Positively charged nanodiamonds improve wear resistance of electroless nickel plating
December 8, 2014
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Carbodeon Ltd. Oy, Finland, announces that wear resistance of electroless nickel plating is improved by a factor of three by the controlled addition of nanodiamonds that are synthesised by a detonation process. The process produces nanoparticles that have a positive charge in solution, enabling them to deposit together with the metal ions in the plating process. Nanodiamond particles are hardwearing, 4 to 6 nm in diameter, and offer very low surface friction.
Platers have added liquid suspensions containing clusters of these diamond particles into the electrolyte and experienced significant improvements in durability of the plating for such applications as gun barrels and machine parts.
For plating applications, the result is that the particle charge or "zeta potential" is much higher, around 50% more than traditional nanodiamonds. This creates an additional separation force between the nanodiamond particles, and has enabled Carbodeon to develop a liquid dispersion of individual particles 4-6 nm in diameter, rather than the traditional clusters that range from 100 m up to a few microns in size. The result is that the surface-area/volume ratio of the diamonds increases by one to two orders of magnitude.
By depositing true nanoscale particles into metal plating, Carbodeon aims to make the addition of nanodiamond to metal plating more economical. While the traditional dosage rate for plating with agglomerated nanodiamonds is 10g/liter of electrolyte, the optimum dose using dispersed nanodiamond in electroless nickel has been found to be just 0.05 g/liter.
www.carbodeon.com
Carbodeon Ltd. Oy, Finland, announces that wear resistance of electroless nickel plating is improved by a factor of three by the controlled addition of nanodiamonds that are synthesized by a detonation process.
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Bodycote agrees to provide aircraft thermal spray coating services to Messier-Bugatti-Dowty
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Bodycote, U.K., announces the signing of an eight-year agreement with Messier-Bugatti-Dowty (Safran Group), a maker of aircraft landing and braking systems. Under the agreement, Bodycote will provide thermal spray coating services for major commercial and military airframe component programs, including the Boeing 787 and Airbus A350.
Thermal spray coatings are used to prolong the working life of critical components and provide in-service protection from factors such as abrasion, temperature and wear.
Bodycote's core business is to provide services that protect and improve the properties of metals and alloys. This in turn improves the material properties of components, extending their operational life and making them safer. The company plays a vital role in the aerospace supply chain.
With more than 190 locations in 26 countries, Bodycote is the world's largest provider of thermal processing services. Through heat treatment, metal joining, surface technology and hot isostatic pressing, Bodycote improves the properties of metals and alloys, extending the life of vital components for a wide range of industries, including aerospace, defence, automotive, power generation, oil & gas, construction, medical and transportation.
www.bodycote.com.
Bodycote, U.K., announces the signing of an eight-year agreement with Messier-Bugatti-Dowty (Safran Group), a maker of aircraft landing and braking systems.
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Hard, dense, smooth nanocomposite coating provides anti-icing properties
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NEI Corp., Somerset, N.J., has introduced Nanomyte SuperAi, a nanocomposite coating that imparts anti-icing properties to the underlying substrate. The transparent coating also provides a hard, dense and smooth finish. Surfaces treated with SuperAi exhibit reduced ice adhesion, thereby preventing ice buildup. SuperAi can be applied to a variety of substrates, including plastics, metals, glass, and ceramics
It is a single-component coating that is easily applied by dip, spray, or brush. Potential applications include structures on which ice removal is a challenge, such as wind turbine blades and power transmission lines. The coating also improves durability and corrosion protection.
SuperAi is uniquely engineered so that the treated surface becomes highly slippery and hydrophobic, which facilitates reduction of ice adhesion. Data so far show that it is effective in mitigating buildup under icing conditions.
For example, in a simulated industrial trial, ice accretions on coated and uncoated aluminum conductor cables were compared. The outside of one cable was coated with SuperAi. Both coated and uncoated conductors were subjected to icing conditions for two hours under a regulated spray of water and ice solution at fixed time intervals.
Ice accumulation was determined by weighing the cables before and after the test. It was established, in multiple test runs, that the ice accretion was reduced to half with application of the coating. Similar results were seen on sections of a wind turbine. In addition, in-house measurements of ice adhesion strength with a force gauge show that SuperAi reduces the adhesion tendency significantly.
SuperAi can be cured at room temperature by exposing the coating to ambient conditions for 6 to 8 hours. Accelerated curing is achieved in one hour or less at temperatures in the range of 100 to 150°C.
www.neicorporation.com
NEI Corp., Somerset, N.J., has introduced Nanomyte SuperAi, a nanocomposite coating that imparts anti-icing properties to the underlying substrate.
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Digital Metal 3D printers offer high productivity and accurate detail in stainless steel
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Hogänäs AB, Sweden, announces that it has added two new Digital Metal 3D printers to its print fleet, which now consists of four precision printers. The proprietary printer works by laying down powdered metal in thin layers, interspersed with a special ink/glue. The photo shows lightweight hollow fasteners with threads that were 3D-printed of 316L stainless steel without any additional machining.
Digital Metal currently makes components predominantly of stainless steel. However, other materials such as titanium, silver, and copper are close to commercialization.
"I think the interest is based on our ability to offer a combination of good tolerances, surface finish, and detailed accuracy," says Ralf Carlström, Director of Digital Metal. "These benefits are further enhanced by the ability to offer high productivity. Printing takes place at room temperature without melting, and post treatment is facilitated by eliminating the need for building a support."
www.hoganas.com
Hogänäs AB, Sweden, announces that it has added two new Digital Metal 3D printers to its print fleet, which now consists of four precision printers.
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A heart of gold? Try platinum
December 5, 2014
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A platinum-chromium alloy makes coronary stents stronger, more flexible and resistant to corrosion. Now, Department of Energy National Lab scientists are winning an award for their work on the development, transfer and successful commercialization of the novel alloy.
The researchers from the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL), Morgantown, W. Va., will receive a 2015 ASM Engineering Materials Achievement Award from the materials science and engineering society ASM International, Materials Park, Ohio. NETL's Paul Jablonski, Paul Turner, Edward Argetsinger, and Jeffrey Hansen developed the alloy in collaboration with researchers at Boston Scientific Corp., Marlborough, Mass.
The alloy is the first stainless steel formulation for stents with a significant concentration of platinum, making it easier for coronary specialists to see the stent on x-ray during placement and expansion. The alloy also increases the stents' corrosive resistance, strength and flexibility. Stents made from the alloy benefit patients by shortening recovery time and avoiding follow-on procedures and more invasive surgery, which reduces healthcare costs.
Since their commercial introduction in 2010, the stents have helped more than 2.5 million people, generated more than $6 billion in sales and captured a 25 percent share of the coronary stent market. Engineered and manufactured in the U.S., the stent series has created 450 sustainable domestic jobs.
Image caption — This coronary stent is made with a lab-developed, award-winning platinum-chromium alloy. Courtesy of NETL.
A platinum-chromium alloy makes coronary stents stronger, more flexible and resistant to corrosion wins award from ASM International.
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Composite materials replace titanium on Orion space capsule
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TenCate Advanced Composites North America, Fairfield, Ca., developed a heat resistant composite for the heat shield and backshell structure of the Lockheed Martin Orion multi-purpose crew vehicle. The vehicle was successfully launched in December. The suite of advanced materials in the space capsule replace the traditional titanium solution for re-entry and splashdown requirements and also reduce weight and cost. The heat shield design allows very large composite structures to be fabricated out of autoclave.
Lockheed Martin Space Systems Orion thermal protection group worked closely with TenCate Advanced Composites to develop a special heat resistant composite resin for the 16.5 ft (5 m) diameter heat shield and the crew vehicle backshell structure of the Orion space capsule.
The successful launch of NASA's Orion multi-purpose crew vehicle represents the efforts, innovation, and teamwork of many individuals and companies involved. Steve Mead, VP of marketing & sales at TenCate Advanced Composites says: "This week's flight represents the culmination of a five year development and qualification effort for a suite of materials used in this extreme application. Further, as a result of the heat shield's large size and thickness, the advanced composites used had to achieve high consolidation using only a low pressure vacuum bag only process. TenCate is honored to be one of Lockheed's partners on this important space program."
Image caption — NASA's Orion spacecraft will carry astronauts further into space than ever before using a module based on Europe's Automated Transfer Vehicles (ATV). The ATV-derived service module, sitting directly below Orion's crew capsule, will provide propulsion, power, thermal control, as well as supplying water and gas to the astronauts in the habitable module. The first Orion mission will be an uncrewed lunar flyby in 2017, returning to Earth's atmosphere at 11 km/s—the fastest reentry ever.
TenCate Advanced Composites North America, Fairfield, Ca., developed a heat resistant composite for the heat shield and backshell structure of the Lockheed Martin Orion multi-purpose crew vehicle.
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Tungsten-chromium-iron PM alloy has hardness of 21 GPa
December 3, 2014
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The Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, announces that researchers have developed a tungsten-chromium-iron powder metallurgy alloy that could replace depleted uranium in armor-piercing projectiles. The W-7Cr-9Fe alloy is significantly stronger than commercial tungsten alloys. Tests show a nanoindentation hardness of 21 GPa, about double the nanoindentation hardness of nanocrystalline iron-based alloys or coarse-grained tungsten.
The material is made by a powder metallurgy process of high-energy ball milling. This process involves repeated shearing of the metal powders, with the shearing driving the alloying elements to intermix while competing thermally activated recovery processes allow the alloy to return to its equilibrium state.
"So there is this competition between these two processes," says materials science and engineering graduate student Zachary C. Cordero. He reported results in a paper with senior author and Department of Materials Science and Engineering head Christopher A. Schuh and colleagues in the journal Metallurgical and Materials Transactions A.
His paper proposed a simple model to predict chemistries in a given alloy that will form a solid solution, and validated it with experiments. The improvement was achieved by compacting metal powders in a field-assisted sintering hot press, with the best result, measured by the fine grain structure and highest hardness, achieved at a processing time of one minute at 1200°C. Longer processing times and higher temperatures led to coarser grains and weaker mechanical performance.
"The way that I make my materials is with powder processing, where first we make nanocrystalline powder and then we consolidate it into a bulk object. But the challenge is that consolidation requires exposing the material to higher temperatures," Mr. Cordero says. Heating the alloys to high temperatures can cause the grains within the metal to enlarge, which weakens them. Cordero was able to achieve ultrafine grain structure of about 130 nanometers in the W-7Cr-9Fe compact, confirmed by electron micrographs.
"Using this powder processing route, we can make big samples up to 2 centimeters in diameter, or we could go bigger, with dynamic compressive strengths of 4 GPa. The fact that we can make these materials using a scalable process is maybe even more impressive," he says.
http://newsoffice.mit.edu/2014/alloying-tougher-tungsten-zack-cordero-1202#.VH5Abu6skNM.email
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, announces that researchers have developed a tungsten-chromium-iron powder metallurgy alloy that could replace depleted uranium in armor-piercing projectiles.
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3D printer builds first object in space
December 2, 2014
Source: ASM International
NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala., announces that an object has been additively manufactured in space for the first time.
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Seco Warwick supplies vacuum furnace to Wisconsin heat treating company
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Seco Warwick, Meadville, Pa., announces that it has sold a standard Vector 2 bar vacuum furnace to Service Heat Treating, Milwaukee, a provider of case hardening and vacuum processing of medium to large production runs. Vector high-pressure quench furnaces are available in 2, 10, 15, or 25 bar, and are designed for hot, cold, and high-speed steels.
In addition to patented vacuum carburizing technology, these furnaces can be used for tempering, annealing, solution heat treating, brazing, and sintering. With the FineCarb and PreNit (high speed) carburizing options, a SimVac process simulation package is included at no extra charge.
Service Heat Treating offers standard stainless steel and tool steel processing quickly and cost effectively, and has the capability to design vacuum carburizing processes for the most distortion-critical applications.
www.secowarwick.com/en/products/vacuum-heat-treatment/
Seco Warwick, Meadville, Pa., announces that it has sold a standard Vector 2 bar vacuum furnace to Service Heat Treating, Milwaukee, a provider of case hardening and vacuum processing of medium to large production runs.
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CHTE project tests induction tempering versus furnace tempering
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The Center for Heat Treating Excellence, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Mass., is working on a research project to test the benefits and limitations of induction tempering versus furnace tempering. The goal is to develop a fundamental understanding of the induction tempering process in terms of the effects of power and frequency on the microstructure and properties of the part. Results will enable companies to decide on the optimal technology required to reduce cycle time and process costs while maintaining or improving product quality.
The expectation is that CHTE members will be able to eliminate trial-and-error experimentation and apply the data to process designs, thus improving efficiency and productivity. The project will provide information on the best recipe to maximize the performance of parts.
A detailed comparison will be made between parts that are tempered using the "less than optimum" parameters from induction heating equipment designed for annealing. In addition, a comparison of the microstructures, residual stress distribution, and mechanical properties (hardness, impact toughness, and torsional properties) of several induction-tempered steels with furnace-tempered steels will be made.
At this point, the furnace tempering experiments have been completed.
It was found that the hardness could be predicted with the Hollomon-Jaffe relationship with a constant of C=14 for AISI1045 and C=13 for AISI4140.
Preliminary experiments to determine the effect of phase transformations during heating were completed. It was found that the tempering process had begun during the first 20 minutes of the heat-up to the tempering process.
Induction tempering experiments at Thermotool will be completed in May or June.
Detailed metallographic analysis will be conducted to compare furnace and induction heating.
http://wp.wpi.edu/chte/project-portfolio/induction-tempering/
The Center for Heat Treating Excellence, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Mass., is working on a research project to test the benefits and limitations of induction tempering versus furnace tempering.
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