NASA announces call for proposals for Combustion Science and Materials Science
October 2, 2018
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NASA has released a NASA Research Announcement titled “Use of the NASA Physical Sciences Informatics System – Appendix E,†which solicits ground-based research proposals to generate new scientific insights by utilizing experimental data residing in NASA’s Physical Sciences Informatics (PSI) system.
This online database provides investigators access to the raw and processed experimental data from physical science reduced-gravity flight experiments conducted on the International Space Station, Space Shuttle flights, Free Flyers, or commercial cargo flights to and from the ISS, and from related ground-based studies.
The current call for proposals solicits proposals in the five research areas – Combustion Science, Complex Fluids, Fluid Physics, Fundamental Physics, and Materials Science – for which eligible experimental data will be available in the PSI by the proposal due date of December 14, 2018. Data from 55 investigations are eligible for this NRA.
The call is open to two types of investigators: established researchers and graduate students. Anticipated award amounts, eligibility requirements, and further instructions for both types of investigators are provided in the solicitation document, which is available at https://tinyurl.com/NASA-PSI-E.
NASA has released a NASA Research Announcement titled “Use of the NASA Physical Sciences Informatics System – Appendix E,” which solicits ground-based research proposals to generate new scientific insights by utilizing experimental data residing in NASA’s Physical Sciences Informatics (PSI) system.
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Japanese scientists develop molybdenum-base high-temperature high-strength alloy
October 1, 2018
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Tohoku University, Japan, reports that its researchers have developed a titanium carbide-reinforced, molybdenum-silicon-boron (Mo-Si-B)-based alloy, or MoSiBTiC, whose high-temperature strength was identified under constant forces in the temperature ranges of 2550 to 2900°F.
The study was published in Nature's open access journal Scientific Reports in July 2018. "Our experiments show that the MoSiBTiC alloy is extremely strong compared with cutting-edge nickel-base single crystal superalloys, which are commonly used in hot sections of heat engines such as jet engines and gas turbines for electric power generation," says lead author Prof. Kyosuke Yoshimi of Tohoku University's Graduate School of Engineering.
"This work suggests that the MoSiBTiC, as ultrahigh temperature materials beyond nickel-based superalloys, is one promising candidate for those applications," added Yoshimi.
Yoshimi and colleagues report several parameters that highlight the alloy's favorable ability to withstand disruptive forces under ultrahigh temperatures without deforming. They also observed the alloy's behavior when exposed to increasing forces and when cavities within MoSiBTiC formed and grew, resulting in to microcracks and final rupturing.
The researchers assessed the alloy's creep in a stress range of 100 to 300 MPa for 400 hours. All experiments were performed in a computer-controlled test rig under vacuum in order to prevent the material from oxidizing, or reacting with the any potential air moisture, which could ultimately result in rust formation.
Furthermore, the study reports that, contrary to previous studies, the alloy experiences larger elongation with decreasing forces. This behavior, they write, has so far only been observed with superplastic materials that are capable of withstanding against unexpected premature failure.
These findings are an important indicator for MoSiBTiC's applicability in systems that function at extremely high temperatures, such as energy conversion systems in automotive applications, power plants, and propulsion systems in aircraft engines and rockets. The researchers say that several additional microstructural analyses are needed in order to fully understand the alloy's mechanics and its ability to recover from exposure of high stresses such as large forces under high temperatures.
http://www.tohoku.ac.jp/en/press/metal_withstands_ultra_high_temperature.html
Tohoku University, Japan, reports that its researchers have developed a titanium carbide-reinforced, molybdenum-silicon-boron (Mo-Si-B)-based alloy, or MoSiBTiC, whose high-temperature strength was identified under constant forces in the temperature ranges of 2550 to 2900°F.
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Hardline Heat Treating to invest $3.2 million to renovate buildings and expand operations
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Hardline Heat Treating Inc., Southbridge, Mass., announces that Southbridge city council has approved a ten-year tax increment financing (TIF) agreement that will allow the company to invest $3.2 million and add ten jobs to its 36-person workforce. It will spend $1 million to purchase the two buildings it occupies, pay $1.8 million for construction, and $400,000 for new equipment, according to company president, Robert Chalue.
The company thermally treats metals to improve wear, toughness and aesthetics, has 36 employees and operates from 134 and 73 Ashland Ave., in a combined 18,000 square feet. The company plans to first expand and renovate one building from more than 25,000 square feet to more than 41,000 square feet. Then it will do the same for the second building, at least a year after the other building is completed and operational.
The tax exemption schedule would be 100 percent the first two years, 70 percent in years 3 and 4, 50 percent in years 5 and 6, 40 percent in year 7, 30 percent in year 8, 20 percent in year 9, and 10 percent the final year of the agreement.
www.hardlineheattreating.com
Hardline Heat Treating Inc., Southbridge, Mass., announces that Southbridge city council has approved a ten-year tax increment financing (TIF) agreement that will allow the company to invest $3.2 million and add ten jobs to its 36-person workforce.
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Lucifer Furnaces supplies metal stamping company with heat treating furnace/oven
September 30, 2018
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Lucifer Furnaces, Warrington, Pa., has delivered a large dual chamber unit to a metal stamping manufacturer in the Midwest. Model HL82-P24 is a hardening furnace over tempering oven, built as a space saving combination for multipurpose heat treating. The upper hardening chamber heats to 2300°F with 6.5†multilayer insulation throughout the chamber. Heat is supplied through heavy gauge, coil wound wire elements in easy-to-replace holders on sides, back and door of the furnace.
The vertical lift, hand-crank operated door provides for smooth operation with a tight seal. A heavy duty ceramic hearth plate protects floor elements and insulation. The lower chamber tempering oven heats to a uniform 1200°F with a rear mounted high cfm fan circulating air past the side mounted heating elements. A 16 gauge stainless steel liner forms the work chamber. Both chambers are controlled with digital time proportioning temperature controllers with timers and alarms.
Safety features on this unit include high limit controllers on each chamber which provide auto shut-down in the event of a high temp excursion. Door switches are designed to shut off power and fan, protecting users from electric shock as well as heat hazards. Both chambers are 18 inches high x 24 inches wide x 24 inches long.
www.luciferfurnaces.com
Lucifer Furnaces, Warrington, Pa., has delivered a large dual chamber unit to a metal stamping manufacturer in the Midwest.
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Wisconsin Oven annealing furnace heat treats parts for firearms manufacturer
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Wisconsin Oven Corp., East Troy, Wis., has shipped an electrically heated annealing furnace to a firearms manufacturer for annealing an assortment of brass and bronze firearm caps. The annealing furnace has a maximum temperature rating of 1400°F and a normal operating temperature of 572 to 1202°F. The work chamber dimensions are 3 x 9 x 0.5 feet. The conveyor furnace, when preheated, has the sufficient capacity to heat 225 kg of product per hour from 23° C to 650° C.
The recirculation system was designed with bottom-up airflow. The continuous conveyor system utilizes a pintle chain driven wire mesh belt and variable frequency drive for adjustable conveyor speeds. High-temperature profile curtains with external vestibules on both ends of the conveyor reduce heat spill-out and improve temperature uniformity. A guaranteed temperature uniformity of ±18° F at 572° and 1202° F for a minimum of 33 minutes has been documented.
“This conveyor furnace was designed with features to maximize temperature uniformity throughout the work chamber to ensure optimal results for the customer,†says Tom Trueman, Senior Application Engineer.
www.wisoven.com
Wisconsin Oven Corp., East Troy, Wis., has shipped an electrically heated annealing furnace to a firearms manufacturer for annealing an assortment of brass and bronze firearm caps.
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Abstract from Heat Treat Mexico Conference: Technological Advances in the Control of Nitriding and Nitrocarburizing
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Nitriding/Nitrocarburizing is a thermochemical surface treatment that can be carried out using a variety of technologies. A precise control of the atmosphere and the other parameters guarantees its success. This flexibility allows adapting the properties of the surface and diffusion layer according to demanding specifications.
Nitrex Metal Inc. has developed technologies that allow rigorous control of nitriding/nitrocarburizing parameters, improving quality and reducing manufacturing costs and defects such as deformation. By adapting the treatment to each specific need and material (carbon steels, high alloy tool steels, stainless steels), it is possible to meet the needs of various industries and fulfill specifications.
The presentation will focused on the technological advances in the control of the nitriding/nitrocarburizing mechanisms and the properties obtained in different applications and components.
Jack Kalucki, Nitrex Metal Inc. www.nitrex.com
Nitriding/Nitrocarburizing is a thermochemical surface treatment that can be carried out using a variety of technologies.
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Mipar software enables precise and repeatable quantification of nickel alloy precipitates
September 26, 2018
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Mipar Software, Worthington, Ohio, announces that it has developed a software package called Mipar that enables engineers to quantify the size distribution and volume fraction of gamma-prime Ni3Al precipitates in nickel-base superalloys. Nickel-base superalloys are extensively used in high-temperature, high-stress applications. The presence of coherent γ′-Ni3Al precipitates provides the requisite elevated temperature strength and creep resistance in these alloys.
Therefore, quantification of the precipitate size distribution and volume fraction is essential for accurate model predictions and future alloy design. Current γ′ volume fraction characterization techniques lack precision and repeatability. Without a reproducible procedure, unacceptable variations and errors have plagued the past six decades of superalloys research and have inhibited the implementation of accurate precipitation models for these alloys.
Through the use of high resolution, low kV, scanning electron microscopy pioneered at NASA, and state-of-the-art image post-processing, a new, accurate γ′ characterization technique has been developed, and will be demonstrated at MS&T 2018 (booth 407). Using the new technique, secondary γ′ volume fractions in superalloy ME3 were calculated, and confirmed through phase extraction, thus opening the possibility for validation of presently used superalloy precipitation databases.
Using Mipar, along with a new imaging technique, NASA overcame barriers to accurate image analysis that had frustrated the aerospace materials community for decades. This led to published methods which NASA has proposed as a new standard for nickel superalloy analysis.
Link to Paper: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1044580318304716
www.mipar.us
Mipar Software, Worthington, Ohio, announces that it has developed a software program called Mipar that enables engineers to quantify the size distribution and volume fraction of gamma-prime Ni3Al precipitates in nickel-base superalloys.
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Steel Dynamics completes acquisition of Kentucky Electric Steel assets
September 23, 2018
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Steel Dynamics Inc., Fort Wayne, Ind., has completed the acquisition of substantially all of the assets of Kentucky Electric Steel, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Specialty Steel Works Inc., for $5.0 million. The acquired assets are located outside of Ashland, Kentucky, and are comprised of a rolling mill with an annual capacity of 250,000 tons. The operations were closed earlier this year by the prior owner, and Steel Dynamics plans to reopen the rolling mill in November 2018. The facility will be operated as part of Steel Dynamics' Steel of West Virginia (SWVA) operations, which is located within 20 miles of Ashland. The acquisition will provide product diversification for SWVA through the addition of flats and specialty alloy bars.
"KES has been a loyal customer of our SWVA and Roanoke Bar divisions," stated Glenn Pushis, Senior Vice President, Long Products Steel Group. "We believe that the complementary product offerings will provide value to our customers. We currently anticipate that roughly 100,000 to 150,000 tons of billets will be shipped each year from our long products steel mills to be further processed at Ashland, providing additional value-added capability and higher through-cycle utilization for our steel mills."
www.steeldynamics.com
Steel Dynamics Inc., Fort Wayne, Ind., has completed the acquisition of substantially all of the assets of Kentucky Electric Steel, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Specialty Steel Works Inc., for $5.0 million.
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Braidy Industries acquires nanostructured aluminum producer NanoAl
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Braidy Industries Inc., Ashland, Ky., announces that it has acquired NanoAl LLC, a world leader in the science of nanocrystalline strengthening technology applied to sheet aluminum, as a third wholly owned subsidiary. NanoAl will join the Braidy Atlas aluminum rolling mill and Veloxint in the Braidy Industries company portfolio of holdings.
NanoAl was founded out of the Department of Materials Science at Northwestern University to commercialize the science of developing stronger aluminum alloys through control of key structural features at the nanoscale. Braidy believes the technology has the potential to significantly enhance the specific strength of aluminum to be produced by its Braidy Atlas mill, creating a competitive advantage within the automotive and aerospace OEM marketplace.
“We believe NanoAl’s innovative approach will enable sheet aluminum 20 percent stronger than conventional grades, while maintaining lower cost. The technology also applies to powder metallurgy, including 3D printing applications, allowing additional synergies between the Braidy Atlas mill and Veloxint,†said Dr. Alan Lund, Veloxint CEO and Chief Technology Officer of Braidy,. “This is another step towards our goal of rebuilding Appalachia with cutting edge technology focused on lightweighting solutions.â€
According to Dr. Nhon Q. Vo, Chief Executive, Chief Technology Officer and Co-Founder of NanoAl, “Our new partnership with Braidy Industries and Veloxint provides the opportunity to scale our research and development capabilities and become the innovation leader in nano-science technology of light metals.â€
Craig T. Bouchard, Braidy Industries Chairman and Chief Executive said, “We have the opportunity to grow our powder metallurgy business via acquisition. And, we have been approached by numerous parties to consider building our second rolling mill. We intend to pursue these opportunities.â€
www.braidyindustries
Braidy Industries Inc., Ashland, Ky., announces that it has acquired NanoAl LLC, a world leader in the science of nanocrystalline strengthening technology applied to sheet aluminum, as a third wholly owned subsidiary.
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Surface Combustion: “Endothermic Atmosphere Monitoring and Control for Carburizing”
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Surface Combustion, Maumee, Ohio, announces that on Thursday, September 28th, at 3:30 p.m., Ben Bernard, VP of Global Sales, will present “Endothermic Atmosphere Monitoring and Control for Carburizing.†A bilingual speaker, Ben will be giving his presentation in Spanish and will be able to address questions in both Spanish and English. Having native Spanish speakers within sales, engineering, and aftermarket services at Surface is just another way that we bring value to our customer relationships.
“Surface is once again excited to support this bi-annual event. The inaugural conference in 2016 was well planned and well attended, and we are anticipating another great event by the ASM Heat Treating Society. Whether it’s on the expo floor, at one of the many social gatherings, or during technical sessions we look forward to connecting with you in Queretaro,†says Mr. Bernard.
www.surfacecombustion.com
Surface Combustion, Maumee, Ohio, announces that on Thursday, September 28th, at 3:30 p.m., Ben Bernard, VP of Global Sales, will present “Endothermic Atmosphere Monitoring and Control for Carburizing.”
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