reserve a booth space should contact Christina Sandoval, Global Exhibition Manager, at 440.338.5151 ext. 5625.
The International Symposium for Testing & Failure Analysis (ISTFA) 2015 took Portland, Ore., by storm last week with record attendance and fun new events.
White House Energy Summit focuses on advancing technology safety and low-cost energy
November 12, 2015
Source:
Speaking at the White House Summit on Nuclear Energy on November 6, physicist Christina Back of General Atomics (GA), San Diego, highlighted the urgency of developing next-generation fast-gas reactors with new materials to enhance safety and ensure energy security.
As GA's Director of Nuclear Technologies and Materials, Back specializes in developing new heat-resistant ceramics to enable delivery of cost-competitive clean energy with unprecedented safety via the innovative gas-cooled reactor, the Energy Multiplier Module or EM2.
She participated as one of five expert panelists at a forum spotlighting the Obama Administration's commitment to advanced nuclear energy and maintaining U.S. technology leadership in the industry. Back emphasized during her remarks that nuclear energy is the dominant energy source that is sustainable, compatible with 21st century power grids and free of greenhouse gases.
Panelists featured nuclear energy industry leaders including John Kotek, Acting Assistant Secretary for Nuclear Energy in the Department of Energy. The invited audience included leaders in academia, government, labor, environmental organizations, the nuclear industry, non-governmental organizations, think tanks and the investment community.
The panel focused on innovations in nuclear energy, with Back explaining that the design of EM2 draws on GA's 60 years of experience in designing and building safe reactors and aims to solve four big challenges: safety, waste, economics, and nonproliferation.
"Nuclear energy is important for the security of our country," says Back, noting that to turn new technology innovation into clean-energy reality, "We need investment and support from the DOE and Congress and the nation to understand what the challenges are, but also to understand what the huge payoff and benefits are for our country."
EM2 is a gas-cooled fast reactor designed to deliver low-cost nuclear energy by using a high-efficiency system, a "convert-and-burn" fuel cycle able to produce 265 megawatts-electric, in a compact modular design. It incorporates industry-leading safety and nonproliferation features and can run on nuclear waste.
The White House Summit on Nuclear Energy was billed by officials as a forum for highlighting the Administration's commitment to nuclear energy as a clean energy solution and "for maintaining U.S. leadership in nuclear energy to realize economic competitiveness, national security and nonproliferation objectives."
GA continues to be a leader in fission and fusion focused on a wide range of energy solutions. The DIII-D National Fusion Facility, operated by GA for the U.S. Department of Energy, is the largest magnetic fusion device in the nation and one of the largest in the world. GA is also a leading manufacturer of precision technology for inertial confinement fusion.
Image caption — EM2 waste-to-energy fast-gas reactor being developed by General Atomics with unprecedented safety innovations.
Speaking at the White House Summit on Nuclear Energy physicist Christina Back of General Atomics highlighted the urgency of developing next-generation fast-gas reactors with new materials to enhance safety and ensure energy security.
Nomination deadline for the 2016 Class of Fellows is fast approaching
November 5, 2015
Source:
The honor of Fellow of the Society was established to provide recognition to members for distinguished contributions in the field of materials science and engineering, and to develop a broadly based forum for technical and professional leaders to serve as advisors to the Society.
If you are interested in nominating someone for this prestigious award, please contact Christine Hoover, for a unique nomination link. This link will be exclusive to you, as the nominator, and will provide you the ability to work through the nomination at different times to add content and attachments until you submit the final nomination.
The ASM Fellow Award is first and foremost an award for technical achievement and not intended to exclusively award contributions to ASM International. To the extent possible, the selection committee shall select a diverse slate of nominees from all the constituencies of ASM.
Five years of current, continuous membership in ASM International as an individual is required at the time of nomination.
Candidates for the award may be proposed by Chapters through their Executive Committee, Affiliate Societies, Regional Councils, Committees/Councils, Award Selection Committee, Awards Policy Committee, ASM Fellow or any five members of the Society.
Please be aware that the nominee, and nominator(s), must be current ASM members in good standing, or the nomination will not be accepted. If you have any question regarding the status of membership, please contact me.
The nomination is limited to ten pages, plus up to five letters of support for a total of 15 pages (this is in addition to the nomination form).
The honor of Fellow of the Society was established to provide recognition to members for distinguished contributions in the field of materials science and engineering, and to develop a broadly based forum for technical and professional leaders to serve as advisors to the Society. The deadline for submission is November 30.
The ASM Heat Treating Society Conference and Exposition (Heat Treat 2015) took place in late October in Detroit. The three-day event, co-located with the American Gear Manufacturer's Association Gear Expo, attracted over 7000 heat treating and gear professionals from all over the world, including an equipment exhibition featuring 202 companies in 288 booths. The show featured top-notch technical programming as well as several new initiatives such as live equipment demonstrations on the show floor and a "hot" new social event that lit up the Detroit sky as well as local social media.
The technical program at Heat Treat featured more than 140 oral and poster presentations, including a new Applied Technology track focused on practical applications for operators. Jonn Nebbe, a metallurgical engineer at Eaton Corp., said, "Learning about the academic side of things is nice, but learning practical applications that you can take back to the shop floor? That's what I'm here for."
Attendees also enjoyed a plenary session from Dr. Alan Taub, chief technical officer of the newly established American Lightweight Materials Manufacturing Innovation Institute, who discussed the LIFT (Lightweight Innovations for Tomorrow) consortium. The conference program also featured an expert-led panel on "New Development and Opportunities in Heat Treating" focused on technology needs and new disruptive technology within the industry. Finally, the popular Master Series lectures educated attendees on specific technical subjects such as the past and future of martensitic steels, bainite transformation in steel, and the Holloman-Jaffe parameter.
Local high school students got to participate in the ASM Materials Education Foundation "Mini Materials Camp" on the show floor during Heat Treat. Eight presenters gave hands-on science demonstrations to over 150 students in the mini-camp, including heat treating bobby pins and paper clips and the principle of diffusion at work in brassing a penny. College students also took part in the free "This is Heat Treat" student program, which included a special 35 and Under Keynote Breakfast and a student networking mixer on the show floor.
On the networking side of the event, attendees had many opportunities throughout the week to meet and catch up with old friends. Exhibitors and attendees were treated to a networking reception on Tuesday evening featuring local brews and appetizers on the show floor, and several refreshment and dessert breaks throughout the week. The main event however, the first-ever Heat Treat social event called "The Heat Is On," was held Wednesday evening at Waterview Loft at Port Detroit. Guests were treated to flame twirlers, local craft beer, and Detroit-style food. The evening was capped off by a fireworks display on the Detroit River, which surprised both guests and locals who happened to catch the show. The "mystery" fireworks caused quite a stir on social media and the news.
Attendees, exhibitors, and sponsors were positive about the direction that Heat Treat is going. "There is a new energy to this event," says Stephen Kowalski, president of the ASM Heat Treating Society and president, Kowalski Heat Treating. "The organizers are doing some exciting things with the programming, and the social event really was above and beyond all expectations and certainly had the local and international media on fire. Even if you have been to Heat Treat before, come again in 2017 – you won't be disappointed."
Chuck Faulkner, Market Development Manager, Heat Treatment & Metal Forming at Houghton International, says that Heat Treat is the must-attend event for the heat treating industry. "This show is one our company doesn't miss. We will be back in 2017."
Heat Treat 2017 will take place in Columbus, Ohio, on October 24-26, 2017. Space is limited and is expected to sell out. To reserve exhibit space, contact Christina Sandoval, global exhibition manager a [email protected] or 440.338.5151 ext. 5625.
The ASM Heat Treating Society Conference and Exposition (Heat Treat 2015) took place in late October in Detroit. The three-day event, co-located with the American Gear Manufacturer’s Association Gear Expo, attracted over 7000 heat treating and gear professionals from all over the world, including an equipment exhibition featuring 202 companies in 288 booths.
ASM Handbooks Online now includes Volume 5B: Protective Organic Coatings
October 29, 2015
Source:
ASM International, Materials Park, Ohio, recently released ASM Handbooks Online, which features the addition of ASM Handbook, Volume 5B: Protective Organic Coatings. This all new volume addresses a need for comprehensive information on organic coatings, including coating materials, surface preparation, application processes, industrial uses, and coating evaluation and analysis methods. It is an essential reference for industrial coating users, specifiers, and contractors. Industry respected authors and reviewers make this latest entry to ASM's handbook series the authoritative source for industrial coating information worldwide. See below for content included.
COATING MATERIALS:
Alkyd resins
Acrylic coatings
Epoxy resins and curatives
Polyvinylidene fluoride-based coatings technology
Fluoroethylene vinyl ether resins for high-performance coatings
Phenolic coatings
Polyester and vinyl ester coatings
Polyurethane coatings
Polyurea-based coatings
Polyaspartic coatings
Polymeric floor coatings
Powder coatings: Pipelines
Powder coatings: Other industries
Silicon-based technologies in coatings
Polysiloxane hybrid coatings
Smart coatings and nanotechnology applications in coatings
Bitumens – coal tar and asphalt coatings
Wax-based coating systems
Zinc-rich coatings
SURFACE PREPARATION AND COATING APPLICATION:
Surface preparation
Soluble salts beneath coatings
Coating application methods
Shop and field quality control and quality assurance
Worker health and environmental hazards associated with coating application and removal
Green coatings
Coating various substrates
INDUSTRIAL USES:
Pipeline industry coatings
Marine coatings
Coatings used in the nuclear industry
Bridge coatings
Transportation-railcar coatings
Guidance for the use of protective coatings in municipal potable water systems
Protective coatings for corrosion control in municipal wastewater systems
Guidelines for maintenance coating of steel structures in pulp and paper mills
Coatings for commercial structures and building deficiencies that affect performance
COATING ANALYSIS AND EVALUATION:
Estimating the cost of industrial painting projects
Coating deterioration
Coating failure analysis
Laboratory testing
Coating failures and defects
Overview of other protection methods
ASM Handbooks Online is the industry's best known and most comprehensive source of information on ferrous and nonferrous metals and materials technology. Features the complete content of 34 ASM Handbook volumes, ASM Handbook supplements, and ASM Desk Editions—more than 25,000 pages of articles, illustrations, tables, graphs, specifications, and practical examples, providing peer-reviewed, trusted information in every area of materials specialization.
Quick and advanced search features enable users to search across the complete ASM Handbook collection in seconds. Additionally, a Contents Tree provides users with an intuitive way to browse and drill down to specific handbook volumes, articles, and sections of interest. The database provides aspiring and practicing engineers with instant, anytime access to the most trusted and comprehensive materials information resource available.
"ASM Handbooks are unique and valuable resources for the engineering community," says Scott D. Henry, ASM Director of Content and Knowledge Based Solutions. "They are written and edited by volunteers, assisted by ASM staff, to provide practical, in-depth technical information that is not readily available from other sources. This latest update to ASM Handbooks Online adds a wealth of information on organic coatings to the series."
For more information, or to schedule a customized demonstration via WebEx for your organization, please contact Denise Sirochman at 440.338.5409.
ASM International, Materials Park, Ohio, recently released ASM Handbooks Online, which features the addition of ASM Handbook, Volume 5B: Protective Organic Coatings.
Unraveling structural ambiguities in lithium-rich transition metal oxides
Source:
Using complementary microscopy and spectroscopy techniques, researchers at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab), Calif., say they have solved the structure of lithium- and manganese-rich transition metal oxides, a potentially game-changing battery material and the subject of intense debate in the decade since it was discovered.
Researchers have been divided into three schools of thought on the material's structure, but a team led by Alpesh Khushalchand Shukla and Colin Ophus spent nearly four years analyzing the material and concluded that the least popular theory is in fact the correct one. This material is important because the battery capacity can potentially be doubled compared to the most commonly used Li-ion batteries today due to the extra lithium in the structure. "However, it doesn't come without problems, such as voltage fade, capacity fade, and DC resistance rise," says Shukla. "It is immensely important that we clearly understand the bulk and surface structure of the pristine material. We can't solve the problem unless we know the problem."
A viable battery with a marked increase in storage capacity would not only shake up the cell phone and laptop markets, it would also transform the market for electric vehicles (EVs). "The problem with the current lithium-ion batteries found in laptops and EVs now is that they have been pushed almost as far as they can go," says Ophus. "If we're going to ever double capacity, we need new chemistries."
Using state-of-the-art electron microscopy techniques at the National Center for Electron Microscopy (NCEM) at Berkeley Lab's Molecular Foundry and at SuperSTEM in the UK, researchers imaged the material at atomic resolution. Because previous studies have been ambiguous about the structure, the researchers minimized ambiguity by looking at the material from different directions, or zone axes. "Misinterpretations from electron microscopy data are possible because individual two-dimensional projections do not give you the three-dimensional information needed to solve a structure," Shukla says. "So you need to look at the sample in as many directions as you can."
Scientists have been divided on whether the material structure is single trigonal phase, double phase, or defected single monoclinic phase. The "phase" of a material refers to the arrangement of the atoms with respect to each other; Ophus, a Project Scientist at the Molecular Foundry, explains how easy it is for researchers to reach different conclusions: "The two-phase and one-phase model are very closely related. It's not like comparing an apple to an orange—it's more like comparing an orange and a grapefruit from very far away. It's hard to tell the difference between the two."
In addition to viewing the material at atomic resolution along multiple zone axes, the researchers made another important decision, that is, to view entire particles rather than just a subsection. "Imaging with very high fields of view was also critical in solving the structure," Shukla said. "If you just look at one small part you can't say that the whole particle has that structure."
Putting the evidence together, Shukla and Ophus are fairly convinced that the material is indeed defected single phase. "Our research gives strong support for the defected single-phase monoclinic model and rules out the two-phase model, at least in the range of compositions used in our study," says Ophus, whose expertise is in understanding structure using a combination of computational methods and experimental results.
"We need to know what goes on at the atomic scale in order to understand the macroscopic behavior of new emerging materials, and the advanced electron microscopes available at national facilities such as SuperSTEM or NCEM are essential in making sure their potential is fully realized," he adds.
In addition to solving the structure of the bulk material, which has been studied by other research groups, they also solved the surface structure, which is different from the bulk and consists of just a few layers of atoms on select crystallographic facets. "The intercalation of lithium starts at the surface, so understanding the surface of the pristine material is very important," Shukla says.
On top of the STEM (scanning transmission electron microscopy) imaging that they used for the bulk, they had to use additional techniques to solve the surface, including EELS (electron energy loss spectroscopy) and XEDS (x-ray energy dispersive spectroscopy). "We show for the first time which surface structure occurs, how thick it is, how it's oriented in relation to the bulk, and in particular on what facets the surface phase does and doesn't exist," Ophus says.
An important part of the study was the quantity and quality of the samples studied. They started with lab-made samples. They used a molten-salt method that produces high-quality discrete primary particles that are impurity-free, making them ideal candidates for performing fundamental characterization. Taking a conservative approach, the researchers also decided to procure and analyze two commercial samples from two different companies.
"We could have finished the paper a year earlier, but because there was so much controversy we wanted to make sure we didn't leave any stone unturned," says Shukla. In the end, it took nearly four years to complete the research. Ophus calls it a "tour de force of microscopy" because of its thoroughness.
Image caption — The cube on the right represents the structure of lithium- and manganese- rich transition metal oxides. The models on the left show the structure from three different directions, which correspond to the STEM images of the cube.
Using complementary microscopy and spectroscopy techniques, researchers at say they have solved the structure of lithium- and manganese-rich transition metal oxides.
Engineers at The Ohio State University, Columbus, developed a new welding technique that consumes 80% less energy than a common welding technique, yet creates bonds that are 50% stronger. The new technique could have a huge impact on the auto industry, which is poised to offer new cars which combine traditional heavy steel parts with lighter, alternative metals to reduce vehicle weight.
Despite recent advances in materials design, alternative metals still pose a challenge to manufacturers in practice. Many are considered unweldable by traditional means, in part because high heat and re-solidification weaken them, said Glenn Daehn, professor of materials science and engineering at Ohio State, who helped develop the new technique.
"Materials have gotten stronger, but welds haven't. We can design metals with intricate microstructures, but we destroy the microstructure when we weld," he says. "With our method, materials are shaped and bonded together at the same time, and they actually get stronger." Daehn explained the new process in a keynote address at the Materials Science & Technology 2015 meeting recently in Columbus.
In a common technique called resistance spot welding, manufacturers pass a high electrical current through pieces of metal, so that the metals' natural electrical resistance generates heat that partially melts them together and forms a weld. The drawbacks: generating high currents consumes a lot of energy, and the melted portions of metal are never as strong afterward as they were before.
Over the last decade, Daehn and his team have been trying to find ways around those problems. They've amassed more than half a dozen patents on a system called vaporized foil actuator (VFA) welding. In VFA, a high-voltage capacitor bank creates a very short electrical pulse inside a thin piece of aluminum foil. Within microseconds (millionths of a second), the foil vaporizes, and a burst of hot gas pushes two pieces of metal together at speeds approaching thousands of miles per hour.
The pieces do not melt, so there is no seam of weakened metal between them. Instead, the impact directly bonds the atoms of one metal to atoms of the other. Seen under a high-powered microscope, the bond is actually quite beautiful, and often features delicate curlicues in spots where veins of both materials extend outward and wrap around each other. The technique uses less energy because the electrical pulse is so short, and because the energy required to vaporize the foil is less than what would be required to melt the metal parts.
So far, the engineers have successfully bonded different combinations of copper, aluminum, magnesium, iron, nickel and titanium. They have created strong bonds between commercial steel and aluminum alloys—a feat which is impossible normally. Also, high-strength steel and aluminum join together with weld regions that are stronger than the base metals.
The technique is powerful enough to shape metal parts at the same time it welds them together, saving manufacturers a step. Daehn and his team now want to join with manufacturers to further develop the technology, which will be licensed through Ohio State's Technology Commercialization Office.
This project is funded by the Department of Energy and the National Science Foundation (NSF), and was one of the first to participate in I-Corps@Ohio, a new collaboration modeled after and approved by NSF's successful I-Corps commercialization program. Ohio is the first to have a statewide collaboration that is based on the NSF model, yet fully funded by the state. The program is funded and supported by the Ohio Department of Higher Education.
The Materials Science & Engineering annual meeting is organized by the American Ceramic Society, the Association for Iron & Steel Technology, ASM International, and the Minerals, Metals & Materials Society.
Image caption — Microscope view of steel (top) welded to aluminum alloy (bottom) using a new technique developed at The Ohio State University. Courtesy of Glenn Daehn/OSU.
Engineers at The Ohio State University developed a new welding technique that consumes 80% less energy than a common welding technique, yet creates bonds that are 50% stronger—creating a huge impact on the auto industry.
Linde highlights advanced technologies at Heat Treat 2015
October 15, 2015
Source:
Linde LLC, Murray Hill, N.J., will showcase advanced gas control technologies and engineering services for heat treatment furnaces at Heat Treat 2015 next week in Detroit, booth 248. These include Carbojet gas-injection technology for improving production up to 20%; Hydroflex atmosphere control system for more reliable oxide-free annealing; world-class heat treatment engineering and laboratory services; and safety solutions for flammable atmosphere furnaces (re: NFPA 86)
These heat treatment services and proven technologies are in demand for improving process efficiency, productivity, and quality in manufacturing metal parts for automotive, aerospace, and military components; construction and industrial equipment; and electrical systems, to name a few. More consistent process quality can mean less rework and fewer rejects, and lead to higher profits, process reliability and longer service life.
Linde offers decades of experience in heat treatment across all common furnace types from continuous to batch type furnaces, including roller hearth, pusher, pit or rotary-retort. Expertise spans all typical protective atmospheres—from pure nitrogen, pure hydrogen, nitrogen/hydrogen, nitrogen/hydrocarbon type atmospheres to endothermic gas, exothermic gas and monogas atmospheres.
Improve gas flows and atmosphere homogeneity without fans
The patented CARBOJET gas-injection technology can improve efficiency and the productivity of heat treatment furnaces including roller hearth, pusher, pit, or rotary-retort. Ultrahigh-speed injection of a gas or gas mixture through special CARBOJET lances improves gas flows and atmosphere homogeneity without the use of circulation fans. This includes both the better mixing of the injected gases with the furnace atmosphere, and better movement of the gas flows within the furnace.
Oxide-free parts annealing
The HYDROFLEX atmosphere control system offers a universal solution for clean and bright oxide-free annealing of steel, stainless steel, copper, bronze or brass, with high reliability and repeatability. One or more carrier gases (nitrogen or argon) maintain the furnace pressure while a controlled ratio of hydrogen helps prevent oxidation. With the HYDROFLEX® technology, many annealing tasks can be completed with non-flammable gas mixtures containing less than 5 percent hydrogen.
Engineering and lab services
Engineering is key to optimizing heat treatment solutions. Linde engineers can perform process audits to investigate areas for improvement. This may include analyzing furnace atmospheres, gas supply and control systems, as well as upstream and downstream processes. Linde can also perform customer tests and demonstrations in furnaces at its Technology Center to support feasibility studies, and provide safety and process training.
In addition, engineers at Linde Application Centers can develop new gas supply systems for heat treatment processes and improve the control systems of existing processes. Our metallography laboratory services include material analyses, scanning electron micrography (SEM) and a variety of hardness tests.
Meeting new NFPA safety standards
The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) is the industry accepted authority of industrial gases and furnaces. All heat treating facilities should familiarize themselves with NFPA 86 "Standard for Ovens and Furnaces". Within NFPA 86 there are specific requirements for Nitrogen Supply Systems used to purge flammable atmosphere furnaces. Linde developed the system to satisfy the NFPA 86 "Standard for Ovens and Furnaces." It includes a nitrogen supply system with an integral alarm panel for safety purge of flammable atmosphere furnaces.
Heat Treat 2015 is the premier heat treating event in North America and presented by the ASM Heat Treating Society. The conference and exposition run in conjunction with Gear Expo, presented by the American Gear Manufacturers Association.
Linde LLC, Murray Hill, N.J., will showcase advanced gas control technologies and engineering services for heat treatment furnaces at Heat Treat 2015 next week in Detroit, booth 248.
